NORTH EAST AND GOULBURN MURRAY
Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1984
DECEMBER, 2015
37 Rowan Street, Wangaratta 3677 John Houghton’s Wangaratta
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izers.com.au www.bbfertil
Benalla. 82 Roe Street,
Extreme weather challenges farmers Goulburn Valley fruit grower believes the region is wellplaced to tackle climate change BY JODIE FLEMING
jfleming@ nemedia.com.au
CHRISTMAS CHERRIES: Cherrybrook Cherries owners Tony and Marion Rak said they have been lucky enough to not have their
cherries damaged by the recent storms that have swept across North East Victoria and believe they will have plenty of the popular Christmas fruit available for families to indulge in on Christmas Day. See page 7 for full story. PHOTO: Luke Plummer
THE debate about climate change might continue but new research has shown the extent to which it can be linked to extreme weather events. The research is timely considering the recent bout of extreme weather across Victoria. Australian farmers who are on the front line of climate change are already experiencing extreme weather effects on their properties and are increasingly concerned about the likelihood of these events continuing. According to an American Meteorological Society Bulletin study called ‘Explaining Extreme Events of 2014 from a Climate Perspective’, the natural and human causes of individual extreme events from around the world climate change can be linked to extreme weather events. In this year’s report, 32 groups of scientists investigated 28 individual extreme events in 2014. „ Continued page 10
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016
NEWS
Page 2, North East Farmer
What’s on for North East Victorian farmers
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Covering North East Victoria, Southern New South Wales and Goulburn Murray Valleys 37 Rowan St., Wangaratta, 3677 Phone (03) 5723 0100 Fax (03) 5721 9447 Email: nefarmer@nemedia.com.au Website: www.nemedia.com.au
Advertising:
Bill Michalowski Phone (03) 5723 0134 Fax (03) 5722 9778 bmichalowski@nemedia.com.au
Editorial:
Jodie Fleming Phone (03) 5723 0129 Fax (03) 5722 9778 jfleming@nemedia.com.au
Pre-Press Coordinator
Noelene Allan Phone (03) 5723 0110 Fax (03) 5722 9778 nallan@nemedia.com.au
Published by Hartley Higgins for North East Media Pty Ltd, 37 Rowan Street, Wangaratta 3677. Responsibility for election comment is accepted by Editor Jeff Zeuschner. Copyright: All advertising and editorial ial content of this issue is the copyright of North East Media Pty Ltd d and cannot be used us without the company’s permission.
ON THE SPOT
TEAM
* NOMINATIONS for the Victorian Young Achiever Awards are now open. The awards aim to recognise Victoria’s outstanding young achievers up to 29 years of age who are making a real difference. Nominations are being sought throughout Victoria until Friday, December 11, 2015 in the following categories: - The Coffee Club Arts and Fashion Award - AustralianSuper Career Kick Start Award - Victoria University Research Impact Award - First National Real Estate Leadership Award - The Victorian Government Group Achievement in the Community Award - Bartercard Online Achievement Award - The Victorian Government Small Business Award - Saward Dawson Community Service and Social Impact Award - Bart ‘N’ Print Health and Wellbeing Award - The University of Melbourne Science and Technology Award - CFA Young Volunteer Excellence Award. Category winners will each receive a $1000 Bartercard account plus $1000 cash and a trophy. One of the 11 category winners will be chosen as the Victorian Young Achiever of the Year and will win and additional $2000 Jetstar flight
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YOUR
December 2015
also offers entrants the opportunity to view other production systems and learn best practice management with competing properties open for official judging, as well as viewing by fellow producers. Registrations are now open and close on Friday, December 11, 2015 with RASV members eligible for a discount on the $100 entry fee. For more information visit www.rasv.com.au/ flockoftheyear.
COUNTRY SHOWS AND FIELD DAYS JANUARY 17-21: International Dairy Week, Tatura 27-February 4: Beef Week 2016 FEBRUARY 19-21: Seymour Alternative Farming Expo 26-27: Rochester Show 26-28: Royal Canberra Show For more information on country shows visit www.vicagshows.com.au or www.countryshows.com.au. OPEN DAY: Beef Week is Australia’s largest on-farm open day that runs over nine days in January and February each year. voucher and state trophy. Nominations can be made at www. awardsaustralia.com. * TICKETS are now on sale for the Toyota Country Music Festival in Tamworth to be held from Friday, January 15, 2016 to Sunday, January 24, 2016. The line-up of artists includes Kasey Chambers, Adam Brand, Adam Harvey, Jasmine Rae, Simply Bushed, Shannon Noll, Kevin Bloody Wilson, Troy Kemp, Ashleigh Dallas, The Wolfe Brothers, Sara Storer, James Blundell and Brothers 3. For more information visit www.tcmf.com.au. * NOMINATIONS are now open for the vegetable industry’s national industry specific
2016 leadership program Growing Leaders. The program, funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA), using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government focuses on giving participants the tools and understanding they need to have a positive impact on their own future, the future of their business and the future of the Australian vegetable industry as a whole. For more information contact Rural Training Initiatives via jill@ ruraltraininginitiatives. com.au to request an application form before Friday, January 22, 2016 to apply. Please note that places are limited. * THE Grains Research and Development
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Noelene ALLAN
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DEADLINES: Please contact the NE Farmer office
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0419 355 473
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Corporation is holding its premier grains research forum for 2016 – Victorian Grains Research Update - on Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24 at the Ulumbarra Theatre in Bendigo. In what is an important source of agronomic and industry information and resources, the update will be attended by hundreds of advisers, growers and other industry personnel from across Victoria. For more information visit www.grdc.com.au/ updatedates. * THE 2016 Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria’s (RASV) McLennan-McColl Flock of the Year competition is heading to North East Victoria in March. The competition is open to commercial merino producers in the North East, with participants competing for the prestigious award which celebrates and assists with improving the quality of Victoria’s merino ewe flocks and includes a $1500 cash prize and plaque, with on-farm judging to be held on Wednesday, March 16 and Thursday, March 17 next year. The Flock of the Year
* Applications are now open for the 2016 Growing Leaders National Vegetable Industry Leadership Program. Growing Leaders is a highly regarded program designed to develop personal, business and industry skills. The program was designed in consultation with vegetable industry people with their specific needs in mind. The program encourages all sectors of the industry including growing, harvesting, processing, extension, exporters, importers, marketing and employees to register interest. The program ensures that participants develop effective ways of handling conflict, improve communication, manage efficient meetings, build high performance teams, manage change and media awareness. The program is costfree to The Vegetable Growers’ Association of Victoria levy payers and includes dinners with guest speakers, tours, industry functions and three residential sessions in May, August and November 2016. For more information contact Jill Briggs on (02) 6035 7284 or 0409 455 710.
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NEWS
December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 3
Senator calls for ‘hard evidence’ in beef probe By JAMIE KRONBORG and JODIE FLEMING
Mr Edwards said that the company facilitated the transaction of 780,000 cattle and 2.35 million sheep and lambs through these saleyards. “The number of buyers attending prime or fat sales has continued to decline in the past few years while store sales continue to have a large number of buyers in attendance,� he told the committee, which includes Senator McKenzie, who championed the inquiry. He said there had been a drop in processors’ sale attendance because of a contraction in the number of meat companies and meat processing facilities in eastern Australia. But this was “notably as a result of more commission buyers acting on behalf of a number of meat companies�. The inquiry is investigating the effects in the livestock market of consolidation in buyer competition. It is claimed 10 buyers acting for meat processors boycotted the opening
prime cattle sale at what was then the new NVLX on February 17 this year. Prices were estimated at the time to have dropped 20 to 30 cents per kilogram at the 2000-head sale. Mr Edwards said that nothing was more transparent than the auction system as a true indicator of market price. “There remains strong competition within the current buyer fraternity attending large regional sales but consolidation should be carefully monitored,� he said. Senator McKenzie asked Mr Edwards on notice to supply an estimate of the revenue lost by farmers who entered cattle for sale at the boycotted NVLX sale. She also asked him for a timeline record of telephone conversations, emails, written and other communications from processors who failed to appear for the sale on the pretext that they wanted the NVLX to transact cattle based on post-sale, rather than pre-
sale, weight records. Senator McKenzie, who believes that legal action against buyers who boycotted the sale is a possibility, said she thought “this whole Barnawartha boycott issue stinks to high heavenâ€?, which is why she initiated the inquiry in the ďŹ rst place. “I was most surprised that North East Livestock Exchange knew about it and didn’t let their producers know because there would have been a lot of farmers who trucked in
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stock expecting it to be a competitive environment and it’s not‌I’ve asked Mr Edwards to go back to his ofďŹ ce and work out what the dollar loss by our local producers was on that day,â€? she said. Meat Industry Council chairman David Larking told the inquiry that post-sale weighing delivered the best returns for producers, however, the committee was sceptical. “I’ve worked very, very closely with the VFF and NSW Farmers on this issue and they’re very, very clear on where they stand on post-sale weighing and it’s not that it’s in the producers’ best interest. “So I’m looking forward to getting hard evidence from the processors’ peak body on how they’ve come to that opinion,â€? Senator McKenzie said.
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NEF DEC. 2015
THE chief of the Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange (NVLX) has told the Senate inquiry into the effect of consolidation in the red meat processing industry that the NVLX would consider greater controls on the number of companies a commission buyer could represent. Gary Edwards, the managing director of Regional Infrastructure Pty Limited, which operates the saleyards, told the rural and regional affairs references committee in Canberra that he accepted the premise that greater controls on the number of companies a commission buyer could represent “should be given due consideration�. In response to questions from Victorian Nationals’ Senator Bridget McKenzie and fellow Senator John Williams (Nationals, NSW) Mr Edwards said there remained strong competition across all market categories, but the number of processors attending prime or fat cattle sales had continued to decline in the past few years. Regional Infrastructure, a private company, operates NVLX as one of a number that it controls in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
RED MEAT ON SENATE MENU: The future of the red meat industry remains under the microscope of Senate inquiry.
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NEWS
Page 4, North East Farmer journalist yes we want Contact Jodie Fleming your news__ on (03) 5723 0129
Grain costs corporation, but other prospects good
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December 2015
GRAIN growers have toughed it out through another year of smaller-than-average crops as indicated in GrainCorp’s recently released 2015 financial year results, with the company’s net profit after tax down $50 million on the previous financial year. GrainCorp managing director and chief executive ofďŹ cer Mark Palmquist said the grains section of the business faced a “tougher year off the back of last harvest’s smaller cropâ€? resulting in lower throughput volumes for storage and logistics and “severely restricted opportunitiesâ€? for GrainCorp marketing. “In this light, I’m pleased with the cost control and risk management demonstrated by these businesses,â€? he said. “Solid performances from our processing operations have reduced the impact of the challenging conditions faced by our grains businesses. “Our processing businesses contributed approximately 85 per cent of our earnings in a year constrained by a much smaller crop in eastern Australia – a clear demonstration of the importance of our commitment to diversiďŹ cation,â€? Mr Palmquist said. The company also reported a further improvement in safety
CROP CHALLENGE: Solid performances from GrainCorp’s processing operations have reduced the impact of the challenging conditions faced by its grains businesses.
performance, with the 2015 ďŹ nancial year ended September 30 experiencing a 46 per cent reduction in lost time injury frequency rate which builds on the 34 per cent reduction in the previous ďŹ nancial year. GrainCorp’s malt business continued to perform strongly due to continued high capacity utilisation and further improvements in underlying performance being delivered through efďŹ ciency projects. “We remain well positioned in
the ongoing growth of the craft beer sector, particularly in North America, and the signs of emerging growth in other markets,â€? Mr Palmquist said. “GrainCorp oil has performed well with higher crush volumes and we are encouraged by the stabilisation of reďŹ ning volumes for GrainCorp Foods. “The Liquid Terminals business continues to perform strongly and we have made good progress in the various expansion projects across GrainCorp
Oils.â€? Mr Palmquist said the company is committed to maintaining a strong balance sheet to fund its improvement program, with GrainCorp continuing to diversify its business base to provide further reliability and insulation from seasonal variability. He added that the year ahead is likely to “remain a challengeâ€?, with a low carry-in of 1.6 million tonnes and another smaller crop likely to limit export opportunities from eastern Australia. “We do, however, expect a return to more typical grain marketing patterns in Australia due to lower year-on-year levels of export bookings relative to expected production,â€? he said. “Our position in malt remains strong, with strong forward sales of capacity, strong growth in North American craft and continued incremental beneďŹ ts from embedding our strategic projects. “We also expect continued improvements in the performance of GrainCorp Oils thanks to the stabilisation of reďŹ ning volumes and partial contributions from Liquid Terminals projects and our consolidated oilseeds crushing and reďŹ ning footprint,â€? Mr Palmquist said.
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NEWS
Page 6, North East Farmer
December 2015
Goulburn-Murray Water to reshape Connections Project
WATER EFFICIENT: Cohuna dairy farmer Ian Mathers said that although it took a long time to implement GMW’s project on his property it has significantly benefited his farming business.
A REVIEW into Goulburn-Murray Water’s (GMW) Connections Project recommends that both the federal and state governments make fundamental changes to ensure the project can be delivered. While the review found that the Connections Project is crucial to the sustainability and growth of local communities it also revealed significant problems with how it is being implemented. The GMW Connections Project is the most significant upgrade to Northern Victoria’s irrigation infrastructure in its 100-year history. The $2 billion project, which is funded by the federal and state governments, is set to create a more sustainable water delivery system in the
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Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District. Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) water chair Richard Anderson said that the project is “very important” for Northern Victorian irrigators and now that the problems are “out in the open” the lobby group hopes that changes will me be made to ensure the project gets back on track. “The project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to upgrade the irrigation delivery system and every effort needs to be made to make this happen,” he said. “While we see the value of this project, our members are very frustrated with its delivery. “Things have changed quite a bit since the project was first developed. “Fewer irrigators have dried off than was expected and those who survived the drought are going to stick around. “We are concerned that there won’t be enough money for everyone who wants to be reconnected. “There was a serious underestimation of how difficult it would be to get landholder agreements. “This has been made worse by poor communication and engagement with farmers,” Mr Anderson said. Mr Anderson said that the project timelines need to be extended to allow time for “proper recalibration” and more clarity is needed on how the decisions are made to reconnect each farm. “Decisions being made now also need to work for the future, for the next generation of food producers. “The sooner a way forward can be worked out, the sooner GMW can implement the changes
and the sooner irrigators will benefit from a more efficient system,” Mr Anderson said. GMW managing director John Calleja said that over the next few months – along with the federal and state governments – GMW will consult with key stakeholders, irrigator and industry representatives to reshape the project. “We’re also opening our doors to our customers to provide them with information about their progress in the Connections Project and about how our consultation with the agricultural sector will help reshape its future,” he said. “During this transition period we will continue to deliver on existing commitments and also be talking to landowners about how we are prioritising the connection of primary producers and maximising the delivery of water savings,” Mr Calleja said. Cohuna dairy farmer, Ian Mathers has already leveraged off the Connections Project to modernise his farm enterprise, describing the project as “magic”. Mr Mathers used the project to self-fund a series of smarter and more efficient on-farm works to his 477 hectare property, with GMW works having included rationalising six irrigation outlets and one kilometre of spur channel to create a more efficient and sustainable water delivery network. Old infrastructure like channels that wasted water each year due to leakage, seepage and evaporation were decommissioned and replaced with new efficient pipeline technology. He has invested hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars in new infrastructure with the most important being the establishment of a seven kilometre pipeline with 76 ‘riser’ outlets. Mr Mathers can now control his automated irrigation system on his mobile phone and said this is providing him with countless benefits, the most significant being the labour savings. However, he is the first to admit the process has not been fast. After first signing the contract with GMW in December 2012, he had to wait more than two years to be connected to the modernised irrigation network while GMW worked with neighbouring landowners for contingent contracts to be signed. “It sounds like a long time, but you can’t do a lot of works through summer,” Mr Mathers said. “We just worked around it (the wait) and all of our pipes were put in through the two winters.” He added that the project had significantly benefited his farming business with the piping of his property creating water savings allowing his yearly allocation to stretch further. Mr Mathers hopes these water savings will mean he doesn’t have to buy water on the temporary market. “It all comes back to water efficiency and that issue just keeps getting bigger and bigger. “For what you save in water, it off sets the pumping costs, especially when temporary water is $300 per megalitre or more. “It’s easier to get power, it’s harder to find water, so you would rather have a power bill than a water bill,” Mr Mathers said.
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NEWS
December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 7
Plenty of cherries for Christmas TASTY CHERRIES: Marion and Tony Rak produce 16 varieties of cherries on their Mt Bruno property. PHOTO: Luke Plummer
Contact North East Farmer journalist Jodie Fleming on (03) 5723 0129
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grandfather and he has always been a keen horticulturist and loves growing cherry trees,” she added. Cherrybrook Cherry Farm is committed to sustainability and environmental health, operating its packing shed with ozone generated clarifiers in both the water and coolrooms. The property has 15 kilowatts of solar for generating and conserving power for its pumps for irrigation of the fruit and it uses very little chemicals in the orchard, concentrating on integrated pest management systems. The company produces cherries for both the export and domestic markets, exporting to Asia and
Both Tony and Marion also work off-farm, something they had to do when they first bought the property until the cherries could generate an income for them. “Twenty-eight years ago we planted the first paddock of cherries and as there is no income for the first five years with just cherries, as it takes five to seven years before you get good production, we both needed to work off the farm,” Ms Rak said. “So I am the coordinator for the young carer mentor program at Villa Maria and Tony manages another orchard. “Tony is actually a third generation cherry grower following in the footsteps of his father and
Europe and also has cherries for the Brisbane markets. Cherrybrook Cherry Farm also sells directly into local shops and frequents farmers markets including the Violet Town market in November and December. Ms Rak said that cherries are an “interesting fruit” in that no season is ever the same. “We always seem to have some sort of hiccup each year, but we always jump the hurdles and get there in the end and make a little bit of money along the way,” she said. “Weather plays a very big part in what happens with cherries. “Today I could tell you the season is excellent, but it may rain tomorrow and it could all be over.”
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THERE will still be plenty of cherries gracing our tables on Christmas Day despite the early start to the season and the heavy storms that have hit some orchardists in Victoria’s North East. Luckily for Tony and Marion Rak of Cherrybrook Cherry Farm located at Mt Bruno their orchard was not affected by the hail storms that have lashed many cherry farms in the region, and the rain that came with those storms has actually benefited the later varieties of cherries. “There will still be plenty of cherries for Christmas,” Ms Rak said. “They may not be the biggest, but there are plenty of lovely, tasty, local cherries around for everyone.” With 16 varieties of cherries across 7000 trees, Cherrybrook Cherry Farm is located at the original Mt Bruno property that was established in the mid-1800s by an Italian count by the name of Bruno. The Count was commissioned to produce mulberry trees for the production of silk worms, however, that venture did not succeed. The Raks purchased the property in 1988 and at that time it had established wine grapes and olive trees which were planted in the late 1960s. Today, the wine grapes and olives are unproductive due to the drought, however, the couple are working toward getting these trees producing again alongside their 35 acres of cherry trees.
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December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 9
Choose your own path at yes we want your news__ University of Melbourne Contact North East Farmer journalist Jodie Fleming on (03) 5723 0129
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Page 10, North East Farmer
December 2015
Extreme weather confronts farmers „ From page 1
WORKING WITH NATURE: Retired orchardist John Pettigrew said the risk profile in growing fruit has dramatically changed over the years, but it is nothing farmers can’t adapt to.
They break out the various factors that led to the extreme events, including the degree to which natural variability and human-induced climate change played a role. A number of this year’s studies indicate that human-caused climate change greatly increased the likelihood and intensity for extreme heat waves in 2014 over various regions. For other types of extreme events, such as droughts and heavy rains, a climate change inuence was found in some instances and not in others. Lead editor for the report at the National Centres for Environmental Information Understanding Stephanie Herring said our inuence on speciďŹ c extreme weather events is groundbreaking science that will help us adapt to climate change. “As the ďŹ eld of climate attribution science grows, resource managers, the insurance industry, and many others can use the information more effectively for improved decision making and to help communities better prepare for future extreme events,â€? she said. It was revealed in the report that four independent studies on Australia all pointed toward human inuence causing a substantial increase in the likelihood and severity of heat waves across the country in 2014. “It is likely that human inuences on climate increased the odds of the extreme high pressure anomalies south of Australia in
REPORT FINDINGS INCLUDED: * The greater frequency or severity of extreme weather events, from droughts to floods and heat waves, are some of the most visible present day impacts of climate change. * Individual events like temperature extremes can be linked to additional atmospheric greenhouse gases caused by human activities. * Australian heat waves during 2014 were included among events which were much more likely to have occurred due to human influence on the climate.
August 2014 that were associated with frosts, lowland snowfalls and reduced rainfall.â€? Human activities, such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use, inuenced speciďŹ c extreme weather and climate events in 2014 including stiing heat waves in Australia. Retired Goulburn Valley fruit grower John Pettigrew believes that climate change “certainly is realâ€? but there are varying interpretations of how severe it is depending on who you talk to and how it affects them. “There is no doubt in my mind that the change in weather is adding enormously to risks in growing fruit,â€? he said. “This is the major reason we retired when we did, which was about ďŹ ve to six years earlier than what we had planned. “Following on from the mil-
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lennium drought, we actually lost more peaches through abnormal summer rainfall than we had lost in our whole life on the orchard and then we lost more to frost during that period. “We could just see the risk proďŹ le in growing fruit had changed dramatically over the years,â€? Mr Pettigrew said. The ex-fruit grower from Bunbartha ran the many acres of mainly canning peaches with his brother, Peter on land purchased by their father after World War II. As none of the brothers’children were interested in taking over the family business, John and Peter sold off all the land. John Pettigrew was a director of SPC Ardmona for 13 years and also had many years of experience in water resource management. He said that climate change has created an unpredictable environment which has an impact in lots of areas, like water, however, there are changes that can be made to ensure farmers can survive and adapt to new weather conditions. “It is happening and unfortunately some farmers are not changing quickly enough and some are still in denial,â€? he said. “With the fruit industry we need to see some change in the varieties that we grow and we need to change the infrastructure of how we do some things. “Orchardists could learn from the dairy industry, which is a good example of how to change because they have done a really good job of that with the millennium drought.
“In fact, dairy farmers can tell what the temperature is outside by the amount of milk their cows are producing. “Fruit growers still have a long way to go, particularly from a water efďŹ ciency point of view.â€? Mr Pettigrew said that some of the changes that he is now seeing are the implementation of shade cloth across orchards to protect fruit for severe hail storm damage and heat damage. “Shade cloth has a lot going for it because if the fruit is under shade it means you also get less water evaporation, so the industry really needs to push the government to get some support to help fund some of this type of thing. “Fruit growers also need protection from frosts because the prediction is that we are going to experience more frosts in the future and the risks are that they will come late in the season or early, which is when they can do the most damage,â€? Mr Pettigrew said. However, despite the climatic changes that have caused many headaches for the region’s orchardists recently, Mr Pettigrew believes the future is still bright for those willing to make adjustments. “We are seeing some big enterprises making some future projections for the industry and it looks bright in the Goulburn Valley. “We are well placed here in terms of irrigation infrastructure and on-farm water saving programs, so we are well placed to take up the challenge of climate change,â€? he said.
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December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 11
Politics and water taking time IN the past month we have seen the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) temporarily y transfer 22,000 megalitres (ML) back to food production. The tender process was exceeded by many applications - only 52 were successful at an average of $282 per ML. We have also had a change of assessment of NSW, CEWH water as 50,000 ML was called for the lower Murray through to the Murrumbidgee.
By BRUCE DIFFEY Waterwheel Traders This was then allowed to be traded out over the 100,000 ML limit of Inter Valley Trade imposed on the Murrumbidgee. Note that this 50,000 ML was moved to Murray NSW
within 24 hours and is an indication of the efficiency that waterbrokers are able to deliver temporary water to meet market demand. The CEWH 22,000 ML has taken some three weeks to process by the Murray Darling Basin Authority CEWH department. People were surprised at the differences between the time delivery of water for private and government. Furthermore, it indicates
that there is minimum temporary water to meet demand. Major hotspots leading to January 2016: Menindee Lakes are below 35,000 ML and will struggle to deliver to Broken Hill. Lake Eppalock is at 107,000 ML and may require pumped water from Waranga Basin. Victoria will carry the risk into 2016 as Menindee low water triggers releases for South Australia (SA) from Murray
Victorian irrigators buy up environmental water the majority of water has been sold to Victorian irrigators rather than “the big end of town” is a positive outcome. “The average price of $282 per ML is still very high for those dependent on temporary water,” she said. “Hopefully, the 45 gigalitres obtained through the pipeline to Melbourne deal, which Victorian water minister Lisa Neville has asked Melbourne water retailers to put on the market sooner rather than later, will bring temporary water prices down. “The CEWH received $6458 million for the temporary trade of water not required for environmental purposes during this irrigation season,” Dr Stone added. Current legislation requires the
CEWH to use the proceeds from the sale of water to buyback more water for the environment. The Independent Review of the Water Act carried out in 2014 recommended that funds from the temporary sale of environmental water by the CEWH be used for additional environmental outcomes from infrastructure works and measures. Dr Stone said she would continue to work closely with the federal water minister to have the Water Act changed to enable the CEWH to use the revenue from the sale of excess environmental water for infrastructure works rather than further water buyback that only reduced the water available for irrigators.
“is this the start of protecting ownership of water?”. Furthermore, the Federal Government is actively promoting construction of agricultural dams. The political pendulum is moving after 40 years of no major water storage construction in Australia. On temporary trade, all systems in NSW, SA and Victoria are now equalised and trading at more than $270 per ML.
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MORE than 95 per cent of Commonwealth environmental water that was offered for temporary trade has been bought by Victorian Goulburn and Murray irrigators. There was significant interest from the irrigation community, with 525 eligible bid offers submitted for the purchase of the share water. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) accepted 53 offers ranging from 30 megalitres (ML) to 5111 ML. The largest purchase of 5111 ML from a regional water broker will be distributed among 22 of its clients including 21 dairy farmers in the Goulburn Valley. Federal Member for Murray, Sharman Stone, said that the fact
Victoria which is caused by NSW not being able to provide its share due to supplementary water policy. In short, the chance of 100 per cent allocation in Goulburn is unlikely and may not be achieved in the Murray. The Federal Government passed through the Senate regulations to monitor foreign investors to hold water entitlements without land. This was supported by the Greens and begs the question,
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BEEF WEEK
Page 14, North East Farmer
December 2015
Cattle studs gearing up for 2016 Beef Week include about 200 studs, with most using it as their major marketing exercise across the nine day event. Beef Week 2016 will open on Wednesday, January 27 in the north-east Riverina, move to the south-east Riverina the
BEEF Week 2016 will mark 25 years since the event started and will run from Wednesday, January 27 to Thursday, February 4. What began in 1992 with only 50 studs participating, has now grown to regularly
next day and then cross the Murray for Day 3 in North East Victoria on Friday, January 29. Days 4 and 5 around Melbourne will be over the weekend and then it’s off to East Gippsland for Day 6, on Monday, February 1.
It’s then over to the busy two days in the Western District ďŹ nishing up with Day 9 on Thursday, February 4 covering the Goulburn Valley and the western Riverina. The RASV Beef Week Heifer Challenge which in-
volves the judging of pens of 10 registered heifers has created additional visits to studs that enter, with visitors keen to discover the standard of females that will progress into the stud herd and produce the bulls of the future.
Beef Week is conducted by a committee appointed by Stud Beef Victoria, a non-proďŹ t organisation representing Victoria’s beef cattle seedstock producers. For more information visit www.beefweek.com.au.
Big, bold Banquet Angus on display at Beef Week
GREAT BUY: Bannaby Angus manager Glynn Langford inspecting their latest addition after purchasing nine head at the Belles of Banquet special female sale.
Sons of ALLENDALE ROBIN HOOD
D.194
H.Robin Hood K.08
are for sale during Beef Week
H.Robin Hood K.21
AVAILABLE FOR SALE BEEF WEEK - SATURDAY JANUARY 30, 2016 FOR SALE
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Robin Hood D.194, purchased Dubbo National 2010, has outstanding Breedplan EBV’s with a son selling at Dubbo for $10,000 in 2012. He is a maternal brother to the 2013 Grand champion bull at both Melbourne and Adelaide Shows and his sire is by Allendale National W.168 ( Sire of the Year $85,000 ) out of Allendale Musketeer’s ( Sire of the Year $58,000 ) full sister. His excellent rising two-year old, grass-fed, sons are available for sale on the day, along with selected females. Also on display will be the first calves of Days Brigadier G.101 ( Dubbo Res.Senior Champion $40,000 ). All visitors welcome
PHILIP R. GAY, Ph/Fax 03 5345 6167; Mobile 0412 565 292
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cows and dams of top bulls in the past annual Banquet bull sales. While there were many buyers from all over Australia that attended the sale and purchased cattle, Victoria provided the greatest buying support, with 22 Victorians from the registered bidders collectively purchasing 50 lots. The early lots sold for cheaper by comparison to the later lots as is usually the case, as buyers tried to ascertain the market strength before committing. Banquet Dream E256 (AI) (ET) with April drop calf at foot by Banquet Gentleman G500 had two bids offered up before guest auctioneer Paul Dooley had called for them, with the cow opening at $7000. Six bids later and Ellinbank-based Blyth Bros won the bid for this half-sister to four Banquet stud sires, after earlier securing ďŹ ve top females. The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark, with Ross Milne (Elders) and special guest auctioneer Paul Dooley controlling all the bidding action. Those active at the sale had strong and consistent competition from buyers operating through the Auctions Plus network. Auctions Plus bidders purchased 12 head, paying from $4000 to $7000 and averaging $5792. For variety and to suit young breeders in particular, the Bransons offered eight young show-quality heifers. These attracted excellent competition, selling from $4500 to $9000 and averaging $6500. These sold to seven different buyers from NSW, Queensland and Victoria, with NSW stud, Bannaby Angus being the only multiple purchaser, paying the top and third top prices of $9000 and $7500. Of the 109 cows offered, 102 sold at an average of $6696 and when combined with the heifers, the overall sale average was $6682 for the 110 head sold in a 94 per cent clearance. Banquet Angus will be participating in Beef Week 2016 on Day 2 and welcome all to visit their stud. For more information visit www. banquetangus.com.au.
THE stud principals of Banquet Angus have always pursued a type of Angus that allow its clients to make more proďŹ t, more often in a shorter time period, making this the stud’s number one breeding objective. Stud principals Stephen and Noeleen Branson describe their “big, bold, Banquet bullsâ€? as more powerful, thicker, longer, stronger boned that grow quicker, while also being more docile than most other Angus cattle. The Banquet bulls presented every year for sale are the culmination of generations of select breeding, based on successful cow families. And according to the Bransons, this produces the consistency of performance commercial producers rightly expect, while also giving exibility in breeding and marketing directions. “They are the cattle that will give producers greater proďŹ t and processors high yielding carcases,â€? Mr Branson said. The Banquet herd is based very strongly on New Zealand bloodlines and the breeding program is shaped around proven successful female families. The most inuential of these is the ‘Dream’ family, built from their grand old foundation female Banquet Kiwi Dream M41. At the Mortlake-based stud’s recent inaugural ‘Belles of Banquet’ Angus female sale, Mr and Mrs Branson were thrilled with the stunning result of the sale, with 110 head selling to a top of $30,000 and averaging $6681. It was the ďŹ rst time that Banquet Angus had ever offered a signiďŹ cant number of females for sale in the stud’s 24-year history, with only a few select lots at special events having been offered previously. The offering was the complete dispersal of four age groups (B, C, D and E – 2006 to 2009), plus eight specially selected potential show heifers (2014 spring drops), a strategy the Bransons felt was the only fair way to attract potential buyers while balancing their breeding numbers as a result of a herd restructure. These females included many donor
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BEEF WEEK
December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 15
Witherswood Angus stud principals going back to the future after 30 years THE new co-owners of the record breaking bull Millah Murrah Kingdom k35 will have him on display on Day 3 of 2016 Beef Week. Witherswood Angus principals John and Joan Woodruff from Glenrowan will have their newest bull on display giving their clients an opportunity to view the animal on Friday, January 29. Mr and Mrs Woodruff purchased the bull with GilmandykeAngus stud principals Jim and Jackie Wedge from Orange in NSW, Ascot Angus in Warwick in Queensland and ABS Australia for $150,000. All three studs have been strong supporters of Millah Murrah genetics for many years. The bull is an et-bred calf by New Zealand-bred Hingaia 469 from Millah Murrah Flower G41. His sire is Ancient Genetics by Angus breed standards, being a 1986 calf, but offering an important outcross to the breed. Mr Woodruff said he shows a lot of old fash-
RECORD BREAKING: Millah Murrah Kingdom k35 will be on display on Day 3 of 2016 Beef Week at Glenrowan-based Witherswood Angus stud.
ioned traits that are rare to ďŹ nd in today’s Angus breed, with depth and thickness, good bone, strong head and lovely soft skin and will be a breed changer for the industry.
“It is rare to ďŹ nd a bull so even and correct in structure,â€? he said. Beef Week also offers another opportunity for Witherswood to display its other syndicated purchase
Millah Murrah Klooney K42, which was bought by a NSW and a WA stud. “After breeding Angus for 30 years we saw the opportunity to further our program by purchasing
w
BREEDING COUPLE: John and Joan Woodruff look forward to meeting people and having a chat at their open day during Beef Week 2016.
We really enjoy engaging with others and are happy to catch up with anyone at Beef Week or at our sale or at a time that is mutually convenient, so people can make an appointment to see us if they like.
Millah Murrah Kingdom k35 through the syndicate,� Mr Woodruff said. “Both bulls have now arrived at Witherswood and are out joining cows on farm.�
He added that he and his wife Joan were looking to add to their already impressive breeding herd as they were able to secure some of the “older structured, heavy boned and
deep bodied cowsâ€? all with New Zealand genetics. “We are looking to produce cattle that can survive under tough conditions,â€? Mr Woodruff said. “Cattle need to have soft skins to enable them to ďŹ nish on grass, so basically the direction we are taking is to produce cattle that are suitable for all conditions. “We are actually just going back to the future.â€? One of the key elements of the Woodruffs’ business is to discuss their and their clients’ programs “they love to have a chat about thingsâ€?. “We so welcome all visitors and clients to discuss their plans with us and where they are heading. “We really enjoy engaging with others and are happy to catch up with anyone at Beef Week or at our sale or at a time that is mutually convenient, so people can make an appointment to see us if they like,â€? Mr Woodruff said. For more information visit www.witherswoodangus.com.au.
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BEEF WEEK BEECHWORTH Day 3 - Friday, January 29th 2016 Robinson Rd, Beechworth The Robinson Family invite you to inspect a range of Cattle including Bulls for Sale at our Autumn Bull Sale. March 24th 2016 at Beechworth commencing at 1pm.
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Phone / Fax: (02) 6032 4124 Mobile: 0429 324 124 Email: jarobee@bigpond.com
Page 16, North East Farmer
FIRE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION
December 2015
Aussie Pumps and Honda join forces LEADING supplier of high pressure fire pumps and engine driven transfer pumps, Australian Pump (Aussie Pumps) has joined forces with Honda to combat this year’s fire season and El Nino weather conditions. Aussie Pumps offers a comprehensive range of Hondapowered, petrol driven pumps from one inch through to six inches to cater for a wide range of agricultural and domestic applications. The product range starts with Aussie Pumps’ Ultralite Model QP1 powered by a one horsepower, lightweight, and four-stroke Honda engine. According to Aussie Pumps’ product manager Brad Farrugia these lightweight, high speed, one-inch pumps offer superb engine technology and produce up to 40 metres head and flows to 120 litres per minute. “We only choose Honda for our petrol engine range of Aussie QP pumps because of their reliability, market popularity and national aftermarket support,” he said. “All our pumps are superbly match tested so as not to overload what we believe is the world’s best petrol drive industrial air-cooled engine.” A bigger version that is suitable for personal firefighting protection, water transfer and even light sprayer irrigation duties is available in a dual
one inch and one and a half inch configuration powered by Honda’s GXH50 lightweight, high-speed engine. “The GXH50 engine is amazing,” Mr Farrugia said. “It delivers the power right where you want it. “It enables our pumps to outperform others. “It’s the perfect match of pump hydraulic design and engine capability that provides the excellent performance,” he added. This season, the obvious problem farmers and householders face is the predicted cataclysmic conditions. Mr Farrugia said that the company’s Brigade Boss series will perform vital roles in keeping people safe, keeping stock and crops alive, and even helping provide clean and fresh water to houses without town water. “Aussie Pumps owe a huge amount of its success as Australia’s foremost self-priming pump manufacturer/distributor to the support we get from Honda’s quality, engineering advice and aftermarket program,” he said. “Our advice to customers is simple – don’t waste your time with third-world pumps driven by copy Honda engines. “Go for the original with the best pump in the business.” For more information visit www.aussiepumps .com.au.
PUMP PROTECTION: Aussie Pumps’ ‘Team Honda’ salutes the Aussie Honda pump line-up.
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FIRE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION
Page 18, North East Farmer
December 2015
Firefighting aircraft ready to go in the North East FIREFIGHTING aircraft have arrived in the North East ready for the prolonged 2015/2016 bushfire season. A fixed wing firebomber and fixed wing reconnaissance aircraft has arrived at Albury Airport, while a firebombing helicopter is now stationed in Benalla. Mansfield will again host a large firebombing Sikorsky S61N helicopter, capable of carrying 4000 litres in its tank or 2850 litres in the bucket attachment. Its larger cousins and the jewel among
the strong fleet – the two Erickson S64E Aircranes – can hold a total of 7500 litres and are scheduled to arrive this month at Essendon and Ballarat. There are 47 aircraft in the state’s base fleet, consisting of fixed wing, helicopter, air tankers and large air cranes that will be available at various times and locations throughout the season. The Country Fire Authority said there are also more than 100 aircraft available on a call when-needed basis.
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WITH hot weather already here, electricity distributor AusNet Services is urging property owners to clear vegetation from private powerlines to reduce the likelihood of summer storms causing
WE’RE PREPARING FOR SUMMER AusNet Services delivers electricity to your community. Here are some of our $220 million safety and reliability-related works our crews are on track to complete this year:
power outages. AusNet Services’ regional customer and community manager, Leesa Penaluna, said that despite the company’s large vegetation management program, keeping powerlines clear is a responsibility shared between electricity businesses and community members. She said that residents need to keep vegetation on their property clear of their service cable or private electric lines. “We spend more than $40 million on our annual vegetation management program inspecting and then clearing about 135,000 trees from 50,000 kilometres of powerlines throughout our network to ensure a safe and reliable supply of electricity to customers,” Mrs Penaluna said. “Importantly, property owners also have a responsibility to keep vegetation clear from their service cable or private electric lines sup-
plying their property. “Summer storms bring strong winds and heavy rains, so now is a good time to clear vegetation and reduce the potential for property damage and power outages. “Under no circumstances should property owners attempt to climb a power pole or prune vegetation near a powerline. “Please contact a suitably trained and experienced contractor to carry out the clearing work,” she said. To help manage summer storms and possible power outages AusNet Services suggests you: Have emergency contact details easily available. Have a fully charged torch with fresh batteries and a batteryoperated radio. Ensure mobile phones are fully charged. If your garage door is electric, ensure you know how to open it manually.
Have a backup pump if you rely on mains electricity for your water supply. Time permitting, turn your fridge and freezer to a cooler setting to maintain food freshness. During or after a storm, property owners are encouraged to report threatening trees or damaged powerlines to AusNet Services’ 24-hour faults hotline 13 17 99. “When property owners provide accurate and timely information, we are able to pinpoint threatening tree locations and damaged powerlines and send crews directly to those locations,” Mrs Penaluna said. AusNet Services advises people to keep well away of fallen powerlines at all times and report it immediately to the 24-hour faults hotline. For more information visit www.ausnetservices.com.au.
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ausnetservices.com.au > electricity > safety & preparedness
ANS25501_200_148
For more information visit our website
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Customers with private electric lines must ensure they are maintained and clear of vegetation. Contact a registered electrician or certified tree clearer if required.
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December 2015
/DWHVW Âż UH RSHUDWLRQV SODQ UHOHDVHG THE latest Fire Operations Plan (FOP) providing details of bushďŹ re prevention activities across Victoria has been released by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). The FOP is reviewed and updated yearly to include the most up-to-date local information and potential impacts on communities and stakeholders. DELWP acting chief ďŹ re ofďŹ cer Gil Marshall said that each year the department reviews its planned burning program on public land and then consults the community before its release. “The FOP sets out where and when planned burning and other works will take place to reduce bushďŹ re risk over the next three years. “When and where we do planned burning is guided by our understanding of bushďŹ re risk, informed by local knowledge and bushďŹ re modelling,â€? Mr Marshall said. Victorians can provide input and feedback on the FOP at any time by talking to a ďŹ re management ofďŹ cer at their local DELWP or Parks Victoria ofďŹ ce. Victoria’s ďŹ re season started in late October, earlier than it has in many years, with authorities in the North East expecting a severe season after the recent ďŹ res at LanceďŹ eld and Mt Hickey-Tallarook took place. This year’s harsh conditions are due to underlying drought conditions and a fast curing of grass.
CFA District 23 operations ofďŹ cer Stewart Kreltszheim said the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has forecast extremely dry conditions from October to December. “This includes a seasonal forecast of warmer than average day-time and nighttime temperatures for the whole of south east Australia,â€? he said. “We are expecting some of the hottest temperatures we’ve seen in several years and there is no relief in sight,â€? Mr Kreltszheim said. He added that there will be zero tolerance from police and CFA with anyone who lights a ďŹ re during the ďŹ re restriction period that could last up to six months. Ground observer crews are providing intelligence by identifying and mapping ďŹ re. Higher winds activate a heightened level of ďŹ re danger which occurs at a 35 rating. “We’ve already had a level of alert in the 50s and 60s and when we look back at severe situations the conditions have presented high winds,â€? Mr Kreltszheim said. “In these scenarios we have seen 1000 acres of grass burn in as little as two hours.â€? The CFA is also urging landowners to do the right thing before burning off by checking weather conditions and registering their burn-offs with the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority. Never leave a burn-off unattended and never burn-off in hot, dry or windy conditions.
NEWS
North East Farmer, Page 19
LAMB MARKING PERCENTAGES LOWER THAN YOU’D LIKE? Campylobacter can be a signiďŹ cant cause of poor ewe reproductive performance and lamb losses. You should consider Campylobacter as a potential reason for low lamb marking results. CAMPYVAXÂŽ is the only pre-joining vaccine that helps control reproductive losses due to Campylobacter species in sheep. Make sure none of your hard work is wasted, talk to your local CoopersÂŽ representative about securing your lamb numbers with CAMPYVAX.
Toll Free 1800 885 576 www.coopersanimalhealth.com.au ÂŽ Registered Trademark. AU/OVIC/0315/0004
v/05d07959/15-15
CONTACT GREG REGAN
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NEWS
Page 20, North East Farmer
yes we want your news__ Contact North East Farmer journalist Jodie Fleming on (03) 5723 0129
over
100 years in the business ...still as strong as ever!
December 2015
Farm insurance and you BUSINESSES have various components they rely on to ensure they can stay operational, and for many, vehicles are just one of them. They are critical to enabling deliveries to be made and clients to be seen, which is why companies cannot afford not to take out business vehicle insurance. After all, there are all sorts of problems that can face a business if they do not have cover in place. John Houghton from Elders Insurance Wangaratta said that lost custom and a suffering reputation are just two of the issues that could arise from not having operational vehicles. “These are just some of the reasons you might want to take a closer look at business vehicle
insurance, especially if you’ve never given it much thought in the past,” he said. “Commercial vehicles need to be protected.” Potential for vehicle theft According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, Australia has one of the highest rates of vehicle theft in the world. It costs the national economy about $1 billion a year and even just a small proportion of this can be difficult for a company to cope with. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows the national average motor vehicle victimisation rate stands at 3.5 per cent. Both Western Australia and the Northern Territory are higher than this average, with victimi-
sation rates of 5.5 per cent and 5.9 per cent respectively. Accidents while on the job “Another reason for taking out commercial car insurance is that a motor accident may occur while one of your vehicles is out on the road,” Mr Houghton said. “This can cause significant damage to the car, van or whichever other mode of transport was being used, which can be costly to repair.” The NSW Centre for Road Safety said the biggest causes of accidents are speeding and driver fatigue. “This should be something your organisation aims to address, as the insurance you purchase will only deal with some of the consequences resulting from the accident.”
Defacing of motor vehicles “There’s also a chance your commercial vehicles may be defaced or damaged in some way, which can be especially expensive to rectify if you have invested in bespoke signage,” he said. “This is where a dedicated business vehicle insurance policy can be beneficial, as it may save you considerable expense and inconvenience should something go wrong.” The ABS reveals that 27 per cent of all incidents of malicious property damage relate to a car or other motor vehicle – that is about 152,000 per year! For more information contact John Houghton of Elders Insurance Wangaratta on 0407 303 691.
t/12d13117/3615
Interbreed champion awarded at IDW GENERAL CARRIERS (INCLUDING AGRICULTURAL AND CONTAINER HANDLING) MELBOURNE & SYDNEY DAILY SERVICING NORTH EAST VIC INC ALBURY/ WODONGA & MYRTLEFORD / BRIGHT AREAS
Murrell Street, Wangaratta E: despatch@cannycc.com.au Ph (03) 57213612 Fax (03) 57221712 www.cannycarryingco.com.au
THE Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria’s (RASV) highly coveted Interbreed Champion will be presented as part of International Dairy Week (IDW) for the first time. The prestigious awards of Junior Interbreed Champion, Intermediate Interbreed Champion and Australia’s Grand Champion will be awarded by an esteemed panel of six judges, including local and international experts from Australia, Canada and the US on the final day of competition to be held on Sunday, January 17 to Thursday, January 21, 2016 in Tatura.
The Champions and Reserve Champions of the Illawarra, Ayrshire, Guernsey, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Holstein breeds will be eligible for the sought-after prizes that carry with them significant cash prizes, recognised as the highest offer in the country. Australia’s Grand Champion will be awarded a cash prize of $2000, with Reserve winning $1000, while Junior and Intermediate Champions will be awarded $1000 each, with each reserve taking home $500. Chief executive officer of the RASV, Mark O’Sullivan said the awarding of the Interbreed
Champion as part of the IDW schedule would provide greater opportunity for participants of the event, the largest expo in the Australian Dairy Industry. “Our partnership with IDW is underpinned by our commitment to promote and celebrate excellence in agriculture, provide value for industry participants and support regional and community events,” he said. The decision to award the Interbreed Champion during IDW is part of RASV’s revised dairy program, which has seen a youth-focused heifer competition take place at the Royal Melbourne
Show in September and increased support for the IDW event. IDW director Brian Leslie said he was extremely proud to be able to host the RASV Interbreed as part of the event. “These competitions have and will continue to reward excellence in showing. “We look forward to seeing some outstanding cattle compete for these prestigious titles,” Mr Leslie said. Entries for the 2016 IDW Cattle Show are now open. For more information visit www.internationaldairyweek. com.au.
k/12d13203/4915
LOCAL AGENTS Roger C Brown Pty Ltd 11 Hanson Street, Corryong, Victoria 3707 Phone: 02 6076 1788 Email: RCB5@bigpond.com
FARMER TO FARMER
December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 21
Boweya farmer admits to not knowing everything, but knows where to get the answers about improving the pastures and fences etc. and run a few sheep until the fire wiped out the lot except the sheep thank goodness. Tell us about your family. My family consists of my son, David, who visits from Lake Boga occasionally for a working farm holiday, my daughter, Olivia, who is in Canberra after completing a degree, honours and pHD in science at their university, and Helen, who I met in 1991 after I spent a year in Scotland. Best advice or farming tip you have ever received? I’ve had lots of best tips, most of which I can’t remember, except of course to look after your soil, which takes many forms. I enjoy talking to anyone involved in the land and continue to be amazed and excited by the knowledge of the younger farmers around me. My school teaching taught me that you don’t have to know everything but you do need to know where to find the answers, and that just might be your neighbour. Describe your perfect day? My perfect day would have to be in autumn; just had a beautiful breaking rain, green tinge appearing in the paddocks, ewes are lambing and I’m having fun on the golf course. It doesn’t take much to make a good day for me, and of course, selling steers for $1850 at Wodonga today made for a pretty nice day. What is the best thing about being a farmer? The best thing about farming is
that being your own boss you don’t have to. Fortunately, there is time for golf or a trip to the big smoke to take in a show or a footy match. There are also integral in-service education events to attend like sheep, cattle or clearing sales. But we are producers, and my greatest pleasures come from seeing the end product. Putting the lambs or vealers on the truck, the hay in the shed or the grain in the silo is what we are doing. The pleasure of the open spaces, green pastures, flourishing crops and thriving animals. I think it is an all-round pleasure to live here on my little farm, in this neighbourhood. What is the worst thing about being a farmer? I’m not a fan of the summer. It’s too hot, so you will find me under the air conditioner watching the cricket. Of course, the vagaries of the weather can cause anxieties. But if the pump’s gotta be fixed, it’s gotta be fixed. Then back to the cricket. If you could be someone else for a day, who would that be and why? I guess most people dream of being a champion of some form, like winning the US Masters or being the Prime Minister and I can’t say the thoughts haven’t gone through my head. But I’ve grown to enjoy my own company well enough. Wouldn’t mind being my dog Coolie for a day though.
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Give our readers a quick snapshot of your farm at Boweya. My place is just a small property of 320 acres that my parents added to their original place down in the valley, building a modest home here circa 1980. Only about 200 acres is arable with the rest stony, tree-covered outcrops and quite hilly. It is quite a secluded property with a high spot that we call the ‘Trig’ (that’s because it has a trigonometrical survey point on it) where we can go and see what the neighbours are up to or watch the sun set or the fireworks in Yarrawonga or Corowa. I mostly run a few sheep and currently have about 240 crossbed ewes in the midst of an unplanned lambing. We had a fire go through here in December last year which caused some havoc with the fences. I also lease 500 acres at Greta with my partner Helen and we run about 90 cows producing vealers and steers to fatten. How long have you been a farmer? I haven’t been farming very seriously for very long. After stints as a school teacher and publican and going separate ways with my then wife, I came home to this farm to live and care for my parents and dabbled a bit just because I could. After they passed on by 2004, I decided to buy the siblings out and stay on. It was still pretty much part time for me, but with lots of help, I set
NEWS
Page 22, North East Farmer
December 2015
New farm management app saving farmers time A NEW livestock app has been developed as a result of frustration at the lack of simple and accurate data capture, management and application for smart farm management decisions and for livestock transaction transparency. AgriWebb is fast becoming the technology of choice for livestock producers around Australia thanks to its easy-to-use software that assists livestock producers to manage their enterprise in a smarter and more efficient way. The AgriWebb NoteBook is a farm management and record-
keeping app, pre-loaded with the user’s farm map on a tablet. It is the only app on the market with ‘drag and drop’ technology allowing for simplified record keeping across the entire farm. The app has six key features including stock action recording and tracking; task assignment and management; paddock treatment and crop recording; inventory recording (feeds/chemicals/fertilisers); reports automatically generated and online portal that allows access to the data and analytics online. AgriWebb head of sales John
Fargher, who grew up on his family’s 400,000 acre sheep and cattle station in northern South Australia said anything you wish to record on your farm is collected by the NoteBook while standing in the paddock, therefore eliminating the need to sit in front of a computer at the end of a long day. “All the information is backed up in the cloud, and the beauty is you don’t need to be connected while you input the information,” he said. “The records can be used to run data analytics to improve farm performance and to allow
AgriWebb’s Christmas Offer Purchase an AgriWebb NoteBook this month and receive a $150 RM Williams Gift Voucher!*
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decisions to be made based on farm data, increasing efficiency and profitability. “We are shifting the way this industry does business through the use of technology. “Ideally, a farmer should be able to have real-time aggregated transparency in to the property, the animals, the pastures and the labour. “With this information, smarter management and budget decisions can be made, as opposed to ‘finger-in-the-air’ decision making,” Mr Fargher said. For more information visit www.agriwebb.com.
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December 2015
North East Farmer, Page 23
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Like us horses need regular dental care throughout their life, particularly as they get older! If you were unaware of this than the information may come as a surprise to you! The following article aims to outline the reasons why regular dental care in horses is important.
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