What's On

• Upcoming events

What's New

• Accelerating the Victorian Agriculture Sector's response to climate change - the agriculture pledge
• Young Farmers Scholarships applications closing soon
• Walk and talk to improve farm safety
• The innovative and exciting new web-based platform 'campfire' is now live

BestWool/BestLamb

• BWBL Group Profile: to wean or not to wean prime lambs
• AWI grower app - new app for wool growers
• Mixed sheep farmers the world's most profitable
• Wool & sheepmeat survey
• Australian Fleece Competition 2021

BetterBeef

• Technote: market info for better decisions
• Do you know your best performing breeders
• New tip sheets for BREEDPLAN selection indexes
   

Beef and Sheep News

• EID101 eLearn - Introduction to electronic identification of livestock

Ag Recovery

• Recovery After Fire: Practical Steps for Farmers
• Supporting landholders impacted by fires across Victoria
• Financial and business support
• Regional weather and climate guides

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.

See all event information.

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The Victorian Government has announced an investment of almost $20 million over four years to support the agriculture sector to respond to climate change and reduce its emissions. Agriculture Victoria will work with farmers, industry and regional communities to deliver:

• a long-term vision for Victoria’s agriculture sector in a net zero emissions economy
• ground-breaking research, innovation and deployment of emissions reduction technologies and practices through an investment of $3.9 million
• information, tools and services to support emissions reduction, adaptation and climate risk management across the Victorian agriculture sector. This represents an investment of $15.4 million, including a pilot on-farm action plan program with up to $5 million available for grants to support on-farm action.

Please visit climatechange.vic.gov.au to sign up for updates, or visit the links below for more information.

• Media release from The Hon Mary-Anne Thomas MP
• Agriculture Victoria’s Agriculture Sector Pledge webpage
• Strategy for Agriculture in Victoria
• Victorian Government media release
• Climate Change Strategy fact sheets and resources

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The  2021 Upskill and Invest – Young Farmers Scholarships applications are closing soon.

You could receive up to $10,000! Each scholarship recipient is eligible to receive up to $5,000 for training and study (Upskill), followed by up to $5,000 to put their new skills into practice (Invest).

If you are aged 35 years or younger, and have at least two years' experience on-farm, you could be eligible to apply. To find out more visit vic.gov.au/youngfarmers.

The Victorian Government continues to support the next generation of farmers through a range of initiatives and provides opportunities for young people in agriculture to have their say, boost their skills and progress their careers.

The scholarship program builds on the commitments of the Agriculture Strategy to grow, modernise and promote the sector – helping to deliver the agriculture skills of the future and building on the government's goal to grow Victoria's agriculture sector to $20 billion by 2030.

Since 2015, the Young Farmers Scholarship program has successfully supported 76 young farmers to develop their skills across a range of agriculture sectors.

Applications close at midnight on Sunday 6 June 2021.

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Last year almost one in five workplace fatalities recorded in Victoria occurred in the agriculture sector, despite only accounting for just over two percent of the working population.

To help address this and better protect Victoria’s agriculture workforce, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) Farm Safety Team is facilitating free Farm Safety ‘Walk and Talks’ across the state. 

Delivered through the Making our Farms Safer initiative, each farmer-hosted event includes a presentation from a Farm Safety Advisor with time for questions and discussion about health and safety responsibilities, obligations and record keeping. 

Participants will then tour the farm to discuss specific safety risks around shearing sheds, chemical storage areas, plant and machinery, working at heights, working with livestock, loading ramps and yards, overhead fuel or, farm workshop and silo safety.

Advisors will also share insights into some of the things that they are commonly seeing during safety audits and inspections.

During the 47 safety visits and 14 farm safety presentations that have been completed this year, discussion topics have included quad bike standards and use, new loading ramp standards, skills shortages and related safety issues, and health and safety requirements around farm machinery.

Farm Safety Advisor John Darcy said the ‘Walk and Talk’ events provided a great opportunity to start a conversation about safety and for farmers to speak with their neighbours and friends about the small changes they can make to improve safety.

“A lot of injuries and fatalities are preventable, that’s the take home message here,” he said.

“By having farmers working together and supporting each other there is great potential for better safety outcomes for the industry.”

The Farm Safety Team can present at functions and events and are keen to support industry networks such as BetterBeef, BestWool/BestLamb, Landcare, Rotary and other regional networks.

The Making our Farm Safer project is funded by Smarter, Safer Farms, a $20 million Victorian Government commitment to improve safety and skills outcomes for Victorian farmers.

The Victorian Government is backing a stronger, more innovative and sustainable agriculture industry with a 10-year strategy for Agriculture.

To inquire about a Farm Safety Walk and Talk or to have a member of the Farm Safety Team participate in a regional meeting or event contact Farm Safety Advisors John Darcy (0432 156 223) or Richard Versteegen (0499 772 472).

You can also visit Making our Farms Safer page on Facebook or Twitter. 

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Campfire is part of the Primary Producer Knowledge Network (PPKN) and provides a relaxed online environment where producers can get together, hear from experts and peers, ask questions and pose solutions to proactively improve systems of work and support mentally healthy workplaces.

The campfire is lit at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Bonfire events—including a Q&A session with experts — run fortnightly on Wednesday evenings.

Upcoming bonfire event dates:

• 9 June @ 7:30 pm: Strengthening your support team: Fishing and Farming Safety Consultants and what they can offer you.
• 23 June @ 7:30 pm: Strengthening your support team: AgriSafe – your health, wellbeing and safety is your #1 asset

To learn more, register to participate, and join the conversation visit the National Centre for Farmer Health website.

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In this month’s profile, we revisit the St Arnaud BWBL group to get an update on their MLA producer demonstration site “To wean or not to wean”. Two years into the demonstration, what is the data showing us about the production benefits of weaning lambs at 12 weeks of age?

Read the full profile online.

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Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) has launched a new mobile phone app for Australian wool growers and anyone interested in the Australian wool industry.

The AWI Grower App allows users to customize the information they receive from AWI. Popular updates include regular market reports, production forecasts, industry news, podcasts plus research will be delivered quickly and easily at the forefront of the app.

AWI Chief Executive Stuart McCullough says the app is an opportunity to better connect with woolgrowers and make their digital experience better with us with almost half of all visits to wool.com are made on a mobile phone.

“This is another way AWI is making it easier for growers to get the most useful and up to date information from us. Growers can choose what information to receive and what to view offline.

AWI Grower App is available now for all iPhones and android phones by searching or clicking the links below.

• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/awi-grower-app/id1543261006
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wool.grower

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MLA recently released its annual agri benchmark report – How are global and Australian sheep producers performing? In the report the costs, productivity and profitability of Australian sheep farms are compared to international competitors in 16 other countries.

Key points:

• WA sheep farms are the most profitable in the world according to the new agri benchmark report
• Sheep meat production is growing in China, Central Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East
• Australia is among the lowest cost sheepmeat producers in the world.

From an Australian perspective, six farms across key Australian sheep producing regions participate in the benchmarking activity, including three WA farms that are mixed sheep-cropping enterprises.

On a positive for Australian sheep farms, they are the most profitable in the world according to the report, especially the WA mixed farming properties. These farms are also among the lowest cost of the world’s sheep producing countries – all performing below the global average cost of production (which is US$482 per 100kg live weight production).

The report highlighted sheep are integral to profitable mixed farming enterprises, however, as with Australian cattle farms, high land prices are putting pressure on sheep farms’ long-term profitability.

View the report online.

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AWI and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) jointly conduct the tri-annual wool and sheepmeat survey.

Contribute to the AWI and MLA wool and sheepmeat survey by 30 June 2021 for the chance to win a $1,000 Caltex StarCash card.

Woolgrowers' continued support of this survey will provide forward-looking information allowing the industry to better manage the supply chain and meet producer and customer expectations.

The improved questionnaire makes it easier to fill in the key estimates of wool and sheepmeat production information.

Responses will be aggregated with the replies from other participants to create regional, state and national wool and sheepmeat industry data. Individual responses remain strictly confidential.

Complete the survey online.

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Entries are currently being received for the 2021 Australian Fleece Competition.  Run jointly by Nutrien Ag Solutions, the Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA) and the Australian Sheep Breeders Association, the competition forms part of the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, held in Bendigo 16-18 July.

This year we will be celebrating 20 years of the Australian Fleece Competition.

The Australian Fleece Competition is the largest fully measured fleece competition in the world.  The competition showcases a range of fleeces, representing every state and a wide range of breeds and microns.  The performance class will again be part of the competition to allow the benchmarking and display of fleeces shorn at six to eight month intervals.

At the conclusion of the competition, exhibitors have the opportunity to donate their fleeces to this year’s nominated charity, The MND Australia.  Thanks to the generosity of exhibitors, eighteen national charities have shared in over $177,000 since the inception of the competition.

The closing date for entries to be received at the Brooklyn wool store is Friday, 4 June 2021.

Further details regarding the competition schedule, fleece tickets and online entry instructions are available on The Australian Wool and Sheep Show website or the Nutrien Ag Solutions website.

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Fiona Bake, South East Victoria

When buying in cattle to grow-out, it can be hard to decide what liveweight (kgLW) to grow the stock out to maximise returns.  It is important to remember the final price you might receive based on the weight of the animal is not the only thing to consider.  You need to consider any costs involved in getting those stock to their final weight.

It’s important to assess the stock you are looking to buy to ensure you purchase animals that are suitable, so they reach the market specifications you are aiming for in the appropriate timeframe.

You may be looking at two pens of steers – one pen suitable to grow out to 550 kgLW and another pen that would need to be grown out to a heavier bullock weight of 700 kgLW.

Why would one lot need to be held onto longer?  In short, it has to do with the frame score of the animal.  Frame score is essentially the height of the animal relative to its age.  When growing animals lay down a mix of bone and muscle first, and then once they are reaching their mature weight, start laying down fat.

The first pen has cattle with a shorter stature compared to those in the second pen. The steers in this pen are likely to be more suitable for a shorter growing period and to be sent into the abattoir at 550 kgLW.  At this weight, they are likely to have the required fat cover.

The taller-framed cattle are likely to have a much lower fat cover at that same weight and not be ready for processing, thus needing to be held on-farm for longer.

If you purchase larger-framed animals in autumn, you are likely to find that you will have to carry them over summer and possibly into the next autumn to ensure they are well enough grown to have the desired fat cover.  In a typical summer, that may mean you have to supplementary feed them to ensure they continue to grow.  Comparing that to feeding smaller, younger animals over summer that had been purchased in spring (say 440 kgLW steers vs 660 kgLW bullocks) you could be facing 35-40 per cent higher feed costs.

Historical stock prices for various saleyards will help you crunch through some different options and find what might best suit your own situation. Jump on the MLA website and have a look at their Price & Markets section https://www.mla.com.au/prices-markets/market-reports-prices/. Here you can select different sale yards and different classes of stock and see the prices across the year. You can even access the data going back three years to do a year-on-year analysis to compare different systems on your own place.  You can also download the information into an excel spreadsheet for easier reading or to do some calculations.

You might choose to select ‘Yearling steers’ and the weight range you normally purchase them at and select and your preferred saleyard location. Take note of the time of year you would be buying in as well. This is your buy-in price. Then select ‘Grown steers’ for your sell price for the same market and look at the price for the time of year you would expect to sell them. Then don’t forget to subtract off any costs (including supplementary feeding costs if they are likely to be incurred) to give you reasonably accurate margins.

It may take 12–14 months from purchase (330kg LW purchase weight) before being able to sell the bullocks into the abattoir.  When comparing systems, think about how many smaller-statured stock you might be able to run and finish in the same time. It often takes six to seven months to grow a steer out from 330 kgLW to 550 kgLW an get the appropriate fat cover.

Doing the sums across a couple of years helps take out some of the variation and may help you decide whether turning off smaller lighter stock is a better fit for your system than running bullocks.  A lot of it comes back to how well you can feed the animals and at what cost.  So, if you have a shorter growing season for your pastures, maybe smaller framed stock turned off around the 550 kgLW are the way to go.

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A recent Beefcentral.com article (April 20, 2021) by Alistair Raynor, genetics editor for Beefcentral.com is a good reminder about the benefits to a commercial cow/calf enterprise of increasing selection pressure on your breeders based on good records and data.

Research has shown that up 70 per cent in the variation of weaning weights can be attributed to the milk production of the cow (Morris S. and Smeaton D. 2009). This means in every calf drop, you will have a large variation in weaning weights caused by some cows performing better than others in milk production. Variation in genetics for growth is also a factor. Why do you retain these lower performing cows? Is it only because they rear a live calf for you every year, is it temperament, or you just like the look of them? Remember, a key profit driver in every beef enterprise is kg of beef produced per ha.

The article makes reference to a recently completed report for an Enhanced Producer Demonstration Site (EPDS) project conducted by the Colac BetterBeef Group in south western Victoria coordinated by Nathan Scott of Achieve Ag Solutions (Scott, N. Blore, C 2019. E.PDS.1410). This project was supported by Agriculture Victoria and MLA. The EPDS project was looking at the practicalities, accuracy and benefit/cost of collecting the necessary maternal performance data to measure breeder efficiency, that is, calf weaning weight per cow. You can’t apply selection pressure to your cows if you can’t accurately identify their calf.

Some of the key points to note in the article are

• the rate of genetic progress in a herd is dependant upon the collection and use of data and the accuracy of that data
• the lack of maternal performance data means that genetic progress is mostly achieved through sire selection, not selection pressure on breeders
• additional genetic progress can be achieved through selection pressure on breeders, based on good reproductive performance records
• technology such as Pedigree Match Maker can collect some of the critical data needed to accurately measure and improve breeder efficiency
• the cost of implementing this technology requires only a 3 per cent improvement in growth rates of calves from birth to weaning to achieve a three to one return on investment.

To read Alistair Raynor’s article visit Beefcentral.com.

To read the report about the Producer Demonstration Site project run by the Colac BetterBeef group visit the Agriculture Victoria website Completed Demonstration section.

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In recent months, the Southern (SBTS) and Tropical (TBTS) Beef Technology Services extension team, in conjunction with BREEDPLAN staff, have been reviewing the BREEDPLAN tip sheets relating to selection indexes. Several new tip sheets, both general and breed specific, were developed.

The selection index tip sheets are now available via the Help Centre on the BREEDPLAN website.

The general selection index tip sheets are:

• An Introduction to Selection Indexes. This tip sheet introduces BreedObject selection indexes, outlines what selection indexes are available, and explains how to interpret selection indexes. It also provides a brief guide to using selection indexes in animal selection.
• A BREEDPLAN Guide to Animal Selection. This tip sheet provides both seedstock and commercial beef producers with a detailed best practice guide to using BREEEDPLAN information, alongside other selection tools, for animal selection. Advice on pre-sale preparation for bull buyers is also provided.

Two breed specific tip sheets are also available and replace the previous ‘Interpreting Breed Selection Indexes’ tip sheet. These are:

• Using Breed Selection Indexes. This tip sheet has been designed to provide bull breeders and their commercial clients with a reference guide to help identify the selection index of most relevance to their production system(s). This tip sheet provides a brief guide to using the available breed society selection indexes in animal selection. An overview of each available breed society selection index is also provided (in dot point format for ease of comparison).
• Breed Selection Indexes: Technical Specifications. This tip sheet has been designed for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the technical specifications for each of the available selection indexes. This tip sheet provides an overview of the BreedObject selection index development process.

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The EID101 eLearn has recently been launched on the Agriculture Victoria Learning Management System. Designed for producers, the course provides an introduction into the technology that is used to identify individual animals using electronic devices over four parts.

Part 1 – Defining Your Data includes important messages about first setting goals for their business and livestock enterprises these are then used to identify the data needed to measure progress towards the goals. 

The second and third parts explore how electronic identification devices (EID) technology works, the equipment that can be used, connectivity and how to collect quality data. The fourth and final part Decisions with Data, provides examples of how data can be used to support decision making.

The EID101 eLearn was adapted from a face-to-face workshop allow participants with varying levels of knowledge to learn at their own pace.

For more information please contact: Kirstie Anderson.

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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 the Customer Services Centre on 136 186 or digital version online.

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

For more information on bushfire recovery, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or contact:

Bushfire Recovery Victoria – 1800 560 760 vic.gov.au/bushfire-recovery-victoria

Regional Agricultural Victoria Recovery Managers:

• • North East – Kylie Macreadie on 0428 975 728
  • Gippsland – Keren Walker on 0477 706 384

For more information on bushfire recovery, contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or see agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/emergency-management/bushfires

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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

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The Regional Weather and Climate Guides project is part of the Australian Government’s 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.

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

Agriculture Victoria is delivering workshops, farm walks and information sessions online. Virtual events might include webinars, teleconferences or livestreams. Visit Agriculture Victoria events for a comprehensive list of upcoming activities.

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 or call the national toll free number on 1300 045 747 (select option four for Victoria).

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

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