Thursday 24 April 2025

Drought support for south west farmers

Agriculture Victoria continues to support drought-affected farmers in south west Victoria with an ongoing program of events. Check out the events being delivered as part of the Drought Support Package.

Stay up to date with what’s on at the calendar of events. 

Bushfire recovery support

If your business or industry has been impacted by the 2024-25 bushfires in western Victoria, support is available to assist with your immediate and long-term recovery. Upcoming supports include:

• Business Recovery Advisory Service – free business support for impacted businesses, via telephone, online or in-person for impacted businesses, to find the right strategies for long-term recovery.
• Business Bushfire Recovery Grant Program – $5,000 grants to small businesses, including eligible primary producers, that have experienced significant disruptions and revenue losses due to the bushfires.

These programs are jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements for the Western Victoria Bushfires which commenced in December 2024 (AGRN 1166).

Register your interest to receive updates on the 2024-25 Western Victoria Bushfire Recovery grants and other related supports as they become available.

Apply for an On-Farm Drought Infrastructure grant

Eligible drought-affected farmers in the south west can now apply for up to $5,000 in co-contribution grants to support establishing on-farm infrastructure such as:

• water infrastructure upgrades (pipes, tanks, troughs, dams)
• stock containment areas
• grain and fodder storage.

Visit the dry seasons webpage for more information or call 136 186.

Autumn pasture reminders

Michele Jolliffe, Agriculture Victoria, Hamilton

Autumn is a key time to rebuild perennial ryegrass density and set up pasture production for the year. The dry summer will have weakened individual plants, and some will die despite good management.

By following a few simple tactics, it will be possible to maintain and, in most cases, improve your perennial ryegrass pasture performance into the future.

Make decisions on your livestock – and stick to it

Dr Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer, Northern Region

It is vital that producers assess their livestock situation now and actively plan for the welfare of animals as we wait for the autumn break.

Livestock may start experiencing the effects of the shortfall of paddock feed. Furthermore, water availability has become a critical issue on many properties.

To ensure livestock make it through this period, some timely decisions need to be made.

Producers need to examine their options carefully and ask themselves questions such as:

• have I got enough supplementary feed on hand?
• if not, will I be able to source it at a reasonable price?
• will I need to cart water? How much? And from where?
• is agistment an option, what is the cost and how far will my stock have to travel?
• do I need to sell some stock now?

Decisions need to be made carefully. A well-constructed plan is a valuable tool in assisting with the decision-making process.

By using a timeline with details such as ‘if it has not rained by x date, I need to sell x number of head’, often eases the pressure on producers and their livestock.

Livestock owners have a legislative responsibility for the welfare of their animals under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

For further information please visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

Plus you can contact your local veterinarian, local stock agent or Agriculture Victoria Veterinary or Animal Health Officer on 136 186.

What's On

Details about these events and more can be found our website.

Catch up and chill with a meal – Young Dairy Network: Camperdown

When: Monday 28 April, 7 to 9 pm 
Where: Hampton Hotel, 228 Manifold Street, Camperdown

Take a well-deserved break and join the Young Dairy Network for a relaxed evening where you can catch up with fellow farmers, enjoy a hearty meal, and share a drink while talking about how things are going on the farm.

Guest speakers:

• Farm consultant, Cath Jenkins, will share practical tips to help get through the drought, manage stress and maintain productivity
• Agronomist Emily Walsh will chat about what your grasses are doing, assessing pasture conditions and what to do to prepare for when the rain comes.

Autumn Winter Feedbase Planning

When: Wednesday 30 April, 9:15 am to 2 pm
Where: Rokewood Hall, 66 Ferrars St, Rokewood

When: Thursday 1 May, 9:15 am to 2 pm
Where: Yulecart Hall, 6731 Dartmoor Hamilton Rd, Yulecart

Join this free workshop on assessing and planning to meet feed requirements for the Autumn/Winter under dry conditions with Lisa Miller and Jessie Wettenhall, SFS.

• What pasture species are surviving
• Assessing pasture condition and Food On Offer
• Releasing livestock from containment
• Understand how to manage releasing stock from containment and what to consider
• Whole farm pasture feed budget to assess the options
• Using modelled pasture growth rate data specific to your location
• Options and Decisions
• Identify options for action based on feed budgeting outcomes.

A pasture inspection is included in the workshop, please dress appropriately.

Rural resilience: Keynote by Leila McDougall

When: Friday 2 May, 7:30 to 10 am
Where: Winchelsea Shire Hall, 28 Hesse Street, Winchelsea,

This event is tailored for primary producers in the Surf Coast Hinterland region, aiming to foster resilience and develop strong rural communities.

Followed by:
Small Business coffee and chat drop in session
10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Do you need help understanding your financial position, identifying and applying for grants, negotiating with lenders/creditors, or accessing referrals to professional services, including wellbeing support?

Speak with staff from Rural financial Counselling Service including Small Business and Rural Financial Counsellors. Staff from the Surf Coast Business Concierge team will also be on hand to assist with your small business queries. 

Making the tough decisions with Cam Nicolson

When: Friday 2 May, 9:30 am to 2 pm
Where: Boronggook Drysdale Library, 2-8 Wyndham Street, Drysdale

The Surf Coast and Bellarine BestWool/Best Lamb group invite producers to a free workshop with Cam Nicholson, Director of Nicon Rural Services. Cam is a consultant with over 30 years’ experience in farm management and decision making.

The workshop covers:

• Demystifying the decision-making process
• Where do we source the information we base our decisions on?
• How to make the tough decisions on farm: from short term decisions leading into winter to the big long-term decisions.

Online Farm Business Program

Achieve your business goals, build on your skills and strengthen your farm for the future – join our upcoming online farm business course. 

Delivered over 6 weeks, this course is run in collaboration with Rural People Co. and open to livestock, grains, mixed farmers, horticulturalists and apiarists. 

Join us on Wednesdays from 7 pm.

• Module 1: Identifying and managing risks, strategic planning and setting business goals - Wednesday, 7 May
• Module 2: Financial management, budgeting and profitable decision making - Wednesday, 14 May
• Module 3: Managing people on farm, succession planning and farm safety - Wednesday, 21 May
• Module 4: Climate risk and natural resource management - Wednesday, 28 May
• Module 5: Business planning - Wednesday, 11 June.

Weathering the Dry – a farmers’ gathering - Woolsthorpe

When: Friday 9 May, 6:30 to 9:30 pm
Where: Woolsthorpe Union Station Hotel, 23 Manifold Street, Woolsthorpe

Come join us for meal and evening of networking and discussion on drought. Connect with farmers, discuss feed, water and strategies to manage the dry season.

This event will focus on sharing strategies for weathering the challenges of the current dry season. Connect with local farmers, discuss issues and opportunities, and gain valuable insights to help you manage your situation. We will also share with you resources, and other support available. Don't miss out on this opportunity to come together as a community and support each other through this dry season.

This event is part of the Victorian Government’s Drought Support Package for south west Victoria.

Using carbon calculators – Benefits for your business - Hamilton and Casterton

When: Monday 12 May, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: South West TAFE 200 Ballart Road, Hamilton

When: Monday 19 May, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm 
Where: Old Courthouse, 31 Henty Street, Casterton

Learn the benefits for your farm business. Coordinated by Glenelg Hopkins CMA and presented by Chris Blore from Agriculture Victoria.

Topics:

• Carbon accounting explained. Why would I do it?
• Carbon calculators – Which one is best for my business?
• Data - What do I have? What do I need? What else is it good for?
• Know your goal - Reduce emissions. Increase efficiency (kg CO₂/kg product)
• Using a calculator – Know your number. (Demo data trial).
• Test your management – Tweak your system to test and improve efficiency

Introduction to lean and farm business resilience Planning – Colac and Bellbrae

When: Monday 12 May, 12:30 to 4:30 pm 
Where: Colac, venue to be confirmed

When: Tuesday 13 May, 12:30 to 4:30 pm
Where: Bellbrae, venue to be confirmed

Join us for a practical, face-to-face workshop designed to help business owners and senior leaders in south west Victoria navigate the challenges of drought, economic shifts, and industry changes.

What you’ll gain:

• Simple business strategies to improve profitability and resilience
• Lean and continuous improvement insights to streamline operations
• Costing strategies to improve decision-making and resource management
• Networking opportunities with industry professionals
• 12 months of access to an exclusive online portal with workshop resources.

This event is part of the Victorian Government’s Drought Support Package  for south west Victoria.

Talk the Talk Workshop - Moonambel and Raglan

Talk the Talk is a free, practical workshop designed to help local communities build confidence to support farmers facing mental health challenges. In the three-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to recognise signs of distress, use observation and listening skills, and start meaningful conversations. Whether you’re a service provider, supplier or neighbour — this workshop gives you the tools to make a difference.

Raglan: 12 - 3:30 pm, Raglan Hall 4 Codrington Street

Moonambel: 6 - 9:30 pm, Moonambel Recreation Reserve, 6190 Stawell-Avoca Road. 

Two-day Young Farmer Business Bootcamp – Hamilton

When: Thursday 15 and Friday 16 May, 9 am to 4 pm 
Where: Hamilton Smart Farm, 915 Napier Road, Hamilton

Are you a young farmer looking to upskill? Agriculture Victoria is running a 2 day business bootcamp that aims to support the next generation of farmers, owners and managers to improve their skills and management practices.

The business bootcamp will use farm case study examples, providing participants with the skills to help them manage their farm business now, as well as planning for their business into the future. After the bootcamp, one-on-one follow-up sessions will be available to participants with the presenters.

The 2 day bootcamp will be delivered by Adam and Cath at Rural People Co, covering the following topics:

• leadership on the farm
• the importance of farm business management
• introduction to budgets
• using financial data to support informed decision making
• managing risk during challenging seasons
• buying land, leasing land and share farming.

BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb Network Roadshow

Agriculture Victoria’s BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb network are hitting the road!

The 2025 Beef and Sheep Network Roadshow will bring top industry experts to four locations across Victoria, delivering the latest insights on pastures, livestock, and farm business management.

Wednesday 28 May: Edenhope and District Community Centre

Thursday 29 May: Stirling Place Community Centre, Dunkeld

Contacting Agriculture Victoria

Call 136 186 from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call (except for mobiles and public telephones).

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service at 133 677 or visit the National Relay Service.

All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us

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