What's On

• Upcoming events

What's New

• $1.8m to produce more AgTech startups in Victoria
• #AgTechApril highlights
• AgTech Bytes

BestWool/BestLamb

• BWBL group profile: Boort – Using drones on-farm to monitor sheep welfare
• Wormboss elearn: Learn about sheep worm management
• Research survey: Sheep tail docking

BetterBeef

• Technote: Mature cow size impacts replacement heifers

Beef and Sheep News

• Have you heard of the ‘bucks for brains’ initiative?
• Interactive website to help manage widespread pests in Victoria
• MLA producer demonstration site (PDS) program – now open

Ag Recovery

• Primary producer grants now available for farmers affected by the June 2021 severe weather event
• Recovery after fire: practical steps for farmers
• Supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria
• Financial and business support
• Regional weather and climate guides
• Recovery after storms and floods: support for primary producers

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.

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Victoria is championing AgTech industry development with the announcement of three companies who will deliver pre-accelerator programs for startups.

Supported by the $2.2 million partnership with LaunchVic under the Victorian AgTech Entrepreneurs’ Initiative, Farmers2Founders, Rocket Seeder and SproutX will each receive $600,000 to run programs to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills to turn an idea into a business reality.

Agriculture Victoria’s Acting Executive Director of Agriculture Policy, Dr Julie Simons, said the culture of collaboration and the investment in new and innovative ideas is what makes Victoria as successful as it is.

“I was thrilled to see Farmers2Founders, Rocket Seeder and SproutX had been selected to guide up and coming AgTech entrepreneurs and I look forward to seeing them prepare the next generation of innovators,” said Dr Simons.

The successful organisations are:

• Farmers2Founders, a specialist agrifood tech service provider, will run their Hatch Ideas Pre-Accelerator and a self-paced Online Journey Starter Program that can reach founders in any pocket of regional Victoria.
• Rocket Seeder will assemble teams of entrepreneurs and researchers to solve some of regional Victoria’s biggest challenges with their new AgTech Seeds Pre-Accelerator Program, bridging the gap between the agricultural industry and research.
• SproutX will join forces with the University of Melbourne to take aspiring founders through The Business of Agriculture, a new program designed to support non-traditional participants in Victoria’s startup ecosystem, like farmers, STEM professionals and tech curious entrepreneurs.

Pre-accelerator programs support early-stage high potential entrepreneurs to launch and grow startups, that in turn increases the number of quality startups in our ecosystem.

Agriculture Victoria’s partnership with LaunchVic supports the Victorian Government’s ten-year Agriculture Strategy and the commitment to modernise agriculture and invest in innovation.
Visit the LaunchVic website for further information

Throughout April Agriculture Victoria have been running the #AgTechApril campaign promoting Agriculture Victoria’s AgTech tools, resources and events.

Here are some of the highlights:

• A one stop shop for Ag Tech information on the Agriculture Victoria website

• AgTech webinar recordings and short videos available on the AgVic YouTube.

• Agriculture Victoria’s podcast channels - Listen to our three top-rated podcasts.

• AgVic eLearns helping to get started with AgTech, such as using electronic identification (EID) for livestock and much more. Great if you like to learn in your own time and at your own pace!

• Decision making calculators, feed budgets and tools to help manage on-farm water and feed resources are available on our Agriculture Victoria website and Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website.

• AgTech Bytes - short information sheets about key AgTech topics on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Four new AgTech Bytes (short information sheets) have been released and a glossary of AgTech terminology.

1. IoT and Digital Agriculture – Digital agriculture, AgTech and the Internet of Things (IoT) are fast becoming more common in the agriculture sector, but what are they? Using examples relevant to farm businesses, this AgTech Byte explains what each term means.
2. Planning AgTech Investment – Investing in AgTech can be expensive. Before making a purchase, you should investigate what problems you are trying to solve and plan what you need. Planning for AgTech helps ensure the products you buy fit the needs of your business and provide a return on your investment. 
3. Sensing and Automating AgTech – There are lots of different technologies that can be used to capture data and automate repetitive tasks. Common examples on farms include weather stations and electronic identification (EID) devices, and they all rely on three pieces of equipment; the sensor, a network and a computer with software to read the data.
4. EID - how the NLIS system can have significant benefits to your farming enterprise and can enable significant time savings.

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WormBoss online learning is free. It suits anyone wanting a practical knowledge of sheep worm control in Australia. You can learn at your own pace; start and stop anytime, cover as much or as little as you want and learn about the important topics that comprise an effective integrated worm control program. Some topics include grazing management, worm testing, drenching, breeding for resistance and drench resistance management.

Access the online learning on the WormBoss website.

Funded by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), a PhD project is investigating current sheep tail docking practice, variation, and change, and is being supported by another project on mulesing.

View information about the project and participate in the online survey or for further information contact University of Melbourne PhD Candidate Madeleine Woodruff on 0406 195 717 or email.

Producers that participate in both the online survey and phone interview will receive a $30 gift voucher.

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Fiona Baker, Livestock Extension Officer 

Does the mature cow weight impact on the size or age the heifers should be at joining?

Mature cow weight impacts the size of heifers at joining, but with careful management should not impact on the joining age. Past research has shown that well managed heifers which calve at two years of age (i.e., joined at 15 months) have a higher lifetime productivity than heifers calving at older ages.

Read the full article on the Agriculture Victoria website.

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Dr Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer

You may or may not have heard of the Bucks for Brains initiative, which provides generous incentive payments for livestock owners who submit eligible sheep and cattle brains for testing. This important testing program helps Australia maintain market access for its livestock industries.

Bucks for Brains is an initiative of the National Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Surveillance Project (NTSESP) which is tasked with confirming Australia’s proof of freedom from rare fatal brain and other central nervous system diseases called TSEs.

The damaging effects that TSEs can have on a country's livestock industry and economy were made apparent during the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as ‘mad cow disease’, in the United Kingdom, and following its detection in Canada and the United States.

BSE is a disease that emerged in the 1980s through the feeding of meat meal contaminated with an infectious agent known as a prion.

The disease causes an untreatable, progressive, degenerative condition of the brain leading to a range of neurological signs – therefore gaining the name, mad cow disease.

With cases in the UK and several European countries, plus the prior export of meat meal from Europe to other countries, it is not clear how far the disease may have spread.

In Australia, we are in the fortunate position of being considered one of the least likely countries in the world to have BSE.

In order to claim that our livestock are free of BSE, we are required to have a surveillance system to demonstrate that declaration.

The surveillance program is based on the post-mortem examination of sheep over 18 months of age and cattle over 30 months that show neurological signs, to demonstrate and confirm they do not have BSE and to show explanation of their symptoms.

An incentive of $100 for sheep and $300 for cattle is available to livestock owners who submit eligible brains for testing. All laboratory investigations and costs are covered as part of the scheme.

For further information please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer on 136 186.

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Meat & Livestock Australia.

Funding applications are now open for cattle, sheep and goat producers throughout Australia who are interested in running local projects to demonstrate on-farm benefits of research and development findings.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is calling for applications for its 2022-23 Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) program, with applications closing on 13 May 2022. This includes Levy and Co-Contributor funding options for projects ranging from two to six years.

For full details of the Producer Demonstration sites (PDS) program and to watch the recording on a recent webinar about MLA’s PDS program and how to set yourself up for success in the upcoming PDS call, visit the Producer Demonstration Site section of MLA’s website.

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Grants of up to $25,000 are available to help reimburse primary producers for clean-up and recovery activities as a direct result of the severe weather event on 9-11 June 2021.

The Exceptional Circumstances Recovery Grants can be used to cover activities including removing fallen trees, removing silt and debris, specialist support for landslip and erosion remediation. The support can also contribute to the cost of repairs or replacement of damaged farm infrastructure such as fencing and equipment.

Applications for grant assistance close on 31 May 2022.

To apply for a grant or to see if you are eligible, visit the Rural Finance website.

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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 phone 136 186 or digital version online.

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

For more information on bushfire recovery programs or recovery from floods/storm events, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or phone 136 186.

Regional Agriculture Victoria Recovery Managers;

• North East – Kylie Macreadie 0428 975 728 or email
• Gippsland – Darren Hickey 0457 609 140 or email

Visit the Bushfire Recovery Victoria website or 1800 560 760.

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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 Commonwealth Government 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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Agriculture Victoria’s Ag Recovery Team can provide support to producers following the June storms and floods across Victoria.

There is Agriculture Recovery support available in each of the regions affected including Central and southwest Gippsland, Central Highlands, Macedon Ranges and Yarra Valley and surrounds, to provide support with issues in livestock, dairy, cropping, irrigation and horticulture.

Agriculture Victoria can offer technical advice on:

• pasture recovery and grazing management
• soil erosion management
• animal health, nutrition and feed budgeting
• whole farm planning
• water quality, budgeting
• farm water reticulation and dam management
• farm business planning.

Producers and growers are encouraged to contact the Agriculture Victoria Ag Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or email. For further storm/flood recovery information visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

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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 online information sessions. Visit the Agriculture Victoria website for a list of upcoming events.

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 website or contact your local recovery support officer by searching the RFCS online directory. 

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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