• Foot-and-mouth information
• Biosecurity help for small landholders
• Don't feed swill to pigs
• Keeping your hives healthy
• The nuts and bolts of hardware disease
• Protecting rural roadsides against weeds and pests
• Applications closing – 2023 Science and Innovation Awards
• Milking the Weather – spring edition is available now
• Red Cross emergency volunteers call-out
• AgVic Talk – crucial seasonal workers
• Fox and wild dog bounty – final 2022 collection details
• ICYMI – Dung beetles delivering healthier waterways
• What's on?

Victorian small landholders are invited to boost their biosecurity skills and knowledge by attending two educational webinars being hosted by Agriculture Victoria and RSPCA Victoria. 

Small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders range from people with livestock species as pets to those who sell or trade commercially.

All landholders – small, new, established, or commercial – have an important role to play in protecting their properties, animals, and our state and country from biosecurity threats.

Agriculture Victoria is strongly encouraging all livestock owners to implement biosecurity practices to, not only protect their own livestock from pests and diseases, but also help to protect their neighbour’s livestock, commercial farms and our agriculture supply chain. 

With many years of experience in animal management, Agriculture Victoria Regional Manager Brett Davidson will be joined by RSPCA Victoria Education Officer Rachael Laukart for two webinars to discuss biosecurity measures and risks tailored to small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders. 

Agriculture Victoria Program Manager for Resilience and Recovery, Melissa Cann, said the webinars will ensure small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders understand their biosecurity responsibilities and are equipped with necessary resources when it comes to keeping their animals safe. 

“Whether you own a small cattle herd, a pig, or even just a pet alpaca or two, implementing the correct biosecurity practices and taking biosecurity responsibilities seriously is vital in protecting your property from pests and diseases,” she said.

“These webinars will help landholders understand what biosecurity is, its importance and why it is necessary to implement biosecurity measures regardless of the size of your property or how many animals you care for.”

The two one-and-a-half-hour webinars will be held from 6.30 pm on 28 September and 5 October.

Topics will include an overview of biosecurity and why it matters, how to manage biosecurity on your property and where to go for information. 

RSPCA Victoria Manager for Education and Community Outreach, Ian Sumpter, said RSPCA was pleased to be partnering with Agriculture Victoria to present the webinars.

“RSPCA Victoria knows that by providing relevant information, including preventative health measures and tips on biosecurity planning, first time and established farmers will be best placed to protect their animals through appropriate husbandry practices,” he said.

For more details about these webinars, including how to register visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/events.

For further information on foot-and-mouth disease, including advice for hobby farmers, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/fmd.

Did you know that food waste – swill – containing meat or other animal by-products must not be fed to pigs as it may contain viruses that cause diseases in animals?

Australia is free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Feeding pigs waste food containing meat and meat products, irrespective of whether they are locally produced or imported, or imported dairy products puts this at risk.

Banning the feeding of prohibited food waste to pigs provides an important defence against the introduction of FMD or African Swine Fever to Australia.

Learn more about what you can and can't feed to pigs here.

Keep your bees happy, healthy and productive as the weather warms up – bee aware of the biosecurity basics: 

🐝Be aware of biosecurity threats, such as Varroa mite

🐝Practice good hygiene and sanitation 

🐝Check your apiary and monitor hives and the health of the honeybee brood frequently 

🐝Respect and be aware of laws and regulations established to protect the honeybee industry, Australian agriculture and the local region 

🐝Report anything unusual to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. 

For the latest info visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/varroa

For beeaware biosecurity basics go to beeaware.org.au/biosecurity/biosecurity-basics/

Dr Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer

For many years Agriculture Victoria has conducted disease surveillance projects at Victoria’s major knackeries.

A knackery is an accumulation point for diseased livestock, making it a valuable place to look for new and emerging diseases and to monitor disease trends.

From a veterinarian’s point of view, it’s also a place where you might see an interesting disease condition.

During one visit, when looking through the internal contents of a cow, I saw that a piece of wire had pierced the cow’s reticulum (second stomach) and gone through its diaphragm into the sack surrounding the cow’s heart filling it with pus, leading it to die.

My initial thought was ‘how unlucky was that’. But what I saw was actually not that uncommon, and a recognised condition in cattle known as hardware disease.

Cattle are not talented at selectively grazing and what they eat they tend to swallow. This may include offcuts of fencing wire, fencing staples, nails, and any other pieces of rubbish left lying in a paddock. This is especially the case if something like an old tyre goes through a feed mixer.

From there, any heavy objects will settle in the bottom of the reticulum of the cow.

The inner surface of the reticulum has a honeycomb pattern which points any sharp objects toward its wall, increasing the likelihood of the wall being pierced.

The reticulum is full of bacteria. Therefore, if its wall is pierced an infection will follow, either in the cow’s abdomen, its thorax, or as I saw, around its heart.

To prevent hardware disease, it’s vital to not leave small, sharp metal objects lying about in paddocks or stockyards and be extra mindful of what goes into a feed mixer.

One of the treatments for hardware disease is to make the cow swallow a specially designed magnet, which will also sit in the reticulum, capturing any pieces of metal.

Occasionally, a veterinarian will operate to try and find and remove the offending piece of metal.

For further advice, please contact your local veterinarian.

The Victorian Government is continuing to support regional and rural councils to prevent the spread of invasive weeds and pests on roadsides.

Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne recently announced the government is investing $2.86 million to be shared across 56 councils through the Roadside Weeds and Pests Control Program.

Each council will receive between $5,000 - $75,000 to manage problematic plants and pests, with rural roadsides often a breeding ground.

Weeds and pests cost the Victorian economy over $900 million each year by disrupting agricultural production, damaging native biodiversity and contributing to the spread of fires. 

Local Government Victoria and Agriculture Victoria will work closely with local councils to ensure weeds and pests are tackled appropriately in their local area.

The funding will assist councils with a range of activities along their rural roadsides, including treating and preventing ‘regionally controlled’ and ‘restricted’ weeds, managing rabbit populations and community consultation.

‘Regionally controlled’ weeds are defined as being widespread in a region, requiring landowners to prevent their growth and spread, while ‘restricted’ weeds are considered a serious threat to all states and territories.

Trading ‘restricted’ weeds and their propagules, either as plants, seeds, or contaminants, in other materials, is banned.

Weeds can be categorised differently depending on where they are in the state, for example, Ragwort is ‘Controlled’ in Corangamite, Glenelg, East and West Gippsland, Port Phillip and Western Port, ‘Prohibited’ in Goulburn and Northeast Victoria and ‘Restricted’ in Mallee, North Central Victoria and the Wimmera.

The government is investing $11.5 million over four years in the Weeds and Pests Control Program, providing greater protections for agriculture, roads and the environment.

Do you have an innovative project idea that could help shape the future of agriculture?

Apply for the 2023 Science and Innovation Awards for a $22,000 grant towards your project.

Applications close on Friday 23 September 2022, to apply for a grant go to: https://fal.cn/3r3L4

Milking the Weather provides seasonal and climate risk information for the dairy industry four times a year at the beginning of summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Information includes regional round-ups for the previous season, seasonal climate outlook summaries, strategies on managing the season ahead and case studies on farmers managing climate risk successfully on their farms.

The spring edition features:

• Victorian seasonal climate summary for winter and the spring outlook
• farmer case studies with Kevin Fitzsimmons from Merrigum in the Northern Irrigation Region, Chris Nixon from Orbost in East Gippsland, and John Versteden from Longwarry in West Gippsland
• tips on managing through spring, and
• latest seasonal soil moisture condition assessment.

Read the spring edition of Milking the Weather here

Subscribe to future editions here.

Have you ever thought about volunteering your time to support people and communities impacted by emergencies? The impact you can have is immeasurable. 

We need your help to support the Australian Red Cross Victorian Emergency Services teams! 

The Red Cross is seeking volunteers interested in developing their skills to support people and communities before, during and after disasters.

Our team of staff and volunteers work with people and communities to help prepare for and build resilience to emergencies and, provide social and emotional support to people and communities.

Now is the time to join this incredible organisation! Full training is provided.

Red Cross Victoria Emergency Services is currently recruiting for:

• volunteer divisional leadership and team member roles
• volunteer incident management team roles in the Emergency Operations Centre
• volunteers for the Learning Development team.

For more information, please see the Volunteer Role Description or contact the Victorian Emergency Services Team at vicesworkforce@redcross.org.au. 

Apply here: Volunteer with Red Cross | Australian Red Cross. 

Applications close on Sunday 2 October.

The estimated 15,000 seasonal workers who pick crops and maintain orchards are crucial to the success of the Sunraysia food bowl.  

In this episode of AgVic Talk, we speak with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC) Pastoral Care Program coordinator Corey Iredale and pastoral care worker Viliami Vea.

Viliami began as a seasonal worker at 21 and now generously gives back to his community as a SMECC pastoral care worker.  

Corey and Viliami talk about keeping seasonal workers healthy and happy and supporting them to stay in the region.  

Listen online via the AgVic website 🎧 

Acceptable entire fox scalps and entire wild dog body parts will be collected from eligible members of the public at specific dates and times, and from sites scheduled as collection centres.

Please note that no entire fox scalps or entire wild dog body parts will be accepted at any public counter or state government office.

The bounty will run until the end of October 2022, consistent with previous years.

Visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty to find out more.

Collections will only be accepted at the designated times.

Dung beetles delivering healthier waterways

Victorian citizen scientists are helping to keep our waterways clean and healthy with an innovative new program using insects to stop nutrient run-off from farms.

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE HERE.

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.

When – Thursday, 29 September, 10 am – 1 pm 
Where – McKillop's, 102 Rowe Lane, Dederang
Cost – Free

Come join the Murray Dairy team and David Lewis (Lallemand) to talk through the best way to maximise your pasture quality using the conservation process to enable you to feed your cows the best possible quality feed.

Maximising your feed quality will maximise the potential milk production from your cows.

This workshop will be run on farm and will be a mix of theory and hands on learning. Key points:

• maximising silage quality from cutting and storage
• covering the do's and dont's of cutting, transport, storage and feeding out
• benefits of conditioning
• achieving the right moisture content in the pit or in a bale
• correct storage
• inoculants.

Register here

Biosecurity webinar series delivered by the BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef networks with support from the MDC Innovative Sheep and Beef Networks Project.

Session 1: Tools, tips and tricks for creating record keeping systems with Alastair Rayner.

When: Tuesday 27 September
Where: Online, Zoom
Time: 7 – 7.45 pm

Register here for this free webinar online at Zoom or for more event information contact Chris Blore, Livestock Industry Development Officer on 0428 155 781 or at christopher.blore@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a free webinar to discuss summer forage crops as potential opportunities for providing quality feed for lambs over summer.

Presenters include Rebecca Stutz (CSIRO) and Ralph Behrendt (Agriculture Victoria), plus Dale Boyd (Agriculture Victoria) for our five minute mythbuster segment.

When: Tuesday 27 September
Where: Online, Zoom
Time: 7 – 7.45 pm

Register for this free webinar online at Zoom or for more event information contact Jane Court, Knowledge Broker on 0436 606 742 or at jane.court@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Agriculture Victoria is supporting Robert White, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at the University of Melbourne, who will present on the challenges of storing, measuring and monitoring soil carbon on livestock farms. 

Professor White has extensive experience in soil science nationally and internationally, having worked in CSIRO, universities and private industry. He has been actively questioning and writing on soil carbon farming for landowners and the science around soil sequestration.

Graeme Anderson, Climate specialist with Agriculture Victoria, will showcase information resources and chair the Q&A session.

Topics:

• what is the potential to store carbon on my land and how can this be estimated
• what changes in management might I have to make to increase and/or maintain soil carbon
• what are the possible benefits from increasing soil carbon in terms of the productivity of my business
• what are the possible co-benefits and potential challenges for maintaining soil carbon.

When: Thursday 6 October
Where: Online, Zoom
Time: 7 – 8 pm

Register for this free webinar online at Zoom or for more event information contact Jane Court, Knowledge Broker on 0436 606 742 or at jane.court@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Stock Sense is teaming up with expert speakers to present at a FREE workshop on a range of livestock health, welfare, and biosecurity topics.

Come along to find out what you need to know about owning livestock.

Where and when:

• Pakenham 1 October
• Lancefield 22 October
• Healesville 5 November
• Red Hill 12 November.

Visit the VFF website for more information and to register for this free event.

Farmers are invited to attend the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) Making Our Farms Safer (MOFS) project, Farm Safety Briefings.

Join VFF's Farm Safety Advisor, who will provide an overview of the latest farm safety information and guide you in understanding your OHS requirements on the farm.

Free lunch and tea/coffee provided. Networking to follow.

All farmers welcome.

Where and when:

• Tallangatta 12 October
• Bairnsdale 19 October
• Orbost 20 October
• Myrtleford 9 November.

Visit the VFF website for more information and to register for these free event.

Registrations are open for the Bendigo Regional Outlook conference on Wednesday 5 October.

Join ABARES and delegates from around the region as we discuss the key issues for agriculture at sessions on Agriculture's contribution to Australia’s prosperity, Driving value in agriculture and food, and a panel discussion exploring Adopting and adapting for sustainable growth.

Hear from ABARES Jared Greenville and Andrew Cameron on the big picture issues affecting farmers as well as the key commodity trends and sector analysis.

John Walsh, also from ABARES, is discussing the water market outlook for the southern Murray-Darling Basin. They will be joined by speakers from ANZ, Bureau of Meteorology, Agriculture Victoria, RDA Loddon Mallee, Ridley Foods, Think Agri, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, and producers from around the region.

Bring your colleagues and clients to the region’s leading agriculture-focused conference - it’s a great networking and staff training opportunity.

The Bendigo Regional Outlook conference is on Wednesday 5 October at the All Seasons Hotel Bendigo, 171/183 McIvor Highway, Bendigo.

Registration is complimentary but pre-event registration is essential.

Register HERE

Registration opens at 8.30am and the conference starts at 9 am.

For enquiries or further information email Conferences.

Exporting your premium #agrifood and #beverage products can lead to increased sales revenue and profits, lower risk and encourage innovation. But how do you know when the timing is right? How long does it take to get a product into a new market?

Register now for the upcoming Agri-food Export Essentials four-part webinar series and build your export confidence: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/export/pathways-to-export/events

Sessions will cover:

• International Business Planning and Market Entry Essentials
• Export Marketing, Freight and Logistics
• Export Documentation, Procedures and Payment
• Export Risk and Available Assistance.

Dates:

• 2 – 3.30 pm, Wednesday 28 September
• 2 – 3.30 pm, Wednesday 12 October
• 2 – 3.30 pm, Wednesday 26 October
• 2 – 3.30 pm, Wednesday 9 November.

After a two-year hiatus, Elmore Field Days 2022 is fast approaching.

Agriculture Victoria staff from various work areas, including animal health and farm management, will be at site 349 from 4 – 6 October, so come say hi!

For more information, visit the Elmore Field Days website
Dates: 4 – 6 October
Location: 48 Rosaia Road, Elmore.

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