In this edition

• Rural Financial Counselling Service
• 2024 BestWoolBestLamb and BetterBeef conferences recordings now available
• The Very Fast Break out now
• Season closes for Murray cod
• 2025 Bob Hawke Landcare Award is now open
• GRDC welcomes SA grower as Board Chair
• In case you missed it (ICYMI)
• Dry seasons webinar recordings available here
• Upcoming workshops to improve farm office tasks
• Fox and wild dog bounty
• What's on

The Rural Financial Counselling Service provides a free and confidential financial counselling service to eligible farmers and small related enterprises who are experiencing, or at risk of, financial hardship.

They can help you to access available support, analyse your business situation, negotiate with lenders and develop strategies to improve your financial position.

To find your closest service click here or call 1300 771 741.

Did you miss the BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef conferences or feel like revisiting the sessions?

Recorded presentations are now available for viewing on our website.

Watch Cam Nicholson’s talk on ‘The challenge of aligning pasture and animal needs’ here

Cam said it’s a challenge because while we know what the animals need and we can know all the theory about how to grow the best plants and the right way of doing it, there’s numerous times when those two don’t align.

Watch John Francis’s talk on ‘Growing the farm' here

John talks about opportunities for growth that exist ‘within the four fences’ of your farm.

Explore more from the BestWool/BestLamb conference here and the BetterBeef conference presentations here

Farmers can access support and assistance today to help manage the current dry seasonal conditions at agriculture.vic.gov.au

The Very Fast Break is delivered as short YouTube videos summarising oceanic and atmospheric climate drivers and the summarised model predictions for rainfall and temperature for Victoria.

View the latest HERE

If you have comments, questions or feedback, please contact Dale Grey at break@agriculture.vic.gov.au

It’s time to give our iconic Murray cod a rest during the closed season* from 1 September to 30 November.

During this time, cod are at their most vulnerable as they are in breeding mode. All fishers can help Murray cod to successfully spawn and ensure great cod fishing for future generations by ensuring they do not use fishing techniques which are likely to catch cod during this time.

The 1st September, also marks the closure of Murray spiny freshwater crayfish and river blackfish fishing seasons.

*The Murray cod closed season does not apply to the following waters: Lake Eildon, Arcadia Pondage, Waters of the Wimmera and Millicent basins (except the Wimmera River), waters south of the Great Dividing Range (except Yarra River), Lake Eppalock, Cairn Curran Reservoir and Lake Nillahcootie.

Applications are open until 31 December 2024

For the first time, this prestigious $30K national award is now accepting nominations from groups and organisations, in addition to individuals.

Do you know an individual, group, or organisation that is a sustainable farm practice innovator, demonstrated leadership in Landcare and inspired others to take land conservation practices in their community? Now is their chance to be recognised!

This award honours the significant role of former Prime Minister, the Hon. Bob Hawke AC, in transforming Landcare from a grassroots community initiative into a national movement with enduring bipartisan government support.

It celebrates exceptional dedication to sustainable land management and efforts to share valuable knowledge with others.

To find out more or to nominate a Landcare legend click here

South Australian grain grower Sharon Starick has been announced as the new Board Chair by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry the Hon. Julie Collins.

Mrs Sharon Starick will become one of the first growers from her state, as well as the first female to lead the largest of the rural research and development corporations, when she officially takes the reins on October 1.

GRDC Managing Director Nigel Hart welcomed the Ministerial announcement saying Mrs Starick’s appointment would provide critical continuity for the organisation, which has responsibility for investing more than $240 million each year in research, development and extension (RD&E) for Australian grain growers.

Mrs Starick replaces outgoing GRDC Board Chair John Woods, a Goondiwindi grain grower who has led the organisation since 2016.

Avian influenza restrictions eased

Further changes have been made to control orders surrounding avian influenza cases in Victoria, given that no new cases have been detected since 24 June 2024.

For the full media release click here

Be prepared for Fall armyworm

An upcoming event at our Tatura SmartFarm will provide attendants with awareness of Fall armyworm (FAW), and the possible impacts in a changing climate for horticulture and grain crops, on Wednesday, 23 October from 9 to 11 am.

For the full media release click here

The recording of the recent webinar ‘Growing more feed’ with Agriculture Victoria Livestock Extension Officer Fiona Baker - can be found HERE

Additionally, here are some resources that you might find useful. 

Feeding livestock website feedinglivestock.vic.gov.au

Agriculture Victoria dry season and drought support page  Dry seasons and drought support | Farm management | Agriculture Victoria

Soil Moisture monitoring sites can be found HERE

Information on navigating farm developments online tool can be found HERE

An MLA guide to managing breeding ewes in containment can be found HERE

Stock containment areas design webinar can be found HERE

Victoria’s bounty collections continue.

Please continue to check our website for the latest information, collection centres and dates. CLICK HERE

For any assistance, please speak to our bounty collection staff on collection days or call our Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can now be found in one spot on our website.

Log on to agriculture.vic.gov.au/events to find out what's on.

The Farm Business Resilience Program is supporting farmers to develop the knowledge and skills they need to improve their farm business and be better equipped to manage the impacts of drought and a changing climate.

Agriculture Victoria, in partnership with Cumbre Consultants, is inviting you to join other farmers in a free online short course with specialists on the following topics:

• business planning and risk management
• farm finances and profitable decision making
• managing people on farm, farm safety and wellbeing
• climate adaptation and natural resource improvement including soil, water, crops and pastures.

Course dates:

• Monday 30 September, 11 am to 2 pm - People success
• Monday 14 October, 12 to 2 pm - Plan review.

Location: Online.

Register here.

AWiA warmly invite you to recharge, refuel, and ignite your passion for all things agriculture at their Seed to Success National conference.

The program is two action-packed days filled with insightful sessions, panels, thought provoking conversations, empowering workshops, and networking galore!

Plus, two dinners that promise to ignite some fun and good conversation. Leave feeling re-energised, empowered, and ready to conquer any challenge that comes your way! 

Lock the dates in! September 24 to 26 purchase your tickets today!

Check out the program here

A series of harvester workshops will roll-out across the South Australian and Victorian grain belts in September to bring together harvester specialists, industry experts and researchers to give grain growers the latest advice ahead of this season’s harvest.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Harvester Set-up Victorian workshops will be hosted by the Birchip Cropping Group in collaboration with local growers:

• 24 September, Catumnal
• 26 September, Stewarton, near Dookie.

GRDC Southern Panel chair and Rutherglen grain grower Andrew Russell has attended past harvester set-up workshops. He said they are an awesome resource and one of the best parts of attending is listening to the conversations between growers, skilled header operators and other machinery experts.

Register for the free harvester set-up workshops via the GRDC website or contact BCG at kelly@bcg.org.au.

Beef and sheep producers are invited to join Agriculture Victoria and Precision Agriculture at a field day on precision soil mapping and variable rate fertiliser use in the livestock industry.

This producer demonstration site (PDS) was established in 2021, with funding from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

The four demonstration sites are on properties owned by members of the Smeaton and Pyrenees BestWool/BestLamb groups. Results and insights from the three-year demonstration will be presented.

Workshop topics include:

• visit one of the project demonstration sites and discuss in field variability of soils and some of the drivers of that variability
• soil variation at the paddock scale
• variable rate spreading
• soil testing and fertility
• economics of precision soil testing and variable rate spreading.

Date: Friday 11 October
Time: 9:30 am – 12 pm

Where:

• 9:30 – Scott Howell’s – 1504 Amphitheatre Road, Mount Lonarch
• 10:30 – Amphitheatre Rec Reserve, School Street, Amphitheatre.

Free to register. Light refreshments will be provided.

To register and for more information please contact Neil James on 0417 353 929 or at neil.james@agriculture.vic.gov.au

A Little Bit of Relief – Agricultural Expo is an event to support farmers.

Held from 10am – 3pm on Friday, 18 October at Dederang Recreation Reserve.

This free event features presentations and demonstrations by a range of known and respected industry professionals.

For more information click here

Join us to understand the potential impacts of Fall armyworm in a changing climate for horticulture and grain crops.

Farmers, employees and agronomists are encouraged to attend this free information session for an in-depth understanding of Fall armyworm risk. 

Date: Wednesday, 23 October
Time: 9 to 11 am, morning tea is included.

This free information session will include:

• AUSVEG Onside Project
• RapidAim pilot
• QLD FAW update
• FAW identification (hands on)
• status of insecticide resistance in FAW
• crop monitoring and management of FAW
• Q&A session.

Location: Agriculture Victoria SmartFarm Tatura, 255 Ferguson Road, Tatura.

Register here

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