Ag focus 2015 (low res)

AG2015 A

ISSUE 7

Country News PUBLICATION

FOCUS

A focus on innovation and outlooks in north and central Victoria and the southern Riverina

Turning wastewater into dollars

INSIDE: Modernisation bill hits $1 billion Page 20 Wheels turn to robotic farming Page 39 Generation next steps up Page 44

PERFORMANCE AND PRECISION N T SIOBLE V S C MI LA S AI N A AV TR OW N

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HERE *Based on 24 monthly repayments with a 30% deposit. Fixed interest rate, GST repaid in 4th month, no balloon payments. Default interest may be applied to late payments. See your local dealership for further details. Offer ends 31st July 2011.

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IN FOCUS VFF president Peter Tuohey

Giving farmers a louder voice Over the past six months, we have focused our energy strongly on reinvigorating our regional branches and communities.

As such we started a regional engagement strategy.

These were called the ‘Your Voice, Your VFF’ forums and they’ve been instrumental in helping form what will eventually become VFF policy.

We set out with a bold target to conduct 44 events in regional policy and commodity forums in regional Victoria and were successful in engaging with the wider membership.

The issues that came out of these forums included tax reform, poor broadband and mobile access, rate capping, onshore gas and animal activist campaigns against farming.

The VFF exists to fight for our members and this is exactly what we have done and will always do. We have voiced our concern loudly to rogue animal activists who continue to run fake, misleading, scaremongering campaigns and have taken a tougher stance against those who trespass on farm property.

Being more in tune with our membership and the wider rural public will be key themes for the VFF going forward.

We have also realised that we need to be smart about how we communicate with our changing demographic of farmers and regional members.

It is why we launched online surveys to complement the hard work being done, and continue to engage on social media and other platforms.

If the GST is extended to fresh food it could have major implications on the cost of fresh food. But it is so much broader than that. We launched an online survey to ask our members what their specific tax issues were and how they could be addressed.

Broadening the GST, putting a cap on negative gearing and stamp duty exemption all affect

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AGFOCUS 2015

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how a farm business will operate going forward.

Like any other regional person, I too am sick of mobile blackspots and dodgy internet connections. This is why the VFF took action to launch a telecommunications survey on internet speed, quality and connection. The response was overwhelming with more than 450 responses and a real call to arms from our membership to deliver a review into digital technology.

And let’s not forget farm representation. For the long term benefit of agriculture in this country, it is time we pulled together and started beating the same drum. Farm representation needs a unified voice to remain relevant in a rapidly changing environment.

We need to get smarter about how we deliver services to our members, making better use of digital and social media to share news, utilising all of our collective resources and we need to get feedback and test policy positions. As we go forward, the National Farm Representation model will continue to be assessed and you — the members — will be engaged along the way through ‘Streamline and Strengthen’.

Farm representation and the national approach will be key and we look forward to engaging with farmers along the way.

There are significant challenges and opportunities ahead for the VFF — and we are ready to tackle these issues.

We will continue our fight to ensure farmers don’t get slogged with the unfair rates burden, we will battle hard to make sure our politicians know that our farmers deserve the best and most efficient transport and will continue to be your voice on both local and state issues.

The annual VFF conference in Bendigo at the end of June will go a long way to shaping the future of the VFF for the next year.

Editorial: (03) 5820 3229.

Advertising: (03) 5820 3184.

CONTENTS

Cover photograph: The breeding flock has green pasture all-year round at Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility.

DAIRY

From page 8

LIVESTOCK From page 34

Picture: Ray Sizer

Editor Geoff Adams Writers Cathy Walker Sophie Bruns Sharon Wright Alexandra Bathman Photographers Ray Sizer Julie Mercer Holly Curtis Editorial designer Brendan Cain Sub-editors Shepparton News sub-editing department Advertising Jamie Gilbert James MacGibbon Ashton Still Riverine Herald Advertising support Rhiannon Nicholas Danielle Kalafatis

WATER

TECHNOLOGY

Q&A

CROPPING

EQUINE

NEXT GENERATION

MAN’S BEST FRIEND

HORTICULTURE

From page 20

Pages 26 and 27

Pages 30 and 31

Page 39

From page 40

Pages 44 and 45

Graphic artists Brendan Cain Bella Considine Warren Goater Riverine Herald

A publication of the McPherson Media Group weekly newspaper, Country News, which circulates in 17 newspapers across central and northern Victoria and the southern Riverina.

Pages 32 and 33

From page 48

The innovaTor noT The iMiTaTor Did you know that JCB offer a wide range of machinery to suit many different applications?

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AGFOCUS 2015

5

INVESTMENT

A robotic packer working on the new high-tech line at SPC.

Millions invested in region’s food industry M ajor food producers in northern Victoria are continuing to invest millions of dollars in plant upgrades.

Fruit processor SPC is midway through a $100 million upgrade at its Shepparton factory and GrainCorp has added to its multi-million dollar expansion at its Numurkah oilseed plant, with a plan to tip in $50 million more.

Dairy processor Murray Goulburn has also indicated it intends to invest more in its Cobram nutritionals plant.

Last October, the relatively new Goulburn Valley milk processor, Pactum Dairy Group, announced it was buying a $4 million neighbouring property to more than double its land size. The corner property will be used for a warehousing and distribution centre, and to replace currently leased facilities.

The factory, which processes milk for the Chinese market, only officially opened in May. Bega Cheese recently announced it had signed a deal to provide UHT milk to a south

China retail group, which will be manufactured for Bega by the Pactum Dairy Group at Shepparton and could eventually require up to 20 million litres annually.

GrainCorp has announced it will invest $50 million more in its Numurkah facility to increase oilseed crushing and efficiency.

The new cash comes after a commitment last year to invest $125 million at Numurkah and West Footscray, and will increase canola crushing capacity at Numurkah by 40 per cent

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AGFOCUS 2015

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INVESTMENT

“SPC has worked with our suppliers to deliver this first major milestone in our investment plan in just six months — that’s record time from ordering to operating.”

SPC chief financial officer James Harvey

GrainCorp staff (from left) Jenny Squire, Travis Brownie, Brendan Simpson, Brett Moor, Vikram Patel and Jitendra Patel at the Numurkah facility.

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to 1000 tonnes a day and increase the competitiveness of locally grown and crushed product with imported oils.

The project will involve the installation of additional state-of-theart technology, which will deliver a substantially higher oil yield than the current extraction process.

In May, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and SPC’s management team announced the successful delivery of the first stage of the company’s $100 million investment program.

The new SPC snack line is state-of-the-art technology that will dramatically improve quality and innovation capability.

“SPC has worked with our suppliers to deliver this first major milestone in our investment plan in just six months — that’s record time from ordering to operating. We were determined to produce this season’s fruit using the new line with our newlook snack cups, which are in store now,” chief financial officer James Harvey said at the opening.

The new line can produce any of SPC’s food products in cup format. It has an improved, gentler cooking process that produces higher quality product.

And in Tongala, the SLTEC Fertilizers company is expanding its capacity and throughput.

SLTEC Fertilizers is a major supplier of fluid fertiliser products in the Australian market place and announced the upgrade to fulfil demand in the short and long-term.

SLTEC director Jamie McMaster said the investment was a direct result of the increased use of SLTEC fluid fertiliser in the Australian market and the need to be able to produce and deliver products quickly and efficiently.

“We are increasing capacity at the Tongala site fivefold,” Mr McMaster said.

“This will include installation of approximately 1.3 million litres of additional storage made up to 200 000 and 80 000 litre stainless steel tanks.”

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7

DAIRY

Farmers hope for continued stability With the current milk price looking stable it is good to see continued solid milk growth throughout the Murray Dairy region.

The region, encompassing northern Victoria and southern NSW, remains the largest dairying region and produces 25 per cent of the nation’s milk.

The region’s strategic advantages of lower entry point for investment and the flexibility of farming in an irrigation-dominated area has resulted in substantial interest from both domestic and international investors in both land and dairy businesses throughout the Murray Dairy region.

Investors want to secure direct interest in dairy farms following demand for high quality milk from the region. Similarly, investment in infrastructure through manufacturing and processors is occurring in northern Victoria.

Water is at the forefront of most dairy farmers’ minds with water allocation, policy and temporary water price at the top of the list.

Lower temporary water prices don’t appear to be on the horizon in the shorter term. This is something that dairy business owners will have to get accustomed to as it will be a trend that will exist now and into the future.

Dairy farmers with modernised irrigation systems through Goulburn-Murray Water and Murray Irrigation’s Connections projects are enjoying the flexibility that these upgraded systems offer. There still remains a degree of uncertainty around when farmers will be connected which is making future planning difficult for some.

8

AGFOCUS 2015

Going into the new season, dairy businesses have to ensure they know their figures and focus on improving their business management practices. Farmers now need to carefully scrutinise farm business data to remain profitable.

We can’t control the milk price but given the current situation, we hope for some stability going forward.

As dairy farmers, we need to focus on controlling the components of our businesses that can be controlled. Dairy farmers need to focus their efforts on what can be changed within their businesses rather than something that is out of their control.

Farmers have to do their best to manage the instabilities they are faced with which can be achieved by having a good financial knowledge of your business and understanding that effective farm business management is imperative for success.

This is always easier said than done, but having a thorough plan for all aspects of your business will ensure you are best prepared for what the future may bring.

Dairy farmers in the Murray Dairy area are well positioned in continuing to be the region’s key economic driver.

– Malcolm Holm chairman Murray Dairy

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DAIRY

Getting reproduction right A new partnership between Charles Sturt University and Dairy Australia is set to provide a new pathway for higher education in the dairy industry.

Graduates of Dairy Australia’s Repro Right Advanced InCalf Adviser Training will now be eligible for advanced standing into CSU’s Master of Animal Science.

CSU will also become the first university partner in the National Centre for Dairy Education.

CSU Associate Professor Gavin Ramsay from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences said the university had a strong reputation for delivery of high quality courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level in animal and veterinary science, as well as agriculture.

“We are pleased to be working with Dairy Australia and strengthening our industry relationships to further enhance our courses and provide access to them for professionals working in the industry,” he said.

The Repro Right program is a 10-month intensive professional development program on animal fertility and participants are typically experienced dairy veterinarians, artificial breeding advisers and other herd consultants.

They will now have the option on completion of the program with the NCDE to undertake a

Graduate Diploma and then a Master of Animal Science at CSU. Dairy Australia’s Animal Health and Fertility program manager Kathryn Davis said dairy farmers’ access to highly skilled professional herd reproduction advisers around the country was assured by this development.

“Dairy Australia welcomes the opportunity for our advisers to have the skills and knowledge they acquire in our Repro Right program to be acknowledged by a university so well regarded in animal and veterinary science,” Ms Davis said.

“The Australian dairy industry will benefit from the advisers applying their knowledge with the confidence that the university qualification supports.”

Until recently, the NCDE, the Australian dairy industry’s education system, has been exclusively an alliance of education providers in the vocational education and training sector. It now also conducts Dairy Australia’s highly successful schools program Cows Create Careers.

This partnership with CSU is the first in the higher education sector for the dairy industry.

Murray Dairy regional profile Murray Dairy positive about industry future

made operating profit 2012–13

anticipating operating profit 2013–14

made capital investment 2012–13

planning capital investment next 12 months

83%

69%

87%

58%

59%

milk production 2013–14 (M. litres)**

share of national prodn**

2,266

25%

forecast net change in herd 2013–14*

forecast net change in prodn 2013–14*

+8.2% 2013 +7.5%

The ‘average’ Murray Dairy farmer: Age:

53 years

Works on family owned farm:

94%

Irrigates:

95%

Feeds moderate to high feed in bail:

58%

Has split/batch calving system:

57%

Is likely to encourage family or employees to remain in dairy industry:

71%

Current herd size and production

150 to 300 301 to 500 501 to 700

5%

5%

8%

6%

21%

19%

49% 21%

17%

<150

49%

Herd size

>700

Profitability and Investment 69% 87% 68% 24% 6%

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AGFOCUS 2015

Made profit 12–13 Expect profit 13–14 Profit higher vs. 5 yr ave Profit about same Profit lower than 5 yr ave

58% 59% 26% 18% 14%

Invested on farm 12–13 Intend to invest 13–14 Invest in irrigation plant Invest in machinery Invest in dairy plant

Source: Dairy Australia Dairy Situation and Outlook May 2014 update

Integra Water Services is a locally owned and operated business based in the hub of Tatura’s water businesses, which has been operating now for over 9 years.

Integra has continued to grow over the years, our first clients – both large and small operators – are still our clients today.

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DAIRY

End of an Ayrshire era Well-known Ayrshire breeder and show judge Max Hyland and his wife Jenny have retired to Shepparton after a successful dispersal sale of their herd.

“It’s just one man’s opinion on the day.”

Mr Hyland, 69, began milking cows when he left school at 14, and went on to take over the family farm near Wynyard in Tasmania. In 1973, Mr Hyland moved across Bass Strait with 48 cows to Numurkah, and after 20 years moved to Pine Lodge.

He first saw a photo of a striking, well-built breed of cow with big horns when he was only young. He bought his first Ayrshire in 1961.

Mr Hyland took up showing at Royal

Melbourne in 1987 and took home the champion cow trophy four times and a number of reserve and junior sashes as well.

One of the highlights of his showing career was winning an interbreed junior champion title.

He has also won champion, intermediate and junior categories at International Dairy Week.

Mr Hyland judged at Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane royal shows, as well as in Tasmania and New Zealand; he said he looked

forward now to travelling just for pleasure.

Having seen other judges at work and knowing how subjective the process was, he never felt under undue stress.

“It’s just one man’s opinion on the day,” he said.

The Hylands have sold their 70 ha irrigation property to a New Zealander who intends to continue dairy farming.

Aussie dollar helps farmer confidence T he past 12 months have generally provided stable production and financial returns for dairy farmers in this region.

In the Goulburn Murray region we have seen an increase in local confidence with considerable on-farm investment being undertaken. Whether it be irrigation upgrades, purchase of livestock or replacement and improvement of plant and machinery, it is pleasing to see dairy producers spending money reinvesting in efficiency on their farms.

Summer and autumn rainfall has generally been below average for this area although recent falls are certainly welcome, given maintenance shut-down of the channel systems is also just around the corner. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts above-average rainfall in northern Victoria for the coming three months, but also a 70 per cent chance of El Niño developing later this year.

Goulburn-Murray Water issued its outlook for

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AGFOCUS 2015

the 2015–16 seasonal irrigation allocations on May 15, with the first seasonal determination on July 1 on the back of storage levels lower than the same time last year.

Looking more globally, international dairy market dynamics have once again turned bearish since mid-March, with prices falling in the most recent three Global Dairy Trade auctions. NAB’s monthly weighted dairy price indicator fell 14.4 per cent in Australian dollar terms in April.

The change in market sentiment largely reflects a combination of more upbeat supply forecasts (higher rainfall in New Zealand), demand uncertainties and exchange rate dynamics.

Also weighing on sentiment is a weaker euro combined with the potential for higher European Union supply in the coming years with the removal of milk production quotas on April 1.

Meanwhile, Chinese demand remains subdued and shows little sign of returning to the highs of

late 2013 and early 2014, at least in the medium term.

Since early 2014, imports have trended substantially lower on account of adequate inventories and increased interest in domestic production.

Dave Davies While international prices have been under pressure since mid-2014, and again since March 2015, the impact on Australian dairy farmers and processors has been somewhat mitigated by a falling Australian dollar. NAB economists’ current forecast is that the dollar will continue to fall, reaching 74 US cents by the end of 2015. While we remain optimistic about global demand and opening prices, international dynamics are likely to keep pressure on both.

– Dave Davies NAB regional agribusiness manager

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DAIRY

Choose agriculture for career options A recent study tour to New Zealand has reinforced Kerrilyn Bassett’s belief that agriculture is an exciting career choice with unlimited options.

The Kyabram dairy farmhand, who was awarded the National Centre for Dairy Education’s Achievement Award earlier this year, said the farm sector, educators and government must work harder to attract young people to the industry and offer training to retain them.

Ms Bassett, 24, said enlightening secondary school students about the variety of options and the rewarding and sustainable careers agriculture can deliver is an important first step.

“New Zealand seemed to have more structured pathways in place for young people, and farmers spend time training their staff to the next level,” Ms Bassett said.

She said farmers there were generally positive and despite the high value of farm land — averaging $50 000 to $60 000 per acre up to $90 000 per acre in some regions — were

continually trying to build equity and expand their businesses; hence the need for a stable workforce.

“When we were there the milk price almost halved; they just seemed to take it in their stride and make adjustments in their business. It wasn’t the end of the world,” Ms Bassett said.

Now studying Certificate IV in Agriculture through NCDEA at Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE in Shepparton, Ms Bassett fell into agriculture quite by accident three years ago.

She left a retail job to work on the farm her father manages, and is responsible for rearing about 150 heifer calves every spring as well

“Agriculture really appeals to me because I’m working outside and not stuck in an office. There are so many different jobs, it’s not just milking twice a day.”

Kerrilyn Bassett

Kyabram dairy farmer Kerrilyn Bassett is committed to a career in agriculture.

14

AGFOCUS 2015

CROPPING

as assisting with milking the 540-cow herd and other general duties.

“Agriculture really appeals to me because I’m working outside and not stuck in an office. There are so many different jobs, it’s not just milking twice a day,” Ms Bassett said.

Pasture management, agronomy, animal health, nutrition, research and finance were just a few options that could be pursued she said.

The New Zealand tour, which was funded by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation, included a road trip from Christchurch to Queenstown on the South Island visiting dairy farms of varying size, management structures and feeding regimes.

She said the farms were large-scale compared to Australian operations with all businesses classified on a 1–5 system where 1 is entirely grass-fed and 5 is virtually a lot-fed operation utilising bought-in feed.

“Most farms are pasture operations; they have the climate to grow grass so they maximise that.

There is a big focus on grass feeding; about 20 per cent of Dairy New Zealand’s research and development levy is directed to pasture systems,” Ms Bassett said.

Technological advancements were on a par although Ms Bassett said more barns were being installed to improve animal comfort in the cold and wet New Zealand climate.

Most farmers were loyal to Fonterra, which manufactures about 85 per cent of all milk produced in New Zealand, although a few smaller manufacturers were starting to emerge.

Ms Bassett said these were mostly foreignowned businesses securing supply for their own countries.

The study tour visited the Van Leuuwen mega-dairy at Makikihi, Canterbury, New Zealand. The barn houses 1200 cows and has 24 robots milking around the clock.

Kerrilyn Bassett (left) was part of a Gardiner Dairy Foundation-funded study group that toured New Zealand’s South Island.

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DAIRY

Ernie Braaksma and partner Teresa are part of a new farm model in northern Victoria.

Opportunity knocks for young farmers Y oung dairy farmer Ernie Braaksma has seized an opportunity to move towards his dream of farm ownership through a unique arrangement with a milk supply company.

He and his partner Teresa have become the first farmers to sign up to a leasing arrangement with Kyabram-based Australian Consolidated Milk.

The company is trying to broaden its supply base with major Thailand dairy company Dutch Mill, by buying Goulburn Valley properties and leasing them to promising young farmers.

ACM chairman Michael Auld said the companies would lease dairy properties at a low rate to young farmers, who have a solid history in dairy farming but may not have the capital or the opportunity to fully realise their skills. An added advantage is that young farmers will have the ability to acquire equity in the farms over time.

Mr Braaksma emigrated to Australia about 11 years ago from Holland and, after buying 70 cows, leased a property for seven years and built up a herd of 200.

“I’m

now ready to make a bigger step up,” he said.

He said he had a good team of advisers and workers, including one full-time milker who had worked on the Waaia property for two-and-a-half years.

Mr Braaksma had been unable to convince banks to support him in taking the next step, so welcomed the chance to enter the agreement with ACM and Dutch Mill.

Since the agreement was reached in March, 16

AGFOCUS 2015

Cows feeding at the Braaksmas’ Waaia property. the companies are now conducting a due diligence investigation on another property and are interviewing other prospective farmers.

The Braaksmas have development plans for the 240 ha Waaia property, which include growing more feed and introducing cow ID technology into the 50-stand rotary shed.

“This farm can grow a lot more feed,” Mr Braaksma said.

They calve down twice a year from the 450-cow herd and lead feed the springers with a grain and cereal mix.

The farm grows about 50 ha of lucerne and about 30 ha of millet, with the remainder in annual pasture.

Mrs Braaksma has worked in finance and banking for 17 years and as well as applying her business acumen will help raise the calves.

Ernie and Teresa Braaksma, with Michael Auld from ACM (right) and Manoj Kumar Ranjit from Dutch Mill (left) at the Waaia dairy farm.

The Waaia property.

Ernie Braaksma.

“We are excited to announce this joint venture, which will inject valuable capital into the Victorian dairy industry and open up real opportunities for dairy farmers,” Dutch Mill corporate general manager Manoj Kumar Ranjit said.

Mr Auld said the joint venture meant ACM could guarantee supply and partner Dutch Mill could demonstrate the milk came from fully

accredited farms that produce safe, high quality and nutritious Australian milk.

The milk will be processed at ACM’s joint venture UHT plant in Shepparton.

“Demand for high quality Victorian milk from customers in Asia, combined with Victoria’s lower cost of production, provide a solid foundation for a long and successful partnership,” Mr Auld said.

“We are excited to announce this joint venture, which will inject valuable capital into the Victorian dairy industry and open up real opportunities for dairy farmers.”

Dutch Mill corporate general manager Manoj Kumar Ranjit

Camel milk in demand

Chris and Megan Williams have a waiting list of people wanting to buy camel milk from their Merrigum property.

They run Camel Milk Victoria and are the first licensed camel milk producers in the state.

After starting with three camels earlier this year, they now have 14 camels — four of them trained to milk.

Camel milk is described as creamy and a bit salty and the Williams sell the milk for $25/litre, which is consistent with the few camel milk operations in Queensland and NSW. AGFOCUS 2015

17

DAIRY

Colostrum can predict a cow’s future D airy farmers could have more information about their recently calved cows, thanks to research by a young Benalla woman.

Ellen Versteegen has found colostrum milk produced by newly lactating cows contains information about the future fertility and milk yield of the cow.

Miss Versteegen, who was raised on a Benalla farm before undertaking studies at La Trobe University, hopes one day farmers will have a simple test for colostrum milk which they could use to help assess the future performance of any given cow.

The research in her honours year at the university has won her a national award presented at the Ag Institute Australia National Conference in Brisbane.

Miss Versteegen, 24, had to present her findings by video because she was unable to attend in person, due to ill health.

“The lactational and reproductive performance of the dairy cow is critical to the future of the Australian dairy industry,” she said.

“Previous research has focused on the nutritional quality of colostrum, however, little is known about colostral metabolic details, which may provide insight into reduced reproductive and lactational performance.

“My project concluded that the colostrum of dairy cows does indeed contain markers of fertility and milk yield.”

Ian Macleod from National Student Award sponsor Peracto said the finalists were all of a very high quality.

Ellen Versteegen “The judges had a very hard decision to make, which is a strong indication that the future of our industry is in very good hands,” Mr Macleod said.

Miss Versteegen, the daughter of Desma and Gary Versteegen of Benalla, went to school at FCJ College and, following her

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The colostrum from about 100 cows for the project was collected from the Swanpool dairy farm of Vin and Jo Warnock.

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WATER Extensive modernisation has been carried out on the channel network.

G-MW’s Mark Halden talks to Kyabram dairy farmer Russell Crow about his G-MW Connections project.

Irrigation modernisation spending hits $1 billion S pending on the massive Foodbowl Modernisation Project has reached the milestone of $1 billion.

Goulburn-Murray Water has now reached agreements with more than 3200 landowners on how upgrades will be carried out, or has already carried out the works.

The $2 billion project is designed to reduce water loss and improve irrigation efficiency in the channel network and on farms.

G-MW says about $1 billion of the $2 billion investment in the project has been spent. The Federal Government is funding 46 per cent of the project with the remaining coming from the Victorian Government, Melbourne water retailers and sale of irrigators’ share of water savings from the project.

Connections general manager Ian Rodgers said activity was ramping up as progress was made with agreements and the project moved along.

The target for installing water meters this year is 1115, compared to 530 last year.

“Meeting these targets is certainly a challenge, but the entire Connections team is focused on delivering them,” Dr Rodgers said.

“Delivering this project will provide a more efficient and secure water supply that benefits irrigators, the environment and the communities that rely on a thriving agriculture sector.”

Landowners whose Connections projects have been completed say the benefits include more reliable and steady water flow, significant time and labour savings, and more flexible irrigating options.

Work to reduce water losses due to leaks and seepage will be carried out along more than 20

AGFOCUS 2015

Targets Measure

June 2018 target

Achieved April 2015

Water recovered (Gl)

429

206

Meters installed (no)

10 851

5321

Channel remediated (km)

226

169

Delivery shares transferred (Ml/d)

7524

3532

Channel rationalised (km)

2582

609

30 km of G-MW channels during the irrigation off-season (May 15 to August 15) as part of the Connections project.

Much of the necessary channel automation, rehabilitation and rationalisation work can only be completed during winter when the channel network can be drained.

Dr Rodgers said this year’s $40 million-plus works program was a win for irrigators, the environment and the community.

“Water savings generated by the project are a key measure of success in delivering this project and contribute to Victoria’s share of the MurrayDarling Basin Plan’s water recovery targets, but we shouldn’t underestimate the on-farm and regional benefits of this once-in-a-lifetime investment in the region,” Dr Rodgers said.

“Irrigators who have been connected to the modernised system tell us that automation and guaranteed and reliable flow rates lead to time and labour savings; allow them to use their water more efficiently and productively; and help them plan for the future and make informed decisions about additional on-farm investment.”

Work to connect irrigators to a modernised water delivery network is also creating hundreds of jobs for contractors, designers, manufacturers and other water-related industries.

“In turn, this provides a welcome boost to our communities, as these workers and their employers spend income with, and invest in, local businesses,” Dr Rodgers said.

“Communities benefit not only as a result of the jobs created during project works but well into the future. Agriculture underpins the northern Victorian economy and a secure reliable water supply is the key to the region’s long-term sustainability and prosperity.”

The Connections winter works are part of G-MW’s broader winter works program.

Each year during the irrigation off-season, G-MW drains channels so it can carry out important works — including weed control, channel maintenance, infrastructure repairs and replacement — to ensure the efficient delivery of water to customers during the irrigation period.

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25 Automation sites 5 Channel remediation sites 28 Pipeline sites

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*This involves a mixture of outer bank remodelling and plastic and clay lining of 30.78km of channels, generating about 3,633 ML of water savings. ^8 pipelines can be built ‘in season’.

Connections Project benefits For our farmers:

For our region:

For our environment:

24/7 water ordering during the irrigation season

$2 billion Commonwealth and Victorian investment to secure agricultural productivity

Healthier waterways due to reduced water losses from channels

+

Water delivered in 24 hours

+

Constant and reliable flows

=

Increased opportunities for producers to respond and adapt to climate, demand and land use changes.

+

Creation of hundreds of jobs for local contractors and businesses

+

Increased investment and confidence in agriculture and related sectors

=

Thriving communities well positioned to meet future growth.

For more information visit www.gmwater.com.au

+

Water savings contribute to Victoria’s share of the Murray Darling Basin water recovery targets

+

Farmers use the same or less water more efficiently to produce more

=

Sustainable, productive communities.

WATER

Connections helps couple achieve goals

Anne and Gary Budge on their Nanneella property.

N

anneella dairy farmers Anne and Gary Budge are one step closer to their goal to be a fully self-contained farming enterprise after connecting to the irrigation backbone through the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections project.

Over the past decade Mr and Mrs Budge have steadily expanded their herd, now milking 600 head of mainly Friesians, and shifted their focus from growing mostly pasture for feed on their 222 ha to cutting and carrying lucerne and maize. The couple also sells calves to the Chinese market and uses the sale proceeds to buy heifers to keep herd numbers up.

“We buy in a bit of grain and lucerne, but we’re pretty close to our aim to be a completely selfcontained property,” Mr Budge said.

He said the farm’s set up was “pretty good” before the property was linked to a backbone channel but now it was a “great system”.

When work started in September 2014 to connect the property to a backbone channel and decommission a spur channel that provided stock and domestic supply, time was a critical factor.

“We said (to the Connections team and the contractors) that the work needed to be done by November because we needed to start sowing maize — timing is more important with maize than for lucerne and pasture — we were very clear about that and they delivered,” Mr Budge said.

“We’ve gone from six wheels to three, amalgamated water (over three properties) and we can irrigate more area than ever before. The modernisation package allowed us to laser an out paddock, which hadn’t been irrigated for years, so we’re now growing maize and lucerne there and it looks like it will be some of our best maize. All going well, we expect to get 20 tonne/ha this year.”

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AGFOCUS 2015

Mr Budge requested minimum flows of 14 to 15 Ml/day and was keen to continue to use a pumped gravity system rather than move to pipes and risers to keep costs down.

“Automation of the outlets has been terrific — it’s 24/7, it’s all done.”

Mr and Mrs Budge are already seeing improvements in milk production.

“Three to four years ago we were producing about 6000 litre (per cow per year) now it’s about 7500 litre to 8000 litre,” Mr Budge said.

“It’s all down to feed — it’s not rocket science.

We’re growing more because we’re irrigating more and using the water more efficiently.”

G-MW is delivering the $2 billion Connections project to modernise northern Victoria’s irrigation network.

G-MW managing director John Calleja said the Connections project benefited irrigators, communities and the environment.

“Farmers benefit from automation and guaranteed flows, which allows them to use water more efficiently to boost productivity, while the water savings generated by the project are

“Farmers benefit from automation and guaranteed flows, which allows them to use water more efficiently to boost productivity, while the water savings generated by the project are contributing to Victoria’s share of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan’s water recovery targets.”

G-MW managing director John Calleja

contributing to Victoria’s share of the MurrayDarling Basin Plan’s water recovery targets,” Mr Calleja said.

“Communities benefit not only as a result of the jobs created during project works but well into the future. Agriculture underpins the northern Victorian economy and a secure reliable water supply is key to the region’s long-term sustainability and prosperity.

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WATER

Year-round irrigation boosts pasture and productivity W hen Nanneella dairy farmer Dylan Toohill purchased his 306 ha dairy farm eight years ago, he never dreamed he would be farming the way he is today, pushing the cows around the farm in a 10-day rotation that stretches out to 20 days through June and July.

Mr Toohill has been able to achieve this short rotation through his ability to irrigate his pastures 365 days a year (dependent on weather conditions) through his pipe-and-riser system that accesses bore and irrigation water.

“We work on a 10-day rotation for most of the year that does stretch out to 20 days through June and July,” Mr Toohill said.

Water through the bore costs $35/Ml to pump.

24

AGFOCUS 2015

“The herd average has gone from 5700 litres to 7200 and we have gone from using 400 tonne of hay to around 150.”

Pasture consumption has gone from 8.5 tonne/ha to 10 tonne/ha and because the cows are grazing more protein-rich pastures (because of the short rotation) Mr Toohill doesn’t have to source a lot of expensive protein hay.

The herd is a three-way cross of Montbéliarde, Swedish Red and Holstein which Mr Toohill has worked toward for health and fertility reasons.

It was three years ago during a tough period in August with no hay in the shed that Mr Toohill sent his predominately spring-calving herd around the

Paddocks are watered within 24 hours of the herd leaving the paddock through a combination of bore and gravity-fed irrigation water.

WATER

farm in a quick rotation. He noticed the cows milked well, the pasture responded with strategic watering, and he found he didn’t need to feed out as much hay as he used to.

Mr Toohill said he had only been able to achieve this rotation because he has a flexible irrigation system.

“I can water as soon as the cows are off the paddock and the longest I would wait would be 24 hours.

Having the pipe-and-riser system means I can water any paddock anywhere on the farm and, because we have a bore allocation, any time of the year.”

The dairy operation has a bore allocation of 1780 Ml and a gravity irrigation licence of 64 Ml. The gravity licence was originally 440 Ml, but has been reduced through grants and funding to establish a pipe-and-riser irrigation system that services 284 ha of the property.

“I am looking at installing another 3 km pipe that will service another 80 ha and funding it myself because I really believe works like this are worth it. I think the water savings are only about five per cent but it is the flexibility of the system that appeals to me.”

The Toohills operate a manual system but will look at automation

sometime in the future.

“Even though our system is manual, I never get up to check the water in the middle of the night. I have set up the bays so they take between two to nine hours to irrigate and I just work with those times.

“I really believe there’s no better irrigation system than the one we have set up here.”

Flow rates from the bore are about 10 Ml/day while the gravity system supplies about 18 Ml/day.

Water from the gravity system is used through the spring and autumn growing periods and, dependent on price, Mr Toohill will use between 200 and 400 Ml annually.

This season Mr Toohill has used his total bore allocation. The bore is connected to electricity and costs $35/Ml to pump.

The bore depth is 110m, with the pump down to 57 m.

“From here we want to expand the system to include the next 80 ha of dry land and automate the risers to utilise soil sensors around the property. I also plan to extend the recycle system to allow for larger storage, but for me the biggest benefit is already being achieved — we can water 365 days a year from any bay we like.”

Nanneella dairy farmer Dylan Toohill has created a flexible irrigation system that has the ability to operate 365 days a year through the pipe-and-riser system on his 306 ha dairy farm.

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Minister says she is agriculture’s champion

& QA Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford is the first woman to hold the portfolio in the state’s history. The 41-year-old from Ballarat has a background in union leadership. She lists her interests as spending time with family, travel, music and camping.

Your predecessor was a farmer. Has this put you behind the eight-ball and do you have to play catch-up to get acquainted with a new portfolio?

to spend every week like this for the rest of the term. I don’t think this is a job you can do well from an office in Melbourne.

I was parliamentary secretary in opposition in this portfolio. I have represented a rural constituency in the parliament for over eight years. If I had been a farmer with particular experience that might be of use for one small part of the portfolio and of very little relevance for others.

On Queensland fruit fly, which has developed this year, there is a strategy that is getting going. Can you give us an assurance in terms of getting this plan funded? Will we have to wait for next year’s budget for money to get a plan that growers want this season?

I see my job as Minister for Agriculture to be a champion within government and within the community more broadly for all parts of agriculture; for the agri-business professionals, for people in new and emerging areas of production, for the really big players who are such a powerhouse component of the Victorian economy. So for the last five months I have been getting around and meeting as many people as I can.

Every day there is something new. I had not seen automated milking guided by laser beams until today. I was in an abattoir in Colac yesterday. Tomorrow I will be in Morwell. I intend 26

AGFOCUS 2015

There will be capacity for government to support a plan to respond to fruit fly. Before that plan is developed, it’s premature to say what that will look like.

The Sunraysia growers groups are a little more advanced in their industry committee, making recommendations to government. They got started last year and so a couple of months ago were in a position to outline some funding support to complement strategies they had decided on.

The committee here has met three or four times and I receive through the department regular updates. We launched the ground-

up community awareness campaign recently and I’m told there have been some successful forums, and that’s good.

The industry response to this, though, will be the key and today I announced that we will be hosting a conference in Melbourne early in July and the outcome I want is the development of a five-year plan for Victoria for fruit fly.

We have had vastly greater numbers of outbreaks since about 2010 and the former government raised the white flag on this, so I feel that my government and myself, that we are playing catch-up because people were left in the lurch four years ago, but we are working hard and fast with industry and community leaders to fund the appropriate response.

So there will be some money available through this year if they come up with a plan in July?

There will be capacity to respond. It’s very hard to say there will be money for something without knowing what it is for. We are bringing everyone together across the state and this will be done

quickly. I am not a very patient person, so I want to work out quickly what we have to do and do it as quickly as possible.

So there will be some resources for this year?

We need to identify what’s an appropriate response and so in the Sunraysia region, for example, the industry got together, had a difficult discussion about a levy ... and had some resources to put to it. Where there is a need, we will find resources. I understand the pressure the industry and community is under.

Are you expecting industry will contribute its share?

One of the key things that the conference will determine is the role for industry, community and government. The former government made a call on this and they said: eradication was not feasible, so that’s the advice to government.

That said, control is important, management is important and access to export markets is important.

What I hear from industry is that the Federal Government is not particularly focused on market access for Victorian horticulture. Not as focused as I would like them to be.

Do you appreciate the rising cost of temporary water for agriculture and the role of environmental water holders in influencing market prices?

I am aware of the discussion. I haven’t had anyone speak to me specifically about it, but I don’t assume I will hear every concern from every person every day. The price is determined by the market, we always need to use our infrastructure as effectively as we can.

I would like to see our water resources used to grow our agricultural production. I think there are some opportunities to fully realise some of the significant investments by the former Labor Government and I’m interested in working through those with (Water Minister) Lisa Neville.

I will work closely with Lisa Neville to ensure our water resources are efficiently used to grow agricultural production.

How do you manage the tension between increasingly aggressive animal activists and the need to protect animals in food production. Can the farming community expect tougher laws on animal husbandry?

The Andrews Labor Government is committed to protecting and growing our livestock industry and the vital economic and employment contribution it makes to our state. However, we recognise that mainstream community expectations around animal welfare are changing. That’s why it is particularly important for the Labor Government to work with industry to ensure standards are in keeping with mainstream community expectations, and why we as a government will continue to work closely with the industry on this.

There are strong and effective trespass laws in place and the Labor Government’s expectation is that people abide by these laws.

Our agriculture industry makes an enormous contribution to Victoria’s economy and our way of life, and the Labor Government is committed to supporting our farmers and growing this critical sector.

AGFOCUS 2015

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EQUINE

Kaarimba’s cutting-edge horse trainers W ith the first rays of light each day, Aaron Wheatley and wife Lindsey are outside saddling up the horses on their 238 ha property at Kaarimba.

The Wheatleys are professional cutting trainers, and between them they keep about 25 purpose-bred quarter horses in work at any one time, with a list of champions to their credit.

The Wheatleys’ training stables north-west of Shepparton boast a modern 18-horse complex with an undercover wash-down area, a sand arena, horse walker and dual laneways for ease of access.

The property was all but a blank canvas when they purchased it several years ago, but the climate and central location made it ideal for such an enterprise.

“There wasn’t much here when we bought it; Lindsey and I put up the stables using our own blood, sweat and tears,” Mr Wheatley said.

With nearly 20 years’ professional cutting training experience under his belt, and formerly a builder by trade, this is the third property

Mr Wheatley has set up, and he said with each experience came better facilities.

“Associated with training the horses, about 200 head of cattle reside on the property, and a B-double truck of cattle is rotated in and out every week,” he said.

“The laneways and paddocks are set up so anybody could move cattle on their own.

It is user-friendly and the horse areas are structured so you can work a lot of horses.

“A lot of things can be going on at once and it doesn’t interrupt the day, we can just focus on training horses.”

The cattle are made available through an arrangement with a Charlton feedlot, owned by Tey’s Australia, and they are rotated regularly as they quickly become desensitised to working with horses.

Cutting has its roots in the United States and dates back to the old West, where cows would be cut from the herd to be branded; it evolved into a sport from there.

The horse anticipates the actions of the

cow once it has been cut and stops it from going back to the herd, and the rider must use only leg pressure to manoeuvre the horse.

Mr Wheatley spent five years training horses on a Texas cutting ranch and has $1.3 million in lifetime winnings to his name.

“It is mind-blowing to see the facilities in the United States; you are in a coliseum when you compete — I was there for five years and I never worked a horse outside,” he said.

In Australia, the sport has a following from children through to older adults, with about 2000 members in the National Cutting Horse Association.

However, Mr Wheatley said the sport was limited because it was costly, with buying and educating a horse likely to cost upwards of $40 000.

Among the Wheatleys’ clientele is the Myer family of retail fame, who helicopter into the property each month to watch their Yulgilbar horses being trained.

“There wasn’t much here when we bought it; Lindsey and I put up the stables using our own blood, sweat and tears.”

Aaron Wheatley

Aaron and Lindsey Wheatley with a client’s horse, CD Finale, who didn’t take much convincing to strike a pose for the camera.

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EQUINE

As soon as the sun is up the cattle are in and the horses are being worked at the Wheatleysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; training stables.

Aaron Wheatley said there was nothing else heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather be doing.

Lindsey is originally from Illinois in the United States. She and Aaron met while they were both working on ranches in Texas.

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MAN’S BEST FRIEND

Who let the dogs out?

Meet Man’s Best Friend.

The long-running Country News column throws up a new top dog every week, and as this spread shows, they come in all shapes and sizes.

Bluey the true blue Australian cattle dog belongs to Kialla East’s Ben Godwill.

“We’ve had a few blue heelers over the years but never one named Bluey. We found it hard at the time to find a pup with a working dog background. When I saw him I thought he was about as blue heeler as they come,” Ben said.

Chilli the Hungarian vizla belongs to Toolamba dairy farmer Mark Williams.

She is a hunting breed and Mark has taken her out on a couple of fox drives — but it’s her tail he needs to watch out for.

“I was once on the motorbike and she jumped on and I got a blood nose from the whip of the tail.”

Sandy Sullivan from Murchison said Oggie was always there for her — and the backpackers who work across the road.

“I have a list of people who have said they want to take him home with them. I tell them to take a number because everyone wants him.”

Violet Town fencer Jason Selman with his best mates Zoe, Bella and Otto.

Otto the golden retriever was Jason’s “main man” and sadly passed away earlier this year.

“His old man is actually the dog on one of the Optimum dog food packets. His mum and dad are both champion show dogs — they would have no idea his life turned out to be as a fantastic farm dog,” Jason said.

Rex, Laurie and Ellie are border collies belonging to Andrew and Katrina Holland, whose property was affected by the Stewarton fires in December last year.

“It was terrifying. But the CFA around here were incredible. They deserve a medal,” Andrew said.

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Trevor O’Dea from Tallygaroopna owns Quickie, who is obsessed with balls.

“He pretty much always has a ball. There are balls down the paddocks, down the laneway.

Everywhere.”

Euroa sheep grazier Ian Newton plays tricks on all of his seven dogs, including Zip — if you can spot him in this photo.

The dogs love rabbits and will desperately search for them — even if they’re not there.

“As soon as they hear ‘B, b, b, bunny’ all the ears go up. They’ve dug up holes everywhere in the sheds.”

Tooleen’s Bruce Hamblin lost his faithful whippet Cindy in the 2013 bushfires.

But he soon received a surprise replacement that put the smile back on his face as he tends to his horses, sheep and crops.

His new whippet Rosie also gets along with miniature fox terrier Abbey.

Snip and Nugget belong to Zeerust dairy farmer Luke Zuidema, who always wanted a dog of his own.

“When I was a little kid, about four or five, I really wanted my own pet. I used to drag a block of wood around by a piece of string and pretend it was a dog. I called the block of wood Snip.”

Petal belongs to Moorngag Angus breeders Suzy and Jim Martin and was supposed to be a good working dog.

“That was the plan — it hasn’t quite worked out. She’s made a wonderful pet but she’s a bit timid.”

Tatura Poll Dorset producer Rob McCartney says red kelpie Tom is tough.

“The Poll Dorset ewes with lambs are pretty tough too and when he fronts them and nothing happens he’s like ‘where did that come from?’ “

When Shepparton East dairy farmers Max and Jenny Hyland bought a nearby property they gained more than just 14 ha of land and ended up with Bob. “Sadly the (previous) owner had died and after we had bought it we were told the dog went with the property. I have had Jack Russells all my life and we had just lost our dog to a snake bite so the timing was good.

Bob fitted in well.”

Short-haired border collie Jackie is the sister to Chan, who both belong to Pine Lodge horse breeder Cyle Newton.

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LIVESTOCK

Making prime lambs out of wastewater T ake a drive from Shepparton to Barmah at any time of year and chances are, early in the journey, you’ll notice on your left a series of lush green paddocks dotted with sheep.

While their fellow ovines may be doing it tough during dry times this group will never run out of irrigated paddocks: they are resident at Goulburn Valley Water’s 1000 ha water treatment farm.

While manager Darren Sharman stresses “we’re a water treatment plant with a sheep farm, not a sheep farm with a waste treatment plant” it is evident he and his staff are as dedicated to turning off the best prime lambs as any family or commercial farm.

On the day he and colleague Peter ‘Jacko’ Jackson welcomed AgFocus to the property — formally the Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility — lambs being finished for market were making the tough choices: graze the lucerne or eat pellets or hay. This attention to food was interrupted temporarily as the police helicopter flew overhead — but not for long.

The farm runs between 3000 and 3500 firstcross ewes and 4000 to 4500 August-drop lambs by Poll Dorset rams, and the GV Water team are familiar faces at the major ram sales.

“Every year we hit the ram sales as we need to,” Mr Jackson said.

Apart from the rams, no outside stock comes onto the property.

“When it comes to selling, we follow the market.

We normally sell over the hooks to JBS at Cobram or Brooklyn, also to Coles.”

Mr Sharman’s scientific background means he is interested in the technical aspects of breeding the best sheep, and has encouraged his staff to join the local BestWool/BestLamb group and supported the GV Water farm’s involvement with

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AGFOCUS 2015

Darren Sharman (left) and Peter Jackson look at pasture growth. Fescue works well at the farm and as Mr Jackson noted ‘‘the sheep know what they like’’.

research by Australian Bureau of Agricultural Research Economics and Sciences and other higher education research.

All sheep are electronically tagged and pregnancy scanned, coming in at 160 to 170 per cent. The lambs are monitored for growth weight from birth.

The GV Water wastewater management facility is the second largest lagoon treatment system in Australia and includes 20 lagoons covering 155 ha, 65 ha of tree plantations and 310 ha of irrigated pasture and cropping land.

Flood irrigation is the predominant irrigation method used, although some drip and micro sprays are also used. Excess irrigation water is

collected and delivered to clay-lined reuse dams and from there is pumped back to the lagoons or recycled to other irrigation areas.

Mr Jackson said: “It’s a big juggling act. There are close to 50 paddocks of which half are being irrigated at any one time.”

He said the constant watering and grazing in a relatively intensive manner threw up its own set of animal health challenges.

“There’s an issue with the salt load and a lack of protein and we know how to address these; we have come to terms with a number of issues such as internal parasites. Another big one is we have to keep managing are the sheep’s feet.”

Mr Sharman said: “We have run cattle here

LIVESTOCK

“There’s an issue with the salt load and a lack of protein and we know how to address these; we have come to terms with a number of issues such as internal parasites. Another big one is we have to keep managing are the sheep’s feet.”

Peter Jackson

but we didn’t get the performance out of them that we wanted and ended up fire-saling them to feedlots.”

The managers said while staff had input into the decision-making, and like all farm businesses “we don’t always agree”, they have been greatly assisted by advisers from the University of Melbourne’s Mackinnon Project.

“The Mackinnon Project gave us a singular direction. We need independence in consultants, not vested interests: they don’t give you stubby holders and biros but they are very professional to work with because of their unbiased approach,” Mr Sharman said.

“With the sheep we are getting a tangible benefit (from the recycled water) and it’s sustainable. If we weren’t using it we’d have to treat the wastewater at a massive cost.”

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LIVESTOCK

Red meat inquiry needs input V ictorian Senator Bridget McKenzie has urged producers to make a submission to the inquiry she initiated into the red meat industry.

The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee is looking into the effect of market consolidation on the red meat processing sector and is accepting submissions until June 30 with a reporting date of March 2016.

Senator McKenzie, who also sits on the committee, met producers at Echuca to learn first-hand from producers — some of whom had come from the Echuca cattle sale that morning — about the issues that affect their businesses.

“I want to get real stories from real people,” she said. “I’m really interested to hear your experience and to get a sense of what’s happening in your part of the world.”

Among the group who met Senator McKenzie were beef and sheep farmers and Echuca’s Riverside Meats owner Bruce Peat.

Mr Peat uses contract buyers to purchase stock on his behalf and buys stock direct from farmers.

“We stipulate what we want and what we are prepared to pay,” Mr Peat said.

Kotupna farmer Peter Fitzgerald said the Senate inquiry was useful for producers to explain how they perceived the market place.

But he remained sceptical about the input that would come from livestock agents.

“If producers have got some concerns, surely agents have got some concerns,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

The Senate inquiry was initiated after a buyers’ boycott of the first prime sale at the new

Senator Bridget McKenzie talks beef with producer Peter Fitzgerald at Kotupna.

Wodonga saleyards at Barnawartha in February.

The unprecedented action was followed by widely reported claims by beef producers of industry collusion and manipulation keeping farm gate prices low.

But farmer and former State Member for Rodney Paul Weller bluntly told Senator McKenzie: “I think you’re wasting your time going through collusion at the saleyards.

“Producers around here have many options: Bendigo, Echuca, Shepparton, JBS, Ralphs, Greenhams. I think the government would be better to create more demand.”

Senator McKenzie replied: “I’m just interested in transparency.”

“Producers around here have many options: Bendigo, Echuca, Shepparton, JBS, Ralphs, Greenhams. I think the government would be better to create more demand.”

Farmer and former State Member for Rodney Paul Weller

Producers assured of a premium J BS Australia has re-opened applications for a limited number of additional producers to join its Great Southern Farm Assurance Program.

The Brazilian agri-giant is Australia’s largest meat processor with 10 abattoirs and says it has rewarded its producers by delivering more than $21 million in premium returns above non-farm assured animals in less than two years.

The program is the only grass-fed multispecies program in Australia. It comprises more than 2000 members who produce the highest quality grass-fed beef and lamb to strict specifications for sale under both the Great Southern and King Island beef brands.

JBS Australia chief executive officer Brent Eastwood said: “Consumers are increasingly demanding red meat that has been grown in a safe, responsible and ethical manner to the highest standards for animal welfare, both on-farm and also during transportation and handling.

“Our suppliers appreciate the year-round security of a relationship with the Great Southern program and the guarantee of knowing the initiative actively encourages sustainable

farming practises that will contribute to the longterm viability of the family farm.”

As part of the program, JBS conducted a fullday forum for its Farm Assurance beef and lamb producers in Melbourne involving educational sessions on topics such as analysing lean meat yields and objective carcase measurement.

The forum included an awards ceremony where two farms were awarded the ‘best of the best’ JBS Great Southern producers.

Brad and Irene Gale of Ross Farm at Waratah Bay in South Gippsland were named Beef Producer of the Year while Wayne Hawkins from

Circle H Farms at Frances, South Australia took the title in the lamb category.

In a close-run award, the winners were benchmarked on a range of commercially important attributes such as compliance against carcase specifications and weight and spread of kill throughout the year.

The Gales’ herd is based on Herefordtype cows used with Simmental or Red Angus bulls. Including bought steers, Ross Farm turns off around 700 head annually for the JBS program that requires a target weight of 300 kg to 360 kg.

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LIVESTOCK

North-east Victorian beef: a bullish sector C

onsistent, stable and robust: that’s the message Rural Finance is offering northeast Victorian beef producers about their outlook for 2015.

According to the 2014 Livestock Farm Monitor report, released by Rural Finance and DEDJTR (formerly DEPI), enterprises in northern Victoria recorded an almost identical volume of kilograms of live weight per hectare on 2013.

This consistency is a key factor in why beef production is in a good place in the north-east.

Additionally, beef prices remained very similar at $1.63/kg lwt. Building on this, farms actually sold more animals and variable costs reduced, mainly driven by lower supplementary feed and agistment costs; these reduced input costs

meant more in the pockets of farmers.

North-east grazing land is consistently strong across the region with the current three-year average annual growth rate at 18 per cent.

Since 2000, annual growth across the region averages out at 10 per cent year-on-year. This is strong no matter what way you look at it with median $/ha reaching $5739/ha in 2014.

Across the north-east there is a good mix of larger grazing properties. The 2014 Rural Finance Victorian Farmland Values Index separates grazing properties into 30–60 ha and larger than 60 ha parcel sizes.

In 2014 the smaller category grew by 2.7 per cent, while the larger saw growth of 14.3 per cent, the graph below illustrates this strength.

Victorian beef prices reached a record high in 2015

As you can see in the next graph, in February 2015, Victorian beef prices were at record levels with prices well over $2.25/kg lwt.

Given these solid prices and steady farmland values beef producers can move through 2015 confident that their farms are performing well when compared with other regions statewide and nationally.

If you would like more information about how your operation sits in the context of the market I encourage you to get in touch with a local expert via: www.ruralfinance.com.au

— Andrew Smith, Rural Bank general manager sales and business development

Grazing Farmland values median $/ha three-year rolling average

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TECHNOLOGY

First step towards robotic farming future F armers could be using robot tractors in 10 years after a prototype was put to the test in rice fields at Jerilderie in an Australian

first.

The unmanned Yanmar tractor was used in a study of precision farming through signals transmitted from Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System at Rice Research Australia in January.

The tractor successfully operated with an error margin of less than 5 cm.

The system could also provide a data stream with information such as engine temperature, fuel usage, moisture content and canopy health.

Rice Research Australia manager Russell Ford said the machine was as surreal as seeing a tyrannosaurus-rex.

“You don’t really believe it until you see it,” Mr Ford said.

“Once you see all the operations in motion it’s very amazing. It also appears to be very safe. It has sensors for people — so if you stand in front of it, it will stop.”

The tractor was tested in different climatic and atmospheric conditions to detect what factors interfered with satellite signals.

The first trial was conducted in December during the growth stage of rice and succeeded in controlling the self-steering robotic tractor so that its tyres ran between rows of planted rice.

“We looked at cultivation, spraying and some crop fencing with the automated tractor,” Mr Ford said.

“It went very well.”

Hitachi, Yanmar and the Hitachi Zosen Corporation in Japan were commissioned to conduct the study, which was organised

by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The project was a huge collaboration with three Australian universities: the University of New England in NSW, RMIT and the University of New South Wales.

Mr Ford said the difference between the robot

A project involving a robot tractor in Jerilderie has been a success.

and auto-steering was that the robot tractor can do complete turns, turn itself on and off, raise and lower hydraulic implements and operate the tractor’s throttle system.

The current mainstream positioning method, precise point positioning, receives positioning data directly from GPS satellites.

But it has been found the method can give an error of about 1.2m, and cannot be replaced with data of centimetre-level accuracy.

“I think farmers are especially very excited by any technology that brings more efficiency to the farming system,” he said.

“Scientists are also excited because it’s another tool that improves technology and the way the job is done.”

The technology has since been sent back to Japan but the tractor was still in Jerilderie being used for stubble management projects.

The Japanese Government is set to launch three more satellites that will orbit over Japan and Australia by the end of 2018.

Mr Ford said he anticipated a second project with the first commercial robot tractor and another satellite to begin in a year, which will test the robot’s capabilities 24 hours a day.

“Once you see all the operations in motion it’s very amazing. It also appears to be very safe. It has sensors for people — so if you stand in front of it, it will stop.”

Rice Research Australia manager Russell Ford

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CROPPING

U nusual prices likely to return to ‘normal’ T he first half of 2015 certainly threw some unusual market circumstances our way with a number of commodities trading at levels relative to each other that are historically unusual.

Overall it is expected that many of these relative prices will correct to more ‘normal’ levels, which may see barley prices weaken relative to wheat, pulse and legume prices fall back closer to average prices and canola also improve in value relative to wheat.

Broadly speaking, Northern Hemisphere crops are looking promising. As a result, new crop wheat and barley prices have softened in recent months, following United States wheat futures lower that are now trading at five-year lows.

Canola plantings in Victoria are expected to be down slightly as many western parts of the state and Mallee see paddocks being swapped out due to a lack of moisture. There is still expected to be plenty of canola to cover domestic demand so any price improvement needs to come from stronger offshore values.

Of most interest is the emergence of a number of alternative crops such as faba beans and oats which are gaining momentum and are less familiar for many growers when it comes to marketing.

Faba bean plantings are expected to be up across southern Australia with a large increase in plantings in high rainfall and irrigation areas after growers have reported good results in the past couple of seasons.

Faba bean prices in recent seasons have been well above average, especially in the season just gone with a much smaller crop in the Wimmera and strong demand driving prices.

Forward marketing options for the 2015–16 crop are limited to fixed tonnage contracts at prices that are still historically good but generally not at levels high enough yet to encourage growers to consider forward sales. If we return to normal supply levels it is possible that the current forward prices will be good prices in hindsight, but there is still a long time until the crop is harvested.

Oats have also enjoyed a resurgence in planting intentions as processors look to encourage growers back to the crop with highly priced hectare contracts.

The area planted to oats has declined over recent years, especially in the season just gone with drier conditions across the western half of Victoria and overall lower areas leading to a shortage of milling oats.

While down a little, there is likely to be enough canola harvested to cover domestic demand.

As 2015 progresses the potential size of the oat crop will become better known and this will influence price activity; if production prospects look good expect prices to ease and quality parameters to be tightened, while a dry season may see the opposite.

–Brad Knight GeoCommodities Strathfieldsaye

Tapping into wheat’s potential potential water-limited yield of dryland crops in Australia,” Dr Hochman said.

“We found that overall, Australian wheat producers are achieving just over half of the environmentally-constrained yields that can be achieved with best management practice.

“Related research shows that the most productive farmers can consistently achieve 80 per cent of their water-limited yield potential.

“Realistically, the last 20 per cent cannot be exploited so it is more helpful to think about the exploitable yield gap, that is, the difference between the actual yield and 80 per cent of the water-limited yield. The exploitable wheat yield gap in Australia is estimated to be 0.98 tonnes/hectare nationally.”

CSIRO scientist Zvi Hochman and his team of researchers believe Australian farmers could improve their dryland wheat figures by almost a tonne to the hectare.

P

otential exists for Australian grain growers to collectively almost double the nation’s dryland wheat production.

The gap between growers’ current wheat yields and what they could be achieving has been illustrated for the first time via a new interactive online tool.

The Yield Gap Australia interactive website at www.yieldgapaustralia.com.au quantifies the difference between actual and potential rain-fed wheat yields across the nation.

Developed by CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Yield Gap Australia will help: • Benchmark individual farm yields against their water-limited potential and local average yields.

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AGFOCUS 2015

• Prioritise research to regions with the largest unexploited yield gaps and greatest potential to close them.

• Identify regions where new technologies or technology packages have greatest potential impact.

This new map-based tool is expected to be useful for growers, agronomists, research funders and policy makers.

CSIRO senior principal research scientist Zvi Hochman said the current yield gap needed to be known so it could be determined just how much more productivity could be realistically achieved by grain growers.

“While average yield data has been well documented at local to regional scales, until recently there was very little reliable data on the

The gap varies between regions and seasons, but on average over the past 15 years the gap has been: • 1.4 tonne/ha in the western cropping region.

• 1.7 tonne/ha in the southern cropping region (Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and southern and central NSW).

• 1.9 tonne/ha in the northern cropping region (Queensland and northern NSW).

Based on these estimates, closing the wheat yield gap by 30 per cent would increase Australian wheat production by more than 13 million tonnes annually.

“The challenge now is to understand how to close the gap,” Dr Hochman said.

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CROPPING

Knock down the cost of weed control N ew research has highlighted the high cost of weed management and looked at ways to reduce further cost increases.

At a meeting of farming systems groups in the Grain Research and Development Corporation’s southern ‘Stubble Initiative’, CSIRO senior research scientist (farming systems) Rick Llewellyn said data from a study of 600 grain growers’ weed management practices showed while there had been recent rapid uptake of some key integrated weed management, there were still many areas where adoption remained low, despite the herbicide resistance threat.

“The data shows very large differences between regions for practices like harvest weed seed control, crop topping and double knockdown that reflects past differences in the levels of herbicide resistance, but we’re now seeing resistance issues becoming much more important in all cropping regions,” Dr Llewellyn said.

He said farmers in the southern region could benefit from trial and error, but now there was the chance to make earlier use of some of the practices that have been refined through farmer experience to extend the life of important herbicides, not just control resistant weeds once herbicides are lost.

“Where an integrated weed management practice can be introduced relatively cheaply we’re seeing that growers are very willing to take up the practice and narrow windrow burning is an example of that.”

While rye-grass remains the most commonly resistant weed, changing weed dynamics in the region mean that long-term strategies are increasingly needed for control of other grass weeds as well.

“Rye-grass has received a lot of the attention in Australia in the past but we’re now working with the University of Adelaide weeds team to look at the most economic long-term strategies of managing brome grass that has become the driver grass weed for a lot of our cropping land,” Dr Llewellyn said.

“It’s a weed for which there aren’t a lot of herbicide options and harvest weed seed

CSIRO scientist Rick Llewellyn says a new study has highlighted just how costly weed management has become and where there are opportunities to save money. Picture: C. Sullivan

“We’re aiming to help farmers and advisers take a longer-term seed bank and resistance risk view, by considering when they should use these herbicides to get the biggest bang for their buck ...”

CSIRO senior research scientist (farming systems) Rick Llewellyn control methods aren’t always highly effective.

“We’re aiming to help farmers and advisers take a longer-term seed bank and resistance risk view, by considering when they should use these herbicides to get the biggest bang for their buck and not use them up too quickly, as well as looking at the longer-term value of introducing new weed management practices.”

Dr Llewellyn said the latest study, funded by GRDC, had also shown that summer weeds were likely to be now causing more crop yield loss than winter weeds.

“Growers are continuing to keep winter weed densities in crops quite low, partly because summer weeds are becoming increasingly difficult and costly to control and partly because stored moisture is so often of very high value to crop production.

“Even though about two thirds of land may receive a herbicide treatment for summer weeds and about a third of growers use at least some cultivation for summer weed control, we are still seeing high total costs to yields from summer weeds.”

Siding upgrade a plus for growers G rainCorp says a “substantial slice” of $60 million in funding will be spent upgrading its Tocumwal site.

GrainCorp’s investment in its country network sites will include an increase in the length of the Tocumwal site’s rail access, plus improvements at Callen, Nevertire, Ardlethan, Narrabri, Burren Junction, Spring Ridge, Junee, Oaklands and Red Bend.

“We will increase the length of the rail siding at Tocumwal to enable us to load a train that has from 40 to 50 wagons without shunting,” spokesman Angus Trigg said.

“Currently, it can only load eight wagons at a time, which breaks a 40-wagon train into about five shunts.

“Each shunt costs a lot of time when the grain is loading, so we hope instead of taking 10 hours 42

AGFOCUS 2015

to load a 40 wagon train, it will be cut down to around four hours.

“We are also spending money to upgrade the loading infrastructure at Tocumwal, by way of improving a couple of vertical silos where the grain is stored before it is loaded onto the train.

“This upgrade will be made to the spouts that come out of silos that will make loading grain substantially quicker and more efficient.”

Mr Trigg said the funding and subsequent upgrades were a huge win for the Tocumwal site and farmers alike.

“By doing this, we’re targeting a reduction into supply chain costs,” he said.

“By getting the rail to work more efficiently, supply chain costs will go down by up to $5 a tonne which is essentially money that will go back to growers.”

Tocumwal’s GrainCorp receival site is set for a makeover.

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Following in A

s the agriculture industry campaigns for the next generation of farmers, 25-year-old Mitchell McNab has stepped through the farm gate to continue his family’s tradition.

After living in Melbourne for four years and graduating with a Bachelor of Business from RMIT, Mr McNab moved back to Ardmona to be a fifth generation farmer at HV McNab & Son, which grows apples, pears and plums.

“Agriculture is an industry where you have to work very hard for your product,” he said.

“But at the same time I enjoy it. You’re outside a bit more and it’s hands-on work — you’re not stuck behind a desk all day.”

The McNab family has been growing fruit for more than 100 years in Ardmona, traditionally supplying fruit to SPC. “During the holidays I would come back and work on the orchard, and so it then took a natural course for me and I decided to continue to do so and work in a full-time role,” Mr McNab said.

The former Goulburn Valley Grammar School student said he was currently assisting the orchard in its transition to growing fresh fruit under Integrity Fruit, in partnership with five other growers in the area.

Last November, the VFF’s Young Agribusiness Professionals received $500 000 in funding from the Federal Government to help promote the agriculture industry to the next generation or “Generation F”.

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his family’s footsteps In 2013, the organisation highlighted concerns about the image of agriculture, lack of understanding about the industry, education challenges, and the difficulty in becoming a farmer for the younger generation.

Mr McNab said the drought had detrimental effects on attitudes towards farming in the Goulburn Valley.

“I think that has deterred a lot of younger people from returning to family owned businesses or others to join the industry.”

He said the horticulture industry now faced concern about labour costs.

“Profitability is obviously the key — and to make a profit we need to lower our labour costs, which is very difficult because fruit growing is a labourintensive industry,” he said.

“So there are plenty of innovations out there that growers need to push towards in order for them to remain profitable in the future.

“In the longer term, there are some really good opportunities for Australian produce to be exported to China where there is a large middle class population who want our fruit.”

Mr McNab said he was learning the tricks of the trade from his father, Andrew McNab, because they don’t teach those in university.

“My father has been instrumental in teaching with his experience,” he said.

“He’s been a good mentor, teaching me what needs to be done and why — I’m learning a lot.”

HV McNab & Son engineer Mitch Younger and orchard manager Mitchell McNab examining the freshly picked apples.

Ardmona’s Mitchell McNab traded city life for a career on the family orchard.

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SOIL

Crash grazing changes the way plants think H olistic management educator and grazing management expert Dick Richardson presented two entertaining and challenging sessions on soil and landcare in the north-east this autumn.

Regional Landcare facilitator Charlie Sexton from Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority said 50 people benefited from Mr Richardson’s knowledge at field days at Warrenbayne and Naring.

“He challenges the normal thinking around permanent and defined rest periods for paddocks from grazing and believes farmers should be observing the changes in their grasses and soils to know when to introduce a change/event to the paddock to encourage biological activity in the soil and in the pastures,” Mr Sexton said.

“The use of animals as tools to achieve this through crash grazing events at irregular times to change the plants’ mindset was particularly interesting.

“His use of anecdotes and entertaining stories to help get his points across, worked well.”

Mr Richardson is originally from South Africa and now farms at Boorowa in NSW. In South Africa he managed Richardson Ranching, a 7000 ha livestock business in the Vryburg district based on three enterprises: cattle, sheep and hunting.

He now manages Margan Pastoral’s 2200 ha property and his own 800 ha mixed grazing business nearby.

“Dick is a qualified holistic management educator and he has trained, facilitated and consulted all over the world,” Mr Sexton said See www.dickrichardson.com.au

Former South African grazier Dick Richardson gave a thoughtprovoking presentation at Naring.

“The use of animals as tools to achieve this through crash grazing events at irregular times to change the plants’ mindset was particularly interesting.”

Charlie Sexton

Research to stop the rot P ulse and oilseed diseases that cost growers in the southern cropping region tens of millions of dollars each year are being tackled head-on through a suite of research programs being funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

The GRDC is taking a three-pronged approach to disease prevention and management by: developing oilseed and pulse varieties with greater resistance to foliar fungal diseases; keeping abreast of fungal disease dynamics; and developing and extending management packages to control foliar fungal diseases onfarm and prolong the useful life of Australia’s fungicide options.

GRDC plant health, surveillance and mitigation manager Sharyn Taylor said GRDCcommissioned reports indicated the annual national cost of oilseed and pulse diseases was more than $210 million — a large portion of which is incurred in the southern region, which comprises South Australia, Victoria, southern and central NSW and Tasmania.

“But managing diseases of pulses and oilseeds at the right time, with the right control methods, can substantially reduce their impact, thereby improving the role of these crops as profitable

46

AGFOCUS 2015

breaks within rotations,” Dr Taylor said.

Variety resistance is the most sustainable way to manage fungal diseases — a principle that guides the GRDC’s ongoing and substantial commitment to finding new genes that confer disease resistance to Australian crop varieties.

At the farm level, the work of plant pathology teams across Australia is underpinning the effective management and monitoring of oilseed and pulse foliar fungal diseases.

“Surveillance work by such teams is capturing the changing dynamics of foliar fungal pathogens and enabling plant breeders to monitor changing resistance status and stay abreast with new sources of varietal resistance,” Dr Taylor said.

With fungicide resistance a constant threat, integrated disease management involving a range of practices is needed to reduce the impact of plant diseases and to extend the life of the limited number of available fungicides.

Recommended integrated disease management practices are outlined in the GRDC’s new Foliar Fungal Diseases of Pulse and Oilseeds Ground Cover Supplement.

See www.grdc.com.au

Keeping abreast of varietal resistance of plant pathogens such as this sclerotinia stem rot is helping reduce the national cost of pulse and oilseed diseases.

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HORTICULTURE

C â&#x20AC;&#x2030; racking the walnut industry Antony Stella and David Woodhouse have turned their retirement plan into a walnut grove in Katandra.

Antony Stella and David Woodhouse are academics who saw an opportunity in growing their own walnuts.

48

AGFOCUS 2016

HORTICULTURE

The international travellers were working in the United Arab Emirates before they saw an opportunity in the Goulburn Valley’s niche market and so began their crop from scratch last year.

They planted 2400 walnut trees (600 treelets and 1800 seeds) on their 58 ha property called Katandra Walnuts.

They said the trees had been growing extremely well.

Ms Stella initially had the idea of growing walnuts after being interested in horticulture, and found Katandra to be the perfect location because it’s within “striking distance” to DE DJTR Tatura’s walnut expert.

“I wanted something you could really develop and establish,” she said.

“We also wanted to be close to Shepparton because it is well known for its food production, which means we have access to the experience of the people around us.”

She also noted the benefits of the region’s irrigation infrastructure and that the property was attached to a backbone channel.

While the grove won’t mature or produce a full crop for about another 10 years, maintaining the trees was a full-time job.

The former academics hold PhDs and have knocked back invitations to host presentations overseas.

“We talk to friends and colleagues from a different life and try to give them a sense of what it’s like without boring them to tears,” Mr Woodhouse said. Their most recent challenge has been the controlling of weeds and the strong winds.

“So what I’m constantly saying is that the farm is going well, the walnut trees are going well, and the weeds are growing well — we try to encourage the former and discourage the latter.”

“This being the first year for us, in terms of having the right equipment and using the chemicals at the right time — we are still experimenting,” Ms Stella said.

“Managing the weeds has been our biggest problem, but they are under control now.”

The long-term business plan is to take their harvest to Goulburn Valley Walnut Processors in Violet Town, which processes walnuts from about 12 Goulburn Valley walnut groves from towns such as Nagambie, Toolamba and Strathbogie.

The processing facility opened five years ago and is the only facility in the state that can crack walnut kernels.

Processor manager Howard Myers said about 70 per cent of the region’s walnuts went to Melbourne in 640 kg pellets, while the other 30 per cent is sold to local markets or exported to China in 20 tonne containers.

“China is the second largest walnut producer in the world, the United States is the first, but because of its population the consumption is huge,” Ms Stella said.

“In the global market the industry is becoming more prominent.”

The couple’s tips for future walnut growers was to check the soil, irrigation infrastructure, consider wind protection and be prepared to put in the work.

Ms Stella said she initially told Mr Woodhouse that a walnut grove would be “gentleman’s agriculture”.

“You see I’ve been conned into this,” Mr Woodhouse joked.

“But before we get to that stage it is very challenging. Every tree needs your personal attention,” Ms Stella said.

Light-textured soils such as duplex soils in the Goulburn Valley are good for growing walnut trees.

“This being the first year for us, in terms of having the right equipment and using the chemicals at the right time — we are still experimenting.”

Antony Stella

Walnuts contain vitamin E, folate, melatonin, omega-3 fats and antioxidants.

Antony Stella took an interest in walnuts after reading a DEPI report.

The germination rate of the hand-sown seeds was about 80 per cent.

Katandra Walnuts is a new business venture of Antony Stella and David Woodhouse.

AGFOCUS 2015

49

HORTICULTURE

Fruit fly fight is on G

oulburn Valley fruit growers are gearing up for a battle with an old orchard adversary — Queensland fruit fly.

A broad based committee is working on a regional strategy to tackle the growing Queensland fruit fly threat.

In 2012, the former DEPI abandoned active management of fruit fly in the Goulburn Valley,

but during the 2014–15 season, growers reported a rising number of the pests, resulting in several public meetings to work out what could be done.

A task force, including representatives from growers, a processor, scientists and private consultants, hopes to have a new strategy developed by July.

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“It’s a difficult insect to control and we have a difficult task to implement a program over such a wide area, but we must act now,” group chairman Peter Hall said.

The taskforce has been meeting since

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HORTICULTURE

Peter Hall, Gary Godwill, Tony Filippi and David Williams from the task force.

February and has been using the resources of the Centre of Horticultural Excellence at Tatura, following a commitment from Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford, to support the development of a plan.

Last summer private householders in Shepparton and Tatura were reporting their backyard fruit trees were under attack, and commercial growers have been blaming a spreading of the pest on reservoirs of flies in the urban areas.

Fruit Growers Victoria Industry development officer Tony Filippi said the strategy would seek to equip commercial growers and inform residents on how they can support the fight.

The task force is working on establishing an area wide management program which will enable growers to secure valuable overseas markets which are sensitive to the pest.

A working protocol will be developed and implemented to inform management practices.

Growers will be asked to contribute to the cost of the new campaign.

Mr Hall said there was an expectation that the costs would be shared between the broader community and industry.

“If it only affected fruit growers, then you’d expect them to carry the cost, but it has wider implications.”

Fruit Growers Victoria chair Gary Godwill said it was important the community appreciated the impact on the fruit growing sector, and understood how they could help to minimise the impact of the pest.

Senior scientist and entymologist David Williams said the task force was looking at a community-led approach which would seek government support.

“It’s not about the government coming in and wielding a big stick,” Mr Williams said.

Horticultural Adviser Sam Beggs demonstrates the rise in fruit fly numbers last season.

“It’s a difficult insect to control and we have a difficult task to implement a program over such a wide area, but we must act now.”

Group chairman Peter Hall Mr Williams said the department was working on identifying better fruit fly traps and was also examining other control methods such as sterile insect releases.

He said the wide area management approach was a practical one which had worked for fruit growing areas in other parts of the country, and enabled them to prove they had a certain level of control over the pest, to their trading partners.

AGFOCUS 2015

51

HORTICULTURE

Export push for temperate fruit T he Victorian Government will lead a pilot program to improve market access for temperate fruit exports — such as apples, pears, stone fruits, grapes and cherries — to China and Thailand.

The pilot program was endorsed at the May meeting of the Agriculture Ministers’ Forum in Sydney, by Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and other state and territory agriculture ministers.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford had called on the Federal Government to do more to support Victoria’s horticulture industry to improve access to new markets and overcome barriers to trade.

“With Victoria’s horticulture industry accounting for more than half of Australia’s horticulture exports, it is critical that we continue to advocate for the interests of our thriving industry at a national level,” Ms Pulford said.

“I’m pleased to see the Federal Government and other state and territories acknowledge Victoria’s expertise in this industry by endorsing the Andrews Labor Government to lead the new temperate fruit export pilot program.

“We will also continue to lobby the Federal Government on behalf of Victorian farmers to resolve issues around drought loan eligibility — we don’t want to see farmers who need this help miss out.”

Victoria’s $2.4 billion horticulture industry

Williams pears on a sorting line in the Goulburn Valley, destined for the fresh fruit market.

employs more than 9000 people and accounts for more than half of Australia’s horticulture exports, worth $894 million.

Overall, Australia is a minor exporter of apples and pears, with only one per cent and five per cent of total production respectively traded internationally. Apples account for about onethird of Australia’s pome fruit exports and pears about two-thirds. Australia produces about

0.8 per cent of the world’s apples and 1.4 per cent of its pears. Australian apples and pears are exported to the United Kingdom, Asia, New Zealand and Canada.

Ms Pulford said the new pilot program was in addition to the $5.2 million provided in the recent Victorian budget to establish a specialised trade unit to support trade negotiations and address trade barriers.

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AGFOCUS 2015

FODDER

Fodder industry well placed for export growth T he Australian fodder industry generates about $2 billion each year for the national economy, making it similar in size to the barley, sugar and poultry sectors.

Fodder includes hay and silage of all types (pasture, cereal, lucerne, clover and others), as well as chaff (coarsely chopped and dried whole plants), vetch and pelletised feed.

Each year about 350 000 Australian farms produce between five and seven million tonnes of hay and two million tonnes of silage.

Overall production is concentrated in Victoria and NSW, while Western Australia and South Australia lead export hay production.

About 80 to 90 per cent of Australian fodder production is used domestically in the dairy, horse and beef industries, as well as in horticulture for mulches and erosion control.

The remaining 10 to 20 per cent is exported, and the export hay industry is worth about $150 million annually.

Australia is the second largest exporter of hay and hay products — accounting for about 20 per cent of total world exports. A total of 70 per cent of Australia’s hay exports are sent to Japan, the world’s number one hay importer.

South Korea and Taiwan import 25 per cent of Australia’s hay exports between them.

As the world’s leading hay importer, Japan imports about two million tonnes each year for its dairy and beef feedlot industries, with about half a million tonnes coming from Australia.

But while Japan has 1.8 million dairy cows, China has 13 million and with little readily available homegrown fodder, China’s rapidly growing dairy sector represents an enormous opportunity for the Australian export hay industry.

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Drone crash attracts large fine A Victorian man has been fined after crashing his drone during a police operation at Altona this year.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority will issue the $850 fine because the drone was flown within 30 m of people.

The man was flying a recreational drone and was not associated with the police operation.

Flying a recreational drone does not require an approval from CASA but safety rules must be followed. These rules include keeping drones more than 30 m from people at all times, not flying over crowds or gatherings of people, not causing a hazard to aircraft and having the drone in line of sight at all times.

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AGFOCUS 2015

Tracking the impact of evolving technology

Unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites monitor crop or pasture performance remotely and have also been used to monitor flowering and fruiting in orchards and vineyards.

T

he development of farming machinery and technology that uses global positioning system information — combined with other objective data and digitised imagery to generate objective information about the status of soil, water, crops and pasture — are quickly changing the ways that farm businesses can be managed in Australia.

The implications of these developments are the subject of research being conducted by the Australian Farm Institute, in conjunction with the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Dairy Australia and GrainGrowers.

The initial development of digital farming involved the use of GPSenabled machinery to implement systems such as controlled-traffic farming by crop producers. Since then the use of GPS and enhanced harvester monitoring technology have produced digital crop yield maps.

More recently, the development of variable-rate planting and fertiliser broadcasting equipment has enabled some crop farmers to increase yields and reduce crop inputs by using variable application rates across a paddock.

The latest developments in this area include harvesting equipment that is constantly connected to the internet that can relay crop yield and machinery performance information in real-time via the internet, and variable rate planting technology that can modify planting ‘recipes’ and fertiliser application rates on a subpaddock basis.

While much of this development involves applications for crop or plant production, digital technology is also increasingly used in the livestock industries.

Applications include electronic livestock identification systems, and the use of these in conjunction with satellite monitoring and robotic meat processing systems to more efficiently manage livestock and

to provide much more precise feedback information for individual animals.

Data about the performance of animals from specific herds or flocks, and the genetic potential of specific breeds or bloodstock lines, is also now being collected, and can potentially be distributed widely.

The most recent international developments in digital agriculture involve data derived from a large number of individual farms in centrally-managed ‘expert systems’ that are used to prescribe specific crop planting and management programs on a field-by-field basis.

Historical weather, soil and previous years’ production data are used in combination with information about the performance of particular crop varieties to formulate the optimum crop planting strategy at fine detail within a single paddock, and this information is then utilised in conjunction with digitally-enabled machinery to plant a crop based on that prescription.

While still at a development stage, the implementation of robotic technology in the dairy and meat processing sectors is also creating the potential to develop similar closed-loop systems.

But the development of digital agriculture also raises a number of issues in relation to the ownership of data — the rights farmers hold over data obtained from their farm; the extent to which data held by machinery, farm input suppliers and processors can be sold or transferred to third parties; the uses to which data from individual farms can be put; and even the legal status of that data in the event of litigation or a demand by a government authority to obtain access to that data.

The aim of this project is to gain a clear understanding of the potential for digital agriculture to enhance productivity growth in Australian agriculture, and to detail some of the legal and other implications of this development.

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