Gippsland Farmer December 2024

Got news to share?

Do you have an agricultural story to sharewith the GippslandFarmer?

Send your news tip to farmer@gippsnews.com.au or share your storywith ourjournalist by phoning (03)5135 4444.

Reports welcomed to help protect from hawkweed

THIS spring, enjoy our highcountry while helping to preserve its beauty and biodiversity, says Gippsland Ag News.

While bushwalking, mountain biking or hiking, people are encouraged to report invasive hawkweed and help protect our environment and agriculture. Hawkweed poses asignificant threat to our local ecosystems, spreadingquickly and releasing chemicals that prevent other plants from growing. This is why you must report it immediately if you see it.

All hawkweedshave hairy leaves and stems. Leaves forma low growing rosette. Kingdevil hawkweed (Hieracium praealtum or Pilosella piloselloides) has yellow flowerswith square-endedpetal clusters of up to 25 flower heads per stem.

Mouse-ear hawkweed(Hieracium pilosella or Pilosellaofficinarum) also has yellow

flowerwith square-endedpetals solitary flower on each stem.

Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum or Pilosella aurantiaca) has bright orangeflowerswithsquare-ended petal clusters of five to 30 flower heads per stem. Bewareoflook-alikes when identifying hawkweed, be aware of similar -looking plants that areoften mistaken for hawkweed, like common dandelion and native yam daisy which arehairless and have a single flower per stalk.

Knowing your hawkweed means timely and targetedintervention, but even ifin doubt it is better to still report.

If you think you have seen hawkweed, call AgricultureVictoria on 136 186, email at weed.spotters@agriculture.vic.gov.au, or report online at:agriculture.vic.gov.au/ hawkweed

Those who discover hawkweed areencouraged to report it Photo: Contributed

Chester urges mixed energy

Philip HOPKINS

GIPPSLANDERSdeserveto know how much extra they will pay for electricity, with anew report indicating that federal Labor has hidden costs in its push towards largescale renewable energy projects, according to the federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester

Mr Chester, whoisa member ofthe House of Representatives Nuclear Energy Select Committee, said US expert witnesses appearing beforethe committee had made it clear that Australia should be adopting a morebalanced approach to meet its future energy needs.

“A mix of zero-emissions nuclear technology and large-scale renewables is the best approach aroundthe world to managing the transition awayfromfossil fuels over the next25years,” he said.

“Including nuclearenergy in ourfuture energy mix will dramatically reduce the footprintoflarge-scale wind, solar and storage facilities on rural land and reduce the need for new transmission lines.”

Mr Chester saidthe extraordinary costof the federal government’s energy plan had been exposed as a$642 billion disaster in the making, with costs that arefive times higher than Labor has claimed.

“The independent assessment by Frontier Economics had made it clear that Labor’s plan for a100 per cent weather -dependent systemwould cost more and not deliver the reliabilityadeveloped economylike Australia needs today and into the future,” he said.

“The Prime Minister has already broken his promise to reduce household electricity bills by $275, and now we areseeing the full cost of his reckless plan to depend on the weather for our futureenergy needs.”

Mr Chester said apart from the cost, the unreliability of renewable energymeans moreinfrastructuremust be built to cover the times when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing. “This is awaste of resources and ablight on the environment,” he said.

The Nuclear SelectCommittee will be travelling to Gippsland in December, having already heardfromcommunities in Central Queensland and international nuclear energy experts.

“The evidence we have received has made it clearthat industrial-scale renewable energy projects arehaving ahuge impact on the environment,and the impact of building new transmission lines to bring the energy to markets is dividing regional communities,” he said.

“Weweretold in hearings (last week) from two of the United States leading experts (Professor Jacobo Buongior no and ProfessorAndrewWhittaker)that re-purposing redundant coal-fired power station sites is the ‘ideal’ approach to developing nuclear energy in Australia.”

Mr Chester said the witnesses made it clear that Australia already has the capacity to build alarge portion of the infrastructure neededtohouse anuclear facility, and the engineering was well advanced to overcome

seismic activity and other major events throughout the world.

Re-using existing transmission lines was recognised as acost-ef fective measure.

“Having aportion of nuclear energy in the mix would firmupour energy supplies and reducethe averagecost to customers over an extendedperiod of time, compared to a renewables-only approach,” he said.

“In short, adoptingabalanced approach withamix of zero-emissionsnuclear energy and large-scale renewables will be cheaper in the long run and better for the environment.

“The facts we areuncovering as part of the committee’s work areexposing some of the scare campaigns that havebeen used to support the current moratorium on nuclear energy.”

Mr Chester saidenergy security was a matter of national security. “Every country needs to be able to keep the lights on, run the public transport network, hospitals and universities,and ensurebusinesses and farmers can still produce goods at a competitive price,” he said.

“All of ourmajor trading partners have nuclear in their energymix, and we already have asmall but highly capable nuclear capability in Australiaassociated with the Lucas Heights reactors, which have operated safely for decades just 30 kilometres from the Sydney CBD.”

Mr Chester said renewable proponents had also been told that most workers in coal-fired power stations like the Latrobe Valley could be re-trained for high-paying jobs in the nuclear energy sector

“The vast majority of Gippslanders who have contacted me arekeen to learnmore about nuclear technology, and thereis a high level of energy literacy in our region,” he said.

“Localpeopleunderstandthe needto have ar eliable and af fordable energy system while meeting our environmental commitmentsas partofinter national agreements.

“Thereare 32 countries in the world that currently have nuclear power,and more than 50 countries arelooking at including it in their energy mix for the first time.”

Mr Chester said if the Coalition wins the next election,itwould undertake afull site assessment and community consultation process for morethan two years to assess the most viable sites going forward.

“While it is prematuretocompletely rule regions in or out as potential locations for anuclear powerstation because amore detailed investigation would be required, therewould be very fewsuitable sites given the known parameters around access to existingtransmission lines,proximity to water,and alocation close to large end users,” he said.

“I am keeping an open mind about our region’s suitability to host anuclear power station as existing coal-fired assets reach the end of their useful lives. But Ihave made it very clear in all conversations with my colleagues that Iwould expect to see asignificant investment in the region facilities and services, on top of the jobs that would be created.

“If we aregoing to host large-scale nuclear energy infrastructureinthe future, respect has to be shown to local communities and measurable benefits for our region.”

MoreEnergy-Page6

Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester is urging for the consideration of

Gippsland Regional Livestock Exchange: Acomebackstory

Just overayearago, theGippsland RegionalLivestock Exchange(GRLE) in Sale, Victoriawas at aclearcrossroad

Despite decades of service anda major upgradein2016tomeet modernanimal welfareand environmental standards, decliningthroughput forced acritical reviewofthe site’s future.Adecision was looming: shouldthis long-standing site, a staple in theregional Victorian livestock industryfor over60years,stay open or close itsdoors?

Fast forwardtotoday,and thetransformationhas been nothing shortofremarkable GRLE has witnessedastaggering increase in activity,with weekly cattlesales skyrocketing this year –outstanding growth that showcases the exchange’s ability to service the sector

What was the catalyst for this turnaround? It’s theresultofanindustry shake-up, new leadership, and anunwavering commitment to animal welfareand community and most importantly, buying local and selling local

Pakenham site had been asignificant player, andits suddenexitleft agap that sent ripple eff f ectsthroughoutthe industry. However,the closure opened an opportunity for over 100,000 cattleeachyear to find new local markets, and GRLE was primed to step up.With itscloseproximity (2-hour drive) and modernfacilities, GRLE became an attractive optionfor both buyers and sellers lookingfor areliable,competitive venue close to home

Leadership that drives excellence

In Septemberthis year, GRLE welcomed back seasonedsaleyardmanagerKim McMahon, bringing withher awealth of experience anda fresh drive to lead the GRLE team. With a background in saleyard management through her work with VLE, andexperience as an Agribusiness Officer with GippslandWater, along with hands-on expertise managing livestock of all sizes, Kim’s skill set was perfectly matched to the role

An industry shift: When opportunity knocks

When the Pakenham Victorian Livestock Exchange (privately owned by Victorian Livestock Exchange (VLE), one of the state’s largest saleyards closed its doors in June this year, the industry was left shocked For over two decades the

Kim was also at the helm of GRLE and was partofoverseeingsignificantdevelopments for the facility In 2016, a $3 3 million investment brought major upgrades including new pens, soft flooring, and a complete roof over the cattleyard.

When Wellington Shire Council tookover the management of GRLE on 1April 2018, Kim’s influence was alreadywell

established Reflecting on her return, Kim shared, “It feels like cominghome. The same trusted agents, vendors, and buyers are here, and the industry remains agreat place to be involved I feel likeanold piece of furniture that’s been taken out of storage and put back into the building, so to speak”

“The team is 100% committedtolow-stress handling and animal welfare,strivingfor thebest outcomesfor vendorsand buyers alike,” Kimadded.

bottom line ” Kimalso echoes thissentiment, emphasising theimportance of supporting local agriculture:“Everyone talks about buying and selling local, but it takes real commitment By bringing your livestock to GRLE, you’renot justmaking asale-you’re supporting the entire local agricultural economy With competitive prices and a knowledgeable buyer base, there’sreal opportunity here.”

Uncompromising standards in animal welfare

Earlier this year, GRLE received high praise forits exemplary standards of animal welfare An independent assessment was conductedatone of thelargest sales GRLE has ever held, and assessors commended thesaleyardfor itsmanagement, facilities and handling practices

Strong sales, strong future GRLE’srecent sales schedule adjustments have attracted more commercialbuyers, who value the convenient timing and competitive prices.Long-timecommission buyer Peter Lee, and long-time cattle buyer RalfMeyer, who have extensive experience in regional markets agree that GRLE is holdingits owninterms of pricingand accessibility.

Convenient operations

GRLE’scentral Gippsland location in The Middleof Everywheremakesita smart choicefor buyers andsellersacrossthe region. Highwayaccesstothe exchange reducestravel stress for livestock and minimisesweight loss, an important factor to maintain livestock quality.Additionally, GRLE has respondedtofeedbackfrom drivers by expanding the truckwash facility on site -a testament to Wellington ShireCouncil’s commitment to creating a seamless experience for all whouse the exchange.

When talking about what works well for buyers andsellers, Kimemphasises “Wenow have Greenwood-Nutrien, Elders,Wellington Livestock and Alex Scott operatinghere. We’veworkedwith our neighbouring livestock exchange in Bairnsdaletoprogram sale times to flow on from each other, making it easier for more buyerstofit us into their busy schedules. SincePakenham closed, not onlyhave we experiencedmorecattle,but we’ve also seen morebuyers coming to GRLEand interest continuestogrow. Morecattle, more buyers,morecompetition -it’sthat simple”

Buylocal, sell local

Local p producer of sheep p andcattle, , Russel Heywood, emphasised the advantages of using GRLE. “I choose GRLE because it’s close to home, whichmeanslesstransport time, less stress on thecattle, andbetter results at sale. Low-stress handling and reduced travelare key. I’m abelieverthat keeping it local benefitscattle and the

“GRLE is verycompetitive on price against other marketsI have attended” Ralf Meyer said.

Their support speaks volumes about the value GRLE brings to thecommunity

Looking ahead, GRLE is planning two major salesfor April 2025,withevenmore capacity forstock andbuyers.AsKim McMahon optimistically states,“We’re right here inyourbackyard, andwith the ongoing support of vendors,buyers, andagents, I’mconfident that GRLE can continuetothrive as a local selling facility once again.”

For Gippsland farmers, GRLErepresents more than just aplacetobuy and sell livestock.It’sa community,a partner, and atestament to theresilience of local agriculture

Areminder for buyers,sellers,and anyone wholoves agood countrypie –GRLE’s CattleyardCanteen is famous forits pies and saleyard grub. And withPrimeCattle and bobbycalf markets held weekly on Wednesdays, Store Cattle markets thefirst Friday of eachmonth, andSheepMarkets each fortnight on aMonday,there’splenty o of opportunities to try the range!

To stay up to date withmarketschedules, follow Gippsland Regional Livestock ExchangeonFacebook, and support the localexchange that’s really making a difference.

Kim McMahon – SaleyardManager Gippsland Regional Livestock Exchange

Fears over super land tax

FARMING families and small business owners across the country have been left speechless bythe Agricultureand Small Business Minister,Julie Collins’response in question time re gar ding pr oposed changes to superannuation, according to the National Farmers Federation (NFF).

When asked whether the changes would result in atax bill on unrealisedgains even in years with zeroornegative income, the Minister confirmed farmerswouldhave to find the cash -potentially forcing the sale of family farms.

The NFF DeputyChief Executive, Charlie Thomas, said the comments underscored the sector’s concerns about taxing unrealised gains.

“The farmsector has consistently flagged that this bill willleave farmers in aterrible situation where they may have to sell their assets out from under the next generation,” he said.

“What the Minister explained in question time is that this may happen sooner than we think -with self-managed funds needing to hold liquid assets to meet theoretical futuretax liabilities. That means farmers might be faced with the choice: sell now, or breach liquidity requirements.

“Thiswholeidea of taxingfar mers for fluctuations in the property market is an absurd precedent which has no place in ourtax system.”

While the question was related to farming families,the Council of Small Business Associations of Austr alia CEO, Luke Achterstraat, saidthese same issuesapply to small and family business owners.

“What we saw... by the Minister for Small Business sends an alarming signal not just to farming families but to Australian small business owners.

Thisnew tax on the unrealised gains on assets held in the SMSF may see an increasedobligation thatrepresentsa significant proportion of an owner’s annual income, or even exceed it,” he said.

“Thismay see farmers left in aterrible situation where they may have to sell their assets to meet this new tax obligation or increase lease rates to their children so much that their own children’s business may become unviable.

“The Government has consistently said this Bill targets the top end of town, people with hundreds of millions of dollars in their super accounts –not hard-working, familyrun small businesses. What we saw from the Minister shows that is simply not true.”

Self-Managed SuperannuationFunds

(SMSF) area common tool in small businessestomanageassetsand business succession. In the case of agriculture, older far mers will oftenhold their assets in a SMSF and lease the operationstotheir children, providing both retirement income for them as well as an opportunity for the next generation to start farming.

In eviden ce pr ovided to the Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into the Bill by the SMSF Association, it was estimated that morethan SMSF 17,000 accounts in 2021/22 held farming land.

SPRAYING

• Weeds

• Liquid fertilizer

• Pesticides

SPREADING

• Fertilizer pellets

• Powder/granules

• Seed

PHOTOGRAMMETRY

• Farm mapping

• Contour maps

• Crop health

• Aerial photography

0490

Servicing

Unrealised gains on superfarm land maybetaxed.

Photo: Contributed

Potential riskposed in renewablepush

Philip HOPKINS

STRATEGICALLYimportant agricultural land in Central and SouthernGippsland should be safeguarded from transmission lines and renewable energy projectsasthe energy transition unfolds, Victoria’s peak farming body has warned.

The Victorian FarmersFederation has issued a‘redlight warning’ over the potential impactsondairy,horticulture, beef and soil in general in Gippsland, in its submission to theinquiryintoguidelines for the Victorian Transmission Plan.

The VFF President, Emma Germano, saidthe transition to renewableenergy could not come at the cost of losing the state’smostvaluable farmland. Apart from Gippsland, the VFF also citesthe Goulburn MurrayIrrigationDistrict, the Ballarat district, the Kiewa and Mitta Valleys, and the south-west of the state.

“The areas we have identified have some of the best soils, access to water and proximity to manufacturing hubs and infrastructure. these things cannot be replicated elsewhere,” she said.

The VFF has mapped areas of Victoria based on rainfall, soils, climate resilience, irrigation and pipelines,under horticulture, dairyand grains; livestock occurs throughout Victoria. It assesses the constraints that renewable energy development and transmission would have on the specific forms of agriculture. It identified ‘red areas’ where renewable energy and transmission should be avoided.

“All remainingareaswill still require carefulconsiderations to ensure that renewable energygeneration, storageand transmission do not reduce the productive output on site through impacts to soil, through the spread of weeds and disease or the use of farm machinery and tools such as irrigation, dronesoraircraft,” the submission says.

Ms Germano said failing to understand the restrictions that renewables and transmission can have on agriculture was driving the loss of sociallicence and landholder resistancetohosting infrastructure.

“Energy experts and safety regulators do not always understand farming practices and farmers are rarely consulted in changing energy safety regulations,” she said, particularly as farming systems evolved.

“Loss of social licence is accelerated by agriculture land being bought by energy farmersusinggovernmentsubsidies. The

most effective way to ensurethe timely transition to renewable energy is to ensure landowners see abenefitfromhosting renewable energy infrastructure. The VFF calls this benefit ‘commercial consent’.”

GFF President,EmmaGermanosaida keyshortcomingofthe current regulatory system in Victoria was the clear gap of understanding on how to ensure renewables, transmissionorstorage were ‘subservient’ to agriculture, “especially when therewas no commercial consent”.

TheVFF said soils, which can influence the properties of crops, can be disturbed with abig impact on the biota they support.

“Without careful planning, the footings for wind turbines and transmission pylons can permanently affect soil structure,” the FVV said.

The “removal of soils for large concrete footings that can never re removed, can change the underground movement of water”.

Dairyproduction and horticulture, important in Gippsland, “are examples of high value productionsystems that rely on soils”.

The VFF has identified various physical and regulatory conflicts and constraints on beef/livestockfromtransmission lines.

These include the impact on pasture and soil health, the decommissioning of damsand stockwatering in easements, the impactonthe location and size of dams forstockwatering,the impacton cattle movements from the use of drones, the introduction of new weedsordiseases fromaccesspractices, the impact on the ability to plant trees for shelter and windbreaks,and limits to the use of aerial spraying and aerial mustering.

Dairy in Gippsland has similar issues, but also includes the need to move stock daily for milking, increasing greater risk of chemical use, physical accessand biosecurity

Other constrains include the creation of smaller paddocks when easements are fenced off, leading to more movement around fences, compacting the soils; the impact on laser graded or irrigated pasture; the impact on the siting of the dairy andlocation of silage storage; concerns over the loss of data on tracking collars; and increased costs to manage weeds. additionalcosts of fencing (earthing)and automated gate access; and higher costs to storewater for dairy washdown andfor effluent treatment systems.

Constraints on Gippsland horticulture

include soil damage andcompaction from tower construction and concreate construction trucks, which reduce yield; tower footings’ permanentimpactonsoil and drainage; towers are abarrier to efficient movement of machinery,increasing costs and lowering productivity; and interference fromwires can affect the accuracy of Smart Agtech. Other constrains on horticulture are the impact of the decommissioning, the location and size of dams, changes to the type and efficiency of irrigation; easement restrictions affecting production of high value crops; and inability to use aerial tools or drones.

Ms Germano said the government had to takeastrongpolicy position to protectthis land and show it values the importance of farming.

“Whilst we are saying there should be a red light to development in these regions, we are not saying there shouldbea green light to bulldoze overthe restofthe state’s farmland,” she said.

“All renewable energy and transmission infrastructure must be properly planned in away that is comparable with existing agricultural uses.”

Renewables vNuclear -Page28

The Range Retirement Village is aretirementliving community in Moe, boasting a live-in Manager and high-quality residential villas set inside agated community.

The Range offers elegant new andrefurbished two and three-bedroom independent living villas, set in attractive and well-manicured surrounds. Each villa features an open-plan living area, well-appointed kitchen, private courtyardgarden and singleordouble garage.

Plan your social life with your new community.

Youwill have the flexibility and freedom to embrace life with asocial calendar that includes, billiards, indoor bowls, craft, movie nights, trivia, bingo, cards and many moresocial activities and make use of our community bus to get around our local area.

Now is your time to down size andembrace life at The Range

$429,000

The redareas on the map displaythe red-light areasfor transmission lines across the state. Image: Contributed

Women in dairy find their voice

Katrina BRANDON

ADAY offthe farmisusually a“stock” day, or for some, taking the farming youngsters on atrip into town.

Aday for women in dairy to not have to start early hours, drop offkids at schools or do all things farm-related used to be adream, but now is an open opportunity that the Women In Dairy Discussion Group has collaborated with GippsDairy to create.

On November 29, the Women in Dairy Discussion Group held aluncheon at the Moe Racing Club for all women in the farming industry, whether on-farm or otherwise. The annual event is in its thirdyear of providing aluncheon, with opportunities for women to socialise, meet new people, and hear other farmers talk about their experiences, activities, and more.

According to Women in Dairy Coordinator,Belinda Griffin, the Discussion Group holds events over the year,whether lunch, an educational/ technical event, or even afarmwalk.

“This isn’t just a‘ladies' lunch'. This discussion group runs all year round, and the Ladies Lunch is acelebration of women in dairy and our achievements in the industry. It is quite ahigh-profile event to celebrate women in dairy, and it's abig deal! Women in Dairy is abig deal!

“Wehave collated alist from apast number of events that people are interested in doing -such as social days to potentially achainsaw course, factory tours, other farmtours, looking behind the scenes into other people’s businesses, some pasturedays, and we will do some financial days, pulling apart milk pricing.”

Women in Dairy was initially cofounded by Allison Potter,who now helps work on the Gippsland Women in Dairy Working Committee. Ms Potter started the group in 2017 in South Gippsland when the region was experiencing dry conditions. At the time, Ms Potter worked as adairy farmer and worked at Leongatha’s Murray Goulbourn.

Ms Potter told the Gippsland Far mer that the first event was at Mossvale Park near Leongatha. It was such ahit that they decided to continue it in different formats.

“It was started by another lady and me, afield officer at Murray Goulburn in Leongatha. We started it,” Ms Potter said.

“It was initially mainly women from farms that supplied Murray Goulburn, but we always made all women in dairy welcome to come along, so it was open to everybody. That just went on for quite anumber of years, doing similar things to what we aredoing today: amix of social and technical days on farms and in kitchens, sharing tips for getting tea on the table.”

The Women in Dairy Discussion Group also gives women on farms the opportunity to not feel isolated, to talk about personal experiences on the farm, to sharethings, and to reconnect with other women. The group reminds them that they areall farmers and not just a farmer’s “something”.

For moreinformation, visit: dairyaustralia.com.au/gippsdairy/about-us/ gippsdairy-programs/women-in-dairy

Meet the Co-founder -Page12

Women in Dairy Coordinator,Belinda Griffin and founding member of the Gippsland Womenin Dairy WorkingCommittee, Allison Potter arepartofthe ever-growing number of women in the dairy community

Photo: Katrina Brandon

Plan and Prepare

FIRE authorities areurging homeowners in high risk areas to immediately prepareabushfire survival plan.

Trusted company,Australian Pump Industries has updated their popular, no-nonsense FireReady Survival Plan.

This free booklet, published by Aussie Pumps for over adecade, is avital guide to assist in making and implementing apractical survival strategy

If you decide that you will “STAY AND DEFEND” thorough preparation is essential.

The Aussie FireReady Survival Plan illustrates how to prepareyour property to give you the best chance of defending it.

The heartofthe systemisthe pump

Arobust, high performance, selfpriming pump, like the Aussie “Fire Chief”, is essential for complete reliability

Abushfiresurvival plan has two options: ‘STAY AND DEFEND’ or ‘LEAVE EARLY’.

Beforeyou make adecision you must consider whether your property is, in fact, defendable.

Things to consider:

● Assess the condition of any buildings, arethey able to be defended?

● Areyou fit, healthy and capable?

● Do you have safe exit roads in case you need to evacuate suddenly if your home is in jeopardy?

Thereare many cheap “thirdworld” pumps with copy Honda engines on the market.

Only aquality pump can be depended on to deliver the high flows and high pressures needed everytime.

Amatter of life and death could hang on the choice of pump used. Talk to the Brownwigg team about assisting you with the right pump, hose kits and more.

Please join us for our Christmas BBQ on Wednesdaythe 18th December CHC South Gippsland and Thursday19thCHCDecemberGippsland,11.30am-4.30pm, families welcome

Potter makes her mark in dairy industry

Katrina BRANDON

LAS Tm on th ,t he Wo me ni nD ai ry Discussion Group had their thirdannual lunch at Moe Racing Club.

The group wasoriginallyco-founded in 2017 by Poowong North local, Allison Potter, who has spent her life in the agricultural world.

Ms Potter grew up with her parents on abeef farmthat was later converted into adairy farmwhen she was five-years-old.

“I didn’t have any exposuretodairy before that, but then quickly fell in love with the

dairy farming lifestyle and adifferent pace to beef farming at the time,” Ms Potter told the Gippsland Far mer

“I went to university and studied ag science, and at the end of that, Igot my first job as afield officer at Murray Goulbourn in Leongatha.”

Allison spent six years with Murray Goulbournand started dairy far ming in 2011. On the property with her family, she started milking300 cows alongside her brother and husband.

Eight years later,Allison sold the cows and some of the farm. During those eight

Photo:

years, Allison said that she worked many positions in the dairy industry, which led to hercurrent position withBulla Dairy Foods in field services.

“I have worked in the dairy industry throughout thoseeightyears, mainly in fieldservice roles and some consulting and farmauditing. Iamnow head of field services with Bulla Dairy Foods,which has been agreat opportunity for me in the industry,” she said.

“I am stillbeeffar ming. Idon’t have a dairy herdanymore.

“If you love it, you love it. Icouldn’t imagine not doing that. Thereare so many goals that you can achieve in dairy farming that you can achieve, whether it is pasture production or whatever your thing is or cow production,breeding, genetics, business management side of things, OH&S. There aresomany things that you can really excel at.”

AG SHORTS

FarmForestryProgram grants

GRANTS are available forlandowners to grow trees for timber as well as other benefits including providing shelter for stock, crops and pastures, improved farm amenity, and biodiversity carbon storage.

The program supports the planting of wood lots, shelter,belts, and wide space plantings.

Grants areopen until March 7, 2025.

Animal diseases

INVESTIGATING animal diseases in agricultur ei sp art of the focus for veterinarian Sara Forte at Agriculture Victoria’s Ellinbank SmartFarm. Protecting Victoria’s agricultureindustryand economy with afocus on disease investigation, Sara’s skills help explain why and how disease outbreaks occur

Sara is one of the many staf fa t AgricultureVictoria making adifference for the futureoffarming in Victoria.

If you’reconsideringacareer in agricultureorscience, take acloser look at the opportunities available at the Smart

Regulatory compliance

AGRICUL TURE Victoria’s new online systemisdesigned to streamlineyour regulatory compliance such as chemical use authorities or food standards.

Agriculture Victoria wants your input. Whereyou use the system for regulatory services or simply have an interest in the process, your feedbackisinvaluable.

Agricultur eVictoria invitesyou to to be apartofthe DesignReference Group,where you can play avital role in representing the communitythat uses AgricultureVictoria Connect.

Meeting every six weeks, members will sharefeedbackand ideas to guide the development of services, ensuring the system is effective and user -friendly for both agriculture businesses and community members.

For moreinformation and to join, email: avcproductteam@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Allison Potter,the foundingmember of the Gippsland WomeninDairy WorkingCommittee.

Katrina Brandon

Far ms basedat Ellinbank, Hamilton, Horsham, Mildura, and Tatura.

Lloyd the new chair of MLA

MEAT &Livestock Australia (MLA)has announced thatJohn Lloyd hasbeen elected as the Chair of MLA, effective following the upcoming MLA Annual General Meeting on November 20.

Mr Lloyd was electedtoMLA’s Boardasa Director in 2019 and takes over the Chair role from Mr Alan Beckett, who has been MLA’sChair since 2019 and aDirector since 2014.

Mr Beckett congratulated Mr Lloyd on his election as Chair,which came at acritical time for the organisation as it approaches anew five-year Strategic Plan.

“It has beenanhonourrepresent red meat pr oducers and levy payers as a member of MLA’s boardand as Chair,” Mr Beckett said.

“I congratulate Johnand wishhim the best as he starts anew leadership chapter for MLA, supported by an exceptionally talented board, management team, staff, and industry.”

John Lloyd hasbeen elected as the new Chair of Meat&Livestock Australia.

Photo: Contributed

 Irrigation Systems

 Flood wash Systems

 HDPE Butt Welding

 Poly Fabrication

 Poly pipe andfitting sales

 Earthworks

 Onsite obligation free quotes

 Follow up ser vice available24/7

Water protection works

GIPPSLAND Water is forging ahead with a program of works to protect drinking water supplies across its service area.

The organisation has finished replacing covers and liners at nine water storages, with just five moreto go. Cover and liners areused to maintain treated water quality and preventforeign matter entering water storages, providing protection for around 25 years.

Gippsland Water Managing Director Sarah Cummingsaidworkwrapped up at Sale’s second storage basin in early October and great progress was being made at another water storage in Coongulla.

“These upgrades arejust one example of how we areupgrading our infrastructureso we can continue to deliver safe and reliable water for our customers,” Ms Cumming said.

“By replacing ageing covers and liners, we’renot only ensuring the supply of safe, clean drinking water but also enhancing the resilience of our entirenetwork.” Completed upgrades include:

 Warragul water treatment plant storage basin;

 Sander’s treated water storage basin, Churchill;

 Northway’s treated water storage basin, Churchill;

 Sale water treatment plant storage basin one;

 Sale water treatment plant storage basin two;

 Buckleys Hill treated water storage basin, Morwell;

 Neerim South water treatment plant storage basin;

 Newborough treated water storage basin, and;

 Ridge Reservoir treated water storage basin, Morwell.

Further cover and liner replacements will be completed at Moe, Seaspray, Heyfield, and Tyers water treatment plants in the coming years.

To find out moreabout Gippsland Water’s upcoming works,visit:gippswater.com.au/ current-works

Gippsland Water is working to protect its drinking water.

Photo: iStock

PuzzlePage

QUICK CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Unf athomable (7)

5 Reprieve (7) 9 Most pungent(9) 10 Facetious(5)

11 Thec apit al of Spain (6) 12 Former US Supreme Cour t Justice Thurgood –(8) 14 Hate(6) 15 Monarch (4) 19 Musicalins trument (4) 20 Leader of theX-men (6) 24 Self-government(8) 25 Bottle forthe table(6) 27 Belonging to them (5)

28 From Oslo,eg(9)

29 Broadc as t, transmit ted( 7) 30 Ways (7)

1 Undder t akke((6) 2 Surrender s(6) 3 Island groupinthe Indian Ocean(8) 4 Ogle (4)

Alluring (10)

Onewho goes naked(6)

Relating to linesona weather map(8)

Largelog straditionally burnt at Christmastime(4,4)

Looked again (10)

Of no consequence(2,6)

Using the ninelettersinthe grid,how many wordsof four letters or more can you list? The centreletter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalisednouns, apostrophes or plural nounsendingin“s”.

Today’sAim:

word s: Very good 24 words: Excellent

New research aims to add value to dairy waste

ABOUT 710,000 tonnes of Australia’s on-farmmilk production isdiscarded as waste each year butnew research could see it transformed into arangeofvaluable products.

Researchers from the Dairy UP team are investigating fermentation opportunities to convert dairy wastes into value-added products with acommercial market, and they say that early results arepromising.

Dr Gar giu lo sai dt he in iti al re vie w identified promising opportunities to use fermentation to reduce wastage.

“Thereare opportunities to use fermentation to create value-added products from excess colostrum, milk with abnor mal composition, and milk from cows treated with antibiotics (e.g.for mastitis),” he said.

“For example, waste milk could be used to produce microbial protein (also called single-cell pr otein) as an animal feed or ration additiveto improve digestive efficiency.”

About 8per cent of Australia’s total onfarmmilk production is discarded as waste, mostly postfar mgate,and researcher JuanGargiulo says thishas economic environmental and food security impacts.

“Although some efficiency could be gained by reducing total waste, it is also possible to turnwhat would be wasted into avaluable product,” Dr Gargiulo said.

“Fer mentation usesmicrobes suchas yeasts to convert dairy wastes into valuable products. This is cost-ef fective and can generate new income streams for farmers and processors as well as reducing waste ” Dr Gargiulo said fermentation could produce arangeofcompounds, including stockfeed supplements.

The project includes reviewingdairyfood wastes to identify those with the greatest opportunity for reduction, and pilot studies to developyeaststrains capable of producing valuable compounds from dairy waste, determining the commercialviability of products and potentially upscaling the commercial implementation.

Manufacturingwaste makes up 70 per centof all dairy food waste in the supply chain and DrGargiulo says there is potential to use microbial fer mentation to convert expired milk, cheese whey and other by-products into bioenergy, enzymes, organic acids, biopolymers and biomass.

The Dairy UP team is focussing on fermentation using brewer’s or baker’s yeast, which is safe for humans and animals. The project is acollaboration between Dairy UP, Macquarie University’s Australian Genome Foundry and NSW DPI.

Dairy UPisacollaborative research, development, and extensionprogram for the NSW dairy industry. It aimstounlock the potential of pastures, cows, waterand milk to increase productivity and profitability, and de-risk the industry and develop new markets.

Discover moreat: dairyupcom.au

New research is looking into reducing waste and creating valuable milk products.

Photo: iStock

Leading the charge in Gippy beef sales

Philip HOPKINS

LEONGATHAwas the second busiest of Victoria’s 16 cattle sale yards in the past financial year,withPakenhaminfourth place, according to the National Livestock Reporting Service 2023-24 survey. Leongatha experienced 159,496 transactions -16.5 per cent of the state’s volumes and arise of 25 per cent on the numbers in the previous financial year.However,this came afterthe closure of the Pakenham Livestock Exchange during the year Pakenham,however, stillhad 100,958 transactions, which was 10.4 per cent of the state but afall of nine per cent on the previous year Mortlake was the busiest, the Wester n Victorian Livestock Exchange in top spot with 169,862 transactions -17.6 per cent of thestate anda massiveriseof58 per cent. Wodonga (Bar nawatha) -Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange -was in third place with 155,890 transactions, 16.1 per cent of the state and arise of 40 per cent. In Gippsland, Bairnsdale(EastGippsland Livestock Exchange) was the state’s seventh busiest with 54,061 transactions -5.6 per cent of the state’s total and arise of 15 per cent. Nearby Sale (Gippsland Regional Livestock Exchange) was second last with 12,082 transactions, 1.3per centofthe state’s figures -afall of seven per cent.

Overall, Victoria’s 16 sale yards registered 966,286 transactions - a surge of 26.5 per cent on the previous year’s 763,630.The fall was the result of tough seasonal conditions across southernAustralia, Australia’s latest annual tally of saleyard cattletransactions across the country showed. Southernyards recorded dramatic increases in stock sale volumes this year as dry conditions forced producerstooffload stock. Apartfrom Victoria, cattle transactions surged in New South Wales by 22.3 per cent, in Tasmania by 28.6 per centand inSouth Australia 27.6 percent. In contrast Queensland sale yardvolumeseased by -1.1 per cent in 2024

and WA by -3.4 per cent.

Roma, Queensland maintained its position as Australia’s largest physical cattleselling centre, with 250, 918 cattle transacted in 2023/24. However a69% per cent surge in yardingscomparedtolast year saw Wagga Wagga in NSW transact 195,878 cattle and leapfrog Dalbyin Qld (193,763 head) to finish in second position nationally.

Carcoar was another NSW yardtorecord asubstantial percentage increase -56.5 per

cent -toatotal of 170,399 cattle transacted in 2023/24, propelling the NSW yardfrom 11th in the country last year to fifth.

Rele asin gt he re sul ts of the NLRS 2023–20 24 sur vey, NLRS Ope ratio ns Manager for MLA, Stephanie Pitt, said the survey, reported voluntarily for the financial year,aims to informindustry of saleyard throughput across all states, except the NorthernTerritory.

“In the 2024 financial year,therewere justover18.5million transactionsmade

across sheep and cattle, an increase of 2.1 million livestock compared to the previous financial year,” Ms Pitt said. She said the cyclical natureof the herd and flockrebuilds alongside changing market conditions could be attributed to adjustments in livestock supply via the sale yards as producers choose different sales channels to market their stock.

To view the fully report and for more infor mation,please visit NLRSSaleyard Survey.

Table: National Live Stock Service

Sheep dogs put to the test at trials

Katrina BRANDON

TRAVELLING from here, thereand everywhere, many people attended the Berryden Sheepdog Trials over three days at Boolarra Reserve last month.

According to Sean O’Leary,the South Gippsland Wo rking Dog Gr oup Vi ce President, about 90 dogs competed at the trials,the furthestcoming from New South Wales.

All the working dog competitors gave the course their best shots through hot and windy conditions.

Ms Davies told the Gippsland Far mer that she has been going to the trials for ten years and goes to seven or eight ayear

“I do about seven or eight ayear.Ilook after my mum now, so Ican’t attend as many. She has come to afew. She is 86. We just get amotel now instead of just roughing it. It’s nice, she enjoyed it. She came to the Supreme, which was in September That was abig one,” she said.

Pinora Angus

SALE

Each dog had to bring asmall group of sheep to its owner,around, up the course, through two lots of panelled obstacles (a gap and arace), up aramp, and into apen within a15-minute time frame. The dogs also had to keep the sheep (once bringing themtotheirhandlers) ata nine-metre distance from the obstacles or the handler

People on the sidelines wereconstantly on the edge of their seats,seeingwho could make it and who got the sheep thatjust wanted to run

“The sheep make abig dif ference and the set-up. They have set it up really well. Theyhaveset it up nicelyfor the stock and dog. It is nice to have challenges, but Ithink it is achallenge in itself as asport rather than making it harder,” Welshpool handler,Chris Davies said.

“It’s fantastic to watch the dogs work and for the public. Some people have no idea it goes on. Iknow when Istarted because Iwasn’t offa farmoranything. Ithought it was just for farmers to do it. Good for people to socialise and have ahobby. It’s good for the dogs. Gives them something to do.”

Ms Davies entered four dogs into the competition, entering the open and improver classes on the first day of the trial in Boolarra (Friday, November 15). Novice and encouragement classes wereheld on Saturday, and finals wereheld on Sunday.

Over the years, Ms Davies said that she used to travel four to five hours for atrial and that, while she wouldn’t always get the outcome she wanted, she always enjoyed the day out. She also said that during her time, each dog taught her something different and had different instincts, mostly good.

Ms Davies told the Gippsland Far mer: “They reckon, by the time the dog leaves the handler and goes down, the sheep have worked the dog out, whether it is soft or hard, whether they are goingtobeable to move it”.

“From puppies, when they arelittle, eight weeks and 12 weeks old, they just have to do something, get around. Youjust don’t knowwhichone out of awholelitter.In one litter,you can have one as hardashell and not listen.”

EvenMrO’Leary explained that in the years he has spent with his dogs, he never expected how clever they could be or how much their instincts could just click into action.

Over the weekend, most people preferred border collies because they chose working dogs. Others wereAustralian kelpies, Koolies, and shepherds.

This is the second year the Berryden Working Sheepdog Trials have been held in Korumburra and Boolarra. Previously, the trials wereheld at Berryden Far m, home to Jean Moir

The Berryden trial has been running for morethan 10 years.

KenJelbart with young pup BelokaRebel took to the stand, completing the course within the 15-minute time limit

Photos: Katrina Brandon

Crowds at theBerryden WorkingSheepdog Trials varied over the three-dayevent.

Many dogs wereentered into the trials at Boolarra, with many never breaking focus on the task at hand.

Buruma Pennywas one of many dogs at theBerryden Sheep Dog Trials on November 15 to November 17

Photos: Katrina Brandon

Chris Davies with afew sheeptaking abreather

Judge

Nuclearthe key to lowerenergycosts

Philip HOPKINS

THErequirementfor extra transmission lines to cater for renewables lifts the cost of energy, but nuclear power would cut both costs and carbon dioxide emissions, an energy expert has told aGippsland forum.

Dr RobertBarr AM, an electrical engineer and former national president of the Electric Energy Society of Australia, was akeynote speaker at arecent meeting in the Morwell to discuss the futureof the Latrobe Valley as an energy powerhouse using nuclear power,and its implications for Gippsland. Up to 150 people attended the meeting.

Dr Barr,who provided anumber of slides to illustrate the pointsinhis address, saidhe had spent his whole workinglife providing low cost, reliableelectricity to customers, mainly in NSW, but also in Australiaand overseas. “I and many of

my colleagues arevery concerned at what is happening in our power system at the moment,”he said. Electricitybills were rising for homes and businesses.

In NSW,DrBarr compared how the current system would change with the extra transmissionlines required, using asimplified conceptual diagram.Heapologised for the NSW example and not that of Victoria, but the principles governing the situation werethe same.

Dr Barr said currently, the power stations in the Hunter Valley (Latrobe Valley) are linked to the main load centre of Sydney (Melbourne) with major transmission lines, which in turnhave couple of similar lines to Canberra and one to Snowy Hydro.

In 2050, there is aplanned Regional EnergyZone(REZ) at Dubbo, and added pumped storageatSnowy 2.0.The Hunter Valley power stations will be closed; double

much the existing transmission would then be needed to Canberra, triple to the Snowy, and anew extra sub-transmission system will be needed in the Snowy region.

Dr Barr said the result was the need for this vast amount of infrastructuretomove the electricity -a complex mixtureofsupplying solar to Sydney at peak midday times and redirecting energy to storage (Snowy 2.0). At nighttime,this stored energy would need to be redirected to Sydney.

He said projections showed that summer had abundant solar,wheretherewas enough power in the middle of the day to provide power,but therewas also surplus power,(renewable spillage) that can’t be used. With enough storage in the system -pumpedhydro or battery storage -and despitelow wind, “we get through”. “That’s what Icall summer -things going well”.

However,when things werenot going well, such as aparticularly bad week in winter, therecould be less solar and wind; pumped storage and batteries run out; therecould be abig shortfall of power,with, for example, abig manufacturer voluntarily being asked to ‘load shed’, cut power use -“not ideal”.

Usingmodelled results for2050, Dr Barr showedanexample where theelectricity systemhad reachedaworst-case position.

“The storage energy is expended, thereis nothingleft, the day is short,and the wind capacity is down,” he said.

“Weget through to past midnight,and the wheelsfalloff thesystem; thereare very large amount of unsupplied load and the same the following day.” he said.

“Scale up the resources, build morewind and solar,transmission, spend alot more capital to supply the same amount of load -and costs keep going up and up,” Dr Barr said on managing the system.

He continued: “When AEMO (Australian Energy Market Regulator) do their costings, (basicallythe government’splan),they don’t include the cost of rooftop solar PV and the cost of batteries. They use large quantities behind the meter solar PV and batteries in theirmodelling because theysee it as free. This is where the AEMO modelling goes wrong.”

The distribution networks -“where I have spent the bulk of my career”, Dr Barr said -then come into the firing line. “When you start putting solar PV on, you get voltage changes down the distribution lines. Historically,Ihave designed these systems, typically on 3or5kWmaximum demand,” he said. “If you get the voltage drop at the end too high,itwill causedisruptions to equipmentinhouses, so that’s how the system has been designed last 50 years.

“With alot of rooftop solar, things change, because in the middleofthe day, the houses arenolonger drawing power down -they arepushing power into the system. In this localised area, within 300 metres of the substation, we get this voltage rise effect.

“A 2kW averagehousehold solar PV is generally manageable within our existing low voltage networks. When you start pus hi ng pas t3kW,4kW and5kW,it becomes unmanageable,and at12kW it will be impossible. With the levels in the

AEMO plan, this low voltage network has to be effectively rebuilt. It has got to have acapacity of three or four times what is thereatthe moment. This is not patch it up; this is knock it down and rebuild it,” Dr Barr said.

“People arescared at the costs of transmission andrightlyso. With thenew 500kV lines being built into Snowy 2.0 as part of the Hume Link, and other transmission lines being built in Victoria, transmission costs areonthe rise. Those costs will pale into insignificance when you start augmenting the low voltage system across eastern Australia.”

Dr Barr said the real value in the power system was at the bottom end of the distributionnetwork. “In terms of delivered electricity costs, generationis about 30 per cent, transmission about 10pc. Most of the balance in the value of the networkisinthe low voltage and medium voltage networks. My modelling shows the costs that will have to be met by consumers,” he said.

Dr Barr said the best power systems were those that use all the available generation systems and put them to their best use. “That’s the engineering approach; we spend time matching all the bits of pieces together, the transformers to the lines. We match generation Awithgeneration typeBto produce the best outcome overall,”hesaid

Comparing the various scenarios of a mixtureofrenewables and nuclear out to 2050 and 2060, Dr Barr said an optimum energy mix with nuclear (74 per cent) would provideelectricity at athirdthe cost of 100 per cent wind and solar.Fifty per cent nuclear was similar

“Best of all, asystem that includes nuclear energy has ultra-low emissions because it doesn’t need gas backup and all the embedded emissions of agrid powered by wind and solar alone,” he said. However,r enewables could be used ef fectively;solar can producepeaks in the middle of the day. “Put solar into the system -it’s the one that can give it the right mix - the most economic driver to supply peak power in the middle of the day. Alittle bit of spillage, storage -this works well.”

At the outset,DrBarrsaidthe Latrobe Valley’s infrastructure was ahuge competitive advantage. “As an electrical engineer, driving around Latrobe, it’s like heaven -power stations,transmission lines,gas plants. One of the things that makes Latrobe attractive for anuclear site is the high power 500kV transmission links into Melbourne. These high-capacity lines will allow the Latrobe Valley to export power to all parts of Victoria and into NSW.Latrobe is critical. It’s agreat place to be if you are apower engineer,and that will continue for along period,” he said.

“The dual 500kV lines aregoing to end up being one of the most strategic assets for the Latrobe Valley. High-powered connection into Melbourne will create alot of development and jobs in this area.”

Nuclear ‘necessary to cut emissions’

Philip HOPKINS

CUTTING greenhousegas emissions to fight climate change requires nuclear energy and is impossible with just wind and solar. That wasakey messagebya nuclear expert, Robert Parker,toa recent meeting in Morwell Mr Parker,acivil engineer with aMaster of Nuclear Science, is a former president of the AustralianNuclear Association.

Mr Parker said the current system was difficult to manage and expensive to operate. “Wind, solar and storage arefraught with problems. No nation on the planet has been able to achieve total energy supply using solar and wind. What has worked historically -base load power stabilises power and communities and provides long-term jobs, but is associated with greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. In contrast, France “produces massive amounts of electricity with nuclear” and had power vastly cheaper than non-nuclear Germany.

Mr Parker, who accepts human-driven global warming, said splitting the atom in a nuclear reactor produces lots of energy -200 million electronvolts compared to an atom of carbonincoal of about10electron volts. “The difference is 20 million fold. Using this process gives rise to massive energy density and a very sustainable low footprint energy source,” he said.

Mr Parkersaid a2021 report by the United Nations Economic Commission forEurope,‘LifeCycle Assessment of Electricity GenerationOptions’, had shown that nuclearwas safe and sustainable. The report showedthat coal had high emissions and naturalgas was relatively high. “Wind and solaralsohave embodiedemissions becausethis is alifecycleanalysisand includesdiesel and coalthat go into the manufacture,” he said.

In terms of average grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hours of electricity, wind was 12g CO2/kWh and solar was 32g CO2/ kWh. “The lowest emitting energy source of the lot -the ‘greenest’ -was nuclear at 5-6 grams of CO2,” he said.

The report looked at the materials intensity of the clean electricity generation technologies, including uranium, over an 80-year period. A100 per cent penetration by renewables amounted to 380 million tonnes of materials -morethan 200m tonnesfor wind and morethan 80m tonnes for solar PV -with 191m tonnes initially.

In contrast,the initial nuclear option required 49m tonnesand then 72m tonnes at 80 years.“One hundredper cent renewables use 3.9 to 5.3 times morematerials than the optimum nuclear solution,” he said.

“It’spossible to recycle renewables, but not the concrete foundations of awind terminal. It is impossible to fully decarbonise with wind and solar as embodied emissions make that impossible.”

Mr Parkersaidthe UNCommissionfor Europe reporthad demolished the idea that nuclear causes cancer.Nuclear came second after hydro.

Mr Parker said seismicity had emerged as

an issue due to earthquakes in the Hunter Valley and “Gippsland has afew fault lines near Morwell”. Mr Parker approached an expert in the US on seismic activity and nuclear.“Professor Andrew Whittaker is aMelbourneboy with an undergraduate degree at Melbourne University. He’s a Masters and PhD from Berkley University and now sits on theWhiteHouse Groupon New Nuclear He chairs and sits on codewriting for seismicity on theadaption of nuclear in the US, and writes the code that goes into thenuclearenergydivision of the US Department of Energy,” Mr Parker said.

ProfessorWhittaker said seismicity in Australia was similar to that in Central and EasternUnited States -far from plate boundaries in central and easternUSwhere thereare 87 operating reactors in 51 sites in 25 states.

Using standardUSand international practice, Professor Whittakerconcluded:

“IfAP1000 (standardnuclearplant) in the Latrobe Valley, ground shaking with returnperiod (RP) of 50,000 years used for design, no damage accepted. Contrast with other infrastructure, RP =500 years and significant damage accepted.

“LatrobeValley poses nositingproblem for AP1000and advancedreactors: earthquakes, floods, bushfires, extreme winds. Expectation is safe construction and operation of nuclear power plants, even under very rare, extreme natural hazards Identical to operating plants in the US.”

Mr Parker said it was important to get Professor Whittaker’s words quite clearly.

“Thereisnoissue in Gippslandwithbuilding anuclear power plant,” he said.

FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC TRAITS

Therewereseveral nuclear plant possibilities,including AP1000, which would be ideal for Latrobe. “There are small nuclear power plants of 300MW,however,you have the population, the grid connection, so it would be ashame to waste it,”hesaid. Smaller plants werebetter for regional Australia. Internationally, “four are being built, one in Ontario, and in Canada, the first of them is due to be commissioned in 2029”. “They aredoing the foundations as we speak. They arepassively cooled reactors,” he said.

How close can nuclear be built to populations? Mr Parker referred toPickering, Canada,where populations groups lived 4kilometres, 1km and 2.9km.froma nuclear power station. “The populations arestill quite close. There’s an exclusion zone-people don’t live there-that’sthe real estate,wherethe fence is located. It has nothing to do with adanger zone; the owner has total control over what happens,” he said.

Outside ofthatwas a‘low population zone’, wheretypically in aUSnuclearcommunity, 500 people per sq mile, (200 per sq km) lived within that zone. An ‘emergency zone’was wherepeople“becomenotified in the unlikely event something should happen” -do they leave the area, do they remain in place or do nothing. “Thereare different plans depending on the distance from the zone,” he said.

Mr Parker said: “Canadabuilt18reactors in 18 years, the French built 58 in 22 years to put 63GW on the grid. Herewe are talking about 36.8GW, a lot less than the French did.”

Mr Parker said a 2023 statistical review of World Energy report showed that hydro produced the fastest and lowestcarbon energy systems produced per capita, but also came with fearfulenvironmental effects. However,seven of the 10 fastest non-hydroprograms wereall nuclear.

“AEMO’s Step Change scenario requires deployment of renewable energy nearly twice as fast as has been achieved by any location globally and still contains 107gr/ CO2kwh,” he said.

“A nuclear program would be conservatively achievable similar to Belgium’s program and has four times lower emissions intensity at 27/g CO2’kWh.”

Mr Parker said Victoria could provide 22pc, 8-9GW of nuclear power.“Latrobe could build four of the AP1000reactors we talked about. Theyhaveabout the same cooling demand of the coal plants. Seismicityisnot an issue. Youhave the workforce and people whoneed work, transport availability, grid connection, no nearby high risk infrastructure, and access to ports, This is aprojectfor acentury, not 25 years,” he said.

Mr Parker said the anti-nuclear legislation should be removed with all urgency. “The Step Change scenario and 100pc renewables can’t be built within areasonable time frame, “hesaid.“Nuclear energy is central to our lowest cost, proven ultralow carbonemitting electricity system.”

The use of large and smallnuclear plants “can be ensured by partnering with great friends in Canada, theUSA,the UK and our friends in South Korea, agreat trading partner”, he said.

Loy Yang seeks water for mine lake

Philip HOPKINS

WATER is akey part of the operation of the Loy Yang mine –and will still be akey part of the mine’s future. The scheduled closure of the Loy Yang Apowerstation in 2035 is looming larger on the horizon, and the water issue needs to be sorted out.

AGL, the mine owner and operator,has appliedfor aBulk Water Entitlement(BWE), which will determine how much water the company can take from the Latrobe River system to rehabilitate the mine, with alake the mostfavouredcurrent option. Public comment on the proposal is open until December 15.

The mine supplies coal to both Loy Yang Aand Bpower stations. Consisting of two separate companies, together thecomplex is the largest singlepower stationinAustralia

The GeneralManager ofLoy Yang A, Christo van Niekerk, said it was obviously important for AGL to get final certainty around the final land formation and rehabilitation pathway for the mine.

“Wehave always had the position that the final landform will be a pit lake and that’s why the application is there - to bed that down and do our planning appropriately. It’s critical for us to understand the final landform,” he told the Gippsland Far mer. This would work in with the company’s progressive rehabilitation of the mine.

The BWE centres on the company having asecure allocationofwater for the mine rehabilitation.AGL emphasisesthatthe futureamount of water use for rehabilitation will be the same amount of water that is currently used for power stationoperations.

The BWE is based on the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy, formed as part of the Hazelwood mine fireinquiry. The inquiry made many recommendations on what take of water could be utilised best for mine-filling. It was not written specifically for Loy Yang, but also for the other declared mines, Hazelwood and Yallourn.

“Based on the study that the LVRRS has done, we have looked at sur face water access conditions,particularly for mine rehabilitation planning. The study gives community stakeholders certainty about the timing of when it will happen. We will always make sureother water usersare not impacted; our applicationvery much in line with the Latrobe Valley rehabilitation strategy,” Mr van Niekerk said.

“Any water is restricted to the wetter months; we arefocussed on when water is available during those wet months.”

The specific conditions in AGL’s application include taking the waterwould be restricted to the period from June to November.Athreshold will be in place to stop winter -spring base flow being diverted into the Latrobe River.Alimit will be placed on annual releases from the Blue Rock Reservoir. Sur face water wouldbeavailablefor rehabilitation for30yearsfrom the initial supply date (30 June 2035) or until 2065, assuming Loy Yang A’s closure date of 2035.

The Loy Yang mine is astark presence in the Latrobe Valley landscape. From a

vantage point,during atour the various layers of the mine areclearly visible. Sitting on the ground in parts of the mine is water

This israinwater but includes some artesian water pumped from hundreds of metres below the sur face, helping to stabilisethe mine. The water is pumped to reservoirs whereit’s used in the power station.

“It’s also used for dust suppression and firesuppression, which is critical –particularly in summer.Wemanage it through the year; goes up and down due to rainy season and drier months,” Mr van Niekerk said.

AGL estimates that the total water volume required to fill the mine void is about 1087 gigalitres, with afill time of 22 years. The surface water required is 630GL and ground water needed is 462GL. Evaporation over the period is estimated at 90GL, with top-up requirements to counter that 6GL ayear

Work done by AGL indicates afull-pit lake is the best option; it is technically the best solution(it promotes stability as the weight of the water stops ground movement) and would also create new habitats for wildlife and areas for public use.

The mine, which is morethan five kilometres long, has an area of 1200 hectares.

Annual output is morethan 30 million tonnes of coal and up to four million cubic metres of overburden. Four dredgers, which are150 metres long, 50 metres high and weigh 5000 tonnes, operate in the mine. The coal extracted will be burnt within 24 hours in contrast to blackcoal in Queenslandand NSW that can be stockpiled. Brown coal, because of the moisturecontent, can’t be stockpiled for long periods.

Loy Yang’s 1200ha mining licence area is

only afraction of the Latrobe’s vast brown coal resource, which extends to Rosedale.

UnderAGL’s licence excavation limit, Mr van Niekerk said the plan was to progress the mine towards the easternbloc, to the south of the power station.

“Then we will mine back, pivot the mine by 180 degrees andmine from east to west back to the start of the mine,” he said.

AGL engineersestimatethe current depth of the mine at 180-190 metres below the surrounding natural surface area.

Rehabilitation also includes experiments in rehabilitating along the westernbatters of the mine afterexcavationof the coal.

“Wehad some catch-up to do over the last 10 years. We have donesignificant work on the wester nbatter,using grassesfor rehabilitation with Federation University. We see what works best. The intent has always been,aswe minetowards the east, to do that,” Mr vanNiekerksaid.

By doing permutation trials with different plants and grasses, mixes of topsoil blends and clay thicknesses, AGL aims to understand what will constitute resilient covering to close up and finish the rehabilitation.

Mr van Niekerk said Japan’s HESC project, which aims touse Loy Yang brown coal to produce hydrogen, would not affect the mine rehabilitation.

“Our intentions arevery clear: rehab will be in line with what our bulk water rehabilitation is. That effectively starts in 2025 after our targeted closureofthe power station. It’s up to them to model and progress. We have always said we will support it, but we can’tspeakontheir behalf. It’s up to them,” he said.

Under HECS, carbondioxide produced

by using hydrogen from brown coal would be stored in empty aquifers under Bass Strait. HESC has proven the process in apilot plant and is now moving towards commercialisation by 2028.

Another rehabilitation headache is the ash produced by thepowerstation. Mr van Niekerksaid finding ause for the ash produced frombrown coal mining was “definitely” on AGL’sagenda. Latrobe Magnesium is using ash from theYallourn power station to produce magnesium.

“Wehave done studiesinthe pastand arecurrently looking at options. We work with colleagues in the energy hubs team for alter native uses of ash. It would be beneficialfor everybodyifwecan use it and don’t have to put it into landform. It’s something we arelooking at for the future,” he said.

The curr ent outa ges at Loy Ya ng highlightsthe powerstation’s economic importance for the Valley and its vital role as an energy supplier to Victoria. The $94 million maintenance and repairproject on LoyYang Unit 4and Dredger 15 involves up to 850 contract workers, boosting local businesses. The power station, which has a capacity of 2210 megawatts, employs 600 permanent workers.

“Weare supplying last year just over 30 per cent of electricity consumption in Victoria and with LoyYang Busingthe same mine, we aresupplying about 50per cent –a big chunk -ofstate electricity we supply,” Mr van Niekerk said.

Reminders pop up that coal excavation is also playingwith history.Curiosities include clumps of fossilised tree before it was transformed into coal.

The Loy Yang open-cut mine and power stations. File photograph

Study looks into antibioticuse onfarms

DAIRY Australiaand Food Innovation

Australia Limited (FIAL) arejoining forces withleadingAustralianresearchers to support dairy veterinarians and farmers to monitor andbenchmarktheir animal health, antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance.

The study, undertakenby researchers from universities in three states, will cover all eight dairy regions across Australia and aims to understand the curr ent animal health status and antibiotic use on Australian dairy far ms and identify key strategies to addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Pilot farmers will receive reports on key animalhealthindicators suchasclinical mastitisand calf health, antibiotic and anti-inflammatoryuse. Dairy veterinarians, farmers and post-graduatestudentscan also nominateto be part of this ground

breaking research.

Dairy Australia National Lead –Animal Health and Welfare, Dr Stephanie Bullen, says that effective antibiotics areacritical

tool for dairy farmers to maintain the health and welfareoftheir animals.

“AMR develops when infections no longer respond to antibiotics used to treat them.

AMR can occur due to overuse of antibiotics, incorrect use of antibiotics or when one type of resistant bacteria transfers their resistancegenestoanother type,”she said

The project will combine on-farm data fromherdmanagementsoftwarewitha farm’s veterinary medicine purchase data from practice management softwareto generate farmreports.

Additionally, Dairy Australia and FIAL are fundingthe firstspecific surveyonAMR in dairy cattle to understand the current levels of antimicrobial resistance to important bacteria on participants’ farms.

Any organisations that areinterested in partnering in this research should get in contact with Dr Stephanie Bullen of Dairy Australia via email at: stephanie.bullen@ dairyaustralia.com.au

Veterinarians and farmers areworking together to understand animal health.

Photo: iStock

Home help keepingAudrey on thefarm

AUDREY Hall admits she can no longer chase cattle, but at 88 she’s still in her happyplaceathome onher Leongatha North farm.

Audrey has been able to continue living at home 10 kilometres north of Leongatha due to family supportand Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) home caresupport packages.

The Hall family has had along association with GSHS, with her late husband Malcolm also receiving home caresupport for many years.

“It has been along association and it was moreextensive formyhusband,” Audrey said. Beforehis death two years ago, Malcolm had battled along illness and Audrey was his full-time carer.“Without the support of the hospital, Icouldn’t have managed,” she said. “They wereproviding people to attend to his medical needs and we also had district nursing and they provided meals from anumber of sources and cleaning around the house.

“His medical condition was extensive and it wasa24-houraday situation.Itwas also very helpfulfor me to have the support coming in.”

Malcolm was abletolive at home until the final few months of his life. Now Audrey is directly receiving support from the GSHS homecarepackages, including assistance with showering, dressing and cleaning.

This support is helping her to stay on the family beef farm.

“I’m in my late 80s and live on the farm and still drive,” she said.“I can’t chase cattle like Iused to but there’s not alot Ican’t do.”

She has now leased the land to her daughter and her family but continues to live on the farm.

“I absolutely love it,” she said.

“Many people have said areyou going to seeand come into thetown but Ialways

say no. Ilike the isolation, but having said that Ihave people coming every few days so it’s aperfect life for me.”

Audrey keeps busyand fit by working in thegarden.“That’s my happy place,” she said. “I’mvery active and love being outside.”

Her son Russell spends part of the time with Audrey and helps to coordinate the hospital visiting care, and Audrey says she wouldn’t cope without it. “I really appreciate the service. Without the help, Iwouldn’t be able to do what Ido.”

Audrey is one of 100 South Gippsland residents enjoying the benefits of living at home dueto carepackagesprovidedby Gippsland SouthernHealth Service. GSHS has been providing packages to the local area since 2017.

Home ca re pac kag ec oor dina tor,J o Trewin said GSHSwas currently providing services to 100 clients. These services include homecare, personal care, respite, shopping and transport to appointments across South Gippsland.

GSHS also uses anumber of local contractorsfor servicessuchasgardening, homecare, and minor home maintenance.

The GSHS home car epackage team consists of four case managersand one coordinatoralong with acommunity access team which coordinate services for both home carepackage and NDIS clients.

Coalition pushing on clearorganic standards

THE federal Coalition is introducing what it calls ‘common sense legislation’ to ensure organic products being sold and consumed across the domestic andexport markets areactually organic.

The Le ad er of T he Nati on al s, Dav id Littleproud, said the National Organic Standar dBill 2024 was anobrainer beca us ei tw ill i mpr ove t he dome sti c regulation of organics. “It defies logic that organic products currently aren’t required to be certified or comply withany particular organic standard, but can still call themselves organic. Products in Australia can claim to be organic with as little as two per cent of the ingredients being certified organic. In comparison, organic products sold for export require 95 per cent organic ingredients,” Mr Littleproud said.

“The difference is misleading on consumers and unfaironsellers who aredoing the right thing. It leads to lack of information and accountability,whichimpacts consumer confidence in organic products increases costs for organic businessesand hinders market growth. The Coalition is determined to fix this problem so organic consumers can know they aregetting the real deal and will be comparing (organic) apples to apples.”

The Coalition’s Bill will:

 Requirebusinesses that sell organic produce to meet the National Organic Standard;

 Requireimporters to meet the National Organic Standard, or similar Therewill be exemptions to be certified if the annual tur nover of organic produce doesn’t exceed $25,000;

 Make the current export standard -National Standardfor Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce -the National Organic Standard;

 Enable audits, compliance and enforcement;

 Impose penalties for selling or intending to sell organic product if it doesn’t meet the National Organic Standard;

 Provide atransition period of three years, and;

 RequireanIndependent Review after six years.

Kialla Foods owner,Quentin Kennedy, said the lack of equivalence for hisGreenmountbased business, which exports over 40 per

cent primarily into Japan and Korea, was costing export sales every day.

“Wehave many multi-ingredient products which arefully compliant to the National Standardbut simply cannot be exported to Koreadue to the lack of international equivalence,” Mr Kennedy said.

“This lack of equivalence is significant in terms of lost sales each year.Organic production and compliance is difficult enough as it is, without this further impediment to growing sales.”

Australia is the last nation in the OECD to not have aregulatory framework for the use of the word‘organic’. A16-member expert panel, the Organic IndustryAdvisory Group, was set up in 2020 to advise how to advance Australia’s domestic regulatory framework.

“The current regulatory framework is not fit for purpose,” Mr Littleproud said. “The former Coalition government had started a pathway to setting an Australianstandard for theorganicsindustry,worth over$2 billionannually, by setting up an industryled advisory group, which laid down the pathway to complete this reform.

“Labor’slackofaction has resultedin an unworkable and costly dual system, whereproductsfor exportand thedomestic market aresubject to different standards.”

Audrey Hall lives the “perfect life” on her Leongatha North farm thanks to Gippsland Southern Health Service’s support packages.

Photo: Contributed

Jackie Brian, David Littleproud, Damien Rankine and Niki Ford

Photo: Contributed

Focus on biodiversity inCorner Inlet

WITH International Migratory BirdDay now passed,the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is celebrating the catchments, such as Corner Inlet, that support migratory birds and areprotected through inter national conventions and programs run by the CMA and partners.

This year’s theme of ‘Pr otect Insects Protect Birds’ focussed on the importance of insectsfor migratory birds, and highlighted concerns related to decreasing populations of insects.

“Protecting and improving habitat is an important way we can protect insects and overallbiodiversity for migratory birds and all wildlife,” said Tanya Cowell, Waterways Project Officer for West Gippsland CMA. Cor ner Inlet becameaninter nationally renownedwetland through the Ramsar convention in 1982.The inlet’s extensive intertidal mudflats provide food for migratory species.

“Rewards of aconsistent and sustained effort to protect and enhance Corner Inlet by the CMA, Landcare, GreeningAustralia, GLaWAC Traditional Owners andpartners Parks Victoria,Trust for Natureand BirdLife Australia aredefinitelypaying off,” shesaid. Working to enhance and protect world renowned Cor ner Inlet has been ateam effort led by West Gippsland CMA that has so far spanned decades. Works begin in the upper reaches of the rivers that flow into the inlet and follow their course down to the coast –home to extraordinary wildlife, fragile saltmarsh and mudflats.

“Everyone plays their part –like along the flagship Agnes River whereweare extremely proud of the dedicatedlandholders and passionate Landcarevolunteers who have largely driven the works.”

In total, weed control has covered over the entireCorner Inlet Ramsar Site of 67,000 hectares with 530 hectares of pest animal control and water monitoring equipment will help us measurethe results of our efforts across the catchment.

“Corner Inlet is an important haven for migratory shorebirds that travelincredible distances each year.Afavouriteofmine is theRed-neckedStint whichfeeds in Cor ner Inlet.Theyare just the size and weight of amatchbox, yet fly thousands of kilometres to nest in the Siberian tundra, beforeturning around six months later to migrate south once again,” said Ms Cowell.

Summerand winter shorebirdcounts provided crucial information to ensurethe Ramsar values and levels of acceptable change for key species aremaintained based on international Ramsarguidelines.

BirdLife Australia teams undertook seasonal birdcounts of resident and migratory birds and also monitored the breeding successand health of keyresident species of beach nesting birds such as Hooded Plovers, Pied Oystercatchers and Crested, Caspian and Fairy terns.

The team noted migratory speciesincluding Bar-tailedGodwits, Double-banded Plovers, Red-necked Stints, Red Knots, Red-capped Plovers, Pacific Golden Plover ,Great Knot and Grey Plovers and the Critically Endangered Far EasternCurlews -all returning to Corner Inlet and relying on this landscape for survival.

In 2023-24, 11 landholder management agreements weresigned to complete 45 hectares of weed control, put 53,300 plants in the ground across 91 hectares and fence 16 kilometres of the riverinpartnership with Cor ner Inlet LandcareGroup and Greening Australia.

Down at the inlet, the first of afive-year Corner Inlet Connections project is being delivered in partnershipwith Parks Victoria, GLaWAC, Trust for Natureand BirdLife Australia.

Across this first year,the focus has been to protect the Ramsarvaluesof thearea including treating spartina, controlling foxes to protect shorebirds, improving water quality, and safeguarding 136 hectares of saltmarsh including a25hectareTrust for Naturecovenant.

This ongoing monitoring is crucial to understanding the birdpopulations and threats they face. This can then guide effective fox and weed controland assist in community education about the effects of offleash dogs and nest disturbance.

“Ongoingbirdmonitoring willalsohelp to raise community awareness of the birds’ plight so we can work together as acommunity to protect these special species,” Ms Cowell said.

For moreinformation: wgcma.vic.gov.au

Corner Inlet is supporting migratory birds protected through the international conventions and programs run by West Gippsland Catchment Authority

Photo: iStock

FLOODS AND FIRES... PREPARE NOW

THIS year hasalready seenchanges in our normal weatherpatternsand thelatestprediction from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is forour hottest summer on record.

The possibility of moreextreme weatherpatterns, including withering heatwaves and flash floods present manychallenges for farmers

One Australian manufacturer,AustralianPumpIndustriesunderstands what communitiesgothrough when rackedbyfires and floods.

Theirdesignteamdeveloppumpproductsthat are built to tackleissuesduring thesedestructive weather events.

RESILIENCE THROUGH PREPARATION

RECENTLYthe companywas asked to airfreightlarge 6” pumps to SouthSudan, for use by the United Nations in aflood mitigation program, to redirect the Nilearound the city of Juba.

“OurMQ600TDs area huge hitwith the UN because they aresimple self-priming pumps that arerobust enough to handle even primitiveconditions.

By deploying abatteryofthese pumps in Juba, it has been spared thistime, but thecityremains under further threat,” Aussie Export Manager,Melinda Jansen said.

The AussieMQ600TD6”trashpumpcan deliver flows up to 6,000 lpm.

Put threeofthese in abankand you have thecapability of moving‘1million litres of water’ perhour

Thepumps self-primewithin amatter of minutes,expelling the water from the pump body creatinga vacuum. That automatically primes the pump,drawing water up as high a7.6 metrevertical lift.

Thesetrashpumps featurea built in front mounted clean outportthat enables thepump internals to be cleared of blockages withoutthe need to disconnect pipework.

MOVING FLOOD WATER… AUSSIE’S RANGE

MOVING surplus waterfrominundated basements and carparks after adelugeisbest tackledwithaspecialist self-priming trashpump.

Thesepumps featureopen vane impellersthatwill move large volumesefficiently andcan handle solids contaminated water.

Aussie’s range of portable QP trashpumps (with port sizesfrom2”, 3” and 4”)use either Honda petrol or Yanmar diesel engines

These self-priming pumps arefasttoset up andare easy to maintain

They areideal for use in quarries,onconstruction sites and forclearing trapped water from low lying areasand basements

FIRE PUMPS STANDBY

AUSSIE Pumps’ high pressurefirepumpsare an everyday tool forawiderange of applications around the farm

They’re used forplant washdown, high pressurewater transfer and of course fireprotection.

They can runsprinklers, be used in irrigation systems and can washdown adairy yard or stockcrate fast and efficiently

However,their primarytask is forthe fire protection of outbuildings, homes, and sheds,inwhatfireauthorities call the “Urban Interface”

There areover amillion houses lying on theoutskirts of cities andtowns in aruralorsemi-rural environment.

Ownersare at risk of losing their homes, livestock,pets andevenlives shoulda bushfirestrike.

Aussie Pumps believes thereare practical steps that canbetaken to prepare properties for bushfires, but that planningiskey

AUSSIE’S BUSHFIRE SURVIVAL GUIDE

EVERY year, Australian Pump producea revised version of their free Bushfire Survival Guide

It getsbetter each time with more input from not just thefireauthoritiesbut alsofrompeople who have had practicalexperienceinprotecting their homes and assets.

The guide is aterrific document that showsawide range of actions thatneedtobetakentoprotect property andlivestock.

Theguidesare distributed through AussiePumpShops aroundAustralia.

Theguide coversthe basics on howtofillgutters with water and move debris from aroundthe house.

However,there area scoreofother practical ideas that can be easily achieved.

Forexample, theguide coversinstructions on howto setup sprinklers fora roof mounted reticulationsystem

The “halo” effect of water sprayedover thebuilding can be alifesaver

There arereal risks involved

People livinginthe “UrbanInterface” whointendto stayand defend need to be prepared and practiced at using theirequipment

BE PREPARED

THEfirst essential is to haveanadequate water source in theformofeitheraswimming pool, water tank, dam or well

The Aussie Pump team believethatifyou intendtofight thefireand protect your property, it is worthdoingthe researchtomakesureyou have theright equipment.

After water,the next thing is having the right product in the formofa firefighting pump that willgiveyou thebest chance.

Thecompanyhas amovie that illustrates the benefits of theAussie Fire Chief,theirflagship product.

They claimthe FireChiefisthe world’s best and most effective lightweight, portable firepump.

The movie shows exactly why the Aussie FireChiefis better thancompetitorproducts.

Those advantagesinclude heavy dutycomponents that deliver true reliabilityand increasedperformance

In some cases it’s25percent morethanofother products.

Plusall Aussie QP pumps arebacked with afive year pump endwarranty.

BUYLOCAL

AUSSIE Pumps hasanextensive network of Gold Distributors in Gippsland.

Theyare readytoassist with pumpselection advice andservice supportonthe AussieQP rangeoffire, transferand trash pumps

The company has also released their latestPump Smart 9Catalogue online (hardcopiesare available too) with over300 self-priming pumps to choose from.

The comprehensive selection guideincludesthe latest Aussie developments, applicationdetails,performance curves andQRcodes with links to further readingand videos.

To downloadthe Aussie Pump Smart catalogueor BushfireSurvival Guide headonlinetoaussiepumps. com.au or contact your nearest GoldDistributor

Aussie QP60TD trash pump to be set up to move excess rainwater from aroad construction site.

Aussie 6” MQ600TD trash pump deployed in South Sudan floods.

Darcy Simpson from Brownwigg in Maffra shows offtheir impressive in storedisplay of Aussie Firepumps.

Aussie’sBushfireSurvival Guide assists property owners plan and prepare. Photos: Contributed

Valley solar with agricultural benefit

Philip HOPKINS

THE L atr obe Va lley ’s 450 meg awa tt Hazelwood solar farmand battery, which integrates agricultureand energy production, will cost $646 million to build. It will generate $1.89 billion in direct and indirect output, according to asocio-economic report on the project.

It will support 1695 jobs during construction, including up to 500 direct jobs, says the analysis by the consultancy Urban Enterprise for the private Latrobe Valley developer,Manthos Investments. The most substantialimpacts will be “generatedduring the construction phase”.

The ongoing operation of the solar farmis estimated to generate $69 million in total economic output and support 41 full-time jobs per annum, which includes 11 direct jobs.

The solar farm, which received apermit in August, will be built on a1079-hectare site south of the Princes Highway between Morwell and Traralgon. It willinclude a battery with 450 MW storage capacity1800MW hours- ancillary infrastructure, including sub-stations, and agricultural grazingfor about 7000-7800 head of sheep

The battery itself will be on 10ha and with the substation, will be built centrally on site to connect to the electricity grid. The project is well connected to the Princes Highway, Fir mins Lane and Hazelwood

Road, and will have access tracks for site vehicles and emergency services.

“Agrisolar projects createthe unique advantage of co-locating solar energy production with agriculturaluses, in-turn maximising the pr oductive use of the land,” the analysissays. “The land used for cropping will effectively be replaced with grazing. The economic impact is expected to be marginal.”

The socio-economic report says the solar farmwas one of several renewable energy projects planned in Latrobe City. “Labour requirementsduring the construction phase will be secured from alocal, regional and state catchment.”

“Specialised skillsare anticipated tobe imported from outside the municipality and region such as technicians,” it says.

“Moregeneraltrades an construction skills could be sourced fromwithin the local and regional area, given that thereis astrong base of construction workers to draw from within Latrobe City, with close to 3000 jobs (about nine per cent of all employed persons).

“Some jobs and skills required to deliver other renewable energyprojects with similar timingofdelivery couldoverlap with the construction phase for HNSF (Hazelwood North Solar Farm). If this occurs, it has the potential to increase competition for local labour,and lead to tensions and delays across projects.”

Thereportsaysworkers from outside the region will likely need amix of rental housing and commercial accommodation reasonably close to the project.

“Morwell and Traralgon will have adequate rental pr operty and commer cial room capacity to meet need during the construction phase,” it says.

“However,ifall renewable projects are delivered across Gippsland (as planned), servicing the cumulative housing needs could present achallenge, particularly for rental housing.” Gippslandisone of six renewable energy zones (REZ) in Victoria.

The report says the developer aims to set up acommunity fund -between $65,000$400,000 per annum -tosupport local projects and programsthatdeliver community benefits.

Latrobe Citywill receive revenuethrough an annual charge for solar energy generation. At full generation capacity, this sum is expected to be about $590,000.

The report says the transition away from coal and the drive for new energy is achance for Latrobe City to ‘pivot’ and diversify its industry composition and skills base.

The report notes that Latrobe City, with a population of 77,000, is the largest economy of all themunicipalities in Gippsland. It has aGross RegionalProduct of $6.17 billion32 per cent of the Gippsland total. Latrobe’s outputis $14.13 billion -35per cent of the broader Gippsland region -with an

unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent.

Thereare 4339 businesses in Latrobe and 32,244 jobs, with regional exportsof$6.52 billion -46per cent of Gippsland’sexports.

“New energy is clearly an opportunity to utilise existing transmission infrastructure, as well as business supply-chain andskills thatare transferrable. Many renewable energy projects are already proposed in the G-REZ pipeline, including solar,wind, battery and hydrogen in the Latrobe Valley,” the report says.

“A critical massofrenewable energy projects will encourage new business in the region, and present economic opportunities in Latrobe City.”

The report says alack of research makes it difficult to assess the impact of the solar farm, mainly due to the visual impact, on neighbouring property values. ANew South Wales study in 2026 by Urbis on the financial impact of wind farms on neighbours’ propertyfoundinsufficient salesdata to forma conclusion. It saidcomparing the impact of solar and wind was not possible given the difference in infrastructure, scale and characteristics.

“Regular fluctuations in property values ar es ubjectt oan umber of va r i ab l es includingcyclical market forces, fiscaland economic conditions, financial capacity of individuals and site/location and amenity characteristics of the property and surrounding area,” Urbis said.

Sheep will roam around solar panels at the Hazelwood North solar farm

Photo: iStock

Christmas is a let those

Christmasisa time to letthose we careabout know howmuch theyare appreciated. It’s atime to send special messages that encourage, upliftand inspire.

Farmers of Victoria youareamazing!

irrepressible, heroic men and wom of nd, gi up and continue to strive against a t they know they must do - provide for th Without them Mother’s Day breakfast never be the same, cold winter day, stew hearty vegetables and delicious spices andsummer justwouldn’tberigght without the barbequed sausages and steak.

Our give th f , men of the land, never all odds to do what his country in bed with eggs on toast would ws and soups would lack the nd summer just wouldn’t be right t k

But, worst of all . there wouldn’t be any Christmas turkey, roast beef, chicken, lamb and duck fat potatoes!!!

Victoria has an amazing farming community who despite everything continue to face all the early mornings, long hours and back breaking jobs with a smile on their face

So, from all of us at the Gippsland Farmer we want to let our farmers know that this Christmas we sincerely thank you and hope that you too will have time to spend with your loved ones

Redlegs draw tough start to new season

Blake METCALF-HOLT

THE Gippsland League fixturefor season 2025has released well ahead of yet another anticipated and sure to be great year of toptier country football.

As it is every year,the inevitable complaints and finger-pointing at what club has been favoured will be made -ithappens at any level of football. ‘Why areCollingwood fans complaining when they play 15 games at the MCG every year?’

Some intriguing pointsregarding the drawhavesurfaced,which could factor into who will and who won’t be playing offfor the premiership in 2025.

 BAIRNSDALE aren’t only the firstteam mentioned because of alphabetical placement -they have been dished one of the toughest cards of all.

The Redlegs play five away games in eightweeks between Round 6and 12, by far the most kilometres in one stretch during the season for any club.

Even moreisthe challenges that present during this period,where they have to travel to Wonthaggi (200kms), Sale, Morwell, Moe and Leongathawithanaddedhome game against premier Traralgon sandwiched in Round 8.

Fuel cards may be necessary for Bairnsdaleplayers and officials during this time.

Considering the Redlegs were

only agame offfifth spot with a round to go last season, things seem to have only gotten more difficult.

 MOE will be at Ted Summerton Reserve in four of the first six rounds, which includes four home games in five rounds if you remove their Round 1match in Bairnsdale.

That is evened out in the backend of the regular season though, wherethe Lions play four away games in five rounds from rounds 11 to 15.

LAST season, Wonthaggi fought from a1-4 start in the win-loss column to play finals.

The Power will sure hope to get offtothe best start possible to avoid keeping themselves outside of the postseason loop for the first time since 2019.

Not only will Wonthaggi matchup against last year’s top trio in Traralgon,Leongatha and Moe (first two away games) back-toback-to-backfromRound 7to Round 9, they’ll also have to be ideally placed ahead of their final five matches.

The Power conclude with games against Sale, at Bairnsdale, Traralgon, Leongatha and at Moe beforethe home-and-away season is completed.

Depending on how they track in the lead up and through those stretches,itcould set them up for finals-although,the luxury of resting players ahead of finals most likely won’t be on the cards.

 THE Gippsland League season will commence on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

The schedule again features 18 home-and-away matches, with anumberofmarqueefixtures.

Traralgonwill unfurl its senior premiershipflag againstseason 2024 runner-up Leongatha at Terry Hunter Oval in Round 1in atwilight time slot.

The Battle of the Birds between

Maffra and Sale will also be a key fixtureonthe Sunday in the opening weekend of matches.

The AGrade Grand Final rematch betweenMoe and Warragul will have to waituntil Round 8after the Gippsland League fulfilled Moe’s request to takeonWarragulonthe King’s Birthday Weekend.

Bairnsdale and Moe will both continue their MND theme match daysonthe King’s Birthday weekendin Round 8, with this year’s draw also containing three significant league-run theme rounds.

The annual MentalHealth Round returns to Round 2inthe fixture, while Orange Round will again be scheduled in June with the introduction of an Indigenous Recognition Round in July.

The byes will fall on Easter and in the July school holidays. Round 7willalsofeaturea bye with a split round being re-introduced to provide abreak for clubs leading into June.

Drouin football andnetball fixtureswill be relocated during the season due to ground resurfacing works at Drouin Recreation Reserve. The venues forDrouin home matches will be advised at alater date.

Finals begin on the last weekend in August, with the Grand Final scheduled for September 20.

Gippsland League fixturemuchlike AnimalFarm

Liam DURKIN

ON the surface, the 2025 Gippsland League fixtureappears relatively straightforward. Everyoneplays each othertwice, making for an equal competition between 10 teams across 18 rounds.

Analysing the schedule more thoroughly however can reveal just where some clubs might hold an advantage, while others could unfortunately be set up to fail.

The followinganalysis factorsin home groundadvantages,travel,recovery time between games, and the expected strength of the competing senior football teams. Granted it is hardto judge the latter during preseason, and no gamesinthe Gippsland League should ever be marked as certainties, it makes for an interesting exercise nonetheless.

After all, we still need some footy to talk about at this time of year

Traralgon

Last season: premier Draw difficulty: 3/10

For:

Fixture goes home/awaythroughoutall 18 rounds.

Has aneight-day break before playing Maffra in Rd 4.

Has two weeks to freshen up for trip to Bairnsdale in Rd 8. Run of games against Maffra,Warragul and DrouinRd13-15could be the ideal block to rest/freshen/nurse players back beforefinals.

Against:

No home rooms next season.

Verdict: Just aboutthe perfect fixturefrom amanagement perspective.

Leongatha

Last season: runner-up Draw difficulty: 2/10

For: Comfortablerun home (Warragul, Drouin, Wonthaggi, Maffra).

Consecutive homegames beforelast three weeks.

Against:

Wonthaggi will be coming offa14-day break compared to Leongatha’s seven when they

meet in Rd 8.

Verdict: Much of amuchness. Interesting the rivalry game isn’t until Rd 8.

Moe

Last season: third

Draw difficulty: 5.5/10

For:

Four home games in the first six rounds.

Play one game outside the Latrobe Valley between Rd 2-8.

Two longest road trips (Bairnsdale/ Wonthaggi)donein the firsthalfofthe season.

Couldbe agreat run home,playing Warraguland atravelling Wonthaggiin the last two rounds.

Against:

Consecutive away games Rd 11-12 followed by Leongatha first game after the bye.

Danger game against Warragul in Rd 8. The Gullswillhave an extra weeksrest heading into that game.

Verdict: Have been dealt some very good cards.

Wonthaggi

Last season: fourth

Draw difficulty: 4/10

For:

Could be 4-0, should at least be 3-0 to start. Will be coming offa 14-day break when they play Leongatha in Rd 8

Only travel twice in the last six weeks.

Against: Very tough three games to finish (Traralgon, Leongatha, Moe).

Get one less day’s rest before playing Morwell in Rd 4.

Verdict: Would want to have at least 10 wins by Rd 15. Consecutive home games straight after the last bye should help.

Sale

Last season: fifth

Draw difficulty: 6.5/10

For:

At home for three out of four games between Rd 5-8.

Play Traralgon in the last round. Could be perfect finals warm-up.

Against:

Only get six days to recover beforetravelling

to Leongatha in Rd 2.

Moreconsecutive away games than home.

Play consecutive away games in thelast three rounds.

Verdict: Bitofa mix and match. Home for two weeks, then away for the next two in the middle of the year

Morwell

Last season: sixth

Draw difficulty: 8.5/10

For:

Should be 2-0 heading into Easter

Get an eight-day break beforeplaying Wonthaggi at home in Rd 4.

Play fourgames in the Latrobe Valley in five rounds between Rd 3-7

Get Drouin coming offasix day break in Rd 10.

Against: Travelfour weeks in the last six rounds, two to the furthest locations (Wonthaggi/ Bairnsdale).

Play Traralgon, Wonthaggi, Leongatha in consecutive weeks twice over Play Wonthaggi and Leongatha away in consecutive weeks.

Potential virtual elimination finals Rd 15-17 (Maffra, Moe, Sale).

Play Bairnsdale away in the last round.

Verdict: Draw of death.Astough as it gets playingWonthaggiand Leongatha away inconsecutive weeks duringthe middle of winter

Bairnsdale

Last season: seventh

Draw difficulty: 7/10

For: No Sunday games. Three of last four games at home. Against:

Moreconsecutive away games than home. FaceTraralgon coming offa 14-day break in Rd 8.

Play three 2024 finalists in arow between Rd 15-17.

Verdict: Catch-22. Play mostly at home beforefinalsbut againstlikely quality opponents.

Warragul

Last season: eighth

Draw difficulty: 5/10

For:

More consecutive home games than away. Travel once in five rounds (Rd 6-10). Have 14-day break beforeplaying Moe in Rd 8.

Against:

Six-day break beforeplayingWonthaggi in Rd 10

Away for three of last four games.

Verdict: Can consolidate withconsecutive home games either side of one away game in the middle of the year

Drouin

Last season: ninth

Draw difficulty: 9.5/10

For:

Will see the last two games as winnable. Against:

Expectedtobeplaying everygameaway from home.

Cop all 2024finalistsina row(Rd 3-7, Rd 12-16).

Face Maffra coming offa14-day break in Rd 8.

Six-day break beforeplaying Morwell in Rd 10.

Verdict: Almost unfair to judge, and equally irrelevant. Will be well and truly up against it.

Maffra

Last season: 10th

Draw difficulty: 8/10

For:

More consecutive home games than away. Get a14-daybreak coming into Drouin game in Rd 8.

Chance to finishoff the year with winnable games against Warragul and Drouin both at home in Rd 16-17.

Against:

First four rounds areall against 2024 finalists.

Followthat with trip to Bairnsdalein Rd 5. Get one lessday’sbreak than Traralgon beforeRd4game.

Play all 2024 finalists in arow between Rd 9-13, in the middle of winter

Verdict: As SIA sang “I can’t compete with the she wolf”. Maffra could be “falling to pieces”.

Traralgon will be out to defend its Gippsland League football crowninseason2025.

Photo: File

One-shotwin at Traralgon Pro-Am

Blake METCALF-HOLT

PROF ESS ION AL and a mate ur gol fers gatheredatthe Traralgon Golf Club for the two-dayevent of the Traralgon Latrobe City WIN Network Pro-Am Classic.

Fr om the Mor nington Peninsula, Ed Donoghue claimedhis maiden professional title in aone-shot clinch finishingnineunder par

“Pretty happy, it’s the first time I’ve been heresoI didn’t really know what to expect but the course (was) definitely better thanI thought, (it’s) areally great course,” he said.

“I haven’t wonapro-ambefore,I’vecome second so many times,soI’m just happy to getover the line -very relieved.

“It was kind of in the back of my head alittle bit but Iknew Iwas hitting the ball really nicely, so Iwas cutting alot of opportunities.

“Tobehonest, Ithought Iwas due to win one and it happened.”

Donoghue went bogey-free during his day one six-under performance that featured near perfect weather,only to see the second day arrive with agustilywindleading to five straight pars.

He would then decompress and refocus to birdie three of his last four holes to jump to the top of the leaderboard.

“When Idid that, Ikind of thought Iwas in with agood chance, but yeah Ididn’t look at the leaderboardwith like nine holes to go, so Iwasn’t really surehow everyone else was going,” Donoghue said.

However,Donoghue did have to sit idly aftercompleting his round,asamateur Matthew Dahlsen came through trailing only by one shot.

Dahlsen, from the Peninsula-Kingswood Golf Club, arrived at the 18th hole right in front of the clubhouse with his ball sitting of fthe green -ifhenailed it, Donoghue would be holding the winner’s trophy with someone else.

Dahlsen didn’t, which meant Donoghue finished proceedings ashotclearofthe rest withAndreLauteeand Dahlsen on eight-under,claiming the classic win. Donoghue took home morethan $5000 for his breakthrough win and his single stand during the Gippsland Swing, as he now prepares for the New South Wales Open starting tomorrow (November 14).

The pro’s shoot-out proceeded play with

Matthew McFarlane collecting the $1000 for the longest drive.

Traralgon Golf Club hailed the two days as another successfulevent,which gave light to some of those rising in the professional ranks as well as local talent which competed with some of the best.

Chairman of the Pro-Am Committee at the Traralgon Golf Club, Andy Milbourne summed up the pro-am calling it “a great two days”.

“It’s been really successful, we’ve had a lot ofpeople out watchingand following the groupswhich isalwaysgoodtosee and we’ve seen some good,youngup-andcoming talentout thereonthe courseas well as far as the pros go,” he said.

“Day two, of course, the weather has made it certainly tougher,the greens have been running quick with abit of wind and everything else combined, it’s certainly made the play very interesting out therefor sure.”

Milbourne said the pros found the course to be “a good, challenging course”.

“Our curator, Nathan Arnett, he’s done afantastic job with his crew to be able to getthe course up to the standardthat it is and it’s probably,I suppose I’m bias, it’s probably one of the best courses in the Gippsland area, so he’s done agreat job there,” he said.

“Welike toimprove on it everyyear,so we go around and we talk to not only the pros but also the classic players and also thesponsors and just the club golfers who areplaying out there, and just see how we can make the course better and make the clubhouse experience better form them as well.”

Previous to the opening of the pro-am, Traralgon Golf Club also held their annual junior Ambrose pro-am with nine professionals guiding 27 young, local golfers.

“This is our thirdyear that we’ve done this and theproslove coming up for it,”

Milbourne said.

“They just love givingtips to the kids and as ajunioritwas something Inever had the opportunity to experience, so we’retrying topass on that really good experienceto the kids and they arerelishing (in) the fact that they get to be up close and personal with these pros.

“We’relooking to try and expand thatinto the near future, so that will be something to look forwardto.”

Milestone for Traf legend

Liam DURKIN

TRAFALGAR Cricket Club legend John Asmussen made club history last month, playing game number 400.

The man known as ‘Assy’ took to the field at Trafalgar High School for his recordwhen the ThirdXIplayed Drouin in the Warragul District Cricket Association.

Asmussen has played 40 years with the Ships,makinghim easily the longestservingplayer in the club’s morethan 130-year history.

Therehas been plenty of changes during his career (not least the number of timesT rafalgarhas changed leagues), but aconstant has been his dedication and loyalty to the redand white.

Officially, the breakdown for his games is:

 205 (First XI);

 3(AReserve);

 142 (Second XI);

 31 (ThirdXI);

 9(Fourth XI), and;

 9(T20s).

These games have been scatter ed across the Warragul District Cricket Association, Central Gippsland Cricket Association and Latrobe Valley District Cricket League.

While he will be celebrating 400 games of cricket, Asmussenwould have played well over 500 days of cricket considering the number of two day matches among his lot.

Playing as atop order batsman, the diminutive Asmussen has stood tall as areliable occupier of the crease.

He is fourth on the club’s all-time batting aggregate, with ahigh score of 134 Statistics have perhaps not shown his true value, as he hasoften opened the batting andmade lifeeasierfor those coming in down the order

Hisfinestknock may well have been in the 2014/15 CGCA first grade Grand Final, wherehebatted for 40 overs and finished 23 not out.

The innings played ahuge role in the Ships winning the premiership, as it took critical time out of the game after they had won on first innings.

That premiership capped offafairy tale for Asmussen, who finally found himself in awinning First XI premiership after playing in two losing grand finals in the 1990s and missed the club’s 2006/07 WDCA triumph.

Additional premierships havecome in 2004/05 (Second XI) and 1989/90 (ThirdXI), making him the only Trafalgar cricketer to win aflag in three different grades.

The number three is also appropriate for Asmussen’s significant off-field contribution, as he has thrice been named TCC best club person.

He has served as club president, spent countless years on the committee and coached anumber of junior teams.

His ef forts werefor mally recognised and his legacy assured in 2009, when theclub bestowed Asmussen with the honour of Life Membership.

He is one of only 16 people to achieve this honour

John Asmussen played his 400th game for Trafalgar Cricket Club last month.

Photo: Contributed

Jack, Oscar and Harry wereamong anumber of local kids shepherded by professionals like Peter Vassiliadis the dayprior to the Traralgon Pro-Am. Photos: Blake Metcalf-Holt

Churchill Football-Netball Club President,Mark Answerth, Jason Dowling and Rod Ware with professional Brock Gillard.

Doug Veldman, LachlanPollardand RayVan Poppel from Traralgon Golf Club lined up with professional Hayden Webb (second from right).

Traralgon Latrobe City WIN Network Pro-Am Classic winner Ed Donoghue presented Traralgon Golf Club Chairman of the Pro-Am Committee, Andy Milbourne.