• Caring for your stock in dry seasonal conditions
• Early estimate frost damage – use our grain yield calculator
• Local poultry owners we want to hear from you
• Free financial counselling available now
• Dry seasons webinar recordings available here
• Apply for new Future Drought Fund grants to support Aussie farmers
• Do farmers dream of sheep?
• Ten tips to reduce the risk of harvester fires this season
• Take part in horse survey
• Planting the seeds for carbon farming In Victoria
• In case you missed it
• What's on

One way to help manage your stock during dry seasonal conditions is with the use of a stock containment area (SCA). 

Agriculture Victoria Land Management Extension Officer Clem Sturmfels said caring for stock during a drought can be challenging and a SCA can help to minimise loss or illness and reduce farmer stress.

‘A SCA is a small, fenced section of farm set up to hold, feed and water livestock.’ 

‘Typical pens measure 50 by 50 metres which can hold approximately 500 sheep or 170 cattle and ensure stock have room to move around and spend time on their own.’

Mr Sturmfels said having animals close-by makes feeding, watering, and management easier and more efficient.

‘An additional benefit of containing stock is that you can maintain ground cover across the rest of the property, protecting soils, water, and pastures.

‘It’s important that stock enter a SCA healthy and in good condition. They should be drenched, vaccinated, and conditioned to a grain-based diet. 

‘Diseases and health issues can spread quickly in containment, so regular inspection and monitoring is essential. Common issues such as acidosis and shy feeders need to be identified early, with affected stock being moved to a pen of their own,’ Mr Sturmfels said.

‘Its vital stock have enough feed and supply of fresh water, plus shade during the hotter times of the day.

‘A good understanding of the nutritional needs of different classes of stock is essential, along with a knowledge of the energy, roughage, and protein mix of various feed sources.

‘The site and layout of a SCA involves thought and planning. Ideally, a SCA should be close to existing feed and stock handling facilities, and away from houses, waterways, and dams.

‘Consider what feeding system you plan to use as this will impact the pen design and layout,’ Mr Sturmfels said.

Check with your local council planning officer before starting construction as a planning permit may be required in some situations.

For more information on stock containment areas, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/land-and-pasture-management/stock-containment-areas-for-emergencies

For more information about managing during dry seasonal conditions visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

In recent weeks some of Victoria’s cropping regions have experienced the incidence of frost, which can have an impact on yield potential for cereal crops when at the flowering and grain-fill growth stage.

Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Boyd said critical analysis during grain-fill will identify if frosts have affected the crop.

‘There are many methods available for farmers to estimate yield of various crops, from quick and relatively straightforward to more detailed and complex methods,’ Mr Boyd said.

‘The ‘guide to estimating crop yields’ uses the simple rule-of-thumb method.

‘This can be done relatively quickly with the use of a ruler and a smart device, eliminating the use of paper and pen that can get wet while in the crop,’ he said.

Mr Boyd said the type of yield estimate outlined is one of the easiest and quickest to complete and can be used in a number of situations in cereal paddocks.

‘Immediate feedback on crop yield is produced, and by assessing a number of paddocks it will provide valuable insights to assist with decisions.’

‘Crop yield assessments can assist in forecasting grain quality prospects, and/or hay versus grain harvest potential.’

Step-by-step instructions for using the crop yield calculator can be found online via the Agriculture Victoria website.

For more information about managing during dry seasonal conditions visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

Are you a poultry owner in the Golden Plains or Corangamite Shires? 

We would like your feedback about the 2024 avian influenza outbreak.

Your experiences and insights are crucial for shaping future responses.

Take our quick survey and share your views on information provided during the outbreak.

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 visit the website or call 1300 771 741.

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
• Agriculture Victoria dry season and drought support page 
• Soil Moisture monitoring sites can be found HERE
• Information on navigating farm developments online tool can be found HERE 
• A MLA guide to managing breeding ewes in containment can be found HERE
• Stock containment areas design webinar can be found HERE.

The Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund is looking for eligible Australian organisations to apply for 2 new grant programs.

These programs will trial innovative solutions with the potential to build the agriculture sector, landscapes and communities’ long-term resilience to drought and climate risks, through transformational change.

The $40 million Resilient Landscapes Program focuses on demonstrating how implementing and scaling of practices, technologies or approaches to manage natural resources on farm, builds drought and climate resilience.

The $40.3 million Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Program Round 2 looks at investigating new practices and technologies that will improve productivity in variable weather through evidence-based trials, co-designed with farmers.

Both grant rounds are open to agricultural industries in Australia and will be delivered over 6 years. Applicants must form consortia, that is 2 or more organisations working together to develop and deliver an eligible project.

Applications close on 19 November 2024.

To learn more about the grants and apply, visit:

Resilient Landscapes Grants Program

Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Grants.

You are invited to participate in a study of the sleep health behaviours of farmers and farm workers.

The National Centre for Farmer Health hope to learn about the risk of undiagnosed sleep apnoea in farmers, how farmers and farm workers prioritise their sleep health, and the barriers and constraints for farmers who wish to seek help for their sleep issues.

Click this link to participate in the survey.

GRDC and fire safety experts are encouraging growers to implement practical measures to reduce the risk of harvester fires over the coming weeks.

Recent GRDC Harvester Set-up Workshops run across Australia’s grain growing regions have highlighted the importance of harvester hygiene and maintenance, especially when harvesting more volatile crops such as lentils.

About 7% of harvesters start a fire each year, in a range of crop types including cereals and pulses. In these cases, 1 in 10 will cause significant damage to the machine or surrounding crop.

Kondinin Group research engineer Ben White presented at the workshops and said growers should maintain high levels of hygiene and pay attention to ongoing maintenance of machinery throughout harvest.

'Operators should be conducting regular clean downs during harvest and exercising particular caution when harvesting leafy pulse crops, as these are renowned for dust volatility.

'In areas where growers are harvesting frost-affected crops, these crops may create higher levels of fine dust which can make the harvester work harder, resulting in higher exhaust gas temperatures, adding to the risk of fires.'

Mr White offers the following 10 tips to improve harvester fire safety:

1. Most harvester fires are caused by dust and trash build-up and bearing failures. Clean the machine down regularly, starting at the front then working in a top-down approach. A final blast of air over the exhaust system to dislodge any dust that may have been disturbed and settled during the clean down is recommended.
2. Pulse crops are substantially more volatile than cereals so extra care and vigilance is required when harvesting these.
3. Monitoring and logging bearing temperatures with an infra-red heat gun or thermal imager helps identify at-risk bearings so they can be replaced before failure.
4. Recognise the 4 big factors that contribute to fires: relative humidity; ambient temperature; wind; and crop type and conditions. Abide by state-based grain harvesting codes of practice and declared harvest bans and observe the Grassland Fire Danger Index (GFDI) protocol on high fire risk days.
5. Have at least the minimum required water and fire-fighting unit in the paddock being harvested.
6. Having a pair of extinguishers (water and A/B/E) at the cab entry ladder and a pair at the rear of the machine closer to the engine means fire-fighting options are available when and where they are needed. A fire suppression system provides the best chance of extinguishing a fire on a harvester.
7. Having a fire plan in place with the harvest team is imperative. Knowing who will do what and identifying communication channels to be used means everyone knows what to do. Having a listing of emergency numbers or uhf channels in the cab is essential.
8. Harvesting highly volatile crops like lentils across the paddock into the prevailing wind gives operators a better chance of containing the fire as incendiaries are blown onto stubble, not standing crop.
9. If operators do have a fire on board, pulling out of the crop immediately and facing the machine into the wind before attempting to fight it gives the operator the best chance of controlling the fire. Remember, harvesters are replaceable so prioritise personal safety.
10. Research has shown static does not have enough energy for the ignition of even the most volatile crop residues. Be mindful that it can, however, contribute to significant dust/fuel loads on the machine.

The GRDC publication Reducing Harvester Fires: the Back Pocket Guide provides an easy-to-read harvester fire reduction checklist.

The GRDC podcast Preventing harvester fires in lentils has relevant tips and information for growers (regardless of crop type).

In addition, a recent GRDC Farm Business Updates webinar on Pre-Harvest On Farm Preparations is now available to watch online.

GRDC has also released a new Harvester Setup Guide – optimising harvest losses with contributions from a range of third-party independent harvest optimisation experts based on their experiences.

The guide covers measuring harvest losses, reducing header front losses, feeder house set-up, threshing system set-up, the cleaning area, harvest weed seed control and safety.

Horse owners know the enormous amount of time, energy and money that is put into our horses. We also know the incredible benefits we get in return from our life spent with horses.

But does anyone know how big the impact of this is across the country? What contribution our horses make to the economy? How many people are employed? Indeed, even how many horses are there in Australia?

The Australian Horse Industry Council (AHIC) needs your help in ensuring that they can accurately build a picture of size and scale of horse ownership in Australia and its worth and importance to Australian life.

AHIC has engaged survey company IER and invites participants and stakeholders in the equine industry to share their experiences with them to win 1 of 5 $500 prepaid gift cards.

Click this link to complete the survey.

The Victorian Government is supporting farmers to reduce their emissions and improve the productivity of their farm with free training opportunities on offer across the state.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence today announced the start of the Carbon Farming Outreach Program which will deliver over 130 events in Victoria over the next two years.

This training was made possible with a $4.37 million Australian Government investment and will be delivered by Agriculture Victoria, Victoria’s Catchment Management Authorities, Melbourne Water and Landcare Victoria.

The program kicks off this month with the Wimmera CMA’s Chicks in the Sticks event in Moyston on October 23 will be one of the first events, with speakers Fiona Conroy and Dr Cassandra Schefe sharing their knowledge and practical experience of low emissions farming.

In addition to the Carbon Farming Outreach Program, the government is also providing grants to landowners in the North Central CMA region as part of the Victorian Carbon Farming Program to support tree planting on private land.

The VCFP is supporting farmers across the region to diversify income streams and gain a range of co-benefits associated with growing trees, including for shade and shelter, erosion control and timber production.

The Victorian Government has set an ambitious target of net zero by 2045 and is supporting farmers to reduce their emissions with a $20 million through the Agriculture Sector Pledge.

To learn more or register your interest in carbon farming training visit, agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate-and-weather.

Important results from crop rotation study

Agriculture Victoria’s long-term cropping research in the Victorian Mallee is unearthing important results which could impact agricultural land management in the region.

Read the media release in full here.

North American study tour as part of winning GRDC award

For Agriculture Victoria Plant Pathologist Dr Joshua Fanning, winning the 2023 Grains Research and Development Corporations (GRDC) ‘Emerging Leader Award’ was honour enough, but it was the icing on the cake to travel to America and Canada to tour leading research institutes and cropping regions.

Read the media release in full here.

Recruitment open for Chair of Dairy Food Safety Victoria

Applications are now open to join Dairy Food Safety Victoria (DFSV) Board as the Chair.

The Minister for Agriculture will appoint the Chair for a term of up to 3 years. The successful applicant will be responsible for leading a 7-member board to help improve food safety standards across the Victorian dairy industry.

For more information and to apply visit Dairy Food Safety Victoria.

Assess Sclerotinia risk to assist crop planning

Plant pathologists have found that some pulse species are more susceptible than others to the damaging diseases Sclerotinia white mould and Sclerotinia stem rot.

Read the media release in full on GRDC website.

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

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

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