Aglife - November 2016 edition

November 30, 2016

Fact-finding mission Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange manager Paul Christopher, second from left, caught up with Nepalese work-mates at Horsham Rural City Council before jetting off to Nepal to take part in a foot-and-mouth disease course. Others in the picture are, from left, assets engineer Ram Upadhyaya and design engineers Sachita Pudasaini and Yuba Khanal. Story, page 27.

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Christopher off to Nepal W

BY DEAN LAWSON

immera night-clubbers, hotel patrons, partygoers and fans of pub rock music would be familiar with Horsham singer Paul Christopher.

The jovial big man with the big voice and even bigger personality has been providing entertainment as the front-man of a variety of acts since the 1980s.

But apart from singing up a storm, Mr Christopher, now 53, has established himself as a key figure in the regional agricultural industry managing Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange.

Now, in something as far removed as possible from smoke machines, microphones and guitars, Mr Christopher finds himself preparing to be on the front-line of an Australian biosecurity battleground.

In a fight to keep Australia’s livestock industry free of potentially crippling foot-and-mouth disease, he has joined a national contingent involving vets and others in constant contact with animals for a training program in Nepal.

At the end of his week-long experience he will join two others in the region who have completed the realtime training in disease identification.

The Federal Government’s Department of Agriculture and Water, in an agreement with the European Commission for the Control of Foot-andMouth Disease, has provided opportunities for key people to take part in the courses since 2012.

The training involves travelling to Nepal and following – in real time – an outbreak of the disease, meeting farmers, learning about the disease and its symptoms and issues surrounding biosecurity.

Prevention

Mr Christopher said district animalhealth staff had told him about the training opportunity.

He said he had applied for and been successful in gaining sponsorship through Wool Producers Australia.

“The idea is that if foot-and-mouth found its way to Australia, God forbid, we would have people in positions across the country who could quickly recognise and squash it before it became a huge problem,” he said.

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DIFFERENT PURSUIT: Paul Christopher, centre, is pictured with other Acousticus Stomp members Mal Schier, left, and Jono Martin, on the former front steps of Horsham Town Hall. Christopher, Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange manager, is hanging up the microphone for a couple of weeks to join a biosecurity training mission to Nepal.

“We can see up to 20,000 sheep a week and perhaps a weekly average of 10,000 at the Horsham livestock exchange and are in a prime position to notice any serious health issues with the animals.

“We have a fastidious approach, based on industry security, to animal monitoring and welfare.”

Mr Christopher said his involvement in the training was outside his work with Horsham Rural City Council and was about personal professional development.

“Hopefully I can also help in providing the industry with higher level of security in our part of the world,” he said.

Wool Producers Australia selected its candidates for the course based on their geographical location and ability to complement previous attendees, their role in the wool industry and their ability to pass on a ‘prepare and prevent’ message.

Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious.

A 2001 outbreak in the United Kingdom caused more than $19-billion in lost production.

Australian leaders estimate that a relatively small outbreak of the disease, controlled in three months, could cost Australia $7.1-billion. The viral disease, excreted in breath, saliva, mucous, milk and faeces and infected through inhalation, ingestion and direct contact, affects cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, sheep, goats, camels, deer, pigs, buffalo, alpacas and even elephants.

Quarantine

Mr Christopher said biosecurity and quarantine measures were a critical part of his trip.

“There are extensive measures in place to ensure we can’t bring it home with us,” he said. “We’re two days in a classroom and two days out in the field looking for it. We’re then quarantined for seven days and undergo a major disinfection process.

“We can’t even bring the clothes we

wear there home. This is absolutely critical because imagine the impact on wool, meat, milk and transport and agricultural industries in general if it escaped here.

“What we’re doing is taking a proactive approach to animal-health security and providing an insurance policy in protecting the Australian livestock industry.”

In typical fashion, Mr Christopher joked that the only downside of his first work-related overseas trip, apart from missing a few pre-Christmas gigs with his group Acousticus Stomp, was enduring about $1000 worth of immunisations.

“I’ve had injections for rabies and just about everything else,” he said.

“And yes, I’ve had to make myself unavailable for some shows while I’m gone, but it’s all worth it.

“Apart from professional development and becoming part of an important national safeguard system, I also get to visit and experience a different part of the world.”

High growth along fence lines is obscuring air valves and pipeline pots that are an integral part of the pipeline system.

Corporation managing director Mark Williams said farmers risked damaging them when ripping, slashing or spraying.

He urged landholders to be aware of this infrastructure when maintaining boundaries ahead of the summer fire season.

“We ask farmers and property owners throughout the region to be careful when clearing growth so that they will not damage our assets or their equipment.”

Mr Williams said people could visit the GWMWater website at www. gwmwater.org.au/map to view the locations of GWMWater infrastructure around property boundaries.

He said GWMWater might seek damages from property owners for damage to GWMWater assets.

He said landholders with any queries about the reminder should call GWMWater on 1300 659 961 during business hours.

Video warns of soil loss Agriculture Victoria and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority have produced a soilloss video aimed at farmers.

The video is designed to make farmers aware of the cost in terms of nutrient removal and reduced potential of future production arising from loss of soil from sheet and rill erosion.

The video was made with the support of the Federal Government’s National Landcare Program.

People can watch the YouTube video online at https://www.youtube.co mwatch?v=EPeUmVkrjUI&feature= you.

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SMS Rural move to improve services

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he team at SMS Rural Horsham store is moving to 103 Golf Course Road in Horsham and will be operating from the new site from Monday, November 28.

NRI group, National Rural Independents, and as a 100 percent locally owned and operated business has a strong connection to the region, its workforce, and its people. Importantly, it is acutely tuned in to the The busy firm, after identifying a agricultural industry. need to move the business forward by creating more storage space and Critically, friendly staff members, increasing the potential to showcase all 10 of them, have an in-depth products in a modern facility, has affinity with the region and a wealth made the move. of industry knowledge which they SMS Rural Horsham team mem- readily share in guaranteeing the best bers are confident the premises on service possible. the corner of Golf Course Road The firm knows and understand the and Turnbull Drive will more than needs of the agricultural community meet requirements, allowing them which is why it offers a broad range to improve overall service to clients. of products, from a full range of The shift also fulfils an obligation to agricultural chemicals to rural fencproviding customers and staff with a ing, animal-health products, troughs, safe and comfortable workplace. tanks and fittings, general merchanMany SMS Rural Horsham clients dise and much more from recognised will remember this building when suppliers. it was used by GrainCorp and in more recent times by AgLogistics. The new Golf Course Road site will By adding a few of its own touches also provide a great base to SMS Ruto the site, SMS Rural Horsham will ral Horsham’s other store at Jeparit. continue to offer the same level of All contact details such as phone high-quality service its customers numbers, Post Office box and emails have come to expect but in a larger, will remain the same for the busicleaner and safer environment. ness. The only change in correspon-

The team is delighted with and dence details will be based on the confident customers will appreciate physical Horsham address. the new site which has a great showCampbell Smith, Darren Scott and room and convenient drive-through Adrian King and team at SMS Rural facilities.

Horsham, in acknowledging the supThe move is an exciting expansion port of their valued customers, are based on the business providing the keen to share their excitement and best possible service to its clientele. optimism for the future which the GOOD MOVE: From left, SMS Rural Services owner-directors Darren Scott, Adrian King and Campbell Smith.

Picture: CONTRIBUTED SMS Rural Horsham is part of the move represents.

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Grains leaders recommend an alternative

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anola growers in Australia’s southern cropping region who have traditionally windrowed before harvest are being encouraged to consider directheading as an alternative for at least a portion of this year’s crop.

While many growers have chosen to windrow their crops in the past in an effort to manage variable maturity within the crop and to avoid pod shattering when directheading, research is showing direct-heading can offer multiple economic and practical advantages.

Grains Research and Development Corporation-funded trials demonstrated that directheading canola provided the same yields as well-timed windrowing, cutting the crop and placing it in a windrow on the stubble for harvesting later, and better yields than windrowing too early.

Trials

The trials were in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2015 at different sites in New South Wales by Maurie Street, from the GRDC-funded research organisation Grain Orana Alliance.

“Windrowing earlier than the recommended time, when there is 40 to 60 percent seed colour change, almost always resulted in lower yields compared with direct-heading or windrowing at the recommended time – and sometimes even later,” Mr Street said.

He said many growers considered direct-heading canola

to be risky and that high shattering losses were inevitable.

He said improved management and timing of harvest, however, had meant that it was now proving to be a cost-effective option.

Combined approach

Mr Street suggested growers who were new to directheading should consider using a combined approach to the practice.

“Growers can windrow most of their crop as normal, but then try direct-heading in a paddock or two and assess for themselves how well it works,” he said.

He said direct-heading canola was an especially viable option for growers who had their own harvester and could direct-head at the optimum time.

Mr Street said direct-heading could save $30 to $40 per hectare through using only one pass of the harvester, compared with two passes of machinery when windrowing and then harvesting.

He said this cost saving was particularly important in lowrain zones where yields might be less than 1t/ha.

He said low-yielding crops could also lead to unstable windrows, which could be blown around the paddock or result in pod shatter in windy conditions.

Mr Street said GOA trials suggested there might be a wider window of opportunity for direct-heading compared with windrowing.

“Trials have shown the optimal timing of windrowing to

be very short, maybe as little as a couple of days,” he said.

“Other trials looking at the effects of delays to direct-heading canola have shown yield to be quite stable after maturity, unless the crop is impacted by extremes of weather.

“One trial showed no decline in harvested yields for 17 days after harvestable moisture was achieved.

“This means growers can harvest a lot more canola within its ideal yield window if they are direct-heading compared with windrowing, which can be very expensive if they start too early.”

One concern often raised with direct-heading is that, compared with windrowing, it means harvesting starts much later because crops are left to mature naturally.

“In many cases, growers are suggesting harvesting of a windrowed crop can start two weeks or more before a comparable crop left for directheading,” Mr Street said.

“But I suggest that if growers are seeing that level of delay in harvest, they are windrowing far too early.

“My advice to growers is if it is green, it is growing more yield and, after all, yield is what we’re here for.”

Potential losses

Mr Street said the potential yield losses from windrowing canola too early could be greater than losses due to pod shatter while direct-heading.

“I think growers have tended to overestimate losses from pod shattering due to direct-

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OPTION: Canola growers in the southern cropping region who have traditionally windrowed, as pictured, before harvest are being encouraged to consider direct-heading as an alternative option in at least a portion of this year’s crop.

Picture: GRAINS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION heading or delaying windrowing,” he said.

“This is understandable, as shattered pods are quite a tangible loss which growers can see and touch.

“Growers should try to make some more educated assessments of any losses observed.

“One easy ‘rule of thumb’ is that one pod per metre square is the equivalent to a yield of 1

kg/ha. More than 50 pods/m2 would need to shatter to result in a 50 kg/ha yield loss.”

Mr Street said one major barrier growers reported to adopting direct-heading was that of uneven crop maturity caused by changes in soil type or elevation.

He said in paddocks with crops at varying stages of maturity, growers could consider

windrowing or harvesting the crop in two stages, or directheading when the later ripening areas were ready.

Growers seeking more information can view and download a GRDC Direct-Heading Canola Fact Sheet via www. grdc.com.au/GRDC-FS-Direct-Heading-Canola.

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he waiting game is all but over with activities such as hay season, windrowing and harvest set to roll together into six to eight weeks of controlled chaos across the Wimmera and Mallee.

It is all happening after what has seemed like a quiet but noticeably windy spring.

Fertiliser markets have likewise experienced a relatively quiet spring period with the wintercrop requirements well and truly complete some time ago.

The spring pasture market has also been lacklustre with use down due to... you guessed it, wet weather!

The wet has certainly caused some short-term issues. However, it should on the whole provide growers with a level of confidence with regards to sub soil-moisture levels as we head into the 2017 season.

Adding to this, although grain prices continue to drag the chain, some commodities such as canola continue to offer good pricing for immediate cash flow – especially when taking into account high oil percentages being reported – and high yields in cereal crops should help to offset some of the losses from low pricing in these markets.

When it comes to pasture, beef and lamb pricing continue to be at staggering levels and this should also drive confidence in this space.

All in all, fertiliser manufacturers and wholesalers are expecting the autumn of 2017 will see an uptick in fertiliser rates and a conscious investment in nutrient replacement both in broadacre cropping and pasture improvement.

As is always the case at this time of the year, the attention of fertiliser wholesalers and retailers turns to sales for the beginning of the oncoming season.

What follows is a jostling for position in the marketplace, with all trying to get some volume locked away so supply plans can be kicked into gear.

This phase can be enjoyable for the grower as

markets get very competitive and prices often ease.

However, if the market decides to buy in a hurry, prices can, but don’t always, move in the opposite direction very quickly and growers can on occasion miss out.

Unfortunately, the point at which the market buys up big can happen at any time from now until the time of use and picking when it will happen is as difficult as baptising a cat.

Most fertiliser dealers should now be able to offer deals to growers for commitment now with pick-up as far out as the autumn months when the majority of product will be brought home to farm from the major ports.

Early commitment will appeal to growers more so this season with ammonium phosphates $100-plus per tonne cheaper than they were this time last year and single super phosphate is also currently representing good value historically.

Vecteezy.com

The package will include $7.7-million in 2017 to subsidise the cost of producers implementing electronic tags, with the remaining money used for infrastructure grants, co-funded equipment grants and an education program across the supply chain.

Victorian Farmers Federation Livestock Group president Leonard Vallance said the funding was a large investment in sheep and goat industries and thanked Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford for committing to a five-year rollout of the transition package.

“The clear message to producers must be that the only change to on-farm practice is the Wednesday, November 30, 2016

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Volume increases

There is also set to be an emphasis from suppliers and retailers for early pick-up of product this season. This is due to the fact that with an increase in volumes expected, so is the potential of bottle necks at port when pick-ups of all products hit full swing through March, April and May. Fertiliser sheds at ports can be likened to industrial-sized Rubik’s cubes. Space can be hard to find and the ultimate aim is to have the last tonnes of a certain product leaving the shed the moment the next ship arrives to fill it back up again.

Early pick-up ensures more product can make its way through ports for the season as a whole and guarantees growers will have their product on farm and ready to go the moment that it is needed – avoiding any short-term supply issues wholesalers might have.

Growers equally encounter similar issues on their own properties and with on-farm storage set to be used to its full potential this season, finding somewhere to put fertiliser on farm might also be a challenge. However this would be well worth planning for.

Although most growers would prefer not to think about their fertiliser requirements for 2017 as they come into the busiest time of the year, a quick call to their fertiliser retailer will ensure they can secure supply and might potentially save them a few dollars in the process.

Improved biosecurity hope Victorian livestock producers are looking to improved traceability and biosecurity outcomes following the announcement of a $17-million State Government funding package to transition sheep and goat industries into electronic identification, eID, technology.

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change of the ear tag to eID,” he said. “All other practices relating to on-farm management and production are at the discretion of the producer if they see benefit to their own business.”

Mr Vallance said central to the VFF Livestock Group’s support was the government’s pledge the rollout would be cost-neutral for farmers.

“We made it clear to the government that it needed to ensure there was zero financial impact on-farm during implementation and that safeguards needed to be in place to guarantee supply chain costs don’t burden livestock producers as the system matures,” he said.

“We’re confident that a long-term strategy for eID implementation will result in improved supply-chain traceability and biosecurity outcomes that protect Victoria’s sheep and goat industries.”

All newborn sheep and goats in Victoria will require electronic tags from January 1, 2017.

People can visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/ SheepEID or call 1800 678 779 for information.

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Wimmera Southern Mallee Upcoming Agricultural Events December 2nd

Dimboola Town Committee Carols and Movie night. Rec Reserve.

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PPS Lucerne Tour with Dr Derrick Moot. Concongella.

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Nhill Christmas Parade and Carols by Candlelight. Jaypex Park.

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7th International Nitrogen Initiative Conference.

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Dimboola Lions Club Christmas Carnival.

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Nhill Market. Goldsworthy Park, Nhill

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Harvest starts for cropping group 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106

BY JESSICA LEMON BIRCHIP CROPPING GROUP

B

irchip Cropping Group has started work on harvesting the 144 field trials it has in paddocks across the Mallee and Wimmera this year.

It has been a slow start for the BCG harvest team. The weather hasn’t been warm enough to ripen all crops and the rain on November 12 and 13 halted harvest activities momentarily.

As would be expected, harvest started at BCG’s northern sites, with the first Wimmera trials expected to be harvested in the second week of December.

Two custom-designed plot harvesters are used to harvest trials. These are essentially mini headers which function as a commercial-sized machine would, but on a smaller scale.

Grain yield from each individual plot is automatically recorded and a 500-gram sample is collected for quality testing back at the BCG lab.

The yield and quality data undergoes statistical analysis before the findings are interpreted and communicated to farmers.

One of the first trials to be harvested was a BCG member’s canola variety trial at Manangatang. Owing to the

INSIGHT: Harvesting a canola trial crop at Curyo earlier this month.

logistical challenges associated with small-scale plots, all canola trials are direct-headed, as opposed to windrowed. As such, before this trial was harvested, a desiccation spray was applied so the crop would senesce over the next few days. Once the pods and seeds are blackened the header can go through the canola plots.

Back at the lab, each canola subsample undergoes quality testing and the oil content percentage, test

weight, kg/hL, and protein percentage recorded.

BCG aims to have the yield and quality results from crop variety trials published and distributed to BCG members within 48 hours of harvest.

Early results allow for early decision-making, particularly around variety choice, what seed to retain and what seed to order.

Although the busy harvest is underway, assessments on later maturing

trials in the Wimmera is continuing.

BCG’s role in the GRDC-funded barley agronomy project involves comprehensive pre-harvest assessments on many barley trials.

At the BCG-Agritech Rural site at Nhill new and existing barley varieties are being compared according to their ability to compete against weeds.

To ascertain if there are any differences between varieties, maturity cuts are performed. This involves collect-

ing plant matter from the plot, three quadrants per plot, and then separating out the weed species from the barley and measuring the biomass.

By separating the weed biomass from the barley crop biomass we can make inferences as to which barley variety can suppress oat weeds more effectively. Determining which variety has greater suppression of oat weeds can help growers choose their barley variety according to their oatweed burden.

The aim of the barley agronomy initiative is to produce agronomy packages suited to specific barley varieties. BCG barley agronomy trials are investigating the varietal response to nitrogen management, seeding rate, time of sowing, weed competition and delayed harvest.

The final assessment being performed on the majority of BCG trials is lodging scores. Assessing for lodging, when the crop collapses, or falls over, and doing plot inspections ensures all factors that can affect harvest yields are accounted for.

For more information about BCG’s research program, or to become a member and receive the preliminary results from BCG’s crop variety trials over the coming weeks, phone 5492 2787 or visit www.bcg.org.au.

Water only as secure as walls Farmers are being urged to take action on their dams in light of the collapse of several western and central Victorian dams.

Agriculture Victoria farm-water specialist Clem Sturmfels, based in Ararat, said the collapses were a timely reminder that regular and ongoing farm-dam maintenance was critically important.

“It’s never too late in the season to check your dam or do maintenance work – it should be done continually, all year round,” he said.

“Considering we are now in thunderstorm season, now is a very good time to check your dam before more heavy rain.”

Mr Sturmfels said farm dams in the region were failing at a significantly higher rate than in previous years partly because of recent heavy rain and partly because of poor construction, unstable soils and-or a lack of routine maintenance.

He said dam issues could range from small tunnels, bank sinking, spillway erosion and ‘overtopping’ – water going over the top of the bank

and causing erosion – through to total failure when the bank collapsed and all water was lost.

“Small tunnels near the full-supply level can sometimes be temporarily plugged with sand bags placed on the upstream side of the bank but in more extreme situations the solution is to drop the water level as quickly as possible,” he said.

“In most cases rebuilding part or all of the dam bank is the only long-term solution.

“However, before doing any dam-repair works it is important you consider the safety of yourself, contractors and employees. Landholders also need to consider the impact that dam works might have on their downstream neighbours.”

Mr Sturmfels said landowners should always consult their council planning officer and water authority before starting any work, in case a planning permit or licence was required.

People can visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/ farmdam for more information about farm-dam maintenance.

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PROBLEM: Landholder Peter Oddie inspects a recently failed dam on his property south of Beaufort.

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Victoria leading ag production A

State Government report has revealed that Victoria remains a leader in Australian agriculture.

The food and fibre report showed that despite Victoria being the nation’s second smallest state, it was the most productive, producing more than a quarter or almost $12-billion worth of the nation’s food and fibre exports.

Queensland was next at 19 percent and New South Wales, 17 percent.

Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke welcomed the report as proof of the efficiency of Victoria’s farm industry.

“Victoria is an agricultural powerhouse and this report shows the efficiency of our professional farms,” he said.

“We might only represent three percent of agricultural land in the country, but we are the leading force in food and fibre exports.”

The report showed that despite recent drought and this year’s milk crisis, exports of red meat, 32 percent, and dairy, 22 percent, were the main drivers of Victoria’s strong performance.

China remained Victoria’s trading partner, with food and fibre exports skyrocketing 27 percent over the past year to $3.15-billion.

Japan, $985-million, and the United States, $941-million, rounded out the top three.

“We experienced significant growth exporting to China following the free-trade agreement signed by the Federal Government last year,” Mr Jochinke said.

“Our relationships with key trading partners, particularly in Asia, are crucial to growing our food and fibre export potential.”

Horticultural exports also experienced strong growth, rising 31 percent to grab 14 percent of total exports.

“We have a world-class reputation for producing clean, green and safe fruit and vegetables,” Mr Jochinke said.

“The trend in export data shows that our international trading partners can’t get enough of

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PREVENTION: NSW DPI weeds technical specialist Tony Cook believes early action pays off in the fight against weeds.

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our produce, because we’ve seen a sharp rise of more than $600-million in horticulture exports over the past few years – from $459-million in 2011-12 to more than $1.1-billion this year.

“It’s great news for our horticultural industries and a strong indicator of where that industry is heading.”

Ensuring growth

Mr Jochinke said government also needed to prioritise biosecurity funding and free-trade agreements to ensure continued growth of agricultural exports.

“Agriculture is a huge industry, but it requires continued investment to ensure we remain competitive on the global market,” he said.

“We need to encourage government to invest further in strengthening our biosecurity measures and ensuring that the right protocols are in place so we can capitalise on our free-trade agreements, because that instils confidence in our industry.”

The food and fibre report is available on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Rural Bank and Rural Finance’s Australian Agri-food Trade 2015-16 report, meanwhile, showed the value of Australian agri-food exports had increased for the sixth consecutive year – reaching a total of almost $46-billion.

The inaugural report provided analysis into Australia’s agri-food trade performance across nine sectors: Cattle and beef, crops, wool and cotton, sheep, milk and milk products, wine, horticulture, sugar and seafood.

The report showed beef and cropping remained the powerhouses of the Australian agrifood export market, accounting for almost $22-billion worth of exported produce – or 48 percent of Australia’s total agri-food exports.

It also revealed the beef sector had overtaken cropping as the country’s most valuable export commodity. To view the Agri-food Trade Performance Report, visit www.ruralbank.com.au/ agrifoodtrade.

Weeds: Early action pays off New South Wales Department of Primary Industries weeds specialist Tony Cook believes although herbicide resistance is predictable, efforts to prevent seed set do pay off, particularly if action is taken early.

Mr Cook said growers were becoming increasingly aware of potential effects of herbicide resistance on their farming operations and they were seeing the benefits from early and decisive action.

He said many factors could influence the process, but if an individual plant that was resistant to a herbicide set seed, it was only a matter of time before a small number of resistant plants became an ever-increasing weedy patch. He said growers could build farming systems that had a level of ‘immunity’ to herbicide resistance.

“If growers concentrate on minimising or preventing weed seed set, they can win against herbicide resistance,” Mr Cook said.

“The trick is to use a variety of means to keep weed numbers low and to keep pressure on seed set. If resistant plants are prevented from setting seed, then the problem is contained.”

Mr Cook interviewed four northern region farm-

ers to find out what strategies they had used to successfully manage patches of four glyphosate-resistant weed species.

“The take-home message from these four farmers was that growers can drive down weed seed banks through a strong commitment to consistently preventing weed seed set for at least five years,” he said.

“The costs associated with treating the patches is an additional expense but this pales in significance against the cost of doing nothing and allowing the patches to spread across paddocks and beyond.”

Mr Cook said the spread of resistant weeds across a paddock or around the farm was quite easily done through movement of vehicles, machinery, people and animals as well as wind and water flow across the paddock or along irrigation channels.

He said being aware of new weeds on the farm would allow growers to get on the front foot with effective tactics such as double knocking before the new weeds were firmly established.

Mr Cook said people could visit www. weedsmart.org.au for more information.

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Electronic identification workshop at Chalambar 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106

Agriculture Victoria will provide an information session at Ararat’s Chalambar Golf Club tomorrow week as part of a state update to help sheep and goat producers with the adoption of electronic identification.

Pulses adding value

P

ulse crops continue to add value to farming enterprises across the southern cropping region as a result of favorable commodity prices and advances in research and development that have underpinned the expansion in the area.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation-funded Southern Pulse Agronomy program has made a significant contribution to the rise in pulse production across the south through improvements in crop agronomy and development of management practices that aim to ensure the long-term profitability of pulses for the region’s growers.

Also funded by Agriculture Victoria and South Australian Research and Development Institute, Southern Pulse Agronomy is integrated with Pulse Breeding Australia, helping with germplasm-enhancement programs for new varieties well suited to growers’ evolving farming systems.

Agriculture Victoria pulse agronomist Dr Jason Brand, who heads up the Southern Pulse Agronomy program, said pulses were offering growers multiple agronomic and economic benefits.

He said their worth was being realised by more and more growers, especially in nonprimary areas of production.

“For example, the Wimmera has been the primary area of production of lentils in

Victoria, but in the past 10 years we have seen expansion into the lower-rain southern Mallee,” he said. “And more interest in pulses is being generated out of the central and northern Mallee of Victoria and over the river into southern New South Wales – areas of production in that region could jump quickly in the next few years.”

Improved genetics, increased adaptability to soil types and modern management of pulse crops have also resulted in faba bean production expanding into high-rain zones, with this year’s bean crop expected to be the largest ever in Victoria.

Important tool

In addition to financial reward, Dr Brand said pulses were offering growers ‘another important tool in the toolbox’, driving increased sustainability within their farming systems and overall businesses.

The growing importance of pulses in southern farming systems was evident at a Southern Pulse Agronomy Wimmera Pulse Field Day at Rupanyup. The field day attracted more than 170 people, including growers, agronomists, plant pathologists, researchers and grain market analysts.

The field day showcased the latest lentil, chickpea, field pea and faba bean varieties and the agronomic packages for these, and provided an update on research into herbicide tolerance in lentils and faba beans, pulse-disease management and commentary from grain marketers. Ru-

panyup grower Scott Arnold, whose family farm hosted this year’s Southern Pulse Agronomy trials and the associated field day, is an early-adopter of new varieties, including PBA Jumbo2.

“PBA Jumbo2 has been standing up really well this year – it’s shown great resistance to botrytis grey mould and ascochyta,” Mr Arnold said.

The Arnolds sow half of their cropping area to pulses and one-third to lentils alone, and despite the disease pressure brought on by a wet growing season, their legumes ‘are out of the box’ this year.

Mr Arnold said advances in pulse varieties, agronomy and farming practices had steered the family’s farming enterprise in a positive direction, with lentils offering an important ryegrass management tool.

He said he looked forward to enhancing his weed-control efforts when breeding programs delivered new lines of beans with herbicide-tolerance traits.

Herbicide tolerance and weed ecology, particularly in terms of agronomic management, are among the areas of focus for the ongoing Southern Pulse Agronomy program which, during the next three years at least, will also continue to work on disease-management traits.

More information about the Southern Pulse Agronomy program and pulses in general can be found on the GRDC website at https://grdc.com.au.

Make more from your wool Call the AWN Wool Buying team and make more from every kilogram of your wool.

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FEELING THE PULSE: At a Southern Pulse Agronomy field day are Rupanyup growers, from left, John and Scott Arnold with Dr Jason Brand, who heads up a Southern Pulse Agronomy program.

Picture: LUISE SIGEL

It has yet to schedule Wimmera and Mallee sessions because cropping is underway and plans additional workshops in the new year.

From January 1 all sheep and goats born in Victoria will require an electronic National Livestock Identification System, NLIS, tag before they leave their property of birth.

In addition to 11 face-to-face information sessions across the state in the approaching weeks, there will be a ‘webinar’ tomorrow.

The webinar will enable producers in remote areas or others who are unable to attend a session to access the information.

Agriculture Victoria Agricultural Services director Dougal Purcell said it was important sheep and goat producers were familiar with what was required and what support was available.

“Agriculture Victoria is on hand to help producers with this new system and make sure they have access to the information they need,” he said. “We’ll talk through how to purchase the newly priced electronic NLIS tags, what producers’ responsibilities are and how to access co-funded equipment grants.”

Workshops will run for about two and a half hours.

More information about the workshops, including how to register, is available online at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/EIDworkshops or by calling 136 186.

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Finance group report predicts quality finish CALL 03 5391 2106

Australian cropping is heading for an excellent season end – with crop production expected to be significantly higher than average across the country.

That is the assessment of Rural Bank and Rural Finance’s November 2016 Australian Crop Update.

The report, by specialist insights team Ag Answers, provides a concise analysis of national and world crop production estimates, seasonal conditions, prices, demand and financial performance of Australia’s cropping farms.

In each state, the national winter crop production is forecast to be above average and possibly the highest on record, driven mainly by an exceptionally wet winter and predicted higher yields.

At state level, Victoria is expected to achieve the largest year-on-year production increase, with improved yields in the Wimmera and Mallee set to double the state’s crop-production out-

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put compared with last year.

Crop production in Queensland is projected to be 25 percent higher, while production across NSW, South Australia and Western Australia is also expected to increase by between 10 and 15 percent.

Rural Bank and Rural Finance agribusiness general manager Andrew Smith said increased and widespread rain throughout winter and spring proved a real boon to the nation’s crop farmers.

“With a 15-year high in crop-vegetation density during the growing season in most parts of Australia, the potential for a bumper season is certainly there this year,” he said. “In eastern states, crops are largely on track to deliver well above average yields despite some areas suffering excess rain and waterlogged soils.

“Despite low wheat prices, above-average production will see producers in most areas record a positive return from this season’s crop.”

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Star-gazing opportunity T

he vast sky of the Wimmera, Mallee and Grampians has prompted many people in rural farming communities to take up amateur astronomy as a hobby.

With farmers set for some long nights in the paddock and plenty of sky to ponder, Australasian Science Magazine astronomer David Renecke has provided advice for anyone on the land considering a purchase to pursue their hobby this Christmas.

“What’s on the top of your Christmas list this year? Maybe a telescope?” he asked.

“It’s like buying a car, a lot of people get confused about the best one to buy. The short answer is, buy the dearest telescope you can afford.”

Mr Renecke said modern telescopes were a compromise between price and quality and any telescope in Australia under $300 was not going to do any serious work.

“Don’t buy from a department store, they generally don’t have the experience to advise you. Buy from a dealer who knows about telescopes, a camera shop for instance, or a telescope retailer,” he said.

He said the best way to get into astronomy was to first learn the constellations and then use a pair of binoculars to find the first ‘deep sky’ objects such as planets.

“Binoculars can really show quite a number of interesting sights in the night sky. I still use mine every session,” he said.

He said one target that provided tremendous detail even in a small telescope was the Moon. “Even a small telescope will

BIG SKY: The farming regions of the Wimmera, Mallee and Grampians provide ideal opportunities to gaze into the night sky with a telescope.

Picture: KNOL reveal a wealth of detail. You’ll be able to see craters, mountains, ‘seas’, and other fine details. Remember, the quality of the view you will have through your telescope depends to a very large degree on how much light pollution you have in your area,” he said.

Mr Renecke said perhaps the second most important part of a telescope was its mount.

“Make sure its smooth, stable, and solid.

If you can pick the entire scope and mount up with one hand it will wobble in the slightest breeze and you’ll invent words

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never heard before. Better to avoid them,” he said.

“Really, the best telescope for you is the one you will use the most. Around $500 is probably a good amount to spend to get a truly decent starter scope and the necessary accessories you’ll need to round out the package.

“Galileo himself began as an amateur astronomer, pointing the recently invented telescope toward the night sky out of sheer curiosity.”

Wednesday, November 30, 2016