Victorian Farmer SPRING 2020
A line in the land The Western Victoria Transmission Network debate continues
ENERGY SAVERS
FIRE READY
GOT YOUR GOAT
A close look at the Ag Energy Investment Plan
Covering all bases for the season ahead
A burgeoning industry of meat, fibre and dairy
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Victorian Farmer
From the editor
PUBLISHER James Wells EDITOR Michelle Hespe ART DIRECTOR Ryan Vizcarra
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EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Michelle Hespe Email: mhespe@intermedia.com.au
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CONTRIBUTORS Sandra Godwin Susan Gough Henley Luke Hooke Steve Madgwick Ryan Moloney Jocelyn Pride Jeanette Severs
THE INTERMEDIA GROUP
MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Grover GM OF OPERATIONS Chris Baker FINANCE MANAGER Mina Vranistas PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper HEAD OF DIGITAL Pauline Grech HEAD OF EVENTS Beth Tobin Victorian Farmer is published for the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) (ABN: 67 079 980 304) by The Intermedia Group (ABN: 94 002 583 682) 41 Bridge Rd, Glebe NSW 2037. @2020. All rights reserved. Printed by IVE Group. Getty Images were used throughout the magazine.
VICTORIAN FARMERS FEDERATION
CEO Stephen Sheridan STAKEHOLDER POLICY AND ADVOCACY MANAGER Luke Hooke STAKEHOLDER MEDIA & COMMS ADVISOR Ryan Moloney MAGAZINE WORKING GROUP Annabel Mactier Gary Beck Charles Everist Photo by Charlie Kinross
Victorian Farmer SPRING 2020
W
elcome to the Spring issue of Victorian Farmer – we hope you find some stories here that both inspire and inform you. I've learnt so much putting them together. It's so easy to exist in your own farming bubble as the days are long and there are always so many challenges, but I find that no matter what industry you're in, learning about what someone else is doing, how they are handling tough times, or what new practices they are exploring is good for the mind and also for the bottom line. That's what it's all about really – pooling our combined knowledge so that we can all take steps forward in our businesses and life. This issue I took on board some of the many things that farmers can do to protect their families, farms and livestock before bushfires raise their ugly heads. Sometimes it's the small things such as being able to reach a hose or a switch from inside your vehicle, or the bigger things to get a handle on such having a solid evacuation plan and ensuring that your insurance is in order. We all dearly hope that this summer doesn't bring fires like last season, but if it does, we all need to be ready. I also learned a lot about the sheep and goat industries and the challenges that some farmers are facing in terms of marketing, animal welfare and business management during
COVID-19. It's not easy, but it's also exciting to see so much opportunity on the horizon. Usually though, after having read the stories in this magazine, one thing stands out to me – and that's the resilience of farmers, their focus on the future, and the way in which communities come together and support those in need when there is a crisis, a tragedy, or an issue to address. Many voices are stronger than one, and with the support of those around you, what might seem like something insurmountable becomes a problem solved. Sit back and enjoy the read. And drop us a line anytime, as we love hearing from you.
Michelle Hespe
The Intermedia Group takes its corporate and social responsibilities seriously and is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We continuously strive to improve our environmental performance and to initiate additional CSR based projects and activities. As part of our company policy we ensure that the products and services used in the manufacture of this magazine are sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers. This magazine has been printed on paper produced from sustainably sourced wood and pulp fibre and is accredited under PEFC chain of custody. PEFC certified wood and paper products come from environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests. The wrapping used in the delivery process of this magazine is 100 per cent biodegradable.
A line in the land The Western Victoria Transmission Network debate continues
ENERGY SAVERS
FIRE READY
GOT YOUR GOAT
A close look at the Ag Energy Investment Plan
Covering all bases for the season ahead
A burgeoning industry of meat, fibre and dairy
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VICTORIAN FARMER
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SPRING 2020
DISCLAIMER: This publication is published by The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by New Zealand and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication. Copyright © 2020 – The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd
Contents 4. News
28. Business
Women in ag on International Rural Women's Day; VFF expands its Farm Safety Services; VFF to launch kid-focussed farm learning project; Members caught up in the confusion of state border restrictions.
We're all hoping that last season's bushfires won't be repeated, but with summer around the corner, farmers need to be ready for whatever is on the horizon.
8. President’s farewell We chat with David Jochinke – aka DJ. After four years at the helm of VFF, he's starting a new chapter.
11. Members
34. Environment We meet some members whose farms and and lives have changed due to energy grants from the government.
40. Industry
Thanks for your work, Sarah Parker and Chris O'Keefe.
The goat industry is growing as more and more farmers incorporate this versatile animal into their operations.
14. Community
46. Mental Health
The 190-kilometre-long Western Victorian Transmission Network has shocked farmers in its path.
We meet Ben Brooksby from Western Victoria – a man on a mission to raise awareness of mental illness.
22. Big Issue
50. Socials, and The Last Word
Where to now for wool? With COVID-19, even more challenges have arisen, alongside new opportunities.
What's being said by members online, and we address the hot debate over camping on licensed water frontage.
Advertise here
to directly target more than
12,000 Victorian farmers
Call Richard Bunting on 0424 138 806 or email richard@alicantemedia.com
SPRING 2020
VICTORIAN FARMER
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News
Women in ag take centre stage for International Day of Rural Women October 15 was International Day of Rural Women, and many familiar faces of the VFF took centre stage across the federation's social media channels to showcase the enormous contribution women make to agriculture and our rural communities. This included VFF Member and Grains Councillor Christine Plant who said she encourages more woman get involved in leadership positions within agriculture. “As a grain grower, I nominated for the VFF Grains Council with the aim of making a difference and improving conditions for growers across the state. “I have enjoyed the opportunities that come from being involved in agriculture, meeting farmers from all over the state and country, and learning from their experiences. “It is very satisfying to make a contribution to this wonderful industry to help change things for the better and improve the lives of farming families and businesses,” Ms Plant said. A big thank you to everyone involved in highlighting some the fantastic women of the VFF and Victorian agriculture.
Clockwise from top left: Ann Gardiner, Prue Milgate, Isabell, Libby and Robyn Gulline, Christine Plant, Tracey Dart and Celia Scott.
VFF expands its free Farm Safety Services The VFF now has two Farm Safety Officers to provide free safety services available to all Victorian farmers. Our independent Farm Safety Officers can come to your farm (post COVID-19) at a time convenient for you to provide tailored safety advice at no cost to you. We also offer the below services for you and your farm: • Over the phone assistance • Help writing your farm safety plan • Assistance to hold an on-farm safety walk and talk or a meeting with a farm safety presentation • Safety system audits For further information please contact Richard Versteegen by calling 0499 772 472, or emailing rversteegen@vff.org.au. You can also reach John Darcy on 0432 156 223 or jdarcy@vff.org.au.
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VFF to launch kidfocussed farm learning project In 2021, the VFF will launch a ‘Kids to Ag’ project with funding provided by The Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The project aims to provide primary school students with hands-on learning experiences by visiting primary production worksites, and will also see the formation of digital connections between farmers and primary schools, and provide teachers with new ag teaching tools. Keep an eye on our website for updates and stay tuned for more news about the worksite grant opportunities. For further information contact: kidstoag@vff.org.au
News
Bordering on Insanity Words: Ryan Moloney
B
efore this year, January 25 was just another day on the calendar for many and perhaps overshadowed by the Australia Day public holiday the very next day. However, in the pages of the history books this date in 2020 will be recorded as the day the very first confirmed COVID-19 case was uncovered in Australia and brought what was until then, an overseas health crisis, to our shores. What has transpired since has been the largest pandemic experienced in more than a generation and resulted in individual states imposing their own border restrictions. Here we meet some VFF members caught up in the confusion of state border restrictions imposed on Victoria and the enormous effort on a national scale from the agriculture industry’s key advocates to take the issue to the halls of power in Spring Street and Canberra to ensure farmers could continue to farm.
As it happened Australia closed its borders to all non-residents on March 20, 2020 in response to what was a spiraling increase of COVID-19 cases overseas. Little did we know that months later here in Victoria we would be experiencing our own surge of COVID-19 cases and become the Australian epicentre of the virus. In early July, the first in what was to be many border restrictions was imposed upon Victoria by New South Wales, restricting the flow of movement to only essential travel across the Murray River. These restrictions had not been experienced within Australia since the devastating 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. South Australia quickly followed and by mid-July Victorians could no longer drive over to New South Wales to visit stock sales, take their car to get serviced or play a round of golf. SPRING 2020
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News
What was the impact? Despite assurances that essential services, such as agriculture would be largely unaffected, many farmers in the surrounding border regions began encountering problems. VFF member Martin Miles and his family lives and farms in North Serviceton, not far from the Victorian and South Australian border in the Wimmera.
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“Living so close to the border we virtually do everything in South Australia, apart from pay rates and vote. We were told we wouldn’t even be able to cross the border to buy critical farm supplies or go to the vet in the event our animals get sick.” Martin’s experience was one of countless similar examples playing out across Victorian farms which threatened the very livelihood and viability of many farmers. VFF member Chris Bartlett from Pimpinio faced similar challenges attempting to access his interstate contract harvesting clients. “Many of our farm clients in New South Wales and Queensland were recovering from years of drought. This was just another added burden on top of that and there was a real worry of delays for this season’s harvest,” Chris said. “Our staff also had worries about their job security if they couldn’t work in New South Wales and Queensland,” he added.
VFF President David Jochinke said the outpouring of concern was something he’d never experienced. “I was talking to farmers day and night and I’d never seen this level and anxiety from farmers. “On one hand you had Victoria in a state of emergency, wrestling to control a health crisis and on the other you had farmers wanting to continue to feed the nation safely as an essential service.”
What was done As the issues for farmers caught in the middle of border confusion continued to cause huge problems for the industry into August, what happened next was one of the largest farming advocacy campaigns fought on both a state and national level in Australian history. The VFF, aided by countless examples of member struggles, banded together with key industry advocates including NSW Farmers and began lobbying the States and Commonwealth to work together to
Top left then clockwise: Wheat harvesting near Wimmera; Dale and Chris Bartlett on their Pimpinio farm.
introduce a dedicated agriculture code to allow essential workers and product to flow across restricted borders. Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes said it was the beginning of a chain that worked together to form what is now known as the National Agriculture Workers Code. “My strong working relationship with NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall has been a vital part in getting the National Ag Workers Code to the Commonwealth and adopted by most other states and territories. “Together, we took countless stories from farmers and ag workers of inconvenience, frustration and heartache caused by border closures to New South Wales Health. “We had small wins, but in the end it was of course much easier and efficient to adopt a national approach.” VFF President David Jochinke said negotiations behind the scenes between industry and the government were happening daily. “We were in constant talks with government to advocate for farmers and ensure that decision-makers understood the importance of keeping the food supply chain open and those discussions simply had to ramp up to get a result.”
The National Agriculture Workers Code After weeks of campaigning for the introduction of an agriculture code it had grown to a national level including both state and national farm advocacy groups. The Federal Government acknowledged the groundswell of support and agreed to make the issue a priority in a pivotal National Cabinet meeting in early September. In what was a sustained farming advocacy effort at a national level, finally a breakthrough decision to unlock Victorian agriculture was announced on September 4 with many states, including South Australia and New South Wales agreeing to sign onto the National Agriculture Workers Code. “It was a huge win for farmers and agriculture and no doubt an enormous relief to many who had endured months of uncertainty and distress,” David Jochinke said. “One thing that I hope has shone through was we don’t just farm for our respective states, we farm for Australia. The VFF helped lead the call for a common-sense approach which allowed us to continue to do our job which is to feed the nation.” The National Agriculture Workers Code is a step in the right direction for Victorian farmers and while progress has been made on the New South Wales border, there is still plenty of work to do on the South Australian border. n SPRING 2020
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Profile
Farewell to VFF’s
DJ
After four years at the helm of the VFF David Jochinke will pass on the baton in December. I sat down with DJ (as he is affectionately known by Ministers and VFF staff alike) to discuss his time as President, the state of the VFF and agriculture in Victoria. Words: Luke Hooke
A young DJ in a VFF hat
D
J approaches every day DJ is the kind of guy who brings as VFF President like the life to a room and never seems last week of harvest with a uncomfortable. Even on Zoom, where grim weather forecast. He the VFF has been conducting its is relentless. His work rate business for most of 2020. That is, as allows him to be across a vast range long as nobody turns on the toaster in of issues and his sharp intellect allows his farm lunchroom, short circuiting him to know the policy detail and front his farm office and temporarily cutting the press to speak on just about any his internet connection. topic affecting agriculture. I tracked down DJ between smoko His detractors may argue that and lunch to avoid any toaster induced he takes on too many projects and interruptions. responsibilities himself, stretching himself too thin and not allowing Firstly, how are things looking at himself to throw everything at the Murra Warra? big issues. It is true, DJ needs to be We had a really good start to the encouraged to take time to step away season. We picked up a new air seeder to take time off, exhausted from travel bar late but still managed to get all between Murra Warra and Spring our crop in on time. Then a dry winter Street and nights spraying paddocks, put us on a bit of a knife edge for harvesting chickpeas and answering the season coming into spring. But, phone calls from farmers. as my windrowing contractor said But he always fronts up, rarely to me “we got out of hell with an ice complains and his personal cream” because conditions have been relationships with Victorian Ministers ideal since the dry winter and frost has allowed the VFF to get in front of period. So we’re in a good position decision makers when it matters most. approaching harvest. DJ’s commitment to better representation of the agricultural So, four years as President industry was demonstrated of the VFF. How has the early on by the topic journey been? of his Nuffield Time is a Scholarship: How measurement farmers influence of seasons and their industry. sometimes it This research feels like it’s been provided insight multiple and other into successful times just the models of farm blink of an eye. representation from Some of the most around the world and rewarding parts DJ and daughter Audrey how Australian farmers of the job have been early in his presidency can learn from these. working with farmers
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on the issues causing them grief. Advocacy is a team sport, there’s been a lot of contributors to the last four years and really the most rewarding part has been all the great people I’ve worked with along the way. All of those contributors give me real faith in the future of agriculture. You have seen floods, bushfires, drought and now COVID in your time as President. The role of the VFF is really important at those times, does that put a lot of pressure on? Uncertainty leads to stress in the farming community. COVID, with border restrictions, business restrictions and social restrictions, has been the most stressful issue we have dealt with because of the level of uncertainty. We just don’t know what’s next and we are dealing with changes to business and our way of life that we have never experienced in the current generation. We’ve seen floods, droughts and fires before, and we know with some level of confidence how to respond and what the impact will be in those cases. We haven't had that with COVID. Can we go back to understand how and why you got involved with the VFF? My story is one of fate and in other ways an accident. I was at our local silos carting grain and jumped out of the truck for a chat while in line, as you do. We all seemed to be grumbling about the operation of the silo and some of the issues we were having but not putting up any ideas for change. This ignited an interest in affecting change and at the next Wallup branch meeting I was nominated for the
DC position and came home from the next DC meeting as a Grains Group Councillor. The Wallup branch and everyone there has been a great training ground for me. I’ve got some great mates and great ideas out of the branch. Particularly my VFF Dad, Rob McRae, and meeting other industry leaders through Rob and others. Meeting those industry giants and building relationships with them was incredibly important, including all the past grains presidents. Coming down to Collins Street and meeting the likes of Brian Barry Snr, Jim Linton and some of the other characters. I also learnt a lot from the policy staff when I got involved, the likes of Clay Manners and Graeme Ford. Agriculture is a funny thing. We are a tight knit community, and everyone knows each other so the support is always there when you reach out. In your Nuffield paper on How farmers influence their industry, you identify reputation, relationship and clear message as the factors helping farmer representatives influence decision makers. Was this the approach you took to dealing with governments and has your approach changed over time? Perhaps just reading the executive summary would have been enough but yes, influence comes with trust, trust comes with reputation and when those hard decisions need to be made being in the tent and leading those discussions is really important. Always trying to be available for members, branch meetings, staff, media and government is also really important. I don’t think there are many corners of the state I haven’t been to. I’ve slept on a lot of couches and living room floors over the journey and I really appreciate all the hospitality shown to me over the time. On the Nuffield journey there were a lot of commonalities that farming organisations around the world faced, including being heard in increasingly noisy public debates. It’s incredibly important that our message is clear, heard and respected, only then can we hope to get good outcomes. How has this approach helped you achieve good outcomes for Victorian farmers? I’ll leave it to others to judge my achievements, but I’ve given it my all. Hours and hours of readings, meetings, discussions and phone calls. It’s a
DJ at the 2018 rates rally in Warracknabeal
difficult one to self analyse but from my side I know that I’ve always given my 100% to this job. I will say that being able to pick up the phone and call those key decision makers is really important and managing those relationships so that you can get to farmers help when it's needed have been central to getting things done. In politics you’re either at the table or on the menu and I’ve tried to make sure we’ve been at the table whenever possible. Also in your Nuffield paper you identify that “Non members are having a free ride off the farmer good that most representative organisations provide. There needs to be a change in the free beer mentality of farmers who are too willing to receive but are not willing to help fight”. How do we change that mentality? A tough one and a problem that is universal for farmers representative organisations that are not funded through compulsory levies or unionism, which is effective for getting funds in but not necessarily quality engagement and participation. Membership must be attractive through offering value financially, advocating well and celebrating our wins. We are reluctant to blow our own trumpet, but it is something we have got to do more. Members should get first chop at the benefits of membership and that’s where the financial incentives are important, such as access to deals on insurance or energy, or access to our services such as workplace relations advice. But, ultimately a rising tide carries all boats and the whole Victorian farming community benefits from our advocacy.
The VFF like many farmer representative organisations has faced criticism over your time as President. Why is this, is it warranted and, if so, how can the VFF address the issues? I’ve had the pleasure of getting some direct feedback from both members and non-members over my time. As the leader, I’ve had plenty of tough conversations and points of view put to me. I’m open to others views and have always tried to incorporate feedback received from the farming community. The reality is that we work in a very diverse industry. Different production systems, locations and theories of management means we are always going to be balancing differing points of view. Getting a clear position in that environment is tough and sometimes the VFF’s bodies like Policy Council just have to make a call, sometimes you have to go with guiding principles that try to capture the views of the majority meaning often some members are put offside or unhappy with the outcome. Handling dissent or differing views in agriculture has always been a challenge. We need that diversity of thought because that ensures we have robust discussions and the policy outcomes are of a high level. Those alternate views are what make the organisation stronger. Respecting and listening to those views is important and I think that we need to do more of that. VFF staff and elected reps do a great job working as a big team. It’s always tough for elected reps as they still have their farms to manage and look after, and this is where the support from staff is really important. I welcome any criticism but I can’t criticise the organisation. When you lift the lid on the organisation's policy process and all the work that is done, it’s a mammoth effort. SPRING 2020
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Profile Debate often plays out in the public sphere, whether in the traditional media or online. Has the 24 hour news cycle and the increasing use of social media been a challenge? The challenge is you’ve got to do your homework and your reading so that when you do get the microphone stuck in your face or you find yourself on the radio you know the facts and can speak with knowledge and authority. Social media is wearing. It’s easy for people to pop up and have a crack on an issue without you having the opportunity to put a reasoned argument to them. We need to work with the cycle and provide it what it’s asking for and that is clarity of message in small and regular bites. You have tackled some stubborn policy issues in your time as President, from native vegetation laws to farm rates. Why is it important the VFF are active on these issues, despite the challenge of effecting change? These are long standing issues for the VFF and the farming community. It’s important that we speak up and have a voice on these issues because there are a lot of people and organisations on the other side looking to wrap farmers up in more red and green tape, making it harder to farm. If we were not in that space, putting our case strongly, it would be a free for all for these other groups who don’t understand agriculture. In many government forums the VFF is the only seat at the table representing agriculture and land holders. This is tough for our representatives and our views are often unpopular around those tables but it's because we understand farming and we know what actually works on the ground and in the environment. We know how native veg laws work in practice. It feels like a take, take, take, on the part of government on this issue. Farmers have done a mountain of work through Landcare, on environmental stewardship, improving soils and vegetation on farms but it’s not recognised under these laws. We look after a vast amount of land in Victoria and we do it pretty damn well too. Often these aren’t sexy issues. You might not see them on the front page of the paper. But, we have to ensure we are continually in the space because while we have to fight for change we also can’t lose ground on these issues because give them (groups with
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Mark Johns and DJ visiting Parliament to lobby politicians on the issue of farm rates
alternate views) an inch and they will absolutely take a mile. What are the next big issues for agriculture in Victoria and Australia? Consumer trust. We saw this manifest itself through the whole debate on animal activism on farms in Victoria. It’s these types of issues that demonstrate the need for us to get our voice and message heard in the metro media. We are great at getting our message out in the agricultural and rural media but pushing into the statewide, metro and national media is important for farming to remain a trusted brand in the community. Consumer sentiment has a huge impact on polling and voting intentions and therefore politicians and decision makers. We have a huge task to ensure that we maintain our positive image as producers of clean green produce adhering to the highest of regulatory and quality standards. More and more we are seeing sensitive environmental and planning policy issues coming to a crescendo. This puts an enormous responsibility on farming groups to ensure the views of the farming community are not just heard but taken into consideration in the policy making process. This demonstrates the need for our policy to be contemporary and robust. There are a lot more voices these days on the other side of the fence and a lot more avenues for those voices to be heard such as social media. The standard of infrastructure and services in regional Australia is
another big issue. More people are now looking to the regions as a place to live and work, potentially remotely. We need to ensure that our roads, communications, health and education services are of an equivalent standard to those in the city. That’s been one of the centrepieces of our budget requests this year and I think it will continue to be an opportunity. Finally, former Presidents have gone on to enter politics, take up political appointments or return to the farm away from public life. What’s next for you DJ? I’m renovating a house for my parents at the moment in town (Horsham) so that’s going to be a priority. I was hoping to get that done by harvest but it’s not looking likely. Harvest will be big this year so that’s also a priority. I’m looking forward to catching my breath and passing the baton over to the next generation of leaders. It’s going to be a challenge to step back and experience relevance deprivation but ultimately I want to continue to be involved in agriculture and participate where opportunities exist. I’ve given a lot to this role; I’m going to miss it but now it’s someone else’s turn. The future is strong for the organisation. I do think we need to reshape the business to be more contemporary. That’s something I do wish I had progressed more but that’s now a challenge for the next leaders. I’ll be a supporter from Murra Warra and if there’s ever a need I’ll be there to down tools and help out. n
Members
Congratulations Sarah Parker
Honour for longtime UDV member
Congratulations to UDV member and VFF Farm Business and Regional Development Committee member Sarah Parker who has recently graduated from the NFF’s Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program.
Long time VFF member, UDV Wannon member and branch secretary Chris O’Keefe’s 40-year contribution to agriculture has been recognised with his induction into the Western Victoria Dairy Industry Honour Board at the Great South West Dairy Awards.
The five month one-on-one personal development mentoring program is highly regarded and new graduates now join women in the ranks of some of agriculture’s most influential boards, committees and forums. Fantastic work Sarah, we can’t wait to see you continue the great work.
Many VFF members have no doubt worked alongside Chris and are well-aware of his mentorship, attention to detail and amazing knowledge of the dairy industry. This is an incredible and well-deserved achievement, Chris.
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BUSHFIRE AWARENESS
FIRE FACTS
The way a fire starts and burns is influenced by various factors including the season, vegetation and local weather conditions.
WHEN AND WHERE DO THE WORST FIRES OCCUR? SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA Summer and Autumn
NEW SOUTH WALES AND SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND Spring and early Summer
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA Winter and Spring
FIRE PRONE SEASONS
Clean up and rebuilding costs can be affected by a number of factors including location, building codes, BAL and the presence of hazardous materials.
HOW TO ENSURE YOU ARE COVERED FOR A BUSHFIRE
Winter & Spring Spring
❒ Make a Bushfire Survival Plan (check with your local fire service authority).
Spring & Summer
❒ Check that you have home buildings and contents insurance and that your policy is up to date. ❒ Check that you have appropriate insurances in place for any vehicles, boats or caravans that may be on your property.
Summer Summer & Autumn
❒ Use an online insurance calculator as a guide to help you decide how much to insure your house for.
Autumn
❒ Check your bushfire risk. You don’t have to live right near the bush to be at risk. Even if your home is a few streets away, you may be at risk.
Winter
❒ It’s recommended that you check your BAL and the relevant rebuilding requirements with your local fire authority or local government body, as these ratings can change without notice.
Source: National Environmental Science Program
STAGES OF A BUSHFIRE ATTACK
❒ Check whether you are adequately covered for ‘removal of debris’ (clean up costs after a fire).
STAGE 1 • Fire front approaches • Ember attack
30
60
5
15
MINS
MINS
STAGE 2 • Fire front arrives • Ember attack
• Direct flame contact • Radiant heat
MINS
MINS
STAGE 3 • Fire front passes
• Ember attack
3
HOURS
5
HOURS
❒ Check that your insurance policy covers you for temporary accommodation in case your home is unlivable due to a bushfire. ❒ Make sure the final amount you decide to cover your home for includes clean-up and rebuild costs. ❒ If you’re a small business, check if you are covered for the costs of interruption to your business if there is a bushfire.
BUSHFIRE ATTACK LEVEL (BAL) Bushfire Attack Level
Description
BAL–FZ
Direct exposure to flames from fire, in addition to heat flux and ember attack.
BAL–40
Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux with the increased likelihood of exposure to flames
BAL–29
Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux
BAL–19
Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux
BAL–12.5
Ember attack
BAL– Low
There is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements
WHAT IS A BUSHFIRE ATTACK LEVEL (BAL) A Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) is a measure of the severity of the potential exposure to ember attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact by a building. BAL establishes the requirements to construct a bushfire resilient building and influences the types of materials that need to be used to increase the protection of the building from bushfire attack. BAL takes into consideration: • type of surrounding vegetation; • how close the building is to the vegetation; • slope of the land (ie. fire runs more readily and with greater intensity uphill; and • the Fire Danger Index applicable to the region.
BUILDING CODES & BAL Following the 2009 Victorian bushfires, the Australian Building Codes Board adopted a national bushfire standard for residential buildings. The new Standard, ‘A53959-2009 Construction in bushfire-prone areas’, aims to improve the ability of a building to withstand bushfire attack. The standard sets out the building requirements for house design and construction according to the BAL that it falls into.
POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL COST TO REBUILD*
The costs of demolition and clean up should be included in your sum insured, or the terms of your policy. It is important to consider these costs when deciding how much it will cost to rebuild after a bushfire.
$273,000
$86,000
$78,000 $53,000
Extreme BAL FZ
CLEAN UP COSTS
Very High BAL 40
High BAL 29-40
Low to Moderate BAL 12.5-1
(Additional Costs per m2 by House Type 200m2 Average House) *Costs provided by Pi based on IAG data
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO REBUILD AFTER A BUSHFIRE?
If asbestos is likely to be present on your property, a licensed asbestos removalist should be engaged to do the cleanup work. If you are insured, your home insurer may organise and assist in cleaning up, securing your home and removal of debris. Hazardous materials that may be present after the fire include: • LP gas cylinders; • ashes, especially from burnt treated timbers (such as copper chrome arsenate or ‘CCA’); • garden or farm chemicals; • medicines; and • metal and other residues from burnt household appliances.
The chart above outlines the potential additional rebuild costs according to BAL.
HOW MUCH DO CLEAN-UPS COST?
The requirements for house design and construction vary according to the BAL.
Where there is significant damage to a home or a home is destroyed completely, clean-up costs can reach the tens of thousands of dollars.
Importantly, the majority of buildings in bushfire-prone areas may predate current bushfire regulations. Therefore, if you live in a bushfire prone area it may now cost significantly more to rebuild your home under the new Standards. A typical four bedroom home in a high risk bushfire area (BAL code FZ) can cost more than $100,000 extra to rebuild and meet the new Standard to fire proof homes.
$46,000
is the average cost for debris removal
$68,000
is the average cost for debris removal for asbestos properties Source: IAG data from current debris removals after the 2019-2020 Christmas period fires.
Contact your local fire authority for assistance with working out the BAL level of your property. Your local government body can advise about the specific requirements of a BAL certificate by a qualified assessor.
To speak with your local WFI Area Manager contact WFI on 1300 934 934 or simply visit wfi.com.au.
Information
For more practical information on how to prepare and act when your home is threatened by a bushfire, contact the relevant fire services authority in your state or territory: Victoria Country Fire Authority www.cfa.vic.gov.au
wfi.com.au
Metropolitan Fire Brigade www.mfb.vic.gov.au
Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 trading as WFI (WFI) issues WFI Insurance policies. This flyer doesn’t take in account your objectives, financial situation and needs. To see if a product is right for you, always consider these matters and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). You can get a copy of our PDS’ from our website at www.wfi.com.au or by calling1300 934 934. If you purchase any WFI product, we will charge you a premium, plus any taxes and charges, based on your risk profile and circumstances. The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is an alliance partner of WFI and does not make any recommendations or provide an opinion about WFI’s products. If you take out a policy with WFI, The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) receives a commission from WFI of between 5% and 10% of the value of the premium payment (excluding taxes and charges).
Community
Power to the
people The proposed route of the 190-kilometre-long Western Victoria Transmission Network that will be up and running by 2025 has not gone down well with many farmers in its path. Words: Steve Madgwick Photography: Charlie Kinross
14
VICTORIAN FARMER
SPRING 2020
S
hock is never a word you want to hear in relation to an overhead power-line project. Yet even before a precise corridor has been announced, the Western Victoria Transmission Network has both shocked and deeply frustrated farmers in its potential path. By 2025, a 190-kilometre high-voltage powerline will connect ‘stranded’ wind farms at Bulgana (north of Ararat) with the Sydenham Terminal Station on Melbourne’s outskirts, probably scything its way through at least some top-shelf agricultural land. The western end “will likely follow an existing transmission line to Waubra Terminal Station”, according to AusNet, appointed as project builder in 2019. North of Ballarat, however, the ‘area of interest’ swells noticeably and with it a slew of potential right-of-way issues. Here the line could “travel either north or south of Creswick to connect to a new terminal station”. “We didn’t hear anything about it until we got a letter in June saying our property potentially comes under the first stage,” says Tom Lawson, whose recently purchased 140acre farm at Clarkes Hill is area-of-interest ground zero. “Our neighbours all got letters and were shocked, too.”
Fractured communication
Olivia and Tom Lawson from Clarkes Hill were shocked to receive a letter saying that their property is an 'area of interest'.
AusNet’s vaguely worded correspondence has left farmers second-guessing easement routes, potentially 60-metres wide and featuring (up to) 85-metre-high pylons (in the 500kv sections). The company defends its so-far opaque, fractured communication process, stating that COVID-19 restrictions interfered with planned face-to-face community engagement, in what it says is actually step two of five to determine the project’s route. “No one really knows the exact route but it could be right through our place,” says Tom. “Or we could be looking right into it. There’s a lot of accomplished multi-generation farmers between Melton and Ararat who are pretty upset with the whole process. And right now, the company is hiding behind COVID-19.” In June, fellow-Clarkes Hill resident Vicki Johnson received her letter (sent to an old Melbourne address) with “some rather horrifying information about what was intended; literally 100 metres from my side window” followed by a phone call “wanting to talk about power lines”. Vicki and her neighbours, some of whom received letters back in March, formed the Clarkes Hill and District Power Alliance, under the umbrella of Moorabool and Central Highlands Alliance, which had sparked into life the week before. A packed June meeting at Myrniong was a watershed moment. Letter-holders pinned their properties onto Google Maps, reverse-engineering “a very definite route”, according to Vicki. “They have this amorphous 2,000km2 investigation area, but seem to be sending letters in a very distinct line. I have seen information saying, ‘we are proposing to put two towers on your property and here is a map’.”
What’s at stake Despite the claims, AusNet maintains that alignments and corridors are still under investigation. At stake is some of Australia’s most productive sheep meat and potato-growing land; vast volcanic plains renowned for rich, red topsoil and bountiful underground water. SPRING 2020
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Community “The landscape value will potentially be halved,” says Tom Lawson. “Potentially we won’t be able to irrigate so our productivity will be back 20 or 30 per cent. I think a lot of farmers aren’t even thinking about compensation yet. Everyone’s just so devastated.” Aside from livelihood and visual impacts, ecology is firmly on Tom’s mind too. He is not alone, with the Save Wattle Flat Group springing to life to defend flora and fauna around Creswick Forest. “This is one of the most unique landscapes in Australia: we’ve got lots of predatory birds, owls and scrub wrens,” says Tom. “I’ve already found dead kites in existing smaller power lines so it’s hard to imagine the impact of 500kVA lines” The precise impact on farming practices will depend on the route and method, but the VFF is concerned that often the presence of power infrastructure can impact on farm operations, including the potential restriction on the type of machinery used according to Lisa Gervasoni, VFF’s Senior Land Management and Planning Adviser. Grazing, potentially, will be less impacted, however weed control and other access issues will raise declaration issues for farmers. In the meantime, the information void is “stopping 2,000 square kilometres of people from being able to do anything because none of us know where to turn next,” says Vicki Johnson. The area of interest was determined by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which undertook a Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) in 2017 “to identify the most economical way of addressing limitations in the western Victoria transmission network”. Basically, this was a cost-benefit analysis outlaying the project’s benefit to the market and its operators. Some question why the contract was awarded to a specialist overhead-powerline builder before environmental and community consultations were complete, essentially stifling discussions on ‘new-technology’ alternatives such as ‘undergrounding’ cables. For its part, AusNet clearly states that undergrounding “would likely result in greater environmental, social and economic impact”. The project is an inevitable consequence of a renewable energy policy which saw wind farms completed without adequate infrastructure to move their power onto the grid. “Surely, they would have thought of the fact they’ve built all these wind farms that are only using a small percentage of the power generated?” asks Tom Lawson. “Also, if there is a bigger plan, and they’re going to run more wind farms off this route, just be honest and say that.” Crucially, Victoria’s Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, finally announced in August that the project must undergo an Environment Effects Statement (EES) before a route can be established.
16
VICTORIAN FARMER
SPRING 2020
Above: Tom and Olivia on their property, which has ecological value. "We've got lots of predatory birds, owls and scrub wrens," he says. "I've already found dead kites in existing smaller power lines so it's hard to imagine the impact of 500kVA lines." Right, and opposite page: Signs on Tom and Olivia's 140-acre farm opposing the proposed powerlines.
Western Victoria Transmission Line
2017-19
MARCH 2020
JUNE 2020
AEMO undertakes RIT-T process to “identify the preferred transmission investment option to address network limitations in Western Victoria”
Official project launch. AusNet postpones early face–to–face community engagement, citing Covid-19 restrictions
Vicki Johnson from Clarkes Hill receives a call from a chap “wanting to talk about power lines.”
APRIL 2020
Victorian Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, announces the project will undergo an Environment Effects Statement (EES)
AUGUST 2019 Bulgana Green Power Hub (wind farm) completed
LATE 2019 Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) awards project to AusNet Services
Workshops commenced with local councils and key stakeholders. Letters to potentially affected landowners
JUNE 2020
EARLY 2020
Clarkes Hill farmer Tom Lawson receives letter. The first he’s heard of the project
Project’s ‘area of interest’ determined’
JUNE 2020 Angry residents gather at Myrniong to discuss the lack of consultation
AUGUST 2020
SEPTEMBER 2020
preferred alignment”is due to be submitted to government to assess
MID TO LATE 2022 AusNet estimates that the final project route. (pending EES outcome)
LATE 2022 Commence construction (estimate, pending EES outcome)
AusNet begins hosting a series of informal, face– to–face, drop-in sessions for local communities
LATE 2024
MID-2021
2025
AusNet estimates that a report on “how community feedback has shaped the project and a final
SPRING 2020
Construction complete (estimate, pending EES outcome)
Estimated time that it will be up and running
VICTORIAN FARMER
17
Community
“I’m a lot more relaxed now that I know there’s an EES,” says Lisa Gervasoni. “While the legislation is quite old, and people are often concerned about the proponent paying for and overseeing the reports, it is the most detailed environmental assessment process in Victoria. “A technical reference group (TRG) oversees these studies to ensure rigour. VFF has asked to be on the TRG given the need to understand agriculture. Government practice has seen agency only representatives but we have been given verbal assurances Agriculture Victoria is on the TRG.” Lisa says, “An EES takes a long time, it’s a nightmare and I completely understand when people have conspiracy theories about the time taken and revision of studies, but we are at the start. It is scary when you haven’t dealt with the process before. Half the time, you’re not getting answers because they don’t necessarily know at this point as they haven’t done the assessments yet.” Lisa says, in her experience, the EES process “takes as long as it takes”, rarely less than two but sometimes up to four years. Ultimately, the Minister provides an assessment to the relevant decision-makers. The government ‘scopes’ EES issues with the onus on AusNet to do the work. “We can’t force them to, but we’ve written to the government to try to get them to do a proper ag assessment,” says Lisa, “properly accounting for areas with quality soils, not just do what’s cheapest and easiest for the company. Unless they hire agricultural specialists we could well be dealing with people who wouldn’t know the difference between a wheat crop and a canola crop.”
What's next, and what you can do Lisa advises farmers to be prepared to clearly communicate all the practical considerations of their businesses, which can be a decent framework for compensation, should it come to that. "If you tell people early what the issues and concerns are then the technical work can be done to assess those issues and how they can be addressed. If you don’t push the process to assess agricultural impacts on your production system then you may end up with “the regulatory minimum”.
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VICTORIAN FARMER
SPRING 2020
Above, then clockwise: Farmers concerned about the proposed transmission line. Photo courtesy of The Weekly Times; Tom and Olivia's cattle; an old truck in Clarkes Hill that has become a landmark as well as a silent protest; communications tower in Clarkes Hill.
A POWERFUL ACTION PLAN Drop a pin on AusNet’s mapping tool to show your concern: https://www.westvictnp.com.au/area-ofinterest Keep abreast of the latest communications from AusNet: https://www.westvictnp.com.au/get-involved Talk to the VFF about your concerns: https://www.vff.org.au/
GET INVOLVED LOCALLY Moorabool and Central Highlands Alliance, Clarkes Hill and District Power Alliance, Kingston and District Power Alliance: https://mooraboolpoweralliance.com.au/ Save Wattle Flat: https://savewattleflat.org/
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MP Catherine King, Member for Ballarat: https://www.catherineking.com.au/ catherine.king.MP@aph.gov.au Louise Staley, Member for Ripon: https://www.louisestaley.com.au/ louise.staley@parliament.vic.gov.au Michaela Settle, Member for Buninyong: https://www.michaelasettle.com.au Michaela.Settle@parliament.vic.gov.au Contact the VFF: policyteam@vff.org.au
“Most of these consultants have very little knowledge of farming. They sometimes need to understand why you are asking for things,” she says. “Best case scenario they might think, ‘that’s too hard to address we need to go somewhere else’, worst case they will have to ensure detailed assessments and control mechanisms to minimise risk and consequence. Society needs infrastructure and farming and crown land is the majority of land in the state – therefore ‘access’ is always a big issue for agriculture, the impact during construction and impact on ongoing operations. “There are lots of specialists; someone looking at ground water, surface water, soil, etc, who initially make their own reports, listing issues that need to be addressed. They then need to read each other’s reports and consider what the consequences a control action may have, so there’s all these iterations going on. And people get conspiracy theories about people changing reports but that is how you ensure that a change proposed for one reason doesn’t have unintended consequences.” “So it might seem cheaper to build above ground, but when you factor in all these things, it might be cheaper in the long run, including maintenance, to go underground for example. Or to use an existing infrastructure alignment.” Confusing for those involved let alone farmers with no experience fighting land-access battles, but while a long, methodical process can be stressful, ultimately it often leads to better outcomes for farmers. First stop for potentially affected landholders is to lodge a concern with AusNet, by dropping a (green) pin on its mapping tool (see breakout box). Lisa urges members to approach the VFF so it can collectively argue concerns with both the government and AusNet. “We want the power industry to be prepared to do something with us,” she says. “It is now willing to discuss some form of process going forward. “VFF reached out early to seek preparation of ‘land access’ guidelines so farmers knew what to expect from the company, talk about the process and legalisation in a friendly way, outline their
commitment on how they will consult. It took some chasing but we have now commenced discussions with AusNet. As this is also an AEMO process, and there is likely to be similar projects in the future VFF are working with NFF to address land access issues with the energy sector.” The power alliances are connecting farmers at a local level, aiming to cut through AusNet’s ‘party line’, and canvassing support from politicians such as Louise Staley (Member for Ripon) and Catherine King (Federal Member for Ballarat). “One of our steering groups is a technical working group looking at the underground technology,” says Vicki Johnson. “The Moorabool Shire has commissioned an expert in the field, too. So, we’re coming up with our analysis to refute AusNet’s analysis.” For farmers, the best-case, almost utopian scenario is a public utility housed on public land: using existing reservations, such as the Western Freeway, and going underground in high-risk bushfire zones, as cited in the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. “All I ask is look at the leastimpacted alternative, not just a payback period,” says Tom Lawson. “The impact on the landscape in these communities is massive, so why not use existing areas and have a 15-year to 20-year payback? Like most businesses have to do!” One thing is clear. In the absence of individual and collective resistance, the Western Victoria Transmission Network could very well run along the path of least resistance between Bulgana and Sydenham. It’s been a shaky start and ultimately expectations should be managed, but the first wave of upset farmers and community groups is beginning to force AusNet into a more bilateral process where agricultural concerns are at least on the table. What comes next, during the ESS process, very much determines the balance of power. Not just for the farmers in the path of the Western Victoria Transmission Line project but also those who will inevitably face similar projects in the coming decades. n SPRING 2020
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Big Issue
Scott Young – Prime lamb breeder, Ballan. Photo: Jay Town
Counting
sheep Innovation in farming practices, business management, animal welfare and marketing are key identifiers for progressing the wool and sheep industry in Victoria and throughout Australia. So what is the best way forward? Words: Jeanette Severs
22
VICTORIAN FARMER
SPRING 2020
W
hile it would be easy to look back at history and bemoan industry changes, the rewards are tangible for wool growers and sheep breeders in Victoria. “One of the yardsticks of history was that a bale of wool would pay for a flock ram,” says Steve Harrison, a wool grower from Giffard. “There wouldn’t be many merino breeders averaging $2,000 a bale at the moment, and commercial rams might cost you $4,000. Farmers are diversifying, thinking creatively and can continue to invest in genetics and infrastructure in good years, to make the most of downturns.” Steve identifies scanning for lambs, ewe management, pasture diversification, introducing crops and improving shearing and animal handling infrastructure as key advances available for farmers to implement within their businesses. “Attending business management and animal production courses, improvements in animal health and pastures, implementing systems, and improvements in my soils have all led to increased productivity,” says Ballan prime lamb breeder Scott Young. “I’m a soil farmer first before I farm anything. Farmers should undergo regular professional development as I don’t think you should ever stop learning.” Scott says there's no point in farming the same way his grandfather did. “I’m the third generation on the farm and I can’t be farming the same way we were farming 30 years ago. “Improving productivity has afforded me the opportunity to employ a local person full-time on the farm, and they’re improving their farming skills for their future. Having a really good employee has maximized returns for me, as I’ve been able to get on to doing jobs when they’ve needed to be done.”
Achieving stability “Flock rebuild is pretty important, particularly with Merino ewes,” says WoolProducers Australia CEO, Jo Hall. “The sheepmeat industry has been very successful in growing supply and markets, and I think in the medium term there’s a lot of opportunity to create stability, despite wool always being volatile We need to keep growing our volume of wool. It’s been relatively stable for five years, while many farmers in the eastern states have been dealing with horrific drought.” She believes that buyers need to see a growing supply to feel confidence in the market. “Wool production was around 340 million kilograms greasy until the last few years of drought when it dropped to 280 million kilograms,” she says. “Australia is the world’s largest producer of apparel wool and is unique in its supply of ultra-fine merino wool. It also produces a sought-after worsted wool product.” Australia has traditionally looked to sell its wool as a luxury fibre into the United Kingdom and Europe, particularly Italy. But COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on not only supply chain logistics, but also the capacity of countries to maintain a workforce to process fibre. It resembles the risk when the USSR economy crashed, which had flow-on effects to Australia’s wool growers. Alongside economic risk is dynamic competition for man-made fibres. These all present opportunities to diversify Australia’s wool supply. Not least, Australian suppliers need to be telling the story about where wool comes from, benefitting from established trust in the Woolmark brand. “We can grow demand and diversify into other markets by talking about how effective wool is blended with other fibres such as possum, cotton, nylon,” says Scott. “Wool can be made into insulation and to make athletic wear. We could also be opening up and supporting the growth of manufacturing in this country.”
International markets
Good animal health includes husbandry practises such as foot baths to treat and prevent lameness. Photo by Jeanette Severs
Selling fleeces to China has been a ready and reliable export market, and now their workforce and infrastructure has geared back up postCoronavirus; but Jo believes there are other viable markets within a short reach of Australia. “We sell 75-80 per cent of our product to one country, but the reality is the Chinese and Australian industries have a lot of respect for each other,” she says. “Chinese processors have invested considerably in their equipment and workforces, and we are reliant on them. China will always be our Plan A, but diversification into Plan B would include India, Indonesia with its viable textile market, and Vietnam.” She points out that America is a dream destination for our wool, but that market requires a list of eco-credentials set by animal rights activists, as in Europe. SPRING 2020
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Big Issue
A timeline of wool…
High on the list of eco-credentials is mulesing, but there’s also docking, castration and shearing stress. From AWEX data, it appears more Victorian farmers are now providing a National Wool Declaration confirming they are using pain relief for animal husbandry tasks – supporting the industry’s commitment to woolgrowers to promote their animal welfare practices to exporters, processors and retailers.
1788 First fat-tailed sheep
1875 Australian wool
1939 The Australian
1960s Kevin Saare and
arrived in Australia with the First Fleet. They are followed by Saxon Merinos, Lincoln, English Leicester and Border Leicester breeds
is shipped into China
Wool and Meat Producers Association is formed
Godfrey Brown develope the ‘tally-hi’ shearing technique, with Australian Wool Board sponsorship
1797 13 Spanish Merino sheep arrive in Australia
1821 The first auction of Australian wool is held in London. Wool was one of the staple products produced in Australia that was used to repay loans from the UK to establish the colony and pay for its upkeep
1838 Within 50 years of colonial settlement, the annual wool clip is producing more than 2 million kilograms and wool has become Australia’s main export commodity
1840s Wool auctions begin in Australia, but the bulk of the clip is still exported to be sold at auction in the UK
24
Above and right: While animal rights activism in Australia is primarily focussed on mulesing, advocacy issues include docking, castration and shearing stress; Wool grower Steve Harrison of Giffard West. Photos by Jeanette Severs
VICTORIAN FARMER
SPRING 2020
1895 –1903 Drought. Sheep numbers fall dramatically and it takes nearly 30 years for the national flock to return to the previous record of 106 million sheep
1920s Japan & USA emerge as competitors to the UK for Australia’s wool clip
1930s Wool is 62 per cent
1945 The Wool Consultative Council is established
1940s Scientists develop techniques for measuring mean fibre diameter of wool, with projection microscopes developed and the Airflow instrument was created
1950s Australia’s wool
of the total export value of primary products, with Australian fine wool in demand worldwide
boom post WWII, with the average greasy wool price reaching 144.2 pence/pound in 1950-51. Sheep numbers thus rise by 80 per cent
1936 Legislation is passed
1950s Henry Salter
requiring woolgrowers to pay tax on all wool produced and sold in Australia. The tax helps establish the Australian Wool Board, with a focus on wool promotion
pioneered shearer training
1937 International Wool Secretariat formed
1953 Australian Wool
1963 The Australian Wool Board replaces the Australian Wool Bureau
1970 The Australian Wool Commission created
1970 Australian Objective Measurement Project set up to investigate the feasibility of pre-sale testing as an aid to marketing fleeces
1970 – 71 Wool price falls to 60c a kilogram
1972 – 73 Sale-by-sample method is introduced
Bureau replaces the Wool Consultative Council
1970s Bans placed on
1960 Australian Wool
1973 Australian Wool
Growers and Graziers Council formed
Corporation replaces Australian Wool Commission
the live export of sheep
But it’s not a simple argument. “Traceability and sustainability should be key parts of any farming enterprise, and there’s potential for new markets that may require we change how we breed sheep,” Steve says. “Consumer preferences drive market demand, and that has a flow on effect to what type of breeding decisions farmers make. There’s a market for everything – it’s just a matter of the price point you’re working for.” In Victoria, farmers are required to use analgaesic products for all animal husbandry procedures. That’s backed by a number of quality assurance programs and industry standards, along with the paperwork to prove compliance, that reward farmers. “Mulesing is a binary argument, but we know the narrative is not black and white,” says Jo. “I think the wool industry has communicated poorly regarding our points of differentiation around animal welfare, and we shouldn’t dismiss the view of animal rights activists. “When animal rights activists are asked, their list of requirements boils down to no animal agriculture, which affects everyone along the global supply chain. We’re hearing loud messages but we’re not seeing it in the price points yet.
When we do, it will be up to the producer to make decisions about what they want to offer, in response to consumer demand.”
Sales and confidence Let’s look at the figures. Victoria is Australia’s largest producer of food and fibre products, with an export value of $14.2 billion last year, directly supporting 145,000 jobs, along with another 45,800 roles in manufacturing and processing.
1974 Reserve Price Scheme
1980s SAM (Sale with Additional
1982 First World Merino
begins in response to industry calls for guaranteed price stabilisation (minimum price) and global promotion of wool
Measurement) trials and the TEAM (Trial Evaluating Additional Measurement) project commences
Conference, Melbourne
1970s More than 95 per cent of
1980s to the current day
wool is sold by sample
1979 WoolProducers Australia is formed (previously Wool Council of Australia)
1980 Farm Focus program developed and released in 1981
1982 Drought 1980s Wide comb shearing dispute achieved significant notoriety. Wool growers argued wide combs meant productivity gains for the wool industry – through improved shearing rates and reduced time lost to industrial disputes in the following years
1980s Reserve Price Scheme begins to collapse the industry
Above: Victoria is Australia's largest producer of food and fibre products, supporting more than 190,800 jobs. Photo: Jeanette Severs
1987 First online auction sale
(AWRAP). The aim of AWRAP was to identify and evaluate and invest in the R&D needs of the Australian wool industry
held – CALM. Later to become AuctionsPlus in 1996
1994 Drought
Ongoing RFID development and technology trials to identify the best practice for potential electronic tagging of wool bales to improve traceability. Including 2013/14 trials conducted using UHF passive tags welcomed across the industry – growers, brokers, processors
1990s Australia’s international
1997 The Woolmark Company
trading partners began to require more information and evidence of farmers' animal health and welfare standards
Pty Ltd is established
1980s National wool production
1991 Reserve price scheme
increases to more than 1000 million kilograms
suspended. The 4.75 million bale wool stockpile accumulated by Australian Wool Corporation began to be sold. Last of the stockpile sold in 2001
1980s Pre-sale Staple Length and Strength Measurements are introduced to sale by sample
1980s Price indicator soars to 1000c/kg. Reserve price increases from 640c/kg to 870c/kg
1980s Economic failure of the USSR – a major purchaser of Australian wool
2000 Animal Health Australia
1991 AUSVETPLAN Version 1
(incorporated as Australian Animal Health Council Limited) commenced operation
published (V2, 1996; V3, 2003; V3.1, 2008)
2000s The wool industry
1991 Functions of the Australian Wool Corporation divided between three established entities: the Australian Wool Realisation Commission, the Australian Wool Corporation, and the Wool Research and Development Corporation
implements a strategic commitment to develop and implement alternatives to mulesing including the development of a National Wool Declaration, in order to provide confidence to wool buyers and retailers. The development of online auction systems for livestock and wool bales, which has been of considerable advantage in 2020 with travel and other restrictions due to COVID-19
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Big Issue Wool has a value of $1.4 billion annually “Everybody needs to eat,” says Scott. and sheep meat is valued at $1.8 billion He scans all his ewes and manages his annually, with sheep farms (not counting system to start lambing in July for six multi-commodity systems) making up weeks, taking advantage of spring 19 per cent of the sector. pasture flush and finishing tailenders Victoria is home to 13.1 million on cereal stubbles. head of sheep and produces 43 per “I aim at a weight gain of 300-400g cent of Australia’s lambs slaughtered per day, turning the lambs off at 22 for meat. kilograms,” he says. The value of mutton and lamb “We’re price takers, but if I know produced is $1.32 billion and the value my market and my costs, then I’m of wool is $751.2 million. According to three-quarters of the way to knowing MLA, 62 per cent of Australians get their exactly the price I need to receive protein from beef and sheep meat. for production. It means I can also The confidence of sheep farmers in these adjust the way I’m farming to improve my returns has been seen in the sums invested in bottom line.” ram sales, with record prices paid – often using Scott believes Australian industry needs online auction platforms. Above: Victoria is home to ensure farmers are not reliant on any one A Wallaloo Park Merino ram sold privately to 13.1 million sheep marketplace as it has too many risks for for $76,000; other rams sold at public auction Photo: Jeanette Severs the industry. for $16,000 and $11,000. After selling a ram for And according to Steve, export sheep meat is $70,000 last year, Boonoke Merino still one of the main drivers of meat production stud saw prices top $65,000 this year. and return on investment, supported by standards that ensure A Langdene Merino ram sold for $15,500 through this food safety. year’s unique online Hamilton Sheepvention auction, along Livestock farmers can grow fine micron wool or a broad with two rams from Glendonald stud that sold at $9,250 each. micron with fleece weights of 5-6kg; wethers, old ewes and Depta Park Grove sold their White Suffolk rams to a top of lambs can be fattened for meat; while cropping farmers can $32,000 in October last year. This year, Tattykeel stud let go diversify into forward contracting store lambs to graze failed a Poll Dorset ram for $24,000, with two more at $18,000. crops or cereal and canola stubbles. These are prices that reflect the confidence of sheep “The Australian sheep is a diverse animal we can shear farmers in their industry, whether they are producing twice a year, it can lamb twins and triplets, and has adapted 15-micron, 18-micron or 38-micron wool, or prime lambs for to a range of diverse climates, rainfall and weather patterns,” the supermarket or export grids. Steve says. “It’s a really good, thriving industry to be in.” n
A timeline of wool…
2004 National Auction
platform launched
managed by Animal Health Australia – the AUSVETPLAN is the nationally agreed approach to response to emergency animal disease incidents in Australia
2000 – 2003
2014 Reduction in sheep
2019 AWEX takes
Millenium drought
numbers (AWI 2015) and the merging and restructuring of wool broking and handling companies
over ownership of The SustainaWOOL™ Integrity Scheme
2019 The Australian Wool
2015 Launch of The
2019 Latest onfarm trial
2020 WoolProducers
by AWEX begins using eBale identification – RFID and QR code labelling – along with WoolClip app on smartphones
Australia receives Federal funding to review and analyse the current traceability systems used throughout the entire wool industry pipeline
Selling Committee was established by AWEX to administer the conduct of auction sales on behalf of auction sellers and buyers
2004 Animal Health Australia contracted Merial (a major international manufacturer of veterinary pharmaceuticals) to establish a Foot and Mouth Disease Antigen Bank for the exclusive use of Australia, to respond in the event of an FMD outbreak. In 2015 Merial re-selected as the preferred supplier
2004 Wool production and sheep numbers fall to the lowest levels for 50 years
2007 The Woolmark Company (previously IWS
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International) integrated into AWI – now the marketing subsidiary of AWI
2012 AuctionsPlus Wool
SustainaWOOL ™ Integrity Scheme – an independent quality assurance scheme identifying farmers’ sustainable agricultural practices
2016 – 2020 drought, Gippsland
2018 AUSVETPLAN Version 4 published – The Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan, developed by the National Biosecurity Committee
2019 Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee forecasts the national wool clip is tipped to be down 12.7 per cent on last year, dropping by 43 million kilograms. Affected by long-term drought across Australia’s wool growing regions, led by destocking
of sheep numbers and increased dust in fleeces.
2019 China, the major export market for Australian wool is now buying 70 per cent of the national clip
Exchange Eastern Market Indicator exceeds $20/kg
2020 A Merino ram sold
for $76,000 and other rams
sold at public auction for $16,000 and $11,000.
2020 Australian flock size is 63 million sheep. Wool sold to export (in October) is at 12 million kilograms
Planning for the power you need this summer With summer around the corner, modern farming equipment, the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased reliance on the internet to conduct business, a reliable power source is more important than ever.
PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES THIS SUMMER AND STAY SAFE ▶ Have a back-up plan: Use generators or batteries to provide back-up supplies for critical infrastructure like security fencing, water pumps, and electric gates.
Farming is in the blood for Tania King’s family, who have been breeding sheep in Victoria’s south west region for more than 50 years. That heritage continues today at Hawkesdale, where Tania and her parents run Shellal Stud, accommodating Poll Dorset and Southdown breeds and Angus steers up to bullock-age. Tania and husband Chris, who also works as a lineworker for western Victoria’s electricity distributor, Powercor, knows how critical a reliable and safe power supply is for people in rural and regional Victoria. With La Niña threatening to bring about wet weather as well as heatwaves this summer, the Kings are preparing for the kind of extreme weather conditions that can cause power outages. “We’ve got a generator which we can use if things go wrong,” Tania said. “Not that you need it much, but it’s good to know it’s there just in case. “We have it ready for our automatic sheep handler and of course there are electric fences and electric pumps, which are essential for keeping the water up to our stock. If you don’t have a reliable supply of electricity on a hot day, the stock will empty the troughs in no time. “Internet is another one. We did our ram sale online the other day and if the power went down, we would have lost all our customers because we have no 4G backup.” Powercor has been working year-round to prepare its network for the coming summer while maintaining high reliability. Electricity is typically available for greater than 99 percent of the time. In the first half of this year, this meant Powercor customers on short rural feeder lines experienced an average of around 72 minutes off supply and on long rural feeder lines, an average of 154 minutes off supply. Powercor network assurance manager Dene
Ward said these averages can be affected in warmer months when heat, high winds, storms or lightning impact the network which has 88,000km of powerlines supplying western Victoria. “We do everything we can to prepare the network but we can’t control the weather,” Mr Ward said. “Given the year we’ve had with COVID disruptions, power outages for any reason are likely to be especially inconvenient this summer. So we encourage all customers to plan to have the power they need.” Unplanned outages can also be caused by vehicles hitting poles and animals interfering with infrastructure. Mr Ward said customers may also receive notifications about planned power outages necessary for our crews to safely work on powerlines when conducting maintenance or network upgrades. “This year we’ve completed a number of important projects on our networks that are designed to keep communities safer, particularly in high bushfire risk areas,” he said. These include the completion of a four-year, $40 million program to install more than 1,150 Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) Auto Circuit Reclosers, and the final stages of the Powerline Replacement Fund with 334 kilometres of SWER now underground. The ongoing rollout of network ‘safety switches’ known as Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters (REFCLs) will see 14 in place this summer to help prevent fires starting from electrical assets. Mr Ward said that the REFCLs were activated 100 times last summer on total-fire-ban days. On these days, it can take longer for power to be restored as crews need to patrol entire feeder lines up to 50km long. For more information, visit: powercor.com.au/lineylessons
▶ Look up and live: Beware of sagging powerlines in windy or hot conditions if you’re using heavy machinery nearby. They can sag or sway up to three metres or more. ▶ Keep communicating: Ensure mobile phones are charged and consider alternatives like twoway radios and personal EPIRBs in case telecommunications go down. ▶ Check POEL safety: Make sure your private overhead electric lines are safe. Only use qualified contractors to check lines and cut vegetation to maintain clearances. ▶ Protect your data: Make sure important computer files are backed-up regularly. ▶ Know what to do: Conduct refresher training for farm workers on electrical safety, including what to do if contact is made with a powerline, and first aid for electrocution. ▶ Stay up to date: Check for warnings and updates at emergency.vic.gov.au and download the VicEmergency app. Register online for Powercor SMS alerts to keep track of power outages.
Business The Insurance Council of Australia estimated that the Victorian bushfires generated approximately 3,050 insurance claims with estimated insured losses of approximately $18.6 million.
Are you
fire-season ready?
Heed the sage advice from two VFF members and the CFA to prepare your property for the fire season. Words: Jocelyn Pride
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I
t’s that time of year. Temperatures rise, northerlies blow and after last year’s horrendous fires ravaged across the state, there’s trepidation in the air. Careful planning is key to mitigating risk. Whether it’s farming chickens, cattle, grain, sheep, fruit trees or whatever – the question is how would you manage a fire if it started today? One thing is for sure – fire is unpredictable, and there’s always something to learn.
It only takes a few seconds As prepared as he was, as experienced as he is, Ian Hastings suffered horrible burns in a paddock fire in November 2019. “I got caught out and I don’t want it to happen to anyone else,” he says. Ian is a fifth generation grain farmer on the property his great-great-grandfather first settled near Ouyen. As a VFF life member, he’s served as Grains President and Deputy Chairman of the Grains Council of Australia. “I’ve sown 50 years of crops in my life and this is the first time I’ve ever been in danger of a fire,” Ian says. But it can and it did. Recalling the fateful day, Ian says that there was nothing remarkable about the weather. “The wind was a westerly, around 28kms, but that’s not unusual. Everyone would harvest on a day like that.” Ian has open paddocks and no surrounding bush, but as a grain farmer, harvesting corresponds with the fire season, so he sprays fire breaks around the perimeter of all his cropping paddocks. “I have firefighting equipment on the chaser bin with a driver in the tractor, always keeping in close range of the harvester,” he says, and then explains that most fires in the grain industry are usually caused by the machinery. In his case, he thinks barley dust somehow got hot around his harvester’s motor and when he turned it around, the wind blew it off while it was smouldering. Once the chaser bin arrived, Ian unravelled the fire hose and ran out to extinguish a low stubble fire. Opening the nozzle, he realised there was no water pressure, so he ran back to the chaser bin to rev up the motor. And in those five seconds the change in the fire’s behaviour was astonishing. “As I turned, I saw the flames going over the wheels of the tractor and they hit me fully in the face,” he says. “It was that quick.” Thankfully, now recovered, Ian has not only made changes to his fire plan, but he wants to help others. “We’re putting a hydraulically driven pump on the chaser bin so the driver doesn’t have to get out of the tractor to start the pump,” he says.
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Business
Secondly, Ian has engineered a fire-fighting nozzle that’s easily adjusted, that sits outside the front of the tractor and chaser bin. “This saves time because the chaser bin can rush to the fire, and the driver flicks the hydraulic lever and is fighting the fire within seconds, without needing to risk getting out,” he says.
Every detail counts In the Colac district, fourth generation dairy farmer and VFF member, Mark Billings has fought his fair share of fires. At 52, Mark has been in the CFA for 36 years and is currently a Group Officer in charge of 15 brigades across diverse terrain from grassland to coastal, rocky barrier and dairy country. He urges farmers to have a fire plan specific to their property and to practise going through the steps. “Everything needs to be in your head well and truly before the season starts,” he says. “When it comes to fire preparedness, being pedantic is a good thing.” In addition to the obvious clearing around buildings, checking machinery is in good working order, fencing and the like, Mark also says it’s important to focus on specifics such as: “What happens if the power goes off? Where is the water going to come from if you have fire-fighting equipment? What about staff on your farm – what are they going to do? Should the staff be on farm on a bad fire day? How will stock be fed and moved?” Above all it’s essential that everything in a fire plan is communicated to family and all staff.
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Above: VFF Member & Network Development Representative Peter Costello helping out with others at the Corryong Fodder Depot earlier this year.
FAST FACTS • The CFA was established in 1944 and is currently one of the largest volunteer-based emergency response organisations in the world. • Victoria is considered one of the bushfire hotspots of the world. The Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 claimed 173 lives and the 2019–2020 bushfire season was unprecedented in intensity and devastation. It resulted in 34 fatalities and huge losses of land and wildlife. Fires were contained by early March 2020.
“Everyone needs to be on the same page. If you’ve never been through it before, it can be difficult to understand what you’re capable of doing if impacted,” Mark warns. He also recommends making check lists and sticking them somewhere obvious to all, and says that the CFA website is an excellent resource for the planning phase: cfa.vic/plan-prepare Although Mark hasn’t had a fire on his own property (touch wood), he’s the first to say: “That doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen.” As a veteran CFA firefighter who’s experienced devastating fires such as Black Saturday, Linton, Christmas Day 2015 and the St Patrick’s Day, he has the greatest respect for fire. “Even though we have a lot of technologies available to us today, never assume fire will follow an expected path. That’s why seemingly little things can make a big difference,” he explains. On a potentially bad-fire day, Mark puts his electric fences on timers and turns them off
completely, which means one less ignition point. Other farmers also turn their windmills off. He says that looking after the hayshed is also key. “Fodder is an important asset during the fire season.” After people, Mark clarifies that there are two things he needs to try to save on his dairy farm in the case of fire – the dairy and the cows. “A milking herd is hard to replace and obviously has a long-term impact on business,” he says, adding that he has designated ‘hot-day paddocks’ for his cows that are close to the dairy and have good water and shade. To keep abreast of what’s happening in your area, Mark can’t recommend the Vic Emergency App highly enough. “It’s important to understand exactly what the fire ratings mean and to identify ignitions in your watch area,” he says. “I’ve seen it so many times – people thinking they were ready and then a fire over-runs them and their life’s work disappears in half an hour. It’s heart breaking. And don’t forget, just in case – part of planning is also carefully checking your insurance policy.” n
Right: All over Victoria and Australia, the regrowth after the fires has brought fresh hope.
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Helping our regional and rural customers Introducing the Regional Advisory Network (RAN): a new program we’ve put together for our regional, rural and remote customers that ensures we’re going the extra mile to help when and where they need it most. What is it? The Telstra Regional Advisory Network (or RAN) is a program that helps our regional customers (Consumer, Small Business & Enterprise) to get connected wherever they are in regional, rural or remote Australia.. It provides holistic service solutions using our experts from regional Australia, as well as our Network & IT team and field technicians, to provide customers with a range of services from a simple fix to fully integrated and bespoke network solutions to ensure you’re able to make the most of your connection using our regional footprint. And it’s a big footprint. We have the largest regional mobile network by a country mile: We cover 1 million square kilometres across regional Australia that is not served by any other network. It’s because of this investment and long history of supporting the regions that we wanted to ensure that
Why have we created it? our customers outside the major cities are able to get the help they need and deserve. The RAN program has been designed to help customers who are having connectivity issues in their home, business premises or on the road. We want to be able to fix these problems the way that our regional customers need: by putting the right people on the job who understand the issue in detail and who can recommend a solution. The RAN team is made up of expert Regional Network Advisors (or RNAs) from our Networks & IT team and Local Communications Advisors (LCAs) from our skilled field technician team, who are supported by the wider Regional Australia team. The RNAs and LCAs are scattered around the country so no matter where you live, you’ll have access to them, locals helping locals!
In an ever-evolving digital world, we understand the critical role telecommunications plays in regional Australia. Whether it’s connecting with family and friends, educating the kids, running your business or calling for help, having a reliable service is essential. We also have a dedicated regional team with deep technical knowledge who understand the reality of connectivity and are able to help all customers make the most out of the network. So, we have put two and two together to deliver a personalised face to face service to help our customers by leveraging our team of experts. The RAN is an integral part of Telstra’s broader Regional Workforce Strategy with a focus on maintaining Telstra’s workforce integrity in regional areas.
How does it work? You can find out more about the Regional Advisory Network and how to speak to someone on our team at our Regional Australia page https://Telstra.com/ regionalaustralia For Mobile Coverage issues – You’ll be asked to complete a few questions online that will go to the specialist team, who will then arrange to call you back to understand more about your situation and what solutions will help get the outcome you’re after. To invite a network expert to your event – This will give you the option to request the engagement of an RNA/LCA to attend a community event, to ensure the event has the right network support.
Environment
Farmer Chris Shaw in one of his chicken sheds at Ballywarra Farms.
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The granting of
energy
Victorian farmers have wholeheartedly embraced the state government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan since it launched in 2018. Here we look at how some farmers have been assisted Words: Sandra Godwin Photography: Charlie Kinross
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Environment
W
hen the state government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan was announced, about 800 farmers signed up for the first step: a free on-farm energy assessment designed to identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency and reducing power bills. Since then more than 280 farmers have been awarded Tier 1 grants of up to $50,000, totalling about $8.35 million, and applications for some larger grants of up to $1 million are still being assessed. Victorian Farmers Federation President David Jochinke wrote to Treasurer Tim Pallas in September 2020 asking for an extra $30 million in pre-budget allocations to extend the program for a second round. David says this would help stimulate rural and regional economies affected by COVID-19 restrictions, volatile commodity markets and falling farm confidence.
Over at Ballywarra Farms Chicken meat producer Chris Shaw – who raises almost two million birds each year at Ballywarra Farms in Modella – says energy is one of his farm’s biggest expenses. Gas is used to heat the open-plan sheds to 33 degrees Celsius when chicks are young, and electricity powers the fans that create a wind tunnel to cool them to 18 degrees Celsius when the birds are older. “Gas is one of our biggest energy uses, so we looked at that as our first point of call – how to reduce our energy use,” Chris says. “We use less electricity, but the cost is more – around $72,000 a year – so the second option was to look at how to reduce that.” The energy audit identified several alternatives for reducing gas and electricity consumption, but some were deemed too expensive or impractical. Chris opted to replace the 80 tunnel fans, driven by a threephase motor running a belt and pulley system, with variable speed fans. He was successful in gaining a $186,000 Tier 2 grant for the $372,000 project, and so far 20 fans in two sheds have been retrofitted and the rest are scheduled for completion within six months. The energy audit suggested the newer technology would cut electricity use by as much as 65 per cent, but Chris expects it to be more like 30 per cent. “We wouldn’t have done it without the grant,” he says. “Over the course of the next few batches, we’ll be able to see how they compare to the old fans and take some measurements to see what the energy savings might be. They’re a quieter unit as well so they’ll be gentler on the sheds and should spook the birds less. I’m looking forward to seeing how that goes and whether there’s any other benefits for litter and our ammonia levels, and things like that.”
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Above, then right: Chris Shaw's sheds and silos on Ballywarra Farms in Modella; Chris (pictured) was successful in gaining a $186,000 Tier 2 grant for his $372,000 project and so far 20 fans (the ventilation louvres pictured here) in two sheds have been retrofitted.
Meanwhile at Winchelsea Colin Peel is building several new sheds for his broiler operation at Southern Plains Agriculture, near Winchelsea. The energy assessment suggested infrared heating would be more efficient than direct heating, but conversion of the whole farm would have cost up to $400,000. The new sheds will have more efficient fans and, rather than retrofitting all the older sheds, Colin chose to install a power factor correction device at a cost of $13,600, subsidised by a Tier 1 grant of $6,800. Colin estimates the combination of that device and the 99 kilowatt (kW) solar power system he installed three years ago will reduce his electricity bill by $1,000 a month. “If I didn’t have any of that on there, I’d probably be looking at averaging about $8,000 a month for power,” he says. “My main aim is to keep peak demand as low as possible, because I’m paying for that peak demand no matter how many chickens I’m putting through.”
A 2017 survey of 215 Victorian farmers found: Cost
Reliability
of energy was the number one concern for farmers
was also a major concern
for 75% of gas users, 66% of diesel users, and 59% of electricity users
for 35% of electricity users and 21% of diesel users
•B arriers stopping or discouraging them from investing in energy efficient measures included
73.5%
63.2%
28.2%
•A ctions taken in the past two years to keep energy costs down included
10.1%
21.2%
20.5%
19.3%
Changing power usage to manage demand High up-front cost of investment
Low return on investment
Technology changes too quickly
Need to see others in my industry succeed first
Negotiating directly with provider for cheaper energy
Switching to energy efficient lighting
134
• I n 2016-17, dairy was the heaviest user of electricity (average 134-megawatt hours), poultry was the heaviest user of LP gas (76 gigajoules) and cropping was the heaviest user of diesel (37 million litres)
Diesel (ML)
13.8%
Using solar panels
Electricity (MWh)
LP Gas (GJ)
90 76
64 43
37 20 Cropping
15
26 5 Beef
5
9
7 Sheep
Dairy
35 7
Horticulture
Poultry
Source: Agriculture Victoria SPRING 2020
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Environment
FAST FACTS In Gunbower, Stanhope and Tatura Mark Kingma of Gunpork at Gunbower says their $33,652 grant was being used to upgrade the mating shed to all LED lighting and install tunnel ventilation in a 120-sow farrowing room and a weaner shed. “We’re in the process of upgrading our mating shed for sows to be stall-free, so it was the perfect time to do it,” he says. “We’re hoping that by upgrading the ventilation we can get our birth rate up by half a pig, then we’ll see a return on that investment within 12 months.” Dairy farmers Craig Emmett, of Stanhope, and Hamish Crawford, of Tatura, also successfully applied for grants. Craig, who has a Jersey stud and produces organic milk from about 210 cows, was keen to reduce energy costs by installing a variable speed drive on the vacuum pump, a 13.2kW solar system to heat water and a 16.5kW system to run a new bore pump that operates 24 hours a day. The grants total $17,860. “The audit showed that we could potentially save $1,000 to $1,500 a month on our power bill,” he says. “It was a no-brainer. We’ve got to tip in half so it’s going to cost us $17,000. It won’t eliminate our power bills, but it will save us a lot of money pretty quickly.” Hamish, who milks 500 Holstein Friesians, will put his $29,735 grant towards a new vacuum pump with variable speed drive, an automatic mister on the compressors for cooling milk, a 6kW solar system and upgrading the dairy to LED lighting.
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Above: The chicken sheds at Ballywarra Farms with new fans in place.
The Agriculture Energy Investment Plan announced in December 2017 includes: • $5 million for on-farm energy efficiency assessments • $20 million in grants to support farmers investing in energy efficiency and generation technology • $1.5 million to demonstrate on-farm energy efficiency and generation measures • $2.5 million to link farmers and businesses to information, education resources and apps • $1 million to commercialise research for the farming sector The Agriculture Energy Investment Plan offered three tiers of grants: • Tier 1 grants of up to $50,000 each • Tier 2 grants of up to $250,000 each • Tier 3 grants of up to $1 million each • A bout 800 free on-farm energy assessments costing a total of about $7 million have been completed so far Applications for on-farm energy assessments closed on March 31 and grant applications closed on June 30. More than 280 Tier 1 grants with a value of about $8.35 million have been awarded. Applications for some Tier 2 and Tier 3 grants, supporting larger improvements across farming systems or large-scale strategic projects, are still being assessed.
The audit estimated those measures would deliver $1,576 in cost savings each year. Hamish had hoped to make a bigger dent in his $25,000 a year electricity bill by installing a 33kW solar system and exporting 70 per cent of the power it generated back into the grid, but that application was rejected.
Above: Chris Shaw says the new fans are a lot quieter than the units they had before, so they'll be more gentle on the sheds and also spook the chickens less.
More grants to come VFF Stakeholder Policy and Advocacy manager Luke Hooke says the request for more funding followed feedback from members after grant applications closed in June. Some applicants had missed out, while others weren’t ready at the time. “There’s projects ready to be funded now,” he says. “These are a broad range of shovel ready projects that can get off the ground very quickly and help in the economic recovery process. Horticulture producers are looking to put solar systems on packing sheds and similarly, dairies are looking to put in solar or other energy saving infrastructure.” Luke says farmers also would like to see the grants process further streamlined and accelerated for all sectors. “We’ve dealt with a lot of members who were very frustrated by the length of time it took,” he says. “It often made it difficult to fit the project in with what was happening with their farm business.” That feedback resulted in several changes announced in August 2019 for dairy farmers who were facing particularly challenging seasonal and market conditions. The changes allowed them to apply directly – without an on-farm energy assessment – for grants of up to $50,000 by selecting from a list of preapproved items. Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes says there was great interest in the program, with more than 300 grants awarded so far to farmers across the state. “I welcome more discussions with the Victorian Farmers Federation about supporting our farmers to increase their resilience and adapt farm businesses given our changing climate,” she says. “The support for on-farm energy generation presents great opportunities.” The grants are funded by the government’s Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund. n
Are you prepared for summer? Buy or sell water anytime, anywhere. Trade online 24/7 www.waterfind.com.au Or call 1800 890 285 Victorian Office: Mildura @Waterfind
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Industry
Our Goat Industry:
Meat. Dairy. Fibre.
There’s a bright future for Victoria’s goat industry, with the versatile animals offering investors many options on how to incorporate them into their business. Words: Jeanette Severs Photography: Gina Milicia
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Industry
T
he growth potential for the goat industry in Victoria is mirrored by competing domestic and global demands for meat, fibre and dairy, produced to comply with trusted Australian regulatory standards. This is good news for Victoria’s existing goat farmers, and it has led to significant investors being attracted to the industry, particularly for dairy commodities. Depending on the size of the enterprise, commercial goats are a reliable source of income in a stand-alone livestock production system or integrated with other livestock farming, and as part of an integrated valueadded system. Some farmers utilise harvested crops in their paddock rotation, letting the goats graze cereal stubbles. Some rely on their goats’ tendency to forage to eat enough fibre rather than rely on supplementary feeding. Goats also lend themselves to production systems where their owners work off-farm. “The majority of goat farmers in Victoria have off-farm income and farm the animals because they enjoy managing these highly adaptable and productive livestock ,”says Kaylene Baird, Chair of the VFF Goat Industry Advisory Group. “Other farmers find goats complement rotational grazing systems alongside other livestock or cropping. From my experience, a stand-alone goat farmer needs to invest in significantly large mobs – at least 500 goats – or value-add to their enterprise.”
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Rowena Doyle (above) of Mulgowrie Mohair says the global fashion industry is a keen buyer of Aussie-grown fibre, with Australia being among the top producers of mohair in the world.
Genetics key to success Australia’s breeding genetics, meat, fibre and dairy products are sought by overseas buyers because of reputational quality. Genetic gains in the past few decades have lifted production across all commodities. “Victorian stud breeders do a good job breeding goat genetics,” says Kaylene.“The industry is flush with genetics that commercial breeders can invest in. Like any livestock commodity, genetics are key to your success.” In the meat industry this has led to a growing interest in joining Boer bucks to herds of rangeland does to improve rangeland carcass yield and higher dressing percentages. According to an MLA report, Australia exported the highest dollar value of goat meat during 2019 – US$166.2 million, or 66 per cent of all exported goat meat. Victoria has a significant share in that value including processing goats, in particular rangeland goats. “Rangeland goats are popular with abattoirs that export meat to countries like the USA, where they can be marketed as organic, chemical-free and free-ranging,” says exporter, Carol Axton, of Cadenza Boers. “Joining Boer bucks with rangeland does – if the animal nutrition and management is right – has the potential to turn a lot more meat from an enterprise.” Carol brokers the export of live bucks and does to developing countries to improve genetics, as Australia’s animal health systems ensure breeders can export goats with guaranteed disease-free status.
WORKPLACE RELATIONS ADVICE
SECURING YOUR BUSINESS The Workplace Relations Team at the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) provides tailored and up-to-date advice on workplace related matters. The team delivers updates for members on key issues pertaining to employment, clarifying information from the Fair Work Commission, and explaining the information in clear terms to help members understand their employment obligations.
The Workplace Relations Team’s services are available to full commodity members of the VFF, either by a subscription to the Workplace Relations Handbook or an hourly fee-for-service arrangement.
Critical advice and expertise Areas of advice the Team can assist with includes: Ü Federal and State employment legislation Ü The National Employment Standards (NES) Ü Interpretation of modern awards Ü Wage rate information Ü Employment contracts Ü Performance counselling Ü Warning letters Ü Abandonment of employment Ü Termination of employment Ü Redundancy Ü The Fair Work Information Statement Ü Workplace policies and procedures Ü Workers compensation Ü Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Ü Legislative developments Ü Court & tribunal rulings Ü Enterprise Agreements and bargaining
Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü
Union entry Union rule interpretation Workplace bullying Discrimination Adverse action cases General protections Flexible work arrangements Pay and remuneration Equal opportunity Underpayment of wages
The Team also offers individual consultations for VFF members on a fee-for-service basis, providing professional and comprehensive advice on the following: Ü Agreement making Ü Mediations with agencies such as Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman Ü Workplace audits Ü Representation (Fair Work Commission)
“Australian genetics help to grow, for example, Nepalese farmed goats to 30kg within six months,“explains Carol.“That’s an improvement of six months on a traditional farming system.” In Australia, consumers' demand for meat cuts was driven by improved breeding, animal husbandry and nutrition that created a quality product, rising consumer interest and a growing multicultural hospitality base. The low fat high protein characteristics of goat meat complements a healthy and nutritious diet and this is also impacting demand. There is also a large number of abattoirs that buy goats and process the animal into products for the hospitality sector and butchers, as well as a significant export market.“We probably process the majority of all goats from the surrounding states as well as Victoria for the export market,” says Carol, adding that Australia’s biggest export market is the USA. Abattoirs also process goats for farmers who value-add by selling cuts of meat direct to customers through farmers’ markets.
Right, top to bottom: Carol Axton of Cadenza Boers says that rangeland goats (pictured with her) are popular with abattoirs that export meat to countries like the USA, where they can be marketed as organic, chemical-free and free-ranging.
The fine things in life Some farmers supply fibre to niche processors while others sell through the auction system. Rowena Doyle of Mulgowrie Mohair, said the global fashion industry is a keen buyer of Aussie-grown fibre, with Australia among the top producers of mohair globally.
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“The fashion industry is interested in the finer micron lines for suiting and evening wear,” she says. “As the goat ages, its fibre gets stronger and is sought by furniture upholstery and carpet manufacturers.” Rowena is among a number of Australian fibre producers who export bulk lots of grower lines to South Africa, where regular auctions are attended by international buyers. In Australia, brokers tend to put lines of fleece together for periodic auction, either domestically or in South Africa. There are also niche producers who process and retail yarn from their own herd’s fleeces; or sell the fibre to cottage processors. Rowena said there is opportunity to grow the industry, with shearers readily available. The Angora needs to be shorn twice a year, which, along with its carcass value, puts this breed of goat well ahead of sheep on the profit/ head comparison, according to MLA research. Cashmere goats are shorn once a year. “The fibre is very lucrative and the meat is a bonus, but they’re also great animals to run in the paddocks and they excel at grazing cereal crops,” Rowena says.
Milking it Below – Rowena Doyle of Mulgowrie Mohair with her Angora kids.
The consumer demand for goat milk has seen growth in small and large dairy farms. “There are over 32,000 milking goats in Australia with the majority being in Victoria. In 2016-17,
Industry
Victoria had 25 of the 68 Australian registered goat dairies and the industry was worth $27 million at the farm gate,” says Kaylene. Farmers with small herds can sell their milk to artisan yoghurt and cheesemakers, soap manufacturers and processors. “We need to comply with Dairy Food Safety standards, but DFS is really good at helping people set up their equipment and get everything right,” says Belinda Cardinal, of Camperdown, who sells her milk to a cheesemaker. “You’ve got to do your homework before launching into the industry, but there’s enormous growth potential in the export and domestic milk market for large-scale farmers.” Farmers with large herds of 5,000 to 10,000 animals are able to supply large-scale milk processors specialising in liquid and dried milk products, including baby and infant formula. Asian demand for infant formula made in Australia is outstripped by supply. According to Tom Dingle, a Nuchev shareholder, there is opportunity to grow the herd to provide more liquid milk and milk powder. Nuchev currently imports goat milk powder from The Netherlands, processing it in Australia to create infant formula. The company plans to farm its own herds and process that milk. “Growth year-on-year in Australia is 7–8 per cent,” Tom says. “The real market is in Asia because of population numbers. It’s a niche market, with reflective price points.” n SPRING 2020
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The
Naked Farmer Ben Brooksby – the original Naked Farmer – has come a long way since he got naked in a tractor in 2017. He’s just published a book about rural mental health issues and a fourth calendar filled with naked farmers has just hit the shelves. Words: Susan Gough Henly
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Mental Health
F
ifth-generation, Wimmera crop and sheep farmer Ben Brooksby, 27, was having a bit of fun in 2017 with Emma Cross, a photographer friend who had come to take photos of the family’s lentil harvest. She suggested he take off his kit and sit in the header with the lentils covering his privates. When he was planting seeds again later that autumn he had the idea to start an Instagram page to celebrate farmers who produce Australia’s food and fibre. “You always have way too much time to think on a tractor,” Ben laughs. “I decided I could encourage farmers to send in naked photos of themselves and include interesting facts about what they farm to educate city folks. I got lots of photos but the comments were pretty much all from other farmers.” Then he had a lightbulb moment. “I realised that these arresting images were bringing the rural community together and I could use that momentum to do something meaningful,” Ben explains. He decided that the Instagram feed could be the perfect vehicle to start conversations about rural mental health issues. “It takes guts to get your gear off, just as it takes guts to talk about mental health,” Ben says. “Effectively, it’s easier to talk about what’s going on inside once you’ve bared all on the outside.” The statistics are not good. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Left, then above: Samantha and Michaela having a good old belly laugh in the nud. Photo by Emma Jane Industries. Carl is one of the many farmers who has happily been involved. Photo by Ben Brooksby.
says that suicide rates (especially among men) in rural and remote Australia are significantly higher than the national average and are rising. It is often due to barriers in accessing services such as limited availability, distance, cost and concerns about privacy. This has been a challenging year with the additional impact of drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic affecting many rural people. For some, seeking support now is more important than ever. Ben’s experience from a young age with crippling anxiety as well as losing an uncle and friends to suicide made him a passionate advocate for rural mental health initiatives. “Farmers have backbreaking work day in and day out and are constantly dealing with the extremes of nature. When debt piles up, many feel like they are letting down their families and professional help can be harder to access because of remoteness,” he explains. The dual goals of The Naked Farmer social media campaign are to raise awareness about rural mental health issues and to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s (RFDS) Victorian mental health and wellbeing program. ‘Flying Doctor Wellbeing’ provides vital mental health support specifically for people in rural and remote Victoria, with counselling and therapeutic services available in person in their local community (or via telehealth) at no cost and without the need for a GP referral.
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Mental Health
The RFDS also offers free, confidential bushfire recovery counselling and wellbeing support to individuals, families and frontline workers affected by the Black Summer Fires in East Gippsland. RFDS offers similar programs in the other states and territories. Ben and Emma then decided to make a calendar to raise money for the RFDS, with a 2018 calendar featuring farmers from Wimmera. Ben then created The Naked Farmer website (thenakedfarmerco.com.au) with information about rural mental health issues and how people can help and access help. All the while, the Instagram account was growing, with farmers around the country (and the world) contributing naked photos of themselves along with stories about their farms and conversations about mental health. Today, The Naked Farmer has more than 115,000 Instagram (www.instagram. com/the.naked.farmer) followers and more than 62,000 Facebook (www.facebook.com/ thenkdfarmer) followers. For the 2019 calendar, Ben and Emma toured mainland Australia working with 70 farmers in 20 different locations. “We did a call out on social media and so many people in the Naked Farmer community put their hands up to be featured,” Ben says. And just how do they go about those photo shoots? “When we arrive at a farm we go inside for a yarn over coffee or lunch. Everyone always puts on a great spread,” says Ben. “We talk about the Naked Farmer project and I ask about them and their farm. If we can talk about mental health that’s a bonus. I record our conversations if they’re comfortable with that. Then we go for a wander around the farm. I love learning about their business. I look for great locations for a shoot, such as rolling hills, stone
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Above: Ellie was proud to take her gear off in the name of raising awareness of mental health. Photo by Ben Brooksby.
wool sheds or whatever. There’s no pressure on the day but no one has actually chickened out!” he says, adding “I always have resources at hand if I am worried that someone is in trouble and I continue to stay in touch.” Is it just young and beautiful people who send in photos? Ben says that the project continues to reach all ages and all different types of farmers. “We have station hands and bosses, mothers and daughters, the whole family,” says Ben. “Once people understand the importance of the message behind getting naked and how important it is to have that conversation about mental health, there’s no barrier to involvement. It all comes back to our slogan about having the guts to bare everything. It’s wonderful to see. I love it.” The 2020 calendar featured Tasmanian farmers and the 2021 calendar showcases South Australian farmers. “We’re really diversifying, too. The latest calendar even has an oyster farmer.” In all, The Naked Farmer has raised $100,000 through donations and sales of the calendars and other products such as hats and (ironically) underwear. The book, published by Macmillan in October 2020, tells many of the heartfelt yarns behind the photos, and its proceeds support the RFDS as well as the new Naked Farmer Trust. One such story comes from agricultural contractor Brad Keast in Frances, South Australia, who knows firsthand how dangerous the popular “she’ll be right” phrase can be because it stops people asking for help when they need it. He learned that having the courage to seek help goes a long, long way. “Little bits and pieces are making a huge difference,” says Ben. “Someone might see a calendar on the back of a toilet door and that icebreaker could trick them into talking about mental health issues without even realising it. It’s all about reducing the stigma.” Ben Brooksby is still a full-time farmer and mental health advocate but now he is also a part-time social media expert and author. “I’ve been crutching sheep all morning and doing interviews for the book so it’s all go around here,” he laughs, adding “The Naked Farmer community really deserves the recognition. They’re the ones who’ve raised awareness of mental health issues in the rural community. I just put it all together.” One thing is clear. Good things grow from inspired ideas hatched during all the thinking time a farmer has when he’s out planting seeds. If you or a loved one is in crisis and needs practical assistance, contact your local 24 hours Mental Health Triage Service. Alternatively contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 for emotional support. To find out if Flying Doctor Wellbeing is available in your community, contact the team via phone on (03) 8412-0480 or email wellbeing@rfdsvic.com.au. n
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SECURING YOUR BUSINESS Reducing your risk By utilising the fee-for-service option, members greatly reduce the following financial risks to their business, including: Ü Underpayment Ü Unfair dismissals Ü Safe working conditions Ü Correct documentation Ü Equal Employment Opportunity Ü Anti-Discrimination As an example, the VFF service reduces the risk of an infringement notice being issued by a Fair Work Inspector (FWI) to an employer who fails to follow the required record-keeping and pay slip workplace obligations. This includes: Ü Not making or keeping time and wage records Ü Not including the right information on a pay slip or employee record Ü Not issuing pay slips within the required time limits
Timely information and peace of mind Workplace Relations is a necessity for businesses small and large in today’s climate, due to the ever changing legislation, rules and regulations, and entitlements to employees. Workplace entitlements that are being regularly updated include: Ü Ü Ü Ü
Your investment Full commodity members of the VFF who subscribe to the VFF Workplace Relations Handbook can call for advice anytime on workplace relations matters and the advice, in many instances, could reduce your business risks. Financial penalties can be applied to the individual business owner who is deemed at fault, or they could be applied to the entire business.
The VFF Workplace Relations Handbook, which contains all your workplace relations needs, is available to commodity members of the VFF for $204 (including GST, postage and handling). The subsequent annual subscription fee, which provides regular Handbook updates, is $165 per year (plus GST). In addition, the VFF Workplace Relations Team, is available on a fee-for-service basis to provide assistance at $200 per hour (plus GST).
JOIN NOW For all your workplace relations needs, please contact us 1300 882 833 wr@vff.org.au
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With access to the VFF Workplace Relations Team you, as a member and employer, can make sure you are doing the right thing by your employees, keeping up-to-date with changes and minimising your chance of any infringement or claims. Infringement notices can be quite expensive at a cost of: Ü Up to $1260 per breach for an individual Ü Up to $6300 per breach for a corporation
September 2019
Socials
Out & About
Here we showcase some of the best shots from our members all over the state. If you have a great photo of your farm that you’d like us to publish, send it to: media@vff.org.au and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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1. Ben Duxson out and about on his Kanya farm 2. Chad & Kristen Gordan brought a few smiles to Tongala with this work of art 3. Baling vetch at Russell Hocking’s Werrimul farm 4. Al Gabb’s Skipton farm covered in September snow 5. Spring Canola flowering at the Stiles’ property in Ceres 6. Scott Young chatting to 9 News about COVID-19 7. Steve Harrison with a few of his rams
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The Last Word The Macalister River near Licola in Gippsland.
Camping on licensed water frontage Welcome to the newest addition to the Victorian Farmer, The Last Word. In this segment we will attack the issues facing Victorian farmers that have been the focus of the VFF. Words: Luke Hooke and Ryan Moloney, VFF Communications Team
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n this edition it’s camping on licensed water frontage. The VFF has been flooded with calls and emails from members concerned about the Victorian Government’s proposal to remove the prohibition on camping on licensed water frontage currently in the Land Act. By the time this goes to print we will either have successfully convinced enough of the city dominated crossbench of the Legislative Council to either knock out the problem clause 49 in the Parks and Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 or support an amendment to the Bill, or the more likely outcome, be in negotiations with the Government regarding the regulations to ensure license holders are protected. Knocking out the problem clause or gaining support for an amendment is a tough ask given the make-up of Victoria’s Legislative Council crossbench. But, that hasn’t stopped us trying through direct lobbying of the crossbench, engagement with the Government and Opposition, an e-petition and media campaign.
This effort, raising awareness of the legitimate concerns of licence holders – fire risk, biosecurity impacts, litter, impact of water health, etc – puts the VFF in a strong position to negotiate with the Government on what the regulation of camping on water frontage will look like if Parliament does agree to remove the existing prohibition. There are a number of members we would like to thank for their effort in this campaign. Stuart Gilmore, Marie Dunn and Dane Martin for speaking at the VFF briefing for Legislative Council Members, Angus McKinnon for leading the effort on the e-petition and all the members who signed the petition and contacted politicians. It is only through our collective efforts that we have raised the profile of this important issue. We cannot guarantee success every time farmers need to stand up on an issue such as this, but doing so ensures the VFF is a name heard and respected on Spring St and that the organisation remains a well-oiled campaign machine. What do you want to hear about in The Last Word and the Victorian Farmer? Let us know at media@vff.org.au SPRING 2020
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