Gippsland Farmer March 2024

Blissful brushing in the bush

After losing his son in 2005, Thorpdale farmer, Graeme Myrteza found relief when he began his artistic journey late in life He has since become a recognised artist with around 30 exhibitions in his portfolio.

Farmers left in the dark

Philip HOPKINS

CONFUSION reigns among farmers in southern Gippsland as the state government’s new kid on the bloc, VicGrid, has pushed aside their negotiations with existing companies over the various transmission projects that will be built across the region under the government’srenewable energy policy.

VicGrid,formed lastyear, specifically emphasises its role to co-ordinate the integration of transmission projectsinto theexisting electricity network to avoida‘spaghettieffect’of transmissionlines across the landscape, andhigher costs for consumers.

Gippsland’s RenewableEnergy Zone(G-REZ) aims to create

infrastructure, centred on asingle high voltagetransmission line, thatwill connect Gippsland’s renewable energy projects, particularly those planned offshore, into the electricity grid through the Latrobe Valley’s existing power network.

AusNet Services,which runs the electricity transmission and distribution networksin Gippsland, hadbeen driving the development of G-REZ until the creation of VicGrid.On its website, AusNet says it supports the role of VicGrid in leading the transmission project planning and development in Victoria.

While VicGrid progresses its work, AusNet says it has slowed down some of its activitiesonG-REZ, includingdeferring meetings of

its community advisorygroup andsome worksrelatedtoits Environment Effects Statement.

Planned andexisting projects include the high voltage transmission line; the first offshore windfarm, Star of the South, which is developingits own transmission line; CarbonNet’s carbon capture and storage development; and the existingBassLinkand proposed MarinusLink,bothofwhich are linked to Tasmania.

Marinus Link isaproposed undersea and underground electricity and telecommunications interconnector betweenTasmania and the Latrobe Valley.

VicGrid’szone of interest runs from near Wurruk to Paradise Beach,a point between Manns Beach and Port Albert, and

expanding justpast Alberton.

The Longfordgas plant also has existing gas distribution pipelines.

Dozens of farmersare affected by theproposals. The ultimate design, whether overhead, underground or acombination of both, will depend on different factors -whether the commercial model works, the community feedback, and furtherenvironmental and technical studies, AusNetsays on its website.

Gippsland forms an integral part of the state government’soffshore wind targets, which aremorethan two gigawatts of power by 2032, 4 GW by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.

VicGrid’s chief executive, Alistair Parker,said the state government had stepped in to coordinate the transmission to minimise impacts

on communities, cultural heritage and theenvironment to secure Victoria’s renewable energy future.

“We’retaking local communities, TraditionalOwners and landholders with us every step of the way through ongoing consultation, to ensureweachieve thebest social, environmentaland cultural outcomes for our state,” he said.

“Wecarried out local and statewide communityattitude surveys alongside asurvey on Engage Victoria and asked people to place pinsonaninteractive map to share local insights -in addition to aseries of community events including roundtables in Giffardand Flynn and aseries of drop-in sessions and pop ups at local markets and events.”

Continued

-Page4

No need for redmeat working group

THE redmeat industry hascalled on the federal government to scrap plans to introduce an environmental sustainability element of thenational dietary guidelines.

Areview of the Australian Dietary Guidelines is currently underway, after the federal governmentallocated$2.5min funding to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). NHMRC is now seeking applications for a“sustainability working group”.

Under the plan, driven by the NHMRC’s dietary guidelines expert committee, environmental messaging would be included in arevisionofthe guidelines, which provide advice on the typesand amounts of food Australians should eat to meet nutritional requirements. The guidelines arealso used as atool for health and nutrition professionals in patient care.

Manyinthe redmeatindustry have raised concerns about the idea of conflating environmentalsustainability with dietary guidelines.The main fear is that it will expose the guidelines to ideological agendas that could discount the important nutritional value of redmeat.

The Red Meat Advisory Council chair, John McKillop, said the working group was acomplete overreach and needed to be abandoned.

“Thereare already people who do not have access to basic nutritional requirements afforded by redmeat protein, which results in adverse health outcomes,” Mr McKillop said.

“Taking alocal lens, one in five women areirondeficient in Australia; we should be working to solve these problems, not make them worse. Thedietary guidelines review process must notbeallowed to be used as avehicle to drive ideological agendas at the expense of the latest available nutritional science.

“The redmeat industry has astrong story about sustainability, so our concerns are not because we believe it’s aweakness, but because it’s not the role of the dietary guidelines nor is it the expertise of the dietary guidelines expert committee.”

The chiefexecutive of Cattle Australia Chris Parker,said theorganisation was concerned the working group wouldfail to grasp the reality of modernbeef production and muddy waters for consumers on how best to optimise their health through nutrition.

“Any move that provides an opportunity for environmental ideologies or agendas that fail to understand the world-leading work being undertakenbyAustralian beef producers, and which ignores both

Plantationgrants available

THE secondroundofgrants for the $74 million Support Plantation Establishment Program is now open for applications.

Farmforesters, First Nations businesses and the forestry industry areamong those who will benefit from funding to support morenew plantation forests in Australia.

Acting Deputy Secretary of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Group, Dr Jared Greenville, said the grants aimed to increase domestictimber supply, particularly construction and manufacturing timber

“Australia’s plantation forest estate has beenindeclinefor over adecade,” Dr Greenville said.

“Estimates from 2019 predict ashortfall in domestic production of softwood logs of

3.4 millionm3by2050 based on 2015/16 production levels.“

The federalgovernment is providing funding of $2000 (GSTexclusive)per hectareof new long-rotation plantation forest established.

“It can take some tree species 20 to 30 years of growing beforethey aresuitable for harvest and can be processed into structuraltimber. Thisgrowing timeis even longer for some hardwood species,” DR Greenville said.

Projects can run for one,two or three years and must be concluded no laterthan June 30, 2027.

Formoreinformation,visit tinyurl.com/ mr3f9fz5

the positive contribution we make to the landscape and the nutritional needs of our community,isentirely misguided and inappropriate,” he said.

“A typical 150g serving of Australian beef contains 12 essential nutrientsrecommended for good health and is apowerful sourceof protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12.”

The Australian Meat Industry Council chief executive, Patrick Hutchinson, said the sustainability working group had the potential to erode trust in the review.

“The review process must notbeused as avehicle to drive ideological agendas at the expense of the latest available nutritional science,” he said.

Methane in the beef industry -Page 10

PeterRosenberg: 0429 427811

Mathew

0409926 296

Australian beef: 12 essential nutrients per 150g serve.

Photo: iStock

Nats see nuclear as viable option

Philip HOPKINS

THE super storminVictoria has renewed calls by the National Party for nuclear power,toavoid the new transmission lines by the drive towards renewable energy.

The leaderofThe Nationals, David Littleproud,said the destructive storm showedthe fragility of the electricity system and the electricity grid.

“Weneed to make surethat if we aregoing to transition our power source, that we don’t expose ourselves to these types of risksevenmore. And the concernthat I have is that if we aregoing to continue down this reckless race of 82 per cent renewables by 2030, you actually have to plug them in with 28,000 kilometres of new transmission lines,” he said.

“So you actually increase the risk of this (transmission towers topplingover) happening again.

”Mr Littleproud said instead, as coal fired powerstations retired, Australia should look at nuclear energy to replace it.

It would thus not be necessarytoincrease the amount of transmission lines.

“That’s common senseand that’swhat we’ve been saying for some time. Ithink it’s

important that government understands that. And as we get these weather events moreand morefrequently, what we do is expose our grid even more,” he said.

“And so this is the challenge that we’re goingto have. This is whyit’simportant that we pause, we plan.”

Mr Littleproud renewed his call to the Prime Minister to have aNational Energy Summit.Energy experts,unions and state premiers could be brought together to discuss all the options including nuclear.

“I think it is eminently sensible to undertake,” he said.

Queried whether nuclear would take too long and was expensive, Mr Littleproud saidthe only personsaying that was the Energy Minister,Chris Bowen.

“The only report that he’s got, unfortunately, trashed the CSIRO’s reputation by puttingout ageneral cost report that didn’t actually addinthe 28,000 kilometresof transmission lines to plug in these renewables,” he said.

Private investors areprepared to act.

“Deutsche Bank has abunch of investors that areprepared to build their own small scale modular nuclear.Let’s just fight this out in the marketplace. Remove the ban,” Mr Littleproud said.

Mr Littleproud said nuclear power would reduce emissions andcomplement coal and gas with carbon capturestorage, with aplace for renewables.

“And if you had solar on rooftops in capital cities, on houses with small batteries, then you’d also alleviate much of this hurt that’s thereatthe moment. And thatisa sensible solution about getting the energy mix right, ratherthanputtingitall in one basket, which iswhatthe AnthonyAlbanese government’s trying to do.”

Puttingthepiecestogetheronanewenergystructure

From Page 1

THE completion of VicGrid’s work and the federal government’s release of the list of the approved offshorewind proposals are expected to push the further development of the G-REZ.

AusNethas emphasised thatitisthe distribution system that typically leads to outages, or brown outs, to households at amorelocalised level. The company has focussedonnew transmission assets to makethe transmission networkmore reliable.

After talks with landowners, AusNet outlined its preferred route for the main transmission line in March last year

Thisgoessouthofthe Loy Yang mine north of the Holey PlainsState Park and includesanoption for aterminal site at Stradbroke to join Giffardasapossible terminal site.Thereare 52 private landownersand eight corporate/government landowners on the current preferred site.

The G-REZ does not connect intoBasslink, which links the Tasmanian and Victorian transmission networks, because the current capacity of Basslink is about 600MW and does not have capacity for additional connections, AusNet notes.

In addition, the Star of the South offshore windfarmproject, which is separate from AusNet’s negotiations, is investigating an underground transmission route that is largely next to Basslink and will connect to the grid in the Latrobe Valley.

Star of the South is continuing work on

its transmission proposal pending further information about VicGrid’s transmission planning, including route,timing and technical details. It has been working with about 60 landholders along theproposed route since 2020, with unique arrangements in place for each landholder.The company regularly meets with the local community, environment and community groups and governmenttotalk about the project.

“If AusNet weretoalso pursue the same route for G-REZ,itwould increase the overall widthofthe Basslink/Star of theSouth, G-REZ corridor to at least 180 metres and potentially widerinspaces where agreater separation distanceisrequiredbetween electrical circuits,” AusNet says.

“This would have asignificant impact on the land and landowners,and significantly limitthe permissible uses of the land Existing land uses, including agriculture, wouldnolongerbe possible within this large easement.”

These factorsmitigated against aroute south of the Holey Plains State Park, which would have also created greater risks to biodiversity compared with the northern corridor

AusNet also chose the route southof the Loy Yang mine because it reduces the ‘visual amenity impact’ on landowners and residents in the densely populated area of Traralgon East. It also avoids infrastructure such as the Loy Yang overburden site and the proposed route for the Traralgon bypass.

“By developing the project south of Loy Yang, we’reable to followexisting infrastructurecorridors while allowing AGL to continue its miningand rehabilitation activities as currentplanned,”AusNet says. However,“the corridorsnorth and south of Loy Yang will both be considered as part of our EES submission”. The route south of Loy Yang remainsAusNet’s current preferred route; the northerncorridor,the original preferred route, is now an alternative corridor

AusNet has been investigating the merits of Stradbroke and Giffardasthe preferred terminal station. Stradbroke would reduce the length of the proposed transmission lineby about15kilometres,makingthe line’s overall length about 70km.

Star of the South’s route travels east from Loy Yang north of Gormandale and Hiamdale beforeturning south at Giffard West, crossing the South Gippsland Highway, passing Derriman until it meets the coast at Reeves Beach.

Marinus Link‘s proposedunderground land route is between the electricity grid at Hazelwood, with apossibleconverter station at Hazelwood or near Driffield, and runs south just past Driffield and Mirboo North and crosses the shoreatWaratah Bay about three kilometres west of Sandy Point.

AusNet says Star of the South and MarinusLink arewell advancedin developing their projects.

“They have made significant progress in identifying feasibletransmissionroutes

and started environmental and engineering studies to further inform their projects.

AusNetwillcontinue to talktoStar of the South and Marinus Link as it further develops G-REZ,” says AusNet.

CarbonNet proposes to send liquefied carbon dioxide through apipeline to connect at Golden Beach to acarbon capture and storage hub in Bass Strait. The pipeline hasaconnection point in the Latrobe Valley and spans 80km-100km buried onshore and about20km offshore- with a30-metre wide easement.

AusNet says both it and CarbonNet need access to properties.

“AusNet is working with the Carbon Net project to, whereverpossible,minimise impacttolandownersand occupiers in areas wherethe projects areadjacent,” the company says on its website.

The G-REZalsoinvolvesanew transmission line to connect renewable energy developmentseast of the Latrobe Valley into the national electricity market. There arenotransmission lines that extend this far east, says AusNet.

The Victorian FarmersFederation is making no comment as VicGrid completes its work, but in the past has strongly accused the state government of autocratic behaviour towards affected farmers and has criticised the level of potential compensationtofarmers for transmission lines on their land.

Infrastructurepolicy -Page18

Nationals leader,David Littleproud is concerned over the nation’s electricity system.

Photo: File

Farm safety highlighted

THE VictorianFarmers Federation ‘Making our Farms Safer project ‘(VFF MOFS) is aiming to reduce the over-representation of farmersaged 60 and over from dying on Victorian farms with the release of its newhandbook, ‘StayFarming Longer and Safer: Apractical guide for older farmers and their families’.

VFF Vice-President and chair of the Making our Farmers Safer Committee, Danyel Cucinotta, said the free handbook is available toall Victorian farmers, and offerspracticalsafetytips, information and advice that arecritical to saving lives.

“In 2022, over 40 per cent of all deaths on farms weretragically in people aged over 60. It’s so important that we disruptthe ‘it’ll be right mentality’when it comes to farmsafety. We know complacency kills,

and it’s through resources such as this handbook that we shift thedial,”she said.

“The average farmer is now aged 63.”

Ms Cucinotta said the much-needed handbook fills ahole within the industry.

It has been written for farmers, by farmers, while keeping front of mindthe unique challenges that living on afarmpresents.

Thecampaign and accompanying handbook have been createdaspartofthe VFF Making Our Farms Safer project, afree farmsafety education and support service for Victorian farmers, funded by the state government through AgricultureVictoria.

Youcan find the MakingOur Farms Safer Project on all social media platforms and download afreecopy of the handbook at makingourfarmssafer.org.au

Driving gender equality anddiversity

THE Australian MeatBusiness Women national conference is returning this year after ahiatus in 2023.

Thisyear’s program will centreonthe Meat Business Women’s global campaign, which aims to empower individuals and drive inclusivity in the meat industry.

Theconference will take place at Hyatt Place,Melbourne Essendon Fields on Wednesday, March 20.

The award-winning founder of She Lion Group and Walk Fearlessly, and the director of Employee Strategy and Experience at Gilbertand Tobin Lawyers,KateDillon, will deliver a pragmatic session concentrated on mastering your brand, clarifying your goals, and leveraging your uniquevalue to seize opportunities.

Attendees willbenefit froma practical and insightful workshop hosted by Meat Business Women facilitator,Michelle Redfern, aleader in gender equalityand

diversity, on how women can reach their full potential bydeeplyunderstanding leadership and the skillstheyneedto develop and demonstrate.

There will be anengaging panel on diversity in leadership together with apresentation from SueMcKluskey –Australia’s representative for Australian Agriculture under the government’s Global Agriculture Leadership Initiative.

The full programcan beaccessedon the MeatBusinessWomen’s conference webpage.

Founded in 2015, Meat Business Women is the global professional network for women workingacross the meat industry. It was createdtoimprove the sustainability of the meat sector and grow the pipeline of femaletalent in this male-dominated arena.

For moreinformation and to secure tickets, visit the Meat Business Women Australia Conference webpage.

Showtime in Yarram

MCARTHUR

Ben

ABOTTOMLESS drink selection of wine, beerand aseeminglyendless foodplatter marked Gippsland'sfirstshowing of the Planet Wind documentary film at the Regent Theatre, Yarram.

About 60 people attended the premiere on Tuesday, February 19 to watch afilm about thedevelopmentand growthof offshorewind around the world featuring wind energy experts from as far away as Denmark.

Lessthan1000people worldwide have seen the film, which will soon be released internationally.

It follows Star of the South co-founder and host Andy Evans, learning about offshore wind in 13 countries, and features more than 20 offshorewind experts.

The film discussed the science behind harnessing wind, its futurepotential and scale, and argued that wind will do more than supply electricity.Italso offers apath to energy independence, revitalises regions struck by industrial decline, and presents acrucial solution to reduce emissions.

The film was directed by Dominic Allen, who has won various filmawardsand worked on VR projects such as one in the Eureka Skydeck. He calls Planet Wind a "returntothe narrative story."

"It's not all about savingthe planet;

there's much moretoit. Iwanted to tell the human stories globally as to why offshore winds areone of the most important things in the world," he said.

"The film started when Iwas approached by Andy about ayear ago …and we had a powerful connection. Iwas interested in his passion for the subject, and he proposed that we make afilm.

"I agreedbecauseIthinkthis country needs morewind energy supply. But Ialso love to travel,and Iwas thrilled to uncover the story of offshorewind."

Planet Wind was producedby Evans, and while Mr Evans isn'tpartofStarof the South anymore, it strongly promoted the ideas of their new offshorewind project, which is proposed to be developed along Port Albert, Woodside Beach and McLoughlins Beach.

The companybelieves, if completed, it will be Australia's most advanced offshorewind project. It should supply renewable energy to morethan 1.2 millionhomes by the end of the decade, subject to government approval decisions.

Mr Evans said he was proud Star of the Southchose Gippsland as the homefor an offshorewind location.

"Gippsland is now known globally as the heart of offshorewind not only in Australia but the SouthernHemisphere.Not only is the world awareofthe region, but they want to visit and set up shop to be apart of the exciting futurethat is developing," he said.

Gippsland local and Star of the South Community Advisory Group member, Tony Wolfe, features in the documentary, sharing his story of working in the energy industry in Gippsland.

"It was an honour to sharemy story. I want Gippslanderstocontinuethe region's long and proud history of energy generation long into the future, but with clean energy," he said.

The film’s director,Dominic Allen, with Star of the South Chief Developer Officer,Erin Coldham. Photo:Contributed

Dr Cole recognised for agricultural service

Nick ROWE

LONG-TIME Vervale resident Mary Cole was awarded Cardinia Shire's Senior Citizen of the Year title in recognition of her many years work as amicrobiologist specialising in research, teaching, and implementation of sustainable farming and soil health practices.

At theAustraliaDay awards presentation, Cardinia ShireMayor Jack Kowarzik paidtribute toDr Cole, describingher as "a dedicated farmerand advocate for regenerative agriculture".

"With 55 yearsofexperience, she volunteers her time to assist fellowfarmers in adoptingregenerative techniques and promoting sustainable and resilient farming," Cr Kowarzik said.

Dr Cole and her husband Alan Cole (OAM) have lived on their 60-acrefarminVervale, near Koo-Wee-Rup in South Gippsland, for close to 55 years. Dr Cole grew up in Far North Queensland near the Atherton tablelands beforemovingtoVictoria in the 1960s.

The Coles bought the then dairy farmin 1969and havesince developed it into a model exampleofsustainable and biological farming.

"As a dairy farm, there was not a tree on the property when we first moved here," she said.

The farmis now alive with plant life and crops, testament to Dr Cole's methods. "Wehave not put adropofchemical on the farmsince we have been here," she said.

Dr Cole is awell known academic, plant pathologist and soil microbiologist who provides instruction, workshops and courses in sustainableagriculturalpracticesto farmers, studentsand consultants around the world.

With aPhd in plantpathology from

MonashUniversity, Dr Cole has had along and distinguishedcareer in academia. She originally worked in the viticultureindustry with anumber of large winegrowers and was part of aprojectthat developed an organism to combatpests thatdamage vineswithout the need for chemical intervention.

Dr Cole is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne and she supervises PhD students as well as providing summer vacationexperiencesinsoilmicrobiology and composting for graduates in the field. As well as this, Dr Cole's business takes on anumber of local Year 10 students

undertaking work experience at the laboratory every year

In 1980, Dr Cole foundedthe company AgPath at the Vervale property and its mission since then has been to introduce farmers to biological farming with an emphasis on improving soil health and productivity to give farms asustainable futurewhile raising awareness of alternative farming methods and generating ideas for the long termhealth of the planet. AgPath provides laboratorytesting in many fieldsoffungal and microbial pathology, as well as consulting services

in agriculture, viticulture, environment and food manufacturing. The laboratory also provides services in water and soil testing, validates commercial biological products, providesexpert witness statements and whole farmmanagement procedures. The groundswell of interest in these practices is evidentwith the company consulting to morethan 1500 customers in the past year alone.

DrCole's continuing ambition is to teach peopleabout both the benefits andthe absoluteneedfor sustainable farming practices.

"Wehave done alot of damage to our farmland in Australia over the years and if we areto continue to produceenough quality food, it is important that we move away from chemicals and towards methods such as composting," she said.

"The medical literatureshows alot of illness comes from toxic chemicals and the morewecan get the chemicals out of theenvironmentthe healthier we should be as acommunity."

Dr Cole is also collaborating with the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance on a trial of the use of hemp plants in building materials. She said use of concrete in the long termcould be perilous as worldwide stocks in quality sand dwindle.

"It has been shown that hemp fibreis aversatile product that can be used to make excellentand fit for purpose building products," she said.

Dr Cole and her colleaguesfromthe Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance will be at FarmWorld exhibiting products and talking on the untappedpotential of the product.

Whetheritbeinher roles in academia, consulting or education of farmers, she has no intention of slowing down.

-Warragul Gazette

Timber ban unintended consequences

AN arborist who worked under contract to VicForests across Gippsland says the ban on harvesting native timber adds to the risk of serious bushfires and has left many in the industry in direfinancial situations, including himself.

Brendon Clark worked under contract for VicForests after establishing his business in Erica in 2007 until June last year

The stategovernment that had earlier announced it would phase out native timber harvesting in state forests in 2030, advanced the closuretoJanuary 1this year leaving, Mr Clarksaid, those workingin the industry in limbo and under financial difficulty.

He said the original 2030 deadline was "unattainable" and apromise that led timber workers to invest in their business and family homesunder the belief theyhad time to repay their debts beforethe closure. Mr Clark said his work as an arborist

and seed collector across an area of High Country from Healesville to Omeo involved stopping deforestation after significant bushfires.

"I never cut down atreefor timber production but to save our key species," he said.

"The sad truthisthatthe moreour important ecosystems burned the more my business profited."

Mr Clark said he took great pride in the work his businessdid, believinghehad helped save millions of trees after devastating fires. Emotional politics had clouded judgements and failed to recognise how the timber industry had contributed billions of dollars to the Victorian economy and rural communities.

"Recent bushfires had shown that young, denseforests cannot stop the spread of fire and withoutproper rehabilitation, the risk of futurefires continues to rise," he said.

Mr Clarksaidthe 2019/20fires alone

entirely burnt five unrehabilitated national parks and the "dominant species in alpine forestry perished and have been replaced by acacia trees".

He said huge numbers of native animals werealso lost, the survivors now exposed to feral predatorsand the naturalwildlife food sources on which they rely arebeing eaten by feral deer.Forestry needed to generate income to pay for essential rehabilitation work.

He claimed the government's lack of support and adequate resources for asmooth transition had exacerbated the feelings of neglect among timberand forestry workers.

Describing the earlyclosure of native timber harvesting as a "deceitful trap", Mr Clark said many businesses and workers who could not find other work were desperately seeking answers.

Many, including himself, had not received any supportfromthe government and

werefacing the tough reality of declaring bankruptcy.

"Regrettably, as they dismantleour industry, the concerns of these timber workers have not been adequatelyaddressed by our government leaders," Mr Clark said.

The stress and uncertainty faced by the frontline industry workersand their families wereoverwhelming, leaving them in limbo "With some of them, myself included, not having been paid for months. The future looks uncertain, castingashadow of doubt over the entirecommunity," he said.

"My inquiries to the government have been answered with advice to apply to Centrelink for assistance and therehave been nothing but obstacles to accessing the compensation the industry rightfully deserves."

-Warragul Gazette

Dr Mary Cole at her Vervalescience laboratory after being named Cardinia Shire’s 2024 Senior Citizen of the Year Photo: Contributed

Calls to rethink the role of methane

Philip HOPKINS

CATTLEAustralia(CA) hasurgedthe federal government to rethinkthe role of methaneinthe beef industry in itsdecisions on how Australia will tackle climate change in the future.

CA, whichisthe peak council forthe grassed beef sector,said asingle focus on absolute emissions reduction under current carbon dioxide-equivalent accounting frameworks was detrimental for the beef industry.

"Emerging sciencechanges the perception that livestock arelarge emitters and thereforemust be accounted for differently in the future," CA Chief Executive, Dr Chris Parker, said in the organisation's submission to the federal government's proposed Agricultureand Land Sectoral Plan, which aimsto guideAustralia's 2050 net-zero ambition.

"Methane emissions from livestock are part of abiogenic cycle. They have adifferent impact on global temperature rise than emissions from fossil fuels, which persistin the atmospherefor thousands of years and areinherently linkedwith storage within soil and vegetation," he said.

Dr Parkersaid the grass-fed beef industry would become climate neutral, having no additional impact onglobaltemperature rises.

"The beef industry is an important part of the solution to global warming. Considering the cyclical short-lived natureofbiogenic methane, emissions targets for the grassfed cattle industry that strive to net zero should be avoided and alternative 'better' metrics," he said.

"Future targetsneedtostimulateoptimising positive impact on the climate, not detrimental to profitability and productivity to our sector."

Beef and dairy arekey parts of Gippsland's $7 billionfoodand fibre sector,which in turnmake up almost half of Gippsland's $16 billion gross regional product.

Dr Parker pointed out that grass-fed producers werethe custodians to almost 80 per cent of Australia's agricultural land, which is morethan 50 per cent of Australia'stotal land mass.

"The Australian beef industry has made aleading contribution to combatfurther global warming and with the right support in comingyears willachieve thestate of climateneutral having no additional impact on global temperaturerise," he said.

An ABARES report last year found that even with the CO2e accounting methodology, Australia's emissions intensities are below averagefor cattlecompared to other major developed producers and export countries.

"Australia reduced agricultural emissions morethan most other developed countries in the last 30 years," he said

Therewas also demands from special interestgroupsand popularmedia to reduce meat consumption, especially from

ruminants, to reduce global warming.

"Callsfor consumers toreducemeat consumptiontoreduce their carbon footprintare simplistic, ideological and do not consider the societal, nutritional and environmental benefitsof ruminant production is asustainable food system."

CA also emphasised the need for aserious review of Australian national parks and conservationareas in order tolimit bushfireemissions and halt associated biodiversity loss.

"While emissions measurement and increasing regulation apply to agriculture, annualbushfireemissionsare not accounted for ... and arereferred to as being partof'fast carboncycles' -biological processes include photosynthesis, plant respiration and decomposition," he

"Over the Australia emitted abou million tonnes CO2 per annum which as imilar amountt Australia's anthropogenic emissions."

Dr Park CA also recognition and further research into the role that grassfed livestock play in influencing annual carbon and/or seque "Livestock cal part in native flora across our ests and through management associated context of many of which national

"CA urges closely wit sector to generate for our conserv ing emissi biodiversity."

Dr Par native animals pods- kan tree-kang ,w

quokkas -may emit similar amounts of methane as cattle on afeed intake basis. This was important given plans to expand national parks.

"In many instances,the removalof domestic animalsand their associated anthropogenic emissions footprint in line with greater areas set aside for conservation does not equate to anet emissions reduction," he said.

Dr Parker extrapolated on the methane issue, where globally morescientistsagreed that methane is ashort-cycle greenhouse gas that is reabsorbedinto the environment on a12-year biogenic carbon cycle.

"It turns intocarbon dioxide,a key ingredient that grass and trees absorb through photosynthesis to create energy and oxygen," he said.

as seenmore natural cycle wasnot an accumulative, one-way street; it was part of the climate solution.At lobal and level, the method the contribuferent GHGs global warming GWP100,"which estimate of ency to carbon on a100-year account for ming caused short- lived "GWP100 is widely acknowledgedby tists to have tcomings in the warmtribution of GHG emisas biogenic Dr Parker said, ange of more cs for reporteemissions WP,Radiative Footprint and several ccurate metrics."

id GWP100 fect of constant emissions on temperof three-four understating the effect methane emisebyafactor of the 20 years oduction of the nmental Panel on Paris Agreement keep warming

below 1.5 degrees allowedmetrics other than GWP100, such as GWP of Radiative Forcing Footprint.

Thus, CA said it would be legitimate and useful for countries to start the actual warming impact of their emission issuing ametriclike GWP in theircountry reports to the IPCC."Cattle Australiasupports atarget to be climateneutralby2028,atwhich point emissions from thebeef industry will have no additional impact on global temperaturerise," Dr Parker said.

CA emphasisedthatthe government shouldreport emissions from the red meat sector using GWP and GWP100 and other suitable metrics to better reflect the true impact of methane emissions on the climateand on Australia's greenhousegas accounts.

CA also emphasised othermeasures and barriers to make the beef sector moreproductive and sustainable. These included:

 Greater ongoing and long-term research of carbon sequestration in soil, including better technology and methodologies to measurecarbon in alandscape to 30cm, as well as monitoring that supports natural capital;

 Baseline tools using CO2equivalency areabarrier to adoption, as producers don't want to be told their supposed huge emissions problem will never be economically addressed;

 Methane inhibiting technologies have no clear incentives due to high implementation costs with no productivity gains and unreliable market indicators for sustainability credentials;

 Limited opportunities to renewable electricity opportunities on-farm, large-up front costs to do so;

 Beef producers must receive the financial and technical support necessary for environmental stewardship, while remaining profitable and resilient;

 The ongoing development and investment of the Net ZeroCRC, amulti-stakeholders approach to transitioning Australian agriculture to net-zero, healthy, resilient and profitable food systems by 2040;

 Establish asteering committee with key stakeholders like CA to analyse all the bodies nationally and internationally to generate one coordinated plan, and;

 Prioritise an Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) methodologies that encourage adoption of feed supplements and other technology to reduce livestock emissions.

Fantastic festival lights up MirbooNorth

Katrina BRANDON

IF last year was any indicator,the Mirboo North ItalianFestivalwas onceagaina massive success,asmorethan 30,000 people attended.

On Sunday, February 11 the annual Italian Festa went ahead as usual, featuring food stalls, performances and souvenirs.

While thefood was cooking, so were attendees in 34-degree Celsius conditions. This didn’t worry the crowd though.

According to the organiser,Rosie Romano, peoplejust adapted to the intense heat and said that this year was the first time it was warmfor the event.

“This is the first ever hot day we have had. Usually, it rains on the Saturday and then gets cooler on the Sunday,” she said. “It’s been adifferent experience for it to be really hot. People moved furnitureout of thesun and into the shade. People adapted to it. Thereis alovely breeze now. We are really happy with how it turned out.”

In 2016, the Mirboo North Italian Festa was revamped by Rosie and others in her team of Lorella, Adele, Paula, Anna, Mary, Nucia, Gina, Maria, and their families and friends. Now, the festa has flourished, with morethan 200,000 followers on Facebook.

The event was set to start at 10am, but people couldn’t wait any longer than 8.30am to beginarriving and viewing the incredible displayswithin the mercato, withsome even beating stallholders to the punch.

Mass was the opening session on the main stage. Manypeople joined, either standing or sitting andpraying among themselves After mass, the statue of St. Paul was carried around the park, led by Mirboo North Primary School students, organisers, churchgoers and the flagthrowersfrom Faenza, Italy.

While themass wasunderway,people werealready lining up for food from one end of the festival to the other.The build-up of peopledid not come graduallybut all together.Busloadsofpeoplepoured in from Melbourneand across Victoria. The ‘parking lot’ (football grounds)was jam-packed with thousands of cars.

Ms Romano said,“It’s just spread like wildfire. Every year,weseem to get more and morepeople, and we think, ‘Oh, people will be sick of it. They might not come.’ But

really, they come with morepeople, more family, morefriends.”

Travelling throughthe mercatofelt like astep into Italy, even with all the Italian thrown around. Even this journalist had agoatspeaking the festa’s native tongue: “Sono giornalista. Nonparlo Italianobene!”

It was amix of who andwho didn’tspeak Italian at the event, and they tried to do both for most activities.

Therewerethree mass areas, including one main stagewhere comedianJames Liotta kept things moving throughout the day with quick flicks of humorous takes; another stage featuredNonna’sCucina (kitchen) and magician Luigi Zucchini, who performed for the children.

All the stages ran throughout the day alongside the stalls,replaying some of their sets that may have been missed due to all the excitement. Wheremass had sat in the morning becameafree-for-all-dance stage throughout the day wherepassionate viewers dancedto TopShelf Duo,Dean Canan and LisaAsta,the SiestaCartel and performer Bree.

Clearing the dance floor once was challenging, let alone twice for the flag throwers. The concentration fascinated the audience, with not one but all viewers videoing each throw, waiting for one to drop or miss. The toss behind the knee and hands-free throws kept audiences on their toes.

As soon as theflag-throwing was over, it was back to surrounding the stage for James Liotta’s competition sector,wherea group of people ate abowl of spaghetti as fast as possible with no cutlery or hands.

Thetwo-time winner, NSWcitizen Michael Nativo, once again claimed the title.

Offtothe nextcompetition, Member for EasternVictoria Region, Melina Bath and Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, competed in una uva (grape) stomping competition and won.

The breath-taking moment called for a celebration with another Italian classic, Aperol Spritz.

Latrobe and Gippsland businesses such as Gippsland Water,Community Bank Mirboo North and District, Mirboo North and DistrictCommunityFoundation, Destination Gippsland, Cummaudo Farms, Travellers Rest Hotel Thorpdale, Manny’s MarketMorwell and Traralgon Market, GrandRidge BreweryBistro, and Cool Aqua Springs Water were largesupporters of theevent.

Overall, the day was amassive success not only for the festa but for the local businesses. Even the Mirboo North Hotel was flooded with people.

Ms Romano said, “People had aball, and they absolutely love it every year that we do. Thereare so many positive compliments. Whatcan Isay?It just getsbigger and better for us every year.”

“Weare really happy with how it turned out. We loveseeing people who arereally happy.”

To watch outfor nextyear, headtothe Mirboo North ItalianFesta Facebook page.

Keeponfarming

DESPITE acrazy week of storms and outages,about 60 farmers still attended the annualGippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG) results dinneron Thursday February 22.

“The theme for the dinner was ‘Just Keep Farming’,” GAgG general manager, Jen Smith, said.

“AgricultureinAustralia has thrown us some high highs and some low lows. With so muchmarket pressureand some of the strangest seasonal conditions in 50 years, as well as acolossal increase ininput costs,it’sbeena challenging year

“But work at the Gippsland Research Farmwill continue into soils, pastures, grains, fodder crops and livestock to better understand farming in our region and improve productivityinour own systems.”

Ms Smith encouraged interested people to check out all the demonstrations and trial results on the GAgG website under the publications tab.

Before thedinner,alivestock and fodder field day tookplace, including paddockwalk discussions with five industry guest speakers looking at lucerne varietiesand management; lamb performance on single and multispecies crops; sorghum varieties and prussic acid management; as well as grazing brassica varieties and mixed crops and their feed value.

GAgG Chief Executive, Trevor Caithness, said it was agreat turnout of producers from Central and East Gippsland, with alot of chatter about the various projects and demonstrationsbeing run atthe Gippsland Research Farm.

“Therewas alot of interest in the Nexus project, which is looking at weight gains of lambs being run on a mono-species croplikeryegrass,and amulti-species crop,” he said.

“The multi-species crop is showing better weight gains in thelambs and the project overseer,Alister Micallef, is seeing ahealthier appearance in that mob too.”

Mr Caithness said therewas also interest in the demonstrationsutilising

summer rainfall with sorghum and brassica crops.

“Itwas probably thefirst year we’ve had sorghumsand the presenters talked about how it could have been used for silage or for grazing,” he said.

“They also presentedalot of ideas related to the health concerns for stock, in regardtoprussic acid which can occur.”

Mr Caithness said the lucerne variety trials werealso ahighlight.

“It was good to see how well they had establishedand thehigh-quality feed they presented for apossible February grazing,” he said.

The afternoon finishedoff with a machinery demonstration on the paddock where the Growing More Topsoil project is situated.

“Thereare three different plots that have had substantial quantities of compost, limes and gypsums etc and asubstantial amount of clay has been brought to the surfaceinaneffort to increase the amount of topsoil,”hesaid.

“People werequite amazed at how the clay that wasclearly visible six months ago is now hardly visible at all.

“It’s weathered and broken down into the topsoil. There’s also been agood increase in soil structure withinthe plots.”

The Italian Festival committee ready to get thefestival going.

Photos: Katrina Brandon

Gippsland Agricultural Group General Manager,Jen Smith. Photo: Zoe Askew

Michael Nativo from NSWwins the spaghettieating challenge for the thirdyearina row.

Grabbing the bull by thehorns

TomHAYES

ASMALL collection of dairy farmers from Gippsland underwent aGippsDairy workshop last month.

About 15 farmers from the region came together to learnmoreabout mental and emotional health and the effects it can have in the workplace, and how to implement certain ideas into day-to-day life.

GippsDairy is one of theeight dairy regions that makeup the conglomerate DairyAustralia. GippsDairy provides services to benefit and advance the dairy industry and individual businesses, with the aim to work towards aprofitable and sustainable industry.

The group delivers awide range of services, includingworkshopswhere farmers can meet and communicate with each other and learnhow to get the most out of their businesses, discussing 'every angle in the book'.

This particular workshop, held at the Traralgon Bowls Club, focussed on mental and emotional health, how to spread positivity in the workplaceand how farmers' health could affect other stafforemployees.

GippsDairy RegionalManager,Karen McLennan, said different types of workshops pull interest todifferentkinds of dairy farmers.

“It depends on the topic, sometimes different topics can engage different types of farmers,” she said.

“Our morepopular kind of course is that we deliver ‘Cups On, Cups Off’, for new people coming into the industry; this one is alittle bit different to the usual workshops that we offer,but it’s still really important because its about yoursense of self and how you work with others.”

Ms McLennan highlighted the importance of the day’stopic, mental and emotional

health on the farm, and how GippsDairy approached the topic.

“The big focus was aroundyouremotional health and how your emotional health presents in your interactions with others and that could be your family life, your work life, whatever -which is very relevant across the dairy industry,” she said.

“Thinking about ‘above and belowthe line’, so some of that negative self-talk,that might mean that you arenot as approachable,not as understandable as what you should be in awork environment.”

Adairyfarmer from Longwarry, John Versteden, travelled to Traralgonfor the event, and found the workshop helpful.

“I’ve been in the (dairy farming) industry for about 40 years, started off share farming, leasing, purchasing farms we sort of went from100 cows to 1200 cows in the 1990s, and then we’ve settled at about 700, farming in Longwarry now,” he said.

“It’s abit of aself-development thingas much as anything else, because Ithink if

we wereactually in aheadspace yourselfeverything flows better as aresult ofthat.

“Whetherthat’s your family, or your staff, or whatever it is, it’s about keeping everything above the line, and how positivity flows -it’s almost infectious.”

He admits that he has undertaken some GippsDairyworkshops in the past and implanted theirideas inhis business, specially ‘staying above the line’.

“I’ve actually done alittle bit of this stuff before, anditactually works. I’mreally conscious of stayingabove thelineevery day, it’s hard to do that some days.

“Watching how people respond to that, when you come across people that arereally negative or want to stay below the line, it actually shuts them down when all you give them is positive stuff."

On the implementation front, Mr Versteden said, “Wetry to, it’s awork in progress -wedon’t succeed in doing it every day, nobody does”.

Ms McLennan spoke on the importance of

the workshops, and how they get farmers to not only interact with one another but shareideas and network.

“Often at eventslikethis,farmers will meet farmers they know, but they’ll also get an opportunitytomeet and connect with other farmers.

“(It) is reallyimportant for the dairy industry because they’reworking with a close, smallgroup in some instances of employees and staffonthe farm, or maybe even only with their partner,” she said.

GippsDairy is always trying to get ideas from farmers as to what they would want to learn, and fromtheretheyplanout eventsthroughout the year and caterto their needs.

“Weare trying to consult with farmers at least once ayear to (say) ‘What do you want to see over the next 12 months?’ but we also just like to throw some curveballs into the mix too and just see,” Ms McLennan said.

“It mightn’t have been asked for but it might be somethingpeopleengage with, for us its always abit of abalance to see what attracts morefarmers and what they can benefit from.”

The workshops appear to be highly successful and widely popular for farmers of all ages, and Mr Versteden would love to see moredairy farmers joining them at the workshops.

“I actuallywould like to see alot more people coming to these sort of sessions particularly young people because Ithink they’rehungry for this sort of stuff. Quite often, old people -such as myself -we’re already set in our ways Isuppose, because alot of this is about fresh thinkingand thinking about stuffdifferently,” he said.

The full list of GippsDairy workshops can be found at dairyaustralia.com.au/ events-calendar?Rdp=GippsDairy&topic s=all

GippsDairy presents interactive and detailed dairy workshops to the Gippsland region

Photo: TomHayes

DECODER

9-LETTER WORD

10

ACROSS

1 Sweetegg and milk creation (7)

5 Burningbeacon(7)

9 Spotted feline (7)

12 Australia’s capital(8)

14 Using analysis(10)

16 Unwrap(4)

18 Finishes (4)

19 Battle (10)

22 Coffee (8)

25 Stifle(5) 27 Onewho flees forsafety(7)

28 Island in theNorth Atlantic (7) 29 Mollusc(7)

30 Cut(wool)(7)

QUICK CROSSWORD

DOWN

1 Grows(10)

2 Used to slidedownhill

3 Professionalschool (7)

4 Subtraction(9)

5 Breakfastfavourite(5)

6 Family members (6)

7 Part of atarget(5)

8 Partsofface(4)

13

Alpine Angus: Maternal power delivers bull power

The 2024 Alpine Angus AutumnBull Sale is to be held at theAlpineSales Complex at Rosewhite on Wednesday 13 March at 1pm offering 100 HBRand APRAngus bulls

The salebulls willbeyardedfor inspectionby10amonSale Day.

Alpine Principal Jim Delany, “Over the last few years, the beefIndustry enjoyed recordmarket conditions.

It has beenwonderful to seehow well so manyclientshavepresentedcalves they havebredwith Alpine bulls,the success they haveachievedand the demand they helpcreatefor Alpinegenetics.

Our thanks to them for their great support

It has beenrefreshingtosee therebound of themarket on theback of thespring and summer rainsthat were never meant to be!

With recordUScattleprices, hopefully thistrend can continue.

Justasweshare thegoodtimes withour clients, we also share themoretrying ones.

“Wewouldalso like to acknowledge the faith Angus purebred breeders andAI companies have shown in theuptake of our genetics andhope they will continue to deliver thedesiredresult.

Ourjob is to makesurethat whatever the market is doing,our bulls will position our clients at thetop of that market withtheir progeny andpromote structural integrity in theirherds.”

Alpine source sires from both the USA and Australia.

Alpine Manager ChrisOswin, “The aim of ourbreeding program is to maintain ahighly maternaland functional herdof Anguscows.

We seeklongfronted,feminine, sound,

easy-calving cowswithgood udderquality thatare true-to-type andhave agreat temperament and structural integrity.”

TheMarch 2024saleincludes aline of calving ease bulls byKaroo Main Event and Alpine Pablos Pulse.

Both areproven consistent producers of high qualitybulls with Main Event siring Alpine’s 2021 toppriced spring bull, Alpine RipWheeler R144 whose semen is marketed by GeneticsAustralia alongside another Main Event sonin AlpineMain Event Q192.

There is also arun of higher IMFcarcase bulls, withdepth and constitution including sons of Murdeduke Quarterback and AlpineJuniorM205.

Chris Oswin,“Quarterback sons have soldwellacrossthe countryand were well appreciatedatour last autumn sale with alongbodiedson topping it.”

AlpineAngus will also be offering aset of stout, thick bodied sons of USASires Sitz Stellar,HeikenBroadview and Baldridge SR Goalkeepercombining moderate birth with explosive growth.

These three American sires were targetedfor their ability to transmit easy calving, big growth rates and dense, deepbodied progeny.

Abigger framedrun of BanquetQuarter Pounder sons, with plentyoflengthand ideal weanerproducerswillround out the saleoffering

ChrisOswin,“Quarter Pounder topped Banquets sale acouple of years ago whereheimpressed with his overall body mass and type

These areour firstcalves by him.”

Forthose wishing to view the sale bulls prior to saleday make an appointment with Alpine ManagerChrisOswinon Mobile 0427 562254

Lot 3CGK22T301 Alpine Quarterback

T301

DOB 04/08/2022

First of 10 Quarterback sons. Structurally so sound.

Top10% for IMF Top10% A-L Index.

Out of the same Dam as Alpine Real Deal R163 who topped 2022 Alpine Autumn Bull Sale.

Lot 5CGK22T498 Alpine Navigator T498

One of 14 heavily fleshed Navigator sons presented –structurally so sound with

muscle expression from his powerful background Coonamble Angus genetics.

Lot 12 CGK22T426 Alpine Quarter Pounder

DOB 20/08/2024

One of 19 strong headed, upstanding

Quarter Pounder sons in the Top10% for 400 day Growth.

EBV’splace T585 in the Top12% for $A and Top7%for the A-L Indexes

great

Farming forces across Bass Strait

Philip HOPKINS

VICTORIAN and Tasmanian farmer peak bodies have produced apolicy for developers who want to build infrastructure, such as transmission lines for renewable energy, across their farmland.

They warned that since the year 2000, Australia’s available arable land had been reduced by 15 per cent, muchofit lost to infrastructuredevelopment and urban sprawl.

The policy has been released as Gippsland farmers face plans for pipelines and transmissionlines across their land as part of the state government’s energy policy,which

aims to link offshore wind farms to the Latrobe Valley energy network.

The ‘FarmAccess CodeofConduct’, drawn up by the VictorianFarmers Federation and TasFarmers, aims to promote respectful and sensible infrastructureonagricultural land.

The VFF president, Emma Germano, and TasFarmers president, Ian Sauer,said as population grows, therewas an increased need for moreroads, pipelines, electricity networks and mining explorationtodeliver services and drive economic growth.

“In addition, ambitious emissions reduction targets areresulting in the rapid and unplanned expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, including transmission lines,

across the country,” the two leaders said in ajoint statement.

“Much of this expansioniscriss-crossing agricultural land,which has adirect impact on farmers economically, socially and environmentally. In many cases, this land is highly productive, supporting and sustaining regional communities as well as being criticalto our nation’s food security. The land is rareand cannot be replaced.”

The code states that in planning infrastructure, greater consideration must be given to its impactonfood and fibre production, and the impact on communities and landholders.

“Landholders deserve trustand understanding when interacting with development proponents,” the code says.

“A strong relationship with the proponent ensures alandholder’s rights aremaintained and allows them to make informed decisions.”

The code covers many clauses. These include:

 The landholder will have enough time to get legal advice;

 The proponent will conduct a comprehensive risk assessment beforework starts and informthe landholder in writing how they will manage the risks in aland access and compensation plan;

 The proponent will discuss general logistics and agree on awritten project timeline and compensation agreement beforework starts;

 All stakeholders to be given independent briefings of relevant regulations and legislation at the proponent’s expense;

 Whereimpacts can’t be avoided,

the proponent must compensate the landholder through anegotiated land access and compensation agreement;

 At aminimum, the proponent must have abasic understanding of farms as workplaces;

 The proponent should accept the landholder’s knowledge of the property and incorporate this into the project design;

 The proponent will informthe wider community about the project;

 The landholder can refuse access based on weather conditions, lambing, calving, spraying, cultivating and cropping, among other factors;

 Rehabilitation: the proponent will deactivate the site and ensurethe land will be returned to how it was or the prior agreed condition;

 Any dispute between the landholder and the proponent arising from the code will be resolved by an independent mediator-Acknowledgement of the intergenerational succession value of the land, and;

 If rehabilitation can be done, the proponent will shelve their proposal due to the risk of losing prime agricultural land.

Thetwo farminggroups said high-level cooperation must include face-to-face engagement and on-ground communication.

“If the proponent is unable to locate the landholder,they must not enter the property or begin work in any form,” theysaid.

“The proponentwill nominate aproject liaison officer for the landholder to contact for the duration of the project.”

GP1667156

Five minutes is all it took

Liam DURKIN

IT happened in an instant.

Justfiveminutesisall ittooktoleave weeks, if not months of clean-up following significant stormaction last month.

Astormmoreakin to atornado ripped through Victoria on the afternoon of Tuesday,February13, following aday wheretemperatures topped 40 degrees in some parts.

The damage left someareas in Gippsland resembling war zones, while wind gusts of up to 130 kilometres perhourwereenough to toppletransmissionlines feeding the state's electricity.

Areas surrounding the Latrobe Valley were not spared, with trees falling,seemingly one-by one.

The stormhit Trafalgar around 4.30pm, some hours after the town had battled through not having electricity.

Furtherinto the hills, entire buildings weretorntopieces in Thorpdale, while the nexttownalong,MirbooNorth, was arguably the hardest hit.

Roads in and out of town wereclosed as trees -and even the football goal posts at the Mirboo North RecreationReserve-bent at right angles.

The stormhad farmoredevastating consequences, especially for local farmers currently in the midst of the potato harvest season.

Never ones to show too much emotion, it is understood the stormwas enough to reduce some farmers to tears as they came to terms losing acres of crops.

Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien was in Mirboo North the day after the superstorm, seeing first-hand the carnage within his electorate.

"I have spoken to the Premier's office and highlighted the severity ofthe damage, including to multiplehomes and community infrastructure," he said.

Mirboo North and Thorpdale residents werestill withoutpower daysafter the storm,describedas"one of the largest outageeventsinthe state'shistory" by Energy Minister,Lily D'Ambrosio.

Generators werequickly sought after,with one local hirebusinessreportedlysending out close to 200 in amatter of days.

Across the state, around half amillion people wereleft without power,asAusNet becameoverwhelmed trying to restore electricity.

Compoundingthe issuewas cutstocommunication, forcing people to find charging stations for their devices.

Loy Yang Awas heavily affected, with all four units going down at 2.15pmonthe day of the storm.

The plant's operator,AGL, had two units restored by the following day.

Loy Yang Asupplies around 30 per cent of the state's power requirements.

The outage left the streets of nearby Traralgon in virtual darkness on the night of Tuesday, February13 as emergency services worked frantically to direct traffic.

Earlier in the day, abushfireinthe Grampianswas theprelude to what was to come.

"It all started withawarmnight, the

warmest night this summer," meteorologist KevinParkyn from theBureauof Meteorology explained.

"Very quickly, we saw some thunderstorm activity develop early morning (Tuesday) in our westernborder.Those storms tracked across the landscapethrough the Wimmera downtowards the south-west andthose storms resulted in afair bit of lightning, producing the firethe fireagencies arenow combating in andamongst the Grampians

"But it didn't stop there, we've seen prolific thunderstorm and lightning activity develop across the state these storms aresevere.

"It's been hot -sizzling. We've seen 41.7 degrees at Walpeup, 41.4 at Hopetoun there up in the north-west of the state, incredibly, 41 degreesatAvalonahead ofthe wind change, the temperaturedropped by about 15 degrees in 15 minutes.

"This is asignificant weather day for Victoria, prolific lightning generating fires, the storms aresevere, producing damaging wind gusts and even reports of large hails, golf ball-sized hail."

The storm approaching Moe.

Photo: KymSzalay/Facebook

Hail, still the diameterofamarble, 20 hours after falling from the sky.

Photo: Katrina Brandon

An aerial photo of the damage sustained in Mirboo North. Photo: Contributed

Support package announcedfor MirbooNorth locals

FRIGHTENING and ferocious werethe words VictorianPremier,Jacinta Allan used when describingthe impact of the storm thatripped throughMirbooNorth when visiting last month.

The Premier visited on Friday, February 16 to announce the joint state and federal government'sProlonged PowerOutage Payment Plan to assist those most affected by the storm.

Households withoutpower for seven days afterthe stormhit willbeoffered $1920 per week for up to three weeks,while small businesses areeligible for payments of $2927.

Those affected by the stormwill have to calltheir retail powerproviderto access these payments.

"Wewant this payment to be processed as easily as possible for customerstobe able to access," the Premier said.

"(The payment package is) acknowledging that thereare still many communities, manypower customers whoare facing prolonged periods of power outage."

Some residents at the community informationsession laterthat day said the paperwork wasn't worth the headache for apayment they may not be eligible for,given power wasrestoredto some areas of the town on the same day the Premier visited. In addition,some residents said the payment couldn't cover the cost of damages and loss of wages, with people taking days offwork to begin the clean-up.

To addtothe power outage payments, the statewaivedits waste levy

for storm-impacted residents across 21 local government areas, includingEast Gippsland, Wellington, Latrobe City, Bass Coast and Baw Baw.

Residents from theseareas will be able to dispose of disaster waste for free at the local tip until April 30.

Significant damage to electricity infrastructure left around halfa million Victorians without power lastweek. According to the state government, 90 per cent of those caseswererestored within the next two days.

AusNethad deployed alarge-scalegenerator into the Mirboo North community, giving apower hub to residents in need.

Chief Officer of Operations of Victoria State Emergency Service, TimWiebusch, said therewas an unprecedented number of calls for assistance following the storm, 5000across thestate and80inMirboo North alone.

"SEShas had threeofits busiest years withstormsand floods right across the state,and thisevent of aroundabout 5000 requests for assistanceis now in the top 10," he said.

After the stormhit on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 13, Mirboo North was leftisolatedasSES crews werenot able to respond to calls for assistance until Wednesday, needing to clear roads into town.

Initially, the Local CFAwas theonly emergency crew able to help those needing critical assistance.

"For alocal community like this at Mirboo North,the local response agencieshave

done an amazing job because, for the first 24 hours, they wereon their own," Mr Wiebusch said.

"The community areout therewith their chainsaws, they'rechecking in on their mates, and that's what we ask the communities to thinkand do in these major events."

Minister for Energy andResources Lily D'Ambrosio was also in Mirboo North with the Premier and said the stategovernment was using the significant stormof2021 as aguide for their emergency response.

The Energy Minister said the storm"surpassed" the damage of the 2021 storms "in terms of viciousness and the tornado-like storms that we (have seen) right across the whole state."

Whenquestioned why the payments weresospecifictopeoplewithout power for aweek, Ms D'Ambrosio said they were localising their financial support to those who have suffered the most hardship and werethe most vulnerable.

When the line of questioning turned to recent headlines questioningthe condition of the transmission lines, Ms D'Ambrosio saidthe outages had been significantly caused by low-voltage distribution lines.

"The poles and wires that we see down our street, they arewhat we aretalking about that have caused the big outages back in June '21 and October '21 and, of course, this past Tuesday," she said.

State Opposition leader,John Pesutto saw first-hand the destruction in Mirboo North when he also visited, where he was joined by Nationals party members.

The Opposition said the Power Outage PaymentPlanwas welcomed, but not enough to cover the cost of the required clean-up.

"The government needs to do awhole lot morethan just supportpackages for power outages," Mr Pesutto said.

"They'renot going to go anywhere near helping local people with the huge bills that they'regoing to face."

Mr Pesutto reminded the state and federal government that the clean-up does not stop at the debris and initialdamages, as locals face removing hazardous trees and stumps.

"Small packages that leave people shortchanged is not fair on them," he said.

The Opposition leader said that risks should havebeen mitigated beforethe storm, with measures such as clearer emergency warnings, better emergency response accessibility, and the strengthening of the energygrid to withstand these extreme weather events.

Member for South Gippsland, Danny O'Brien, joined the state Opposition leader in Mirboo North, demandingthat the state government better support regional communities in the wake of the storm.

"I know many communities already where they arethrowing out food -hundreds and hundreds of dollars per house, and to say you don't get anything unless you've been offfor seven days is going to leave alot of people -particularly the disadvantaged, in difficult circumstances," he said.

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

Victorian Premier JacintaAllan speaks to media in Mirboo North, flanked by Energy Minister,LilyD’Ambrosio.

The Premier met with the local CFA, and thanked them for their efforts in responding to the emergency

SES crews have been busy clearing hazards.

Photos: Zaida Glibanovic

The Premier spoke to Mirboo North youngsters Ollie, Clancy,Archie, Charli and dog Carbo as theyhelpedclean up the debris.

Mirboo Northbands together

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

AS the angry clouds rolled in one afternoon, no one in Mirboo North could have imagined the amount of chaos that was to follow.

On Tuesday, February 13, the tornadolikestorm that sweptthroughVictoria left adestructive trail in its wake, but the small town of Mirboo North in the Strzelecki Ranges suffered the most.

Debriscovered the ground asgigantic gums wereripped from the roots, and roofs werepeeled back like tin cans;Mirboo North was left unrecognisable.

Many residents say pictures don't do justice to the amount of destruction the town faced, with 16 homes left uninhabitable. The town was completely isolated as the stormblocked roads with timber,destroyed powerlines and damaged telecommunication towers.

Accountsoftheirexperiencesare truly devastating.

One family's roof was lifted completely with nowhereelse for them to go, and as hail stones felllike rocks from the sky, amother and her children tookshelter underneath their family car to escape.

The unimaginable fear of watching trees fall like dominoes across the road trapped one woman in her car for hours.

The stormwith 120km/h winds came through only 500 metres in width, pulverising one side of town while leavingthe other rather unscathed.

Mirboo North Secondary Schoolstudent,

James Avelingdescribedthe harrowing ordeal.

"I couldn't even hear mum screaming out the door, trying totellmetocomeback in because this big ball of swirling black clouds came over behind us," he said.

"It sounded like atrain came through."

James and his family bunkered down in the bathroom and waited for the raging stormtopass as he heardthe fence and shed comecrashing down.

Cherie Beveridge watched the stormroll in at home with her childrenwith growing concern.

The gale force winds sent atreesmashing down onto her roof. Though the external damage wasn't that extensive,she said the emotional damage took its toll on her family.

"Afterwards, the kids were in shock, and they were scared once they saw what was happening outside," she said.

"My kids just keep saying, 'They don't look like good clouds, mum,'… and they'resleeping outside of our bedroom at the moment on their mattresses because they don't want to be alone in their bedrooms."

Cherie's in-laws suffered significantly moreinterms of damagetotheir property, with theforce of the stormsending glass from the windows hurling inside and parts of the roof into the yard.

Waiting on insurers to assess the property, theBeveridge's were toldthat therecould be a12-month wait beforetheir house could be repaired.

Locally bornand raised,MirbooNorth

hadoriginally presumed

"Therewas much moredamagethan what we heardearly on because, certainly, we didn't hear from alot of pockets of the community that had been impacted as well," he said.

The principal said the impacts of the storm werewidespread on the community, with his ownstaff membersdirectly affected. Onewomanwas trapped in her car on Old Thorpdale Road with agum and pine tree blocking her exitfor an hour until shewas rescued.

Despite having noworking power,both primary and secondary schools wereopen following the storm,supervising children from familiesthatneededtodealwith storm-caused messes.

Both schools opened on the Monday after the storm, with generators organised with the help from the Department of Education, Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien and the state government.

It wasanon-traditional start back at school, with mentalhealthprofessionals and support services on hand, ready to help kids heal after the traumatic experience.

As asmall rural farming town, "the loss of pets and the loss of livestock on farms have been pretty significant for some families," Mr Snell said.

"One boy in particular was helping with the cattle at his house, and he was caught in it, and stock weretrapped under atree

with him there, so it was pretty traumatic." Thereare stories recounting the destruction of the storm, but thereare morestories showcasing acommunity activation and resilience unlike any other

Though the stormwas strong, this community is stronger as they collectively repair the town bit by bit.

Teenagers out of school wereonthe power tools helping the most vulnerable clean up their properties.

Ex-veterans organised by local volunteer Jess Healey, wereout in full force at the RSL, aiming to clear the damage to operate the community-minded clearing project from the building.

"I'll get anyone who wants to help come in -I've already started alist of people who need help clearing their properties -the elderly or those whojustdon't havethe tools to do it -we'll just organise the community to go out and help wherethey can," she said.

Countless posts on the Mirboo North Community Notice Board Facebook group feature donation offers from food, housing and services to those in need.

Businesses from near and far are offering assistance wherethey can, whilelocals continue doing what they've always done -look out for their mates.

Mr Snell saidthateveryonehas gone above and beyond to helpout someone in need, reflecting how tight knit the community response has been.

While the trees may have fallen down, the community has stood tall.

Primary School Principal, Matt Snell, told the Gippsland Farmer that the extent of the damageacross town was worsethan he

Jess Healey (centre) and her volunteer team are clearing the Mirboo North RSL

Photo: Zaida Glibanovic

PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Identifying the most suitable grazing system

THERE aredifferent types of grazing systems for different kinds of pastures.

Agrazing system gives farmers aschedule of when and where livestock should graze during a pastureseason.

The goal of having agrazing system is to produce high-quality pasturefor the entiregrazing season.

In choosing the right grazing system, you should make surethat, first, it is flexible and straightforward.

Youwill be doing this the entire year,sodeviate from complex and rigid systems.

Second, it should be on the proper and maximum utilisation of forage plants, as well as the even distribution of grazing livestock.

Third, always keep in mind that no grazing system will enable you to eliminate the need for proper stocking rates.

Lastly,thereisnoone-size-fits-all when it comes to selecting the grazing system for your pasture. Depending on your farming environment, you can choose from the following grazing systems:

Continuous

Grazing

This system requires minimal labour and minimum fencing as

you will turnthe livestock onto a pastureand they will be left there to graze for the whole grazing season

Rotational Grazing

This grazing system turns surplus pastureintoconserved fodder

It also provides flexibility as it involves dividing the farminto paddocks.

The herdofcattle arethen moved

from one paddock to another throughout the grazing season for optimising grazing and forage growth.

The rotational grazing system is most effective when the herdis transferred to the next paddock beforethey have the opportunity to graze the grass too hard.

Moreso, the pastureperformance is best when the plants arein their leafy stage of growth, and

fertiliser applications on the paddocks areregular

Complementary Grazing

This system is designed to use acombination of renovated and native pastures for optimal plant growth and utilisation.

The system, defined by asmall area of land that is renewedwith grass and grazed in rotation with moreextensive native pastures,

is managed with holistic grazing principles.

Strip Grazing

Astrip grazing system is aform of rotational grazing wherecattle graze strips across apaddock.

This system provides higher stocking rates, assures livestock have adaily supply of fresh grass, and increases production per hectare.

With the use of amoveable electric fence (break-fencing), cattle can be allowed to consume enough pasturefor one day

Everyday,the temporaryfence is moved to allow the livestock to access another batch of fresh grass.

Back fencing, whereanother temporaryfence is moved behind the cattle, restricting the herd from overgrazing and allowing for quicker recoveryofthe pasture.

Mechanical

Grazing

In this grazing system, forage production per hectareincreases, and thereare no losses from livestock underutilising pasture. Also, it requires less fencing and leaves no opportunity for selective grazing.

The forage is cut and carried when it is in the early growth stage with the use of amachine and then hauled to the livestock.

Rampaging Ryegrass: Introducing anew ryegrass

NOTMAN PastureSeeds, in collaboration with Cropmark Seeds, proudly unveils Rampage, abrand newshort-termryegrass tailored specifically for Gippsland farmers

After five years of meticulous development and rigorous dryland trials at Ellinbank, as well as extensive evaluations in New Zealand, Rampage emerges as the epitome of excellence for all round production including its exceptional ability to maintain leafy,high growth well into late spring and early summer

Presenting farmers with an extended period of lush growth and continued quality production.

“Rampage is the culmination of our dedication to meeting the diverse needs of Gippsland farmers seeking superior home grown feed for longer into the spring and summer” remarked Peter Notman of Notman PastureSeeds.

“Webelieve Rampage is the allround package suiting arange of Gippsland farmers chasing home grown winter and spring feed, plus extra late in the growing season”

The comprehensive trials at Ellinbank unequivocally demonstrated Rampage’ssuperiority over nine other annual ryegrasses, consistently outperforming in total feed

consumption across the trials in five various years.

The hallmark of Rampage lies in its remarkable attributes: rapid establishment, robust winter growth, and sustained leafy production late.

Peter Notman and his team meticulously monitored Ram-

page’sperformance, conducting regular farmvisits from April to December and growth season assessments to ensureits alignment with moderncommercial farming standards.

“Wevisited the trials every6-8 weeks through the year to check out which new annual ryegrass

we should pick, so we kept an eye out for what was good compared to what we saw on the market today” remarked Mr Notman.

“The trial data showed Rampage had strong winter and spring production and rapid re-growth potential after each grazing.

And that’swhy we decided to go with it”.

Following its successful trial phase, Rampage made its debut among selected farmers across Victoria in 2023, earning praise for its performance in regions such as Lang Lang, Trafalgar, Toora, Yarram, and Denison.

As it prepares to hit the shelves this autumn, Rampage promises to revolutionise ryegrass cultivation.

Like all new pastureestablishing, Notman PastureSeeds recommends verygood soil preparation.

“Aim to create afirmyet finetextured seedbed, ensuring uniformseed germination and contact with the soil” Mr Notman recommends.

“By achieving anon-clumpy uniformseedbed, farmers provide the ideal environment for seeds to establish strong root systems and promote robust growth during the crucial autumn and early winter period.”

For those eager to learnmore about Rampage and its production potential, Notman Pasture Seeds welcomes inquiries and invites farmers to explorethe range of grasses available for shortand long termfeed.

AUTUMN presents an opportune time for pasturerenovation, enabling you to maximise your income or achieve specific production goals.

Effective planning and organisation arecritical in staying ahead of your feed requirements.

Establishing astrong feed base for the season ahead will build resilience for when futurefeed gaps arrive.

By assessing your existing circumstances, identifying constraints, evaluating paddock potential and setting attainable goals, you can better map aclear course of action.

Remember,home grown feed stands as your most cost-effective feed source, deserving thorough careand attention for maximum benefit!

Appropriate paddock preparation is crucial in setting up your new pastureorforage crop for success.

Ensuring you have aclean, weed free seed bed with good fertility goes alongway in helping the establishment of your new pasture as well as having no limiting soil structureorfertility issues.

Up to date soil tests can be an invaluable resource and help guide not only your paddock preparation steps but also aid in species choice.

Your highest chance of success will be found from sowing into a cultivated, fine, clean seed bed, however sound results can still be achieved via aknockdown spray

PA ST URE MANA GEMENT

Pasturerenovation

and drilling, or by direct drilling into an existing swardifthere is alow-weedburden and existing cover is reduced.

Whether you have an underperforming pasturethat needs topping up, apaddock coming out of asummer crop or apaddock that needs complete renovation, you

need to match the pasturechoice to your situation.

The Brownwigg Pasturepacks have been specifically designed for Gippsland -adapted to the conditions and tried and tested over years of use.

With market leading 2024 FVI varieties included in the range,

you can have confidence in it performing on your farm.

The Brownwigg pasturepack range has quality mixes for most situations:

• Red Pack -Highest perennial performance: milk and liveweight gain.

• Blue Pack -Over-sowing, winter

feed, silage and hay production.

• Purple Pack –Perennial winter performance, summer drysites.

• Yellow Pack –Longterm productivity and persistence. Lower pH and fertility

• Orange Pack –Long term productivity and persistence. Waterlogging and heavy soils.

• Green Pack –Economical, traditional perennial pasture.

Once your newpastureissown, it’skey to treat them carefully Observing for the presence of pasturepests or emerging weeds is crucial to allowing the correct identification and control in a timely manner

It is also important to follow a strict grazing management plan, waiting until the plants arefirmly anchored beforetheir first, light graze.

Once ready, don’tdelay for too long as the first graze is essential for helping the plants tiller out, aiding in futureproductivity and persistence.

The first light grazing also allows sunlight into the canopy to assist the establishment of companion clovers, if present.

New pastures can offer more grazing potential than older ones and thereforethey will need a fertiliser program to match your productivity goals.

Soil-tests combined with your production goals should guide your fertiliser application of NPKS and trace elements (where required) to get the most out of your new pasture!

AGFSeeds: Pioneering Excellence in Australian Plant Genetics and Ryegrass Varieties

RYEGRASS pasture performance continues to be pushed forward by AGF Seeds

Are you looking for a reliable and innovative seed company that can provide you with top-end domestic and international plant genetics?

Do you want to grow high-quality ryegrass pastures that can boost your productivity and profitability?

If so, consider AGF Seeds, one of Australia’s leading Australian, family-owned seed companies to help you establish your next pasture

Dedicated to delivering superior seed and service to Australian farmers, AGF Seeds have access to the best Australian and international genetics and conduct independent research and development to test and prove their varieties in local conditions

They also have experienced staff who can offer the right advice and help you choose the right product for the right job

heading and provides except pasture utilisation late into the season

For a winter feed alternative A 2 is an early season powerhou which shows improved late season quality over its predec sor Apex

In medium rainfall environmen

Epic provides a robust annua whose seedling’s vigour will le to strong production througho winter

Italian ryegrasses deliver high nutritious grass for hay, silage and grazing Gusto delivers o this in spades

A mid late maturing diploid G establishes quickly for grazing and rebounds for hay and sila or late grazing uses

Its low aftermath heading mea it will continue to perform whe conditions allow There has also been improvem in the longer term perennial ryegrass space

Establishing a long term pasture can lead to years of feed but it all starts with finding the right variety to form the foundation

In 2024 AGF Seeds continues to push ryegrass forward by expanding its range with a number of new varieties to improve in-paddock production

All varieties are rigorously tested in their own independent trials, and third party trials such as the Pasture Trial Network (PTN) and Dairy Australia s Forage Value Index (FVI)

They do all this to ensure their varieties consistently perform well in yield, quality and persistence and are among the top performers on the market

For farmers looking to establish a burst of premium feed through an annual ryegrass pasture then Prodigy and Apex 2 are their best option

Prodigy bred by AGF Seeds is an annual tetraploid with very late

Bistro LE is bred for its persistence under heavy grazing in medium to high-input dairy, sheep, and beef systems

It is a variety that continues to deliver again and again, if well managed

Another durable quality perennial is Avalon Plus LE which has built upon the highly respected Avalon and offers improved late-season quality and production in medium to high rainfall environments

Whatever your pasture situation getting the right advice is key AGF Seeds invests significantly into research and their representatives can help you design the pasture that s right for your system

PA ST URE MANA GEMENT

Improving waterlogged Pastures

OVER recent years moreand morepastures arebeing affected by water logging and pugging particularly during recent weather events.

Water logging can severely impact apastures performance, reduce growth rates and create many issues during harvest with vehicles getting bogged or destroying pastures that add alot of extra expense and frustration to your harvest program.

Averytried and tested method of helping to remove this excess water offpastures is to use amole drainer to create an underground water drainage system to help move excess water from the pastures into adrainage system. This concept is to pull atine ripper through the ground at around adepth of 300-400mm with atapered plug attached to the rear of the tine.

The tapered plug is designed so when it is pulled through the clay sub soil, it creates atubeshaped hole that water then can travel along and disperse into adrain. Timing is crucial when creating your mole drainage system. Late spring to early summer is generally the best time to do the job when the topsoil is reasonably drybut your sub soil still has afair amount of moistureinit.

The sub soil needs to feel like plasticine so when you grab some in your hands and squeeze it together,itshould hold together and keep its shape.

When the sub soil is in this type of condition and the tapered plug is pulled through the ground, the drain should hold its shape and not collapse or crumble.

It’sgood practice to tryand get these mole drains done as early as possible beforethe summer months occur

This will allow the clay in these mole drains to dryand set like a porcelain pipe and this will make them last much longer Done right the mole drains can be affective for up to five years or longer depending on the ground conditions.

Other crucial requirements when mole draining aretohave a good water drainage channel to startfromand allow the water to escape from the mole drains. Always startatthe lowest point (the drain) and work your way upwards towards and past your affected area.

Maintain an even depth with no

sharp bends or kinks in the mole drains so the water can flow easily

James Engineering from Gorein New Zealand have been working with and developing their range of mole ploughs for over 40 years now

They featurea long floating arm design that puts the tine further back from the tractor to help you reachinto drains and help maintain an even depth when in operation even if the tractor wheel goes into ahole or arise.

The units arefitted with afront coulter to create aslot for the ripper tine to pass and make minimal disturbance to the pastureabove.

The fine leg high tensile tine makes it easier to pull and has shear bolt protection so if it strikes anything below the surface, it can flip up and swing away Ahydraulic ram raises up the tine into the horizontal position allowing you to reachunder fence lines to get to wheremostdrains can originate from, then pull down into position readytostart.

Farmers that have used the James mole ploughs for anumber of years now,have really seen the benefits of mole draining with much less water logging of pastures with the excess water getting offthe pastures much quicker with increased pasture growth and the ability to operate

machineryover the pastures with less damage.

Even Farmers with an existing underground pipe drainage system can use these mole drains to help feed the excessive water into their underground pipe drains and improve the efficiency of the system.

James Engineering’srange of single or double mole plough systems aredesigned to be easy to operate and help create acost effective way of improving water logged and wet pastures.

For moreinformation about mole draining or the range of James engineering mole drainers please contact the team at Claas Harvest Gippsland and South Gippsland or come and see their range at FarmWorld 2024 at site A30.

Smart design for easy stubble incorporation

AMAZONE has added four folding mounted models to its third generation of Catros compact disc harrows.

CLAAS Harvest CentreProduct Manager –AMAZONE,Murray Tuck, says the four new models, available in working widths of 4, 5, 6and 7m, featurea smartframe design that allows quick and easy adjustment of the working depth.

“On many cultivators, the working

depth is changed by tilting the entiremachine and thus the positions of the front tools or following rollers and harrows have to be re-adjusted as well,” he says.

“AMAZONE’s‘smartframe concept’ makes adjusting the working depth much easier and moreefficient.

The working depth is adjusted by rotating the disc carrier arms away from the frame for adeeper setting or towards the frame for shallower work.

The machine’sframe always remains parallel to the soil, meaning that the first and second rowofdiscs always work at the same depth. Afixed linkage between the two rows of discs further helps to maintain auniform working depth. Importantly,adjusting the working depth of the discs has no impact on the operation of any front or rear tools. This allows the operator to quickly match the working depth to suit changes in operating conditions, such as working across tramlines or headlands, without having to leave the tractor.”

The design allows stubble to easily flow through discs, regardless of working depth.

“The deeper the work, the greater the distance between the frame and disc armand the following roller,” Murray says. Arange of tools can be added to

the front or rear of the machine.

“The addition of aknife roller at the front shreds organic matter, such as stubble or catch crops,” Murray says.

“The individual roller segments provide perfect contour following. Alternatively,acrushboardcan be selected if the focus is on seedbed preparation.

In addition, awide range of rollersand harrows areavailable for mounting to the rear of the machine to achieve perfect reconsolidation in all conditions.”

Seed drills and liquid manure applicators can also be incorporated into the system.

The Catros series is highly regarded for its high productivity, versatility and low maintenance.

“Catros is perfect for arange of tasks, including breaking stubble and shallow seed bed preparation, right through to intensive incorporation and deep cultivation,” Murray says.

The low pulling power requirement enables high operating speeds, high work rates with low fuel consumption.”

The 510 mm diameter Catros+ discs aresuitablefor working at depths from 5cm to 14cm and areavailable in both smooth, fine-serrated and coarse-serrated configurations.

The 480 mm diameter X-Cutter disc is available for shallower working depths from 2cmto8 cm.

Its wave profile guarantees full-surface movement and high mixing intensity at the same time

The disc bearings have maintenance-free seals for reducedmaintenance.

The disc bearings arelocated in the ‘shadow’ of the soil flow, protecting them from wear and allowing the easy passage of stubble and soil.

Each disc is individually suspended using pre-tensioned rubber spring elements to provide optimum contour following and maintenance-free overload protection.

More information:

CLAAS Harvest CentreProduct Manager –AMAZONE, Murray Tuck,0438 038 745.

The huge through-passage allows stubble to passeasilythrough the machine at any working depth.

Managing forbiodiversity

NATIVE vegetation is well adapted to the harsh Australian environment and provides essential ecosystem services such as integrated pest management, healthy soils and landscapes.

Striving towards ecologically healthy and diverse farming systems provides moreresilience to climate change and can improve both profitability and biodiversity values.

Appropriate management of native pastures brings about key contributions to biodiversity and landscape health, not only because native species are critical components of the ecosystem, but also species diversity and habitat structure in native pastures arefar more diverse than in improved pasture systems.

Amajor benefit of adopting appropriate deferred grazing management is the increase in the density and persistence of perennial native grasses that benefit biodiversity

Deferred grazing may also influence invertebrate ecology and have potential flow-on effects on litter and soil structure.

This benefits the soil food web and nutrient cycling process by enhancing the abundance of beneficial fungi and bacteria.

These benefits arethe result of increased availability of suitable

habitat structureand niches for native fauna and flora species in which they find shelter from competition, protection from predators and increased availability of food and nutrients.

Increasing the ground cover and abundance of native perennial grasses and forbs using deferred grazing also reduces grazing pressure, allowing natural regeneration of shrubs and trees for shelter

This is one of the most effective strategies for promoting biodiversity in the long term.

Low-input native pastures are also perceived as ‘clean and green’, providing stock with a diverse diet.

Significant production value can also arise from non-grass components of the native grasslands.

For example, inter-tussock forbs constitute asmall percentage of the vegetative cover but areoften highly palatable and nutritious and can formalarge part of the diet of domestic livestock.

However,manyperennial forbs aresusceptible to grazing and decrease dramatically under intense grazing regimes.

Specialised agricultural drone services

IT’S an obvious fact that better pasture equates to better cattle, which in turn equates to better return on your livestock investment.

Drone technology has progressed in leaps-and-bounds these last few years, and now offers an excellent alternative to traditional methods of managing your pasture.

Whether it’sthe useofmultispectral imaging (NDVI etc) to ascertain the health of your pasture, highly accurate aerial surveying (including orthophotos and terrain/contour planning), or spraying and spreading fertilisers and herbicides, at Worker Bee Drones they’ve got you covered.

Their specialised agricultural drone services include high-end multispectral and visible light cameras, and 40L/40kg payload deliveryofliquid and solid materials, whereyou want it, at the right rate per hectare, and without any hassle.

With Real Time Kinematics (RTK) positioning, and detailed mapping, they can apply your material with centimetre-level accuracy

By avoiding trampling of your valuable pasturewith heavy machinery, you reduce pasturedamage and soil compaction, and don’tcause rutting in your paddocks.

Wet, steep and inaccessible terrain is no longer ahindrance.

Worker Bee Drones can help you get to those areas you’ve always wanted to, saving you time and money Call today for an obligation-free visit and quote.

OHS cases being put under the microscope

TomHAYES

ANEW consultation paper has been released by the SentencingAdvisory Council (SAC), detailing and examining sentencing practices for occupational health and safetyoffences in Victoria.

The paper provides informationthatwill formthe basis for forums in Gippsland and greater Victoria that aim at community feedback on OHS and sentencing practices, which will be taken into account in the final recommendations.

Thecouncil was formed in 2004 to bridge gaps between the community and the court system, educating the wider population on sentencing issues.

The council’s responseshave previously resulted in changes to maximum penalties for offences or breachesofintervention orders, abolition of suspended sentences, the introduction of the Sentence Indication Scheme, and the addition of hatred and prejudice as afactor of sentencing.

This paper is the first in the council’s history examining sentencingpractices since the inception of Victoria’s OccupationalHealth and SafetyAct 2004(Vic), which cameinto effect in July 2005, up until June 2021.

The most commonoffences against that Act involve employers who fail to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees and those in the public.

The Attorney-General, Jaclyn Symes, gave the council termsofreference intoOHS offences committed by individuals and organisations separately.

Those terms wereto:

 Examine OHS offences sentencing practices;

 Consult with stakeholders and the community;

 Consider whether sentencing practices align with community expectations;

 Consider the role of injured workers and their families in sentencing proceedings, and;

 Examine the enforcement of sentencing orders, especially payment rates for court fines.

The council’sfirst step was to consult with employeerepresentativesand unions, industrygroups and employers, the legal profession,and the broader community to identify potential areas for reform, in response to the Attorney-General’s terms, finalised in September 2023.

The latest to be released, the consultation paper and statistical report, is just the second step in the council’s four-step strategy.

Next, the council will undertake community consultation, calling for written submissions and hosting aseries of consultations from February to Maythisyearinregional Victoria, as well as suburban and metropolitan Melbourne.

The council will deliver its final report with recommendations to the Attorney-General and the Minister for WorkSafe and TAC, Danny Pearson, on December 31, 2024.

The council’s consultation paper examined court data from OHS offences, including fine repayment rates, with the help of WorkSafe Victoria, the courts and Fines Victoria. The paper,written by Sentencing Advisory Council Chief Executive, Dr Paul McGorrery, Octavian Simu, Zsombor Bathy andMelanie Hull, identified anumber of key findings.

“TheSentencingAdvisoryCouncil atthe moment is exploring whethersentencing practices for these offences need to change, and you can’t know whether something needs to change unless you know wherethey are now,” Dr McGorrery said.

“So what we’ve doneisexplored16years of court data, brought it together in as successful format as we can to shareitwith the community and all of our stakeholders, to hopefully put them in the best position to help tell us ‘Do current sentencing practices align with community expectations, or is therea change that needs to be made?’

“Thereisa lot of issues in herethat we think alot of Victorians will feel strongly about,and we arelookingtohearing what their views are.”

Along with the council’s paper,astatistical report based on OHS offenceswas released to help informtheir consultations.

The consultationreport highlightedthat from the 400,000 workplaces in Victoria, 40,000 WorkSafeinspections areconducted each year

It was found that OHS offences aremost common in the construction (36 per cent) and manufacturing (30 per cent) industries.

Over the 16 years of data that was collated, the council looked at 1197 cases –about 75 cases per year –and found that someone was injured in 64 per cent of cases, someone was killed in 11 per cent of cases, or no one was killed or injured in 25 per cent of cases.

The most common OHS offence is an employer breachingsafety dutiestoemployees.

The most frequent sentence for OHS offenders has been afine, which occurred in 87 per cent of cases; 11 per cent of cases result in a good behaviour order; and the remaining two per cent result in aCommunity Corrections Order,diversion or prison.

Previous reviews have come to the conclusion thatfinesweretoo lowtodeter any unsafe work practices, especially in large companies.

The average fine over the past 10 years in Victoria is $69,000. The smallest was $600, while the largest was $1 million. The maximum fine that can be issued is $1.7 million for acompany, or $350,000 for an individual

It was also discovered that from all cases resulting in afine, only 67 percentwerepaid in full. In the four-and-a-half year period up until June 2021, about $10.3 million in fines went unpaid, about $2.3 million per year over that period.

Dr McGorrery found this to bethe most surprising finding from the data.

“Wesaw about two thirds in fines from OHS cases arefully paid, and that’s actually pretty consistent with what you see in other types of cases,” he said.

“But when you look at it in dollar terms in

The most significant predictor of a fine going unpaid is the facct that the offender is now a derregistered company

“WWe looked into what was cauusing fines to go unpaid, an and overwhelmingly the strrongest predictor of a fine for an OHS caase going unpaid waas the offender being a company that get deeregistered around the e same time of, or soon aftter receiving the fine ” Dr r McGorrery said

OHHS cases, that’s over $10 million in unpaid finnes in a four-and-a-half year period, and you u ’ ve got to wonder ways to improve fine paayment rates

In n Gippsland, there were 58 8 OHS cases – 4.8 per cent of OHS cases in Victoria bettween July 2005 and June 20021 – resulting in 104 OHS chharges, 5 5 per cent of OHS chharges in Victoria

From that, there was a total of 32 noon-aggregate fines for companies in Gippsland during that period the smmallest fine being $3000, the average finne was $30,000, and the largest fine waas $388,650

Last month, the Sentencing Advisory Coouncil is hosted a community forums in Moorwell to gauge expectations on sentencingg, in order to keep people safe at work

“WWe will literally be asking the communitty to be the judge,” Dr McGorrery said leaading into the event

The council shared a real OHS case witth the focus group, and asked those in attendance what punishment they woould give the offending company and whhy they made their decision, all before hearing what the judge in that case gave the e offender

Those in attendance shared how they felt t about the real sentence after getting thaat information, and revealed what they thiink should happen in OHS cases going forrward

For examples of recent OHS cases in the Latrobe Valley, the WoorkSafe Victoria website allows ussers to filter by the Court in whhich their prosecutions were senntenced Go to worksafe vic gov auu/prosecution-result-summariesennforceable-undertakings

The consultation report is available to view on the Sentencing Advisory Coouncil’s website at sentencingcouncil. vic c gov au/ An Engage Victoria survey is also noow live at engage vic gov au/ senntencing-ohs-offences-in-victoria

A report into OHS cases in currently in progress.

Photo: File

FARMWORLD Find ME at

FFriday 22 -Sunday 24 March

Lardner Park Gippsland

Friday22-Sunday24March 2024

or morethan half acentury, this premier regional agricultural field day has been providing patrons the opportunity to get up close and talk with experts in the field, learnall thereistoknowabout farm animals, and purchase some great products direct from the makers and suppliers.

y g

With up to 100 acres of exhibitor displays, both indoors and out, you’ll find equipment, farmmachinery, clothing, sheds, outdoor living including boats, caravans, horse floats, and vehicles, technology,plants plus masses of must-have tools.

And it wouldn’tbeFarmWorld without ahuge variety of animals.

Other events include:

•The Equestrian Expo program

•The Telstra Women in Ag lunch, asignature event with aspectacular line up of presenters

•The Farm World Freestyle Kings Motocross team

FarmWorld boasts ahuge variety of unique and memorable experiences and value for all visitors.

All Australian made and designed livestock ear tag that will make a significant difference to your livestock identification and management Enduro Tags proven record of best retention and best visibility you can’tmissthem! Both NLIS and Management Tags.

SeeusatFarm World site LS3 and talk to John Steinfort

Contact EnduroTags 0458 008900

Email: sales@endurotags.com.au

Seeour new websiteand web shop at www.endurotags.com.au

Brushing with the Myrteza Blue style

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

FROMthe rollinghills ofspudcountry comes theintergenerational farmer and painter Graeme Myrteza.

Originating from the region's most fertile farming land, Graeme came from afarming family in Thorpdale.

Acountry boy at heart, Graeme loved to do all the things ayoung country boy enjoyed -hunting, fishing, and camping. He did it all, but deep down, he always had an artistic flair that would not be fully appreciated until very later in life.

As achild, he enjoyed drawingand painting, but after leaving school, therewas no time to continue his passion.

“I was born in Thorpdale - I’ve been here all my life in the same place. Iwas drawing and doing all that stuffwhen Iwas akid and at school,” he said.

LeavingWarragulTech at age 15, Graeme said from there,“Allwedid was farm thenfarmwork on the spuds, dairy farm, carrots

and sheep and cattle and all that sorts of stuff.”

If you walk into one of three galleries that hangsome ofGraeme’sworks,you can see the heart that is put into every brush stroke of his landscape pieces.

In 2005, the family's life was changed forever after losing their son Brett following his 30-yearbattle with muscular dystrophy

After encouragement from friends and family, Graeme took to the paintbrush to help ease his pain.

"With the loss of Brett, Istarted painting again, therapy, Isuppose, and from then on, Ihave had abrush in my hand pretty much every day," he said.

“He passed away, and Istarted painting about aweek later

“It was losing Brett that started all that.

“He had muscular dystrophy, he was 30-years-old, and he sort of had enough.”

Startinghis artistic journey at almost 60-years-old, Graeme is not pouringhis heart out onto canvasfor notoriety,fameor

fortune, he paints what he likes for himself and his son.

"Brett never saw me paint, butIknow he's with me when Iampainting, he has apart in each work Idoand that's why I put his initials in every painting," he said.

Acountryman in aworld ofeccentric personalities, Graeme is often described as that ‘painting farmer bloke’.

“I’d never been to an exhibition or any of that stuffuntilBrett passedaway,”hesaid.

With around 30 exhibitions in his portfolio and countless awards, Graeme has become arecognised artist with people coining the blue in his paintings the ‘Myrteza Blue’.

Despite winning several art show awards, Graeme said while some artists would prioritise thisaspect of the lifestyle, he was among the ones who couldn’t careless.

Graeme’s heartfelt works arereceiving the recognition they deserve, especially with the short film MyrtezaBlue,directed by Eren Besiroglu, which centres on Graeme’s journey from farmer to painter

Having travelled throughout Australia, Graemecaptures the views and light -from the vastKimberleyto waves crashingon Phillip Island.

“I like all the outback …I’ve spent alot of time out there out west or up in the high country," he said.

“I like the blues and reds and yellows in the outback.”

Despite learning from Churchill artist Bill Roberts, Graeme never really had any art education. His work has been self-taught, coming from the heart.

Admiring the works of Australian landscape painters Hans Heysen, Frederick McCubbin and Arthur Streeton, he developed his own way of capturing the beauty in the Australian outback.

“There’s alot of things Ilike, but Ijust like painting, you know …but gum trees are pretty high up on the list,” he said.

“I had an exhibition at the county court in Melbourne there…which was pretty special.”

For Graham, art was truly aself-expression, away of processing his own emotions, and aformoftherapeutic release.

"I have found that over the years, Ihave grown to love the smell of oil paint, turps and raw canvas almostas much asthe constant challenge of trying to capture the majestic gums, creeks and brilliant landscapes of our beautiful country," he said.

As Graemeslowsthingsdown inhis senior years, he focuses on art for himself.

Youcan see Graeme’s extraordinary work year-round in The Covent Galley in Daylesford, Town and Country Gallery Yarragon and the Mingara Gallery in Cowes.

If you would like to commission aGraeme Myrteza artwork or would like to find out more, head to the website: www.myrteza. com

The farmer-turned-painter draws inspiration from the greatAustralianoutback.

Graeme Myrteza pursued his passion for art as away to cope with hisson’s death in 2005. Photographs supplied

Aussie DairyEffluent Solutions

WHENAustralianPump Industries launched their “self-priming revolution”, it didn’ttake longfor pump dealers around thecountry to realisewhatagift it was for end users.

The ability to hook up thesuction hose,simply fill the pump bowlwith water and thenstartthe electricmotor is amajorbreakthrough in convenience!

Dairyfarms were an obvious major application,where effluent needstobecleaned out of the milkingparlour and intothe ponds whereitcan be brokendownand effectively used for fertiliser

Aussie’s range of topquality, ISO 9001 compliant motor pumps nowextends allthe waythrough to both high volume andhighheadself-priming pumps to suit almostany application

The firstworld, Aussie cast iron GMPmotor pumps are loaded with features

These include abig cast iron open impellerwith the ability to handle solidsinsuspension, astainlesssteel wearplate incorporated withinthe pump chamber and asilicon carbide seal

Most importantly, afront mountedclean outportmakes it simple forchokestobecleared without having to disconnect pipework or dismantle the pump

All pumps arefittedwith both atop mountedpriming plug and adrain plugwhich enables thepumps to be easily drained without any formofdismantling

Watermanagementhas become the big issueonfarms and to alarge extent,that gets back to efficiency of pumps being used, their availabilityand of course, their ease of operation.

Aussie Pumps hasexpandedits self-priming motor pump range to include 4” pumpsthat canhandle up to 2,300 lpm and headsashighas29metres.

Those4”pumpsare on themarket forafraction of the cost of more exotic equivalents from theUSorEurope Aussiealso introduced a22kW3”semi trash pump

that delivers up to 87 metres head, that’s over 100psi in termsofpressure,inthe formoftheir new model B3ZPM-A/ST series.

That pump, designedoriginally fortransferringwaste effluent to thepaddock,set anew standardfor trash pump performance andvalue formoney

“Weknowthatabrasioncan causeexcessive pump wear in effluent applications”said Chief Engineer, John Hales

“Tocombat that, we’veintroduced optional 316 stainlesssteel impellers formostofthe range. They arebeing used in applications as diverse as concrete batch plants and even exploration drill rigs” he said.

Small But Mighty

THElatest addition is small utilitysemitrash pump (1 ½” ports) designed forjobs requiring flows of no morethan 200or300 litresper minute.

Calledthe B1.5KQ-A/ST series, pumpsare available in both240 voltand 415voltclose coupled configuration These monoblockunits areparticularly cost effective Theyare cast iron and have allthe samefeatures and the rest of the range including astainless wear plate, siliconcarbide seals andofcourse their unique self-priming ability

316Stainless Steel Options

THEcastironmotor pumps arealsoavailableincast 316 stainlesssteelwith ports up to 4”. They deliver thesameperformance as thecastiron equivalent.

316stainlesssteelis both corrosion andabrasionresistantand will handle caustics,wheyand othercorrosive liquidsthat areinvolvedinthe dairyindustry.

Engine Drive Trash Pumps

CLIMATEchange is outthereand can’tbeignored. Thatmeans dairies will faceoccasional powerissues. Manyoperators arelookingtoengine drivetrash pumps to cover these emergencysituations.

AustralianPumpisaspecialist in that area with a completerange of Honda powered trash pumps,with ports from 2” up to 4”

Thepumpendscarry afiveyearwarranty, theengineis covered with Honda’sthree year warranty!

The trashpumps deliverflows up to 1,800 lpm and self-prime with avertical lift of 7.6metres.

Althoughdevelopedinitially forconstruction site dewatering, theseportabletrash pumps,withthe capacity to handlespherical solidsinsuspensionto half the diameter of the porting can be a godsend for moving dirty water fast

The company builds Yanmar diesel powered versions as well

Larger capacity6”trash pumps,for serious effluent handling applications, with flowsofupto6,000 lpmare also built by the company.

“Those six inchpumps can be used notonlyfor moving largequantitiesofeffluent, butdoubleasflood liftersin theevent of majorcatastrophic weather events” said Hales.

“Both the4”and 6” trashpumps can also perform, like their electricmotor equivalents, as veryeffective aeratorsinwastewater settling ponds.”

Local Distribution

AUSTRALIAnPump has some great distributorsin Victoriatoservice the dairyfarmers.

Theyare equippedwith bothAussie’s pump rangeand alsotheir Australianmade, stainlesssteel, high pressure waterblasters, andideal for continuousservice indairy farms.

Prices aresuper competitive, theproducts aremadeto ISO9001 quality standards, and have also becomea big exportsuccess.

More information about Aussie’s “self-priming revolution” GMP pump range is readily available from Australian Pump Industries and authorised distributors, or online at aussiepumps com au

Aussie QP-60T diesel trash pump in action aerating a wastewater pond

Aussie’s4”bronze transfer pumps installed to handle effluent in aNZdairyfarm.

Sporting recovery continues at Mirboo North

Zaida GLIBANOVIC

THE storm’s force that ran through Mirboo Northlike asteam train on Tuesday, February 13, bent both goalposts at both ends of the Mirboo NorthRecreation Reserve.

Mirboo NorthFootball-Netball Club (MNFNC) President, Joe Pipersaid the club was in abit of “shock” when they surveyed the damage in the wake of the storm.

“You cansee by the wayour goalposts areleaning on the ground -we’ve bowed to Mother Natureonthis occasion, but we areapretty resilient lot, and we’regoing to standtall again,” he said.

The Mirboo North Recreation Reserve was in good condition beforethe stormcame.

“I was part of the team that put the posts in- therewas afantastic guarantee, but youcan’t beat atornado,” Piper said. It wasn’t just the goalposts that copped the hit, as falling treescamecrashing down on fences and netting and gale-force winds lifted sheds.

“We’ve gotastorage shed withmowers and landmarkers and that -itdecided it wanted to move somewhere else in the world,and alot of the roofing iron has got to be retrieved, obviouslydisposed and replaced,” the MFNC President said.

Preseason footy training looked abit different for theboysat MirbooNorth

after the storm; instead of lane work and run-throughs, they werecleaning debris, conducting welfarechecks and distributing essential supplies.

“The community supports us through their sponsorship and membership, through donations, and we give back to them,” Piper said.

Piper saidthe club was working with AFL Victoria, the South Gippsland Shireand the Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League to organise potential support arrangements.

“Thefootball-netball club and along with, say,the cricket club and others -we’ve been in existence for over 130 years, and one wouldhavetosay we’rejustpartof the community,” Piper said.

Rural communities love their sport, and in Mirboo North, it’snodifferent,with everyone reeling from the effects of the damage to the recreation reserve.

“Ifyou live in Mirboo North, you area barracker for Mirboo North,” Piper said.

Fronting news crews last month during Victorian Premier,Jacinta Allan’svisit to the town,Piper saidthe community was in direneed of assistance.

“The Premier just (has) got to provide access to whateverfunding availability that thereisfor right across our communitywe’ve got residents that arehurting today, and we need to supportthem -they’ve done

nothing other than to watch something rip apart their houses,” Piper said.

The club has startedaGoFundMe to help raise moneyfor the goalpostsalongside other damages.The club is aimingtoreach a funding goal of $30,000 to cover the cost of the clean-up and rebuild atthe club.

With Mirboo North’s first home game of the 2024Mid Gippslandseason, set for April 20, Piper is concerned their ground may not be ready in time to host Foster, which would mean lost revenue from entry, canteen and bar sales.

Findinghumourinthe ordeal, Piper joked that perhaps the league should give Mirboo North the chance to kick goals between the onlyremaining posts left standing-the point posts.

MirbooNorth Primary School Principal, Matt Snell is heavily involved in the community, and said sporting clubs werethe lifeblood of Mirboo North.

With the golf club and scout hall in ruins alongside the damage doneto the recreation reserve and ponyclub, Snell said recovery would be achallenging time for all concerned.

“I think the hardest thing for Mirboo North to bounceback will be the different groups in town,” he said.

“I know thereisalot of energy going into

people’s properties and things like, and rightly so, but Ifeel for the community groups because it’s anotherevent that will hopefully strengthen resolve but at the same time stretch resources.”

Sporting clubs in Mirboo North arereeling trying to address the damages. Mirboo North Cricket Club has lost $15,000 worth of coversand hadmaintenanceequipment damaged.

Years upon years of hardwork at the Mirboo North Golf Club have been left in tatterswithinmoments as fallen trees and debris engulfed the fairways.

The local scouts have nowheretomeet as their scout hall was inundated with tree branches.

The Grand Ridge Rail Trail Parkrun was suspended until debris from the trail was removed.

Snell said he has concerns about the financial impactthe stormand subsequent clean-up willhaveon communitysporting groups.

“The otherthing isthe Pony Club andthe rail trail …that’s what I’m worried about Idoworry about the longer-termimpacts on the clubs around the town,” he said.

Those wishing to donate to help Mirboo North FNC can do so via gofundme.com/f/ mnfnc-recovery

Melbourne helps Opals qualify for Paris Olympics

TomHAYES

FÉLICITATIONS, Opals.

Et voilà! The Australian Opals areenroute to the 2024 Paris Olympics, after securing qualification in Brazil.

Onlyneeding to finish inthe top three from their group of four,the Opals secured the right to advance to Paris with wins in their first two games.

Traralgon’s Jade Melbourne could well be on that plane to France later this year,after playing apart during the final qualifying stage.

Australia only just survived alate scare from Brazil in their opening game of qualifying, getting over the line by five points.

Despite being 10 points up at thehalf, and extending that lead into the thirdquarter Brazil came firing back to only trail by two points at the final change.

Nextto no scoring was had in thefinal quarter,asAustralia edged evermore slightly ahead to claim afive-point victory.

Unless something crazy was to happen, the Opals had all but secured their ticket to Paris by this stage, but another win would make that acertainty.

And boy, did they make certain of it.

In their penultimate qualifier,Australia thrashed Germany to claim their ticket to the Olympics.

The Opals wereup by as much as 14 points after the first quarter,extending that margin to 30 by the end of the half, the job seeminglydone.

Germany put up afight in the thirdquarter,not letting Australia get much further away, buttheycouldn’t stop them for long, with the Opals recording a33-point win.

Melbournescored six points in what was averyall-roundedgamefromthe Opals, which saw every player on the roster score at least two points.

Melbournealso took downtwo boards and provided two assists, proving difficult to come towardwith asteal to her name.

In ashock twist, Australia’sbest-ever

women’sbasketballer,LaurenJackson, announced her retirement after qualification was secured.

Jackson was set to join the Opalsin her fifthOlympics,after theAustralians qualified for the Olympics for a10th time. She initiallyretired in 2016, beforereturning ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

“When Isay this has been aprivilege, I mean it,” Jackson said on Instagram.

Jackson represented Australia at four different Olympics (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012), winning three silver and abronze medal.

She won Gold at her only Commonwealth Games –fittingly in Melbourne in 2006, and also claimed Gold during the same year at the 2006 FIBA World Cup.

Melbournewas boosted into the starting five for the Opals’ final game against Serbia, putting up 10 points, four rebounds and four assists, as the Aussie swept the qualifiers.

Despite trailing during moments of the final quarter,Melbourne waselectric, using her pace up and down the court to put points on the boardand deny points at the other end.

Playingover 20 minutes, Melbourne definitely showed what shecan bring to the table, and was one of six Australians to scoremorethan 10 points.

The Opals completedthe qualifiers on top of the group, progressing beforetheir final game, while Serbia and Germany also progressed, leaving Brazil to miss out –despite playing the qualifiers on their home deck.

From the 12 teams qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Australia will remain the thirdseeded team, behind the US (No. 1) and narrowly behind China (No. 2) on FIBA ranking points.

Germany is the only outlier from the qualified teams,ranked 25th in the world, while the other 11 countries rank within the top 12. Brazil wereranked eighth.

All that’slefttobe answeredis: will Melbourne be in that squad going to Paris?

Ahuge tree came down alongside the 16th hole at Mirboo North Golf Club. Thereare fallen trees scattered all over the course

The sheer force of the high winds wasenough to bend the goal postsatMirboo North Recreation Reserve.

Photos: Liam Durkin

Traralgon’s Jade Melbourne wasapartofthe Opals side thatqualified for the Paris Olympics.

Photo: Contributed

Kicking goals K Kiickkiing g go o oaalls s offthe field to offf f t thhe f fiield prevent CTE prreevent C CT T TE E

Former Gippsland footballer Leigh McDonald is on a mission to prevent CTE, starting with the introduction of concussion protocols at regional football level.

Contributed

TomHAYES

AFTER being diagnosed with probable Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), former Churchill footballer Leigh McDonald set out on amission to improve concussion protocols at aregional level for all age groups.

McDonald suffered around 40 concussionsthroughout his 20-year career, spanning from the age of 15 to 35, which has left him adifferent man.

Looking back through the years, McDonald recognised the symptoms of CTE began to take atoll on him after about 10 years, highlighting the last five years was where he began to rapidly go downhill.

Aftermonths of seeing asignificant declineinMcDonald’s mental and physical wellbeing, his wife Michelle soughtfor help from renownedspecialist neurologist in Sydney, Dr Rowena Mobbs, which was not only difficult becauseitwas interstate, but the cost and time on top of the travel was another strain.

McDonald suffered his worst concussion playingfor Coburg in the 2004 VFL season, cutting his season short.

Following the hit, he was put in an ambulance,where he suffered abrain bleed. He couldn’t even remember who his own dad was.

His last concussion was dealt in his second-last game in 2019. He was diagnosed with probable CTE roughly sixmonths ago. CTE is developed through repeated head trauma andismost common incombat and contact sports. The disease develops over time, generally after eight to 10 years. Symptoms ofCTE include behavioural problems, mood problems, andissues with thinking, which could lead to further complications including brain damage, dementia, depression or suicide.

McDonald has been aprominent figurein local football, coaching asenior premiership and pulling on the blue and yellow of the Churchill Cougars and coaching Wonthaggi in the Gippsland League.

In the early 2000s, McDonald trained with Richmond during their preseason under Danny Frawley –who himself died as a result of CTE in 2019.

McDonald went on to play in Richmond’s VFL affiliate, Coburg.

Following athree-to-four-month spell of trying to get his head around the probable

CTE diagnosis,McDonald set out on a missiontoimprove concussion protocols in regional leagues.

“Although Ifeel better now, it’s still adaily challenge,” he said.

“I have toeat well, Ihavetonot drink much at all, and Ihave to exercise pretty much every day.”

Since November last year,the McDonald’s have been inspiredtoget the ballrolling on this initiative, speaking to local clubs and leagues about apossible implementation, yet morework is still to be done.

The aim is to createclear pathways for family and friends of past and current players that may show CTE symptoms, and to know wheretoseek help.

His long-termgoals aretomeet with the AFL, and have them fund the concussion courses, in order to get the idea offthe ground, so that all players will be treated

Concussion protocols have taken apositive spin just recently, with the release of new concussion guidelines, which recommends amandatory 21 day standdown period for players who suffer aconcussion However,this is only aguideline, and not arule, meaning regional sporting clubs or leagues can still administerthe players however they see fit.

Morerecently, McDonald revealedthat he had teamed up with the Concussion Legacy Foundation, with plans to run amarathon to raise money for the project.

“The Concussion Legacy Foundation, the donations fromthe fundraising that we’re doing,that’s allpretty much what it’s all going towards – trying to implement (concussion) protocols for regional level and juniors to make surethings aregetting implemented,” he said.

“I’ve jumped on boardwith the Concussion

My aim is to implement these things around Gippsland, and the leagues in Gippsland, to make surethat seniors right through to juniors are following protocols.

LEIGH McDONALD

of apanel, speaking at Morwell’s Italian Australian Club on Saturday, March 23, led by The Restoration Project, an initiative by local Mark MacManus.

MacManus is aHeyfieldjunior,who played in asenior premiership with Yinnar at just 17-years-old, and is the creator of The Restoration Project.

“Steven Baker from St Kilda is going to come down and do achat, and also Matthew Ferguson (formerSale coach) –who played with St Kilda as well,” McDonald said.

“Theevent is really based around resilience, so it’s not just based around CTE.

“Steven Bakerhas been throughabit with depression and things like that, so he’s going to be speaking about how he’s changed his life and what he’s done to get on topofit. Matthew Ferguson’s journey hasalso been one of resilience, competing in Ironman events and living auniquely driven lifestyle.

“Then Iwill talk about what’s happened to me and how I’m dealing with it, what I’ve gonethrough andhow it’s changed my life and the highs and the lowsofit, andwhat I’m doing to change my life.

McDonald has had to adjust to speaking in front of crowds, which was something he felt very comfortable doing and had to do regularly, but now because of his condition, finds it difficult.

the same for ahead knock, minimalising the risk of the development of CTE later in their lives.

“My aimistoimplementthese things aroundGippsland, and theleaguesin Gippsland, to make surethat seniorsright through to juniors arefollowing protocols,” McDonald said.

“What Ireallywant to push for is that thereissomeone at every game of football –juniors,girls, whateveritis–that has run aconcussion course.

“I want to push for the AFL to fund for a little while, two-to-five years, to get these first aid officers to do aconcussion course.

Then afterawhile it will be part of what clubs need to upkeep and make surethat they’ve got in place.

“That will obviously take time, but Ican’t see why we can’tstart with making sure that thereisprotocols in place for leagues immediately. Leaguescan make that decision straight away.”

Legacy Foundation, and I’m on the board there. We’ve organised afundraiser event –I’m going to run amarathon in Cairns, something I’ve never done before.

“It’s abig thing for me, six months ago I couldn’t run akilometrewith the condition, Iwas sort of stuck in bed, so to be getting up and pounding the pavement now is a real positive.

“I’ve met with some families across Victoriawho havelosttheir kidsto CTE through suicide, so that’s been apretty impactful catch up. So I’ll be dedicating the marathon to some of those people.”

McDonald will dedicate his run to those who havelosttheir lives to CTE through suicide, and in particular he named late Traralgon footballer,Nick Lowden, who last playedinthe SANFL with Norwood, and former Richmond player Shane Tuck, who McDonaldlined upalongside at Coburg, as two he will be running for

Also coming up, McDonald will be apart

“Talkinginfront oflarge groups …is something that came easy to me –I enjoyed it, Iwas passionate about it, but now it’s a lot different, it’s achallenge because (my) memory is poor,” he said.

“I was thinkingIwasn’t capableand contemplated not doing it, and we were going to make avideo –which we arestill making –but we thought that the vulnerability of the night, people seeing me that may have seen me coach and talk before can maybe see the difference now, hopefully that can raise some awareness around what CTE can do to someone.”

To support Leigh’sfundraiser,visit the website at tinyurl.com/k2fft279

Tickets to The Restoration Project night at the Italian Australia Club can be found at tinyurl.com/ybpyhxrh

Lifeline is available 24 hours aday, call 13 11 14.

Photo: