What's On

• Upcoming events

What's New

• Foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease detected in Indonesia
• Awards for excellence in southern Australian livestock industries now open

BestWool/BestLamb

• BWBL group profile: Pyrenees and Smeaton – Precision soil mapping in central Victorian pastures
• National flock numbers continue to grow

BetterBeef

• Pestivirus: A complex disease explained
• Targeted supplement use at the autumn break

Beef and Sheep News

• 2019 BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb conference presentations
• Why you need to feed roughage this winter
• New climate extremes forecasts now available thanks to Forewarned is Forearmed project

Ag Recovery

• Grants closing soon! June 2021 severe weather event
• Recovery after fire: Practical steps for farmers
• Supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria
• Financial and business support
• Regional weather and climate guides
• Recovery after storms and floods: Support for primary producers

Quick Links

• Links to Feeding Livestock website, AWI, MLA, The Fast Break, Rural Financial Counselling Service and more

PLEASE NOTE: The events listed below may be subject to last minute cancellation in the event of an emergency or advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer.

Agriculture Victoria has positions available for sheep and beef farmers to participate in the 2022 Livestock Farm Monitor benchmarking project.

Participation gives you a real insight into your business and provides you with the information to assess your businesses strengthens and weaknesses and compare where your business sits in relation to other similar businesses in Victoria.

The report is a trusted and un-biased source of information that can assist farm businesses with conversations with the bank, consultants and industry.

Participation is free and all information is treated as highly confidential.

For further information about the project, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or send us an email.

[Back to Top]

Indonesia is currently responding to widespread detections of both foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease.

These diseases are exotic to Australia and an incursion of either virus into Australia would result in significant animal health and trade issues. Fortunately, they are not a public health risk.

Early detection is the key to controlling disease and minimising the impacts. Despite the distance between Indonesia and Victoria, all producers and veterinarians should be implementing on-farm biosecurity plans and monitoring their livestock for any unusual signs that might signal the presence of an emergency animal disease.

Clinical signs of FMD include:

• cattle, pigs, sheep, buffalo, deer, camelids and goats may show fever, drooling and reluctance to move
• blisters on the mouth, snout, tongue, lips or between and above the hooves
• blisters may be intact or ruptured, exposing raw, painful tissue.

In Indonesia, cattle with FMD were initially thought to be suffering from bovine ephemeral fever.

Spread of the virus is usually by the movement of live animals or exposure to contaminated products such as feed, equipment, untreated hides or other materials.

Illegally imported food contaminated with FMD virus can infect animals. To minimise the risk of spreading diseases such as foot and mouth disease, feeding pigs food scraps containing meat products, also known as ‘swill’ feeding or feeding prohibited pig feed, is illegal in Australia.

Find out more about prohibited pig feed on the Agriculture Victoria website. 

For more information on foot and mouth disease visit the Agriculture Victoria website or the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment website.

Clinical signs of lumpy skin disease include:

• firm raised nodules up to 50 mm in diameter on the skin around the head, neck, genitals and limbs
• scabs that can develop in the centre of the nodules and leave ‘large full skin thickness holes’ that are prone to infection when the scabs fall off
• watering eyes and increased salivation and discharge from the nose.

Spread of the virus is usually by biting insects such as certain species of flies, mosquitoes and possibly ticks. Contaminated equipment and direct contact between animals has also been associated with the spread of disease.

For more information on lumpy skin disease visit the Agriculture Victoria website or the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment website.

[Back to Top]

The Southern Australia Livestock Research Council (SALRC) has announced the call for nominations for the 2022 Awards for Excellence in Southern Australian Livestock Industries.

The annual SALRC Awards have been developed to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in the contributions of individuals to research and development, extension, communication and practical application of innovation on farm, to improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of the Southern Australian red meat and livestock industries.

Award nominations close 30 June 2022. To nominate or for more information visit the SALRC website.

[Back to Top]

The comparison is undertaken through a paired-paddock demonstration across four sites in Central Victoria. The project is a collaboration between the Pyrenees and Smeaton BestWool/BestLamb groups, Precision Agriculture Pty Ltd and Agriculture Victoria, with funding from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

Producers Scott, Liz and Daniel Howell are hosting one of the sites on their 1330 hectare property at Mt Lonach near Amphitheatre.

Read more about the demonstration on the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) sheep meat and wool survey provides a representation of flock populations, demographics, producer intentions and breeds, allowing MLA to make projections around the sheep meat industry.

The results of the February 2022 survey are now in, revealing the production activities and intentions of producers from MLA’s defined sheep producing regions. Read the full article on the MLA website to find out some of the key insights from this latest survey.

[Back to Top]

[Back to Top]

Dr. Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer

Pestivirus is widespread in cattle herds worldwide including Victoria.

The nature of the disease caused by pestivirus is quite complex and depends largely upon the timing of infection.

When the virus infects cattle for the first time they may develop fever, depression and diarrhoea. This type of infection is called Bovine Virus Diarrhoea and is usually, but not always, mild. Affected cattle subsequently build up strong immunity against repeat infections.

If a cow is pregnant at the time of infection, the cow herself will be affected as described above. The effect on the unborn calf depends on the stage of infection.

If the cow is infected during the second half of pregnancy the unborn calf will develop a strong immunity and be born normal although birth abnormalities and late abortions are not uncommon.

During the first half of pregnancy an unborn calf's immune system is not developed and it therefore does not recognise the presence of the virus. As a result, the calf will be born a carrier of the virus and will shed large amounts of the virus. These persistently infected calves are the main source of virus in an infected herd.

Furthermore, if the calf that was infected during the first half of pregnancy is exposed to a more aggressive strain of the virus after it is born its immune system will not be able to fight the virus leading to a condition known as Mucosal Disease.

Mucosal Disease is a severe and invariably fatal disease. Its clinical signs include diarrhoea, fever, emaciation and lesions on the nose, mouth and feet. There is no treatment available for Mucosal Disease.

To best manage the effects of pestivirus it is important to ensure that cattle are not exposed to the infection for the first time during pregnancy. This can be done either by removing the carriers of the infection or by exposing heifers to the infection prior to their first joining. A vaccine is available against pestivirus.

For further advice please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer on 136 186.

[Back to Top]

Once the autumn break arrives, it can be difficult to know when to stop feeding supplements to your cattle. There is a balance between trying to do the right thing for the pastures, in terms of allowing them to recover from the dry, and to reduce or stop the amount of supplementary feeding being used in the system.

In a rotational grazing system, one of the best ways to determine how much supplement to use and when you can stop supplementary feeding stock is to use the following equation, [Stocking rate (cows/ha) x pasture requirement (kgDM/cow/day) x rotation length (days)] + residual (kgDM/ha).

Find out more on the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

In the lead up to the 2022 BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef annual conference, which will be held in Bendigo on Thursday 16 June, why not view some past conference presentations that are relevant to this time of year?

The value of grazing weeds – Cam Nicholson
Weeds in pastures – are they valuable? In this presentation, Cam Nicholson discusses the main summer and winter weeds and their value (or not) to livestock. View the presentation on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Economics of autumn saving – Dr Andrew Whale
Andrew Whale, Livestock Logic, discusses the principles of autumn saving pastures, the results of on-farm demonstrations and how the economics stack up. View the presentation on the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

Dr. Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer

With the new growth of pasture and the various supplementary feeds that could be given you could ask – why feed roughage?

Roughage will be needed this winter for any of the following reasons:

• livestock require a minimum amount of fibre and long roughage to maintain their digestive systems, even though some roughage may be left uneaten. This is sometimes known as the “scratch factor” and stimulates rumination (cud chewing)
• when moving livestock onto green pasture their rumen needs time to adjust to a new feed type
• newly growing pasture may not have adequate fibre levels
• it may be better to supplement stock, to allow the pasture to establish and develop
• hungry cattle need to be prevented from gorging themselves on pastures that may have potential to cause nitrate poisoning or bloat
• if feeding grain or pellets with too little roughage, acidosis or grain poisoning can occur
• as we move further into winter, hay may be needed to reduce grass tetany risks and provide a way of administering Causmag.

Livestock need to eat more roughage in cold weather to give them energy for heat production.

Roughage in the diet helps keep livestock warm since the fermentation and breakdown of cellulose creates heat energy.

If they do not have enough roughage, the weight will melt off as they mine body fat to create energy for warmth.

Feed late in the afternoon to provide heat through the night.

So, there are a number of reasons why roughage may be needed this winter.

For further information please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria animal health or extension officers on 136 186.

Visit Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website for feed budgeting tools and calculators.

[Back to Top]

Mallee farmers will now benefit from an update to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Climate Outlook Service which has resulted in the addition of new ‘chance of extreme’ outlooks to the multi-weekly and seasonal forecast website.

These are an output from the Forewarned is Forearmed project – a partnership of government, research organisations, and industry sectors, in-part funded through the Australian Government's Rural R&D for Profit Program.

The new forecasts respond to the growing need for information around extreme climate events; helping to build climate resilience and support informed decision-making.

The outlooks draw on the Bureau's upgraded climate model (ACCESS-S2) which is at the cutting edge of global seasonal forecasts.

The tools comprise maps and location-specific bar charts showing the chance of climate extremes in the forecast outlook.

Specifically, these indicate the chance of unusually warm/cool and dry/wet conditions for the weeks, months and seasons ahead.

The climate extremes used in these outlooks refer to the chances of being in the top / bottom 20 per cent of historical observations including:

• the 'chance of extreme' maps and pop-up bar charts are available across Australia and are accessed via the left-hand menu on the climate outlooks interface, under the rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature sub-headings.
• the bar charts are available for your local region by clicking on the map or using the search icon to type in a location.
• accuracy, past climatology and explanatory information is also available on the website, including new pop-up information when you select a location or click on the maps.

For the past three years, Agriculture Victoria has contributed to the national project by gathering insights on hot, cold, wet and dry extreme forecasts from the new BoM ACCESS-S model and searching for improved ways to communicate these forecasts to farmers.

Stay tuned as webinars will be held by Agriculture Victoria to showcase these new tools. For more seasonal climate information, check out:

• The Bureau of Meteorology's updated seasonal outlooks
• Forewarned is forearmed: Outlooks and new features on the Bureau of Meteorology's YouTube
• The Break Newsletters
• My Rain Gauge is Busted podcast series.

The Forewarned is Forearmed project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment as part of its Rural Research and Development for Profit program.

[Back to Top]

Grants of up to $25,000 are available to help reimburse primary producers for clean-up and recovery activities as a direct result of the severe weather event on 9-11 June 2021.

The Exceptional Circumstances Recovery Grants can be used to cover activities including removing fallen trees, removing silt and debris, specialist support for landslip and erosion remediation. The support can also contribute to the cost of repairs or replacement of damaged farm infrastructure such as fencing and equipment.

Applications for grant assistance close on 31 May 2022.

To apply for a grant or to see if you are eligible, visit the Rural Finance website.

[Back to Top]

An updated recovery guide is now available to help farmers rebuild and provide a one-stop reference to the support available. The guide includes steps to take immediately after the fire and for short-term recovery and longer-term rebuilding. It covers re-fencing, dealing with erosion and flooding, pasture recovery, pest and weed control and preparing for the next season.

The printed booklet is available from Agriculture Victoria, by contacting our agriculture recovery managers (details noted below) or phone 136 186 or digital version online.

[Back to Top]

The Victorian and Commonwealth Government are supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria.

For more information on bushfire recovery programs or recovery from floods/storm events, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or phone 136 186.

Regional Agriculture Victoria recovery managers;

• North East – Kylie Macreadie 0428 975 728 or email
• Gippsland – Darren Hickey 0457 609 140 or email.

Visit the Bushfire Recovery Victoria website or 1800 560 760.

[Back to Top]

Rural Financial Counselling Service

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) have an experienced team ready to assist primary producers and small rural business in recovery planning.

Financial counsellors can help develop financial forecasts and business plans required for lenders or investors, plus connect with support agencies and services.

RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. They can also assist with filling in forms and grant applications.

For more information or to book an appointment call RFCS Gippsland on 1300 045 747 or RFCS North East on 1300 834 775.

[Back to Top]

The Regional Weather and Climate Guides project is part of the Commonwealth Government Drought Assistance Package.

The project aims to improve the resilience of farming businesses by providing localised facts about the likelihood, severity, and duration of key weather variables in regions across the country.

The weather and climate information will be delivered through a set of guides corresponding to Australia's Natural Resource Management regions.

The project is a collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, and FarmLink Research.

The guides have been developed in collaboration with representatives from each NRM region to ensure the information is tailored to the needs of local farmers and agribusinesses.

For more information visit the Bureau of Meteorology.

[Back to Top]

Agriculture Victoria’s Ag Recovery Team can provide support to producers following the June storms and floods across Victoria.

There is Agriculture Recovery support available in each of the regions affected including Central and southwest Gippsland, Central Highlands, Macedon Ranges and Yarra Valley and surrounds, to provide support with issues in livestock, dairy, cropping, irrigation and horticulture.

Agriculture Victoria can offer technical advice on:

• pasture recovery and grazing management
• soil erosion management
• animal health, nutrition and feed budgeting
• whole farm planning
• water quality, budgeting
• farm water reticulation and dam management
• farm business planning.

Producers and growers are encouraged to contact the Agriculture Victoria Agriculture Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or email. For further storm/flood recovery information visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

Visit Agriculture Victoria’s website for the latest information and resources relating to livestock and animals.

Agriculture Victoria is delivering workshops, farm walks and online information sessions. Visit the Agriculture Victoria website for a list of upcoming events.

The RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. Counsellors can also assist applicants to apply for the Farm Household Allowance (FHA).

For more information visit the RFCS website or contact your local recovery support officer by searching the RFCS online directory. 

The National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) provides health and safety education and advice to farmers and their families via the Online Ag Health program. 

For more information visit the National Centre for Farmer Health or contact Cecilia Fitzgerald on (03) 5551 8533

[Back to Top]