AgFocus 2018

A

ISSUE 10

PUBLICATION

FOCUS

2018

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

Hot Crop A new vegetable crop for the Goulburn Valley page 30 INSIDE: Exporting agricultural machinery from the GV page 34 Streamlining the grain supply chain page 10

New snack fruit innovation from SPC page 32

Victoria

$7,000

3,000

$6,000

2,500

$5,000

2,000

$4,000

1,500

$3,000

1,000

$2,000

500

$1,000

0

Number of transactions (RHS)

2017

2015

2016

2013

2014

2011

2012

2010

2009

2007

2008

2005

2006

2003

2004

2001

2002

1999

2000

1997

1998

1995

1996

0

Median $/ha (LHS)

SOURCE: Rural Bank

Victoria

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7.2%

Average annual median price growth

Average annual growth over 5 years

2017

9.5%

5 years

7.2%

10 years

3.2%

20 years

6.5%

Farm values are growing

N

orthern Victorian farm values are on the rise, with hundreds of farms going on the market last year.

A report by Rural Bank reveals the median price of northern Victorian farms jumped by 6.4 per cent in 2017, driven by a larger percentage of high value sales in the municipalities of Loddon, Benalla and Strathbogie.

The municipalities of Moira, Mitchell, Gannawarra and Greater Shepparton also registered higher value per hectare than their previous three-year averages, while Campaspe and Mansfield registered lower average prices per hectare for 2017 compared to the previous three years.

Benalla registered the largest difference in the region, with the 2017 average per hectare being $1328 higher than the previous three-year average, with the average price per hectare in the region of $7 531.

People are increasingly selling off farms, however, with transactions up 1.7 per cent as 377 properties across seven municipalities were sold in the past 12 months, with the jump in transactions driven by an increase in transaction value in the municipalities of Loddon and Wangaratta.

Shepparton-based Kevin Hicks Real Estate director Kevin Hicks said the increasing value of dryland had helped to underpin steady values in irrigated land. “(Those) looking for horticulture and vegetable properties are assisting in some of the smaller irrigation parcels so they’re migrating (to the area) because of irrigation and soil profile,” Mr Hicks said.

“They’re certainly assisting with the 50 to 150 acre (20 ha to 60 ha) sized properties.

“There has been more dairy interest, it’s passive but is definitely stronger. . . the unfortunate part is the water component, with irrigation value increasing with a prolonged dry period.

“The land value of irrigated land without water share has remained firm but is certainly not getting any dearer.”

Mr Hicks said lifestyle properties close to town centres such as Shepparton had become increasingly popular, as buyers enjoy the benefits of country living with the infrastructure provided by a regional centre.

The value of a hectare of land in City of Greater Shepparton currently sits at $6818/ha, well above the three-year average of $6173/ha.

– Alana Christensen

Griffiths Goodall Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd (ABN 52858454162)(AFSL 237533) are licensed to apply for, acquire, vary or dispose of a general insurance product on behalf of a retail or wholesale client. Any advice given on this advertisement is general only and may not be right for you. To decide if an insurance product is right for you please carefully read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and our Financial Services Guide. These are available on request from our office.

4

AGFOCUS 2018

Editorial: (03) 5820 3229 Advertising: (03) 5820 3187

CONTENTS

Cover photograph: Peter Avram surveys his chilli crop in Shepparton.

Photo: Julie Mercer

Page 30 – 31

6

10

16

20

26

30

34

41

Editor Geoff Adams Writers Geoff Adams Rodney Woods Alana Christensen Sophie Baldwin Andrew Mole Photographers Ray Sizer Julie Mercer Holly Curtis Editorial designer Brendan Cain Sub-editors Sandy Lloyd Advertising Ashton Still Cameron Parker Advertising support Rhiannon Nicholas Jordan Purtill Graphic artist Bella Considine

A publication of the McPherson Media Group weekly newspaper, Country News, which circulates in 16 newspapers across central and northern Victoria and the southern Riverina.

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5

Letting the sunshine in W

hat do Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium and Rod Laver Arena have in common with a northern Victorian hydroponic tomato farm?

They all have a retractable roof and, in the case of the Lancaster business, it is the first greenhouse with a retractable roof that produces hydroponically grown tomatoes in Australia.

The first part of the three-stage project is now complete, costing $15 million, covering 5 ha with 75 000 plants and employing up to 50 staff.

“It is highly labour-intensive but there is a lot higher yields. So there’s a trade-off,” Lancaster Farming general manager Colin Hudgson said.

The higher yields, and better quality fruit, can be attributed to the retractable roof, which helps the business sell to large supermarket chains in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

“When it rains we close it and when it’s sunny we open it up,” Mr Hudgson said.

“This allows us to protect the crop against weather events and also allows us to get natural sunlight into the crop.

“A typical hothouse is located in a cold climate and energy is used to warm it up. Here we have a cold house in a hot climate and we are using nature to warm it up. It’s a lot more sustainable this way.

“We have major supermarket customers. We have a lot better quality and size out of what we’ve done so far. This is the reason we’ve done it.”

Another advantage of growing tomatoes hydroponically under cover is the ability to grow the fruit for more months of the year.

“A normal outdoor season is January to April/ May. We can grow from November to June/

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July,” Mr Hodgson said.

By having the option of an extended season, Mr Hodgson said it made employing locals easier.

“Those who we employ are mostly locals and that’s our preference. The beauty of this structure is we can offer 12-month employment rather than seasonal work.”

Lancaster Farming is operated by LaManna Premier Group, which also operates Premier Mercuri Farming in the Goulburn Valley, and Queensland’s Innisfail Banana Farming Company.

On completion, the three-stage project will cost $50 million, have 25 ha of undercover growing area and will employ more than 200 people.

– Rodney Woods

The 5 ha structure from afar.

“We have major supermarket customers. We have a lot better quality and size out of what we’ve done so far.

This is the reason we’ve done it.”

Colin Hudgson

Lancaster Farming general manager Colin Hudgson stands inside the new $15 million structure.

Lancaster Farming produces 240 000 boxes of tomatoes a year.

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Outlook promising for irrigation season

D

espite a warm and dry autumn, irrigators in northern Victoria are looking forward to starting the spring irrigation season with allocations of more than 50 per cent.

“All of the northern Victorian systems are expected to have seasonal determinations of 100 per cent high-reliability water shares by mid-October 2018 under average inflow conditions,” GoulburnMurray Water northern Victoria resource manager Mark Bailey said.

Autumn rain has wet the catchments but more rain is needed before flows into the major storages cause storage levels to rise.

“Based on the historical flow record, it is estimated that the probability of spill during 2018–19 in the Goulburn system could be about 30 per cent and about 75 per cent in the Murray system,” Dr Bailey said.

“The probability of spill in the Campaspe system is expected to be about 50 per cent at the start of 2018–19.

“Carryover will be deliverable in systems under all scenarios.”

The resource manager uses historical flow records to assess the seasonal determinations for a range of inflows to the major storages.

The scenarios are:

Wet: Inflow volumes to major storages that are greater in 10 years out of 100.

Average: Inflow volumes to major storages that are greater in 50 years out of 100.

Dry: Inflow volumes to major storages that are greater in 90 years out of 100.

Goulburn and Loddon system outlook for seasonal determination of high-reliability water shares Inflow conditions

Jul 2, Aug 15, Oct 15, Feb 15, 2018 2018 2018 2019

Wet

50%

100%

100%

100%

Average

33%

56%

100%

100%

Dry

24%

38%

55%

79%

Extreme dry

20%

26%

32%

36%

Murray system outlook for seasonal determination of high-reliability water shares

Extreme dry: Inflow volumes to major storages that are greater in 99 years out of 100.

Inflow conditions

Jul 2, Aug 15, Oct 15, Feb 15, 2018 2018 2018 2019

Wet

71%

92%

100%

100%

The following tables summarise possible high-reliability water share seasonal determinations through the season and include a reference year to help users recognise the possible inflow conditions.

Average

61%

75%

100%

100%

Dry

53%

62%

87%

100%

Extreme dry

42%

48%

58%

62%

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BlockGrain chief technical officer Martin Halford, marketing manager Megan Laws, chief operations manager Sam Webb and chief executive officer Caile Ditterich.

Tracking grain from go to whoa

W

hen most people think of selling grain, cryptography isn’t normally the first thing that comes to mind. But one company is hoping to change that.

Created as a way to solve the fragmentation and logistical issues with growing, selling and transporting grain, agtech start-up BlockGrain is utilising digital software to create a more cohesive selling process.

With a growing need for higher food production as the world population grows, many people are pointing to inefficiency within the supply chain as a growing problem for meeting demand for food.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates one-third of food produced for human consumption each year, about 1.3 billion tonnes, does not reach the consumer.

Inefficient supply chains, large intermediaries, lack of market access, technology limitations and indirect distribution channels are cited as key contributing factors.

Having grown up on his family farm near Swan Hill, fifth-generation farmer and BlockGrain co-founder and chief executive officer, Caile Ditterich, helped sow his first crop at the age of 12 before going on to become a grain merchant at GrainCorp and work with a number of start-ups.

“In the past, if you talked to any farmer, they’d usually say their biggest challenges came down to the weather and bulk commodity prices,” Mr Ditterich said.

“Their challenges include managing businesscritical data and cash flow, gaining trust of consumers about the origins for their food, and

10

AGFOCUS 2018

dealing with complexities of the supply chain, costing famers 30 per cent of their bottom line.”

Mr Ditterich said throughout his years in the business, the fragmentation between growers, brokers and logistics companies was a key concern, inspiring him to help create an application that could provide a more holistic view of the supply chain.

“What we found was there was nothing for farmers to manage grain movement; farmers have nothing to manage their contract and that anything to do with post-harvest is very fragmented,” he said.

“Basically the app allows for farmers to track all grain from paddock to storage. Then we built a system to allow logistics companies to track trucks and time slots and allow brokers to integrate with growers. So you now have a system that can track grain.”

The integration of blockchain — which utilises thousands of computers to ensure legitimate and secure payments — not only

assists with prompt payments, but moving forward Mr Ditterich sees other benefits to the technology’s security.

“It gives buyers and people purchasing security and peace of mind and proof that is has come from where it says it has,” he said.

With this in mind, and with plans to move into the horticulture industry, Mr Ditterich said there were already trials within the company that allowed users to scan a QR code on produce and see the entire supply chain from where, when and by whom it was picked, throughout the processing and, ultimately, sale of the produce.

“This would enable farmers to de-risk the environment and open up export opportunities.

“You can see exactly where it comes from, it can’t be changed or altered and consumers in China are willing to pay more (for Australian produce) so that helps bring value back to the farm level.”

– Alana Christensen

Utilising cryptography technology, the app also includes an unhackable data trail making it easier to determine where grain has been grown.

ADVERTORIAL

Talking real estate

with Kevin Hicks With almost two decades’ experience in the real estate business, Shepparton local and Kevin Hicks Real Estate director Kevin Hicks is well versed in the intricacies of selling property in the Goulburn Valley and surrounds.

Mr Hicks says there is plenty to be excited about with real estate in the region, and shares some tips and advice for those entering the real estate market.

What should I know before looking to sell my property?

The main thing is the expectation of market worth (value) of their property. It’s imperative that people contact their agent early to plan a strategy and marketing plan to get the desired outcome.

Working with rural people and agents, we understand the lay of the land and the strengths and weaknesses of each rural property, so it’s important that you work with someone that is able to understand and spell it out.

When is a good time to sell a property?

With broadacre properties, before or during seasonal growth. You sometimes need to sell in the peak of summer so the incoming buyer can organise spraying ahead of the season. Most farms are predominantly irrigated seasonally in autumn and spring, therefore it might be required that the property be offered for sale in early spring.

As fodder and cereal farms prepare for autumn germination, the winter months are the ideal time to promote and offer the property for sale, with the investment in the ground that the buyer can take advantage of upon acquisition.

What properties do you sell?

We manage every aspect of the region from broadacre to irrigation, vibrant dairy operations and boutique properties, and equine properties that have become a massive industry

www.kevinhicksrealestate.com.au

228-232 Wyndham Street Shepparton (03) 5821 8388 1-3 Melville Street Numurkah (03) 5862 2611

within the Goulburn Valley, which can be conducted very efficiently and lucratively on properties of 8 ha to 40ha.

What is currently in demand?

The consistent demand for lifestyle property continues to excel due to the geography and positioning within the region. And even if passive, many lifestyle properties offer good incomes with thriving communities just a short distance away and terrific access to vibrant communities, schools and sporting facilities.

With smaller scale farming properties, we’re seeing strong interest from migrating communities and those from overseas who are looking at rural locations such as dairy or cattle grazing properties for conversion to serious horticulture use.

What does the landscape within the region look like currently?

Most commodities are very strong within the rural sector and certainly commodities like sheep and beef have been achieving considerable and consistent returns. There’s certainly a brighter future for dairy properties.

We are strongly reliant on world markets and demand for the dairy product. The Aussie dollar remains low which will assist in the recovery of the commodity price. At present, well improved dairy farms represent great value for money compared to rainfall areas being far more expensive than our irrigation district.

Kevin Hicks’ Pr 2855 Katamatite-Shepparton Main Road, Tallygaroopna

SENSATIONAL IRRIGATION PROPERTY 470 acres – 190 ha (approx.)

“Glendon Park” is extremely well improved irrigation layout with fast and efficient flood irrigation, 3.66Ml per day delivery shares, 13Ml recycle sump and 82 meg turkey nest storage capacity. Designed and professionally farmed for fodder and cropping, this property would suit sheep/cattle fattening with internal fencing replaced. The property has 2 well presented homes to suit family and management. The original 4 BR home has been extended and renovated and provides quality family accommodation. The second 3BR home built for extended family is 29 years old and both are complemented by established gardens and surrounds. The shedding is extensive with a lock-up workshop and smoko room and 2 large machinery sheds surrounded by a hard stand area and mature box trees. The irrigation system will impress, a central laneway system links up two main titles with unused road separating the properties. “Glendon Park” is ideally located only 15 minutes north of Shepparton with prominent main road frontage.

Price: $1,995,000 Kevin Hicks 0428 271 270 MAGNIFICENT HOME AND GARDENS

1250 River Road, Toolamba

20 acres – 8 ha (approx.)

“Rosyth”, offers a lifestyle very few properties provide.

Excellent soil, improvements and location only 20 minutes south of Shepparton and a short drive to the Goulburn River and Toolamba township. “Rosyth” homestead has been meticulously renovated and extended providing restored classic features and a modern “country style” kitchen/living space that tick all the boxes. There are 4 bedrooms plus a study and traditional library, a separate lounge and formal dining room plus the kitchen living area. The homestead is well protected with 3m verandah providing great viewing of the ornamental lake. The irrigation system is very efficient and provides G-M Water via an electric motor/pump to 2 acres (approx.) of trellis plantations of a variety of berries, small orchard, lawns and gardens and an amazing vegie garden providing everything you need to be totally self-sufficient.

Auction: Saturday, August 11 at 11am Kevin Hicks 0428 271 270 PANORAMIC VIEWS OF THE VALLEY

2415 New Dookie Road, Dookie

30 acres – 12 ha (approx.)

A quality Davis Sanders built brick-veneer home comprising 3 BRs plus study and an open plan kitchen/dining and lounge room with magnificent uninterrupted views over the Goulburn Valley. The ‘Wirruna’ homestead is built with sandstone brick and has a full veranda and a low maintenance and drought resistance garden. The garden comprises a small lawn area and established garden beds, including a vegie garden, fruit and citrus trees, native shrubs and trees and a lucrative avocado planting sold from the front gate. ‘Wirruna’ is an organic haven providing home grown produce, well fenced 30 acres (approx.), ideal cattle/sheep/or horse paddocks – the perfect lifestyle or retirement option. A large 40’ x 25’ lock-up shed, with three-phase power and concrete floor. ‘Wirruna’ is a hidden gem, just 2 km west of Dookie and in full view of the iconic Dookie region.

Price: $650,000 Kevin Hicks 0428 271 270

Kevin Hicks 0428 271 270

Andrew Pogue 0421 743 555

Chris Drum 0400 213 223

Malcolm Blake 0409 426 486

Paul Durden 0409 563 671

Jason Hicks 0437 622 612

ime Properties 584 Strathallan Road, Bamawm

ELITE DAIRY ENTERPRISE – ECHUCA DISTRICT 440 acres – 178 ha (approx.)

Exceptional dairy plant/infrastructure with a 44-stand automated rotary dairy, 100% lasered and recycled flood irrigation layout and as-new deep straw compost barn (350 cow capacity).

Highly improved farm plan with 100% lasered and recycled flood irrigation layout, excellent fencing laneway system, 3 delivery shares, 2 service points (back bone connection) and a 490 meg bore plus waste water extraction licence. The property has a magnificent 6 bedroom home with 2 studies, 2 bathrooms and an ensuite, quality kitchen and separate living areas. Outside there is a beautiful in-ground pool and gardens. The complete package for the professional dairy person Price: On application – bare or walk-in walk-out Kevin Hicks 0428 271 270

1315 Toolamba-Rushworth Road, Tatura

LIFESTYLE PROPERTY MINUTES FROM TATURA 16.85 acres – 6.81 ha (approx.)

Set on 16.85 acres (approx.), this 3BR plus study home has recently been renovated and offers a large open main living area with kitchen, dining/family room, separate lounge room, and enclosed 7.4m x 8.4m patio/entertaining area with outdoor kitchen. There are BIR in 2 of the bedrooms and main BR has an ensuite. Outside there is a lock-up garage with a remote-controlled door as well as a separate studio unit. All paddocks are lasered and set up for flood irrigation. Excellent horse fencing and automatic troughs, and laneways to all paddocks and new cattle yards, crush and loading ramp. Other features of this property include 72m x 32m sand horse arena, 15m sand round yard, sand horse holding yard, concrete horse wash, 18m x 9.5m fully enclosed shed with concrete floor, 2 stables, tack room and feed and tie up area, plus a 12m x 6m machinery/hay shed. There are 3 water tanks, 3 pressure pumps, plus 2Ml HR water and 7.2Ml LR water is offered with this property.

Price: $650,000 Andrew Pogue 0421 743 555

95 Ebbotts Rd, Shepparton East

OUTSTANDING OLIVE GROVE 40 acres – 16.1 ha (approx.)

“Rocky Lead” is a well established olive grove (20 years) with modern micro jet irrigation system. Excellent home with improvements with modern farm plant and equipment available to purchase for olive grove management (at market value). Renovated country-style 5-bedroom home provides quality family living inside and out. Polished timber floors, open plan kitchen and family room with wood-heater and split system (heating/cooling), separate lounge with fire-place, 2 bathrooms and ducted air conditioning throughout the home. All bedrooms have built in robes. Northfacing outdoor entertaining timber deck overlooking the in-ground pool and small horse paddock (unfenced). This property is in full production now with mature olive trees. There is a second wellimproved 3-bredroom home on 1 acre (approx.) on a separate title adjoining the property for private sale if required for an orchard hand. Short drive to Shepparton (10 minutes) from the property.

Auction: Saturday, October 13 at 11am Kevin Hicks 0428 271 270

www.kevinhicksrealestate.com.au

228-232 Wyndham Street Shepparton (03) 5821 8388 1-3 Melville Street Numurkah (03) 5862 2611

Beef exports face pressure

D

evelopments in the United States are set to have implications for Australian beef producers as drought conditions, forced herd liquidation and recessionary pressures put stress on the global beef trade and prices.

Presenting to 200 beef producers and industry leaders at Beef Week in Queensland in May, Rabobank’s US senior animal protein analyst Don Close said market developments in the US would have a direct impact domestically.

“With the US the largest export customer Australia has, and with both countries being fierce competitors for export business in Japan and South Korea and potentially fighting it out for market share in China in the future (there will be an impact),” he said.

Despite the headwinds facing US and global beef markets, Mr Close, who is based in St Louis in Missouri, remained bullish about the longer-term outlook for global beef markets, saying he had never in his 45-year career “seen the global marketplace as exciting and ready for change”.

“While the market will remain cyclical, the overall direction will be driven by the increasing demand for animal protein,” Mr Close said.

“And we are talking about the 300 million in China’s emerging middle class, but also SouthEast Asia and southern Africa — where the opportunities are incredible.

“We are also seeing rapid changes in consumer demand, and the insatiable demand

for convenience. Rarely a day goes by without a new development in home delivery or meal kits.”

He said in the US, this changing consumer demand had taken place during a time when the country’s economy had been expanding and it would be interesting to see the US market “stress-tested” by a contracting economy.

Mr Close said the risk of recession, together with increasing gasoline prices, were likely to impact American consumers’ discretionary income and their demand for beef — particularly more premium cuts — at a time when US beef production was on the rise.

“However, currently 70 per cent of our US beef herd are residing in areas of extreme drought. While we still have a window of opportunity for rain, the likelihood we will see some level of forced liquidation before the end of the US summer is very high,” he said.

Currently US beef cow slaughter rates are up 10.5 per cent above the levels witnessed 12 months ago, but Mr Close believes this could rise to between 12 and 15 per cent.

With total US beef production now at levels that could not be consumed domestically, Mr Close said US dependency on exports would become increasingly important, ultimately putting Australia, which exports about 70 per cent of beef produced, in a difficult position.

“Australia is going to have to work harder to find a home for their product in the US,” he said.

Historically, Australian 90CL beef — 90 per cent lean red meat and 10 per cent fat — attracts a two to five cents per pound premium over US product.

“However, even with the escalated US cattle slaughter, US 90CL is generating a 10 to 15 cents per pound premium over Australian product,” Mr Close said.

After some fluctuation earlier in the year, Rabobank expects Australian cattle prices to remain at more sustainable levels for processors, helping to stabilise the market.

Source: Meat & Livestock Australia and Rabobank

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CATCHING UP WITH

SUZANNA SHEEDMP Independent Member for Shepparton District

WHAT AN EXCITING TIME FOR OUR REGION After receiving so little for so long, we are now seeing massive investment in our community.

Already underway is the redevelopment of our hospital, a transformation of the schooling experiences for our young people and works on the Shepparton train line to make it VLocity-ready for nine return services a day by 2021.

But challenges remain that we must address.

Our community has been built on agriculture and we must protect our ability to produce the highquality, clean, green food that is so highly sought after around the world.

This means standing up for our farmers’ access to water, ensuring welcome investment in solar energy does not come at the cost of prime irrigated agricultural land and being proactive in supporting our food-producing industries to adapt and grow in a changing global climate.

It also means tackling the unacceptably high rate of mental and physical health issues in regional and rural areas.

I am excited about what the future holds for this region and I look forward to continuing to work with you to deliver the outcomes we deserve.

03 5831 6944 03 5831 6836 suzanna.sheed@parliament.vic.gov.au Suzanna Sheed @SheedSuzanna www.suzannasheed.com.au Funded from Parliament’s Electorate Office and Communications budget. Authorised by: SUZANNA SHEED, 5 Vaughan Street, Shepparton. VIC 3630.

Lending a hand to protect nature

The deviation of a pipe through the Langs’ Dhurringile dairy farm has helped to preserve a river gum wetland.

A

new drain cutting through a Dhurringile The program is designed to remove excess dairy farm has been years in the making. surface water from irrigation or rainfall, and The deviation of the drain through Phil convey this run-off into a natural stream. and Markus Lang’s property has helped to “The program’s policy was to avoid and restore a river gum wetland and preserve a minimise the removal of native vegetation,” pair of 300-year-old grey box trees Ms Caldwell said.

First floated as an idea some years ago, She said it was crucial to protect old the recently completed project has seen the paddock trees, like the ancient pair of grey realisation of a plan a long time in the making. box trees on the Langs’ farm, which were in The drain’s trench occupies a 1 km stretch the path of the original Mosquito 40 drain route. of land about 20 m wide, meaning the Langs “Just imagine what those trees have seen in have lost about 2 ha of land. But Phil said it 300 years. To be able to protect them because was a small price to pay, made even easier by Phil was supportive of the deviation is an the semi-productive nature of the land. excellent result.”

The Langs milk 1800 cows on their 1214 ha Ms Caldwell said only two per cent of the farm. Phil said following heavy rains in plains woodland vegetation type, of which December a whole section of the property was grey box was the dominant species, under water. was left in northern Victoria.

He believes another heavy rainfall event will Goulburn-Murray Water built the be a good test for the new drain, with excess Mosquito 40 drainage scheme. water hopefully being removed through G-MW’s Carolyn Nigro said the the drain — a win-win for the farm and the scheme had succeeded in environment. protecting environmental features Phil said he was pleased to be able to lend a and promoting agricultural hand to the project. productivity.

“Farmers are environmental managers as well.

– Alana Christensen It is in our interest to look after the environment because we make our living from it so it’s part of our job to protect it.

“We’ve lost too many paddock trees over the decades so these days we do what we can to protect the ones we’ve got. It gives us a good feeling to think we’re doing our bit for the environment.”

Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s Rebecca Caldwell said the Surface Water Management Program in the Shepparton Irrigation Region had a strong legacy of positive A river gum wetland will help to preserve environmental outcomes.

two 300-year-old grey box trees.

16

AGFOCUS 2018

Dhurringile dairy farmer Phil Lang, who milks 1800 cows on a 1214 ha property with his brother Markus, is happy to help establish the wetland on their farm.

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Forget fried green tomatoes; this product is simply better W

HEN we think of a tomato we all think of the rich red, sun-ripened variety, don’t we?

However, some, a very few, such as Marilyn Lanyon, don’t see it the same way.

Because Marilyn likes her tomatoes green — and the greener the better as far as she is concerned.

Green or red, after 30 years as growers Marilyn and husband Ian know just about everything there is to know about tomatoes.

And through those decades Marilyn has experimented, invented, improved and gone back to the drawing board with tomato recipe after recipe.

But it wasn’t until the early 2000s she decided to give up supplying the processors and take the plunge to establish what has now become the international business, Simply Tomatoes.

Based on the humble green tomato and a family favourite recipe, in 2001 Marilyn decided to get serious about her product.

“I had some Italian friends who were always eating green tomatoes so I played around with the recipe (she had 18 different ones) until I found one everybody loved.

Simply Tomatoes now sells its specialty green tomato products around the world and they are all grown on just one, solitary acre (or 0.4 ha), using chemical-free drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation uses 30 per cent less water than flood irrigation and allows the couple to produce 40–60 tonnes of green tomatoes depending on the season.

They are handpicked and within an hour have gone from the vine to the start of the fourday process of being preserved in a salt and vinegar brine before being finished off in extra virgin olive oil, oregano and garlic.

Products include Simply Green Tomatoes, Simply Spread and Simply Dressing — the range is gluten-free, has no added sugar and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

“There is actually nothing special about the tomato we use, it just hasn’t ripened,” Marilyn said.

“We look for a small, round, firm-fleshed size that fits into our slicer. The solid flesh and 18

AGFOCUS 2018

Sliced tomatoes being prepared for the Simply Tomatoes products.

Ian and Marilyn Lanyon in their on-farm shop.

thick skin allow it to hold its shape. We discard anything that has a bit of colour because it doesn’t look good in the packaging” The catalyst for the family’s change of direction came after Marilyn took a trip overseas to research value adding.

“When I came home Ian and I decided it was time to pursue my idea with the green tomatoes so I had a conference with the family and soon after we started Simply Tomatoes,” Marilyn said.

All product is processed through a modern factory located on the family farm at Boort.

A large storage facility made from shipping containers buried underground was built to provide a cool and stable environment for bulk storage of the product, which has a 24-month shelf life.

The couple started the venture smack in the middle of the millennium drought.

“We started two years into the drought. We thought this will be over soon but little did we know it would go on for the next eight years and then be followed by a record flood.”

Marilyn said she was very proud of the fact they are in control of every step of the process, from the seed that goes into the ground to the packaged product that goes overseas.

“We dispatch the product from the table in our very large kitchen and it finds its way all around the country and the world” Marilyn said internet sales make up a large part of the business — and that is increasing.

“We have a database of about 800 and more than 1500 Facebook followers — this is the way of the world now and you have to go with it as a way to market your business.”

Tourism has also become a major part of a day in the life of Simply Tomatoes.

In fact Marilyn said it has been a powerful positive.

“We had some people come through and at that particular time we weren’t doing anything with the salt and vinegar brine. Someone made a suggestion and bang, right there I thought ‘we can turn what was a waste product into a beautiful dressing’ and that’s exactly what we do now.

“It has amazed both Ian and me how interested people are in what we do here

on the farm and they just seem to love the experience.”

In fact in 2015 the farm won silver in the Victorian Tourism Awards in the excellence in food tourism category, backing it up in 2017 with gold.

“We had no idea our business would evolve in this way just from one little green tomato idea and now we have people staying on our farm in their RVs by the dam.

“We can cater for a morning tea picnic box or lunch but everyone who comes here, has a free tasting of the tomatoes along with a cuppa.”

And when you consider that’s more than 3000 visitors a year, that’s quite a lot of tastings.

Marilyn said one of the best ways to get feedback on their product in the early days was to travel to farmers’ markets.

“That was the best starting point because we received honest feedback from our customers about our product.

“In 2004 we won best new product Australiawide and in the same year we won gold in the Australian packaging awards.

“Not long after that we had a customer come up and comment about how much packaging we were wasting and even though it hurt at the time, we ended up listening and changed our packaging to be more environmentally friendly.”

Marilyn is forever dreaming up new ideas and she said her staff of eight shudder when she tells them ‘I have an idea’.

One of those ideas was to diversify into manufacturing top quality wool bedding through purchasing Aussie Wool Quilts — Boort.

The family now manufactures top quality 100 per cent Australian wool bedding on the farm which includes doona-style quilts, under-blankets, pillows and Woolly Warmers (therapeutic heat pads made from wheat and wool in 18 different body shapes and sizes) in all the standard sizes, plus, because all products are individually handmade, orders can be customised to suit any particular need — but that’s a story for another time.

– Sophie Baldwin

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MAN’S BEST FRIEND

The best of Man’s Best Friend Man’s Best Friend is one of Country News’ longest running and most popular features. Every week there is a new dog (or two, or three) with a new story to share.

Echuca Village is where you will find two of the friendliest dogs going around. Casey and Jo Jo love the company of Allan and Lyn Newton’s grandchildren, but when it comes to befriending other dogs or the family cat they are definitely not as keen. They both enjoy a ride in the ute with Allan telling Country News in April the dogs “would live in the back of the ute if they could”.

Goannas and dogs are not normally the best of friends. But that has not stopped Jette — who lives on Ann and Alex Sloane’s Savernake property — from befriending one of the wild reptiles.

“Goannas and dogs aren’t known to be the friendliest. She (Jette) didn’t even flinch when it sat on her head — she just sat there,” Ann told Country News in December.

Named after a dog in the book series Ranger’s Apprentice, Shadow the border collie is not much more than a pup, but he enjoys working the beef cattle on the Yambuna property where he lives with the McMaster family. In his down time, Shadow enjoys a swim in the nearby lagoon and the cattle trough, and was happily getting wet when Country News visited in February. He also enjoys playing soccer and is “quite a good goalie” his young owner, Joshua McMaster, said.

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Steve Dalitz could not have anticipated the hype about his son’s dog, Billy, when the dairy farmer uploaded a video in September of the dachshund getting the cows in on his Numurkah property. The video resulted in the two being interviewed on Channel 9’s Today show and now Billy has his own Facebook page. According to Steve, Billy does not mind a potato cake, and also eats cut-up fruit just so that he doesn’t miss out on what everyone else is eating.

On Joe and Varie White’s Merrigum farm, Fyfe the kelpie has lost his job as a sheepdog. To whom, you ask? The answer is Al the alpaca — and the two do not like each other because of it. Before losing his job, Fyfe — named after Fremantle footballer Nathan Fyfe — was a good sheepdog, according to his owners. “When we have sheep in the yard and we are drafting and when Al’s outside hissing, that’s the only time he works the sheep,” Joe told Country News in August.

Country News visited Kilmore in October to meet Bowsie, the terrier-pomeranian cross. Bowsie could be mistaken for a cat because his owners Carolyn, David, Sarah (pictured) and James Atkinson said he had nine lives. “Last year he fell into the indoor fire and burned his mouth and three paws. We thought that this is it, but after daily bathing of his wounds he survived,” Carolyn said. He has also been on a few adventures, including going missing for three days in the coldest part of the year.

Dunstall Rural Supplies manager Brent Dunstall’s dogs are workers of a different kind, Country News discovered in March. Dusty, who hates drones, and Coco, whose colours resemble a coconut, join Brent at the Kyabram business and greet customers as they come and go. As well as entertaining the customers, Dusty is a gun fielder when it comes to a game of cricket.

AGFOCUS 2018

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The large plot trial at Dookie.

The Yarrawonga site in 2016, showing the location of data loggers through the field trial.

Riverine Plains research and extension officer Cassandra Schefe and Michael Straight from FAR Australia.

One size does not fit all when it comes to stubble The four field sites were located at Dookie, Yarrawonga, Henty and Coreen. This is short stubble on the Dookie site.

It’s a community effort

Let’s stop the spread of Queensland Fruit Fly Goulburn Murray Valley regional actions against fruit fly include: Successful Urban Tree Removal Program Eradication of rogue host trees along roadsides, channel banks and public land Partnering with service clubs and schools to educate children and make fruit fly traps Field Officers to manage fruit fly hot spots Community education on the importance of Pick, Prune and Protect Grower and industry education Ongoing support for community groups and organisations to join the fight against fruit fly

Thank you for your continued support THESE ACTIONS ARE FUNDED BY THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT’S MANAGING FRUIT FLY REGIONAL GRANTS PROGRAM

gmv-qldfruitfly 24

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www.gmv-qldfruitfly.com.au

A

five-year project on stubble management techniques has delivered new knowledge to cropping farmers.

The Maintaining Profitable Farming Systems with Retained Stubble in the Riverine Plains Region Project was managed by farming systems group Riverine Plains, and its research and extension officer Cassandra Schefe said the project had gone where no other science had gone before.

“It’s quite amazing what we have been pulling out of this project,” Dr Schefe said.

“We have created new knowledge of cropping systems.

As a farming group we feel we’ve made a significant contribution to cropping management.”

The new knowledge she refers to is the project’s findings, now field trials are completed, which discovered that retaining stubble above 40 cm can slow down the growing stage of a crop.

“No-one has monitored shading (before now). Retaining stubble as tall stubble resulted in early shading of the establishing crop which can delay plant development early in the season,” Dr Schefe said.

“This is not common knowledge.”

This was not the only unexpected finding from the project, with the group expecting yield penalties and an increased risk of frosting.

“We were expecting yield penalties coming in but a key point out of the project was that stubble management — whether it is retention, burning or removing straw, etc — had limited impact on crop yield.

“We did see some yield differences but no consistent trends. “(We found) no consistent trends that stubble retention would increase the risk of frost in Riverine Plains region.

“Being in a different climatic system, this is opposite to what has been done in the Western Australia cropping region.”

Dr Schefe said after five years of the project, there was no right stubble management technique.

“One size doesn’t fit all. In the end it’s the stubble management that fits your farming program.”

The overarching outcome from this project will be to increase the adoption of no-till stubble retention systems across the Riverine Plains region.

The Maintaining Profitable Farming Systems with Retained Stubble in the Riverine Plains Region Project was managed by Riverine Plains Inc, supported

by FAR Australia and funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation as part of an overarching national initiative focused on maintaining the profitability of stubble-retained systems.

– Rodney Woods

Story: Rosalea Ryan

Pictures: Ray Sizer

Finding the right solution I

f there’s a single common challenge hovering over Australia’s pome fruit industry it’s labour — specifically, a shortage thereof — prompting 2018 Nuffield scholar Bisi Oladele to look into packhouse automation.

As the technical manager for Geoffrey Thompson Fruit Packing at Shepparton, Ms Oladele oversees all quality control and compliance aspects of one of Australia’s biggest apple and pear packing operations.

Goulburn Valley fruit growers deliver apples and pears to Jeftomson, as the company is known, supplementing product from the company’s own 700 ha of orchards.

Jeftomson-owned farms produce about 90 000 bins a year, comprising five varieties of apple (Cripps Pink, Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Red Delicious and Fuji) and three of pear (Williams, Packham and Beurré Bosc) — of which more than 90 per cent is distributed domestically. The company has direct supply relationships with all Australian retailers.

The remaining fruit is exported to the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

Relocating to ‘Victoria’s fruit bowl’ gave Ms Oladele an appreciation of the factors influencing labour availability in regional centres.

“One of the main problems for the Jeftomson business is we don’t seem to be able to attract locals to our farm working crews,” she said.

“Mostly they’re backpackers.”

Ms Oladele said the short-term nature of harvest work was also unappealing to potential applicants, with getting the right staff always an industry problem.

“In fairness, we can’t guarantee full-time jobs for people all year round,” she said.

“Sometimes we forget that’s why they don’t want to do work on a farm or in a packhouse.

Many people prefer to look for a job they can do full-time.

“That’s why we have backpackers.

Unfortunately, some backpackers are only here for three to six months and then they go, and we have another set the following year and 26

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another set the year after that.”

Jeftomson’s solution is to ensure the backbone of the operation remains stable by having highly skilled locals in core positions.

“We always try to make sure in each key area we have highly skilled locals who can assist the new staff with on-the-job training,” Ms Oladele said.

As one of 24 Australians awarded agricultural research scholarships by the Nuffield Foundation for 2018, Ms Oladele plans to investigate the potential for automating packhouse processes as an alternative to relying entirely on human labour.

“With Nuffield it’s not all for travelling so I’ll be looking at what’s happening inside Australia as well as outside. I will see what’s happening here so I can know where we are as an industry,” she said.

“A few people from our business have travelled to the USA, New Zealand and Europe in the past to look at automation, so that’s given me a guide; Italy, the Netherlands and maybe one other country are being considered for my future travels. That will be a little bit later in the year.

“I’m also hoping to go to South Africa, because it’s big in exports of apples and pears. It will be interesting to see what the South Africans do.

“I’m thinking they might not see much need for automation because they have a big population (of workers), in which case I will then look at which countries are successful in what they’re doing not because they’re doing it better at all, but because they have a cheaper labour supply.

“It’s going to be expensive to put in the level of automation required so we must ensure we are making the right decision.

“For this investment to be viable it will mean the Jeftomson business may need to work with other businesses to increase the volume of fruit being packed through the new automated facility.”

Ms Oladele said the most efficient model

The company-owned farms produce about 90 000 bins of apples and pears a year. could involve groups of packers investing together in advanced automated equipment.

She said automation would not necessarily make all manual workers redundant but could instead pave the way for existing team members to move into specially skilled roles.

“In Australia we need to upskill our staff, whereas in the countries where they have the access to cheap labour there is not currently the need to automate.”

“This article first appeared in Australian Fruitgrower magazine”.

2018 Nuffield Scholar and Geoffrey Thompson Fruit Packing technical manager Bisi Oladele is exploring ways to automate the packhouse.

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Lockington’s Grant and Naomi Sims are always looking for ways to improve their farming practices.

Custodians of the soil for the next generation Y

ou could say that Lockington farmers Grant and Naomi Sims have their hands full — a 4047 ha property and staff to manage, daily transportation of grain to organise and accounting records to keep.

But the reason for this busy lifestyle is pretty simple.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve — and I think if we can leave the soil for our kids in a better condition than which we found it, then that’s the aim,” Mr Sims said.

“We want to be able to hand this on to the next generation.”

The young farmers are in their 30s, and have created their own little slice of paradise about 15 minutes from the Lockington township on a piece of land that has been in Mr Sims’ family for six generations.

While their focus is on cropping, they have recently expanded into beef cattle.

“We have also just celebrated 140 years on this land,” Mr Sims said.

“It was 1887 when my family first bought this land. It was Samuel Sims, and his family grew produce.

“They were great entrepreneurs and the land has been passed down through the generations since then. I consider us very lucky to live out here.”

The couple grew 11 crop varieties last year using flood irrigation. The irrigation infrastructure was modernised in 2014 as part of the Connections project, with some open channels replaced with pipes.

The couple is always trialing innovative ideas, with a focus on diversity and crop rotation.

“We’ve got wheat, barley, oats, canola, beans 28

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and lentils among others,” Mr Sims said.

“We’ve also been trying out companion cropping — growing canola and faba beans together.

“We do lots of trials — probably too many sometimes — to see what works in our own paddocks.”

The couple is very mindful of soil health and what is applied to the paddocks.

“It does all come back to sprays. We minimise this as much as we can,” Mrs Sims said.

“As we stopped relying on synthetic chemicals and fertilisers, we noticed more ants, spiders and insects in the paddock — everything came to life,” Mr Sims said.

“And for every one pest there are far more good bugs. You have to realise that insecticide kills everything — both the good and the bad.

A pest is only a pest because of its ability to reproduce so rapidly.”

Mr Sims said pests and disease were often a symptom that the soil and surrounding environment might be out of balance.

“As things get more in balance, there are usually fewer issues. Diversity is important to ensure there’s a range of soil nutrients,” he said.

For Mrs Sims, life on the farm is a very different kind of paradise to the one she grew up with.

“I’m originally from the Mornington Peninsula.

I’m used to being five minutes from the beach,” she said.

“Grant and I met in London in 2006 and he asked me to move back here with him. I said to

him, ‘Is the farm near the beach?’, and he said ‘no’. So I asked ‘Can I get a pool?’ and he said ‘okay’.

“I’m still waiting on the pool and now have three children championing the idea,” she jokes.

“As we stopped relying on synthetic chemicals and fertilisers, we noticed more ants, spiders and insects in the paddock — everything came to life.”

Grant Sims Mr Sims said his wife played an important role in the farm’s operation and was engaged in all facets of the work.

“She helps keep the ship running. At eight months’ pregnant with our first child she was driving tractors around the property — much to the horror of our neighbours,” he said.

“It is awesome being able to bounce ideas off Naomi, I value her opinion as she brings a fresh perspective to things which as a generational farmer I may not always identify.”

In the past eight months, Mrs Sims has been learning how to run the farm’s books.

“I now have a greater depth of understanding of the operational impact on the financials of running a business — it is a full-time job which will continue to evolve as our business evolves,” she said.

The couple’s three children are River, 9, Shiloh, 7, and Hunter, 4.

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Standing up for Country People and Country Lifestyles

Daniel Young M.P. Member for Northern Victoria Region www.danielyoungmp.com.au Daniel.Young@parliament.vic.gov.au Shop 5/30 Wallis St, Seymour Victoria 3660 Phone: (03) 5799 1331 Fax: (03) 5799 1588 Funded from Parliament’s Electorate Office and Communication Budget.

Authorised by Daniel Young.

Story: Rodney Woods

Pictures: Julie Mercer

Late crops of chillies growing on the plants. Mr Avram says they continue to grow the crop until frosts arrive.

Turning up the heat on chillies D

espite northern Victoria’s summer temperatures putting pressure on growing chillies, one producer says it is worth the risk.

Shepparton chilli grower Peter Avram, whose family has been growing chillies since the early 1970s, said the make-up of his family’s business had changed over the years, with many of the changes made during drought years.

“My parents have been growing chillies for nearly 50 years,” Mr Avram said.

“Back then we had flood irrigation. They were harder to grow in flood irrigation because of a lot of tractor work, scarifying and manual labour back then.

“At the end of ‘96 we put sprinklers in for our peaches, pears and apples. When we had fruit we had five times the amount of chillies we have now.”

Mr Avram currently grows 0.81 ha of chillies on a property in Doyles Rd, after giving up on fruit growing in 2009.

“Fruit became too costly to grow,” he said.

“We hardly use water (in comparison) with the drip tape (which was also installed during the drought years).”

When it comes to growing the spicy fruit, summer temperatures in northern Victoria make it difficult to be successful.

“We plant in the middle of October, and are picking (our first crop) by Christmas/New Year,” Mr Avram said.

“Thirty-five (degrees Celsius) they can handle it, 37°C/38°C is extreme and if it gets to 40°C you can forget it. They burn a lot in extreme heat.

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AGFOCUS 2018

“It’s a risk. Sometimes you can get away with it. Sometimes you can’t.”

Heat is not the only weather conditions that can affect growth.

“Melbourne Cup time is the time to plant to avoid frost (at the start of the season),” Mr Avram said.

“We keep picking until the frost comes (at the end of the picking season).

“The second and third planting have to worry about frosts because they’re a fresher crop and you’ll be lucky to pick them once or twice.”

“You don’t want them growing in the same spot for more than two years.

This is the first time anything has grown there since the pears came out.”

Peter Avram

Peter Avram sells his chillies at the Melbourne Wholesale Market.

Despite the risks, Mr Avram said growing chillies in northern Victoria was more successful than if he tried to grow them in Melbourne, where he sells them.

“There are better growing conditions up here than suburban Melbourne and plenty of good soil,” he said.

“You don’t want them growing in the same spot for more than two years. This is the first time anything has grown there since the pears came out.”

Mr Avram said selling his crop at the Melbourne Wholesale Market, rather than locally, was the most economical option.

Despite only growing a small crop, Mr Avram has no plans to expand as he juggles his chilli crop with his work at Ryan’s Cheap & Fresh Fruit & Veg. “I haven’t got time for that. That is enough to maintain and be able to pick on time. If we got any bigger that’s where the costs come in.”

Shepparton’s Peter Avram says chillies do not like extreme heat or frosts.

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A Fruit Plus pack coming off the new line at SPC.

Operator Peter Rickards monitors the new filling machine.

SPC looks to a fruitful future A

new product line featuring pureed snack fruit is part of SPC’s technological transformation with new equipment and new products.

The pouch packs — in 90 g, 120 g and 140 g sizes — contain a mixture of fruit, most of which is grown in the Goulburn Valley, and should be on the supermarket shelves mid-2018.

SPC has installed an Italian-made packaging machine to produce the range of packs and Shepparton staff have been trained in its operation.

The recipes, also developed in Shepparton, use an apple puree base, with added fruits like banana, pineapple and mango.

The pouch line is one advance introduced

by SPC in a range of new technology being constructed, including air-filtered clean rooms replacing ageing boilers and steel.

The company announced recently it was “back in the black” following the expenditure of more than $100 million of corporate and government money on new equipment.

“It’s about reducing waste, increasing efficiencies and leveraging new technologies,” SPC manufacturing general manager Simon Taylor said of the strategy behind the company’s approach.

“The challenge for our team in Shepparton 32

AGFOCUS 2018

has been to get the cost of goods right, so we can say to the marketing team: ‘go get them’.

“We’ve been focused sharply on that in recent years.”

The company will also develop a new staffing profile, with an emphasis on maintaining and operating new technology.

“It’s no longer about putting ‘that stuff’ into a can,” Mr Taylor said.

“And we need to be agile to adapt to changing tastes.”

SPC recently despatched its first container of snack pack fruit to China in many years, representing a turning point for the company, which had struggled in recent years to climb back into profitability.

The company has announced it will replace the Shepparton peach processing line with the first stage of work costing millions of dollars, starting this year. The oldest cooker on the line was around in 1938.

SPC has implemented some new equipment with a capital program partly funded with a government grant but the latest capital works are being self-funded.

One of the new range of fruit products from SPC coming out this year.

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The Leopard laser grader made in Kyabram and on the job.

JN & R Engineering managing director Gino D’Angelo has a map on his office wall showing where the laser graders are headed.

Sending laser graders across the Pacific A

Welding is a skilled trade required to build the graders, but qualified employees are hard to find.

34

AGFOCUS 2018

Kyabram-based family business, which has successfully produced agricultural machinery for 40 years, has moved into exporting to the United States.

Established in 1973 by company founder John D’Angelo, the small business has grown to supply agricultural machinery, including laser graders and hay feeders, all around Australia.

The export model, the Leopard 14, is hydraulically operated and can be GPScontrolled. It has been used for laser grading farm paddocks, building farm dams and constructing roads.

The company has built 600 laser graders since 1985 and the Leopard is the latest variant, including improvements and modifications developed over the years.

While exporting the laser graders (two are in the first shipment) represents a shift for the company, managing director Gino D’Angelo sounds a note of caution.

One limiting factor has been the difficulty in finding qualified staff to do the fabrication.

He has been forced to go overseas to recruit competent employees that now make up a diversified workforce of about 33 people at the

Supervisor Darren Hazelman (left) talks to metal fabricator Harley Nicolaisen on the factory floor.

Gino D’Angelo with the container which has taken two laser graders to the US.

The company is now gearing up to increase the output from 50 graders a year to 70, and Mr D’Angelo is aware that if the Americans like the equipment and sales take off, there could be enormous demand.

McCormick Rd factory.

It’s not the first foray into export for JN & R Engineering. In 2007, the company sent a number of machines to the Middle East, but the increasing value of the Australian dollar stymied that outlet.

The most recent export opportunity arose when they received an inquiry from the US and the interested buyer travelled to Kyabram to inspect the equipment for himself.

“We took him around, showed him the factory and working machines and he was sold on the idea,” Mr D’Angelo said.

Two employees met the first shipment when it arrived in the US in April to get the laser graders up and running.

The company is now gearing up to increase the output from 50 graders a year to 70, and Mr D’Angelo is aware that if the Americans like the equipment and sales take off, there could

be enormous demand.

A recent $500 000 grant provided by the Federal Government under the Regional Jobs and Investment Program will be used to tool up for a $1 million expansion.

Founder John D’Angelo first came to Australia for a holiday when he was only 18. A qualified fitter and turner, he spent nearly two years gaining experience at Laverton and then returned to Kyabram with ambitions to start his own business.

He initially worked for the Kyabram Preserving Company for five years, while also carrying out part-time work as a fitter and turner for local Italian businesses.

He soon built up a reputation as a skilled tradesperson and found that demand for his services was exceeding the time that he had available so he purchased land and built a workshop.

Inside the Kyabram factory where the laser graders are fabricated.

AGFOCUS 2018

35

D airy moving in the right direction

F

or many Australian farmers still under pressure from several challenging seasons, the current steady-to-slightlylower milk price outlook has been met with gloom and disappointment.

However, the current market is delivering more upwards pressure on prices than anybody expected a few months ago.

Dairy Australia senior industry analyst John Droppert said the key question now was whether it would persist long enough to materially change next season’s outlook at the farm gate.

Mr Droppert said New Zealand’s production for the season from June to March was tracking 0.3 per cent below last year on a volume basis and 1.3 per cent below on a solids basis, due to lower feed quality.

With more settled weather, the balance of the season could see some improvement; but with only three months left and a strong finish last year, the seasonal total will still most likely end up lower than last season.

In Europe, cold weather until recently delayed the onset of a ‘proper’ spring for many farmers, and production slowed markedly as a result. European markets — especially for fats — are seeing some price gains now, as buyers who waited for further price drops have been caught short and forced back into the market.

Mr Droppert said the recent progress in selling a further 60 000 tonnes of the European Commission’s skim milk powder stockpile had also contributed, reducing the burden this

There are encouraging international signs for the dairy industry, but the question remains how this will impact farm gate milk prices. ageing inventory is placing on the market.

In the United States, milk production is continuing to grow at 1–2 per cent on a yearon-year basis, but slowing overall within this range.

Culling for the first quarter of 2018 was reportedly 5.5 per cent above the same period in 2017, and in some parts of the US mid-west, farmers describe a ‘crisis’ caused by low milk prices. Conversely, in the western states, warmer than average winter weather has produced strong milk production growth.

Australian milk production is ahead of expectations for the season to March, up 3.4 per cent despite especially difficult conditions in northern regions and south-west Victoria.

The combination of overhanging issues, the recent fires in south-west Victoria and concerns about profitability heading into 2018–19 are likely to slow this growth for the remaining months of the current season.

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Dairy Australia’s expectation remains for growth in milk intakes to moderate to between two and three per cent for the full 2017–18 season.

In recent weeks, the demand side of the equation has increasingly contributed to market strength. Algeria is growing its powder purchases, while buyers in South-East Asia and China are also active.

Some have reportedly brought forward purchases and are looking to increase their coverage going forward, suggesting they see limited further downside potential for pricing.

Mr Droppert said there remained significant downside risks ahead on the supply side in particular, but for now, things were moving in the right direction for Australian dairy farmers.

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Leigh Fletcher is approaching the end of his two-year term as a Murray Dairy Focus Farmer. He has found the experience to be confronting but worthwhile as he has tried to minimise the impact of tough dairy conditions on his business enterprise.

Spotlight on tough two years M

urray Dairy’s Focus Farmers Leigh and Sacha Fletcher are nearing the end of their two-year tenure.

They farm alongside Leigh’s parents Rodney and Karen on 245 ha just outside Cohuna.

They have had their business under the microscope over one of the most difficult periods in the dairy industry — as the milk price crashed and their own business received a series of hard knocks, including the loss of the majority of their hay to fire in 2016.

“We have been through some pretty hard times,” Leigh Fletcher said.

“The first year was extremely tough and we were definitely restricted financially but the support group has challenged me and it has been great to get other people’s view.”

When the Fletchers signed up for the Focus Farm program, their main aim was to develop a wel-communicated and mutually beneficial succession plan.

“I am not getting any younger and I have a young family, so succession was definitely something we wanted to look at,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Unfortunately our tough first year has really impacted on our ability to be able to do that.”

Other aims of the program were: • Reduce the farm’s break-even milk price from $6.14/kg of milk solids in 2015–16 to a long-term average of $4.50/kg.

• Keep a close track on monthly cash flow against annual and monthly budgets.

• Grow the business while supporting two generations of the Fletcher family.

Mr Fletcher returned to the industry six years ago after a career in project managing.

“I have come from a background where there is a clear pathway to do things,” he said.

“One of the most rewarding things about the whole program has been to learn to value other people’s opinions and realise that there can be more than one way to do things and maybe even do it better.

“I think the success of the Focus Farm comes down to a great support group and if you are

open and honest, you will get a lot more out of the program.

“At the end of the day we all want to be as profitable as we can and a program like this does have the ability to help you achieve that.”

Mr Fletcher said he had also learned the value of having a good farm consultant on his team.

“Tom Farran has done a great job. We will continue with him when the program finishes.

“He has provided another perspective to our business and it’s great to have someone point out different things that we might actually not be able to see.”

From a herd management perspective not a lot has changed, it has remained similar with an autumn/spring split-calving herd.

“Herd numbers have been difficult to maintain around 300. We are back to 270 and I am thinking about getting more milk out of less cows,” Mr Fletcher said.

“We do have over 100 heifer replacements for the next year which could bring our numbers back up, but it all comes back to the breakeven price for our farm.”

When it comes to supplying a processor, the business is now chasing the best price. Loyalty is definitely a thing of the past.

“From a business perspective we can’t afford to think any different. We need to look at every aspect of our business and always get the best price we can — if that means moving processors, I don’t have a problem with that.”

The business is currently supplying Australian Dairy Farmers Corporation (ADFC).

Mr Fletcher said the biggest area he had the ability to reduce costs in was to grow more fodder.

“Water has a huge impact on our ability to do this but it is still the most efficient way to feed our cows. We are definitely moving back to a more pasture-based system and not a high input system.”

They have had a go at growing corn, but Mr Fletcher is not interested in that path for his business.

“I am looking at the genetic potential of our cows and trying to feed them as consistently and as best as I can, from a predominately pasture-based diet.”

To improve his knowledge he is currently enrolled in the Feeding Pastures for Profit program.

Mr Fletcher said he loved the challenge of farming but the past couple of years had certainly been tough.

“Six years ago there was a $6 milk price and everything looked so promising.

“Water plays a huge part of our success here in northern Victoria and that aspect has certainly been hard to manage over the last few years.

“We can produce milk here in the north, we just need water at an affordable price to be able to do that.

“Water availability has been a huge impediment for the growth of our industry and the milk pool needs to increase for us to have a long-term sustainable future.”

Mr Fletcher said he was now prepared to look at other options and different ways of doing things for his business, which was one of the best things about the program.

“I don’t know whether diversifying the business so we have less reliance on milk income is something we might consider in the future, but I am prepared to look at all the options.

– Sophie Baldwin

Farmers hear the latest from the Fletcher farm at a Focus Farm field day.

AGFOCUS 2018

37

Graduate explores career options

G

rowing up on a dairy farm in Waaia, Miles Rowlands is no stranger to the pressures and challenges of agriculture.

Having been unsure where and what he would ultimately be doing, it was a chance conversation at a football club that steered the 22-year-old towards the ANZ agribusiness program.

After completing a Bachelor of Agriculture at University of Melbourne, it was an opportunity Mr Rowlands was hoping would ignite his passion.

Having focused on a number of areas, including soil science and animal health through his bachelor studies, he finally decided to pursue the economics side of agriculture.

“Even three years ago I wouldn’t have known exactly what to expect and I still don’t know what to expect; there’s just a number of different options I can take,” Mr Rowlands said.

“I’m very passionate about agriculture and at the end of the day, for me, I really enjoy getting to understand farmers and people in the business and I’m quite passionate about helping people achieve what they want to achieve.”

Composed of three modules, the graduate program takes participants through all stages of ANZ’s business, with the first four-month module giving individual exposure to all sides of the business.

ANZ regional executive Nathan Carkeek said

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going through the program, graduates were exposed to different parts of the organisation, “so they’re not just all going straight out onto the farm”. “(The modules mean they) get an understanding of how the whole organisation works and gives them broad exposure so they can start to find the right career paths within the organisation and where they fit, what they want to develop,” Mr Carkeek said.

Bringing together one graduate from each state, the program also explores a diverse range of farm set-ups, with graduates sent to all corners of the country.

“So for the likes of Miles, he’s doing part of his rotation here in Shepparton and also part in Melbourne at the moment; in the middle rotation he’ll be in Sydney and so it will be a different state and different environment and then onto somewhere else,” Mr Carkeek said.

A Shepparton local himself, Mr Carkeek said ensuring the development of young regional people was incredibly important to the future of the region.

“It’s about looking at opportunities for the locals, but then how do you get development of people and potentially bring them back to regional areas (once they’ve finished training),” he said.

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Goulburn Murray Valley Regional Fruit Fly Group co-ordinator Ross Abberfield (left) and field officer Michael Crisera.

Fruit fly battle doesn’t stop for winter

M

embers of the community are being reminded to stay vigilant over winter, with Queensland fruit fly still a serious threat in the colder months.

The Goulburn Murray Valley Regional Fruit Fly Group, which has been operating since 2016 to strengthen fruit fly management across the region, has been working with industry, government and the community to tackle the pest, including the introduction of a number of programs.

The group’s co-ordinator Ross Abberfield said while there had been strong support for the programs it was not time to become complacent.

“Most immature fruit flies will die during winter due to the significant drop in temperature and many adult flies will die off, however, there will be some adults that will in fact survive the winter, which is called over-wintering,” Mr Abberfield said.

“These flies are typically newly bred flies from late-ripening fruit that have found themselves in localised warm spots allowing for their survival over winter.

“We are asking the community to remain active to help us safeguard next season’s crops and ensure the viability and future of our horticulture sector.”

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The front garden of Silkies Rose Farm at Clonbinane.

Rosy future for organic flower farm A

griculture, horticulture, aquaculture, permaculture, viticulture. Among all these cultures blooms perhaps the most magnificent of them all — floriculture. And rising above all the colours and varieties therein stands the rose.

In one incarnation or other the rose has been recorded as far back as 35 million years, although its popularity is much more recent — around the 1600s.

Incredibly, with a bit of effort, there are a couple of those antique cultivars still available commercially.

So all Clonbinane’s Graham and Diana Sargeant have to do now at Silkies Rose Farm is come up with something no-one has dreamt of, let alone seen.

And that’s what they have been working on for the past 35 years since their combined love of growing things started with miniature roses on the back porch of their Kilmore home.

Today they stand out as pioneers of the organic rose industry and Mr Sargeant has turned a stunningly successful show career into a growing, packaging, marketing and selling career.

With breeding on the side. Which has also been going gangbusters with his creation of Gra’s Blue, a multi-award-winning modern patio/miniature rose.

A disease-resistant bloom of delicate beauty and fragrance, in 2015 it was awarded a bronze medal and named most fragrant rose in the National Rose Trial Garden of Australia.

The shrub is constantly producing tight buds of lavender/mauve which open to reveal a mass of small petals which last well on the bush and in a vase. Growing to a rounded bush about 75 cm tall it is being used extensively by lovers of trusses of mediumsized blooms on low-growing bushes with loads of perfume.

Mr Sargeant said he began seriously breeding about seven years ago and it took him 12 attempts to come up with Gra’s Blue.

42

AGFOCUS 2018

The Sargeants are 100 per cent focused on their market — home gardeners. With just 2.5 ha of farm they reckon they have sold more than three-quarters of a million roses since they became a nursery 30 years ago.

Sited 55 km north of Melbourne they are in easy reach of a massive suburban market but their foray into cyber-selling has accelerated demand for their organic blooms in the past five or six years.

They now sell to every state except Western Australia, where conditions and import protocols preclude the effort versus the ease with which they sell to the rest of the country.

“We sell in eight inch pots ready to go, we don’t wholesale we do everything for the home garden,” Mr Sargeant said.

Mrs Sargeant said the family started to look at organic gardening in 1986 after her husband started suffering from headaches, something they believed was connected to the standard chemicals being used for the previous two years.

“Graham came in and said he was not spraying anymore. The chemicals do stuff to you, there’s no doubt about it,” she said.

So Silkies became one of the first Victorian nurseries determined to go organic and took up the Sustainable Gardening Australia challenge to achieve that.

But growing that many roses that close together meant they were challenged by fungus in particular, as well as insects such as thrip.

“We found something as basic as Eco Oil, a mixture of eucalypt and melaleuca oil, did as good a job as any chemical in controlling that, while neem oil (extracted from the neem tree) is good for insects — and the environment,” Mr Sargeant said.

“On top of that we have an emphasis on nutrition in our plants and except for winter, when we transport plants bare-rooted as they are dormant, we recommend customers always plant their new roses with the contents

of the pot as it helps them grow on,” he said.

Although he has created his own rose, he admits hybrid teas are still possibly the most popular varieties and Silkies has access to as many as 500 varieties.

“Silkies delivers an extensive range of climbers, pillars, ramblers, old fashioned, standard, David Austin, hybrid tea, floribundas and many more,” Mr Sargeant said.

But with all the choice available when it comes to roses of every shape, size and hue, he concedes few people can resist a deep red rose with a powerful fragrance.

He said in today’s market one thing ruled — fragrance. There was a time when it was sacrificed for visual aesthetics but now it is fragrance, fragrance and fragrance.

Silkies is supported by a small network of contract growers and a rootstock producer — each winter it brings in around 15 000 plants to restock.

“At Silkies we have found we are able to consistently produce healthy roses just as nature intended — naturally,” Mr Sargeant said.

“Our success lies in ensuring the nutrition of our plants is in balance as well as being adequate, and because we work with nature using organic-based products.

“We have obtained approval as a Sustainable Garden Centre, which means that all staff has had the appropriate training, so we can advise you on the best methods available to save water, avoiding environmentally damaging pesticides and how to compost your waste.”

The business also has a regular newsletter, constant updates on its website and an innovative Q&A option online where people can write in and get advice from the Sargeants or others following the conversations.

Silkies Rose Farm, on the corner of Spur and McDonalds Rds, Clonbinane, is open to the public — it attracts visitors by the busload — from 9 am to 4 pm, Friday to Monday, and is closed Tuesday to Thursday (but open online 24/7).

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