Ag focus 2013 (72dpi) v2

Ag2013 A

ISSUE 5

Country News PUBLICATION

Focus

A focus on innovation and outlooks in north and central Victoria and the southern Riverina

Inside: Making rotaries for the world Cutting gases drip by drip Vegies emerge in the valley Best friends

Raising beef in northern Victoria FOUR FACTORS TO FOCUS ON

PERFORMANCE AND PRECISION

Puma

Maxxum

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JXU

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HERE *Based on 24 monthly repayments with a 30% deposit. Fixed interest rate, GST repaid in 4th month, no balloon payments. Default interest may be applied to late payments. See your local dealership for further details. Offer ends 31st July 2011.

212 Numurkah Road, Shepparton Ph: (03) 5821 4555 www.caseih.com www.oconnorscaseih.com.au

1800 227 344

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Contact our Sales team today Tim Edgar 0427 904 769 | Ivan Clark 0408 156 315 | Fred Zito 0409 359 109

agfocus 2013

ACROSS THE CASE IH RANGE

Magnum

Steiger

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Right now, at your Case IH dealership all MAXXFARM, JX STRADDLE, JX PLATFORM, QUANTUM C, JXU, MAXXUM, PUMA Powershift and PUMA CVT are available at only 3.99% finance*. This offer is only available for a limited time, so act fast! Visit your local dealer today to discuss which tractor suits your needs best!

Mower conditioners

Combine

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Case IH Axial-Flow® combines lead the industry with Case IH DC 2 Series rotary disc mower conditioners deliver fast cutting and high-quality conditioning. Choose from carefully matched systems that ensure productivity. four models, built to handle a variety of crops. New flail With the fewest drive components, Axial-Flow INSERT DEALERSHIP NAME are engineered for simplicity and reliability. conditioning option is available for all models and provides combines ADDRESS more thorough drying in grass type crops.

PHONE NUMBER HERE *Based on 24 monthly repayments with a 30% deposit. Fixed interest rate, GST repaid in 4th month, no balloon payments. Default interest may be applied to late payments. See your local dealership for further details. Offer ends 31st July 2011.

43 Sturt Street, Echuca Ph: (03) 5482 1733 www.caseih.com www.echucacih.com

1800 227 344

Contact our Sales team today Geoff Harris 0408 505 204 | Leo Dullard 0428 886 086 | Bruce Watson 0407 433 504

agfocus 2013

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IN FOCUS

Victorian Farmers Federation president – Peter

Tuohey

WHAT FARMERS WANT

Have a weighing problem?

We have the solution!

As we look ahead to the next six months, it is clear what Victorian farmers want – more rain and better conditions. While it is welcome to see some decent falls of late, it has been a trying and dry start to the season.

The power of the two major supermarkets continues to dominate conversation in the agricultural landscape at the moment. What about market power? Do we need to give Australia’s competition watchdog the power to force supermarkets to divest their assets and adhere to a mandatory code of conduct? Or doesn’t it really matter? At the VFF Conference supermarket representatives will go head-to head with VFF farmers and Australia’s leading competition and consumer advocate Frank Zumbo.

The ‘Q&A’-style panel session will give farmers an opportunity to put questions forward to the market power panel prior to the conference as well as ask questions on the day. Any farmer not wishing to speak publicly for fear of losing contracts can submit questions anonymously.

And what about canning fruit growers across the Shepparton region?

Recently, we saw more than 800 people rally to save cannery SPC Ardmona at the Shepparton Showground after the factory was forced to cut fruit intake by 50 per cent due to cheap imports and the high Australian dollar. This sends an important message to our consumers.

Your purchasing decisions have a direct impact on the farmer who grows it. We need to support Australian made and produced products.

And while we anticipate and look forward to the next challenge, I would also like to point out some of the VFF’s recent victories.

We delivered a major win for farmers after the Victorian Government listened to our calls to reduce the farm rate paid to 31 cents per $1000 CIV. This is a considerable move from the proposed rate of 52 cents per $1000 CIV. After more than 18 months of fighting for our members, we secured a 40 per cent reduction for farmers, which translates to more than $25 million in savings for the farm community in the first year.

Image and education about agriculture has also been a priority for the VFF. Through our Young Agribusiness Professionals group, we secured a $240 000 grant to fund an agricultural careers officer at the VFF. The funding of the adviser is a key outcome of the YAP’s policy paper on securing the next generation of food and fibre producers. The adviser will help schools to highlight opportunities for students who are considering careers in the food and fibre sector.

It’s an exciting time at the VFF and we look forward to continuing to fight for Victorian farmers.

Peter Tuohey VFF president

NEED ACCURATE WEIGHTS? • Grain, bulk commodity • Livestock weighing • Buying or selling

• On farm or business • Industrial process control • All retail scale applications

AgFocus is produced by the same team that publishes Country News in 17 newspapers in northern Victoria and the southern Deniliquin Finley Riverina.

Berrigan Kerang Cohuna

Mathoura

Tocumwal

Cobram

Gunbower

We can supply, service and install all applications you may have.

Contact

Boort

Charlton Wedderburn

Inglewood

Nathalia Yarrawonga

Echuca

Tongala

Kyabram Rochester Tatura

Numurkah

Shepparton

Rushworth

Murchison

Euroa

Nagambie Seymour

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agfocus 2013

Email country_scale@iinet.net.au

Tatong

Avenel

Heathcote

Ph 58215000 Fax 58311358

Benalla

Broadford

Mansfield

contents

Cover photograph: Benalla farmer Jim Martin.

See page 30.

DAIRY

From page 6

Editor Geoff Adams

ENVIRONMENT

Writers Cathy Walker Sophie Bruns Laura Griffin Photographers Ray Sizer Julie Mercer Simon Bingham Bianca Mibus Jayme Lowndes

From page 40

Q&A

Page 26

ALTERNATIVE CROPS

Editorial designer Teresa Lagozzino

From page 42

Sub-editors Shepparton News sub-editing department Advertising Jamie Gilbert Ashton Still Riverine Herald

LIVESTOCK From page 30

Advertising support Karen Boyd

WATER

Graphic artists Brendan Cain Riverine Herald

A publication of the McPherson Media Group weekly newspaper, Country News, which circulates in 17 newspapers across central and northern Victoria and the southern Riverina.

Editorial: (03) 5820 3229.

Advertising: (03) 5820 3184.

From page 45

BEST FRIENDS Page 32

ENVIRONMENT Page 54

THE INNOVATOR NOT THE IMITATOR Did you know that JCB offer a wide range of machinery to suit many different applications?

This includes excavators and mini excavators, wheeled loaders, compaction equipment, tractors and skid steers.

Call Michaels Moama, Cobb Highway, Moama on (03) 5480 0731 or Brad Michael on 0428 300 883 agfocus 2013

5

DAIRY

Supply dries up, drives milk price higher: survey M

ilk production is recovering in northern Victoria and the southern Riverina after taking a hit from the drought and floods in recent years.

The Murray Dairy area (including the southern Riverina) is the only region reporting an increase in milk output in 2013, according to the recent Dairy Australia Situation and Outlook report.

The region’s dairy farmers can expect 2013-14 opening farmgate milk prices higher than last year’s opening prices, according to the analysis.

Dairy Australia is forecasting a potential full year average price of about $5.50/kg milk solids, compared to $4.90 to $5.10/kg in 2012-13.

Australia’s milk production will see modest growth in 2013-14, increasing from 9.35 billion litres this season to between 9.4 and 9.6 billion litres next season.

Dairy Australia’s analysis of current commodity price and exchange rate settings indicates an opening price for 2013-14 of around $5/kg MS compared to the 2012-13 opening price of $4.30/kg MS. Dairy Australia managing director Ian Halliday said: “The report suggests that 2013-14 could be a year of recovery for many farmers.

“Farm-gate prices are expected to open higher than the current season, and global indicators suggest grain prices should moderate through late 2013. However, the key wildcard will be the weather.”

According to the 2013 National Dairy Farmer Survey (NDFS), 33 per cent of farmers intend to increase production in the coming 12 months and another 33 per cent expect production to

milk production by region Year to date production change (%) 6% 4% 2% 0% -2% -4% -6% -8% SA

Tas

NSW

Gipps

MD

SD

WA

WVic

Source Dairy Australia

This production chart shows how the Murray Dairy (MD) region is leading others in milk output.

The region’s farmers are also among the most optimistic according to the Dairy Australia survey. remain stable.

Dairy Australia senior analyst Norm Repacholi said: “Over the next three years, 61 per cent of farmers (representing 63 per cent of total volume produced) are intending to increase milk production.”

Murray Dairy farmers remain among the most optimistic around Australia.

About 37 per cent of those surveyed said they wanted to make capital investments during the

next three years, which was the equal highest group around Australia.

The Murray Dairy region has also re-asserted its position as the highest production area around Australia, with 2.2 billion litres expected in 2013.

Australian milk production is expected to range between 9.8 and 10.2 billion litres by 2015-16.

ABARES’ Farm Survey estimates for 201213 indicate average farm cash incomes fell

Did you know...

Below are a few statistics which highlight the important value of the dairy industry provides within the Murray Dairy region.

• Across Australia, some 43,000 people are directly employed in the dairy industry.

Of these, more than 10,000 are employed in the Murray Dairy region.

• The region’s largest employment in dairy jobs occurs in the following municipalities: › Campaspe – 2306 jobs › Moira – 1910 jobs › Greater Shepparton – 1778 jobs › Gannawarra – 1207 jobs • Murray Dairy produces some 2.1 billion litres of milk over the course of a year. This contributes more than $740 million to the region’s economy.

For all the latest information on dairy research, development, education and extension activities, visit www.murraydairy.com.au 6

agfocus 2013

DAIRY

Positive about dairy outlook

N

to $95 300 – down 33 per cent from the 2011-12 average of $143 000, but closer to two per cent below the preceding 10-year average.

“Challenging production conditions, rising input costs and a persistent focus on the supermarket milk price war have undermined farmer confidence,” Mr Repacholi said.

Asked to compare the current season profitability with the average of the past five years, four out of five farmers expected lower profit in 2012-13.

South Australia had the greatest proportion of farms expecting lower profitability (92 per cent) while Western Australia had the least (57 per cent).

In line with lower expected profits and declining confidence, the proportion of surveyed farmers intending to invest on farm during the coming year has declined from 38 per cent in 2012 to 28 per cent in 2013.

AB Agribusiness remains overall bullish on the dairy sector, although locally we have seen very tight cashflow periods leading into autumn with many dairy producers citing low confidence until a new milk price is announced.

Recent announcements on domestic supply contracts now held by Murray Goulburn have been received well by most dairy farmers but the reality remains the majority of Victorian dairy production is destined for an overseas market.

Internationally dairy prices have increased remarkably with New Zealand’s dry conditions reducing their exportable surplus. Our expectation is that this trend will be reflected in the new season opening price but are awaiting early indications from Dairy Australia and key milk companies for the 2013-14 year.

Locally while irrigation water is not currently a limiting factor, feed prices have started to increase in a response to the onset of autumn and ongoing dry conditions.

Rises in input prices in general are a hot topic of conversation and most dairy clients are looking at ways to change or reduce reliance on key inputs.

The NAB Agribusiness managers and our interest rate specialists have spent a lot of time recently assisting our clients take advantage of the low interest rates to lock in a known cost; this has been a key

Dave Davies consideration with many producers looking at budgeting for the next 12 months.

NAB recently hosted a client study tour of China which reinforced both the demand for dairy protein in existing and new markets but also the importance of building relationships in a large and complex economy.

Understanding the subtle differences in business style and distribution has been a key factor for our clients who have already established relationships with key Asian markets.

– NAB Agribusiness central Victoria manager Dave Davies

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DAIRY Story and Pictures: Sophie Bruns

Brothers benefit from irrigation upgrade When New Zealand-born brothers Steve and Mike Crook moved to Australia nine years ago they had no idea what was in store for them and the dairy operation they purchased at Torrumbarry.

O

ver the years the brothers have expanded their operation to 1000 cows, 450 milking hectares and 1000 ha of cropping. The past two years have been particularly busy upgrading some of the irrigation infrastructure to include pipe and riser, a lateral irrigator and a centre pivot.

The irrigation works were made possible through round two of the On Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program.

The pipe and riser system has been set up on 55 ha while the centre pivot and lateral irrigator service 175 ha.

“We had some pretty ordinary flood irrigation that didn’t drain or water too well,” Mike said.

“The pipe and riser will save us a lot of time and in terms of water efficiency, it isn’t too far behind the spray irrigation. What used to take four days to flood irrigate can now be done in a day.”

Steve said the spray irrigation can be operated from a mobile phone.

“The beauty of this system is we could control how much water we put on (it’s measured in rainfall). There is no run-off and over the winter months if it is a bit dry we can be flexible with the amount of water we put on the pasture.

“These works have really propelled our business forward and simplified things along the way. We have given up a fair bit of water but it’s been a fair exchange – we would never have been able to do the works ourselves and certainly not in the time frame they were completed in,” Steve said.

“Government programs like this make farmers more efficient. After all, we are producing a great product, we employ people and keep money flowing around the district through the use of local contractors,” Mike said.

The brothers have no permanent pasture on the farm at the moment – it is all annuals and shaftal and rye. This sits well with their calving pattern with the majority of the herd (80 per cent) calving in autumn.

On the cropping country they grow about 300 ha of oats, 100 ha of peas and the balance wheat and barley.

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agfocus 2013

Brothers Steve and Mike Crook moved to Australia from New Zealand nine years ago to run their own dairy farm.

The brothers have spent the past two years upgrading their irrigation infrastructure which has included installation of a centre pivot, a lateral irrigator and 80 ha of pipe and riser.

“The beauty of this system is we can control how much water we put on . . .”

Farmer Steve Crook Steve said: “We grow all our own hay, grain and silage but it does depend on the season and the availability of water. Sometimes we might have to buy in some canola or hay.”

The majority of the 1000-cow herd is crossbred, with the brothers focusing on components rather than litres.

Mike said their cows had to do a fair bit of walking and cross-breds seemed to be able to take that a bit better.

“The big Friesians take a lot of feeding and when things go pear shaped you don’t have to buy in as much feed - they are cheaper to maintain, they seem to stay in better condition and get in calf that bit easier,” Mike said.

“It is harder to make money in Australia compared to New Zealand. The weather seems to be against you and the cost of production is higher. We get better production in Australia but it seems we make less money.”

The brothers’ main aim into the future is to be sustainable and work with what they’ve got.

“We have done a fair bit over the years and I think we need a rest for awhile,” Steve said, and they both laughed.

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DAIRY

International reputation for excellence

Operations manager Adam Hargreaves at Yarroweyah.

The engineering company was founded in 1980.

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agfocus 2013

A growing Yarroweyah engineering company is exporting rotary dairies to more than 50 countries around the world.

The list of customers includes many European countries known for their engineering expertise.

F

ounded in 1980 by Graeme Hargreaves, Yarroweyah Engineering originally provided general engineering services including building orchard equipment.

The company’s interest in dairy equipment began in 1984 when a Katunga farmer asked Graeme Hargreaves to build a rotary dairy.

Last year the family business built 135 platforms which went to 52 countries.

Operations manager Adam Hargreaves said the company’s

international growth had been assisted by a unique partnership with the big global company GEA Farm Technologies, headquartered in Bonen, Germany, which provided the milking equipment to go onto the Yarroweyah platforms.

The company recently received a boost with the announcement of a Victorian Government regional development grant of $100 000 to expand the production line with a high capacity robotic welding system.

The new equipment will

DAIRY Story: Geoff Adams Pictures: Simon Bingham

Robotic welding at the Yarroweyah engineering company.

Precision laser cutting used on fabrication of the platform kits.

improve efficiencies and allow the company to employ more full-time staff.

As well as speeding up production, robotic welding will lift the consistency of quality, which Mr Hargreaves said was a requirement of the international partnership.

Although the company’s first rotaries were made for dairies in the region, the company has seen steady growth in overseas demand.

In 1992 Wesfalia approached Yarroweyah Engineering, and during the next four years it provided 30 platforms to the New Zealand market, followed by a request from Wesfalia Germany.

A Yarroweyah Engineering platform operating in Spain. It is the biggest dairy cattle farm in Spain, milking 2800 cows three times a day, 24 hours, or one cow every six seconds.

Yarroweyah Engineering exported its first platform to the United States in 1997 and the first to China in 2002.

One of the company’s biggest years was in 2008 when it exported 209 platforms.

The company’s success has also had benefits for other Goulburn Valley businesses who supply services.

All Yarroweyah Engineering’s steelwork is galvanised at Furphy’s in Shepparton.

Each week the company sends out at least three projects which are packaged into containers in kit form.

Welder Aren Jorgensen has been with the company for five years.

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DAIRY Story and pictures: Sophie Bruns

Goodbye cows, hello goats Tough times sometimes call for thinking a little outside the square. For Kotta farmers Nathan and Kylie Coutts that thinking prompted them to sell up their dairy herd in 2008, and take a new direction – milking goats.

“

Mum (Wendy) came up with the idea initially and to be honest I thought it was pretty silly.

We got a consultant in and started to do a few sums and then we decided the idea wasn’t that silly at all,” Nathan said.

“We get paid $1.20 a litre and can run seven goats for every cow – a 60 kg goat can produce around 8 –10 litres per day. A good goat (in terms of management) is the same really as a good cow. Our long-term aim is to milk around 2000 and join them every 18 months.”

Building up numbers happens rather quickly on a goat farm. Goats are highly fertile and cycle at a similar time. They usually have multiple births and 20 does can have 30-40 kids between them.

“We leave the kids on the mothers for two to three days to get their colostrum then they are put on to plastic feeders. They start on grain and hay and by the third or fourth day they are nibbling at both.”

At maturity a 60 kg goat will eat about 3 kg of dry matter a day. Nathan said their diet was similar to cows but goats need more fibre and minerals.

“They prefer to eat hay – they only nip the tops off the pasture. They have to be careful of too many nitrates in pasture because it upsets their

Top: These udders look familiar but different.

Bottom: Nathan Coutts and his son Ned with some of the baby goats.

stomach, and we always make sure there is plenty of straw out.”

The two major problems the family have with goats is keeping them in and looking after them in cold weather.

“They are hard on fences and you can’t have a stay inside the fence or they will run up it and be out in a flash.

We have learnt three electric wires in a fence helps keep them in and they must have access to shelter, especially when they are young.

The herd is made up of six different breeds of milking goats and the family uses cross breeding to increase hybrid vigour. They have found over time cross breeding produces a stronger, healthier and more trouble-free animal.

The family currently milks about 700 goats in a converted herringbone dairy. It takes about six minutes to milk a goat out and when the family has both sides up and running they think they will be able to milk about 500 to 600 goats an hour.

Unlike cows the goats aren’t afflicted with

mastitis and the family has only seen a couple of cases in the past four years. They do have to be on the ball with worm prevention and they also have to keep an eye on the goats’ feet because their toes grow rapidly.

The milk is sent to a factory in Keysborough twice a week, at the Coutts’ cost. Nathan is hoping once their volume increases the factory will send a tanker to pick up the milk.

“I think this move has been a good way to drought-proof the farm, especially once we get our volume up enough to dilute our farm costs even further,” he said.

“Our biggest problem has been being able to physically source the animals but our herd size is increasing every year.”

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Healthy cows, healthy profit 12

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DAIRY Story and picture: Sophie Bruns

Holstein breeding efforts rewarded Adrian and Cheryl Dee from Clydevale Holsteins at Macorna have spent the past 40 years of their lives involved with cows, and during that time the couple has made an outstanding contribution to the dairy industry.

T

he family was recently awarded the ADHIS Australian Bull Breeding Excellence Award for Holsteins during the 1990s.

Michelle Axford from ADHIS said genetic improvement required time and focus and this award recognised the significant contribution breeders had made to the genetics of Australian dairy herds.

“A true family contribution, the Dee family has been a great supporter of Australian Holstein breeding with top ABV cows along with significant AI graduate sires in Formost, Lordpres and two current top 20 APR bulls in Proshot and Goldpiper,” Ms Axford said.

This award is only one of many the family has received for its commitment and dedication to breeding the ultimate black and white. Mr Dee has also been involved on the Holstein Australia board for many years, including a term as president.

The Dees have won a Holstein master breeder award, a Genetics Australia award and a NHIA meritorious service award.

“We have won a few awards over the years and

“The cattle of today are not that much different to years ago . . . ” Farmer Adrian Dee it has been good to be recognised but we never went into breeding for that,’’ Mr Dee said.

“We have had a number of bulls go through to AI, we have had a pretty good strike rate over the years, I guess.”

While Mr Dee is modest about his breeding successes, it is easy to see he is still passionate about cows and his breeding philosophy has always been simple.

“The cattle of today are not that much different to years ago, structurally they are still the same. You just need to get the basics right – a functional cow with capacity, a good udder, sound legs and feet, and a correct head and muzzle. I have always believed in good

breeding.”

Mr Dee believes good legs and feet are the most important trait, closely followed by the animal’s ability to take in a lot of feed.

“It only takes about 10-20 seconds to know whether or not you like a cow. If you have to talk yourself into liking it there is usually something wrong; your first impression is usually the best.

“I wouldn’t have gone as far with the breeding without Cheryl, and without the kids’ enthusiasm when they were little. We would be off to shows every weekend and get home late and start milking the cows at 8pm. The kids were really interested back then and they still are today.

“They were busy times but a dairy farm is the best environment to bring kids up on.”

The Dee family started out from humble beginnings milking 27 cows on creek flats at Muskvale. Today the family milks about 250 cows on 1010 ha at Macorna.

“Dairy farms have got a lot bigger, milking more cows, and there are more pressures today but there still is a lot of opportunity; we just need a sustainable milk price moving forward.’’

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agfocus 2013

CROPPING

New rules for nitrogen application I

nteraction between soil moisture and nitrogen levels plays a major role in determining wheat yield, according to a crop nutrition expert.

University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine Associate Professor Glenn McDonald said having an understanding of the soil’s moisture holding capacity and information about changes in plant-available soil water during the growing season were important aspects of nitrogen (N) management.

“The supplies of water and N are the major drivers of growth and yield of crops, and the two interact to determine crop yield,” Dr McDonald said.

He was addressing a Grains Research and Development Corporation grains research update in Adelaide on nitrogen application ‘rules of thumb’.

“While availability of moisture is recognised widely as an important factor limiting responses to nitrogen, it is also important to realise that lack of nitrogen can be an important limitation to soil water use and particularly use of subsoil moisture.”

According to Dr McDonald, while much of nitrogen management focuses on improving post-anthesis growth and grain filling, it is more than likely the effects of nitrogen and its interaction with soil moisture are influencing yield earlier by affecting grain number as well as grain size.

He said applying nitrogen fertiliser at the optimum rate for the anticipated yield or applying it strategically during the growing season could improve yield and grain protein.

“Applications of N up to mid-stem elongation build the foundation for yield and have relatively little effect on protein, while later applications of N can be used to maintain or increase protein, but have little or no effect on yield. Applying N between the flag leaf emergence and flowering stages of crop growth can result in greater increases in grain protein concentration.”

Dr McDonald said the demand for nitrogen was driven by crop growth rate and the pattern of nitrogen uptake would reflect the changes in growth rates during the growing season.

“Essentially, a cereal crop goes through two stages: uptake of N, which drives crop growth and yield potential; and remobilisation of nitrogen to the grain, which influences grain protein. Typically, for a May-sown wheat crop in southern Australia, 20-30 per cent of the total N may be taken up by the crop at the start of stem elongation.

“The greatest demand for N is when the leaf area is expanding rapidly and the crop is growing most rapidly.

“The nitrogen taken up at this time is not only helping to build the yield potential of the crop but is also providing the nitrogen reserves for grain protein as most of the nitrogen present in

The greatest demand for nitrogen in a wheat crop is when the leaf area is expanding rapidly. the grain is derived from nitrogen remobilised from the leaves and other green tissues during grain filling.”

Dr McDonald said by flowering, about 80 per cent of the total crop nitrogen had accumulated, but this could exceed 90 per cent under dry spring conditions.

“While the majority of N is taken up by flowering, crops can still take up N during grain filling if there is sufficient soil moisture, the roots are active and nitrogen is present in the soil.

“This will tend to maintain green leaf area during grain filling and reduce the amount of N remobilised to the grain early in grain filling.

These conditions favour starch production in the grain and can lead to low grain protein concentrations.”

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15

CROPPING Story: Laura Griffin Pictures: Julie Mercer

Autumn break a thing of the past

Cosgrove’s Ross Harmer inspects the dry ground.

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agfocus 2013

Own a bright future

CROPPING

Goulburn Valley farmers have planted more cereals than in previous years.

C

osgrove mixed farmer Ross Harmer and son James started sowing crops dry in early April and hoped for rain.

AdvancedAg manager and agronomist Cameron Pogue said like the Harmers, most farmers in the Goulburn Valley tended to pick a date and sow – they no longer waited for rain.

Many of the crops are in the ground before Anzac Day because farmers had bigger areas to sow and wanted to take advantage of the extra time.

“Because it is dry, you know the crop will sit there and wait for rain,” Mr Pogue said.

He said a risk was getting a small amount of rain, which would see some plants strike without sub-surface moisture to support their growth.

“But moisture is lacking. In previous years, we have had big rain in late summer that has given fuller soil moisture profiles. This year, we live rain to rain.”

Most Goulburn Valley farmers start sowing dry and no longer wait for rain.

He has observed a push to shorter season wheat varieties.

One benefit of the dry is a decrease in disease pressures. However, Mr Pogue said weed control could be an issue because when it was very dry, there was little early weed growth that could be sprayed. Post emergent spraying will likely be needed this season.

Dryness has affected crop choices. Mr Pogue has observed people planting more cereals including oats and less canola than previous years.

He said people had also sown more wheat due to reasonably good prices.

“People are fairly positive about prices,” Mr Pogue said.

He said domestic as well as global weather trends could decrease yields and increase prices. If it stays dry, the domestic harvest could be small and Mr Pogue said American and

European farmers were struggling with adverse weather conditions.

“If people get average yields this season, they’ll be very happy,” Mr Pogue said.

Mr Harmer was confident this season’s prices would be satisfactory, but probably not as high as during previous years.

He and his son sowed 49 ha of feed barley, 57 ha of lupins and 12 ha of feed barley on irrigation by Anzac Day – the traditional start of sowing.

They then sowed canola and wheat.

The Harmers are also running 400 crossbred ewes for prime lambs this year and feed-lot lambs. Mr Harmer said they were bucking the trend of people moving away from keeping livestock. They are trying lupins for value adding to lambs on the feedlot and as a disease break to include in their cropping cycle.

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Barooga Agriproducts

Barooga Agriproducts Pty Ltd provides a unique service between grain producers and consumers within NSW/VIC and into our exports markets in the South-East Asia region.

Our market share has grown considerably over the past few years and the support from a number of grain producers allows us to provide quality grain products to our domestic and international buyers.

We continue to develop long term relationships with buyers that provide our grower network with alternate marketing opportunities on a daily basis.

We offer grain producers a number of marketing alternatives that allows growers flexibility when making their decisions.

Some marketing choices include Cash at Silo,

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agfocus 2013

Forward Contracts (Fixed price and tonnes), and deferred delivery direct to consumers or container packing facility (export), ex-farm options are also well supported.

Our aim is provide growers an opportunity to share in the supply chain direct from farm to domestic consumers or into our expanding export markets through our joint venture partner Origin Grain.

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CROPPING

Grain forecast downgraded A

national grain marketing company has downgraded its outlook for the 2013-14 winter crop following a drier than usual start to the season.

Emerald Grain Group trading and marketing general manager Brian Dalitz said sowing areas in eastern Australia remained dry into early May and the company had dropped its Australian wheat forecast to 23.7 million tonnes.

“The outlook for canola is falling more dramatically because it requires early sowing,” Mr Dalitz said.

He said if farmers did not receive decent rainfall by June, a real reduction in the area planted to wheat could also be seen.

In southern NSW and Victoria, Emerald trades under commercial joint venture partnerships with grower organisations, including Southern Quality Produce Cooperative, trading as SQP Grain in Victoria.

SQP Grain grain merchant Glenn Murrells said in northern Victoria and the southern Riverina, less canola had been sown this year because of last year’s big canola area and late rainfall.

Mr Murrells said the land planted to canola may be further decreased because of lack of sub-surface moisture following one of the driest autumns on record. More area has been planted to wheat, oats and hay crops.

He said current prices were strengthening. The Australian dollar having dropped significantly could push domestic grain prices up and within Australia a lot more grain is being fed, driving up demand.

Mr Murrells is predicting lower harvest pricing, for example, wheat price delivered to Dookie on forward pricing $258/tonne compared to the current price of $267/tonne.

Prices are predicted to fall if there is an average crop in the Northern Hemisphere.

“At the moment, there is plenty of wheat, but corn and oil seeds are pretty light,” Mr Murrells said.

“If the Northern Hemisphere’s harvest comes off, there would be a drop future prices and the surplus will be restored.”

He said wet weather had pushed back

the sowing of the United States corn crop significantly, which would decrease yields.

In Russia, the wheat crop was expected to be 56 million tonne, which is a massive increase from the 37.7 million tonne in 2012-13.

“Canada is also sowing a bigger wheat crop at expense of canola, which would build up world wheat stocks,” Mr Murrells said.

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CROPPING

Assisting croppers meet their yield potential

T

he Department of Environment and Primary Industries’ soil moisture monitoring (SMM) project will help Victorian dryland grain growers make well informed decisions.

Crop potential and cropping inputs are increasingly being subject to greater instability and uncertainty due to seasonal variability.

The practice of using soil moisture probes has had limited use in the dryland cropping industry and as such many growers are not utilising this technology.

Growers’ current cropping systems may not be maximising water use efficiency and very few are able to monitor water available to the crop, therefore are not reaching their possible potential.

DEPI anticipates this project will help dryland growers and their advisers manage risk by validating the SMM technology and conducting training in interpreting the data for improved crop decision making.

There are 11 soil moisture monitoring sites across Victoria’s cropping zones including the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern, South West, Central and South Gippsland.

These monitored sites are using capacitance probes that take hourly measurements of soil water content through the soil profile. Sensors measure zones every 10 cm, from 30 cm down to 1 metre. Eight measurements are taken at each site and the

data is sent via the internet and interpreted through graphing software.

Access to this data enables growers to measure moisture at one representative point in the paddock for a farm in the region, but through the life of this project hopefully DEPI will be able to determine if this could be relevant for not just the paddock or farm but possibly even the district. Plus, these soil moisture probes record absolute soil moisture data and over the next two seasons will amass knowledge of crop upper and lower limits under different soil types and crop types.

Additionally, measuring soil moisture will help provide an indication of: • yield potential based on plants’ available water; • crop water use; • sub-soil moisture base and reserves; • rainfall required to refill soil profile; • water infiltration; • waterlogging; and • water use of different crops.

Growers will be able to make informed input decisions. This will minimise input in low decile years with a low soil moisture base and maximise yield potential in more favourable conditions based on soil moisture and seasonal forecasts.

Other benefits for growers will be access to live soil moisture data that is collected from a representative soil for a particular rainfall

Dale Boyd

region and soil type.

Service providers using crop forecasting models will also have access to the live soil moisture, therefore will be providing more accurate advice and expectantly increasing production for growers.

For information on how to access the data and navigate around the soil moisture monitoring site email: dale.boyd@dpi.vic. gov.au or phone 5482 0439.

– Dale Boyd, project leader

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agfocus 2013

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CROPPING Story and pictures: Laura Griffin

Meeting the challenges of broadacre farming Increasing soil carbon by accelerating humus formation from cereal crop residues is Riverine Plains’ current major project.

Riverine Plains chair Evan Ryan stands in front of silos at his Yarrawonga farm.

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agfocus 2013

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CROPPING improvement.

“We consider ourselves custodians of the land for future generations. We are always trying to improve fertility and productivity of land.”

Mr Ryan also grows a variety of crops that are deep rooted and shallow rooted to more efficiently use water in the soil – whether from rainfall or irrigation.

“They are complementary to each other, for example, we grow lucerne as well as shallower rooted annual crops.”

He said in Riverine Plains and personally, it was also important to try new crops. In late May, Mr Ryan was harvesting the last of a trial navy bean crop and would try faba beans this winter.

“We’re always looking to double crop without missing opportunities for either crop,” he said.

“We’re trying to grow more every year out of every millimetre of rain or megalitre of irrigation water.”

Inconsistent weather, including rainfall, has been one of the biggest challenges for broadacre farmers in north-east Victoria and southern NSW in the past decade.

Mr Ryan said Riverine Plains had worked to help members in their recovery from floods during the past 12 months with measures such as ensuring soils had enough nitrogen after flood events to optimise yields and protein.

Evan Ryan grew a trial crop of navy beans this summer.

R

iverine Plains chair Evan Ryan said the trial looked at the effect of applying fertiliser to stubble to more efficiently convert it into humus instead of it breaking down and emitting greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.

Mr Ryan said many of the 300 members were already attempting to retain stubble to improve soil health, resilience and water holding capacity. Riverine Plains’ latest member survey indicated in general, members were retaining stubble more and tilling less.

Mr Ryan said Riverine Plains focused on research and extension to improve the resilience and profitability of broadacre farming systems in north-east Victoria and southern NSW. Mr Ryan tries to retain stubble and residue when possible on his 1000 ha crop farm at Yarrawonga and said it was a constant challenge to modify equipment to sow and harvest a crop when trying to retain residues.

It is part of his focus on sustainability and soil

This year, there has been a dry start to the season and Mr Ryan said the heatwave in early January negatively affected some of his summer crops. For example, lucerne was flowering and it was difficult to maintain water requirements.

He said production risks, including variable weather, influenced many farmers’ grain marketing strategies.

“In the back of our mind is always production risk, for example, dryland farms would have very little sub-soil moisture under their crops at the moment, so the only thing that is going to grow their crop is what falls from the sky from now on. If we don’t get that rain it is very risky to take action (such as entering contracts) with uncertain yield potential.”

He said while growers might have benefited from more buyers since deregulation, it had also increased risk and some growers had not been paid for grain when small grain buying companies had collapsed.

“I think the most astute growers are not necessarily chasing the highest price and selling all their grain to one entity. To reduce risk, they are probably selling over a period of time to a number of buyers – some of their crop may be delivered to a bulk handler, some may be stored on farm and some may be delivered to an end user.”

Riverine Plains members are watching with interest the consolidation of grain bulk handling.

The group’s upcoming extension events include its annual farm business update on June 13, during which South Australian Nuffield scholar John Gladigau will speak about collaboration in farming. Later, Riverine Plains will hold an agronomy update, spring field day and bus trip.

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agfocus 2013

23

CROPPING

Grass is greener When it comes to understanding climate variability, Doug James has a pretty good handle on the issue.

T

he fourth generation mixed farmer from Bungeet has ongoing rainfall records begun by his ancestors in 1881.

Computer technology has allowed the records to be graphed, painting a picture of random, unreliable and unpredictable rainfall over the past 132 years.

Each successive generation of the James family has learnt to adapt and cope with changing weather patterns.

The long drought of the past decade resulted in an enterprise shift. The cropping component now maintains the sheep enterprise, resulting in lower input costs and reduced risk.

Today, Doug and his wife Jan run the 1300 ha property View Bank in partnership with

Doug James inspects grazing triticale, lucerne and clover sown using pasture cropping techniques.

son Steve and his wife Mardi.

The pasture base is predominately ryegrass and clover, with some perennials including native spear, red and wallaby grass.

“We are trying to get more scattered lucerne plants in the mix, but any perennial is a bonus, even plants normally classed as weeds like couch grass and sorrel,’’ Doug said.

The farm carries 2200 firstcross ewes, joined to Poll Dorset rams, and turning off 24 kg (carcase weight) lambs direct to JBS Australia.

In his younger years, Doug was disturbed by the erosion caused by rain after ploughing.

With no such thing as direct drill seeders or chemical weed control, Doug found the concept of

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agfocus 2013

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CROPPING Story and pictures: Kim Woods

on this side

“With the technical advances of selective herbicides and improving machinery, the cropping process has Mixed farmer Doug James been revolutionised.” minimum tillage and direct drilling appealing.

He pulled tynes off and modified machinery, tried cold burns and heavy grazing with wethers.

“With the technical advances of selective herbicides and improving machinery, the cropping process has been revolutionised,’’ Doug said.

The family now uses a 40-row John Shearer trash drill converted to 28 rows with narrow knife points on 25 cm spacings.

“We started sowing a lot of ryegrass in the 1970s, before that the farm was covered in pure erodium,’’ Doug said.

As a Warby Ranges Landcare Group member, Doug was introduced to the concept of pasture cropping about five years ago by central NSW farmer Colin Seis.

This year, the family has sown 300 ha of Matika oats, Tahara and Tobruk triticale into paddocks with native and introduced perennials.

“We are more environmentally

aware and aim to achieve 100 per cent groundcover, retain stubbles and use zero-till machinery,’’ Steve said.

“With good groundcover, there is no heliotrope or melons over summer.

“We have gone away from using Roundup as a knockdown, although sometimes it is still needed depending on what species we are wanting to control.

“We also use Sprayseed or Gramoxone and sow straight into the stubble or pasture paddock.’’

The family has volunteered to host pasture cropping and sequestering carbon trials to stay abreast of the latest ideas and experimentation.

The pasture cropping trial, undertaken in partnership with the Broken Catchment Landcare Network, was sown down to oats followed by triticale with a mix of perennial grasses.

Under his new approach to farming, Doug has observed the regeneration of windmill, red, spear and wallaby grass.

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Steve James with the trash drill converted to 28 rows with narrow knife points on 25cm spacings.

agfocus 2013

25

& QA G-MW managing director Gavin Hanlon

Goulburn-Murray Water has picked up the job of rationalising the connections of thousands of irrigators to the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District backbone channels from the former NVIRP. This year it has started a massive consultation and negotiation program with irrigators which must be completed by the end of 2017.

G-MW managing director Gavin Hanlon has fronted some agitated meetings as he explains why the project is necessary and has even asked irrigators to nominate unhappy customers. He got 200 names to follow up.

Country News editor Geoff Adams put some questions to him about the process.

Gavin Hanlon faces irrigators’ questions.

26

agfocus 2013

You are asking every irrigator to make a decision about how their water is supplied in future?

Yes, it is a big challenge. In some cases we will be asking people to make decisions that can usually take two or three years to make. Inevitably it prompts discussions about succession or estate planning. In any large group of a dozen landholders someone has been through a divorce or someone has passed away and they are in debates about a will.

We are asking people to make decisions in the space of months that some probably haven’t made in their lifetime.

What’s your feedback on how this process is going?

I think we can do a lot better at communications. The practice of working with those who want to work with us has left behind a lot of upset people. Rather than dealing with a group of people through to resolution, (it) has created more uncertainty than anyone would have liked.

We have to improve the way we interface with customers – i.e. one person, not five people. And people tell us their local office has a lot of local knowledge and we should be doing more locally rather than from Tatura.

You do hear the absolutely fantastic stories too about increasing production and water efficiency. You do hear horror stories about “I have been waiting for four years and I haven’t heard from you since.’’

I think we have flipped from defending that it’s a good idea and people saying it’s a bad idea, to now saying, “Hurry up and speak to me, I’ve been waiting for years.”

I’m not sure if they see the value we are creating in the system or because they are over the uncertainty that has been created by it.

The majority are now saying: I want to talk to you sooner and find a solution sooner.

The reality is it is a five-year program. It will take us five years to get to everyone.

Whilst I would say my perception is that people say it’s going too slow, we are on track to achieve all our contractual targets this year.

What are you going to do about the Shepparton district where Future Flow has been through and did not achieve the same level of rationalisation?

There were certainly more meters that went in that weren’t needed. I have asked water services committees to think about those meters that have never been used, and there are some.

It’s probably cheaper for us to pull them out and use them somewhere else.

The Goulburn Murray region will see fewer channel outlets but more of these.

I have asked the committee to think about a program, if we go in and rationalise, how do we do that which has no impact on any other customers. So it can’t call on connections money and has to be self-funded.

I reckon we have six months to think of something.

I certainly would not be supportive of connections money going into Shepparton.

What about the use of syndicates where farmers take ownership of assets to get their water. Is there a danger we could be setting up a whole lot of mini water authorities within G-MW? G-MW currently has something like 200 syndicates already, including a fair chunk of stock and domestic schemes.

Do you want any more?

If there is a group of landholders who want to form their own syndicate and think they can do it cheaper than us, we will help them do that.

But inevitably you will find in a group, one or two may not agree, and it might make sense to have some sort of scheme or syndicate. G-MW will run it but it would be run at arm’s length to our business at full cost to the syndicate.

A new tariff would have to be set up for that.

Some shared systems are moving towards pumping. Isn’t that more expensive than gravity fed?

If we move to pumps there is compensation that comes with it, but I would have to say gravity is cheap and you would be doing everything you can to find gravity solutions.

Some irrigators do want a pumped system for pipes and risers. If that’s a preferred or only solution there is compensation for that.

Contrary to what some say, it’s not our preference to pipe and pump the whole system.

Won’t a certain percentage collapse over time?

There is a risk of reversionary, we call it. And that would come back to us.

We have done some thinking about it, but generally if that was to happen, infrastructure is already in place, we would be picking that up, and if we did we wouldn’t be buying infrastructure off them if they went bust, we would be coming in as a supplier

The connections project •

Strategic connection planning process in almost 100 areas with 80 still to be initiated.

•

45 Strategic Connection Plan landowner meetings held up to May this financial year.

•

Provided $140 million in financial grants to landowners with almost $730 million remaining for landowner incentives.

•

Winter Works 2013 channel remediation and gate automation has started with $11 million expenditure.

•

For the year to the end of April, agreements reached to relocate 353 delivery shares.

•

Year to the end of April, 100.3 km of channel has been decommissioned and a further 140 km identified for decommissioning.

•

A total of 362 meters have been installed for 2012-13 with crews now ramping up to install another 400 by 30 June 2013.

•

Number of meters rationalised from January 2012 to April 2013: 2307.

•

43.9 per cent of the area already connected to the backbone.

and manager. It would be last resort stuff and that inevitably happens with some businesses.

It’s in our risk framework.

You are on the record as saying you have not signed off involuntary reconfigurations after all options have been exhausted?

Not yet, the day may not be far away. There are two cases that may not be far off over the next two months.

The appeals process can be at multiple steps. If we make an offer and they think it’s unfair they can ask the independent panel to check. There still hasn’t been anyone to ask the appeals panel to look at anything yet.

Our offers to connect are actually based on historical, actual costs, and numbers are pretty clean now. There is not much ambiguity in numbers. There is more rigour and transparency.

We can break down the figures.

Will some end in the courts?

We will have to wait and see. At any point in time G-MW has something like 20 to 30 legal cases going with someone suing us for something or other. I can’t see this project being any different. Of course we will be doing everything we can do to avoid that.

And before I hand that letter over I want to be able to demonstrate to myself that we have explored every option for that customer. This is very last resort stuff.

I understand you recently asked water services committees to nominate three unhappy connection customers for G-MW to follow up?

This whole exercise was about gathering information to improve the process. It’s about us getting a good understanding of what the real issues are.

We came up with about 200 in the end.

We rang them. It’s all about communication. So far I have not seen anything that some targeted effort won’t improve.

During the Blueprint discussions a lot of the questions were around connections.

The board will get the results and we will go back to the water services committees.

agfocus 2013

27

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LIVESTOCK

Stud seeks to breed best Angus Benalla’s Suzy and Jim Martin are passionate about breeding Angus cattle that balance good carcase structure, good growth, easy calving and good temperament.

S

ince the Welcome Swallow stud was established in 1994 at the 830 ha Illalangi property, the Martins have grown the herd to 450 breeders. Foundation bloodlines include Victoree, Glen Bold and Thologolong. The Welcome Swallow herd now has great depth in Scotch Cap, CA Future Direction and New Design 036.

With livestock manager Brett Walker, the Martins carefully choose genetic gains from North American and Australian stock.

Mr Martin said between 70 and 80 per cent of genetic gain was from the United States. To be confident in their sire selection, they travel to the US every four or five years to see available sires, as well as their dams and lines of their progeny.

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agfocus 2013

“You’ve got to be able to follow your instincts about bulls, not just follow what you are told about them,” Mr Martin said.

One of the key attributes Mr and Mrs Martin look for in bulls is a good temperament.

“All our cattle are quiet,” Mr Martin said.

Low-stress stock handling techniques encourage calmness. Mr Martin said calm cattle were easier to handle in the yard and meant there were less maintenance issues.

He said there were also benefits for meat quality.

In addition to artificial insemination, an embryo transfer program was started in 2003 to spread the best female genetics further and faster through the herd.

LIVESTOCK Story: Laura Griffin Pictures: Bianca Mibus

“You’ve got to be able to follow your instincts about bulls, not just follow what you are told about them.”

Jim Martin

Embryos from other highly respected seed­ stock herds are brought in from Australia and the US. The herd is joined for a six-week period with two rounds of artificial insemination with a back-up bull or three rounds of embryo transfer for the recipient herd.

“It is essential to maintain quality.”

Benalla farmer Jim Martin All females in the artificial insemination herd must qualify for each year’s joining by passing an independent Beef Class structural assessment and rearing a satisfactory live calf – the only exceptions made are for dams that have had a calf die as a result of scours or a clostridial event.

“It is essential to maintain quality,” Mr Martin said.

The stud also has a Charolais program, which the Martins said provided an option for their clients to boost the kg/ha produced while retaining the calving ease and carcase quality of their Angus cattle. They do this by joining about 30 per cent of the herd to carefully selected Charolais bulls and selling the progeny.

All animals are assessed by a vet before they are sold. agfocus 2013

31

MAN’S BEST FRIEND

A dog’s life Just when the Country News team worries about running out of Man’s Best Friend stories, along comes another tale of doggy devotion. Or in the case of ‘proper’ working dogs, the odd admission of doggy frustration – that’s the farmer, not the dog. These are just a few of the four-legged friends we featured in 2012-13.

Axle

Yielima farmer and laser grading contractor Brett Vallender on naming kelpie Axle: “I think I had trouble with a bent axle on machinery on the day I picked him up.”

Benalla Sale Yards manager Jamie Hyland said about kelpie Beau, “I’ve already been offered to sell him and I said, ‘No, you haven’t got enough money’. You couldn’t ask for a better dog.”

Beau Angus Longleat Estate Murchison winemaker Guido Vazzoler said his kids chose to name the Labrador Angus after raiding his CD collection. “As well as being black, the kids had found my old AC/DC collection and thought it was pretty cool to name him after Angus Young.”

Glenaroua quarterhorse breeder Gail Kubeil on rescued red kelpie Flynn: “The kelpies are perfect for agility because their minds need to be engaged.”

Bruce

Flynn

Tocumwal Angus farmer Steve Watkins said retired greyhound Bruce was a character; he digs a hole then swaps sides and digs the loose sand back to the other side. The only time he races now is when food is involved. “They call them the 60km/h couch potato. The only time he gets excited is when food’s around — I get a laugh out of him every day.”

Kelvin Walmsley on huntaway Axle: “Axle just loves jumping in the water troughs and having a swim. One day after working him hard he ran past a trough and decided he was going to jump in.

That was the molasses trough. I have never seen a look on a dog’s face like that.”

Axle

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Numurkah dairy farmer Margaret Cockerell on naming the German shepherd. “His dad was named Bear and he was another big, hairy dog. When I took him home he was a little pup and the only name that came to mind was Beaver.”

Former Essendon football star Bluey Shelton said of border collie Flo: “I try to sool her on and she’ll take a step back or go through the middle. If she played football she’d be delisted.

Beaver

Winnie

Laurie Le Deux with kelpies Kelly and Kate.

He said of the value of good dogs, “They’re all the same: you don’t realise how much you need them until something happens (to them).”

Kelly and K a

te

Longwood farmer Charlie Davey: “With training them, I would say having an experienced dog — that’s going to help a lot.

And there’s a great expression: ‘patience is a virtue’. The more you can get them out there (with the sheep), the better.’’

Invergordon dairy farmer Mark Norman on huntaway cross border collie puppy Tip: “She sleeps at the rotary cups ‘on’ position in the dairy.”

Flo

Tip

Murchison’s Allan Brown with Bolt (left) and his mother, Ruby. The (not really) retired farmer helps son Rob each day on the farm where Allan’s four kelpies are important to the sheep operation.

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LIVESTOCK

Young farmers learn to move with the times

The lambs are finished on grain and drafted for consistent size to send to market.

G

oomalibee farmer Cath Marriott didn’t raise her four children to sit back and wait for opportunities to come their way.

Now with youngest son Tom the fourth of the siblings to manage Yarallah, she’s proud of the way each of them has adapted to the changing circumstances of farming and ridden the peaks and troughs of droughts, lamb prices and wool prices.

Both Tom and Cath, who was widowed when the children were young, are passionate about sustainable farming and letting consumers appreciate the provenance of their product.

The signs at the modest gateway to the 900ha Yarallah give a clue to their interests, including ‘‘land for wildlife’’ and information about the woody grassland project.

The Marriotts were once in fine Merino wool production, and Cath reflected: ‘‘I was passionate about wool.’’

But drought and falling prices were the signpost to do something different and they have turned the operation in a completely different direction.

They now produce prime lambs from their 2500 composite ewes, selling some privately — including online — and direct at the monthly Violet Town Market and several each week to a Benalla butcher. The lambs are processed at the local abattoir and the meat is packaged at Rettke’s Carrier Street Meats.

An exciting prospect in the wind is a contract to supply a major north-east tourism facility with the ‘‘paddock to plate’’ lamb.

The Marriotts’ aim is to produce a product that takes into account the biodiversity of the land, farming it in the most sustainable manner for the different soil types ‘‘not just pouring chemicals on’’ and making minimal use of synthetic fertiliser.

34

agfocus 2013

“The story’s about the young ones coming on in agriculture . . . ” Cath Marriott They buy in grain for the ewes and the lamb finishing pens from a neighbour, and this year Tom sowed 50ha for winter forage.

To ensure consistency of their lamb for market customers and in the butcher’s window, Tom weighs and drafts the lambs out every week. ‘‘We try to keep it as consistent as we can,’’ he said.

He said the rest — and majority — of the lambs were sold over the hooks. ‘‘I take a contract and (that way) I know what I can spend,’’ he said.

After formerly managing Yarallah, elder daughter Catherine facilitates workshops for women in agriculture in an MLA-sponsored project influentialwomen.com.au, while younger daughter Hannah did four years at home and now manages a large property on Melbourne’s northern outskirts. Cath’s elder son Charlie was also a manager before he left the farm to become a diesel mechanic and is working in Broome. ‘‘He’s doing it to buy a farm so he’ll lose it all again,’’ Cath said with a twinkle in her eye.

But she said the success of Tom’s current venture was a lesson in getting people to take responsibility for their lives rather than waiting for something to happen. ‘‘The story’s about the young ones coming on in agriculture, that’s what’s important.’’

Tom’s dog Kelly lends a hand.

The Yarallah trailer is a familiar sight at Violet Town Market, the lambs being processed and sold just a few kilometres from where they were bred and raised.

LIVESTOCK Story: Cathy Walker Pictures: Bianca Mibus

First year right on target T

Tom Marriott and his mother Cath are producing lambs using sustainable farming practices.

he cattle and sheep industries’ Target 100 program had a highly successful first year.

Launched in 2012 to demonstrate the industries’ commitment to continued improvements in sustainability, the program is well on its way to building strong links with city audiences keen to know how their beef and lamb is produced.

Tom Marriott is one of more than 130 farmers involved in Target 100. He said promoting what individual farmers were doing was essential.

“We joined Target 100 to highlight to the community that we’re not only producing some of the best lamb in the world, but we are doing it in a way that is sustainable,” Mr Marriott said. ‘‘Target 100 has allowed us to learn from the research the industry is doing and share our practices with other farmers across Australia.

“It has also meant we can share information with city people who might not be aware of what farmers are doing to protect Australia’s landscape for future generations and how we’re producing lamb sustainably.’’

Target 100’ first year highlights:

•

•

•

Reached around 20 000 people at events across the country, including a joint event with the Sydney Festival on Food Waste where the story of beef production was a highlight, Taste of Melbourne and Taste of Sydney events where young Target 100 farmers chatted with foodies keen to know more about sustainable production and the Sustainable Food Summit in Melbourne.

More than 130 000 school students engaged through Target 100 sponsored programs including Art4Ag and the newly released Cosmos school guides, distributed to 2000 secondary schools.

More than 130 cattle and sheep farmers have shared their stories with urban Australians via the Target 100 website and social media platforms to help consumers better understand the sustainable practices involved in getting beef and lamb from paddock to plate.

See www.target100.com.au

agfocus 2013

35

LIVESTOCK

Kotupna’s David Miles with piglets.

Increased imports Kotupna’s David Miles has about 4500 pigs.

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LIVESTOCK

hurt local pig industry D

espite keeping pigs healthy and maintaining a high growth rate, Kotupna’s David Miles has seen his profit margins decrease – largely because of an imports surge.

“This year, it’s a struggle. We’re not losing money, but we’re not making money,” Mr Miles said.

“You won’t survive if you’re not resourceful.”

According to Australian Pork Ltd figures released in April, in the year to February 2013, 154 437 tonnes (shipping weight) of pork was imported. This marks an 8.9 per cent increase from the previous year. The value of pork products imported increased even more – by 11.6 per cent.

The country that supplies the most pork products to Australia is the United States and the country that has seen its share grow the most in the year to February 2013 was Denmark – the value of imported pork products from Denmark rose by 12.1 per cent.

VFF Pig Group president John Bourke said high and growing levels of imports meant the Australian pork industry could not grow because if they produced more pigs, it would flood the fresh market.

He said since 1990, the Australian industry had shrunk from 500 000 to 260 000 sows.

“We have a very robust quality assurance program, but our competitors do not. We can

never, never compete,” Mr Bourke said.

For example, Mr Miles has a high health status herd that he maintains with strict biosecurity protocols. Nobody is allowed on the property without prior consultation and no pigs have been brought onto the property for six years – all genetic gain is via artificial insemination only.

Mr Miles said keeping animals healthy was vital to achieving a high growth rate.

He weans 23 pigs a sow each year. Their average birth weight is 12.1 kg and they grow to 105 kg in 20 weeks. On average, the animals gain 750 g/day.

Mr Miles sends between 450 and 500 pigs a week to the abattoir.

Nearly all the pigs are fed a liquid diet. Grain, whey, cheese and milk from milk factories are processed and a liquid feed system feeds each pen.

Mr Miles has been feeding pigs a liquid diet since 2002.

“The pigs grow awfully quickly and the feed’s cheaper. It’s waste that would have otherwise gone to landfill.”

Mr Miles hopes grain farmers will have a good season, so prices will decrease slightly.

He also grows corn for feed for pigs and spreads compost onto 250 ha to promote its growth.

Most of the pigs are housed in 25 shelters

Story: Laura Griffin Pictures: Julie Mercer The pigs are fed a liquid diet of dairy products and grain.

David Miles grows corn to feed to the pigs.

on straw. Mr Miles has no sow stalls. He said it was a good thing the pig industry was phasing them out and said the Feeding Pregnant Sows in Group Housing Systems manual by the Pork CRC at the 2013 Victorian Pig Fair would help.

Despite the pressures, Mr Bourke predicted the Australian industry should have some good prices in the second half of the year because there was “not a glut of pigs”.

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37

LIVESTOCK Story and pictures: Cathy Walker

Good genes need a big pool

Host Ian Rathjen (left) and sheep judge Ian Baker check out some Border Leicester ewes.

Megan Scott from DEPI Bendigo covered sheep health including ovine brucellosis, ovine Johne’s disease, worming, vaccinations and lamb survival.

Mark Bazeley from Riverina Wool at Moama demonstrated what to look for in fleeces — including lice.

38

agfocus 2013

T

hird-generation stud sheep breeder and Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association Victorian branch president Ian Starritt was blunt when he recently told a group of stud sheep enthusiasts the future was in their hands.

The association was hosting a seminar at Ian and Lyn Rathjen’s Pina Border Leicester Stud at Colbinabbin, offering novices an opportunity to learn from some of the experts.

In introducing the day, Mr Starritt stressed the importance for those involved in the smaller (in numbers) breeds to trade with each other and work on expanding the gene pool. ‘‘Too many studs are virtually closed, with no trading of rams or ewes,’’ Mr Starritt said. ‘‘There’s an old rule of thumb: you get one outstanding sheep in 500 and a super sheep in 1000.’’

That’s not an issue in the case of Mr Starritt’s own breed, the Border Leicester, for which he said ‘‘the pool is so large’’.

Mr Starritt’s grandfather George Starritt is credited as chief architect of the Australian Border Leicester, evolving a type suitable for crossing with the Merino to produce the ewes who are now the fat lamb mothers of choice for many producers. Ian Starritt’s son Malcolm now runs the family property Womboota near Mathoura in the Southern Riverina.

The ASSBA seminar gave the raw newcomers and some more experienced

stud breeders plenty to think about, from the nuts and bolts of the paperwork from ASSBA secretary Karen Bond, to breeder Marylyn Stevens’ revelations of her meticulous hand-written books of pedigree records and her collecting and recording methods.

That was the administration side of sheep breeding out of the way; then it was down to the hands-on bit: what traits to look for, animal health and nutrition, wool and meat.

Breeder Darryl MacDonald was complete with his personal ‘‘box of tricks’’ for sheep husbandry and spoke about tagging, drenching, marking and backlining.

He admitted to being a ‘‘stayer’’ when it came to ear-tags. ‘‘I’ve been using the Leader tags for 40 years,’’ he said, demonstrating the best place to apply the tag.

Out in the yards, host Ian Rathjen gave Gippsland’s Ian Baker a hand as he showed the group what he, as a show judge, considered desirable — and undesirable — traits in stud sheep. White feet, for example, aren’t made to walk long distances.

Mr Starritt, a long-time Royal Melbourne Show steward in the sheep ring, provided an insight into show ring etiquette, and if some of the tips such as ‘‘read the program and make sure you’re in the right class’’ sounded obvious, he assured the group this was often far from the case.

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ENVIRONMENT

Adaptation key to survival in changing climate Agricultural production across northern Victoria during coming decades will need to adapt to a warmer, dryer and more unpredictable climate. From this change, challenges and opportunities will emerge for agriculture and secondary industries.

John Pettigrew

P

ut simply, most challenges will be associated with more extreme and unpredictable weather occurrences.

The region’s strength and many of its opportunities will come from our built environment (irrigation, transport, processing capacity and market availability) as other competing regions’ production capacity comes under threat.

We can expect the weather trends currently being experienced to continue bringing warmer days, warmer nights, less overall rainfall but more summer rainfall events.

In adapting to this change agricultural industries will develop crop varieties and more flexible management strategies that will be able to convert unseasonal soil moisture and growing conditions into profitable outputs.

The need to reduce carbon emissions will influence future obligations and opportunities in all aspects of the community.

Agriculture can expect opportunities in

carbon emission reduction programs to maintain world markets that will require increasingly tougher quality assurance measures including carbon emissions.

The irrigated dairy industry in northern Victoria, with a modern irrigation delivery system and well established water markets, will be much better armed to face the challenges of reduced rainfall which will impact harshly on non-irrigated dairy regions to our south.

Higher temperatures will need to be addressed in the fields of animal husbandry and maintenance of production outputs.

Horticulture will require varieties requiring less chill hours when in dormancy, and either shade cloth protection or varieties able to withstand increased temperature during growing and harvesting times.

Of all irrigated industries, probably the best suited to future conditions are large-scale flood irrigated croppers, the key being their flexibility of crop selection, summer and

winter cropping, the ability to quickly take up market opportunities and the ability to take advantage of variable water availability.

The cost of energy will continue to rise in the short-term, increasing financial pressure on energy-intensive irrigation systems currently being installed.

The region must concentrate on optimising use of materials and the embedded energy of these materials, including waste material, and move outputs to the highest value.

In summary our region has irrigation, infrastructure, established markets and the expertise needed to adapt and be far better off than many of our competitors. The key will be recognising the need to adapt and being capable of taking up the inevitable opportunities.

— John Pettigrew Environmental Farmers Network spokesperson on Water and Energy Climate Reality Project member

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ENVIRONMENT

Project predicts future water availability The CSIRO’s Murray region: Murray-Darling Basin Sustainable Yields Project looks at rainfall and groundwater availability under a variety of future scenarios. The following is what the CSIRO found for our regions.

Goulburn Broken Catchment:

Loddon Valley:

Rainfall run-off modelling with climate change projections from global climate models indicates that future run-off in the Goulburn-Broken catchment region will decrease significantly.

Under the best estimate (or median) 2030 climate, average annual run-off would be reduced by 13 per cent; the extreme estimates range from a 44 per cent to a two per cent reduction.

Under the best estimate (or median) 2030 climate, average surface water availability would be reduced by 14 per cent and end-of-system flow downstream of McCoy’s Bridge would be reduced by 22 per cent. Water diversion for use within the region would decrease by five per cent.

The dry 2030 climate extreme would lead to similar hydrological changes and ecological consequences as a continuation of the recent (drought) climate. The wet 2030 climate extreme would mean little change from current conditions for flooding of the lower Goulburn River floodplain. However, the occurrence of undesirably low flows would increase slightly.

Rainfall run-off modelling with climate change projections from global climate models indicates that future run-off in the Loddon-Avoca catchment will decrease significantly. Under the best estimate (median) 2030 climate, average annual run-off would be reduced by 16 per cent.

The extreme estimates from the high global warming scenario range from a 43 per cent reduction to no change in average annual run-off.

The low global warming scenario ranges from a 14 per cent reduction to no change.

Murray (NSW) region: The best estimate (median) of climate change by 2030 is less severe than the recent past.

Under this climate, average surface water availability for the Murray region would fall by 14 per cent, average diversions in the Murray region would fall by four per cent and end-of-system flows would fall by 24 per cent.

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ALTERNATIVE CROPS

Vegetables replacing orchards Innovation and hard work have seen Bill Khakh’s vegetable-growing operation develop during more than a decade at Shepparton East.

The Khakh family business started with less than 1 ha and now has 37 ha, on land that was formerly occupied by fruit orchards.

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ALTERNATIVE CROPS Story: Laura Griffin Pictures: Jayme Lowndes

Purpose-built picking trailers and other implements make processes easy and reduce vegetable damage.

Shepparton East vegetable grower Bill Khakh has two coolrooms where summer crops are cooled overnight before being sent to market.

T

he Khakh family grows zucchini and squash in summer and cabbage and turnips in winter. About 1 ha of radish was planted for the first time this year.

Mr Khakh has refined operations so there is rolling bed preparation, planting, spraying and harvesting. He plants each type of vegetable in stages, so he can supply it throughout the season. The different vegetables’ growing seasons overlap, for example in early May workers were picking the last of the zucchini, preparing to harvest cabbage and spraying cabbage seedlings.

“We have been growing zucchinis for 13 or 14 years and every year we learn something new,” Mr Khakh said.

The dry weather has pushed back operations a few weeks.

Mr Khakh said more was picked from this year’s two zucchini crops than last year, but prices were down because there was more competition in the market.

To deliver the cleanest produce to Melbourne and Sydney markets, Mr Khakh has improved packing and storage processes.

Less than three years ago, he had two coolrooms built that can each store 200 vegetable bins.

When harvest peaks in January and February, between 10 and 15 tonnes of zucchini is picked every day. They are put in the coolroom overnight and packed the next afternoon.

“It costs $50 or $60 a day to run each coolroom, so when they are no longer needed, we shut them down. We only have one running now.”

The company builds its own trailers and other implements, such as sprayers. Mr Khakh said purpose-built equipment made

picking easier and quicker.

Mr Khakh’s nephew Sukhraj Singh – who has returned to the business as farm manager after completing an agriculture degree at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE last year – said one of the company’s strengths was its innovation.

“It is a creative business,” Mr Singh said.

“It costs $50 or $60 a day to run each coolroom, so when they are no longer needed, we shut them down.”

Vegetable grower Bill Khakh Mr Singh runs the integrated pest management, which is now focused on controlling caterpillars and white cabbage butterflies with weekly sprays.

Drip irrigation is used throughout the operation, which Mr Khakh said saved water and made picking every day possible.

Plastic is laid below the soil so water does not drain away.

Industry developments also affect Mr Khakh. He said moving the wholesale market from Footscray to Epping and the opening of the Nagambie bypass would cut transport time from Shepparton.

He said some fruit growers who had their SPC Ardmona quotas cut would try vegetables; he said they should grow different vegetables so they did not saturate the market.

Vegetables are planted as seedlings because they take more easily and there is less competition from weeds.

Frosts in early May mark the end of the zucchini growing season.

Sukhraj Singh has completed an agriculture degree.

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43

We’re making every drop go further ‘Bringing Water... To Life’

A pipeline dream Since 2007, Bamawn dairy farmers Terry and Francis Malone have had a dream for their 310 acre irrigation property.

Terry said “Stan Archard spoke to us about replacing farm channels with ‘pipe and riser’ and we could only wonder if it was possible” The pride and passion for dairying is evident with the Malones, operating for over 40 years on the current property they have invested their lifetime in the industry, developing a renown Holstein herd of around 280 cows.

The new ‘Archards Irrigation Pipe & Riser’ is now a reality, allowing the Malones to utilise both GMW and deep lead bore water to irrigate their whole property, combining nearly 1000 Megalitre water license. A valuable part of the project was the ability to combine both NVIRP (now GMW Connections) rationalisation project together with the on-farm water savings projects through Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority to complete all works in a single installation.

Blake Humbert Terry Malone and his grandson pump sheds. bore and l nne cha the of t in fron

Terry said “We have already experienced water and time savings, no longer having to fill channels to irrigate a small area is a great benefit. One area which always had poor command with only 6 – 7 Meg/day flow rate used to irrigate in up to 48 hours, the same area with up to 20 Meg/day now irrigates in under 10 hours from our pipe and risers” Terry made a special mention of his farm staff who contributed greatly to the project, recalling the interruption to his farming

enterprise as one of the challenges. “We spent time every day talking to staff and contractors including Wickham Excavations, Archards Irrigation and Humberts Earthworks and Lasering, they all did a great job”.

The Malone’s have investigated on farm automation as the next step to ‘savings’ on farm with Terry favouring less interrupted sleep and better scheduling now he has a more flexible irrigation system.

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WATER

Irrigation technology on show

T

he latest in water technology and energy efficiency was on show at the fourth annual WTC Irrigation Expo at Shepparton in May. About 50 exhibitors including government departments, delivery partners and manufacturers met with farmers and other people interested in irrigation.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh opened the event and said it was a great opportunity for irrigators to see everything available in irrigation.

Strathmerton farmer Allan Bradley came to the expo to look at irrigation automation and said he had learnt a lot.

Irrigation Group Australia’s Heath Paterson and Jeff Broad with an i-Riser.

Glynncorp owner director John Cochrane with a solar panel.

Glynncorp has introduced technology this year that takes DC power from panels and transforms it to AC three-phase power.

Padman Stops assistant manager Bruce Bartlett with a Maxiflow crossing that is used to divert water under roadways.

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WATER Story: Laura Griffin

Tomato growers are greener than they realise

Chambers with a diameter of 30 cm were placed into soil every week during the growing season to measure gas concentrations.

A trial at a Kagome farm near Rochester suggests that by using sub-surface drip irrigation, Australian processing tomato growers probably produce less greenhouse gases than previously estimated.

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A

trial on a northern Victorian farm could show the Australian processing tomato industry’s greenhouse gas emissions are less than previously estimated using overseas data.

Applied Horticultural Research director Gordon Rogers said the way intensive vegetable crops such as tomatoes were irrigated impacted their greenhouse gas emissions.

The Australian processing tomato industry uses high rates of fertiliser and irrigation, and supplying water through sub-surface drip irrigation – as 98.5 per cent of Australian processing tomato growers do – could reduce the amount of powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide released.

At a Kagome farm near Rochester, Dr Rogers and his team did two trials looking at the amount of nitrous oxide released when using sub-surface drip irrigation. Next season they will look to expand to three sites across Victoria.

They measured gas concentrations in chambers with a diameter of 30 cm that were placed into soil every week during the growing season.

The trials build on studies done in

California that have found subsurface drip irrigation reduces the amount of nitrous oxide released.

The future trials will also evaluate the effectiveness of nitrification inhibitors in reducing nitrous oxide emissions.

Dr Rogers said the impact of nitrous oxide as a greenhouse gas was about 310 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.

The release of nitrous oxide from soils is a biological process and the organisms responsible depend on a high level of soil moisture to function.

Dr Rogers said vegetable crops grown with a lot of fertiliser and water usually left large amounts of nitrogen in the soil, which could escape into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide through de-nitrification.

“If soils are dry, as occurs in the inter-row area between crops irrigated with sub-surface drip irrigation, the release of nitrous oxide is likely to be greatly reduced.”

It is likely that for the Australian processing tomato industry and other industries using trickle irrigation, actual nitrous oxide emissions are far less than the values used in greenhouse gas estimation tools.

WATER Proving Australian processing tomato growers such as Kagome (whose harvest is pictured) produce less greenhouse gases could lead to carbon credits and possible global market advantage.

“This study will help demonstrate Australian processing tomato growers are already adopting technology and processes that are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions” Liz Mann

“If these estimates overstate actual greenhouse gas emissions from soils, it would disadvantage the Australian processing tomato industry in terms of its green credentials, and world demand for the Australian-grown product,” Dr Rogers said.

“There is also potential for growers to be paid for reducing nitrous oxide emissions from soils under the Federal Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative, which currently pays growers $24/ tonne of carbon dioxide emissions reduced using approved methodologies.”

Australian Processing Tomato Research Council industry development manager Liz Mann said growers knew customers such as SPC Ardmona and Unilever were requesting more information about environmental credentials.

“They are not happy with the carbon conversion tool now available because they are not

accurate,” Ms Mann said.

“This study will help demonstrate Australian processing tomato growers are already adopting technology and processes that are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.”

She said as a result of an on-farm irrigation efficiency program, the number of growers in Australia’s processing tomato growing area – northern Victoria and southern NSW – who were using sub-surface drip irrigation had risen to 98.5 per cent.

“It’s the highest ever level. Last year, 90 per cent of growers used sub-surface drip irrigation and in 2009 to 2010 it was 80 per cent.”

Dr Gordon said two main areas contributed to the vegetable industry’s greenhouse gas emissions – nitrous oxide emissions and electricity.

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47

WATER Story and pictures: Sophie Bruns

Drip irrigation move pays off Louis Chirnside and his 3 m corn crop grown on drip irrigation

Corn approaching harvest time.

A move to grow corn and maize under drip irrigation has paid off for Boort cropper Louis Chirnside.

T

he business installed the drip irrigation infrastructure in 2012 through rounds one and two of the On Farm Efficiency Program and this season with plentiful irrigation water, they were able to sow their largest summer irrigation crop since 2010.

With 500 ha of corn and maize in the ground, harvest time has certainly been busy. Some of the better corn which has already been cut for silage has yielded around 27 tonne/ha.

“We have some really nice corn and some not so good, but that is to be expected,” Louis said.

“We are stripping for seed over the next couple of weeks while some of our other crops will be carried through to spring.”

The availability of irrigation water enabled the business to double crop some of their land and grow two crops in three years.

“It has worked out okay but we have taken a yield hit with the shorter growing times, I think we will look more at the longer season varieties and increase our yields in the future.”

The family used to grow tomatoes but they have found corn to be a less labour intensive option.

“We can grow a larger area and be self sufficient from planting right through to harvest. ‘’We have only ever grown corn on drip irrigation so I can’t compare it to flood irrigation, but I am very happy with our system.”

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Corn is grown as part of the annual crop rotation which also includes wheat, barley, beans, peas and canola.

“The biggest problem we have found with drip irrigation is establishing a plant stand.

There is a row of tape every 66 inches and to get the crop to germinate you really need to saturate the soil. ‘’Small seeds are a bit harder, but once they are established it is a really good way to go.”

There are seven pumps in total across the 1420 ha farm.

The two new pumps which were installed in 2012 are capable of delivering 15 Ml of water a day, they have clocked up 1260 and 1390 hours of operation in one season alone.

“I have been farming a long time and I would really like to think the system we have installed here is self sustainable. Our water delivery system has been modernised and our supply now is certainly better than it was. We also have a greater degree of flexibility than we had previously,” Louis said.

Crop rotation and water availability will continue to dictate what crops are grown in the future, but Louis is certainly happy with the efficient system he has installed.

“I am glad we got in when we did. The government is valuing water a lot less these days which has put a system like ours financially out of reach for many,” he said.

The pump system which delivers water and fertiliser to the crops.

Some of the 500 ha of corn grown on the Chirnside’s property this season.

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WATER

Blueprint will spell out water tariff strategy

W

hile the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Program will touch on every irrigator in the region, a larger picture is being painted by the water corporation’s five-year plan dubbed the ‘Blueprint’.

In the biggest review of pricing ever conducted by the $160 million body, major changes are proposed with the goal of saving $20 million, bringing prices under control and straightening out tariff issues irrigators have complained about.

The strategy is being developed at the same time as Goulburn-Murray Water is reviewing all staff positions and implementing 60 employee redundancies at a saving of about $6 million.

One of the Blueprint’s drivers is the loss of 30 per cent of high reliability shares from the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District since 2007.

A large part of these has been bought by the Commonwealth Government for the environment.

G-MW’s proposed tariff structure has been developed in partnership with its water services committees’ chairs through the Tariff Strategy Advisory Group.

The advisory group agreed on the following principles to help guide the development of the tariff strategy: • Encourage agricultural production: Tariffs should encourage productive agriculture as that underpins the regional economy and community.

• Simple, clear and transparent to

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understand and manage: Customers want to understand what they are paying for but without too much complexity – an approach that can be managed without undue cost.

Tariffs are equitable: The same service should attract the same fee, but charges should be cost-reflective.

Send clear signals on the real costs of services: Charges should send clear signals as to the real costs of providing services. Customers should be able to see how their decisions are reflected in their charges, and so enable robust

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business decisions.

Provide predictability: Customers cannot manage their businesses if they face fluctuating prices. Customers and G-MW need predictable pathways for businessinvestment decisions.

Generate sufficient revenue: G-MW needs to be financially sustainable. That means G-MW can pay its way.

Encourage efficient water markets: Water trading is an essential tool to promote viable, irrigated businesses. Tariffs need to facilitate speedy trading with low costs.

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WATER

Channel network resizing under way T

he Goulburn Murray Irrigation district irrigation channel network is shrinking.

During the next five years the combined length of the channels will be reduced from 6300 km to 3500 km and the number of outlets reduced from 24 000 to 12 000.

Under the Connections program, funded as part of the $2 billion Foodbowl Modernisation Project, Goulburn-Murray Water’s goal is to resize the network to adjust to the 30 per cent reduction in water shares since about 2007.

The aim is to also build a modernised backbone with remote-controlled gates capable of shortening the water ordering time and delivering a better and more accurate flow rate.

The region has been broken up into 180 strategic protection plan areas which usually include about 30 property owners.

Starting last year and through this year G-MW will be running meetings to work out how these properties will be connected to the backbone.

The groups will be offered options for reconfiguring the channel network.

After the plan for the area is approved by the G-MW board, Individual irrigators will be offered draft plans.

Millions of dollars are available to assist farmers to adjust layouts, work with neighbours to develop shared infrastructure, relocate their enterprise, or exit irrigation.

For farmers whose property is near the

backbone, money is available for channel works, land grading, pipeline works, pumps, electrical costs, farm reinstatement, fencing, trading of delivery shares including termination payments, plus survey, design and management.

Where a farm layout is changed to reduce the number of supply points, money is also available, as it is for farmers working together with their neighbours to connect to the backbone, or relocating their business closer to the backbone.

Irrigators who want to leave irrigation may be

able to access funding to wind up their water delivery or replace it with a stock and domestic service.

Where agreement cannot be reached with a landowner, G-MW can approve a plan that includes “non-voluntary reconfiguration” proposals.

Where this happens, G-MW will continue the current water supply service for one year.

Up to mid-May none of these non-voluntary reconfigurations had been signed off by G-MW.

CONNECTIONS PROJECT INVESTMENT BY DISTRICT Area

Expenditure to Projected date Expenditure

Total

Central Goulburn

$193 460 000

$210 795 000

$404 255 000

Rochester

$163 744 000

$144 336 000

$308 080 000

Loddon Valley

$115 510 000

$189 022 000

$304 532 000

Murray Valley

$138 746 000

$171 089 470

$308 835 470

Torrumbarry

$126 564 000

$250 643 000

$377 207 000

TOTAL

$738 024 000

$965 885 470

$1 703 909 470

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51

WATER Story: Geoff Adams

Environment benefits from irrigation modernisation W

Geoff Earl

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ater given up by Goulburn Valley farmers under irrigation modernisation projects is finding its way into the region’s rivers and streams.

Many Commonwealth and statefunded irrigation programs have required irrigators to give up water for the environment in return for upgrading grants.

Some of this water has ended up with the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority which is seeing a huge increase in the environmental water it commands.

Last financial year the authority had 150 000 Ml under management for the Goulburn River and this year the figure is expected to be close to 251 000 Ml. The authority’s environmental water manager Geoff Earl said key priorities for the Goulburn River were fish, vegetation and macro invertebrates (or bugs).

He points out the Goulburn is still recovering from the drought, followed by the flood of 2010, and then a major blackwater event in 2010.

“Golden perch did not breed during the drought ,’’ Mr Earl said.

“And we can’t see young coming through, which seems to be a result of the blackwater event.’’

Many Murray cod were also killed during the blackwater event Anecdotal advice from regular fishers has identified some reaches where the cod have not returned.

The recent cycle of drought and flood has wrought havoc on bank vegetation. For example, higher bank flora had grown down into the river channel and then was inundated and choked by floodwaters.

Each year the CMA submits its environmental watering proposals to the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, now managed by a former G-MW chief, Denis Flett.

The Victorian organisation takes into account the environmental demands and the available

“Effectively each year we look back and say: what do we want to do different to last year.”

Geoff Earl water from sources such as the Commonwealth, the states and the Living Murray program, before deciding on the allocation for each CMA. The process is subject to independent scrutiny and the CMA examines how effective each year’s allocation has been.

“Effectively each year we look back and say: what do we want to do different to last year?’’ Mr Earl said.

Beyond the Goulburn, bigger environmental flows are managed.

For the Barmah-Millewa Forests in 2011-12 a total of 408 000 Ml was provided .

In the same year, the forest experienced four major flood peaks in winter and spring followed by an unseasonal 60 000 Ml/day flood peak in early March. Despite these natural flood peaks a total of 428 Gl of environmental water was delivered to Barmah-Millewa Forest.

The releases were made to maintain continuous wetland flooding to support waterbird breeding by bridging natural flood peaks that have otherwise become isolated because of river regulation.

As a result a total of six colonial waterbird species successfully bred, leading to about 5400 fledged colonial waterbirds. In addition, 24 non-colonial waterbird species also successfully bred.

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53

ENVIRONMENT Strory and pictures: Laura Griffin

Bush sanctuary flourishes A

dried-out dam and a few trees planted by a former owner have been transformed into a bush oasis and a focus point on Alan and Jenny Rogers’ Drumanure farm.

The 3 ha sanctuary is Mr Rogers’ favourite section of the 259 ha farm.

“It was a wasteland for me as a farmer, but I wanted to develop habitat,” Mr Rogers said.

“It’s the best feature of the farm.”

The previous owner had fenced off the area and planted some gums. There are also trees that pre-date the establishment of the farm – there are three trees on the property from which canoes were cut by local Aboriginal people.

One of the trees that impressed Mr Rogers the most was an old gum with a trunk at least 4 m in diameter.

Mr Rogers developed the area further by excavating two dams and banks, which he uses to get water onto different parts of his bushland.

He also enjoys walking along the banks and guiding visitors, including his adult children and grandchildren.

Alan Rogers has created a bush oasis on his mixed Drumanure farm.

During the 30 years on the mixed farm, Mr Rogers has added 3000 trees – red gums, blue gums, black gums and gums with stunning white trunks – by hand.

He has also planted different native plants, such as bottle brush and flowering ground covers to attract different bird species.

When he walks through the arboretum, the only sounds are the rustle of leaves and the calls of birds including parrots and honeyeaters. Ducks, dabchicks and other water birds nest in the hollows of dead trees and dive into dams, which Mr Rogers fills intermittently with leftover water allocation. He estimates it takes about 1 Ml to fill.

“I’ve got to use the water on the farm first,” he said.

“Like the red gum forests, you flood the area to make the trees flourish.”

Before the drought, Mr Rogers released fingerlings in the dam. His favourite spot is by the trunk of a fallen gum by the dams, where he can rest, enjoy the quiet and watch the birds swoop to catch insects on the water’s surface.

YOUR EXPERTS IN WATER MANAGEMENT.

Alan Rogers had run the dam the week before these pictures were taken.

The dry conditions have also made growing crops and keeping livestock more difficult. Mr Rogers has up to 300 head of cattle at any one time. He had about that number in early May and was having to feed them hay and grain.

He sometimes lets small cattle into the treed area, which he said was a “beautiful shelter belt”.

Canola, wheat, oats for stock feed and subterranean clover grow on the farm and Mr Rogers has a sharefarmer doing the grain crops.

He said he was lucky the previous owner had started the planting and encouraged other people to do the same.

“I’m not a greenie. I enjoy planting trees and encourage farmers to do so – it adds value to your farm.”

Mr Rogers has created the bushland area on his own – he has not received any Landcare or other funding.

He got a grant to plant 2500 trees in another area where the soil was slightly saline.

“We’ve got no salinity problem now,” he said.

As one of the largest and most knowledgeable water management companies in Australia, Rob Rye Irrigation, part of the Total Eden group, can provide your business with a complete solution across a wide range of industry needs.

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YYoouurr tteeaammfoforr N Noorrtthheerrnn VViiccttoorriiaa MILDURA MILDURA Back row from left: Tim McCurdy (Member for Murray Valley), Paul Weller (Member for Rodney), Sykes (Member for Benalla) Back row from left: PeterBill Crisp (Member for Mildura), Paul Weller (Member for

Back row from left: Peter Crisp (Member for Mildura), Paul Weller (Member for

Front row from Walsh (Member (Member Shepparton), Damian DrumValley), (Member for Northern Victoria) Peter Crisp -left:03 5021 2828 Peter Crisp -Peter 03 5021 2828for Swan Hill), Jeanette PowellRodney), TimforMcCurdy (Member for Murray Bill Sykes (Member for Benalla), Rodney), Tim McCurdy (Member for Murray Valley), Bill Sykes (Member for Benalla), Damian DrumDrum (Member for Northern Victoria) Damian (Member for Northern Victoria) FrontFront row row fromfrom left: left: PeterPeter WalshWalsh (Member for Swan Hill), Hill), Jeanette Powell (Member (Member for Swan Jeanette Powell (Member for Shepparton) for Shepparton)

Your team in Northern Victoria

RODNEY RODNEY

Paul Weller - 03 5482 2039 Paul Weller - 03 5482 2039

MURRAY VALLEY MURRAY VALLEY

TimTim McCurdy - 03 5721 6155 McCurdy - 03 5721 6155

BENALLA BENALLA

BillBill Sykes - 03 5762 2100 Sykes - 03 5762 2100

NORTHERN VICTORIA NORTHERN VICTORIA

Damian Drum - 03 5443 6277 Damian Drum - 03 5443 6277 MURRAY VALLEY SWAN HILL Tim McCurdy – 03 5721 6155

SWAN HILL SWAN HILL

Peter Walsh – 03 5032 3154

RODNEY SHEPPARTON Peter Walsh - 03 5032 3154 Peter Walsh - 03 5032 3154 Paul Weller – 03 5482 2039

BENALLA SHEPPARTON SHEPPARTON Bill Sykes – 03 5762 2100

Jeanette Powell – 03 5831 6944

NORTHERN VICTORIA Damian Drum – 03 5443 6277 Jeanette Powell - 03 5831 6944 Jeanette Powell - 03 5831 6944

Tim McCurdy, Paul Weller, Bill Sykes, Peter Walsh, Jeanette Powell and Damian Drum are a formidable and committed team that gets results in your region of Northern Victoria.

Together we are delivering on multiple projects throughout our electorates, resulting in positive outcomes for our communities.

We are an important part of the Victorian government which has delivered a responsible budget including one of the State’s biggest tax reforms with the new Fire Services Property Levy, benefiting property owners across our electorates.

Authorised byPowell, Jeanette Powell,St,5 Shepparton Vaughan St, VIC 3630 Authorised

by Jeanette 5 Vaughan VICShepparton 3630 Authorised

by Jeanette Powell, 5 Vaughan St, Shepparton VIC 3630

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