Gippsland Farmer February 2023

[HEADLINEE]

Produce pride

This McStay isn’t going anywhere. Young butcher making waves on the island.

Philip HOPKINS

JAKE McStay, bornand raised in the Latrobe Valley, has been abutcherfor abouthalf his life.

The 31-year-old, with experience andyouth on his side,didn’t hesitatetobuy the classic ‘paddock-to-plate’ outlet,Island Primary Produce on Phillip island, when he had the chance. Located on amain road at Ventnor just west of Cowes, the business was started by Melbourne pair Tedand Chris Walsh back in 2002.

It was anovel concept: run your own farm withcattle, slaughter the cattle and sellthe various beef cuts from aretail outlet on your farmjust offthe main road. Cattle supplies were supplemented from other farms on the island and in Gippsland.

The business thrived.

However,it was arelentless life, having to be open for the growing number of customers -both local and visitors.

“Ted gottired; he had done his timeasa butcher,close to 40 years,” said Jake, who had done his butcher apprenticeship, aged 16,in Queensland after shifting therewith his parents as ayoungster

“I fellinto after-school work at abutcher shop cleaning up, never left -fell in love with it,” he said.

He was borninMoe and went to primary school in Morwell, but was back in Gippsland living in Drouin as abutcher when Tedoffered him ajob at Phillip Island.

“He approached me with ajob opportunity and that related to abuyingopportunity,” Jake said.

He and his wife Tania took the plunge five years ago and have not looked back.

The couple, who live in nearby Cowes, agist some land behindthe retail storewherethey run about 20 head of cattle.The rest of the farm,now used for horses, belongs to aBunyip person.

Jake and Tania too source the bulk of cattle and beef from the island and Gippsland, using the same suppliersasTed. Jake estimated about 30 per cent of the beef comes from island and 70 per cent from Gippsland.

“Welike aspecific weight and aspecific br as well. Ihave always been afan of Black Angus beef, purebredAngusbeef.Ifind it’s agood ageing beef for what we do here, consistent with age and the flavours I like,” he said.

“A lot of other beef can tend to lose a lot of condition over summer or winter in different seasons, whereas this type of cattle holds condition well, presents well when Iput it in the window.

“Weight -Ilike about 600kg liveweight, at about two to two-and-a-half yearso Anythingunder 600 live weight, dressed at 250, it loses too much eye size; porterhouse scotch fillet, they become too boney.”

The work is relentless.

“I have to be open all the time, seven days now,” he said. The shop is open at 7am closes at 5pm, sometimes longer in summer

“I’ve got three girls who rotate through seasons. Late at night and early mornings days -but it’s easy when Ihave the right around me; that’s abig key.

“Weare able to supply cattle to keep up demand. It drops offabit in winter, picks after Melbourne Cup Day and rises again.”

Jake estimated he would need up to 200 of beef ayear to guarantee supply.

He buys the cattle direct from the farmers, wherethey aretransported to the award-wi RadfordabattoirbetweenWarragul and Dr for slaughtering.

Fireservices urge carethis summer

FIRE authorities have urged the public to help prevent campfirecatastrophes as people continue to enjoy the summer

The Conservation Regulator,Parks Victoria, Forest FireManagement Victoria, and the County FireAuthority arebanding together to warnVictorians about the risks of unsafe campfires in the bush and barbecues on the home front.

Vigilancearoundcampfires and barbecues is crucial to decrease the risk of fires, whether at home or on public land.

With plentyofgrass growth on public and private land in recent months, unattended campfires and barbecues could quickly escape and spark bushfires.

Conservation Regulator and Parks Victoria authorisedofficers, and Forest Fire Management Victoria crews patrol campsites on public landtoeducatecampers and enforce campfirerules to keep visitors and the environment safe.

Forest FireManagement Victoria crews have already responded to 96 unattended campfires on public land this summer, many of which escaped and caused larger fires.

Fireservicesare also warning those cranking up the barbecue at home to take caretoavoid causing fires or burninjuries.

CFAvolunteer firefighters responded to almost200 barbecueand otheroutside cooking equipment-related fires across the state last financial year

TheChief Conservation Regulator, Kate Gavens,saidafter awet spring, summer was well and truly here.

“Therisk of an unattended campfire becomingabushfire is still high.Those who ignorethe rules willface penalties,” she said.”

Forest FireManagement Victoria Chief fire

officer Chris Hardman, said just one spark from an unattended campfirewas enough to have devastating consequences. “Never light afireonaTotal FireBan day, never leave acampfireunattended, and always have enough water to fully extinguish a campfirebeforeyou leave. It should be cool to touch,” he said.

Parks Victoria director fire, emergencyand enforcement, David Nugent, said people werekeen to get back into nature following the wet summer.“Firerisk may not seem as obviousthisyear, butashot weather and windydays can changethingsvery quickly. Always check weather conditions and park closures beforeyou head into the bush,” he said.

CFAchief officer,Jason Heffernan, said conditions had been heating up in recent weekswhichhad dried vegetationout considerably. “I urge all Victorians ahead of this weekend to check the FireDanger Ratings and to heed our warnings before heading out and about,” he said.

Campfiresafety:

 In state forests, use apurpose-built fireplace if available, otherwise dig a trench at least 30cm deep.

 In national parks, fires can only be lit in purpose-built fireplaces. The campfiremust not exceed one square metre, and three metres above and around your firemust be clear of flammable material.

 Branches and logs on your campfire must be no longer than one metre.

 Never leave acampfireunattendedalways stay within line of sight.

 Campfires must be extinguished with water,not soil, as fires can still smoulder under soil.

 If the remains of campfire, including coals, arecool to touch, they aresafe to leave.

 All rubbish must be taken home with you, not burned.

Barbecue safety:

 If afire occurs, turnoff the gas at the cylinder or meter,but only if safe to do so. In most cases this should allow the firetoextinguish itself. If you’re unable to extinguish the firesafely, call Triple Zero(000).

 Check the LP gas cylinder on your barbecue beforeyou turniton. A cylinder must not be refilled if it hasn’t been tested for morethan 10 years or if the cylinder has been damaged.

 Check the hose to make sureithas not deteriorated.

 Check the connections to make sure they aretight and that the Orings are in good condition and have not cracked or split.

 Check for gas leaks by spraying soapy water on the connections and hoses. Bubbles will appear if thereisa leak when you turnonthe gas.

 Use your barbecue in aclear space. Never use it indoors or in aconfined area and ensurethereisadequate clearance from walls, fences, and other property.

 Cook with barbecue utensils and wear an apron to protect yourself from hot fat.

 Remove excess fat from the barbecue after each use to prevent fires.

 Do not use barbecues in windy conditions as the burners may blow out, risking agas leak.

Charcoal burner barbecue safety:

 Use your charcoal burner in a clear space. Never use it indoors or in aconfined area and ensurethereis adequate clearance from walls, fences, and other property.

 Never dispose of or -handle old coals until they arecompletely cold.

 To eliminate the possibility of accidental flareups, always cool down old charcoal and ash but slowly pouring water over the charcoal and stirring to completely eliminate the possibility of dormant embers reigniting.

 Be careful adding water too fast to hot coals as this can create hot steam which can burn. Make sureyou pour slowly to avoid creating hot steam.

Once charcoal and ash is completely cold, it can be disposed of safely.

Visitorstopublic land areresponsible for checking firedanger ratings and weather conditions beforelightinga campfireor barbecue, and for ensuring fires comply with safety rules.

Wrongdoers on public land face on-thespot fines of $555 or amaximum penalty of $18,174ifthe matter is prosecutedin court.

The maximumpenalty for lightingor maintaining afireduring aTotal FireBan is $43,617 and/or two years in jail.

Reportunattended campfires to 136 186 or call 000 to report abushfire.

For moreinformation about rules in state forests,includingcampfiresand vehicle use,visit vic.gov.au/rules-in-state-forests.

Forinformation on barbecue safety, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/ fires-in-the-home/barbeque-fire-safety

Fire Danger Period into effect across Victoria

THE FireDanger Period (FDP) has now come into effect across all municipalities under CFAFireDistricts in Victoria.

From 30 January, firerestrictions have been in place in areas of the South East and outerMelbourne, whichwill bring the entirestate under restrictions. Despite widespread rainfall late-last year, Victorians cannot become complacent about increasing firerisk as vegetation continues to dry out rapidly across the state.

CFAChiefOfficer,JasonHeffernan, said while the final municipalities to move into firerestrictions had experienceda delayed starttothe fireseason,these areas can expect high firerisk conditions in coming weeks.

“Wehavealready seenmany ofour crews respond to significant fast-spreading grassfires and we can expect these incidents to become morefrequent as we experiencewarmer and drierconditions throughout February,” he said. “The run of warmer weather thismonth has led to the grassland curingacross the state, which has contributed to increasing fire potential.”

The latest outlook for Victoria suggested the fireseason is expected to be normal, except for parts of central, north east and eastern Victoriawherethe potentialis below normal. “Victoria is one of the most fire-prone areas of the world and even an average season can result in dangerous and damaging fires,” CO Heffernan said.

CFAcrews havealsorespondedtoa number of illegal burn-offs outof control during the firedanger period so far thisseason, whichservesasa timely reminder for people to make surethey understand what the restrictions mean for them.

“Make sureyou know whatyou can and can’t do during the FireDanger Period, especially when it comes to barbecues, campfires, chainsaws, farmmachinery, welders and other items that present a firerisk.”

To learnmoreabout “Can Ior Can’t I?” information, visit the CFAwebsite at www. cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-restrictions/can or by callingVicEmergencyHotlineon 1800 226 226.

No burning offispermitted during the FDP without apermittoburn, whichcan be applied for through the FirePermits Victoria website at www.firepermits.vic. gov.au.

Thereare very strict conditions attached to these permits and the liability sits with the permit holder to ensurethey always act safely.

Some simpleactionsVictorians living in bushfirerisk areas can take to keep their property tidy include moving woodpiles away from your home or shed, pruning tree branches so they don’t overhang the roof or touch walls, clean up your gutters and keep grass shorter than 10cm.

Bairnsdale Airport to be upgraded

By TOMPARRY

BAIRNSDALE Airport is set to benefit from amillion-dollarimprovementtoits Air Ambulance service.

The federalgovernment announced on Friday, January 20 that the facility would receive $1,546,379 as part of the Regional Airports Program.

The funding will go towards the construction of an ambulance patient transfer facility, plus adedicated taxiway and apron for Medevac aircraft.

Figures from across the political spectrum have warmly received the announcement, including East Gippsland Shire Council Mayor,Mark Reeves.

The Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester,said upgrades to the Bairnsdale Airportremain a“high priority”.

“TheBairnsdaleAirport is operatedby East Gippsland Shireand Iwill continue to workwith the council to source funding for significant upgrades to meet our region’s aviation needs,” said Mr Chester,who was recently appointed the Shadow Minister for Regional Education, Regional Development, Local government and Territories.

“During times of crisis,likethe Black Summerbushfires, the airport was critical for movement of personnel and essential supplies.

This latest $1.5 million willassist the ongoing redevelopment to upgrade facilities for locals and visitorstoour region and provide better services in medical emergencies.”

East Gippsland ShireCouncil is pleased to receive funding to construct an ambulance patient transfer facility at Bairnsdale Airport,” Cr Reeves said.

“It is very important to council and East Gippsland residents, that emergency services have appropriate facilities to enable them to support our community.

“The patient transfer facility for Air Ambulance Victoria is part of the airport’s masterplan and will significantly improve the patientexperienceatBairnsdaleAirport.

“It will provide patient privacy; protection from the weather; and aplace to carefor the patient while waiting for the aircraft, particularly when patients condition requires urgent evacuation or deterioration prior to aircraft arrival.”

The state Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, called the announcement “a fantastic result” for the region.

“My office was morethan happy to support the East Gippsland Shire’s application for this funding, and that was on the basis that our airport hereatBairnsdale has the highest number of fixed-wing aeromedical retrievals in regional Victoria,” Mr Bull said.

“When this work is done, this facility will

ensurethat those patients can be treated in… amoreprivate and an undercover area while waitingfor their medical transfer from road ambulance to fixed wing.

“So it’s asignificantupgrade, and an important one.

“This sort of facility does go along way to improving health outcomes for those who need it when emergency situations arise.”

The latest round of funding comes after the airport received $9.9million as part of the BushfireRecovery Grants Program, also provided by the federal government.

“If you add this (latest)funding onto the other,itwillsee an across-the-board upgrade to the airport, obviously not only for medical patients, but to the airport more generally,” Mr Bull said.

“Hopefullyafter these significant upgrades, we’ll be able to land larger aircraft, and it alsoopens up in thefuture for thepossibility of having acommercial air service operating in and out of Bairnsdale.”

Establishedin2019bythe previous Coalition government,the Regional Airports Program is acompetitive grants program that provides federal funding for safety and infrastructureupgrades at aviation facilities across the country.

Bairnsdale Airport is one of 44 airports and aerodromes across regional Australia to benefit from the latest round of funding, which totals $27.9 million.

TheFederal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King,saidthat investing in regional airportswas critical to supporting the operational requirements of aeromedical and other emergency services.

StateMember for Gippsland East Tim Bull haswelcomed the federal government’s $1.5 million investment to upgrade the Bairnsdale Airport

Photo: File

Carbon evaluated

Philip HOPKINS

CARBON captureisstruggling to attract farmers in the US, according to arecent article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Patrick Thomaswrote in the WSJ that agricultural companieswereinvesting millions of dollars to develop farming programs designed to capturemore carbondioxideinpaddocks, as apossiblesolution to mitigate climate change.The article was reproduced in The Australian The challenge: convincing farmers it is worth their time, the costs of newfarming practices and potentially losing out on some of their harvestinthe process,WSJ said.

Iowa cornfarmer Chris Edgington told the newspaper he had looked at carbon programs over the past year,calculating the risks of reduced crops as he adjustedthe way he managed his crops and the potentialcompensation for the carbon his paddocks could capture. So far, he hasn’t signed up.

“At the current economics, it will be arealchallenge to grow,” said Mr Edington, chairman and aformer president of the National CornGrowers Association.

WSJ saidagricultural companies suchasBayerare developing systemsthataim to createa farmer-driven carbon market. The idea is to turn paddocks into carbon sinks: plants take carbon dioxide from the air and combine it withwaterand sunlight to

produce energy through photosynthesis, which embodies carbon in the dirtthrough the plants’ roots. Soil can retain the carbon for years if left undisturbed.

In this way, farmers couldbe paidand become part ofthe potential solution to the threat of climate change, while carbon programs would give companies apotential new revenuestream.

Companies maintainthat farm-generated carbon offsets would drawdemand from food manufacturers, airlines and tech companies seeking to offset their own emissions.

WSJ said the market for carbon credits, including forestryand other carbon-capture projects, could reach$US 50billion ($A71b) by 2030, according to a 2021 study from consulting firm McKinsey.

“Agricultural companies say farmerswillshare in proceeds from the sale of carbon credits,” Thomas wrote.

Less than 5per cent of the 1300 US farmers surveyed by McKinsey said they took part in acarbon program,and morethan50 per centsaidanunclear return on investmentwas one of their top reasons for not participating.

The number of farmers signing contracts for acompany’s carbon marketwas flat at 1per cent from January 2021 to August 2022, according to asurvey of hundreds of farmers conducted by Purdue University.

However,agricultural executives

said their farmer sign-ups wereon track or exceeding expectations, withdemandfor carbon credits tipped to rise along with the price farmers werepaid, WSJ said. They wereflexible, for example grandfatheringfarmers into programs who had been using carbon-capturing ‘notill’ farming practices for years, or by offering moreflexible contracts.

They said farmers’ pay cheques wouldrise over timeaswould the health of their soils, another long-termbenefit. New production techniquesincluded avoiding tillage and planting cover crops in winter Farmers weregenerallypaid $US15-$US20 per tonne of carbon sequestered under agricultural companies’programs, asenior analyst at Bank of Montreal, Joel Jackson, told WSJ.

He estimated that farmers need to earnmorethan $US50 atonne to make carbon programs economically viable. No-till farming, depending on the farm, sequesters an average of 0.3 tonnesofcarbon per acreayear,according to the Soil Science Society of America. Chiefstrategy officeratagricultural companyIndigo,Chris Harbourt, toldWSJ that carbon shouldbepriced at $US75 per tonne for farmers to take notice.

“At $US100-plus,farmers need to think about it as aserious part of their farmplanning,” he said. Australia’s reported ACCU spot price had been generally averaging in the low $30 range since the announcementon contract

milestone exit arrangements until it settled at just over $35 after 23 May 2022.

Kevin Prevo, afarmer in Bloomfield, Iowa, said he was paid $US3000 through Indigo’s carbon program in 2021 and $US6000 in 2022. It was apromising start, but the moneysofar wasn’t enough for some farmers to justify overhauling practices on their fields, he said.

WSJ said when the carbon programs werelaunched several years ago, farmers wereencouraged to generate extra cash when commodity prices werelow However,grainprices were now high,boosting farmer income levels and reducing the need for extra cash.

The carbon market remained undersuppliedpartlybecause of the complex process to verify carbon credits frompaddocks, causing delays, Nutrien’s vice-president of sustainable agriculture, Matthew Marshall, told WSJ.

Companies arenow trying to ease the transition to more climate-friendlypracticesby suggestingnew pesticides and providing other agronomic advice that would limit harvest losses thatcouldcome with switching practices, said the head of Bayer’s carbon business model unit, Leo Bastos.

“It’s still anascent market,” he told WSJ.

Chairman and a former president of the National Corn Growers Association, Chris Edgington

Photo: Contributed

Liberal landslide again in Narracan

Liam DURKIN

AS expected, the seat of Narracan was won by Liberal candidate Wayne Farnham.

Mr Farnham had secured 62.7 per cent of two-party preferred voteswhen 75 percent of votes had been counted on electionnight.

Narracan voters went to the polls on Saturday, January 28 two months after the state electionfollowingthe deathof Nationals candidate Shaun Gilchrist.

Farnham is set to take over from retiring Liberal MP Gary Blackwood, who held the seat since 2006.

Mr Farnham’selection is tipped to be virtually acontinuation of Mr Blackwood’s reign.

With Narracan asafe Liberal seat, the chances of aFarnham victory werealways high (therehas been just one non-Liberal MP servethe districtsincethe seatwas established in 1967).

The odds became even shorter when it was announced Labor would not be putting anyone up to run against him, while The Nationals opted not to find a replacement for Mr Gilchrist.

Given this, the election was seen as virtually aone-horse race in the eyes of many pundits.

Afield of 11, mostly made up of independents -which included Baw Baw Shire Mayor,Annemarie McCabe -threw their hat in the ring.

From the outset, the Liberals main challenger appeared to be Independent and former Baw Baw deputy mayor,Tony Wolfe.

Mr Wolfe secured 37.3 per cent.

Upon his election, Mr Farnham thanked thosefor the confidence they had shown inhim.

“I think the peopleofNarracan realise that my message, which was ‘I have ateam, I’m

part of areally strongteam,’ hasresonated with them,” he told ABC

“I just hope Ican do them proud when I get in there.”

Mr Farnham said his main priority would be seeing the new West Gippsland Hospital,

committed to by the Labor state government last year,come to fruition.

The new Member for Narracan grew up in the area, and worked in construction beforeentering politics.

While Labor convincingly won government

at the November election, Farnham’s win does give the Coalitionone moreseat than it held after the 2018 state election.

Locally, the Liberals and Nationals now have elected members from Gippsland East all the way to Pakenham.

Nationals MPs TimBull and Danny O’Brien werere-elected in Gippsland East and GippslandSouth respectively, while Martin Cameron took the seat of Morwell.

Liberal leaderJohn Pesutto, himself a Gippsland boy (bornin Traralgon), congratulated Mr Farnham on his victory

.“I congratulate and welcome Wayne Farnham to the parliamentary Liberal Party as the new Member for Narracan,” he said.

“Over manymonths,Waynehas run a strong local campaign, earning the trust of his community and demonstrating his ability to be apowerful and effective voice for Narracan.

“The effort he has displayed, along with his team, has been reflected in today’s result.

“Wayne has been aloud advocate for local issues such as the much-needed West Gippsland Hospital, and has proven he will work tirelessly in the interest of his local community.

“He brings with him awealth of knowledge and Ilook forwardtoworking closely with him over the next four years. Iwould also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Member for Narracan, Gary Blackwood, for his contribution and dedication to his local electorate and to the Victorian Liberal Partyover the past 16 years.

“I wish him and his family well in retirement.”

While the Liberals will no doubt be celebrating their win, hopefully the new member doesn’t have as many comebacks as the other Farnham

Wayne Farnham won the seatofNarracan. Mr Farnham is pictured casting his vote on election day last month.

Photo: Contributed

Cheaper travel to and from Melbourne

Stefan BRADLEY

CAPPED V/Line fares will allow Gippsland residents and visitors acheaper ride toand-fromMelbourne and around the state when they come into effect on March 31.

Premier Daniel Andrews also confirmed that Victoria’spublic transport ticketing system would likelybeoverhauledthis year to allow patrons to access services with a creditcardorsmartphone, rather than relying on aMyki card.

Labor took the cheaper V/Line fares policy to the November state election, which also included extra weekend V/Line services.

The cappedfee means the maximumadult full-fareonV/Line will cost no morethan $9.80, the same rate as commuters using train services in Melbourne.

Currently,regionalfares arecalculated based on distance travelled.

Under the policy, regional feeswillbe capped, with a$68.80 daily peak full-fare from Bendigo reduced to $9.80, which is the cost of afull-fare Zone1 +2 trip in Melbourne.

The concession charge of $4.60 in Melbourne would also be matched.

Areturntrip from Sale to SouthernCross on the V/Line is currently $62, or $31 with concession, which would be reduced to $9.80 full-fareor$4.60 concession.

The reduction to a$9.20 daily full-fare would also apply to areturnfull-farefrom Bairnsdale ($78.80), Traralgon ($64.40) and Warragul ($36.80).

Regional commuters who use aMyki Pass to travel between 28 and 365 days ayear, will also be capped at the Melbourne rate, currently $5.52 per day.

PublicTransportMinister,Ben Carroll, said last year that regional stations using paper tickets would beput on theMyki system in March.

Many regional stationsuse Myki, but

patrons boarding stations such as Sale have had to resort to paper tickets.

The contractwith Japanese company NTT Data for the Myki card expires in November, and atender process is underway.

Mr Andrews recently suggested at anews conference in Melbourne that an upgrade may be needed.

“Weare very keen to see the best technology employed so that using a world-class public transport system is as easy and convenient as possible,” Mr Andrews said.

Lower fares and potentially anew ticketing system can encourage morepatronage.

During the election campaign, the state government pledged to deliver nearly 200 extra weekend services on the regional network, with an investment of $207 million.

On the Gippsland Line, this will mean trains every 40 minutes to Traralgon-8am to 9pm on weekends; andextending the Sunday service to Bairnsdale, which currently terminates at Sale.

Planningis underway for astaged

introduction of these extra services, starting from 2024.

Anumber of daytime,weekendand long-distance services currently have spare capacity that will help absorb an increase in patronage.

The DepartmentofTransport and Planning is working throughdemand modelling of what the likely impact of the farechange will be and if additional services will be required.

Commuters will hope to see moreVLocity trains on the Gippsland Line in 2023.

Photo: File

Act to avoid QFF

HOME gardeners are urged to act now to protect fruit and vegetables from Queensland fruit fly (QFF) this summer,and help safeguardVictoria’s valuable horticultural industry.

The wet spring created the perfect breeding conditions for the pest, which is most active now throughtoMay.

AgricultureVictoria Statewide Fruit Fly coordinator,Cathy Mansfield, said QFF areattracted to ripening fruit and vegetables.

“Maintaining good biosecurity practices starts in your home garden -and it’s vitalto limit fruitfly population growth and halt its spread to neighbours, nearbyorchards or farms, Ms Mansfield said.

“The best way to protect your fruit and vegetables is to use insect-proof netting

duringthe growing season.”

Continuously flowering vegetable and berry crops shouldbe covered when developing fruit arevery small.

If you’reunable to net your trees, monitor for fruit fly and use other preventative methodssuchasbaiting, and insecticides, traps and remove any unwanted ripe or dropped fruit.

QFF attacks awide rangeoffruit andvegetables includingtomatoes, apricots, figs, peaches, nectarines, cherries, and berries.

Home gardeners can keep watch forfruitfly sting marks on developingfruit and vegetables-they’re only tiny and easily missed but affected produce can rotfromthe inside.

Fruit fly maggots are

often found in the centre of produce, ranging in size from, 5-10mm long and creamy-white in colour

If you do find active fruit fly, it’s important to let neighbouring properties know and encourage people to check their own produce for damage.

“Leave your homegrown produce behind if you’re going awaythissummer to ensureyou’renot accidentallybringingQFF intoother regions,” Ms Mansfield said.

“Some states will not allow fruit or vegetables to be taken across state borders so check beforeyou travel.” For moreinformation, including lists of common host plants, how to control fruitfly in your gardenand netting tips, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/qff

Business risk bootcamp

VICTORIAN young farmers looking to establish along and successful career in the agricultureindustry can gain valuable skills through two-day Business Bootcamp events this month.

AgricultureVictoriawill offer the two-day boot camp sessions at Swan Hill over February 9and 10, and in Maryborough over February 16 and 23.

Participants will be taken throughprofit, loss and cash-flow budgeting, balance sheets and gross margins, risk management, and financial planning and analysis.

AgricultureVictoria Young Farmer project coordinator, Sarah Wallis, said the boot camp wouldhelp farmers develop skills to understand and manage business risk, develop abusiness plan to expand their business and connect with other young farmers from their region.

These bootcamps are targeting young farmers affected by floods and storms as part of AgricultureVictoria’s technical and decisionmakingsupport program.

The workshops will help to buildthe resilience of young farmbusinesses and preparethem for the future

“These fun and interactive boot camps use aseries of farm case studies as reallife examples, providing participants with the skills to help them manage their farmbusiness now, as well as planning for their businessintothe future,”Ms Wallis said.

“This is also an opportunity for youngand emerging farmers to connect with like-minded and motivated people.”

The bootcamps will be delivered by Paul Blackshaw, farmbusiness adviser withMeridian Agriculture.

Registrations arelimited, so to book aplace now for eitherboot camp session, register via https://forms. office.com/r/kB8TsC58T6.

Formoreinformation visit the AgricultureVictoria’s Young Farmer Business Bootcamps or contact SarahWallis, Agriculture Victoria on 0419 571 208 or sarah.wallis@agriculture. vic.gov.au.

The Young Farmer Business Bootcamp is coordinated by Agriculture Victoria’s Young Farmer Network in collaboration withthe FarmBusiness Resilience Program.

The Farm Business Resilience Program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s FutureDrought Fund and the Victorian Government’s FutureAgricultureSkills Capacity Fund. For furtherinformation, visit AgricultureVictoria’s support and resources available to floods- and storms-affected farmers.

Photograph: File image

delaneypropertyandlivestock.com.au

Momemtum for sequestration

SOIL carbon sequestrationinagriculturalsystems hasgained tremendous momentum inthe last year and is regarded by the federal government as awin/win for farming communities and the climate.

Encouraged by the Clean Energy Regulatorand through policy and national grants, soil carbon sequestration empowers farmers to leverage carbon as apotent resource to secure thefuture-stableproductivityoftheir land and diversify farmincome by entering the carbon trading market.

What carbonfarming also means is embarking ona25-year landmanagement journey. By starting out on the right footand utilising the most intelligent technology availableto minimise error, calculate operational costs, prevent overspending and predict potential income as accurately as possible, producers can securelong-term maximum profits.

Created to enable precisely this, and accelerate the Australian farming industry’s access to the new income stream that the carbon trading market has to offer,Carbon Count is the world’s first commercially available online soil carbon project management software.

Designedfor agricultural consultants, carbon farming project managers and carbontradingcompanies to service landholders with,Carbon Count is a complete, intuitive project management tool that offers regulatorycompliant samplingdesignand measurementof soil carbon and farmemissions, capable of significantlysimplifying the project

management process and maximising the value of derived carbon credits from these projects.

What’s so promising about this new softwareisthat it’s built on the Clean Energy Regulator’s legislative framework for the EmissionsReductionFund (ERF) -with other schemes and method integrations soon available.

This means users simplyhave to follow the steps in the platformto meet all regulatory requirements and reporting obligations necessarytoregister and operatetheir clients’ soil carbon projects in Australia.

The Australian start-up, spearheaded by renowned soil scientistand entrepreneur Philip Mulvey leading ateam of experiencedagronomists and programmers, promises that the Carbon Count platformperforms all the complex mathematical equations necessary and produces all regulator compliant documentation needed to measure, value and certify soil carbon.

Mulvey is acoremember of the Soil Carbon Industry Group and CMI’s Soil Carbon Taskforce and brings morethan 40 years of experience in soil sciences and land repair.

The AustraliansoilcarbonAgtech pioneer has high hopes for the business to vastly accelerate Australia’s participation in theglobal carbon trading market.

“There’s never been an easier way to manage asoil carbon project in Australia, possibly the world,” says Mulvey. “Our goal was to simplify the complicatedprocessand empower farming communities tobenefit from

the new income stream the carbon trading market has to offer,whilst also improving the futureproductivity of their landthrough carbonfarming practices. It’s awin for the economy, a win for landholders, awin for natural capital and awin for the climate.”

Powerful tool

At the heart of this intuitive program is the patentedFast Adaptive Algorithm for Soil Testing (FAAST); apredictive outcome algorithm that determines the mostcost-effective samplingplanfor any farminany region.

Basedonthe random stratification methodologyfor soil sampling design, now the mandatorymethodologyfor running soil carbon projects in Australia, theFAASTalgorithm has been developed by ateam at University of Sydney, led by Professor Alexander McBratney and supported by PhillipMulvey, overa period of 13 years.

This powerful tool discovers the sweet spot for users wheresampling costs and variance areoptimised -generatingthe ideal sampling plan with the optimum numberofsamplelocations required to maximise aproject’s returnoninvestment, complete with ageo-referenced digital data package.

Whilst others allocate aflat number of sample points per hectare, FAAST is intelligent. Selecting too many points will result in costly oversampling, selecting too few might result in a high error or variance.

Wherethe FAAST algorithm really

shines is in its ability to recommend the optimum number of sample points for agiven strata to ensure users are not penalised when factoring in the variance.

The resultismaximum returns for projects.Whatcurrentlytakessoil carbonproject managersmorethan 150 hours of skilled work to perform, the FAAST algorithm completes within minutes- saving users atremendous amount of time, staffand money.

Strengthened by professionals with domain knowledge in agronomy, farm systems and soilscience,the Carbon Count team helps licensed partners maximise profitsfor their clientseven further by also offering strategic support in developing effective carbon sequestration land management practices.

The platformitself is able to produce several insightful farmmaps including carbon distribution maps and pH variability maps. Since publicly launching lastmonth, CarbonCount is growing fast with several dozen farms currently runningsoil carbonprojects viathe expandingnationaland international partner ecosystem.

Whilst platformaccess is now available for all farmers via licensed agricultural consultants,project managers and carbon traders, large scale farmers may choose to access the platformdirectly by becoming apartner

To find out moreabout platformcapabilities, becomealicensedpartneror chooseapartner that bestsuits your needs, visit www.carboncount.com

Chester returns to the front bench

FEDERAL MP Darren Chester has returned to the Coalition’s front-bench for the first time since 2021.

The Member forGippslandhas been appointed as Shadow Minister for Regional Education, RegionalDevelopment, Local Government and Territories.

Mr Chesterwas previously Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel in the Morrison government,beforelosing the portfolios in acabinet reshuffle. He has been elevatedtohis newroles at the expense of the Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, who resigned from the NationalParty overits stanceonaVoice to Parliament.

In astatement, Mr Chester welcomed the confidenceshown in him by the federal leaderofThe Nationals,David Littleproud, and pledged to “workconstructively to achieve positive outcomes for all regional Australians.”

“Wherever possible, Iwill work in abipartisan waywiththe responsible Ministers but will have no hesitation in highlighting areas for improvement as we develop the Coalition’s policies in consultation with communitiesand stakeholders across Australia,” he said.

“Small town Australia needs big voices in Federal Parliament.”

Mr Chestersaid he would bring his experience in government and opposition to the new role and focus on delivering polices, programs, infrastructureand services that improve the lives of people who choose to live outside the capital cities.

“Weneedtokeep investing in regional educationfor our youthtoachievetheir full potential astradespeople,running their own business or farm, or undertaking tertiary studies,” he said.

“Wehave already made access to university moreaffordable for students forced to

move away from the regions, now we need to improve accesstotertiary studies in our own communities.”

Mr Chester saidthe previous government understood the need to improve regional transport and telecommunication connectivity, while also investing in the liveability of country communities, to attract and retain skilled workers.

“Long-term and sustainable jobs are

fundamental to regional development and growth. We need to keep adding value and creatingnew opportunities in our traditional industries across regional Australia, while alsosupportinginvestment in emerging industries,” he said.

“That means morepeople working on the ground in regional Australia to control feral animals and weeds, undertakebushfire protection andprevention activities,

support disasterresilience, and practical action to improve water qualityinour lakes and rivers.”

Mr Chester said over the past 20 years in Gippsland, therehad been areduction in the workforce to undertake practical environmental work and an explosion in the city-based bureaucrats writing reports.

“As the custodians of avast public land estate, we needtobetraining alocal workforce and providing morecareer opportunities in natural resource management, disaster prevention, and ecotourismin regional areas across our nation,” he said.

In November, Mr Littleproud and his fellow partymembers announced that The Nationalswould not be supporting aconstitutionally-enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Their position was widely criticised by commentatorsat the time,withFirst Nations activist and lawyer Noel Pearson accusing Mr Littleproud of being “incapable of the leadership that’snecessaryfor the country and for his party”.

Mr Chester, who was in New York when the announcement was made, has publicly supported his party’s stance.

“The Nationals believe the Voice, as it is currently proposed, will not advance the primary aim of Closing the Gap and dealing with real issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Mr Chester wrote in aFacebook post.

“It will not economically empower people and sadly,Ifearit could widen divisions which already exist in our nation.”

Mr Gee, who was also not present for The Nationals’ announcement, has confirmed that he continues to support aVoice.

Mr Chester has previously said that Mr Gee should resign from parliament and stand again in aby-election as an independent candidate.

Gippsland MP Darren Chester with federal Nationals leader David Littleproud. Mr Chester has returned to the Coalition’s frontbench for the first time since 2021.

Photo: File

Business thriving for farming couple

Zoe ASKEW

MAFFRA dairy farmersBradand Jenna White have profited greatly from Phase 1ofSouthern Rural Water’s Macalister IrrigationDistrict 2030 (MID2030) modernisation program, showcasing what manymorefarmerscan anticipateupon completion of the Newry pipeline.

Brad White grew up in Gippsland, born into ageneration-longfarming family,dairy on oneside and wine on the other.Hestudied agriculture at Melbourne University, spending six years in Melbourne and Dookie beforereturning to Maffra, where he would meet Jenna.

Jenna grew up in Canberra; farming too, runs through her veins. Her father was raised in Sale, hailing from afarming background. Jennastudiedparamedics and nursing,obtaininga positionwith Rural Ambulance Victoria after graduating from university.

“I thenmet Brad,moved to Sale and became afarmer,” Jenna said.

“I still work as aparamedic and have done so for nearly 15 years.”

Brad and Jenna manage four properties, milking a480-head seasonal-calving,selfreplacing, Friesian-cross dairyherdand have invested significantly to improve water efficiency and increase production.

The Whites wereencouraged by Southern RuralWater’s $159.7millionMID2030 modernisation program to implement onfarmimprovements that enabled them to add 40 cows to their herdand buy an extra farm.

“Wewanted to expand and would have struggled to do so without the improved security around irrigation flows deliveredby the MID2030Stage 1B project,” Brad said.

Jenna said the increase in land and cow numbers, irrigation was becoming aburden on time and energy.

“Brad had to do all the irrigating himself, but it is amuch simpler task now, with better water efficiency,” she said.

“The upgrades have allowed us to better drought-proof the farm.

“Agricultureiscyclical. It might be raining now, but we could be in adrought next year,and the changes we’ve made will be worth it when times change.”

The Macalister Irrigation District is the largest irrigation district in southern Victoria, with securewater supplies

augmented by goodrainfall,productive soils, astrong dairy sector and developing vegetable and croppingindustries, estimated at an economic contribution of morethan $500 million per year

SouthernRural Water identified that moreinvestment was required to allow farmers to implement best-practice water use, invest in on-farmefficiency, and boost agricultural output while becoming more climate resilient.

The MID2030 modernisation program was dividedintophases;Phase 1A was completed in 2017,and Phase 1B in 2020.

In 2020, as part of Stage1B, Southern Rural Water removed old Detheridge wheels, installed anew pipelineand upgraded and automated existing channels across the Riverslea section.

“These works gave us confidence to invest in pipeline works on our farm, install and automatethe associated pumps, build a holding dam, install apipe and riser system, and install centrepivots,” Brad said.

“Irrigating is now aless time-consuming and muchsimpler task,and we’ve been able to achieve much better water efficiency.

“Water is the lifeblood of this region, and its importanceasaresource cannotbe underestimated,” he said.

“Weconstantlyneedtobedoingmore with less, so wasting water through ageinginfrastructureisnot smart. The area will benefit hugely from the extra water

available through modernisation and the incentives it gives progressive businesses like us to invest in on-farmefficiencies.”

Dairy FarmMonitor is ajoint Agriculture Victoria and Dairy Australia initiative that collects financialand physical data from dairy farms in Gippsland, South-West and NorthernVictoria.

Despite results from the 2021-22 Dairy FarmMonitor Projectrevealing farmers believed succession planning, input costs, milk pricesand climate change aremajor challenges affecting the sector,the Whites areoptimistic about the future.

“I don’t think agriculturehas ever been without these things, it’s just part of the game,” Brad said.

“The biggest change for the industry is that farmers arenot just farmers anymore; they arebusiness managers who need to be skilled in HR, finance, technology, as well as all the basics needed to manage the farm.

“Theseskills and an in-depth understanding ofhow yourbusiness operates make managing the volatilities of theindustry far easier,allowing moreoptimism for the future.”

Jenna said for them, therehad never been abetter time to be in dairy farming.

“We’ve spent alot of time and effort building up and training agreat team and investing in systems and technology that helps us keep costs under control,” Jenna said.

Brad said he had yet to experienceabetter time than now in his farming career

“I understandthe reasonspeople are leaving, but for us, it is agood placeto be,” he said.

“The business is in aposition now where we can haveacomfortable lifestylewith plenty of family time. Managing our team well and keeping costs under controlare our priorities now. These two things allow freedom within our business, allowing us time to get away from the farmand being financially secure.

“Welove the land; we love the space and freedom it provides us and our family,” Brad exclaimed.

“Dairy farming specifically is what Iknow and grew up with; thereare difficult aspects to it, but it provides asteady and secure incomewhichmakesplanning and budgeting easier.”

Accordingtothe 2021-22Victorian DFMPreport, participants received the

fourth-highest financial returns recorded in the project’s 16 years.

AgricultureVictoria FarmBusiness Economist, Natalie Nelson, said the average profit in 2021–22 from the 80 participant farmbusinesses was 45 per cent above the long-termaverage.

“This strong performance was influenced by anine per cent increase in average milk price to $7.37 perkilogramofmilksolids,” she said.

“However,the increased milkprice coincided with higherinput costs and supply constraints, including labour,feed andfertiliser, whichimpactedthe overall 2021-22 farmbusiness margins.

“For dairy farms in the irrigation areas of the GoulburnMurray and Macalister Irrigation District, favourable seasonal conditions and lower irrigation costs assisted in strong performances,” Ms Nelson said.

Jaydo Construction Pty Ltd,Southern Rural Water’s construction partner, has begun work on the Newry pipeline component of the MID Phase 2Project in Gippsland.

The MID Phase 2project is replacing 100-year-old channels with new pipelines and automated outlets andwill deliver about 4300megalitresinwater savings and increase delivery efficiency to more than 90 per cent.

The project includesthe installation of the Newrypipeline, includingassociated outlet upgrades, reconnection works and decommissioning for Newry customers.

Transitioning to areliable piped supply means waterisnot lost from leakageor evaporation and increases environmental outcomes with areduction in farmrunoff into waterways.

This will drive vital investment in on-farm efficiencies, improve farmproductivity and supportlocal businesses to be moreclimate resilient.

SouthernRural Water managingdirector Cameron FitzGerald, was excited to start construction on the Newry Pipeline Project.

“This major infrastructureupgrade is awin for Gippsland and will markedly increase both water deliveryefficiency and customer service levels,” Mr FitzGerald said. Jenna said anyone anticipating modernisation should be “very excited”.

“If you’rewilling to make changes on your property, the gains to be made from it are huge,” she said.

Bradand Jennamanage four properties, milking a480-headseasonal-calving, self-replacing, Friesian-cross dairy herdand have invested significantly to improve water efficiency and increase production.

Photo: Contributed

In conversationwith aGippy farmer

GIPPSLAND Jersey’s 2023‘Farming Conversations’calendar includes the stories of 12 Gippsland farmers. The free calendar is available from Gippsland Jersey’s website.January’s storyfeatures achat withTom McMillanfromSale, whotalks about hisfather Ian, who was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and could no longer run the farm.

How long have you been in the dairy industry?

Igrewuponthe family farmand I’ve been full time in the industry for 11 years now.

Did you go to school in Sale?

Yeah, Istarted at Bundalaguah Primary and finishedinSale.After school Icompleted acertificate Ill in Agriculturefollowed by the certificate IV

Tell me what is it about dairy that you love?

Ilike the challenge of it; it’s rewarding to see the results of your hardwork each year.

How many kids are there in your family?

Thereare fourofus, I’m the oldest, my sister,Lavinia, and two younger brothers, Will and Tim. All us boys arehome working on the farmand my sister helps afew days aweek between her nursing career Have you always had astrongbond with your dad?

Yeah, definitely. We’ve always worked side by side since Iwas akid.

So, Tom...a little bit about your family situation that had you come back to Gippsland in ahurry?

So, Ifarmed at home for six yearsfull time and at 22 Imet my partner Steph, throughfriendsofours. She livedinthe Kiewa Valley. After ayearoftravelling to see eachother, theopportunitycameup to move to the KiewaValley too. Stephhad agoodjob andwas studying at the time. I worked for alarge family-owned dairy farm not far from wherewelived for the next threeyears and we travelled back home every few weeks to see the family. Up until Dad got crook.

What did your dad say in that phone call? Did he specifically ask you to come home?

In July 2021 Dad askedmetocome home for a week to run the farm. I thought, ‘well if Dad’s asking me to come home, it must be pretty serious’.He’d had sometests come back and neededurgent surgery. As Iwas travellinghome, Mum and Dad weredriving to Melbourne. The cows had

just started calving and Iended up staying for four months. Dad was hospitalised for three weeks after doctors removed 3.6 kilograms of tumour and affected tissue. Three months later hewent back tothe doctorsfor scans, only to discoverthe tumours had aggressively returned.

Dad wasn’t sureifhewanted to start treatmentasthings looked pretty grim, but after talking to the family he decided to give it ago. It took seven months, two different trials of chemotherapy and three rounds of genomic testingtoeven diagnose the cancer properly and decide the next trial of treatment, which was immunotherapy. The efforts of Mulgrave PrivateHospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centrehave been amazing.

How does it make youfeel knowing that your dad is sick and that without amiracle his health will deteriorate?

It’s hardtobelieve therecould have been amiracleafterhis initial diagnosis, but his recent results with immunotherapy have been incredible. Fingerscrossed these results continue into the future.

We’resothankfulfor every daythat we get with him.

Is there an understanding that you re taking over from your dad?

Yeah, that’s what we’reworking towards now that Steph and Ihave moved back to Gippsland. Dad’s still very much involved though.

How do you and your dad enjoy time together?

We enjoyworking alongside each other and getting jobs done. It’s good to talk about things and bounce ideas offone another Safe to say, it’s been arough journey, but Dad’s coping well. He shows up every day and does what he can.

Have you changed the way you manage your feelings and emotions as aman becauseofyour Dad getting sick, Tom?

We definitely talk moreabout certain things and take our health moreseriously than before. It’s been abig wake-up call.

Can Iask you apersonal question Tom? Have there been tears betweenyou and big heart moments, breaking down thosebarriers between fatherand son?

Yeah of course, there has been with the whole family. We werealso extremely close to losing my youngest brother,Tim ayear earlier after he had abad motorbike accident and was flown to the Royal Children’s HospitalinMelbourne.It’sbeenatough

few years.

Whatare you doing to look after yourself,Tom?

Inormallyjumponthe dirtbikeand disappear for aday, or weekend,with mates. I’m prettyeasygoing and I’vegot plentyof good people around me to talk to. Just talking about it isprobablythe biggest thing.

Once upon atime that was unheardof; just keep it to yourself and move on and whatever But no! It’s definitely something peopleare abit moreopenabout these

days. One of our neighbours, and good mate, Andrew, organized agroup of locals, and members from theHeyfieldLions Club, to cart hay for us back in January. This was amassive help.

What’sbeenyour big take away from the journey with your Dad?

You’ve gotta look after yourself, check in with yourself and your family.

Forget the typical farmer attitude of ‘it’ll be right’.

Formoreonthe Gippsland Jersey Calendar,turn to page 39.

Produce off the island

From Page 1

“I make surethe animals arenot thrown around too much in the truck; the least amount of stress for the animals is always the best bet,” he said.

From Radford’s, the carcassesare delivered to the Ventnor shop.

“I do everything; we break everything down from the carcass to the final product in the window, includingsausages.”

Jake estimated that he was able to get about 40 cuts out of an animal, which is broken down and dissected in different ways. His favourite cuts are rump cap and rib cap from which he produces a variety of scotch fillet andrump steak.

“You generallywon’tfind them in a shop. The rib cap you won’t find in a shop -that’s the butcher’s secret -the best bit,” he said.

“That’s all Black Angus, grass-finished, grass-raised -consistent quality, consistent good feed, good genetics. If you start getting crossbreeds and substituting that with your beef, you start to get alot of inconsistencies in colour and flavour and structureofthe actual beef.

“By dealing with the samepeopleI’m confident the way it’s raised and produced.Itshows in the final product.”

The final product is pricierthanin most butcher shops,but you pay for intense, hand-made quality.

Jake takes particular careand pride with his sausages,which come in a variety of flavours.

“The sausages areall trial and error, tryingdifferent ingredients with differentmeats and ratios.It does take somepersistence and time to create something,” he said.

“It seems very simple -ahumble sausage. Thereis morethan meets the eye. Thereisnice quality meat in our sausages -nofat. We aremeticulous in the quality of the meatthat goes into the sausage.”

The business alsosellssome lamb, but “it’s hardtoget lots of lamb offthe island”.

“The majority is through Gippsland. We have hadsome from the island, but not the numbers we would like,” he said.

Jake and Tania have two children aged five and two-and-a-half;the oldest is starting school this year

“Wehavevery goodschoolsonthe island. It’s atough pick,” he said.

Of one thing he is certain: “I don’t want them to become butchers! Youhave to be away from your family working. It’s asacrifice you have to make or not.”

Every working family needs abreak; the McStaysare heading to Queensland for twoweeks for their one holiday of the year

“A couple of weeks is all Ican get,” said Jake.

But he’s in for the long haul.

“I have no plans on leaving, Ilove the island. It’s agreat place to live and have abusiness.”

Working on the next generation

AGF Seeds’products areenjoying strong successes in the marketplacebut already the nextgenerationof seeds is on the way.

The company’s six-hectare research site at Smeaton is now home to hundreds of differenttrial plots which will yield long-termreplacements for thelikes of Pinnacle annual ryegrass, BigRed long season wheat and Tillage Radish.

Researchand developmentand Production Manager

BrendanTorpy said AGFSeeds wascontinuously improving and introducing new products.

“Because of theleadtimetobring products to market, we have to be looking at thenext products to come four or five years in advance,” he said.

The trials at Smeaton arethe firststep in theresearch and developmentprocess

“Genetics from partners across the globe andthose developed from AGF’sown breeding program are trialledinternallyagainstkey commercial lines Varieties that meet keycriteria requirements areentered intonational trial networks such as GDRC, FAR, Pasture Trial Network, and independent trials.

This ensures all the genetics aretested in arangeof environments across Australiatosee if they will be successful,” Brendansaid.

BigRedemerged through theresearch programand is in itsfirst commercialyear.

“It looks very promising that it will achieve good grain yields andstrong genetic resistance to keyfungal

diseases such as septoria and leaf/striperust,” Brendan said.

Another successfuloutcome of the R&D program is tillage radish whichhas given endusers agreat late summer,autumn and winter feed optionwhileimproving soilstructurefor the followingcrop.

Pinnacleannual ryegrass continues to show really good winterproductionand is still producing good quality

grassfor hayand silage optionsinto latespring and earlysummer.

“Lookingtothe futurethereare multiplecereal, oilseed and foragelines that areshowing promise to make it to the commercial marketinthe coming years Some areearly in theirdevelopment but we have high hopesofsuccessthat will lead to products that benefit farmers.”

R&D and Product Manager Brendan Torpy harvests barley trials at AGF Seeds Smeaton trial site

AGF Seeds Smeaton trial site and processing facility

Lions clubbringsjoy to flood victims

Stefan BRADLEY

FAMILIES affected by flooding in the state have been treated by the Victorian Lions Club to afreeholiday as part of the Licola Flood HolidayProject, allowing them the opportunity to partake in fun activities in Licola, Sale and Seaspray.

Licola Wilderness Village has been owned by Victorian Lions Clubs for morethan 50 years.

It is mainly used to provide holiday camps for disadvantaged children.

Recently, because ofstaff shortages caused by COVID, some camps have had to be cancelled, leaving the Licola Village empty in January, except for afew staff.

In recent months, many Victorian towns have been devastated by flooding.

Many townsfolk have been forced out of theirhomeswithalmost no possessions, whilethoseon theland havelost crops, livestock and farminfrastructure.

They have suffered not only loss,but despair

In Rochester,hundreds of families have left their flood-damaged homes,and many arelivinginsheds,caravans or motel rooms.

Most will not be able to move back into their homes for 12-18 months.

An idea was bornthat the vacant Licola village could be used to provide free holidays to flood-affected families, to give them an experience that they couldnot otherwise have, to give them some hope,and to let them know that people careaboutthem.

The initiativehappenedrelativelyquickly

Lions District 201V6 second vice district governor,Geoff Turnbull, said the idea was proposedacouple of weeks before Christmas.

“This looked like it would be amiserable Christmas, and then this event came along

and it’s the reset (those affected) needed,” he said.

Last week, the Licola Flood Holiday Project became areality.

Around 70 people from 18 families were transported to Licola, along with Lions volunteers, for afive-day holiday.

Families weregreeted on arrival with a video message fromLions International president, Brian Sheehan, from the USA.

After dinner, there was acircus performance from Wacky Wombat Entertainment.

All families weregifted sheets, pillows, blankets,bath towels,beach towels and

more, which they can take back home with them after the holiday -and alot moretoo.

Tuesday, January 10 was afun-filled day of activities in Licola,such as the flying fox, climbing wall, canoeing, the giant swing, archery and more-plus accesstothe swimmingpool, trampolines, bike riding and many moreactivities.

The next day was abus trip to the beach at Seaspray, followed by abarbecue at Sale BotanicGardens beforereturning to Licola.

Thursday,January 12was another action-packed day of activities, with ablue light disco in the evening.

Upon departurelast Friday, families werepresented with Kmart gift cards, and vouchers from McDonald’s and KFC, as well as ‘back to school’ backpacks (filled with schoolsupplies),courtesy of Wangaratta and Morwell Big W.

The SeasprayGeneralStoredonated lollies and chocolates for the kids.

The families may have left Licola, but took generosity with them.

The reaction to the camp has been overwhelming, with the flood-affected families truly appreciating the experience.

“Thank you for this wonderful opportunity, we arereally grateful. Abreak away from all this is just what we need,” one participant said.

“Thank you so much for your generosity! My kids arevery excited to come on this trip,” said another.

Someparticipantshoped toreturnto Licola in the future.

Therewerearound 40 people who wanted to attend, but for various reasons they were unable to come at this time.

As aresult of this and demand from other flood-affected areas, the Lions Club are hoping to run asecond holiday in March.

Mr Turnbull said the Lions Club and the LicolaWilderness Village arevery happy to raise awareness for flood victims and provide relief.

“Wewould certainly welcome donations. Contact your nearest Lions Club and they’ll help you out,” he said.

The Lions Club thankedall those who attended and everyone else who made the project possible, including all their members; LionsAustraliaCouncilchairman, Steve Boyce; Chairman of the Australian Lions Foundation, Tony Benbow;Wacky Wombat Entertainment; Matt Joyce from Wangaratta Coachlines; Esso Australia;and the Licola Wilderness Village staff.

On Day1,families settle in for some food, fun and photos:

Photo: Contributed

Prevention is vital

HORSE and pig ownersare urgedto protect their animals from mosquito-borne illnesses this summer after recent heavy rain and flooding.

Victoria’s chiefveterinaryofficer,Dr Graeme Cooke, saidbite prevention and mosquitocontrol arethe keytokeeping animals free from mosquito-borne diseases including Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Ross River Fever,Murray Valley Encephalitis and West Nile Virus (Kunjin strain).

“It is reasonable to anticipate that JE may again affect livestock in Victoria, however therehave been no reported animal cases in Victoria since pig cases wereseen last summer,” Dr Cooke said.

The mostcommon signs of Japanese encephalitis in pigs aremummified and stillbornorweak piglets, some with neurological signs.

Very young piglets may exhibit signs of central nervous system disease, however, the majorityof pigsappearunaffected. Japanese encephalitis virus is not spread directly from pigs to people, and thereis no risk to humans from eating pig meat.

Horses may show no signs of illness from arbovirus infections,but thesediseases can present with fever,loss of appetite, jaundice,lethargy, neurological or musculoskeletalsigns such as staggering, incoordination,weaknessand depression.

Hendra virus infection mustalways be ruled out in cases of neurological disease in horses.

Hendra and West Nile virus clinical

disease can have human health implications, so it is important to report suspect cases and get anaccurate diagnosisto ensurethe appropriate response.

Horse owners can protect their animals by rugging and hooding them to prevent bites and stabling them between dusk and dawn, asthe mosquito most likelytocarry diseases of concernisa night-time feeder that stays outdoors.

Reducing mosquito breedingsites by removing stagnant water or fixingdripping or leaking taps and water troughs, is critical in reducing the risks of arbovirus.

“Whereit’s not possible to fully eliminate breeding sites, people should treat them with an appropriately registered larvicide,” Dr Cooke said.

Animal owners suspecting JE, Hendra and West Nile virus clinical disease should notify their vet or the AgricultureVictoria Animal Health and Welfareteam, the Emergency Animal DiseaseWatch Hotline 1800 675 888 or the Notify Now App. People with increased exposuretomosquitoes may be at ahigher risk of infection, particularly people working or living on or near pig farms.

For informationaboutthe JE in pigs and horses, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/JE

For moreinformation about Japanese encephalitis virus and human health phone your GP or NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 606 024, or visit the Better Health channel.

Jobs boardnow open

ONE in two dairy farmersare seeking people to work on farmand 76 per cent of those continue to find sourcing labour achallenge, according to arecent Dairy Australia survey.

To help tacklethe continuing labour shortage, Dairy Australia has launched a new Dairy FarmJobs Board.

The online jobs boardatdairyjobsmatter.com.auenablesfarmerstolist job vacancies and reach jobseekers who are exploring the benefits of dairy farming. Aimed at farmers and job seekers, Dairy Australia says the Dairy FarmJobs Board is free and easy to use.

“For farmers ready to start advertising for new workers, it’s as quickand easy as submittinganonline formwithjob vacancy details including any linksto any existing online advertisements,” said Dairy Australia’s GeneralManager,Regional Services, Verity Ingham.

“And forjobseekers, if you like working with animals, working outdoors, seek career progression,job variety and training and want job security -visit the onlinejobs boardtosee if there’s something for you.”

Thedairyindustryisseeking abroad range of farmworkers and thereare opportunitiesindairy for everyone,no matter what your skillset is.

Photo:

The Dairy FarmJobs Boardcomplements Dairy Australia’s broader Workforce Attraction program that delivers on Dairy Australia’scommitment toattractand support new people in the industry. The program includes anew national marketing campaign aimed at jobseekers to promote the benefits of working in dairy farming and encouraging Australians to explore ajob in dairy.

To date, the campaign has attracted morethan 200,000 people to the website. It also includesafocusonincreased careers education for school students on job opportunities in dairy farmingand career pathways.

Dedicated staffindairyregionscalled Workforce Attraction Regional Leads also help connect farmers seeking workers with the networks used by jobseekers. In addition, two new initiatives for farmers to support people management skills are being piloted called ‘Farming with My Team’ and ‘Managing People 1:1 support’.

Farmers can contact one of Dairy Australia’s regional Workforce Attraction Leads for employment supportand help connecting with jobseeker networks, and for additional resources to help promote dairy farming jobs, visit dairyaustralia. com.au/people.

Dairy Australia hasopened ajobsboard.

File

PASTURE resowing withryegrass and clover is aprocessthat helpsto improve the qualityand productivity of the pasture, resulting in betteryieldsand bettergrazing for thelivestock.

Gavin NotmanofNotman PastureSeeds says this process typically involves severalsteps,includingsoilcultivation and earlyweedcontrol,togivethe emerging ryegrass and clover plantsthe best chance of establishment.

“We’re incorporating bettercloversinto pasture mixeswhich have better ability to fix nitrogenfromthe air and convertitinto aformthatcan be usedbyplants. Thiscan help to improve thefertility of

PastureResowing

thesoil andincreasethe productivity of the pasture.

Preparingthe soil by tilling or ploughing to create asmooth, levelsurface that is free of debrisand weeds will help to ensurethatthe ryegrassseeds will have good seed-to-soil contact, which improves germination rates

“Focusonafine non-clumpy seed bed, this cannot be understated” saidMr Notman

“It is important to plant theseeds at the appropriate depth and at thecorrect time of year to ensuregoodgermination and establishment.

Early weed controlisanimportantstep in the process because weeds can

compete with the ryegrass for nutrients, water,and light, which canreduce the growth and productivityofthe pasture. This canbedone through theuse of herbicidesorbymanually removing weeds.

“Ifweeds arenot controlledearly on,they can becomewell-establishedand more difficult to removelater on andmore expensive to getback to productive pasture

Thiscan lead to significant yield losses, making it more difficult to achieve the desired level of productivityfromthe pasture”

“After the ryegrass has been planted, it is important to monitor the field and

manage it properlytoensurethat the ryegrassisabletoestablish itselfand grow well

Thismay involve fertilising the paddock, and grazing when the plantshave secured theirrootstothe soil.

“Wegenerally usethe plant pull testwhichasthe name suggests –try pulling the plants and if youcan pull them out withyourhand which resembles an animal grazing, then the pastureisn’t ready forgrazing.”MrNotman said.

“Overall if youget these basics right, it canmoreoften than notleadto successfuland productive pasture with flourishing ryegrass and clovers.”

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Beekeeper permits

FROMMonday, January 23,beekeepers with Victorian registered hives can apply for apermit to move their hives from New South Wales (NSW) into Victoria.

In amilestonefor the nationalvarroa mite eradication response, there is now national acceptance that the state of NSW is free from the pest, apart from those areas within a 25 km radius of an infected hive.

Acting Chief PlantHealth Officer, Dr Stephen Dibley, said this nationaldecision had been made after extensive surveillance showing with 99.99 percentconfidence that varroa mite is not present in the NSW ‘blue zone’.

“Victoria welcomes this announcement, and we cannow beginassessing permit applications to move hives from NSW into Victoria that wereunable to cross the border priortothe national acceptance of area freedom in NSW’s blue zone,” Dr Dibley said.

“Initially, only Victorian registered hives in the blue zone that can demonstrate compliance with testing and traceability requirements will be able to be moved.”

In the coming weeks, non-Victorian registered hives will also be able to apply for apermit to enter Victoria. “While hives

in the blue zone areoflow risk, Victoria is maintaining acautious and staged approach to welcominghives from NSW to ensurethatbiosecurityrisks can be appropriately managed,” Dr Dibley said.

“Therewill also be an increased testing regime required for all hives moving into Victoria.”

It is every beekeeper’sresponsibility to ensurethey areuptodate with current movement requirements beforemoving their bees and related items.

All movement requests will be subject to strict permit conditions and active compliance checks.

Beekeepers are reminded that ahealth certificate must be obtained for all movements of bees, bee products and used fittings (beekeepingequipment) into Victoria.

For moredetailed eligibilitycriteria, information, and applications,visit the permit application page on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Please visit the NSW Departmentof Primary Industries website for more information about the area of freedom announcement.

Slide on thoseshades

THE Australian Society of Ophthalmologists (ASO) is calling on thecommunityto‘slide’ on their shades as the country braces for seasonal high temperatures and conditions.

Sun protection measures arerecommendedwhen theUltraviolet (UV) Index is 3 and above, but most of mainland Australia is currently experiencing seasonalindexes within the ‘extreme’ range of 11-15.

ASO vice president, Associate Professor Dr Ashish Agar,said it comes as no surprise that Australia has some of the highest UV ratings in the world.

“It’s an Australian childhood rite of passage to learnto‘slip, slop, slap, seek and slide’, especially when the call of summer arrives,” Dr Agar said.

“A very importantpartofthe message often gets overlooked, and that concerns our eye health.”

As an eye surgeon, Dr Bill Glasson sees and treatspatientswhoserepeated or excessive sun exposurehas led to serious conditions such as pingueculaand pterygium, and cataracts, among others.

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Although less common, he said Australiansshould be wary of not only developing melanoma on their skin this summer,but the risks associated with ocular melanoma -the most common form of eye cancer

“Each year 125-150 people will be diagnosed with ocular melanoma around the country,” Dr Glasson said.

“As thesymptomsand common areas for growths can be difficult for the naked eye to see, patients often receive adiagnosis followinganeye testwith either an ophthalmologist or optometrist.”

This was the case when then 37-yearold mother of two, Susan Vine, booked in to see an optometristfor an assessment for glasses after experiencing frequent headaches.

Ms Vine was immediately referred to Dr Glasson, who has aspecial interest and expertise in ocular oncology.

Within two weeks of an initial eye test, she had been diagnosed with aformofocular melanoma and had undergone enucleation surgery -the complete removal of her affected eye.

Seventeen years on from her diagnosis, Ms Vine has become an advocate for others by establishing an online support group for Australian and New Zealand patients, family,and carers -OcuMel Australia and New Zealand.

“The journey and challenges areunique, especially when it comes totreatment and related vision loss, so we find many of our

membersare looking for understanding, guidance and support,” she said.

Ms Vine saidtherewas analarming lackofawareness about eye health. Every Australian should know to ‘slide’ on their sunglasses and make ahealthy habit of booking an annual eye test.

“Every day Ilive with the reminder of my diagnosis and the challengesthatcome with being vision impaired and wearing aprosthetic eye, such as thinking about how Isit or even cross the road.

“I rarely woresunglasses when outdoors, and despite having afreckle on my eye from childhood, did not realise the importance of monitoring it for changes.

“Weneed to teach children the value of protectingtheireyes from ayoung age and encourage healthy habits early of getting regular health checks.”

Dr Glasson reinforced that in addition to ocular melanoma, skin cancers such as basal cell carcinomas (BCCs)and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) can be found in and around the eyes, strengthening the cause to protect not only our eyes, but the areas around them.

The ASO said risk factors to be awareof included having pale or fair complexion, light eye colour,family historyofmelanoma, growths on or in the eye, increasing age, and skin conditions which cause abnormal moles to grow.

Individualswith pterygiumwereata greaterriskofdeveloping skincancer, including melanoma, as the condition was amarker for previous exposuretohigh levels of UV light, the ASO said.

Dr Agar said the best method of eye health protection from the effects of UV exposure was to ensureyou and the ones you love ‘slide’ on UV-blocking eyewearthis summer and ‘slap’ on broad-brimmed headwear

“Always check thelabel when buying eyewear to confirmthe level of UV protection,” he said.

“At the ASO, we recommend wearing close-fitting and wraparound style sunglasses that meet the Australian and New Zealand Standardfor sunglasses with a lens category of 2, 3or4,which will ensure they’repractical for wear in Australian conditions.

“And don’t forget -for best practice when selecting headwear- abroad-brimmed hat will provide theoptimum eye protection against reflected radiated rays.”

Youcan be summer eye-safe by checking UV indexes on the Bureau of Meteorology websiteatwww.bom.gov.au/uv/ and doing the five: ‘slip, slop, slap, seek and slide’.

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Ahome for Aboriginal healing

Philip HOPKINS

IN SouthGippsland, the firststeps have been taken in atraditional owner project that has the potential to help transformthe lives of the region’s Aboriginal people and become asymbol of Indigenous culture.

‘Warrigunya’, it’s called.

Run by anot-for-profitIndigenous corporation,itaims to provide safe andaffordable housing for men exiting prison -akey need identified by Aboriginal people as away for freed inmates to transition back to the community.

Recidivism rates arehigh in the Indigenous community due to lack of housing, job and opportunities.

Once basic needs aremet, the concept is forthe men to heal, reconnect with their families and culture, and learnskills to empower them to take anew path in life.

The Aboriginal meninFulham Correction CentreinSale, who will use the Warrigunya centre, wereconsulted and made key decisions about the name of the project and the overall design of the building.

Warrigunya is based on self-determination.

Akey director of the group is Uncle Alan Coe, who in 2019 received two significant awards: The Department of Justice and Community Safety’s Elder of the Year Award, and the Aboriginal Justice Committee’s EastGippsland Elder of the Year Award.

“It is time we as apeople havethe opportunity to control our destiny without the constructs of misunderstanding and control,” he says.

Over the past two years, local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginalvolunteershave put in hundreds of hours, probono, on the project.

One of those is Chris McEvoy, managing director of Radial Timber in Yarram.

“The group was told that they could potentially get agrant for such aproject, but they needed to get land. No grant allowed for the purchase of land,” he said.

That’s whereMrMcEvoy came in.

As an owner of plantations that will eventually be the feedstock for his sawmill, he was able to split off20acres (eighthectares) from his estate for the site of Warrigunya.

“Pre-COVID in 2019, we started looking. The firstwecametowas onthe South Gippsland Highway at the corner of Gifford Rd, Darriman. Alan, the elder,assoon as we got there, noticed we had four emus just walk across and come together,kangaroos werejumping and awedge-tailed eagle was over head. Mr McEvoy noted, he regarded those as asign.

“No, we won’t look at the other sites,” Uncle Alan said.

“Theenvironmentistelling usthisis whereitneeds to be.”

“Wehad our land,” said Mr McEvoy, who gifted the property on a50-year,peppercorn lease -$1ayear for 50 years.

Also, the land chosen is at the headwaters of Warrigal River the site of an infamous massacre in the 19th Century - “a terrible thing,the worstmassacre of Aboriginal people in Gippsland”, he said.

“All the people we havespoken to,

traditional owners both involved in project andothers, all feel that this is apart of the healing process.

“With land in hand, the Warrigunya group was able to securea$3million grant from HomesVictoria,and achieve all the necessary permitsand approvals, and abuilding contract.

Forthe design, thetraditional inmates of Fulhamdecided that the house should have the shapeofthe pelican Boran, which is the main totem of the GunaiKurnai people.

Therewill be eight self-contained units housedunder the wingsofthe pelicanshaped home.

Therewill be enough space for 16 men, two per unit, or even singles, with aminimum of eight people.

“The mencan catchtheir breath,have housing for six to 12 months, start to reconnect with society and families and with their community, and hopefully help with employmentand any mental health issues,” Mr McEvoy said.

Aworkshop will be set up on site, with woodworking equipment, including woodwork training and areas wherepeople, for example, can paint.

“It has internal wood panelling. We hope to have renewables -solar panels -onthe wings. All would love to have self-generating power,” Mr McEvoy said.

Fast forwardayear-and-a-half after long delays with building and planning permits, COVID-19, price increases for materials and firesurveys -“the budget they gave was nowhere near sufficient”, Mr McEvoysaid.

Warrigunya is $1.5 million short to complete the project.

“Wefinally started -the slab is down -but we only have enough money for one wing,” he said.

“We’ve got aone-wing pelican at the moment.

“It’s abit of aslap in the face.

“We’ve already spoken to the guys in jail, who almost see it as an insult.”

As Uncle Alan Coe put it: “It’s like building

achurch without the stain glass windows or altar.Our needs and requirements as per our vision have not been met and this is very detrimental for the men we areseeking to help at Warrigunya”.

Alocal builder is using an Indigenous crew doing the groundwork on the car park and the road-making; acrewofAboriginal workers is doing the fencing.

“The builder is trying to use as much Indigenous labour as we can for the project,” Mr McEvoy said.

“This is not awhite colonialproject where everyone is making money, we’retrying to get local community involvement. Broadly, unless you get cultural leadership for the whole concept, it is not accepted otherwise.”

Help has come from one ‘neighbour’ -the

Star of the South windfarmproject, which has donated money for works.

An operational plan for Warrigunya has been prepared by an experienced Aboriginal project consultant.

“Weknow how it will be run, but that part needs to be financed too. It’s too important aproject not to be funded,” he said.

As a24-houroperation,itwillrequire $1million ayear to run.

“The immediate need is to try and get the project finished under its original vision. In the middleofnowhere, apelican surrounded by plantations, it will be quite a spectacular thing, somethingeveryone can be proud of.”

Moreinformationis available at www. warrigunya.com

An artist’s impression of Warrigunya, which aims to provide safe and affordable housing for Aboriginal men exiting prison.

INTRODUCTION

The 2023 Bull Sales are shaping up to be a fantastic opportunity to see hard work and resilience pay off.

Feedback from Gippsland Farmer’s clients after the Spring Bull sales was more than positive as many reported completely selling out.

This year much research has gone into sourcing the right genetics with no expense being spared to produce outstanding stock. Cross breeding has also been a feature with studs looking to breed bulls to use over heifers for calving ease and birth weight.

Back this up with progeny showing impressive growth and strong carcasses and buyers will be spoilt for choice when looking for new sires to increase their herd.

Kenmere Charolais 2023

Over the years KenmereCharolais has become recognised as one of the leading Charolais breeders within theindustry, concentrating on improving all thegenetic breeding trends and producing quality cattle for stud and commercial producers.

Stud principal Ann-Marie Collins says “Each year our focus is applied to birth weight, calving ease and the scan traits of EMA, Rib rump and IMF

These traits along with our five star rating with Breedplan provides supportfor the concepts of all breeding trends.

“It is common practice at Kenmeretoweigh and scanall heifers and bullsatthe end of each calendar year

At this point these animals have been raised only on grass.

This information is submitted to breedplan as part of our ongoing five star rating.

Bullsare then rescanned andweighed prior to sale time.

“Allcalves areweighed at birth,200 day weaning weight, 400 and 600 days weights.

The practiceoffollowing Breedplan procedures allows us to be constantlyimproving siretrends for markets and producing consistently high quality females for breeding.”

As aJBas7and pestivirusfreeherd, all Kenmeresale bulls areregistered and come with semen testing, scans and DNA sireverification.

“Kenmerehas an exclusive female line and mostofour sire’s arehomebredorare the progeny of overseas AI sires.

Outsidesires areoccasionally added to our programme giving us the local influence in our genetics,” said Ann-Marie.

“It is very important to Kenmerethatwehave good relationships with our customers.

Please feel free to contactusatany stage if you have enquires regarding our sale bulls.

Our bulls aresoldthrough agents and on AuctionsPlus.”

“Visits prior to sale arewelcome at any time by calling myself Ann-MarieCollins on my mobile 0412 608 043 or to view the online bull video visitwww.kenmerecharolais.com.au from mid-February.”

Banquet Angus superstars to shine

Banquet Angus will hold their Autumn Bull Sale on Thursday the 23rdofFebruary

They will have 100 bulls catalogued for sale.

The progeny of the super star home bred sire Banquet Nuttella N462 will again feature.

His sons topped the autumn and spring Banquet Bull Sales and areaveraging $41,000 N462 does much morethanjustbreed outstanding bulls. His daughters areexceptional and areexpected to featureinthe futuregenerations of Banquet.

The first progeny of Trio Qantas Q78 aresure to impress visitors.

Qantas, who will be on display,isa very impressive individual.

Qantas has morelength of body,neck extension, and mobility than most Beast Mode sons

He hasbreed leading growth EBV’s.

Thereare several new Banquetbredsires with their first sons presented in this Sale offering.

Twoofthe most notable areQuiver Q211and Qanga Q238.

These areboth sons of the very successful Wattletop Moonshine M42.

Moonshine sons have featuredinrecent Banquet Sales.

They aretremendous calving ease bulls.

They combine the excellent calving ease shape of long necksand fine shoulders with moderate birth weights.

Moonshine’sgreatest legacy will be the many exceptionalyoung cows Banquet Angus has in production.

They areextremely maternal with increased milk production, well attached udders and fine teats.

Banquet will have aselection of the 120 PTIC Banquet blood commercial heifers on display

Thesewill also be offered as part of the Banquet Autumn Sale.

The heifers werepurchased from long term Banquet clients at last year’sWeaner Sales.

They have been joined to Banquet sires selected for their calving ease.

This elite offering is agreat opportunity to fast track the improvement of your commercial herd.

They also showcase what youcan produce with generations of Banquetgenetics.

10 Magnificent Limousin Bulls

Kevin and Deb Scouller started Heatherdale Limousins in 2006 from cows purchased from the Home Station stud in Wangaratta.

These cattle had over 30 yearsofbreeding so it was easy for Heatherdale Limousinsto continue to breed quality,quiet Limousincattle.

Kevin concentrates on using the right mix of softer doing bulls with good fat coverage.

They arepredominately polled cattle maintainingthe extra muscle definition from the more traditional Limousin shape, thatsetsLimousins apart, andoffering higher dressing percentage.

Kevin says that this has always shown through in not only bulls and steers but the females as well.

Averygoodrecentexample of this in November was aniceolder cow that was culleddue to being empty who returned adressed weight of 432kg,resultingina returnofjust under$3,500

This is what is possiblewith the Limousin breed.

“Wehave no calving troubleastheyare slightly finer boned than other similar Europeanbreeds. They muscle up so fast, six weeks after birth the same calves are almost unrecognisable to the calf that hits the ground.” Kevin said.

This year’sbull crop again shows just what can be achieved, as the bullsare presented and run on a commercial basis, naturally quiet with no grain feeding.

Thismeansbuyers can purchase with confidence knowing they aregetting bulls that will perform on pasturealone

Allthe bulls will be sold as semen tested and guaranteed.

All but two arepolled and they areinexcellent condition ready to work with each of them showing their 50 years of breeding.

All arepurebred, with one excellent composite bull also being offered.

Further details areavailable, and inspection by appointment is welcome beforethe sale date.

Glendan Park and Adameluca offering their best

Brothers Sam and Alvio Trovatello arelooking forwardtohosting their 10th Annual Bull Sale at Barfold, near Kyneton,on Friday 24th February

Sam, who owns Adameluca Angus, will be offering 46 Angus bulls.

Alvio,principal of Glendan ParkHerefords will be offering 47 Herefordand PollHereford bulls.

Both studs have asimilar philosophy –breedingfor structural correctness,performance, good muscling and afunctional female herd.

They also use EBVs as atooltoaid in decision making.

Both teams areconsideredtobethe studs’ best with new sires represented in both the Herefords and Angus.

For the Herefords, sires include Yarram Star

General P154, KaroondaViggo P506,Allendale Jackal P176, Days Jamieson P021 and Wirruna National N322.

Ahomebredsire, GlendanPark Panama P004 also has sons for sale. His first sons sold last year for up to $70,000. In theAngussires,sons of American bulls SquareBTrue North, SS Brickyard, Basin Rainmaker and Varilek Geddes be on offer Thereare alsothe first sons of Ardrossan Momentus available.

Thesaleisinterfaced withAuctionsPlus, for those that cannot make the sale, and all lots have photos and videos attached. The Trovatello family lookforwardtoseeing you at the sale with inspections starting at 10am and the auction at 1pm.

Sam and Barry

Alivio and Alicia

Annual Bowman Bull Sale Focuses on “Thickness through Genetics”

Recordswill be broken, at thefourth on property bull sale, Thursday March 16th, whereBowmanPerformance Genetics will offer over 80 Angus bulls.

This event is believed to be the largest ever of its kind in Gippsland for Herd Book Registered bulls.

The “Thickness through Genetics” sale highlights the importance of genetics in creating muscle and thickness, rather than relying on intense feeding regimes.

This in turn, creates consistency and ahighly sought-after product, to meet lucrative MSA requirements.

In addition, highperformance bulls with selectedEBV’s provide buyers with theconfidence to choose the bull thatisright for them. Breeding values areimportanttobuild on, as therecan be as much as $500 difference per carcase in the chiller.

With this in mind, storebuyers arebecoming increasingly selective of the breedinghistory of the cattle they buy

Stud Principal Glenn Bowman, emphasises why grass-fedbulls aresoimportanttobreeders

“It allows the buyer to see the naturaldoing ability of the bull andthe bestresults they can expect from genetics.

Fit bulls that don’trequire extra feeding in their newhome, won’tlose condition, and they have fewer injuries, if kept on acontinuous natural diet”, Mr.Bowman explains.

The first sons to sell in Gippsland, from the record-breaking MillahMurrah Paratrooper P15, Baldridge 38 Special and Musgrave 316 Exclusive, will be offered.

This powerfulgroup,along with 15 different breed-leading sires, will provide an outstanding anddiverse selection to progressive breeders.

The Sale will take place on-farm at ‘Crystal Brook’, 100 Sawyer Road, Neerim South,3831. For more information, contact Glenn Bowman, on 0437 172 748.

Rangan Charolais doing the job right

Withover 250 registered females joined in 2022,Rangan Charolaiscontinues to provide Victorian beef producers with quality Charolais bulls.

With the popularity of grass finishing programs like the JBS Great Southerninmind, they produce bulls to suit southerngrassfinishing systems, with an aim to offer bulls that breed progeny for high MSA compliance.

“Weknow the genetics and traits we wish to develop in our own herd, and if you’redoing your job right as astud owner you should be able to take advantage of your own genetics,” said Graeme Cook owner of Rangan Charolais.

“It wasalso very pleasing to see the great results by our clients in thejustcompleted January weaner sales.

Rangan sired weaners topped the steer weaner section of the Annual Wangaratta January weaner sale selling for $2050 for genuine 9 -10month old weaners.

This was alsoone of the top pricesinthe entire state of Victoria.

We breed the bulls but it is our clients that then go on anddosuch agreat jobwiththe progeny,” said Graeme.

Atrip to the RoyalMelbourne Show in September paid offfor the stud bringing home not only Senior and Junior Champion Charolais bulls, but both bulls also went on to be crowned reserve interbreed Junior and Senior bulls.

The JuniorChampion bull will featureinthis year’sbull sale.

Held on-farm on the 17th of March, this year’s bull sale will have 46 bulls up for offer,including some of the first bulls in Australia by Canadian outcross sireTurnbullsDuty-Free, who breeds high growth early maturing progeny that will perform well in grass fed systems.

This is also the first time thatall the bulls offered arepolled with manybeing DNAtested and homozygous polled.

Therewillalso be astrong representation from homebred sires as well, including top-selling bulls from the Rangan 2021 sale, Rangan Quarterback

Q86 and Quartermaster Q19 as well as the time-proven Rangan Ascot M151.

Their progeny all performed as expected, and all demonstrated the good temperament, natural thicknessand thesuperior muscling that Rangan is renowned for

“The quality of the bulls this year is extremely high and we believe this is the evenest line of

young sires we haveever offered, with the natural thickness in thisdraftbeing exceptional,” Graeme said.

“Wehave one of the top IMF herds in the Charolais breed and this does help with MSA grading, and our bulls arepredominantly used as terminal sires over British-bred females to take advantageofthe extra growth rate theCharolais brings to astraight-bred herd.

“The majority of our clients arereturn clients, and every year we pick up new ones, with breeders really seeingthe value of Charolaiscross when it comes to grass finishing.” Graeme said.

All Rangan bulls arefully Breedplan recorded, vet checked, semen tested,DNA sire verified, poll-tested as wellascarryatwo-year structural guarantee.

T Top Angus Genetics

Innesdale Angus is excited to offerthe first sons of several new sires.

Millah Murrah Quartz Q29 -purchased for $42k at the 2020 Millah Murrah sale, this outstanding son of “Kruse Time” has impressed all that have seen him. He has been recollected for use at Millah Murrah, after his sons topped their sale averages at $55k, his sons have natural thickness and scanned well and his daughters are outstanding

Innesdale Resource M37-our topsire“M37” is afavorite at Innesdale. “M37 is the thirdson of “SAVResource” that we have used, his progeny excels for docility and soundness, his sons areverylongbodied with extra weight and always scan well. His daughters have his fine skin and areveryfeminine and always quiet, he has many outstanding sons in this group.

Innesdale Liberty P64 andQ41-two full brothers by Nampara Liberty L21, Q41 was sold to Mr John Lamb; P64 retained, these two brothers excel for muscling and high yielding sons that arelongbodied,sound, andquiet and really suited to Gippsland’sgrassfed programmes.

Innesdale Nirvana Q14 -by“Ben Nevis Nirvana N128”, Q14 was used over heifers, his sons have scanned very well and after genomic testing have greatly enhanced his data, he is very high for growth and maternal traits.

Innesdale Magnate Q65 - by “Resource M17 was used as ayearling then sold to Mr Brendan Flynn at Ensay,his sons sold well as yearlings, with one (S100) retained, like their grandsirethe sons arebig thick bulls with high EMA very sound and docile.

Innesdale focuses on fast growing, thick and heavy young bulls that will add weight to their progeny,whilst having enough fat cover to be marketed at any age, and to produce high quality heifers that areingrowing demand across Australia and for export markets worldwide.

These new bulls will give clients access to some of the top bloodlines from around the world and with over 50 branded beefproducts demanding “Angus Beef” we will continue to see our clients being rewarded for their effort to improve their herds genetics.

This crop of bulls wereall unassisted at birth and have had abetter season like most of Gippsland, they excel in scrotal size averaging 42cms and averaged 750kgs on 11-1-2023 when last measured. We like most bulls to get to 700kg by March, with the tops now over 800kgs at 18 to 20 months. All bulls areinoculated in line with the “Zoetis” protocol, tested free of Pestivirus, then double inoculated against Pestivirus and Vibrio and given an annual booster of 7-1.

Quartz Q29

Resource M37

Liberty P64

Nirvana N128

Resource M17

These young bulls will be for private sale from Wednesday 1March 2023.

This year’ssale sees our sale team selected from thelargest group of bulls yet.

This means year on year we have been able to significantly increase the genetic merit of the offering.

Our top five sires of the 2023 offering are all in the top 5 percent of the breed for EMA and IMF with many of them in the top 1percent. says Lachy from Days Whiteface.

“These sires include new homebred sireDays King Pin Q201 who is aheifer specialist.

As well as great carcase dataheisa trait leader for short gestation and birthweight, and also in the top 1percent for calving ease.

His sireDays Godfather NQ22 once again has an attractive group of high carcase merit sons. Days Horizon Q137 who we used as ayearling also is ahigh carcase merit sire.

His sons will be amongst the most

phenotypically attractive in the offering.

“Outcross sires this year include Tarcombe EncoreT053 and WirrunaNational N322. We were losingbidder on Encoreatthe Covid affected 2020 Wodonga National. He has some top end sons in the offering that were used in our herdasyearlings.

He is atrait leader for 200, 400 and 600 day weight.

Similarly National N322 is atrait leader for 200 day weight and is also atrait leader for IMF and one of the highest muscle bulls in the breed.” Days Whiteface welcome everyone to have a look at the sale bulls and some of their female herd at theirBeefWeek display on Tuesday7th February,and lookforwardtoseeing youatthe Sale on Monday 20th February 1.30pm.

If you have any enquiries please callLachy on 0428 521 630.

Ashot showing the depth of the Cow herd at Days Whiteface

Endure Sons Stand Out at Allendale 2023 Mt Ararat offers best-bred bulls

OnFebruary the 20th 2023 Allendale will offer 40 Poll HerefordBulls in conjunction with Day’sWhiteface. This year’sdraftfeatures bulls with great Herefordquality,mid maturity and doing ability

The2023sale bulls aresired by avarietyof Homebred and new sires.

Akey sireisNJW Endure173D.

Endure has10sons in this year’s sale with great balance and plenty of carcase.

Endure173Disatrait leader for 200, 400and 600 day weight, milk, EMA and IMF

Endureisalsointhe top 1percent for all 4 index’s.

Allendalehaveused five of these yearling bulls in their stud this year

Another sireimpacting thetop end of thedraft is Allendale Extrovert N159.

Extrovert is sired by Allendale Gambler and was sold to Pewsey Vale at Dubbo in 2020.

He has bred very well with great fertility,muscle and doing ability

Day’sIndicator P155 is well represented with sons displaying plenty of length, excellent testicles, with lowerbirthweightsand short gestation length making plenty of sonsvery suitable for heifers.

All sale bulls will be fully vaccinated, semen tested, sireverified with genomic enhanced EBV’s.

The Beef Week Field day is on Tuesday the 7th of Februaryand Allendalewelcome your inspection.

Please feel free to contact Alastair anytime to arrange an inspection.

Mount Ararat Simmentalsoffer the best bloodlines available in Australia.

They areconfident that once you purchase abull from their top of the range bulls you will become aregular customer

Studprincipal John Leek saidMount Ararat had the best-bred Simmentalsinthe country including full brothers to abull which sold for $160,000.

He said the stud had sold all its bulls on offer in past years.

“Simmentals areananimal with great hybrid vigour and they can be crossed for impacted growth. They have genetics that produce good quality meat,” Mr Leek said.

“They do well under harsh environments and

aregoodmilkproducers so they can turnoff very good vealers.”

Mr Leek said Mt Araratbreeds for calving ease followed by rapid growth and picksgenetics that producebulls with goodtemperaments thatare passed on to their progeny

“They areeasy to handle, easy to yardand you feel safe around them,” he said. This year the stud has 10 magnificent bulls as well as afew cows with calves at foot for sale. They also welcome enquires for semen and embryos.

Inspections arewelcome to make your selection of your next stud bull.

For moredetails about upcoming sale dates contact John on 0409 537 445.

OnWednesday March 22nd Pinora Angus will be holding their 54th Annual Bull sale.

Therewillbeapproximately 50 bulls for sale. Manyofthe Sires that wererepresented at lastyear’s successful sale will once again have progeny for sale.

Among these will again be sons of the outstandingMilwillah

Fevola M16, whose sons have topped the last two bull sales. The calving ease specialist, Alpine Investment P46, whose sons attracted widespread admiration last sale, will again be represented.

Anoted addition to the sireroster will be Millah Murrah Quixote the high selling bull at the 2020 Millah Murrah sale.

His sons arelow birthand good growth, with excellent temperament; they seem to cover all the bases.

John and Kelvin would welcome the opportunity to show you this great line up of sale bulls.

Just give them acall and they will arrange atimetosuit you.

Heifers an added bonus at Kelly Angus Autumn offering

Exciting sons of one of the world’smost popular Angus bulls, plus the first offering from the stud of registered females, arebig draw cards to this year’sKelly Angus Autumn Bull and Heifer sale.

“This year’sbulls stand up well and will blend in seamlessly to any commercial operation,” Mr Joyce said.

The sale, to be held on Thursday 23 March at the stud’s home base in Yea, Victoria, will see the first sons of GAR Hometown up for grabs.

GAR Hometownranked number one in the US for breed registrations in 2022.

Knowla Nobleman N127 is another bull with progeny in the sale that Mr Joyce describes as “pretty exciting”.

Used as an AI sire, Nobleman has Estimated Breeding Values in the top 3percent for Calving EaseDirectand bothSelection Indexes,and the top 1percent for docility

He also sits in the top 7percent for Intramuscular Fat (IMF).

The first sons of the $108,000 Texas Powerplay will also be in the line-up.

Live calves on the ground remains key at Kelly Angus, with moderate birthweight and calving ease abig focus.

“Wewanteveryone to have apositive journey with their calving,” Mr Joyce said.

“Weare very focused on carcasequalities as well, with ahighemphasis on that, and we like keeping our finger on the pulse of the most recent genetics.”

After offering commercial femalesintheir autumn 2022 sale, selling three pens of heifers

to a top of $3500 and average of $2950, this year Kelly will put forwardregistered heifers.

“If people want to buy them and keep them registered, they can,otherwise they will just have areally superior commercial product.

“Therewill be amixtureofsirelines in there, but definitely some Powerplay daughters.”

The heifers will be either 18-months or 14-monthsold,and pregnancy tested empty for buyers to join as they like.

All sale lots, along with ahandful of the stud’s cows and calves, will be on display prior to the sale on 25 February on-property

“People can come in and take their time to have alook, and thereisnostress or pressure on them, they can go through as they will,” Mr Joyce said.

The March 23 sale, interfacedwith AuctionsPlus,willbejust the fourth on-property auction for the stud.

Last autumn, they sold 48 bulls at auction to an average of $9836, topping at $26,000.

Mr Joyce said while bullstravelled across three states, about two thirds of the lots stayed local to Yea.

Mr Joyce predicts bull prices will reflect what is happeninginthe commercial market,and bidders at his sale won’tbedisappointed with the value for money

The annual auction gets underway at 1pm Thursday 23rdMarch at the Yeaproperty and will be live online through AuctionsPlus.

For moreinformation visit www.kellyangus.com.au

Three breeds at Brewer Beef

Halfway between Tallangatta and Corryong, asmall family has established athreepronged stud which specialises in Simmental, Angus and acrossbreed Sim Angus, which they market as ‘Brewer Beef’.

David and Tara Brewer have continued for 30 years to develop tried-and-true principles in cattle breeding: bulls that arefunctional, easy to carefor and which perform.

“Wesellabout 80 bulls per yearbetween private sales and auctions and have aherdof 420 cows serviced by 12 bulls,” Mr Brewer said.

Brewer Beef has sold bulls to farmers as far away as Blackall in northernQueensland.

They have many returning customers who are using their bulls to increase their herd with great success.

The stud’s primary focus is to produce quiet cattle that make producers’ jobs as easy as possible.

“SimAngus gives you the best of both worlds with the Angus genes contributing good IMF, gentleness and workability to the crossbreed, and the Simmental giving greater muscling,” Mrs Brewer said.

The progeny from Brewer Beef bulls have enjoyed above averagepricesfor producers,and because the enterprise is operated on different sites, self-carewith calving is also apriority

As the herdisoperated over10different properties, the cows have to calve unassisted and have consistently done so foroverfiveyears, having not pulled a normally presented calf in that time.

Brewer Beef Black Simmentals fit seamlessly into an Angus herd, providing extremelyvaluable hybrid vigour,effectively giving the producer moredollars for free.

Their cattle never failtoachieve top prices at market and the progenyoftheir bullshave enjoyed above averageprices and increased competition on their cattle in recent years.

“This is due to their ability to do well and their easy handling attributes.” Mrs Brewer said.

However,the secret to Brewer Beef’s success is theirson Henry who, at 13 years old, has quickly become the ‘data guru’ behind the family’spurchases and business success.

“Henry analyses every stud sale, having spent COVID lockdown poring over cattlecatalogues everyday,” Mrs Brewer said.

“He is abig structureman, first and foremost, and the cattle must also have longevity in their feet.

Foot structureisimportant to him.

“Hopefully Ican retire earlyand watch him take things over.”

This year BrewerBeef will offer 18 Angus Bulls, 14 Black Simmental Bulls, 14 SimAngus Bulls and 4Traditional Simmental Bulls.

Buyers at this sale will certainly be spoilt for choice.

Brewer Beef look forwardtopresenting their 8th saledraft underthe Brewer Beefbrand on 17thFebruary2023and assisting you to maximise your profits.

For moreinformation, visit: www.brewerbeef.com.au

50 years for Mawarra Tarwin Poll Herefords

Tarwin Poll Herefords objective is to produce attractive, sound, commercial pollHereford cattle, able to perform offgrass.

To achieve this they use amix of AI breeding and ajudicious selection of sires for natural mating.

Sires chosenwill generally haveamodest birth weight coupled with above average growth weightsand carcass traits, traits such as eye pigmentation and hooding arealsoconsidered in their sireselection.

To further test the performanceoftheir genetics, theMeikles regularly compete in the Lardner Park Grass Finished Steer trials.

Thisyeartheyhad one teamwhich came second for weight gain at 1.50 kg/day

Tarwin PollHerefords areaperformance recorded herdwiththe calves beingregularly weighed up to 600 days and the weights submitted to the Breedplan program.

Sale bulls arescanned for eye muscle area

and fat cover and replacement heifers and sale bulls areDNA tested to confirm parentage and polledness.

2022was alsoTarwin’s secondeffortat online selling,withfiveyoung bulls offered on AuctionsPlus as members of the Gippsland Performance Herefords group in September

Tarwin Santa S081 aWirruna Nolantop priced this sale at $12,000.

ThisyearTarwin Poll Herefords will have, available for private sale, bulls sired predominately by Wirruna Nolan and Tarcombe Homeland. When visiting the Meikle family you can also inspect the studs latest sire, HuntersLakes Regal R017 and home bred sireTarwinRegal R014 (son of Wirruna Nolan)along with next year’scropofbullcalves with their mothers.

These include AI bred sons from Mawarra Terminator,Wirruna Papa and Yavenvale Quantitative.

Althoughthe Sykes family’s50thAnniversary Salecelebrations areset to honour the historyofthe stud,the actualsale draft comprising 82 Whiteface and 39 Angus bulls, is firmly aimed at the future.

The first sons of home-bred internationalsires Showtime P277, Hugo P190, Influential Q162, Terminator Q274 and outcross New Zealand sirePuteNascarN13 areset to featureand keen interest in the new bloodlines has already been received.

Headlining the Angus draft arethe first Victorian sonsof$140,000Dunoon Prime Minister P758 and alarge run of Clunie Range Landmark L415 sons.

In whatisa firstfor the Sykes family,and testament to the confidence they have in the bulls they catalogue, they will offer the pick of two full brothers -Lots6Aand 6B. The successful purchaser will choose the Lot they prefer and Mawarra will retain the other Peter said ‘Both these young sires hold great potential.

Theirpedigrees areelite,beingfullbrothers to $53,000Terminator

Matriarchofthe family,Helen Sykes, reflected on the50thSale milestone, “In 1963 my father L. C. (Dick) Rogers gave my then fiancé,Robert, and Ithe opportunity to purchase seven of his most successful Norwood stud cows and the stud sire, Silverton Cyclone.

We saw it as an opportunity to supply not onlyour ownherd’sneeds but also those of neighbouring farmers.

We neverthought of shows and sales, of championships or recordprices, or of Mawarra geneticsinseveral countries.

Now,asIapproach 90 years of age, we (Mawarra) have come full circle.

Three of my grandchildren have studHerefords, including Taylah who is now the principal of Norwood Genetics, and Ihave athree-year-old greatgrandson,Carter, already showing alove for cattle.”

Mawarra Vice Admiral S081 (PP) is one of the first sons to be offered by Mawarra’s home-bred international sire Showtime P277 (PP)

Est. 1944

1545 Princes Hwy, Flynn Victoria

SALE: Monday 3rd April @1.00

AUTUMN BULLSALES 2023

Leawood Angus

Leawood Angus now spans four generations and is aproud family operation.

They aim for constant improvement without chasing fads and trends, leaving moderate framed, high early growth cattle.

Concentrating on New Zealand genetics, they produce well-structured cattlethatflourish offa grass grazing environment.

Leawood look forwardtoinviting fellow cattle enthusiasts to their Autumn Bull Sale on Monday 3rdofApril at 1pm, or prior by arrangement.

This year’sautumn sale line up is as good as any you will find.

Offering exceptional temperaments and very well-structured HBR and commercial bulls.

These bulls areguaranteed to outlast many other competitors’ bulls by adding extra value in any herd, longevity and high-quality carcass traits backed by muscular scanning data.

Leawood’srecent steers having an impressive MSA grading of 66.7.

The sires for this autumn’ssale will includethe first Australianprogeny of Brookwood Titan J32,

an outstanding sireused in many leadingstuds in NewZealand

Stud ManagerLukeStuckey is very impressed with Titans ease of calving and believes his early growthisexceptional, which is exactly what Leawood and their clients requirewhen aiming to have progeny finished earlier, resulting in a higher economical returnper hectare.

Other featuring sires in the sale include Turiroa Ragnar P224,the highestpricedbull in the New Zealand 2020 sales.

Leawood Steaks N297, which is atop breedingson of the highly sort after Merchiston Steakhouse.

High-growthsireLeawood PirateP391, Leawood Rambo N324, Taimate Lazarus L12, and Witherswood BOS M0018 sired by the high regarded Braveheart of Stern.

All these sires have been used in their heifer program and leave easy calving and short gestation progeny

For more information contact Luke Stuckey on 0474 992 683.

PrivateInspections Welcome.

Graeme mob: 0429 992683

Luke mob: 0474 992 683

Overwhelming interest in Wattlewood Angus

Wattlewood Angus areinfull swing preparing for their Annual Bull Sale on Thursday 16th of March.

The 30 bulls that will be included in their onfarm sale that is interfaced with AuctionsPlus have all been vaccinated with 7in1, Pestigard and Vibrovax as well as being semen tested.

The ready for work bulls arebyrenowned sires that includeBaldridge Beast Mode,Chiltern Park Moe, Coonamble Hector and gone but not forgotten sire- Te Mania Ada through some embryo bulls that arerising two year olds in the sale.

Wattlewood’sbreeding philosophy is to have structurally correct, quiet animals that perform in apackage that buyers enjoy owning.

Thestud have potentialstud and herdsires available that areamong the best in the breed for birth weight, growth, structureand carcass EBV’s.

Thereare bulls in the 2023 sale that aretop performers in every index of the Angus breed.

After overwhelming interest prior to and during their Beef Week Open Day saw enquiries coming from breeders from all across South East Australia, including Tasmania, they are on the right track with their breeding program, enjoying returnand new buyers that have heard about Wattlewood genetics from other happy Wattlewood bull owners.

Fiona states “Welove the relationshipsthat we have developed with our bull buying clients and hearing how well the bulls areworking for their new owners.

It is great to get an insight to what our breeders aretrying to achieveand help them accomplish this when selecting the next wave of genetics that will be used over the strong female base that we have”.

For moreinformation contact Fiona on 0416 216 951.

Riga Angus

Riga Angus is afamilyownedbusiness focusing on the production of top quality yearlingbulls, to allow forthe introduction of superior genetic materialinto herds ayear earlier than normal.

2023 will see their eighth on property Sale on the 12th of April followed by aSpring Sale in September

The Open Day is March 29th.

The preparation is intricate from the point of weaninginspringtomeeting the nutrition requirements of the bulls over the feed deficit in summer and autumn.

Meeting their criticalgrowth and development over this period is essential to ensuretheyare ready for work on client properties as yearling bulls.

The breeding objectives aretoproduce sound,functional cattle in athick but moderate frame with excellent fertility and temperament, adequate milk, calving ease(with an emphasis on gestation length and structure), plenty of growth in combination with good carcase and IMF

WATTLEWOODANGUS

The herdhas been well above breed average over the last 20 years for Docility,Claw Set Score and NFI-F

This places the herdinanexcellent position with respect to feed efficiency,asthe key driver for efficiency is Net Feed Intake.

The bullsundergo significant screening to ensureclients can purchase bulls with confidence.

This includes i50K Genomic testing, Parent Verification or SireVerification, and that the bulls areGenetic Disorder Free, come with acomprehensive vaccination program, are structureand temperament assessed and are vet checked which includes abull breeding soundness examination.

This year feature sires include Landfall Newground N90, Sydgen Bonus, Sydgen Enhance,Musgrave316 Exclusive ,Chiltern ParkMoe M6 and Rennylea ProspectP550, collectively

These will offer some excellent maternal and carcase genetics in combination with the Riga Angus trade mark quiet temperament.

ticking all the box

 Herd bookregistered  Semen Tested  Sire Verified

 HD50K Genotyped  P.I. Negative  NaturallyQuiet

 Zoetis StarBreeder (vacc. 7in1. Pestiegard. Vibrovax)

 Free of Known Genetic Defects (by pedigree or testing)

Annual Bull Sale: Thursday 16th March, 2023

Fiona

www.wattlewoodstud.com.au

Broadlands Limousins -30per cent reduction in methane emissions

Broadlands Limousinsfocuses upon breedinghomozygous polled Limousin cattle that reflect the CommercialCattle Breeder traits of easy calving, docility (genetically bred) and above breed average for growth and carcase attributes.

Increase in genetic gains have been achieved via undertaking an Embryo Transfer Program utilising David Morris from Bass Valley Embryos Loch.

Bloodlines include Warrawindi Krystal Gem (MelbourneShow Winner) withimported Canadian Greenwood Electric Impact (2019 World Champion Limousin Bull) and Elwanvale Narizma (Ekka Junior ChampionHeifer) with imported Canadian SireLFLC Denver 857 D. Further Genetic gains havebeen achieved through purchases of heifers from Summit Limousins, Raven Limousins ,Maryvale Limousins ,Laverna Park Limousins and Elwanvale Limousins incorporating the very best of Limousin genetics.

YearlingBulls will be available representing the best in Black Canadian and Australian bloodlines represented by Greenwood Electric Impact, WulfsAmazing Bull, Summit Blueprint and Broadlands Black Bunga.

Broadlands Limousins is enthused upon the outcome of testing of Cattle in Ireland whereit was discovered that Limousin cattle have the capacity to reduceMethane Gas by upwards of 30 percent.

The Limousin Breed achieved this result on a consistent basis well above the Angus, Hereford and Charolais cattle.

Ireland Test Results -Source News Article

Ireland confident geneticsand breeding can help meet 25percent methane reduction target James Nason 26/10/2022

Achart depicting these results above shows

F1. Comparison of Terminal Indexwith Test EBVfor CH4, forAIsires with progenyatTully.

that the higher terminal indexedanimals have lower grams per day of methane, with the Limousin breed (denoted by the green dots) in particular demonstrating high efficiency withfast growth rates and lower feed intake.

Purchasing aLimousinBull is asimple, practical, effective method for a cattle breeder to address the issue of methane reduction within

their cattle herd.

Asolution that can be achieved in the first year of breeding.

The challenge for the MLA is to divert the 19 Million of research funding towards reduction of Methane Emission in cattle by incorporating cross breedingutilising Limousins as apractical naturalgenetic solution.

Ireland Test Cattle Results can display

the Industry desiretoaddress the Methane Reduction Issue by incorporating Limousins in their breeding strategy

Broadlands have anumber of Homozygous Black/Apricot Bulls that areideal for heifers that areeasy to handle.

Contact Pat on 0414 632 017 to check them out.

5Minutes from Bairnsdale Saleyards.

Outstanding sons from Absolute Angus

Anthony Pisa’sdedication to breeding the very best from the very best will once again be on show this year

The Absolute Angus principal willhaveanimpressive line-up of bulls on offer at his autumn sale.

In his upcoming sale therewill be ‘standout sons’ of sires including Landfall New Ground N90, Landfall Leonardo P145, Landfall Prominent P317 and Te Mania Prime P586.

“TeMania Prime is an excellent bull for IMF (Intramuscular Fat), and for birth.

He’sverythick andphenotypically the best you can get.

His progeny stands out and looks very much like their sire.

These willbethe firstsonsofhis we have offered.” Mr Pisa said.

The $75,000 Landfall New Ground N90 also has some outstanding sons in the sale, proving why he was the top selling bull for ABS Genetics in the spring of 2022.

“He has produced excellent progeny with data to match -phenotypically,structurally and feet wise, hissons all have it, plus his data is amazing,” Mr Pisa said.

The sons of another Landfall bull in Leonardo P145 have also caught the attention of Mr Pisa, with their tremendous thickness and length. “And then thereisLandfall Prominent P317another outstanding bull with good data –they arehardtofindlike him -the low birthweight and high fat.”

Lastautumn,Absoluteoffered 52 bulls, selling

After Beef Week 2023 Annette, Noel and Georgia would like to thank everyone that took the time to visit Raedean.

“Young bulls werevery much in demand and we werevery appreciativeofthe purchases, with weaned bulls selling for $7000,” said Annette.

“Wewereexcited to be able to show case our embryo calves by Red U2 Reckoning 149A xGK Red Platinum Ruba P26 and OLC Chateau K465 xTrevone Park Little Princess B181 along with

50 at auction to atop of $22,000twice and averaging $9980.

This year therewill be 70 bulls catalogued for sale in March, giving bidders extra opportunities to securethe right sires.

AbsoluteAngus will be openfor inspections

on Saturday 18 March. “Welook forwardtoshowcasing some of the genetics we have to offer,” Mr Pisa said.

“The focus remains on low birth, high growth, high EMA and IMF and positive fats -Ithink those arethe key things for commercial breeders.”

Beef Week Success

calves by Raedean Rainman, Raedean Quantum, Raedean Limited Edition, EGL Fury and Tronar Kemble and the exciting female we purchased from Bandeeka last year and her heifer calf.

The introduction of P26, B181and K465 offer different and exciting blood lines for Raedean.

“Wepurchased the Red U2 Reckoning 149A semen at the U2 dispersalsale whilewewerein Canada, his dam Red U2 Anexa 271Y sold for $45,000and her progeny also sold to $49,000.

We lovedthisfemale and her progeny at U2

so to purchase the semen of Reckoning was exciting and we hope all of these traits will flow through into our herd.

We look forwardtoautumn and spring calves

with the exciting new bloodlines we have introduced,” said Annette. Pictured is one of Raedean’smatronsRaedean Brooke.

DairyEffluent, Aussie’sAnswer

WHEN Australian Pump Industries launched their ‘self-priming revolution’, it didn’t take long forpump dealersaround the countrytorealise whata giftitwas for end users.

The ability to hook up thesuction hose, simply fill the pump bowl with waterand then startthe electric motor is amajor breakthrough in convenience!

Dairyfarms were an obvious major application,whereeffluent needs to be moved out of themilkingparlourand into the tanks whereitcan be brokendown and effectively usedfor fertiliser.

The topquality,ISO 9001 compliant motor pump rangenow extends allthe waythroughtoboth high volume and high headself-priming pumps to suit almostany application

The firstworld,Aussie castironGMP motor pumps areloaded withfeatures. Theseinclude abig castironopen impeller with the ability to handlesolids in suspension, astainless steel wear plate incorporatedwithin thepumpchamber and siliconcarbide seal.

Most importantly, afront mounted clean out port makes is simple for chokes to be cleared without having to disconnect pipework or dismantle the pump

All pumpsare fitted withboth atop mounted priming plugand adrainplug which enables thepumps to be easily drainedwithout anyformofdismantling Watermanagementhas becomethe big issueondairyfarms andtoa large extent, that gets backtothe efficiency of pumps being used, their availability and of course, theireaseofoperation.

Aussie Pumps hasexpanded its selfpriming motor pump rangetoinclude 4” pumps that can handle up to 2,300lpm and heads as highas 29 metres.

Those4”pumpsare on the marketfor only $8,311+GST, afraction of the cost of moreexotic equivalents from theUS or Europe.

Aussiealsointroduced a22kW3”semi trash pump that delivers up to 87 metres head, that’s over100 psiinterms of pressure, in theformoftheirnew model B3ZPM-A/STseries.

That pump, designed originally for transferring waste effluent to the paddock,setsa newstandardfor trash pump performanceand value formoney “Weknowthatabrasioncan cause excessive pumpwear in effluentapplica-

diverseasconcrete batchplantsand even explorationdrillrigs” he said.

Small But Mighty

THElatest addition is asmall utility semi trashpump (1 ½” ports) designed for jobs requiring flows of no more than 200 or 300litresper minute.

Called theB1.5KQ-A/ST series, pumps areavailable in both240 voltand 415 volt close coupled configuration

These mono blockunits areparticularly cost effective with Aussie putting them on the marketfor only $1,392 +GST

Theyare cast iron andhaveall the same featuresasthe rest of the range including astainlesswear plate, silicon carbidesealsand of coursetheir unique self-priming ability

Yes, itwillhavea 316stainlesssteel impeller option as well!

316StainlessSteel Options

THEcast iron motor pumps arealso available in cast 316stainless steel with ports up to 4”

They deliver thesame performanceas thecast iron equivalent

316stainless steel is bothcorrosion and abrasion resistant and will handle

Engine Drive Trash Pumps

CLIMATE changeisout thereand can’t be ignored. That means dairies will face occasional powerissues.

Many operatorsare looking to engine drive trashpumps to coverthese emergencysituations

AustralianPumpisaspecialistinthat area with acomplete range of Honda poweredtrashpumps,with ports from 2” up to 4”.

The pump ends carry afive year warrantyand the engine is coveredwith Honda’sthree year warranty!

The trashpumps deliver flowsup to 1,800 lpm and self-prime witha vertical lift of 7.6 meters.

Althoughdeveloped initially for constructionsite dewatering, these portable trashpumps, withthe capacity to handle sphericalsolids in suspension to half the diameter of the porting canbea godsend formovingdirty water fast.

ThecompanybuildsYanmardiesel powered versionsaswell

Larger capacity 6” trash pumps,for serious effluent handlingapplications,

with flows of up to 6,000lpm arealso built by thecompany.

“Thosesix inch pumpscan beused notonlyfor efficient movementoflarge quantities of effluent, but double as flood lifters in theevent of majorcatastrophic weather events” said Hales

Both the 4” and 6” trashpumps can alsoperform, liketheirelectric motor equivalents, as veryeffective aerators in wastewater settling ponds.

Local Distribution

AUSTRALIAN Pumphavegreat distributors in theGippslandareatoservicethe dairyfarmers.

They areequipped withnot onlyAussie’s pump range but also it is cost effective and super reliable, Australian made, stainless steel, high pressurewater blasters that aredesignedfor continuous serviceindairyfarms.

Prices aresupercompetitive, the products aremade toISO 9001 quality standards, andhave alsobecome abig exportsuccess

Moreinformation about Aussie’s“selfpriming revolution” GMP pumprangeis readilyavailable from AustralianPump Industries and authoriseddistributors, or onlineataussiepumps.com.au.

Aussie QP-60T diesel trash pump in action aerating awastewaterpond.

tions” said ChiefEngineer,John Hales “Tocombatthat, we’ve introduced optional 316stainless steel impellers for mostofthe range. They arebeing usedinapplicationsas diverse as concrete batch plants and

caustics, whey and othercorrosive liquidsthat areinvolved in the dairyindustry.

Aussies 4 semi trash motor pumps self-prime making them fast to set up and easy to service

Calendar’sstories aiming to help

Stefan BRADLEY

FARMERSaround the region have been enjoying the 2023 Gippsland Jersey yearly calendar,which contains photos and storie from dairy farmers to encourage conversations around mentalhealth.

The 2023 calendar is the fifth that dairy company GippslandJersey has released, featuringtales of strength and resilience from the region’sdairyfarmers for each month.Sale, Kilmany, Denisonand Meerlieu areamong the towns represente by the participants.

GippslandJersey co-founder and director Sallie Jones, said she was grateful to the dairy farmers who openedtheir hearts out.

“Eachyear it is ablessing to be welcomed into thesefarmers’lives, andonto their farms, and to hear their stories. Iabsolutely love putting this calendar together.Wehope to do moreinthe next calendar…(the farmers) look forwardtoitevery year,” she said.

“And it has saved lives, it has led to peer support with farmers reaching out to other farmers who have shared their stories.

“I think the conversations about mental health have definitely changed in our region. My dad became asuicide statistic in 2016, and Ifelt that no-one wastalkingabout mentalhealth then.And Ithinkthatthe needle has shifted since then.

“Gippsland Jersey arecommitted to creating social change in mental health.”

Ms Jones said one of Gippsland Jersey’s business pillars was better rural wellness as “8.6 Australians die every day by suicide”. “That’s morethan double the road toll,” she said, citing 2022 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

“Seventy-five per cent of those who take their own life aremale. Beyond the tragic loss of the person, the impact of asuicide death is felt by up to 135 people, that

Birdsafety frontofmind

AGRICULTURE Victoria is urging bird ownerstohelp prevent emergency animal diseases through the routine use of biosecurity measures at home, sales, birdshows and race events.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer,Dr Graeme Cooke, said poultry farmers, and birdand backyardchook owners needed to be vigilant for disease in their birds, such as avian influenza.

includes family members,work colleagues, friends, and first responders.

“Many of the stories in this calendar talk about how the most simplistic act of someone showing up for them when things arehardwas the best medicine.

“Don’t hide behind atext message; make an effort and knock on someone’s door, look that personinthe eye and really ask them how they’regoing. Hold space for them. We cannotrely on government programs or medicalprofessionals to fix all the problems. We allmust play an active role inlooking afterone another. Talking about my experience of my dad’s death has helped heal my heart.”

Last year Ms Jones was featured in This Man’s Worth, asuicidepreventionadvocacy film available to stream on SBS on Demand.

“For me, there’s no shame in dad’s death; mental healthisarealhealth problem, and the statistics of suicide, and its ripple effect in our communities, areenormous,” she said.

The calendar isavailable for free from the Gippsland Jersey website. Lifeline can be phoned on 13 11 14.

“Signs of avianinfluenzainclude breathing difficulties such as coughing, sneezing, or rasping, while ruffled feathers,dopiness, diarrhoea and closed eyes can also be evident,”he said..

“Other signs includeswelling and purple discolourationofthe head, comb, wattles and neck, and a rapid drop in eating, drinking and egg production.”

Dr Cooke said infected birds shed avian influenza in saliva, nasal secretions and faeces.

“Wild birds including waterfowl are anatural host for the virus and don’t usuallyshow any symptoms. They need to be kept away from domestic birds, their food and water,” he said..

“Domestic poultry, chickens, ducks, geese,turkeys, guineafowl,quail pheasants,emus and ostriches are most susceptible to being affected by avian influenza.”

Dr Cooke said an on-farm biosecurity plan wasthe best management tool

poultryfarmers could use to reduce the risk of introducinginfectious diseases.

“Other actionsinclude maintaining ahigh level of hygiene, rodent control around poultrysheds and feed-bins, and avoiding contact with noncommercial poultry and wild birds,” he said..

“New birds should be quarantined prior to being integrated into existing commercial or backyardflocks. Disease transmissionshouldbeminimised between poultry farms by cleaning vehicles,equipment and clothingafter visiting another farm.”

Poultry farmers andbirdowners with backyardflocks areurged to report cases of unexplained sudden increase in bird deathsor asuddendropinegg production tothe 24-hour Emergency Animal DiseaseWatchHotline on 1800 675 888, to your local vet or to AgricultureVictoria.

Dr Cooke also reminded all livestock owners, including those with poultry, of the needto have aproperty identification code (PIC), which allows AgricultureVictoriatotrace and control disease outbreaks.

“GettingaPIC is free and easily done online via the AgricultureVictoria website,” Dr Cooke said.

Afull list of biosecurity measures for poultry producers is available on the AgricultureVictoria website.

Colbinabbin PelletMill

Browns Stockfeed are pleased to announce the recent purchase of apellet mill in the small central Victorian town of Colbinabbin enabling the in-house manufacture of our own pellet range.

The pellet mill addition compliments the existing business structure with grain mills already in Leongatha and Tinamba and positions Browns Stockfeed extremely well to be able to supply an extensive range of tailor made stock feeds to meet our client’s requirements

Browns Nutritional Team look forward to assisting you find the correct ration for your livestock feeding requirements and are available for onsite visits or phone consultations so give one of them acall and have achat. Supplying bulk loads of whole and rolled grain, custom grain mixes and avariety of pellets for dairy, beef, calves and lambs. Browns Stockfeed have agreat range to choose from.

Also available from Browns Rural Merchandise store is alarge range of animal health products; drenches and vaccines; silage, hay wrap &twine; general farm hardware and fencing supplies; and pet and stock feeds in 20kg bags and bulka bags.

The Gippsland Jersey calendar is encouraging conversation around mental health.

Christine Lawton

Howitt Society weighs into debate

Philip HOPKINS

HIDING behindclimate change is not astrategy to address the increasing number and intensity of fires and floods across Australia, according to the Howitt Society.

The society’s president,Rick Cooper,said even if all burning of fossil fuels was stopped across the world tomorrow, climate change was not going to shift into reverse.

“In reality, genuine climate change reversal strategiesare years awayfrombeing internationally adopted, and decades away frombeginningtoimpact fireand flood regimes,” he said.

“So we need to adapt our managementstrategiestodealwith thechanged conditions as they aretoday.”

The Howitt Society is agroup of experienced landand fire managers and bushmen concerned for the health and safety of the Australian bush and in particular firemanagement. They areinspired by the work of 19th centuryGippsland scientist Alfred Howitt, who wrote extensively on Gippsland’s geology, ecology forests, fireand the region’s indigenous people.

The society’ssecretary,Garry Squires,said therewas agood analogy between managingthe potential impacts of fireand flood and managing diseases such as COVID-19.

“Prevention is better than dealing with the aftermath of apandemic or flood or firedisaster.The key

is tocarry out mitigationworks beforethe disaster,” he said.

“In the case of both disease and bushfire, it is possible to forestall

the inevitable tragic outcome.” With adiseaselikeCOVID19, there was atwo-pronged attack: first, apublichealth

program -washing hands, social distancing, masks, contact tracing -followedby alongerterm vaccination program.

Similarly,therewas atwo-staged program for fire: apublic education program -leave early orders, emergencywarnings -followed by a‘vaccine program’ wherethe bush is inoculated with amild dose of fire-‘cool burning’.

“This builds up immunity in the bush so it is better able to resist the impact of wildfireand allow fires to be more easilycontrolled,” he said.

Regarding the recent floods, Mr Cooper said hopefully the calls for increased permanent levees to protect people and assets would be completed now and not when the next disaster was imminent.

From afireperspective, Mr Cooper said theHowitt Society supported the call from parts of the community forbetter fuel management in the bush.

“Whilst the climate is becoming warmer and drier,itisnot this that is making the fires moreintense and moredifficult to control, but ratherthe unprecedented amount of fuel that land managers have allowed to accumulate,” he said.

“Mitigation works arerequired urgently.”

Mr Squires said therewerethree factorsthat allow fires to burn-an ignition source, oxygen and fuel.

“The only one that we areable to influence is the amount of fuel available when ignition does occur, whether it be lightning, an arsonist, a campfire or any other

source,” he said.

“The science tells us that as fuel availability doubles, fire burns four times moreintensely and that this formula also works in reverse and so thereare great benefits in reducing fuel loads.

“Wealso know that fuels can be reduced over large areas using existing and familiar technologies.”

Mr Squires said all that was requiredwas policychangeata governmentlevel and appropriate funding.

“A well funded, well led, statewide, even nation-wide fuel mitigation campaign would be an effective firststep in protecting Australian lives and propertyand the bushitselffromthe grip of awarmer and drier climate,” he said.

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s 2009 fires identified both the threat of climate change on futurebushfirerisk and the need to fuel reduce at least over five per cent of the forest area annually to help mitigate the threat.

Mr Squires said the recommendation was only implemented for acouple of years beforeit was dropped by government in favour of the current residual risk approach. “This clearly is not achieving the area of fuel reduction required to mitigate the current conditions,” he said.

The Howitt Society called on the governmenttoimplement the minimum five per centofforest area to be fuel reduced annually as per the 2009 RoyalCommission recommendation.

HowittSocietypresidentRick Cooper

Farmer representation missing: VFF

Philip HOPKINS

THE National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), while welcoming the findingsfromthe reviewintoAustralia’s carboncredit framework, highlighted concerns about missing farmer representation and support

The federalgovernmentlastmonth released the final report of the Independent Review of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), with the government accepting, in principle, all 16 recommendationsby the panel, which was led by former Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb AC.

The review noted that the the Australian carbon credit unit (ACCU) scheme aims to remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, or to prevent their emission. In agriculture, carbon sequestration is stored in the soil. As cropsphotosynthesise to produce the food, they remove CO2 from the atmosphereand create oxygen. Through this chemical process, carbon is sequestered in the soil.

Carbon farming initiatives allocateone ACCUfor eachtonneofcarbon dioxide abatement. Some ACCUs arebought by the government, some by emitters as offsets, or traded in the domestic market. The panel warnedthatthe schemeneeded adequate resourcing. “Thereisnopractical or cheap alternative,” the panel said.

The reported ACCU spot price had been generally averaging inthe low $30 range since the announcement on contractmilestone exit arrangements until it settled at just over $35 after 23 May 2022.

NFF president, Fiona Simson, said ahigh level of confidence and integrity within Australia’s carbon credit systemwas critical. “Wewelcome the panel’s findings that the scheme is sound, the level of abatement is correct, and the policy is effectively reducing Australia’s emissions,” she said.

“Overall,the NFFbroadly supports regular reviews into the scheme,alongwith changes to clarify governance andimprove transparency. However,some concerns remain.

“Wewereclear that we need to establish askills-based boardto be involved in the governance of ACCUs.While this is in in

some ways supported by the new Carbon AbatementIntegrity Committee(CAIC), thereisalack of farmmanagement experience,” Ms Simson said.

TheNFF recommended afarmer representative be presentonthis committee to help farmers and landholders engage withthe consultationprocess. Italso

recommended independent and trusted advice be made available, for example through extension officers.

“None of these recommendations were in the review. However,wedosupport the appointment of four members to the CAIC, one being aFirst Nations Australian,” she said.

“Wewill seek clarification on what skills and experiences these four members will requireand advocate that farmmanagement experience be one of them.”

The NFF also has concerns about the review’s recommendations on avoided deforestationand thatno new project registrations will be allowedunder the current method.

“This recommendationfails the NFF’s test about the importance of the review being a technical, not philosophical, assessment. The recommendation also leads the NFF to be concernedthe current methodwill conclude without the replacement being discussed or understood.”

The panel recommendedthatnonew project registrations be allowed under the current avoided deforestation method. “Consideration should be given to developingnew methods that incentivise the maintenance of native vegetation that has the potential to become aforest, as well as maintaining existing forests as risk of land-use conversion,” it said.

The panelsaid land clearing had accounted for asignificant shareofnationalemissions. “The avoided deforestation method is ameans to avoid these emissions,” the panel said.

The reviewnoted thattherehad been relatively limited use of carbon capture and storage nationally or globally. “It is considered to have an important potential contribution to limiting the pace and extent of climate change,” the panel said.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson.

Photo: Contributed

Call to actively manage ‘sick’ forests

Philip HOPKINS

FOREST and forest firemanagement in Gippsland must be done on alandscape scale, with activemanagement over longtimeframes, using expert knowledge offorests,a major state and federal government review has found.

The expert panel that assessed the impact of the 2019-20 bushfires on Victoria’s forests and Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) made 37 recommendations that highlighted the need for amajor overhaul of current forest management strategies.

“These forests aresick because we arenot managing them properly,” amember of the expert panel, Dr Tony Bartlett, AFSM (Australian FireServices Medal) told aForestry Australia conferenceinAlbury in areport on the RFAreview, which took 13 months to complete.

The othermembers of the panel were the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability in Victoria,Dr GillianSparkes (AM) and KatherineMullett, atraditional owner from East Gippsland.

Dr Bartlett said if the communitydid not learn the lessons from the massive bushfires, “we areall culpable of not treating the disease”.

“The fires affected all values reserves. Logging is not the enemy of these forests; uncontrolled wildfires is what is having the biggest impact on the multiple values so important under the RFAs,” he said.

“Whether rainforest conservation reserves or state forests, they aresick. The issue is inadequate firemanagement, the threats aremultiple -not just loss of timber resources or old growth forest. All the values areimportant,even recreation values; all arebeing affected in amajor way. If fires aremore frequent and worse, they (the values) will get worse.”

Dr Bartlettsaid forest management plans andnational park managementplans were both hugely out of date.

“Firedoes not carewhether it’s national park, state forest or private land; the firewill go over the top. If we don’t integrate them, we have no hope in making progress,” he said.

Among the recommendations were:

 Moreactive and adaptive management, including the scaling up of ecological burning in the forests;

 Empowering an active role by traditional owner groups in the management of forests on public land or Country, including adequate resourcing of the groups and their greater participation in bushfiremanagement;

 The panel noted that Victoria’s harvest level review’s finding that the 2019-20 bushfires would not affect Victoria’s ability to supply the levels of ash and mixed species sawlogs committed under the Victorian Forestry Plan, and;

 Validate the effectiveness of the current CAR reserve system for listed species and communities in the next scheduled five-yearly review, including afull analysis of

the current status of old growth forest post-fires.

Dr Bartlett said allparties needed to support theexpansion of forest industries to drive jobs and economic benefits to the regions.

“This serves the added benefit of having knowledgeableand trained crews on the ground when fires do occur,” he said.

The Black Summer bushfires burnt 1.5 million hectares, including nearly1.3m ha of native forest; 70pcofthe forests in the EastGippslandRFA were burnt and morethan 270,000ha in the North East.

About 760,000ha of the conservationreserve system was affected, withmorethan half burnt at high intensity. About 270,000 ha had been burnt multipletimes,particularly in easternVictoria.

Dr Bartlett, who had previously workedinEastGippslandand knewthe region’sfirehistory, said he was “shocked” when

he saw the state of some of the forest.

The premises of the RFAs was to protect the most significant environmental values in the CAR reserves system.

“The CAR reserve system -the data is showing it’s not working. Thereare multiplethreats to forest values,” he said.

An additional62,000 ha of old growth forest was lost, and lots of listed fauna species wereaffected. Tenper cent of Aboriginal sites wereaffected, but most Aboriginal sites had not been surveyed.

“Apiary sites suffered significant impact, with along tail end for when the sites will produce honey. The biggest ever impact was on recreation areas, with a big impact on tourism, which have not all been fixed,” he said.

Dr Bartlett said he was visibly moved by somecomments from traditional owners,who were severely affected by the fires and their impact on Country.

“Thetakehomemessage is they are crying out for a whole of forest management. They need genuine engagementbefore, during and after the fires,” he said, althoughthis variedacross the state.

“A couple of traditionalgroups told us, ‘You have stuffed these forests, you now want to give back to us to fix the problems. We want to be involved; it’s not up to us to fix your problems’.”

Dr Bartlett praised Victoria’s major program to try and restore some Ash forests.

“If we do nothing more, nothing will be left of Ash forests in our lifetime,” he said.

Between the RFAs in early 2002 and now, Victoria had lost 60 percent of its old growth forest -equivalent of four times the size of the Wilson’s Promintory National Park.

The damage was due to wildfires.

“Less than one per cent relates to timberharvesting, those with an agenda don’t talk about it,” he said.

Dr Bartlett said firelosses of plantations assets were continuing.

“It’s difficultinbig fires to do somethingaboutit, but if we keep going like this, no private investor will invest in large-scale

It’s difficult in big fires to do something about it, but if we keep going like this, no private investor will invest in large-scale plantations because the numbers will never stack, they will never gettorotations stage

Dr Bartlett

plantations because the numberswill never stack, theywill never get to rotations stage,” he said.

These weremainly private assets, not government assets.

“They must be integrated into the wholeprocess. The panels weretold of plantations in East Gippsland wheretheycould not even get approval to do a backburninthe middle of the night around their plantations because decisions weremade a long way away and not locally,” he said.

Dr Bartlett said in the modernised RFAs, there were lots of good things that the two levels of government had committed to in 2020, “but action has not match words in the revised RFAs”.

When theRFAswerefirst developed, therewerevery comprehensive regional-based teams, floraand fauna and forestry people teams, and divisional committee with relevant stakeholders, he said.

Eachhad anadvisory committee of stakeholder groups, compromises weremade at regional level.

“I don’t see any of that. We need to update forest management by next year.I’m not surewhether the process hasstarted.There arebig issues,” he said.

The RFABushfireReview can be viewed at https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/ files/documents/vic-rfa-merbushfires-report-2022.pdf

Australian FireServices Medal, Dr Tony Bartlett. Photo: Contributed

From Dumbalk to US championship

TomHAYES

APAIRofGippsland punters battled it out on the biggest college football stage in the US last month during the NCAA College Football PlayoffNationalChampionship, when TCU Horned Frogs took on the Georgia Bulldogs.

Traralgon’s Jordy Sandy and Dumbalk’s Brett Thorson competed in front of more than 72,000 spectators at SoFi Stadium in California.

Both punters playedtheir respective parts for their sides, but it was ultimately Thorson and Georgia who won the National Championship, by alandslide 65-7.

Multiple records werebroken during the night,some unpleasanttolook at from Sandy and TCU’s point of view.

It was the biggest winning margin -a whopping 58 points -inachampionship gameinthe CFPera (since the 2014 season).

The second-biggest margin in the CFP era was just 28 points, occurring twice, in 2019 and 2021.

Georgia became the first school to win back-to-back CFP National Championships, which led to multiple players becoming two-time National Champions.

Ensuringits dominance, Georgia became the thirdschool to complete aCFP season 15-0, after LSU and Clemson did so in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

As for the Aussiesindividual performances, on the losing side, Sandy had five punts totalling 185 yards (169 metres), while Thorson was only needed once, thanks to the dominant Georgia offence, nailing a48-yardpunt (44 metres), in the thirdterm.

Although the 2022 season is now wrapped up, both Sandy and Thorson will be back

in action for the 2023 season, beginning later this year in August.

Sandy will enter his fifth year,while he turns 30 in 2023, as he was allowed to stay for an additional year due to COVID interruptions.

As for Thorson, his futureappears bright

after amore-than-successful first year in the system.

Throughout the season, he made aname for himself with amonster 75-yardpunt, which was the biggest of any Georgia punter in nearly 10 years.

Beforethe season had begun, he ranked

well among other freshmen punters; number one from Australia and number four overall, according to 247sports.com.

As both locals look set to have another stirring campaign in 2023, we will be eagerly waiting for the season to kick off later in the year

Victoria Country makesitback-to-back

TomHAYES

THE AustralianCountry Cricket Championships came to aclose in Canberra last month, as Victoria walked away as deserved champions once again.

Victoria was 4-0, sitting on top of the table with only two games remaining, with the title seemingly in their hands.

Following those two games, although losingto Western Australia,enoughwas already done to seal the championship.

In Round 5, Victoria had the bye, thus receiving awell-deserved day off, before consecutivedaysofcricket tocomplete the tournament.

For Victoria’s Round 6fixture, it was a top-of-the-table clash when it faced WA

Captain Lee Stockdale, from Traralgon District Cricket Associationclub, Ex Students, was rested and Jordan Moran took the captaincy role for the day.

WA wonthe toss and elected to bowl, a decision that some teams weremade to regret in the past.

Victoria’s Brayden Stepien and Cameron Williams put on a57-run stand for the opening wicket,until the former was dismissed for aquick-fire46from26, an innings that included nine boundaries.

Williamscontinued to knock them around, sticking around to see another three batting partners, until his innings was bought to an end via LBW for 62, when the scorestood at 4/150.

Stratford’s Jack Rietschel made asteady 33 not out from 40 deliveries, while Sale’s Jack Wrigglesworth only made six runs during his short stint at the crease.

Victoria ended its 50-over allotment with ascoreof8/240, ascorethat would need plenty of defending considering WA’s line-up.

Victoria had WA on the ropes early at 2/20, as the tournament leaders put the pressureon.

Rietschel was the best of the local bowlers, taking the breakthrough wicket of Julian Crudeli for 59, via LBW

WA’s fourth and fifth-wicket partnerships werepractically enough to get the job done, as Victoria struggled to break the strong partnerships.

Rietschelgrabbedanotherscalp, finishing with figures of 2/51 from his 10 overs, while Wrigglesworth was expensive from his 5.4 overs, going for 43 runs.

WA chased Victoria’s total with alittle over two overs remaining, an innings that included three half-centuries.

While Victoriatook ahit toits record, they werestill one point ahead of WA and four points clear of Queenslandinthird, still untouchable.

With the championship sealed, the Victorians playedone last game against Australian Capital Territory, closing out the championships with agutsy win.

ACT won the toss and chose to bat, posting adecent totalof6/280 from its 50 overs.

Jack Sanson top-scoredfor the ACT with 77 from 95, including 10 boundaries, four other batsmen chipped in with an innings of 25 or more.

Stockdale, back in the squad, took 2/49 from his 10 overs-the best figuresfor Victoria.

Rietschel was unable to take awicket yet only went for 34 from his 10 overs, while he also took acatch in the field offthe bowling of Stockdale.

With thebat, Stepienwas quickoff the markonceagain,racingto 34 from 15 beforehis dismissal.

With the score at 3/54, thingsweren’t looking so certain for Victoria, but amonster fourth-wicket partnership from Nathan Walsh and Jake Toohey put the odds back in favourofVictoria,asthey scored 116 not out and 69 respectively.

After Toohey’s dismissal, the scorestood at 4/205, but the win was still in doubt as the tail dropped easily.

The presence ofWalsh helped Victoria, as he brought up his ton with the chase still alive.

Rietschel and Stockdale werewelcomed to the crease for short stays, making two and 11 respectively.

The winning runswerehit in thefinal over with threeballsremaining, Victoria ending the championships on the highest note possible.

Stockdale finishedthe championships with the second-most wickets for Victoria, rankingsixth overallfor wicketstaken with eight scalps, at an average of 16.25 runs per wicket.

Wrigglesworthwas not toofar behind, with seven wickets at an average of 16, while Rietschelfinished with six wickets at an average of 26.67.

Cameron Wheeler took the most wickets for Victoria with 10, and was one of two people to take afive-wicket haul throughout the tournament.

With the bat, Stockdale scored 79 runs at an average of 39.5, outdone by afew Victorian teammates. He was especially outdone by Walsh, who scored the most runs throughout the entiretournament, 340tobeexact -20morethan the next best. He was the only player to scoretwo centuries, while averaging 85 runs per innings; to put into contexthow crazy that is, the next best average was 69.75, by ACT’s Sanson.

The Vics have now gone back-to-back at the, following their 2020 triumph. Players havesince returned totheir respective clubsto finish the seasons, chasing moreglory in 2023.

Dumbalk’s BrettThorson post-match after securing hisfirst National Championship with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Photo: Contributed

Victoria Country celebrates after winning the Australian Country Cricket Championships.

Photo: Contributed

Legends galore at Traralgon Cup

TOMHAYES AND LIAM DURKIN

JUST like that, the Gippsland Festival of Racingis done and dusted for another season.

Headlined by the featureofformer AFL championGary Ablett Jr,the Gippsland Festival of Racing began on Boxing Day in Sale,before heading to Warragul in mid-January, closing with the final leg in Traralgon on Australia Day.

The evening featured a12-racecard, with the exclusive Traralgon Cup worth $47,000 to the winner,reserved for Race 8.

Meanwhile in the clubhouse, Ablett was wandering around talking to everyone he could, as an auction was held which sold thousands of dollars worth of memorabilia -the money going to Ablett’s charity.

The Bridges on Argyle Traralgon Cup Final (over 450 metres), was worth $74,335 -the winner collecting $47,000 of that pool.

MobileLegendfor Napoleons’Daryl and Colin Brennan did enough to hold of Revolution, winning by just over alength, winning all five starts from box five.

It was his sixth win from his past seven starts and 17th win from 35 overall.

Mobile Legend won two of the three legs of the Gippsland Festival of Racing, winning the G2 Warragul Cup in race recordtime afortnight ago.

“He’s alegend in our eyes,” Daryl Brennan said post-race.

“He jumpedwell, whichhehad to do tonight.You can’t givedogslike these a start.

“When he led Ididn’t think they could beat him, but the four (Revolution) ran a great race and you’renever confident until they go past the post.”

Ahealthy crowd came to Glenview Park for the occasion, with Greyhound Racing Victoria putting on agrand show. While therewas plenty of Geelong jumpers in attendance, and people wanting to get aphotowithThe Little Master, there was also live music, food trucks, ajumping castle and Lego tent for the kids.

Asmoking ceremony conducted by Tre Moffatt openedproceedingsbefore the first race.

Around 40 minutes after the last race, (in order to give the dogs enough time to leave the venue and not get spooked), a spectacular fireworks show lit up the night sky.

Anumber of local groups also benefitted from the night. Rosedale Football-Netball Club pocketed $5000 as part of acommunity partnership, while the local probus club also won asum.

During the event, Traralgon Greyhound RacingClubpresident,Don Haley,was able to speak to The Express.

“I think tonight’s racing has been fantastic, we’ve been blessed with pretty good weather culminated by the Traralgon Cup,the winnerisa terrificdog,” Haley said.

“The carnival has been going for three or four years nowand it’s really come into its own, Ithink alot morepeople areattending because they realisethat its just agreat spectacle.”

The Traralgon Greyhound Club is one

of the busiest and most activeclubs in Victoria.

“We’reracing five times afortnight, which when you add it all up Iunderstand is the highest number of races in Victoria,” he said.

“We’d ratherberacing morefrequently than less frequently.”

Haley believedthe support ofAblett throughout the whole festivalofracing had been immense.

“It’sbeen great for all the clubs; Sale and Warragul and again tonight. It’s hardto measure how many peoplehave come along because Gary Ablett is in attendance, but we know there’s certainly alot of people that have come along that may not have otherwise,” he said.

“He’s been a great ambassador for greyhound racing in this carnival, and I think having a celebrity like him (Gary Ablett) is agood thing.

“When we race at night time, we’ve got the bigscreen, great lighting on abig track and it all comes onto its own at night.

“Having celebrities like Gary Ablett bring new people to the sport, he’s not going to be around all year,but alot of thesepeople will return.”

Ablett is no stranger to Gippsland, as his famousfatherofcourse grew up in Drouin.

The two-time Brownlow medallist also has some connections closer to the Latrobe Valley, and is good friendswith current Hill End Football-Netball Club senior coach Mike Santo.

Ablett tossed the coin at amatch between Hill End and Mirboo North in 2021, ayear after he retired following a357-game AFL career

The rumour mill was rife at the time Ablett was actually going to play agame for the Hillmen, but so far,he is yet to pull on the boots.

For those wondering what Ablett was like in person, he was very generousand gaveeveryone that came up to him the time of day.

Relaying astory to him about his younger brother Nathanbatting in asombrerowhile playing cricket for Hallora, Ablett Jr just laughed and said “that doesn’tsurprise me”.

Granted he has been out of the game for two-and-a-half years,he still didn’tlook like amodern-day midfielder,and on first glance, you couldn’t help but think he’d getbowledover by the likes ofa Patrick Cripps, Ollie Wines or Dustin Martin.

But then again, you don’t really have to worry about tackling when you get the ball so much.

Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club manager Olivia Alcock, Member for Morwell Martin Cameron, AFL greatGary AblettJr, and Latrobe City deputy mayor Dan Clanceywiththe Traralgon Cup.

Newborough’s Rob Wilson with Gary Ablett.

Mobile Legend wins the 2023 Traralgon Cup.

Geelong fan Paul ‘Lips’ Hildebrand of Traralgon hadthe thrill of meeting Gary Ablett.

Rosedale Football-Netball Club took home $5000 as part of aGRV incentive to help community clubs. Pictured is Rosedale senior football coach Jeremy Reid with Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club manager Olivia Alcock.

Traralgon Cup winningtrainers, twin brothers Colin and Daryl Brennan.

Photos: Liam Durkin