THE SOUTHERN
Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1986
APRIL, 2015
BEEF DEMAND UP
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RADISH PERFORMS
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'DLU\ IDUPV EHQH¿ W IURP OLYHU À XNH EUHDNWKURXJK COLLABORATION between Victoria’s Economic Development Department (DEDJTR) and La Trobe University scientists has led to breakthrough tests to identify and control liver fluke parasites in Victorian dairy cattle. The infestations cost dairy farmers an average of $28,000 per year in lost production, or about $9.3 million in the Maffra region alone – last year’s early figures from the latest research. Biosciences Research Division veterinary patho-biologist Grant Rawlin, based at the collaborative AgriBio centre in Bundoora, said one of the two tests identifies the threshold at which liver fluke is likely to cause significant production losses. The other test detects the parasite in water and potentially on pasture. “Liver flukes are flatworm parasites that most commonly live in wet grass near streams or ponds,” Dr Rawlin said. “They infect cattle grazing on contaminated grass resulting in liver damage which has subsequent effects on milk production.” Dr Rawlin said that liver fluke had been present in irrigated dairy areas of Victoria for many years S REDUCE SE OU GREENH SION IS GAS EM
and had been managed through the use of a particular drug treatment since the 1980s. “However, we have now found several cases on farms where liver fluke shows total resistance to triclabendazole and we expect to find more farms with this problem,” he said. Dr Rawlin said one of the new tests analyses cattle faecal samples to identify the relative infection intensity, allowing an estimate of the approximate number of adult fluke in the animal – something which could only previously be done during postmortem examinations. “These faecal samples can be analysed and then compared to cattle milk production which previous studies have shown that just 40 adult fluke can result in a decrease in overall milk production of up to 10 per cent,” he said. La Trobe University professor Terry Spithill said AgriBio and La Trobe scientists created a second test to detect the presence of metacercaria, the infective stage of liver fluke, in water and on pasture. This new test is to be deployed in the field this year to help to define the ecology of fluke infections in the environment near infected farms.
ALL GROW ON THE BELLARINE
Nathan Wilson and parents Anne and Darryl Wilson produce hydroponic tomatoes near Portarlington. Their major supply contracts are with demanding but volume buyers – the major supermarket chains. Read David Palmer’s story about the Wilsons’ hydroponic enterprise on pages 12-13. PHOTO: David Palmer
Continued page 3
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Page 2, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
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IRRIGATION Australia and Greater Sydney Local Land Services will run a two day centre pivot and lateral move (CPLM) workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 12 and 13 at the Sydney Field Vegetable Demonstration Farm, University of Western Sydney, Richmond. The convenors said centre pivots and lateral move machines have the potential to offer greater control and exibility of irrigation management. “Growers are seeing the many possible advantages for their businesses including potential yield improvements, reduced labor, more control of soil moisture as well as possible fertigation potential.â€? They said on completion of the workshop participants would be able to identify key CPLM components, identify ďŹ nancial issues associated with purchases and operations, list factors necessary for planning to install, compare sprinkler and wheel options to improve operation of a CPLM system, identify key measures and indicators of CPLM system performance and identify sprinkler package issues. The course will cost $795 for IAL members and $1150 for non members. For information call Bill Yiasoumi, (02) 8335 4000 or email bill.yiasoumi@irrigation.org.au.
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THE SOUTHERN
Covering Central South Victoria and West Gippsland Level 1, Suite 103, Whitehorse Road, Surry Hill, North VIC 3127 Phone (03) 9888 4822 Fax (03) 9888 4840 Email: nefarmer@nemedia.com.au Website: www.nemedia.com.au
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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 content of this issue is the copyright of North East Media Pty Ltd and cannot be used without the company’s permission.
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“Australian agriculture has rapidly increased the use of nitrogen fertiliser since the 1990s and now uses around one million tonnes a year, but this is only one per cent of global use,� Dr Gourley said.
“A 10 per cent increase in nitrogen fertiliser efďŹ ciency will save Victorian grain producers $17 million per year, while a 3pc increase would be valued at $24,000 per dairy farm and $9.6 million for Victoria a year.â€?
Inverloch dairy workshop heads April farmer diary INVERLOCH April 1 Dairying workshop examines options for new entrants and farmers looking to step back from day-to-day farming tasks. Information: call GippsDairy (03) 5624 3900 to register. SOUTH OR WEST GIPPSLAND April 9, 16 Principles of grazing management and supplementary feeding for profitability. Includes on-farm days. Time: 10am-2.30pm. Information: Frank Mickan (03) 5624 2259. BONEO April 11 Red Hill Clydesdales and Heavy Harness Show will be held from 8am at the Boneo Park Equestrian Centre, 312 Boneo Rd, Boneo. Information: call Red Hill Agricultural and Horticultural Society 03 5989 2357, email info@ redhillshow.com.au, or go to www.redhillshow. com.au/show-jumping-Clydesdales. WATTLE FLAT April 12 A hazelnut and truffle grower seminar and farm walk from 10am to 3pm will explore factors affecting the growing of these high value crops. Colin Carter, principal of Trufficulture, Australia’s biggest hazelnut propagator, will lead a three speaker discussion. The crops can be grown separately or together to ease cash flow considerations. Information: email
colin@trufficulture.com.au or go to www.trufficulture. com.au. LOCH April 18-19 The West Gippsland Ploughing Association will stage its 50th anniversary ploughing competition on April 18 and, depending on entry numbers, April 19, at Wonthaggi Road, Loch. Competitive ploughing is a sport where the first placed reversible and first placed conventional ploughmen who win at the national contest represent Australia. This year Poowong’s Brett Loughridge will be representing Australia in Denmark in the reversible ploughman competition. Information: call Wendy Tilling, West Gippsland Ploughing Association, 0407 863 304. ELLINBANK April 22 Cameron Gourley, DEDJTR Ellinbank, will speak about useful indicators for measuring nutrient efficiency on dairy farms. Information: call Sharon Aarons (03) 5624 2339 or email sharon.aarons@ ecodev.vic.gov.au. WARRAGUL AND SUNBURY April 22, 29, 30 The National Centre for Dairy Education (NCDEA) is running AI courses in conjunction with the National Herd Improvement Association of Australia (NHIA). The course comprises one day of theory (part A) followed by two days of intense, practical training
on live cows (part B). Part A is on April 22 in Warragul, while part B’s practical training takes place on April 29 and 30 at Salesian College, Sunbury, in facilities customdesigned for the purpose. Information: Robin Bell (03) 5667 4505 or email rbell@gotafe.vic.edu.au. SEYMOUR April 24 Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority is sponsoring two seminars at the Seymour Club hosted by third generation Virginia (USA) alternative farmer Joel Salatin. Joel is a proponent of small scale farming utilising forests for free range pigs, moveable cow bails to milk cows in paddock and grazing utilising hens in moveable coops to graze the same pasture as cattle. There are two sessions: 1-4pm and 5-8pm. Joel will discuss opportunities and resources. Information: contact Karen Brisbane, email karenb@gbcma.vic.gov.au or call (03) 5822 7734. TRARALGON April 24 West Gippsland’s 25 most active and innovative Landcare volunteers will take to the green carpet to display work to improve the environment. West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority will host the event at the Traralgon Vineyard 1-4pm. The green carpet will display categories including individual landcarer, innovation in sustainable
practices, Landcare group, young landcarer or sustainable agriculture leader and partnerships. A high tea will be provided and bookings essential. Information: call Kathleen 1300 094 262, email kathleenb@wgcma. vic.gov.au or go to www. wgcma.vic.gov.au. PAKENHAM April 29 Get advice for export success at two export workshops to be held at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, 40 Lakeside Blvd, Pakenham. The first workshop, 10am-12.30pm, will discuss tips to start and grow a successful export business. The second, 1-4pm, will show how to better position a website to sell exports. The cost will be $30 for each or $50 for both workshops, including a light lunch. Bookings are essential by 5pm April 24. Information: call Jeannie Clark (03) 5945 0401 or go to www.trybooking. com/117138. MELBOURNE April 27 Applications are open for up-and-coming farmers looking to undertake the Rabobank Farm Managers’ Program in 2015, to be held near Melbourne in June. Applications close April 27. Information: call Nerida Sweetapple (02) 8115 4139, email nerida.sweetapple@rabobank.com or go to www.rabobank.com. au/bmp.
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NEWS
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 3
Millers push organic grain skyward growing solidly,” he said. “Export demand is also high and the settings are perfect for existing operators to expand and new entrants to innovate and diversify their current cropping and marketing practices.” Craig Neale, managing director of family-owned Wholegrain Milling, told ABC TV’s Landline that there should be a base price of at least $500 per tonne for certified organic grain. “What the rest of the industry thinks about that remains to be seen, but everybody needs to be
profitable for this industry to survive,” he said. A large miller in Queensland is offering 40 per cent higher premiums for growers switching to growing certified organic grain. Farmers who are already using organic farming practices can achieve organic certification quicker under recent changes to the national organic standard. Producers could be fully certified after just one year of inspections if they can verify that a property has been under
organic management for the previous three years. Australian Certified Organic also helps producers through the certification paperwork and process. David and Mary Booth grow certified organic grain in New South Wales. Their Cootamundra property, comprising 1240 hectares of farmland and 400 hectares of conserved bushland was already in conversion to organic when
they purchased it. They decided to take advantage of the previous owners’ investment in conversion and maintain the property as organic – largely because of Mrs Booth’s desire to pursue organic production Mr Booth has quickly grown to appreciate what organic can do for production and the soil, and the market advantages of organic production.
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ORGANIC millers are paying premiums of up to 40 per cent for certified organic grain because supplies are at an all time low due to seasonal difficulties, retiring farmers and reduced water allocations. The shortfall has significant impacts on the grain supply chain, from human consumption to organic livestock producers who are required to feed certified organic grain. Australian Organic chairman Andrew Monk says the shortfall is worrying. “The organic industry is worth $1.7 billion and is
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'DLU\ IDUPV EHQH¿ W IURP EUHDNWKURXJK From page 1
“Results from both tests will be used to develop effective parasite management plans that aim to decrease adult fluke numbers below the threshold of 40 to reduce the loss of milk production,” Professor Spithill said. “This research will provide the key baseline knowledge of the extent of the liver fluke problem in Victorian dairy cattle and the farm environment.” Dr Rawlin stressed the importance of developing new control strategies as recent re-
search has found that liver fluke are becoming increasingly resistant to the commonly used drug treatments. “A recent survey of dairy farms across Gippsland, the Goulburn Valley and Upper Murray found that economically significant burdens of fluke were common,” Dr Rawlin said. “The new tests will enable researchers to measure the distribution of liver fluke in cattle and the farm environment and this will help us to evaluate how effective new control strategies are towards
reducing liver fluke infections. “Instead of striving for eradication, which is very difficult, we can now strive to push more cattle below the threshold of 40 adult liver fluke, where significant milk production losses begin to occur,” he said. AgriBio is a joint venture between the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources and La Trobe University. It brings together leading scientists for agriculture bioscience research and development.
From page 1
GIPPSLAND redgum grassy woodland has become a critically endangered vegetation community. The West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority is
currently looking for landholders in the Stratford and Briagolong areas with endemic redgum patches on their properties to be involved in a protection project.
Information is available from the authority’s website at www. wgcma.vic.gov.au. Interested landholders should look for the ‘Redgum grassy woodlands’ tab.
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NEWS
Page 4, Southern Farmer
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Published by: North East Media Suite 103, 486 Whitehorse Road, Surrey Hill 3127 Ph: (03) 9888 4822 Fax: (03) 9888 4840 ABN 65 006 238 277
April, 2015
Bugle yards deliver safety and efficiency for livestock ANIMAL welfare should be the aim of any good sheep or cattle yards so that maximum efficiencies and productivity can be safely achieved. However, there are a number of other things to think about when undertaking a new set of yards. Cattle yards that make use of curves or sheep yards that include bugleshapes can be operated by one person and a dog. That is because those designs use the natural circling instinct of sheep to encourage them to keep moving or take into consideration flight zones with cattle. Generally sheep will move towards entry yards in anticipation of release back to their paddock; cattle instinctively will circle and return in the direction they came. Evaluate how much walking is required to carry out yard chores. Think about distances from drafting areas to crushes or handlers. If you can reduce the amount of steps taken when completing a task, it will save time, energy
YARD SENSE: A bugle yard forms the vital centrepiece for this set of sheep yards.
and money. Well designed stock yards can result in precision animal management which will lead to increased onfarm profitability by being able to efficiently measure, manage and finally market individual animals with no real increase in labor.
To that end, if you are considering a new set of yards, call in and see the team at Pakenham Produce and Saddlery. It has a complimentary design service to help bring your ideas to life by enabling you to visualise your plan in full 3D. Permanent style yards
are very good if the planning is carried out properly. Some designs offer more flexibility than others, but in today’s fluctuating markets many are choosing semi permanent styles. These can normally be used the same day as
they are put together and are able to be changed as needs alter. Semi permanent yards provide a relocatable asset, tax benefits and carry relatively high re-sale values and they can be made nearly as useful as permanent yards using star posts. There is also a growing trend to combine semipermanent and permanent; use semi-permanent for outer holding yards and permanent for central high pressure handling areas. Maintenance is something to be mindful of too and Pakenham Produce says there are some key aspects to build and steel quality that are worth looking into. Some imported galvanised steel can have just a quarter of the zinc compared to Australian steel and the more zinc used in the galvanising process the longer yards will be protected from rust. For information call Pakenham Produce on (03) 5941 1844, email fencing@pakenhamproduce. com.au, www.pakenhamproduce.com.au.
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NEWS
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 5
Trust donation keeps feral pests at bay on peninsula THE impact of feral pests threatening native animals at a sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula has been greatly reduced, thanks to a donation of $45,000 from the RE Ross Trust to help build an exclusion fence. Senior conservation ranger at The Briars, Jarrod Ruch, said the specially designed floppy top fence has all but eradicated pests from the historic Victorian property’s 98ha enclosure. “We run a feral check internally once a week and there hasn’t been a single intrusion from foxes or cats since we built the fence early last year,” he said. “We’re still seeing some rabbits, and once they’re all gone we can start to explore opportunities to introduce new species such as potoroos, bandicoots and bettongs to the sanctuary.” The popular tourist attraction at Mount Martha, which is managed by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, currently boasts kangaroos, wal-
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NATIVES PROTECTOR: Jarrod Ruch is the senior conservation ranger at ‘The Briars’.
labies, emus, koalas and paddy melons and wetland bird species, which had been regularly having their habitat disrupted by foxes, rabbits and feral cats. “The original fence was a 2m tall game fence which was more suited to deer, not endangered wildlife. “It had no floppy top or
skirting, so cats and rabbits could easily get in,” Mr Ruch said. “We’ve replaced the previous design with a 5km, 2m high floppy top fence using netting and three electric wires. “It’s designed in such a way that predators can get out, but can’t get back in.
“With the support of Mount Martha Rotary Club, we’ve also installed 70cm wide skirting internally and externally along the fenceline to prevent rabbits from burrowing underneath.” Mr Ruch said they’ve changed to 30mm netting apertures for the skirting
Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), indicates the cost of an FMD outbreak in Australia would be more than $52bn over 10 years. “Evidence also shows the most probable cause of FMD outbreaks are through illegally imported meat or meat products being fed to pigs. “It’s our job to help protect Australia’s agricultural industries, economy and environment from plant and animal pests and diseases such as FMD—and we want to work in partnership with industry to manage these risks. “But when there is intentional noncompliance that puts our biosecurity status at risk we use the full force of the law to keep Australia free from exotic pests and diseases.” This prosecution was a result of Operation Hayride, an investigation which targeted deliberate and serious breaches.
LAST month the Victorian County Court in Melbourne imposed a suspended 16-month prison sentence on the director of ISS Import Trading Pty Ltd, Clayton, for knowingly importing prohibited meat from South East Asia. Kevin Yi admitted to aggravated illegal importation under the Quarantine Act 1908 by intentionally mis-declaring South Korean meat products as ‘vegetables’ in an effort to bypass Australia’s biosecurity system. The Department of Agriculture’s first assistant secretary of compliance Raelene Vivian said: “Meatbased goods from South Korea such as pork, beef and chicken pose too high a risk to allow importation, due to a range of animal disease concerns—for instance South Korea recorded outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and avian influenza in 2010. “Research by the Australian Bureau of
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NEWS
Page 6, Southern Farmer
Beef studs round out major sales with top-selling Banquet By DAVID RIZZOLI THE beef cattle world continues to be busy with numerous on-property sales held throughout February and March with the last sales rounding off this month. Most of the sales reported here are either located in the Southern Farmer region or adjacent or are of particular interest to beef producers in this region. All the major breeds were represented including Angus, Hereford, Poll Hereford, Limousin, Charolais and Simmental. Banquet Angus Branson Family, Mortlake: cleared 99 bulls out of 99; top $44,000; average $8374.
Ennerdale Herefords Luckock family, Darlington; cleared 19 of 31; top $8000; average $4171. ARDNO HEREFORDS McEachern family, Wingeil, via Geelong: cleared 27 bulls out of 37; top $10,000; average $4703 Mandayen Limousins Gommers family, Keith, SA: Limousin, Lim-Flex; top (Apricot Limousin) $15,000, (Black Limousin) $11,000; average all bulls $5104. Webb Black Simmental Stud manager Duncan Newcomen; cleared 32 of 39; top $ 6500; average, $2462. COOLANA ANGUS Mark, Anna Gub-
bins, Chatsworth; cleared 72 of 72; top $14,500; average $5785. Southern Charolais Breeders Group Whittlesea; cleared 28 out of 50; top female $5500; top bull $5000; all up average $3180. On property sales yet to be reported or to be held include Paringa Angus, (Charolais, Stabilizer), Yea; March 31, 65 bulls, Tom Lawson 03 5797 3003, 0434 146 795; 2015 inaugural unled Shorthorn bull sale, Naracoorte; 35 performance recorded bulls, March 26; Rosemary Miller, 0427 622; Southern Region Blonde d’Aquitaine sale, Lardner Park, Warragul, 14 bulls, 10 females, semen packs.
April, 2015
Total bull clearance at Murdeduke sale By DAVID RIZZOLI BUOYANT sentiment in the beef industry was evident at the annual Murdeduke Angus on-property bull sale at Winchelsea in mid-March. Of 50 bulls offered all sold under the hammer for a top of $11,500 and an average of $5415. Topping the sale was Murdeduke Jovial J167, a 19-month- old calf weighing 756 kilograms. He was sired by popular AI sire Dockland and purchased by Tasmania’s Connorville Station.
Numerous return buyers, together with some new clients, kept demand strong throughout the sale. One long-term client was Mingawalla Station, Beeac, which sought out bulls by popular sire Te Mania Emperor. Mingawalla took home four to a top of $8000 at an average of $6125. According to Mingawalla’s Will Dexter, Emperor is one of the most complete bulls in the industry at the moment combining structure, phenotype, temperament and breed-leading EBVs.
In all 11 sons of Emperor averaged $6000. The Pardoo Cattle Company, Barongarook West, was active taking six bulls up to $11,000 at an average of $6750. This company operated on some of the older proven genetics buying six sons of Murdeduke Regent at an average of $7083. Close to home Otway Grazing too was a strong supporter throughout the catalogue buying four bulls to $8000 at an average of $6250. After the sale Murdeduke Angus stud adviser
Simon Faulkner said the result of the sale reflected commercial producers’ growing confidence in the Murdeduke brand. “The significant investment that we have made recently in expanded AI and embryo transfer programs as well as the purchase of sires Emperor, Gatsby and General is really starting to pay dividends,” he said. Murdeduke principal Lachie Wilson said the sale was solid, with buying opportunities presenting themselves throughout the catalogue no matter what people’s budgets.
Firewood collection now open THE autumn firewood collection season started across Victoria on March 1 and will run until June 30. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) Gippsland regional manager fire and land Richard Teychenne said, “It’s important that people collect firewood from designated areas and stay
within collection limits. “This includes taking a maximum of two cubic metres per person per day and a maximum of 16 cubic metres per household per financial year. “Designated collection areas are put in place to protect sites of cultural and environmental significance. “Also, some households rely
on firewood for winter energy so consider others when taking wood,” Mr Teychenne said. “People should check where designated collection areas are in their local area. “They should also check local weather and forest conditions to make sure it’s safe before collecting firewood.” Site maps are available.
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NEWS
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 7
Te Mania meets strong demand By DAVID RIZZOLI THE annual bull and female sales of renowned Victorian stud Te Mania Angus in March realised 141 bulls sold to a top of $22,000 at an average of $6535 while females sold to $1870. For the bull sale 250 people packed the woolshed selling arena to follow the sale on a screen. The gathering included buyers from local areas, Gippsland and Central Victoria with interstate purchasers from every state except Western Australia. An indication of the strength of the sale was that the ďŹ rst 20 bulls sold for an average of $9000. Buyers and onlookers had to wait until lot 105 when New South Wales’ breeder Grant Davies, of Dee Creek, Bellbrook, made the top of the sale bid of $22,000 for Te Mania Jarmyn J575. This bull is an outstanding son of Tuwharetoa Regent. “Lot 105 was my number one pick because he
had very powerful and balanced EBVs across all traits combined with excellent conformation and temperament,� said Mr Davies – one very pleased buyer. A total of 29 sons of Regent averaged $7879. Te Mania principal Tom Gubbins said he was pleased with the stud’s home-bred sire, Te Mania Berkley, too. The progeny of daughters of the bull are now performing well in the stud. The 17 sons of Berkley sold for an average of $7500. Queensland’s Sam Coulton, from Moorella Agriculture at Goondiwindi, acted at the sale on behalf of the Cloulton family, long-time Te Mania Angus clients. He took 11 bulls to $21,000, including four sons of Tuwharetoa Regent. The Prowse family, another long term client from Violet Town, purchased seven bulls. “This sale has achieved an excellent result for both our clients and Te Mania
Angus,� said Mr Gubbins and Te Mania co-principal Hamish McFarlane, At the Team Te Mania female sale the evening before vendors included breeders who used Te Mania bloodlines or who owned females joined to Te Mania bulls. It was an on-line auction conducted by AuctionPlus with 52 bidders logged in. The top price of $1870 was paid for each of a line of 38 cows, twoand-a-half-year-old PTIC females to calve in spring. This draft was part of an offering of 150 ACR recorded 2012 drop cows which sold for an average of $1830 on behalf of Susie Chisholm, Gwalia, Adelong, NSW. Evan and June Baillie, Glencoe, Forbes, NSW, were notable in selling a line of 36 PTIC heifers aged 18-20 months for $1400. Fiona Conroy and Cam Nicholson, Knewleave, Queenscliff sold a draft of 28 month old cows with autumn drop calves at foot for $1590. Te Mania co-principal,
TOP BULL: Buyer Grant Davies, Pee Dee Creek, Bellbrook, NSW, agent Ross Milne, Elders, Hamilton and stud principal Tom Gubbins are pictured with top priced bull Te Mania Jarmyn J575.
Hamish McFarlane said, “The vendors were happy with the strong result in a tight feed market for many parts of the countryâ€?. “It was great to see the support of Team Te Mania members who are committed to the online sale, with some members planning joining in their herds speciďŹ cally for the sale,â€? he said.
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PRODUCTIVE PASTURES
Page 8, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Non-trad radish takes Inverleigh cake By DAVID PALMER RADISH is the winning centrepiece species of diverse seed mixes that have been trialled as green cover crops at Murnong, near Inverleigh, during summer and autumn.
O E S N VIC CT A ER S NTR O C
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Murnong’s trials and hear of Steve’s radish growing experience – his “cover crop journeyâ€? – over nearly 15 years. Steve has trialled various radish varieties on his Canadian farm since 2001 and ‘Tillage’ radish is the winning result of those and other trials. Murnong farm manager Josh Walter said the aim of their green cover crop was partly to take advantage of any summer rainfall to grow a crop they could feed their sheep through autumn. But they had found over four years of growing green cover crops that there were signiďŹ cant soil beneďŹ ts too. One mix Murnong sowed, in conjunction with Southern Farming Systems’ project coordinatorAnniekaParaidaenwas rape, linseed, millet, Tillage radish, sunowers, sorghum and faba beans. Planted in summer straight after harvest it had performed well thanks to 84mm of summer rain, 33mm of which fell the
PRAIRIE PERSPECTIVE: Canadian farmer Steve Groff explains the benefits of Tillage radish.
weekend before the crop walk. Steve Groff recommended sowing just radish to start green cover cropping then add other species in subsequent years to determine the ideal “brew� for a particular farm and sowing time. But he said the Murnong mixes looked pretty successful. “We’re harvesting (winter crops) from November to February so we are sowing all those different times so we will have different brews,� Josh said.
Annieka said she “threw togetherâ€? what she called a forage mix to trial at Murnong. It comprised Revenue winter wheat, millet, sorghum, soybeans and Greenland rape. Josh said the legumes hadn’t really taken off in any of the mixes “and I think the problem with us will be ďŹ nding a summer active legume which actually does somethingâ€?. “We can get them to germinate but they don’t do much else. “Faba beans came up but they turned black and died because of the heat,â€? he said. Annieka Paraidaen said she was impressed by the residual soil shattering affect of Tillage radish. “When (local farmer Eric) sprayed them out in a cereal crop last season their roots left channels which made the soil much more friable in a paddock where you couldn’t otherwise get a shovel inâ€?. She said she was excited too when she saw November sown radish lifting soil
around them; Steve told the gathering he called that bio strip tillage. “One Ohio (USA) farmer saw a wheat yield increase of 11 bushels an acre (740kg/ha) where he had accidentally left radish seed in his drill and planted it with his wheat. “So after replicated trials conďŹ rmed consistent beneďŹ ts, some North American seed marketers now pre mix 3kg/ha of radish seed with wheat seed,â€? Steve said. He said because radish grows faster than wheat it collects nitrogen and sulphur quicker and deeper – it has an aggressive root system – and is able to pluck nutrients from depth which wheat uses as it grows. A visitor dug up a radish and found its tap root had penetrated a 50mm thick hard layer about 100mm down. Its display provided an iPhone camera moment for quite a few visitors. Steve said like in Australian southern cropping regions, slugs were a prob-
lem in Canadian crops. “But more and more Canadian farmers, by planting green cover crops straight after harvest, had found that slugs in following winter crops were not as bad,� he said. But earthworms are much more in evidence with the Groff farm recording 36 per square metre. A farm walk visitor told Steve he’d “had a chew on a radish and found it pretty spicy�. Steve said it was an acquired taste for livestock “and if they haven’t had brassicas before they are liable to get a little hungry. “But once they get on it you can’t stop them,� he said. Josh said that at Murnong they were trying with green cover crops to get end of summer and autumn grazing too. AGF Seeds recommends precision planting 6kg/ha of $8/kg Tillage radish at depths between one and 25mm from late December through to late February.
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April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 9
Paddock performance is poles apart EVERY dairy farmer knows that some paddocks are more productive than others, but researchers from the Future Dairy project were staggered to find the average difference between the best and worst paddocks is 100 per cent. Or to put it another way, the pasture utilisation from the top yielding paddock was almost always twice that of the lowest paddock. Researcher Yani Garcia and his colleagues analysed data from commercial and research dairy farms in both Australia and New Zealand. “In almost every case, there were more paddocks performing below average than above. “This means a few very high-yielding paddocks were inflating the aver-
ages,” Prof Garcia said. Research farms operating to best management practices achieve much higher overall levels of pasture utilisation (20-25t/ ha/year for ryegrass compared with 12-14 t DM/ ha on commercial farms) but still had big variations between paddocks. “Although we weren’t expecting such large variability between paddocks, we are very confident in the findings because we found the same trend across multiple farms, across years and even across the two countries,” he said. “In all the studies, pasture management and fertiliser (and irrigation in some cases) were based on best management practice and well defined management rules.
“So we expected that differences between paddocks would be reduced, but they were not.” While more research is needed to better understand the causes of paddock variability and therefore ways to overcome it, Prof Garcia said the findings showed enormous potential gains from improving underperforming paddocks. “It is certainly worth identifying under-performing paddocks and investigating underlying cause such as compaction, soil nutrition, drainage and pasture management. Prof Garcia suggested that in the future technology such as unmanned ground vehicles had the potential to provide farmers with detailed information about soil nutrition
and pasture cover which would allow more precise management and boost pasture utilisation. “Although there has been a lift in the average
commercial farms. “As pasture is our cheapest feed source, anything that can help bridge that gap will contribute to on-farm profitability,”
in pasture utilisation on Australian dairy farms there is still a huge gap between potential pasture utilisation and what is currently achieved on
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PRODUCTIVE PASTURES
Page 10, Southern Farmer
Goldcare Rapid load a spraying bonus
Vertikator delivers one-pass renovation THE Hatzenbichler Vertikator, a purpose built pasture renovator and seeder, can do its job on reasonably smooth country at a direct cost of about $15/ha when operator wages, fuel and machinery wear and tear are taken into account. Victorian representative for the Austrian made machine Graham Wood told Southern Farmer late last month that a Phillip Island customer at that time was using a Vertikator to sow 23kg/ha of Tetila ryegrass into existing pasture at 10 to 12km/hr and at a rate of 3ha/hr. Mr Wood said in another example some years ago in the Goulburn Valley a Vertikator owning farmer charged a neighbor the same amount as a local Baker boot seeder contractor to seed pasture using his new machine. But he soon realised that because he was doing the job so easily he was charging the farmer somewhere in the region of $120/hr
and could easily halve his charge. However, apart from the time, diesel and effort required to sow pasture, the cost of quality pasture seed needed for a total re-seeding is in the vicinity of $100 to $200/ ha in high rainfall and irrigation areas. That means the machine used to sow the seed must be capable of doing the job properly. Overall the Vertikator levels, harrows, seeds and rolls in one fast pass to press the soil around the seed for optimal germination. “The natural way for pasture seed to germinate is near the surface, in contact with the soil; bury the seed and it dies,� Mr Wood said. Sowing in lines or rows does not make any sense either, as empty spaces between rows will allow weeds to grow with obvious loss of production. Mr Wood said a major feature of the Vertikator seeder is
April, 2015
that because tines are mounted on a parallelogram frame they move independently of soil contours and are always engaged with soil. The versatile Vertikator is able to broadcast seed just as effectively on rough rocky country or river ats and is excellent for both pasture management and renovation as it is for sowing summer fodder crops such as lucerne, brassicas, millet etc into cultivated soil. Exaktor seed boxes are ground-driven through cassettes with several ratios and the seed drops on to a metal deector plate which fans out the seed to give an even distribution over the entire paddock. The Exaktor and new WIX seed-boxes handle seeds from clovers to peas. Information: contact Graham Wood Machinery by calling (03) 5678 8880 or 0418 591 678 or go to www. grahamwoodmachinery.com.au.
A NEW chemical mixing station from Goldacres takes the work out of loading broadacre boom sprayers. Goldacres’ Batchmate mix station allows farmers or contractors to mix and agitate chemical prior to loading in a trailed or selfpropelled sprayer. The unit is designed to take the work out of mixing liquid, powder or granular chemicals before ďŹ lling the sprayer and is ďŹ tted with high capacity plumbing for complete agitation and rapid loading. Mounted on fork skids – with an optional trailered version available – the Batchmate is ďŹ tted with an 800L main tank with twin high capacity 50mm agitation ports and a 75mm poly centrifugal pump delivering high volume agitation. “One of the key concerns with powders and granular chemicals in particular is the proper mixing before applica-
tion,â€? Goldacres’ sales and marketing operations manager Stephen Richards said. “Most sprayers are ďŹ tted with built-in agitation jets in their main product tanks, but they may not be producing the required agitation, or volume of movement required to adequately mix chemicals before application. “That can lead to poor or inefficient chemical application and a waste of money or damage to crops.â€? The Batchmate is powered by an ever-reliable Honda GX200 engine and the Aussie poly pump features Viton seals for extra longevity. The 75mm pump produces open ow capacity of more than 600L/min drawing from the tank and can then be used to load the sprayer tank with water at an open ow rate of about 1000L/min. Plumbed with camlock fittings, the Batchmate comes with a high capac-
ity chemical probe that allows users to draw liquid chemical from drums. The unit is also ďŹ tted with a wash down gun and 23L hand wash tank and soap dispenser. The main 800L product tank is ďŹ tted with twin lids for ease of chemical loading and cleaning, with one opening ďŹ tted with a drum rinse nozzle that can also be optioned with a Drumbuster spear for rapid piercing of chemical containers. Constructed on a 40mm RHS skid base with fork slots, the Batchmate is built for longer-term durability. The unit is simple to operate and is ďŹ tted with oversize tap handles for easy grip and a clear control panel – all within easy reach of the operator. “The Batchmate is not the ďŹ rst unit of its kind on the market, but it is the most completely resolved chemical mixing station,â€? Stephen said. “We’ve designed this
with a lot of input from a couple of our key dealers and that is feedback from the ďŹ eld about what actually works and why. “The Batchmate will add signiďŹ cant productivity to a spraying operation as it allows a pre-mix to be ready for immediate loading into a sprayer adding to the valuable, but limited, spraying hours available,â€? Stephen said. “It will take the work out of loading and mixing powders like atrazine and simazine that can foam badly when operators are trying to load them through the small, low volume hoppers ďŹ tted to many sprayers.â€? The Batchmate is available from any Goldacres dealer and is retailed for $8499 inc GST ex freight. The Batchmate chemical mixing station will be displayed on Goldacres’ dealer sites at Warragul, Elmore, Henty, Lucindale and most other agricultural field days in the coming months.
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PRODUCTIVE PASTURES
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 11
Extra ryegrass seeding delivers yield By FRANK MICKAN Department of Economic Development Ellinbank MOST Gippsland dairy farmers rely on ryegrass as the cheapest source of feed and this won’t change in the foreseeable future. To stay ahead of the game, farmers continue to seek out whatever feed advantage they can, whether purchased or home-grown. Seed companies and the department (formerly DEPI) are continually breeding new varieties to lift total production and sometimes to increase growth in periods of feed shortage. They are also developing new species for a range of conditions, taking over a decade for thorough testing before releasing them onto the market. Extensive research is also carried out on other traits such as endophyte suitability, seed treatments and seeding rates. Recent research by Joe Jacobs (DEDJTR) and seed company PGG Wrightson Seeds has separately investigated whether increasing the seeding rate of annual and short rotation (not perennial) ryegrasses was economically beneďŹ cial. DEDJTR research compared seeding rates from 10 to 50kg/ ha of three annual ryegrasses,
TOP PASTURE: Heavy ryegrass seed inputs on this Loch focus farm were a significant contributor to the cows grazing it netting $11 worth of milk per day. The picture was taken last June.
one diploid (Progrow) and two tetraploids (Winterstar, Abundant) under a good grazing regime. The trial was over two years with different seasons: 2007 which had a good growing season and 2008 which had a poor season due to a late break and waterlogging.
Dry matter (DM) yields increased with seeding rates of 10 to 40kg/ha then levelled off at 45 to 50kg/ha despite seasonal differences. Results were averaged as there were negligible differences between the three varieties. Total DM yield increased by 600kg DM/ha in year one
and 1100kg DM/ha in year two when seeding rate increased from 20 to 30kg/ha. When seeding rate increased from 30 to 40kg/ha, an extra 900 and 1700kg DM/ha was grown over years one and two respectively. The seed company compared a tetraploid annual ryegrass
(Winterstar 2) in 2003, 2009 and 2010 over a seeding rate range of 10 to 50kg/ha. The researchers, acknowledging that there is a diminishing marginal return as seeding rate increases, used a marginal cost analysis approach in their analyses. They concluded that proďŹ t
could be lifted by increasing seeding rate up to about 35 to 45kg/ha but will be dependent on cost of alternative feeds. The majority of the beneďŹ t (extra growth) occurred during the initial grazings, becoming less so as the season progressed when compensatory tillering diminished the differences. Total production over time was not decreased at the higher sowing rates but became uneconomical above about 45kg/ha. The results of the research, averaged over the two years showed the potential milk production from the extra grass grown assuming pasture utilisation is 80 per cent of that grown, pasture energy value is 11.5 megajoules of metabolisable energy per kilogram dry matter value and 5.5MJ produces one litre of milk. Although these results have shown good economical responses with increases in seeding rate, it must be stressed that the degree of response will vary according to rainfall, soil fertility and especially how well the pasture is managed and utilised. For more information contact Frank Mickan at the Department of Economic Development at Ellinbank: (0)3 5624 2259 or email, frankmickan@ecodev.vic. gov.au.
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Page 12, Southern Farmer
HYDROPONICS & GREENHOUSES
April, 2015
Hydroponic tomatoes demand care By DAVID PALMER
PROLIFIC GROWTH: Stems grow to about 15m in 11 months and one square metre of plants yields up to 30kg of truss tomatoes in that time.
WHILE hydroponic tomato yields of 28-30 kilograms per square metre over an 11-month season are significantly higher than more conventional open paddock systems, the effort and experience involved in achieving that level of plant performance are considerable, according to Bellarine Peninsula growers Darryl, Anne and Nathan Wilson. The Wilsons started in hydroponics with 1000 sq/m of plastic-covered polyhouses near Drysdale in 1993. In 2004 they put a decade of experience
into establishing a 5000 sq/m glass greenhouse on leased land near Portarlington. They now grow and pack 250-gram punnets of cherry truss tomatoes for demanding but volume customers like Coles, Woolworths and sometimes Aldi. Darryl and Anne’s son, Nathan, took Southern Farmer through the process recently. The Wilsons grow a variety called ‘Conchita’ which they say is the besttasting cherry tomato. For all supermarkets there are restrictions on the number of fruit and number of pieces in each
of the packs, Nathan said. “Coles won’t accept any pack with less than 10 fruit or more than 16 regardless of weight and you’re only allowed to pack three separate pieces,” he told Farmer. “We try and pack as few pieces as possible. “It would be nice just to pick the truss and put it in the packet and send it away but that is unusual.” Ideally when a customer opens the pack there will be a couple of red tomatoes ready to go and hopefully they will ripen as the consumer goes down through the pack. In other words, at the time of purchase, the
greenest tomatoes will be at the bottom of the pack, although the trusses are not picked until the bottom fruit has some color, Nathan said. He said truss tomatoes had become more of a staple as people had become more adventurous with cooking. “When we started we grew large gourmet tomatoes and then moved into niche markets with baby ‘Roma’ and cherry truss,” he said. There was more work in cherry tomatoes than in larger ones and the Wilsons had to achieve premium prices as a result. They plant in June or
July, produce their first tomatoes 6-8 weeks later and keep producing for 11 months before removing that crop and replanting. Nathan said there was a common misconception that heat determined yield. He said the amount of sunshine influenced yield. This gave crops in their Portarlington glass greenhouse an advantage over their less transparent plastic houses at Drysdale. Seedlings come in small growing medium cubes and are placed on prewetted, super-heated and spun granite rock wool slabs which the roots then penetrate. Continued page 13
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NEWS
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Southern Farmer, Page 13
and experienced handling recycling point. Those prunings provide extra habitat for beneficial insects until autumn when disease risk means the leaves must be removed and composted. They employ extra people in separate crews to pick and pack Nathan said that when they put up the Portarlington greenhouse in 2004 it was one of the biggest in the country. Now it is one of the smallest he said. “The industry standard now is to start with 5ha and the big growers have 40-50ha under glass; many are overseas investors,” he said. When the Wilsons set up at Portarlington they wanted to buy land. But eventually they found it suited them better to lease land from a fisherman who lived on an adjacent block. “It worked out well for both of us because the fisherman had to have a commercial farming enterprise here so he was allowed to build his house. Nathan said finding a block with mains power and gas as well as water was quite hard to find. “We are quite lucky compared to many other
They colonise extensively but it doesn’t always go according to plan. Last year, for the first time in 20 years, the Wilsons bought a bad batch of seedlings and they had to throw them out along with many of the slabs. “That meant we were 12 weeks late and $100,000 down the gurgler,” Nathan said. “We couldn’t prove it was something the seedling supplier did to the plants so we had no comeback.” But it could have been worse. The Wilsons normally order a shipping container of the rock wool slabs from the Netherlands six months before planting the new crop. Fortunately, another grower was oversupplied with slabs and was able to sell his to them. At Portarlington the family employs four full time people training plants onto suspended strings, pruning laterals at the top and pruning trusses to carry the right amount of fruit Pruned leaves go on the floor under suspended trays to carry drainage nutrient water back to a
growers who have to rely on variable quality dam or bore water and wood chip, oil or coal burners,” he said. “We used to have recycled oil burners at our Drysdale site but the inconsistency of waste oil was a problem.” During the drought Geelong and particularly Barwon Water was hard hit by extremely low dam levels. But Nathan said because the Wilsons reused the greenhouse water, they were able to gain exemp-
tions from the water body and continue operating at normal strength. They have three granular nutrient mixes which span the growing season mixed in water. The first is a start up for seedlings until the first truss forms. Then there is a fruiting mix for most of the season and a finishing mix when they take the heads off the plants towards season end. At the ends of the rows where there is more light, the plants need more irrigation and they have
an extra dripper for each growing medium slab. Further in there are three drippers per slab. Because of pest and disease and root volume pressure the Wilsons replace growth blocks every year. Nathan said some overseas countries recycle slabs into house bricks but the industry was not big enough here to justify that. Stems of each plant grow up to 15m long and present a disposal problem, too. Without mulching equipment they go to landfill.
DIY New Zealand-made kitset greenhouses push out conventional growing seasons for extra months at either end. The Glasshouse Company sells the Winter Gardenz range of 1.8 and 2.4 metre-wide greenhouses to suit domestic or small
commercial needs. The frames are powder coated aluminium which hold clear, twin-wall 6mm thick UV stable polycarbonate panes that offer better thermal efficiency than glass. Call The Glasshouse Co on (03) 5978 8774 for details.
Wasps lead pest war THE Wilsons focus on using beneficial insects to managing pests and diseases in environmentally friendly and natural ways. In fact Darryl Wilson is an expert in integrated pest management and speaks at industry conferences. Nathan Wilson said their worst pest was greenhouse white fly. “We release bought-in beneficial Encarsia Formosa wasps to attack them,” he said. Biological Services’ mails weekly from Adelaide greenhouse whitefly scales parasitised by the wasps and glued to a card. About 100 wasps just 0.6mm long will hatch from each card within seven days and live for a couple of weeks parasitising more greenhouse white fly. Nathan said beneficial insect
releases were no more expensive than chemicals and were much more time effective than pesticides. “Occasionally we have to spray for things like powdery mildew. “Being in a prominent grape growing area we pick up a few pests and diseases from vineyards and potato crops in the area. “We particularly find a disease like tomato spot wilt virus is transmitted by thrips which live on potatoes. “So in years when people put in a lot of potatoes we get more of those types of diseases,” he said. Northerly winds in particular are when Nathan notices influxes of thrips on pest traps. When they do have to spray for invading pests they use bio oils and eco oils.
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From page 12
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NEWS
Page 14, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Well-fed cow limits calf disease risks PERHAPS the most neglected period of managing cows’ energy intake is during the dry period. Research is uncovering major links between dry cow nutrition and postcalving metabolic diseases such as milk fever and ketosis; from which all other health problems flow including the critical profit driver of fertility. Research and subsequent findings, delivered by Dr Phil Cardoso, University of Illinois, at the Four State Nutrition Conference last June, bore strong testimony to controlling energy intake from dry off to post-calving and its positive outcomes. Lower dry off BCS is now recommended following this research and constant live-weight during the dry period reaffirmed. Autumn calving cows frequently gain weight rapidly in late summer rations as sustaining a sound protein level in these diets becomes a real challenge with limited or no pasture. Milk protein percentages rise rapidly as litres fall and fat is deposited excessively. Conversely loss of weight while dry has
By JOHN LYNE Dairytech dairy production specialist equally devastating effects. Both end up in ketosis post-calving. Research on blood of ketosis cows has identified two types of ketosis: type 1 and type 2 with type 1 being the traditional ketosis sometime (three to six weeks) after calving, often resulting in a downer cow. Type 2 is usually very soon after calving and is sub-clinical and not often diagnosed, but bringing on other health issues and delayed conception. The important matter here is, they must be treated differently. Type 1 (traditional) is usually a thin cow milking too hard off her back. Type 2 (sub-clinical) is often associated with an over-conditioned cow, especially during the dry period. Each type affects the cow’s metabolism differently and hence must be treated differently. Type 2 (sub-clinical) has elevated blood glucose and insulin so increasing
WELL-FED: Good energy intake during dry periods is essential.
energy with dextrose (energy) will only heighten the problem. Type 1 has low blood glucose and will benefit from 250ml of dextrose plus three or four days of propylene glycol. Propylene glycol makes the liver ‘work’ to convert it to glucose. Helping the cow to help herself. I strongly urge all my clients to check fresh cows weekly for three weeks post-calving with milk keto test strips. This is very easily done at morning milking – preferably not afternoon
milking as it can have a lower reading. This will highlight sub-clinical ketosis, easily treated with 250ml of propylene glycol for a few days until retesting shows the problem has passed. Those that have high readings and don’t improve are likely type 1 (thin cows) and in need of 250ml of dextrose as well as propylene glycol. Ketosis is a massively costly calving issue, but can be managed. The test strip will also alert us to necessary dietary changes for remaining dry cows.
Obviously managing energy intake during the dry spell is far better than treating ketosis postcalving, or worse. Dry cows that have free access to good pasture, late winter or spring calvers, run the opposite risk of autumn calvers; their energy intake can get to 150 per ent of their requirement with a very rapid weight gain/fat deposition. Then post-calving, due to high blood fat levels, will only consume 65 per ent of their energy needs due to messages sent to the liver from high blood fat levels.
Alternately the autumn calver, and this has certainly been verified by our own work of blood testing of dry cows, is mobilising body fat to meet maintenance energy needs. Protein also bites in here too. If summer dry cows are not getting sufficient energy from low quality forages, not only do they have NEB (negative energy balance), but also NPB (negative protein balance), which is never mentioned. The combination of these two has a multiplier effect on our dry cow. The reason is the calf is fed protein via the placenta, not energy. So our dry cows must, very inefficiently, convert energy to protein for the unborn calf, further robbing herself of energy. The autumn calver is most likely to bring on type 2/sub-clinical ketosis from weight loss, while the spring calver is probably at greater risk of type 1, clinical, from weight gain during the dry period. How do we manage dry cow energy intake? The answer is simple, but might require some planning ahead to make it
happen effectively. I have a table available for the perfect drycow ration. It meets all parameters for energy, fibre and protein. The only difference between this ration and the transition ration of the last 21 days pre-calving is the addition of three or four kgs of Lead Feed grain mix with a proper DCAD (discussed last month). The sole issue we come up against with a silage ration is potential high potassium content of silage, also common on farms drawing surface water from dams. Test silage to be used for drys and springers. Silage that has undergone a long fermentation (either too dry or not inoculated) can have a far lower energy and protein content. Maintaining mineral nutrition during the dry period also has significant research supporting it. This can easily be done with loose lick minerals. John Lyne is a dairy production specialist with Dairytech Nutrition. Go to www.dairytechnutrition. com.au.
v/05d07875/10-15
K/05D07941/15-15
NEWS
Page 16, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Smaller tractors make king beds easily BUSCH Organic Farms, a prominent Victorian vegetable grower in Hillside-Lindenow in East Gippsland, has just taken delivery of a new Breviglieri three row bed
former designed and built by Silvan Australia. The precision and purpose built bed former has been designed to cultivate and form three 1.55m wide beds in one pass.
It employs Italian made Brevi rotary hoe units. The unit which is designed to fold to enable legal road transport between the farms’ properties employs all Australian steel.
Silvan machinery representative Chris Tait says that the unit with a total width of 4.6m hydraulically folds to a maximum width of 2.5m for road legal use. “Designed for tractor power of up to 215kW (350hp) in this instance it is being successfully used behind a much smaller New Holland TS 115 tractor.
“The key benefits that our client saw in requesting this Brevi unit were its one pass cultivation, timely readiness for planting and thus significant savings in time and input costs, including fuel. “Silvan Australia is regularly commissioned to design and build one pass rotary cultivators as bed formers that meet the specific needs of indi-
vidual row crop operators in horticulture, sugar cane and other specialty type crops. “In fact our capacity is up to a maximum of five row units with a cultivation width per row up to 1.8m and an overall machine width of 6m. “By designing and building foldable road legal units they are ideal for operators or contrac-
tors working multiple properties,” Mr Tait says. Tractor capacity of up to 210kW is another feature enabling them to be attached to tractors that are already commonly used on many farms. For more information call Silvan Australia, 1300 SILVAN (1300 745 828), email info@silvanaust. com.au or call mobile 0425 748 945.
Celery growers save reserve
“Have G We’ll o ate? pen”
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CARDINIA Shire Council has collaborated with a local farmer to safeguard the future of Cardinia Recreation Reserve and help local sporting clubs. After months of crisis meetings, the council and Southern Rural Water secured a water donation from celery grower Schreurs and Sons, based in Clyde, to supply water for the oval for at least five years. The ground’s playing surface was severely cracking during summer and preventing the Cardinia Cricket Club from using it for both training and playing. The reserve had no mains water access and bore water was too high in salt. Council recreation and facilities’ team leader Heather Callahan said having no water source
for irrigation had a profound impact on the cricket club. “The club was suffering financially, many games were transferred to other grounds and players were leaving to play elsewhere,” she said. “The condition of the reserve was an extreme safety concern for council and unfortunately we had to close the oval during the 2013-14 cricket season as the cracks were wide enough for an adult to get their foot stuck.” Council officers met with Cardinia Recreation Reserve’s committee of management and the cricket club on a number of occasions to find a solution. The best option was to pump water from Cardinia Creek, east of the reserve, but licences
were capped and at capacity. Council and Southern Rural Water approached Schreurs and Sons to discuss selling a portion of their licence to council so that water from the creek could be used to irrigate the reserve’s oval. “Everyone involved was relieved when Schreurs and Sons agreed to donate 3.2ML of their annual allocation to council for the next five years,” Ms Callahan said. “This amount will enable the club to plan for the future without having to be concerned about having a sustainable playing space.” “Schreurs have been very generous with their donation and Council and the cricket club are very grateful.”
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Decades of septic system misery, banished in days. Queensland couple Mike and Rose Maynard talk about their decadeslong battle with septic tank odours and fouling, and the environmentally friendly solution that restored their pride in their home within two weeks.
“Our septic system was put in when we built in 1988,” says Mike Maynard from his rural property in sunny Queensland. “Over the years we have had continuing problems with the system not working properly. The area around the trench would get so wet and boggy that we could not even walk near it, let alone use the mower.” But that wasn’t the worst bit of their dysfunctional septic system. “The smell would become almost overpowering at times,” says Mike, “especially when it rained or when we had visitors to stay, which was quite embarrassing.”
The stink that stuck The problem wouldn’t go away, which is common with septic tanks and wastewater treatment systems. “As time went on, the smell was becoming a constant thing,” explains Rose. Septic systems are much like a digestive system for your house. Just as you need healthy bacteria in your body, your septic system needs a healthy balance of good bacteria to process the waste from your home. Otherwise, problems occur and recur. “We were at a loss as to what to do to fix it, apart from getting the septic pumped out again, digging up and replacing the trench, or even replacing the whole system – all expensive options,” says Rose. “But then we read in a magazine about Ecocare Activator.”
Cleaners don’t cut it Often confused with traditional septic system cleaning products, Ecocare Activator is much more than a cleaner.
Sound advice about odours “My husband rang and spoke at length to George at Insight Environmental about our problem and, based on that conversation and George’s assurances, we decided to try Ecocare Activator,” says Rose. “We thought, ‘Really, what do we have to lose,’ as it is only a fraction of the cost of the other options we had.” What happened next surprised Mike and Rose, but not George.
Fast forward for the Maynards “We were astounded by the results and how quickly it happened,” says Rose with a smile. “Within a couple of weeks the smell was gone and you could see the area around the trench drying – something that had not happened for twenty years or more.” That was in the winter of 2013. Today, Mike and Rose still have a healthy, odour-free septic system. “We now have a dry paddock,” Mike explains. “We can mow and walk all around the area. “We could not be happier with the results and will continue to use this fabulous product.”
It’s an easy-to-use, environmentally friendly, septicsafe solution that activates and conditions your septic system. It gets the ‘digestive system’ healthy again, which, in turn, clears the blockages that cause bad odours and keeps the entire septic system clean.
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Because Ecocare Activator is safe for you and your garden or paddock, Mike and Rose have no qualms in sharing their story with their friends and neighbours. “We highly recommend anyone with a septic system – with or without issues – to use this great product to fix and prevent septic system problems,” says Mike. And who can blame him when Ecocare Activator’s triple action is not only more effective than the single-action septic system cleaners out there, it’s more costeffective too. If you’re having problems with your septic system, or would simply like to find out more about triple-action Ecocare Activator, call Insight Environmental.
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NEWS
Page 18, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Belted shelter delivers a Loch asset By DAVID PALMER RON Barnacle’s Loch hill farm is so windy it was successfully monitored for the installation of wind turbines. But Ron told visitors at a mid-February shelter belt field day on his property, 300 metres above sea level, that lack of nearby high tension power lines put paid to the project. Professionally it is a subject close to his heart because he is involved in a wave power project overseas. Ron and his wife bought the 140-hectare (350-acre) farm on the Anderson Hill Road in June 2000 for its views of surrounding countryside. But because there were only a few trees on the farm they were under no illusions about the brutality of the climate. Ron said the farm was a barren, cold wasteland when they arrived. “And I thought ‘this is going to be dangerous’.” A previous manager called the farm undulating to overhanging “which it is because we have written off a tractor and a couple of quad bikes”. Ron said weather on the farm could be “pretty
ACCESS TREK: Visitors traverse a farm road across hills on the picturesque Loch farm.
ugly” in winter or summer. “Cold south westerly winds in winter drive freezing rain horizontally and in summer there is nowhere to hide either when there are hot northerlies. “But there are fewer of the northerlies,” he said. Rainfall averages 1150 millimetres (45 inches) a year so there is plenty of mud and pasture pugging in even a normal year. The Barnacles planted their first 1600 native trees the October they arrived and it has been a constant effort since. Now after 15 years it is much more attractive with about 15 per cent of the farm covered by about 45,000 trees and shrubs.
Less dangerous too because they have fenced out and planted steep gullies into which cattle were previously tempted to sometimes become stuck. That often demanded dangerous and difficult human intervention to extract them, Ron said. He said he had heard that planting up to 20 per cent of a farm’s area would still provide benefits to farm production and value. But he won’t be tempted to go for that extra five per cent. “I went like hell while I could to fence paddocks, laneways and dams and install troughs. “And it was easier to do when the government
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allowed us to net off our other (off farm) income against the losses on the farm and that finished about 2009/10.” Research has shown that extensive shelter belts providing good shade and shelter for livestock increase property values about 15 per cent and pasture production 25 per cent. Western Australian research too has shown a 25 to 30 per cent reduction in evaporation from dams with decent shade and shelter. What started as seven poorly fenced paddocks at Loch has now become 27 of 5-10ha each, largely formed from fencing gul-
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lies and using them as natural fence lines. Gullies on the farm are 30 to 60 metres wide and Ron has planted shrubs along their sides, then medium height trees and large ones even further in so branches don’t fall over electrified fences. “Of all the species we have planted blackwoods and bluegums just go nuts and rarely die,” Ron said. “A medium species which has done well too is Eucalyptus kitsonia, also known as Gippsland mallee or bog gum.” The overall tree survival rate is about 85 per cent with by far the greatest mortalities among the shrubs.
Ron said a single wallaby killed 300 out of about 1500 trees in one block although that was an isolated incident. He replanted them and the wallaby didn’t touch them next time around. Visiting French Island farmer George Brown said koalas were a problem on his farm. “They eliminated 100 blue gums in a flash,” he said. Land slips have been a problem on parts of the Loch farm. Ron said one big one of about 2000 square metres had left a hole at the highest point about 3m deep. He said all he could do was to fence it and plant
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Protecting Australia’s Crops from slugs and snails
WIND BREAK: Ron Barnacle describes his shelter belt planting experiences to field day visitors.
trees and shrubs on it. The Barnacles found they could easily plant 50 trees an hour if they had sprayed out competing plants with herbicide a few weeks earlier. They have to continue using herbicides to control blackberries and ivy in between trees for a decade or so. After that the trees shade the belts so well it becomes too dark for weeds to survive well. He said Melbourne Water provided resources to fight blackberries in the form of a contractor or just chemicals. “I much prefer the former,” he told the gathering. Nowadays the farm runs up to 800 head of cattle largely comprising a couple of hundred cows and their calves and Landmark Global Export heifers agisted at a fee of $5 to $7 per head per week. “Those are easily the most profitable livestock on the farm,” Ron said. They conserve a considerable amount of fodder, too. Last spring they made 160 bales of silage and 650 bales of hay off the main farm and another 260ha to the north which the Barnacles also own.
NEWS
April, 2015
Agworld app allows collaborative work AGWORLD is a farm information management system that reinforces collaboration between farmers and agronomists to help them get the job done and make the best decisions for their business. It is designed with an easy-to-follow interface containing a range of tools to manage and view farm information in the office or in the field via the web, iPad and iPhone apps. Agworld users can generate their own farm planning reports and record their actions, all while they are in the field. Chief executive Doug Fitch says: “You simply
tap on a paddock and get all the information you need, such as rotation history, crop recommendations, scenario planning, cash flow reporting and gross margin analysis.” The big difference between Agworld and its competitors is the focus on the collaborative management of all farm information not just record-keeping. Yet another strength of Agworld is the convenience of online-offline functionality that lets you complete your farm management tasks, even while out of internet coverage. “In effect, Agworld pro-
vides a mobile IT platform that allows information to be easily captured, adapted, analysed and shared, by all participants in the agricultural value chain,” Doug says. Suppliers of agricultural inputs can ensure agronomists and farmers have access to the information they need, agronomists can develop programs tailored down to individual paddocks and transfer them to the farm, and farmers can receive these recommendations via the web, iPad or iPhone. 2015 has been busy for Agworld, releasing free
iPhone and iPad apps that allow farmers to view their recommendations, paddock information and an extensive library of product labels, MSDS, pests, crops and research material. The brand new Scout app has also been released. With Scout, farmers are able to create custom attributes and templates to record in-field data for a multitude of applications, including crop development and pest pressure. All Agworld farmer subscriptions include a free 30-day trial and complimentary support. Go to your store for the apps.
Southern Farmer, Page 19
Wild dog control autumn review THE Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will hold a series of community workshops this autumn to review 2014-15 wild dog management zone work plans and seek local input for the development of the 2015-16 work plans. A key part of the government’s new Victorian Wild Dog Action Plan, the workshops will provide local communities with an opportunity to contribute to the plans and ensure local knowledge is captured and put to best effect.
The work plans will specify operational targets for both government and community wild dog control efforts on private and public land over the coming year and ensure a coordinated, integrated approach to wild dog management. All interested land managers and producers are urged to attend their local workshop. Local control officers can advise your zone. For information call Tim Enshaw in Wodonga on (02) 6043 7900 or Vaughn Kingston in Bairnsdale on (03) 5155 8121.
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NEWS
Page 20, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Cressy Clearfield canola beats slugs As well, Intervix technology is still working at Duverney. “It’s great for controlling hard-to-kill broadleaf weeds like marshmallow,” Justin said. Intervix is part of the Clearfield® Production System for early postemergence control of certain annual grass and broadleaf weeds. The new Pioneer® hybrid 45Y88 (CL) was one of the major canolas grown last season and did particularly well in a season which was wet early but dried off dramatically in the spring. “Considering the season, the yields were still
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that has attracted attention. “James Hunt from CSIRO has given us an overview on how early sowing worked for growers in 2014 with some analysis on what varieties are best,” Mrs Findlay Tickner said. New knowledge around herbicide resistance, cereal root diseases, problematic pests such as green peach aphid, which spread beet western yellows virus, canola diseases and nitrogen use efficiency has also been extended to advisers and growers. A record 330 agronomists, consultants, researchers and growers attended the annual twoday research update in Ballarat, which was a 10 per cent increase on the previous record of 301 set in 2013. Wimmera grains industry people also came together in Nhill for an update where cropping issues of relevance to local growers were discussed. Another was at Sale on March 18.
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season type Pioneer® hybrid 44Y89 (CL) which excelled in the dry finish to the season. “It was quite surprising but it did flower a lot earlier compared to the other varieties in the trial; I suppose it just suited the season,” Justin said. He said the trial also demonstrated the improved blackleg resistance of new and experimental hybrids. “Some of the newer varieties definitely performed well for blackleg.” He said one of the older varieties had the odd dead plant at windrowing time and that related back to yield.
When you advertise in the Southern Farmer, your message is delivered FREE via Australia Post to farmer and horticulturalist throughout South Central Victoria and West Gippsland
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A panel of experts discussed frost at the Ballarat update, providing advice on how to assess crops for damage and options for salvaging frost-damaged crops. Update attendees have also been informed about work being undertaken through the GRDC’s National Frost Initiative, which is an extensive integrated RD&E program addressing genetic, management and environmental approaches to mitigate the effects of frost. Mrs Findlay Tickner said a topic of increasing interest to Victorian growers, advisers and other grains industry personnel was unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). “Innovations in UAVs and how they can be used in cropping have been discussed, as well as the legislation and compliance that we need to be across before they are used on-farm,” she said. Sowing dates is another topic
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VICTORIAN grain growers and their advisers have been armed with the latest Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) research information at recent Ballarat, Nhill and Sale seminars. GRDC Southern Region panel member Susan Findlay Tickner, Horsham, said the forums were an important platform for enabling the Victorian industry to remain up to date. She said they were primarily focused on issues which had the most impact on productivity and profitability. “Pests, herbicide resistance, nitrogen, diseases, time of sowing and frost – all these issues have been front and centre at the updates,” she said. Frost was a key issue in 2014 and is still fresh in the minds of growers whose crops were affected by the early timing of last year’s frost events and their duration.
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new front end loader, fwa, a/c cab, new rear tyres,103hp. Excellent unit. RIMS & TYRES New Ferguson 16” and 19” front rims. VINTAGE Case SC, 3 wheel tractor. Runs well. Electric start. Hyd lift. Fendt F20,1 cylinder, water cooled, c.1954, older restoration..Rare! Lanz Bulldog, 28hp, vineyard model, with linkage. Porsche 1cyl Diesel, c.1959, 3 pl, rops, new tyres. V8 diesel Deutz irrigation motor with 15 KVA generator, and pto.150hp….$8,800 inc gst. Perkins 236 engine, suit Massey Ferguson. IMPLEMENTS 3.5 mtr Lely Power Harrows, 3.0 mtr Lely Power harrows,14 row Connor Shea tyned linkage seeder, 14 row Connor Shea linkage disc seeder, Post rammer, Berends rotary drainer . 4ft 6” - 6ft slashers, Soft hands for loader, 3pl pallet forks, 3pl bale forks,12ft galvanised tandem trailer, grader blades, mobile fuel tanker, Howard Paraplow, Inter 4 furrow disc plow, Berends 3pl 14 disc plow as new, as new 5ft Caroni rotary hoe, Krone 2.5 mtr rotary harrows, 3pl 10ft pasture roller aerator, wick wiper, Hardi 1200 ltr trailing spray unit with 10 mtr boom and hand reel, quick detach front end loader suit Massey, assorted tractor weights and weight frames WANTED Good quality late model tractors.
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country,” he said. Normally Justin plants canola at the end of April or early May, with seed size and germination used to determine seeding rate. This year seed was quite large with a good germination percentage so Justin sowed it at 2.2kg/ha. “We aim for 50 plants per square metre with the hybrid varieties and 70 plants with the TT varieties.” As part of the 2014 season, Justin also ran a Pioneer Strike trial, which compared new and experimental hybrids with commercial canolas. The highest yielding canola was a shorter-
Growers gear up for winter cropping
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up there to average,” Justin said. “They were still quite good considering we had hardly any spring rainfall and the average yield across the canola was about 2.1t/ha; our heavier soil probably yielded a bit better than our lighter soil.” He said Clearfield was the preferred technology in canola because it achieved better weed control in his more alkaline soil types. “It’s one of the reasons why we’ve gone away from triazine tolerant canola on that soil. “It’s great for controlling those hard to kill broadleaf weeds on that
MM UNI TY
Justin Alexander last year used 45Y88 (CL) canola for good yields and weed control.
CLEARFIELD canola technology is being used to produce good yields and control problem weeds on Justin Alexander’s Cressy district farm, ‘Duverney’. He runs a mixed enterprise and grows canola in rotation with wheat and barley on a range of soil types – alkaline soils around lakes and a clay loam that is slightly acidic. “It’s a 560-millimetre rainfall environment,” Justin said. He has previously grown conventional, TT and Clearfield varieties and last year focused on all Clearfield varieties mainly for early vigor and to beat slugs and snails.
NEWS
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 21
Lentil deterrent proves popular against ‘sliders’ DELICIA® Sluggoff® Lentils, an innovative and effective snail and slug bait, has proven results against pest snails and slugs in Australian broad acre crops, vineyards and horticultural crops. Animal Control Technologies Australia managing director Linton Staples said that landholders in Australia had been amazed at its effectiveness and success. “(It) is a highly attractive product as it has a better performance rate, is more palatable and is made from the best ingredients,” he said. The bait has been approved for application by hand, mechanical ground spreaders and aircraft. “Even with its proven low rate of 3kg/ha in broad-acre crops such as cereals and oil seeds and 6kg/ha in high value horticulture and vineyards, growers are astounded by the results.” Both snails and slugs have detrimental affects on profitable grain and fodder production.
Snails can contaminate harvested crops, block headers, cause devaluation of grain and clog irrigation systems. Slugs live under the soil surface, and can burrow into the subsoil to release eggs. Professor Staples says the high effectiveness at low rates are due to the unique shape (a pellet with thin edges), and the high number of bait stations per kg of product. “The unique shape and high number of bait stations not only make the product very effective against all species of slugs and snails, but it also cuts bait and spreading costs,” he said. “Very small snails, such as
conical and round Mediterranean snails, have an adult size of less than a centimetre and juveniles are smaller again; thus we saw a huge advantage in designing a pellet that had thin edges that could be easily eaten by these snails. “The convex lentil shape of the pellet also allows for a great many particles per kilogram of product with uniform spreading at low application rates. “Furthermore, the formulation and manufacturing processes are of the highest quality, which means the pellets contain double the amount of metaldehyde, three per cent, of most competitive baits with no negative impact on palatability.” Mataldehyde works on the mucous secretion mechanism to desiccate slugs and snails. “The pellets are also rain fast, which helps reduce the need for re-spreading,” Prof Staples said. For information go to website www.animalcontrol. com.au.
FLIGHT TIME: A 1080 baits risk management course is designed to protect the indigenous carnivore but not introduced feral species.
Training essential for feral baiting FARMERS with lambing ewes in the next few months in areas where foxes or wild dogs are a problem may wish to purchase and use 1080 baits themselves. If so, users must be trained in a Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Training ansd Resources-developed 1080 baits risk management course, which on completion will enable a 1080 endorsement to their agricultural chemicals user permit. Phil Morrow, based in Melbourne, is ChemCert Agvet’s chemicals and 1080 trainer, having worked closely with the Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre (IACRC) during his role with ACTA and is a member of the Australian Environmental Pest
Management Association. Phil was engaged by ChemCert as part of a charter of contracting only industry specialists to deliver training on its behalf. This strategy, along with quality training resources and a reference manual, has paid off with this not-for-profit industry organisation regarded as the most popular Agvet chemical user training program provider in the country. The use of 1080 pest animal baits in an integrated control program is very effective in controlling foxes, wild dogs and dingoes. In Victoria feral or wild populations of dog and dingodog hybrids, foxes and rabbits are declared established pest animals. Under the Catchment
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and Land Protection Act, all landowners have a responsibility to prevent the spread of or eradicate these pests from their land. According to the department, fox predation may result in lamb losses of 4-30 per cent on sheep farms and wild dogs account for a conservative annual loss of 1900 sheep, let alone their impact on native flora and fauna. ChemCert says it is always best practice to start 1080 baiting for foxes six to eight weeks before lambing. Farmers and graziers interested in gaining 1080 training can contact ChemCert by free-calling1800 444 228. NOTE: ChemCert editorial published last month was an inadvertent repeat and may no longer be relevant.
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BALLARAT RURAL LIFESTYLE EXPO
Page 22, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Hazels, truffles crop in alkaline soils HAZELNUTS and truffles are important tree crops that offer diversity and alternatives to beef,
dairy and sheep enterprises. Both crops need well drained soils with plenty
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of sunlight so grazing properties are often suitable once soil compaction is relieved by deep ripping. Truffles need soils with a high pH (alkaline) and this is achieved with the incorporation of lime. If the soil is acidic it will require a lot of lime to raise the pH to about 8. It is now possible to grow commercial hazelnuts and have them inoculated to also produce the famous black truffle. But establishing a truffiere (truffle orchard) is an expensive venture and requires a lot of patience. Oaks and hazelnuts are the main host trees for truffles. However, by also producing commercial hazelnuts the trees provide some relief on cashflow by delivering some earlier returns. Trufficulture joined Hazelnut Nursery Propagators
(HNP) into their business to develop inoculation and cultural techniques to allow the potential for double cropping. Fresh hazelnuts have grown in popularity and are recognised as a health nut. The trees are hardy and easy to grow with very few inputs required. Truffles are the fruiting body of a specialised fungus known as a mycorrhiza. They need to be inoculated onto the roots of hazelnuts or oaks where they develop a symbiotic relationship with the tree. The French black truffle is highly prized and keenly sought by leading chefs. Generally a hazelnut seedling is used to inoculate the truffle mycorrhiza. However, a hazelnut seedling is unreliable as a producer of quality hazelnuts. This led Trufficulture (a grower of truffle inoculated seedlings) to
join with Hazelnut Nursery Propagators (HNP) to use commercial varieties in the inoculation process and develop this exciting orchard program. Throughout Victoria there are many successful hazelnut groves and also many truffieres, so there are soils and climatic regions that suit both. The Australian hazelnut industry is dominated by
imported hazelnuts. Often these can be several months old and don’t have the same sweet flavor of freshly local grown product. Rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, they contain no cholesterol and are an excellent source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. HNP has a great range
of varieties with compatible pollinisers that ensure excellent crop yields are produced. As well they provide all the cultural advice needed and a planting pattern design for the orchard. Bare-root stock in the form of whips is available for planting from July to September. Information: call Colin Carter 0419 717 401.
Victorian truffle field days TRUFFICULTURE and another company, Truffle Harvest Australia, are conducting one-day grower seminars at Bairnsdale (May 3), Taggerty (May 30) and Korumburra (July 5). The seminars will be professionally presented by industry figures and will cover growing hazelnuts as a viable horticultural enterprise as well as growing truffles. Speakers will include Colin and Nathan Carter from Trufficulture and Noel
Fitzpatrick, a specialist truffle grower and marketer. After the seminars those interested can do a farm walk on a producing hazelnut grove or a truffière where truffle hunting with a dog will be demonstrated. A small charge will be required to cover the costs of the seminar, a light lunch and the truffle hunt. To register and reserve your place visit www.truffleharvest.com.au.
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SUNSTREAM customers said they wanted a better way of checking water levels in their tanks so the company designed the EZ view tank level indicator. It is a simple unit which indicates levels using a ball indicator. Once set to the liquid’s level the ball follows the internal level directly not in reverse as some indicators do. For those with more remote tanks Sunstream offers the Aquatell range of wireless tank indicators. A sender unit on a tank sends a signal to an indicator in a remote office. Ranges of up to 5km are possible and up to six tanks can be monitored. These units are suitable for any non highly flammable product, for example diesel, water and molasses and can be used in elevated tanks, ground level tanks and even underground tanks. A new supply arrangement for our pumping systems allows access to a wider range of pumps so that in addition to submersible bore pumps, Sunstream can now offer jet and pressure pumps. In addition backup service has been improved with a wider range of spare parts if something does go wrong. Need help in selecting a pump or designing pipework? With more than 25 years experience in farming and a similar time in engineering and customer support Sunstream is there to help. For information call Robert Armitt on 0458 479 143.
PUMP ACTION: Sunstream’s Robert Armitt advises a field days visitor on a pumping solution.
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April, 2015
BALLARAT RURAL LIFESTYLE EXPO
Southern Farmer, Page 23
Bigger Rural Lifestyle Expo returns The expo is designed to provide hobby and lifestyle farmers with opportunities to look at more than 200 exhibitors offering a wide variety of goods and services. These include farm machinery, water tanks, rare breed animals and poultry, local providores and hor-
ticultural expertise. Expert speakers will give advice on a variety of topics ranging from fire safety to raising poultry. There will be fencing demos, gardening advice, animal husbandry exhibitors and opportunities for practical hands-on farm machinery advice.
A dedicated food and wine area will once again promote regional cooking from local suppliers with chef Simon Beaton. An expanded Paddock to Plate area will include entrants from local growers speaking about and demonstrating the use of their own products.
There will be plenty of food to eat and children’s activities on the day. The Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s exit surveys last year showed high levels of consumer satisfaction with all there was to see and do, so it was keen to add on and improve the
Fruitgrowing brings its own rewards for rural winner
level of satisfaction for the public and stallholders. experts will also talk on horse health and pasture care, sheep breeding and shearing, rearing pigs and animal husbandry.
Bare-root trees for Winter Planting Also Truffle Inoculated trees
HAZELNUT NURSERY PROPAGATORS TRUFFICULTURE HNP is a division of Trufficulture Pty.Ltd. Trufficulture grows and supplies truffle inoculated trees. See the website at www.trufficulture.com.au
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BLOOMING GOOD: Katie Finlay (centre), RIRDC Victorian Rural Woman of the Year, with Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford (left) at Parliament House in Melbourne.
She said their placid temperament and willingness to please makes them suitable mounts for many equine sports although they are traditionally associated with deer-stalking in the Scottish Highlands and more recently as trekking mounts. Anne said they made excellent ‘family’ ponies with many being natural jumpers. As well they are very easily broken to harness and are competitive in dressage arenas. Contact: Anne McCallum, nugnug@skymesh.com.au.
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tinued promotion. A strong and hardy native of Scotland, they are one of the most versatile of the British native breeds. They are found on the Scottish mainland and in the Western isles and range in height from 13 to 14.2 hands. Anne said their surefootedness, willingness to work, docile nature and immense stamina make them ideal for work over rough, often inhospitable terrain, which abounds on the slopes of Mount Buffalo immediately adjacent to Nug Nug.
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Katie Finlay said. For those people who plant an orchard, the Finlays will later provide more detail, step-by-step, season by season. “That detail covers apples, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, pears and plums; that’s what we know, so that’s what we teach,” they said. Information: info@ mafg.com.au, (03) 5474 2808, 0409 012 090. Highland pony promotion On the livestock front Anne McCallum, Nug Nug south of Myrtleford near Lake Buffalo, will be exhibiting and also speaking about Highland ponies at the expo. She said there were not a great number of Highland ponies in Australia compared with some of the other pony breeds but those involved with them are dedicated to their con-
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THIRD generation fruitgrowers Katie and Hugh Finlay grow more than 85 varieties of deciduous fruit at their certified organic farm at the Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens near Harcourt. They promote healthy gardening and sustainable living and their farm is a working demonstration of how to keep a family supplied with home grown, organic fruit all year around. Mrs Finlay will be a marquee speaker at the Rural Lifestyle Expo. She will run a workshop called ‘Grow Great Fruit’ which will begin at 1pm and go for about 45 minutes with time available afterwards for questions and answers. Last month Mrs Finlay won the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Victorian Rural Women’s Award. Her prize included a $10,000 business bursary which she plans to use to build a business which would offer training to farmers showing them how best to establish a social media presence. But at Ballarat her talk will be about growing fruit. “ We c r e a t e d t h e ‘Grow Great Fruit’ program to stop the pain of watching people make the same simple mistakes, just because they didn’t have the right information at the right time, when we knew we could help,” the Finlays said. The program will cover all the basics of fruit tree care including pruning, organic pest and disease control and how to build healthy soil. “Overall it is designed to get you successfully growing your own organic fruit at home,”
For detailed information go to the expo website at www.rurallifestyleexpo.org.au. Alternatively, email admin@rurallifestyleexpo. org.au.
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THE Rural Lifestyle Expo is back for a fourth year in an expanded form in Ballarat on April 11. A very busy one day event will run from 9.30am-5pm at Ballarat Showgrounds. The grounds are on the corner of Creswick Road and Howitt Street.
FENCING
Page 24, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
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THE Victorian former state coalition government committed $12.5 million in 2010 to support 68 community-based parttime Landcare facilitators. This followed at least a decade of uncertain yearto-year facilitator funding – a situation which seems likely to recur from June 30. So South West Goulburn Landcare Network chairman Paul Fleming and facilitator Sonia Sharkey, who were behind a fast grassroots-driven response to the KilmoreMickleham fires a year ago, are concerned that uncertain funding from July 1 will hamper future fire response measures. Both were veterans of the 2009 Black Saturday fires and knew the response to the KilmoreMickleham fire had to be immediate and community driven. The fire tore through 20,000 hectares of mainly grass on February 9-11 last year, destroying a dozen homes and outbuildings, killing up to 11,000 sheep and 500 cattle on 600 properties and damaging hundreds of kilometres of fencing. The SWGLN stepped in to help fire-affected
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RISK: Facilitator Sonia Sharkey and SWG Landcare chairman Paul Fleming.
residents with practical assistance and advice while the embers were still red hot. Ms Sharkey rated the most urgent priorities as re-establishing pastures, controlling weeds, controlling erosion, maintaining water quality and re-erecting fencing. “In the 2009 fire aftermath, people were angry at the slow response with assistance; everything took so long and there was so much red tape,” she said. “We had to make things easier for landholders. “They were highly emotional as they had lost stock and fencing – we had to step in and help.’’ Within a week, a round table meeting of Landcare networks, state and local government agencies, and water authorities developed an action plan for written resources, information workshops, erosion control, fencing, weed control and funding sources. The next week, information brochures were mailed to 142 fire affected properties in the SWGL area, with 54 seeking help and wanting to take part in fire recovery workshops. “We partnered with the Upper Maribyrnong Catchment Group to run joint workshops at Kilmore and Darraweit Guim,’’ Ms Sharkey said. “The first fire recovery session was attended by 102 people, with 26 taking up the offer of 250kg bales of rice straw for erosion control and water quality protection. During the crisis, Upper Goulburn Landcare Network chairman Terry Hubbard offered their project officer Chris Coburn to co-ordinate the onground works, allowing Sonia to concentrate on the overall management of the recovery program. Over the past year, the network attracted 337 corporate volunteers to remove 4km of fencing and construct a further 9km. More than 300 people came together to learn and share information on erosion control, whole farm planning, weed identification, pasture management, soil test interpretation, fertiliser requirements and fencing techniques. “More importantly, we
are helping to create and maintain a sense of community in the area,’’ Ms Sharkey said. That effort has emerged as a positive model for natural disaster recovery in regional Australia, she said. Mr Fleming said building trust within the community and completing on-ground works was a long-term effort. “I have been involved with the facilitator concept since 2001 and for 10 years we didn’t know from one year to the next whether our facilitator had a job, or if there was funding in the pipeline,’’ Mr Fleming said. “We lived on a bare cupboard. “Then along came this commitment from the state government. “Without that none of the above may have happened. “There was no way any committee members or individuals within our Landcare groups could have done what was achieved in those early months. “Importantly, we now have those links between the natural resource management agencies and residents. “I would hate to return to the bad old days of having no ongoing state government support for our facilitator.’’ The two peak bodies for community Landcare in Victoria, the Victorian Landcare Council and Farm Tree and Landcare Association believe this funding should be continued and the number of facilitators increased to 100. Upper Goulburn Landcare Network and Victorian Landcare Council chairman Terry Hubbard said the state government’s commitment to facilitator funding had been of great benefit to landholders. “When you look at people’s perception of what Landcare does, disaster relief is not one that comes to mind,’’ he said. “We just hope this new state government can continue with the program and get things rolling before we lose funding for our facilitators again on July 1.” There’s a challenge.
FENCING
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 25
Electric fence limits mountain dog risks to sheep at Rose River farm recently bought and continued it around a further 202ha of grazing land. “We now have 14km of boundary dog fence, and another 10km of internal electric fence to manage livestock and pasture.” Reduced stress, different focus “The dog fence is not a silver bullet for the wild dog problem — the dogs are still there, on the outside. “It is, however, a fantastic tool that gives us the confidence to focus on other jobs, and not be stressing continually over wild dogs. “That’s a comment you hear often from people who are under impact from wild dogs: it’s just that continual waking up every day, with a sick-in-the-gut feeling of what disaster you’re going to find out in the paddock because of wild dogs. “This Gallagher feral fence gives us peace of mind. “We’ve still had incidents with wild dogs, but they’re minimal compared to the pre-fence days and certainly to what other people have. “Dog attacks knock you about. “They’re a continual thing and become your all-encompassing focus, so other things don’t get done. “The previous owners told us how the fence changed their lifestyle. “We find the same — you can focus on other farm activities, or even lifestyle activities.” Performance visible in an instant Mat and Lindy installed two M2800 i series energiser systems, adding an extra two remote monitors on each (one comes standard). “This i series enables us to just walk up to the shed,
look at the screens on the energiser controllers, and tell straightaway how the fence is performing and if there are any issues with it. “And that’s not just here at the shed, but through the monitors at remote points. “Our most important monitor is probably the one right at the end of the fence. “It’s all very well sitting at the workshop knowing that there’s 7000 volts here, but it’s great to know there’s also 7000 volts at the far end of the fence, and that’s what the i series allows us to do. “If there’s any sort of breach from a tree or anything causing a short on the fence, it’ll show up.” Knowledge an advantage on conventional “That’s the point we often make: people say that with a conventional fence you don’t have an issue if a branch falls on it, or if something happens you don’t necessarily have to go straight down and fix it, because there’s no power to short on a conventional fence,” Mat said. “My answer to that is that with a conventional fence, you don’t know that branch is there until you physically go out around — in our case 14km of fence. With electric fencing, if there’s something, we’re aware of it and we can make an informed decision on how to manage it; we’re not flying blind.” Repair simpler Mat says another reason they chose electric fencing was its cost effectiveness to install and ease of repair. “This is a heavily treed area, so there are always trees that come down and so forth. From a repair point of view, it’s easier than a conventional netting or hinge-joint style of fence. Electric fencing just ticks all the boxes for us.”
Mat says these are also the reasons they chose Gallagher for their internal electric fencing. “For stock management and pasture effectiveness, it’s great,” he said. Maintenance is key Mat says they aim to use the best components they can. “We know that how well the electric fence works is a direct reflection of how well it’s built in the first place, and then maintenance is as important as constructing it properly,” he said. “But we’re certainly more than happy to allocate time to maintaining it. It’s more than some people would do on their conventional fences, but then the benefits we get from maintaining that electric fence far outweigh the time.” The bottom hotwire is about 100 millimetres off the ground, but varies according to the terrain. “There’s a balance between having it too low, where grass can short it out; or too high, so it lets animals under,” Mat said. An annual spray under the line for weeds and grass takes about three hours in spring — “it’s not a lot”. “We’re not kidding ourselves that the dog problem is all fixed because of the fence and we don’t have to pay attention any more,” Mat said. “But it is a very successful tool for us. “If the Hoskins brothers hadn’t built the original fence and had instead got out of sheep before we came in 2002, we would have assumed that this just wasn’t viable sheep country. “The fence allows us to run sheep here, and enjoy this beautiful area.”
DETERRENCE: The M2800 i series energiser has been used successfully to limit wild dog incursions at Rose Valley in the Victorian high country.
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MAT Roberts says that without a ‘dog fence’ he would not be able to run sheep in a high country valley midway between Mount Buller and Mount Buffalo. “It really is that simple: the electric fence has been integral in our management of the wild dog predation,” Mat said. Mat and Lindy Roberts manage the 1300-hectare ‘Rose Valley’ on the Rose River, 20 kilometres south east of Cheshunt, for a member of the DuPont family connected with the multinational company of the same name. About 650ha is cleared, with 450ha of that surrounded by external electric fencing. The other 200ha has electric fencing but the terrain and river mean it is not enclosed in what they call “the dog fence”. The property’s previous owners, brothers Hugh and Rick Hoskins, installed 6km of Gallagher electric boundary fencing in 1994. However, in the early 1960s electric fencing pioneer Bob Piesse had built for the previous owner, the Dyason family, the first and extensive electric fencing on the farm also using Gallagher products. But while he had effectively contained elephants in Asia among other challenging intruders, Bob did not design the Rose Valley fences to keep dogs out. “They (the Hoskins) copped quite a hammering from dogs, and just couldn’t keep doing what they were doing,” Mat said. “Once the dog fence was in, it completely turned their job around. “That’s why after 200607 fires, we extended it where boundary fence had been burnt on land we’d
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FUTURE FARMING
Page 26, Southern Farmer
April, 2015
Connectivity helps farming reliability By JOCK GRAHAM
NBN FLICK: Reliable and cheap point-to-point wireless radios are now capable of running high speed (150mbps) rural networks over more than 25km.
THE next step for farming is to harvest the benefits of fast, reliable connectivity, improve efficiency, and drive productivity. There are two main aspects to consider though. Firstly, we need to have the infrastructure to gain connectivity in the first place and secondly the tools to utilise that connectivity in the most beneficial way. For farmers and rural communities, communication infrastructure has previously been expensive due to their distance and
location from the nearest service providers. However, recent advancements in wireless technology have now bridged the rural divide by allowing access to cheap, reliable point to point wireless radios that are capable of running high speed (150mbps) rural networks over more than 25km. This technology can allow rural business access to create their own farm networks and most importantly connect to areas that have ADSL2+ or NBN speed connections, which can dramatically improve internet speeds and plans
for these connected farms. Along with the reduction in cost of solar power equipment, wireless networking in remote areas is a real possibility for farmers to improve their own connectivity if NBN or other major providers are unwilling to accommodate them. Secondly, what to do with high speed connectivity? Well most people would just be happy to access their bank account online without congestion issues. Alternatively, to survive a month without the kids using up the entire internet download would be highly
desirable. There are so many more opportunities though. Firstly cloud based software programs (ie Dropbox, One drive, Ftrack Live, accounting and management packages) all require good connectivity to keep up to date files. Secondly, access to education/business tools requiring video feeds and high data use connectivity. Thirdly the social connection for parents and children that the rest of society take for granted and fourthly a platform to breed innovation to further advance agriculture. A s a fa r m e r a n d
software developer, I understand what good connectivity can do for your farm and it is within reach for all of us. As part of our software development, we have a new app for farm management called F-track Live and it utilises cloud computing to share data live across the farm and connect with online farm sensors. It is available now on Windows, Android and Apple and via the website www.ftracklive.com Jock Graham Farm Apps’ managing director, email jock@farmapps.com.au or call 0408 449 844.
Aerial imaging comes of age By PHIL LYONS PRECISION agriculture at its best is now available with the AgEagle aerial imaging system. It creates spectral imaging of any sized paddock and instantly identifies which sections or plants are under stress from insect infestations, weed incursions, irrigation problems, etc. However, with effective spectral imaging you only treat those areas that need it. The AgEagle is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that is built “tractor tuff” especially for the ag market. On board electrical power allows up to 600ac (250ha) coverage in a single 40 min flight.
An on board camera takes hundreds of pictures in high resolution in the near infra red spectrum, which is converted to NDVI (normalised vegetation difference index) to show problem areas. There are many ‘toy’ drones flying around. However, the AgEagle is a serious farm tool. With a very complex auto pilot and robust construction, it is designed to provide a beneficial service to growers. The entire system is a turnkey operation, as the AgEagle takes off, flies and lands automatically. It is controlled by a simple lap top computer on a pre-programmed flight path.
You just watch and let the computer do the flying; cloudy or windy days do not affect this flying wing. Made in Kansas, USA, Falcon UAV is the exclusive agent of AgEagle in Australia and New Zealand. For those who just want the imaging service we can visit your farm and provide you with an NDVI image of the fields that you wish your agronomist to advise on. The AgEagle can also carry a high definition video or digital cameras to monitor farm infrastructure or stock movements. For more information call Phil Lyons, 0416 029 896 or email phil@falconuav.com.au.
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MILK IT: Robotic dairies loom in the future for many more dairy farmers.
Down on the farm, the dairy is changing
The very latest in ag technology. Aerial imaging with a Near Infrared camera instantly shows which plants are under stress and importantly, which sections of your paddock do NOT need chemical treatment. Saves money, increases yield! The AgEagle system is now available across Australia. Contact us about having your crop imaged, or a complete system. Easy to operate, robust and a valuable farm tool.
Contact us: www.falconuav.com.au or call Phil 0416 029 896
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NDVI image of wheat paddock. Problem areas are purple, very healthy areas in green. The human eye cannot detect this.
PRECISION management technologies are becoming increasingly popular on Australian dairy farms. To help farmers understand how using these new tools can improve their businesses, Dairy Australia is providing detailed information on its website. Some of the technologies include pasture mass measurement, heat detection activity meters, daily body weight measurements and robotic milking systems. Fact sheets, case studies and short videos provide a comprehensive snapshot including main suppliers and links to further resources. “Precision dairy technologies can help farmers make better decisions within their businesses,” said Chris Murphy, Dairy Australia’s farm profit and innovation group manager. “There are many new and emerging technologies used to improve measurement, monitoring, labor efficiency and/or management functions on a dairy farm and the fact sheets explain how the technol-
ogy works, the data it provides, and how farmers can use the information in decision making,” he said. Farmer experience, depending upon the technology and individual circumstances, will vary but time or significant costs may be saved. Mr Murphy said website case studies prove this point; for example Colac farmer Mark Billing estimates that using activity meters as a back-up to visual heat detection, saves him at least $7000 a year on his 450 cow herd. “Yolla, Tasmania farmer Duncan MacDonald takes about 1.5 hours to measure the pasture mass of each paddock with a C-DAX pasture meter on his 180ha farm and when he used the manual rising plate meter it took him a full day,” said Mr Murphy. Additional technologies will be added to the website over the next few months. For more information go to www.dairyaustralia.com.au/ Animal-management/Technologies. aspx.
FUTURE FARMING
April, 2015
Southern Farmer, Page 27
Climate change tastes poor TASTELESS carrots, bad pizza dough and poor quality steak are some of the impacts we can expect from Australia’s changing climate, according to a new scientific study released to mark the launch of this year’s Earth Hour . ‘Appetite for Change’, a report prepared by leading University of Melbourne climate scientists David Karoly and Richard Eckard, reveals the impact that shifting rainfall patterns, extreme weather, warming oceans and climate related diseases will have on the production, quality and cost of Australia’s food. From wheat, seafood and dairy products to poultry, meat, grains, and fruit and vegetables, the effects of global warming on a list of 55 household food items has been compiled for the very first time. “It’s definitely a wake up call when you hear that the toast and raspberry jam you have for breakfast for example, might not be as readily available in 50 years time,” said Associate Professor Eckard. “Or that there may be changes to the cost and taste of food items we love and take for granted
like avocado and vegemite, spaghetti bolognaise and even beer, wine and chocolate. “It makes you appreciate that global warming is not a distant phenomenon but a very real occurrence that is already affecting the things we enjoy in our everyday lives, including the most common of foods we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. Professor David Karoly said that out of all the impacts global warming is having on Australian farms, increases in heatwaves and bushfires pose the biggest threat to Australia’s agricultural regions. “Global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and bushfires affecting farms across southern and eastern Australia, and this will get much worse in the future if we don’t act. “It’s a daunting thought when you consider that Australian farms produce 93 per cent of the food we eat,” he said. Key findings of the report reveal that: Dairy foods are likely to be affected by higher temperatures and more heat waves,
as heat stress on dairy cows typically reduces milk yield by 10-25 per cent, and by up to 40 per cent in extreme heat wave conditions. A higher and drier climate will pose significant challenges to beef production systems in southern Australia. Southern pasture growing seasons are expected to contract, while increased heat stress may lead farmers to choose more heat tolerant cattle breeds possibly of lower meat eating quality. Higher temperatures adversely affect the flavor of carrots, as well as their texture and physical structure. Higher temperatures associated with climate change are likely to make carrot production less viable in higher areas with shifts to cooler regions such as Tasmania. Extremely hot weather can reduce the quality of bee honey and has other flow on effects such as reduced pollination for fruit trees. Higher temperatures and humidity can cause “late blight” in potatoes, which rots the tubers and makes them inedible.
Pentland Hills Landcare wins a $250,000 federal government work grant through the PPWCMA”. “These grants enable groups to undertake local projects important to them, while contributing to more significant environmental outcomes across the region. “Typical activities include weed removal, planting of indigenous species, fencing to protect native vegetation and community education and awareness raising.” PPWCMA’s environmental projects manager Stephen Thuan said everyone had the responsibility of looking after natural environments. “Landcare is not just a farming phenomenon – today the future of the environment is in everyone’s hands, including people who live in towns, local companies and school groups. “Anyone can
volunteer their time and energy for a better environment,” he said Pentland Hills Landcare Group and Friends of Braeside Park will develop a series of native vegetation stepping stones to create cross linkages between the waterways of Myrniong and Korkuperrimul creeks. They will also protect remnant habitat from domestic stock and rabbits. Friends of Braeside Park too will undertake restoration works to enhance one of the few remaining woodland areas within metropolitan Melbourne and contribute to the ongoing effort to protect the threatened Purple Diuris orchid. For information on the National Landcare Program, www.nrm.gov.au.
ment. Anna Rose, national manager of Earth Hour Australia and 2015 Australian Geographic Society conservationist of the year said the report highlighted the vulnerability of Australian farmers and the food they produce. “Aussies are proud of our farmers for feeding the nation but they are on the frontline of global warming and are already feeling the effects of rising temperatures and more extreme weather,” she said. “If we don’t tackle this issue head on and move to renewable energy while committing to a stronger target to cut carbon pollution, Australia is on track to import more fruit and vegetables than we export by the end of the century. “This will result in higher prices and poorer quality, undermining our farmers’ livelihoods and the viability of our rural communities.” The full report, called ‘Appetite for Change’, was prepared by the University of Melbourne. The report was compiled from peer-reviewed science.
AUSTRALIAN made Grotuff™ and European made Hytilux NOR greenhouse films are purpose built for harsh Australian conditions because they are both UV stabilised. Grotuff is available in 150, 180 and 200 micron thicknesses while Hytilux NOR is available in 150 and 200UM gauges. The gauge of the film required will depend on the size of the structure and weather conditions but use heavy gauge 180 or 200 micron thick film for large structures in high wind areas; the 150UM film is suitable for medium to small structures. Besides containing a strong UV stabiliser, Grotuff and Hytilux NOR films come with an anti drip additive. This helps retain condensation so it runs down the slopes of roofs and walls rather than drip onto plants. It is important to note that this additive will eventually wash off and the heavier the condensation the faster it will drain away. Light transmission plays a big part in crop growth. You can choose between Grotuff which is a clear film allowing maximum light transmission
of between 88 and 90 per cent depending on gauge or HytiluxNOR which has a cloudy appearance and provides a thermic effect and diffused light transmission for both 150 and 200UM films. Whether you choose Grotuff™ or “high tech” Hytilux NOR you can be sure that the tear and impact strength of the films are greater than most. To achieve a longer life for your greenhouse plastic use Frameguard ™ hoop tape to cover any sharp or metal surfaces; to repair tears or holes use Grotuff ™ greenhouse repair tape. Black/white UV stabilised floor plastic/Panda film is now available for floors of greenhouses. When used with the white side facing up it will allow light to reflect off the film. This provides scattered light inside the house and around the crop to increase photosynthesis. The black underside of the film will block light passing through the film preventing weed growth. Other key advantages are water retention because of its run off catching capability. Information: email info@geoffmiller.com.au.
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THE Federal government will support 15 community groups within the Port Phillip region who have received a share in $250,000 as part of the $1bn National Landcare Program. Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA) community grants enable local Landcare and community groups to finance projects that will benefit the health of the region’s land, water and biodiversity. Successful projects were chosen according to natural resource priorities for the region. Minister Hunt said, “This is the first year of a fouryear commitment to provide $1m funding to support valuable work of Landcare and community groups in the Port Phillip and Western Port region
Chickens are sensitive to heat stress, which will affect the quality of their meat. Increased droughts around the world are also leading to more volatility in the price of grain used to feed chicken. Temperatures above 27 degrees will potentially cause bolting (prematurely running to seed) and poor coloring in beetroots. Climate change is likely to reduce reliable rainfall and place pressure on water availability in Australia’s current major rice growing regions. Rainfall and temperature changes will affect wheat growth, with lower and more variable production forecasted. The zinc and iron concentrations of Australian wheat are projected to be 510 per cent lower by the middle of the century, adding to pressures associated with malnutrition. Climate change is acidifying our coastal waters making it harder for shellfish to build their shells. Fruit trees and nuts in southern Australia will not get cold enough in winter to signal fruit develop-
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