Ag focus 2016 (low res)

AG2016 A

ISSUE 8

Country News PUBLICATION

FOCUS

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

Growing the crop that drives dairy

INSIDE: Little Farmers shine Page 30 Flower farm blooms Page 36 Permaculture produce Page 48

ACROSS THE CASE IH RANGE P, W AME 0 H P E N FR 20 0 H ID S 24 E M NUM & BL P A AG H IL M 220 AVA

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O ur region The Goulburn Broken Catchment: • Comprises 2.4 million hectares, covering about 10.5 per cent of Victoria, with an estimated population of 204 000 people.

• Includes about 1 million hectares of dryland agriculture and 270 000 hectares of irrigated agriculture.

• Yields more than 3500 Gl or 10.5 per cent of the Murray-Darling Basin’s water.

• Agriculture production has a gross value of $1.77 billion.

• Main industries are dairy, horticulture, cropping, livestock and wine growing.

• Australia’s largest dairy production region with 1500 dairy farmers producing 2335 million litres of milk a year. More than 8000 people employed on dairy farms, in factories and in service industries.

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AGFOCUS 2016

Harston volunteers working on a Landcare project.

Editorial: (03) 5820 3229.

Advertising: (03) 5820 3184.

CONTENTS

Cover photograph: Former dairy farmer Ian Hamono grows maize for livestock on his Cooma property.

Editor Geoff Adams Writers Geoff Adams Emma Carinci Sharon Wright Jodie Symonds Taylah Burrows Gregor Mactaggart Photographers Ray Sizer Julie Mercer Holly Curtis Editorial designer Brendan Cain Sub-editors Shepparton News sub-editing department Advertising Jamie Gilbert James MacGibbon Ashton Still Cameron Parker Advertising support Rhiannon Nicholas William Stanistreet Grace Angel Graphic artists Bella Considine Brendan Cain

A publication of the McPherson Media Group weekly newspaper, Country News, which circulates in 16 newspapers across central and northern Victoria and the southern Riverina.

CLIMATE CHANGE

DAIRY SWITCH

POPPY CROP

MICROWAVE TACKLES WEEDS

MAN’S BEST FRIEND

LITTLE FARMERS

STRIKING THE BALANCE

GV WINE IN CHINA

FLOWERS BLOOMING

HARVEST REVOLUTION

Pages 10 and 11

Pages 16 and 17

Pages 26 and 27

Pages 32 and 33

Page 36 to 39

Pages 14 and 15

Page 25

Pages 30 and 31

Pages 34 and 35

Pages 42 and 43

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5

INVESTMENT

Simon Taylor and David Frizzell in front of the beginning of the tomato line.

B usy times at SPC S

o far, 2016 has been a year of transformation for SPC with the introduction of a new processing line, a new campaign, finalising its move to the new site in Shepparton and achieving a win for the tomato industry.

Productive plant In a bid to modernise the Shepparton processing facility, a $36 million tomato processing line was imported from Italy as part of Program 100, SPC’s $100 million investment project.

The tomato products coming off the new line are of a higher quality, better tasting and, of course, 100 per cent Australian, according to SPC. The line has been in operation since January and has proven more efficient than the old processing plant, achieving a run rate of 600 cans per minute on one line.

SPC manufacturing general manager Simon Taylor said the new machinery was the cheapest way to put food into a container.

SPC engineer David Frizzell said the new machinery was particularly ideal for the tomato 3402 variety, which was grown specifically for this sort of production.

“They’re long, like a Roma, but are easier to chop,” Mr Frizzell said.

The new line will process peeled whole and diced tomatoes in about 40 different tomato products.

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AGFOCUS 2016

Candid campaign Coinciding with the end of its first season with the new processing plant, SPC launched a campaign late in April encouraging Australians to buy Aussie-grown tomatoes from its Ardmona brand to support local growers.

The new campaign reflects SPC’s paddockto-plate investment and commitment to Australian growers and was filmed in and around Rochester — the heart of Victoria’s Fruit Bowl.

The campaign follows SPC’s evocative and award winning 2015 #MyFamilyCan campaign, which centred on Kialla East peach and pear grower Gary Godwill.

“Twenty years ago there were around 100 tomato growers in Australia, now there are just 12. The investment in and the turnaround of SPC goes hand-in-hand with our objective to promote a sustainable industry in the Goulburn Valley,” SPC managing director Reg Weine said.

Final destination SPC’s Mooroopna site is up for sale as the company completes its move to Shepparton.

The site, on Camp and Young Sts, includes a 76 000 sq m production area on a land holding of 13.39ha, including a rail spur.

The labelling and packing equipment, and the existing tomato line, were all moved to Shepparton from the Mooroopna site.

SPC spokesperson said the company’s

continued involvement with the site would be determined by the sale process.

“The plan is to lease back a portion of the site from a prospective buyer for warehousing purposes,” the spokesperson said.

“The investment in and the turnaround of SPC goes hand-inhand with our objective to promote a sustainable (tomato) industry in the Goulburn Valley.”

SPC managing director Reg Weine

Aussie tomato triumph SPC tomatoes achieved another win when it was announced in February that Italian canned tomato exporters were guilty of dumping product in Australia.

After two years of investigations and appeals by SPC, the two largest Italian tomato exporters — Feger and La Doria — had antidumping duties imposed after being found guilty of dumping cheap product into the Australian market.

SPC had incurred material damages since 2010 because of the illegal dumping, including a loss of 40 per cent of its volume and reduced profitability, as it struggled to compete on price with these dumped Italian tomato products.

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WATER

Violet Town Black Angus cattle farmer Charlie Crocker with the solar-powered water management technology.

Charlie Crocker’s heifers are ready to have a drink from the trough.

The solar powered system Mr Crocker had installed on his property.

Water level monitoring now easier C harlie and Marie Crocker installed a solar-powered remote water sensor to better manage water tank levels — and have never looked back.

The couple runs 1500 ha of land in Violet Town and Strathbogie and has 340 cattle, mostly Black Angus, and 3800 ewes.

Mr Crocker said the solar-powered remote water sensor was made by Fitzroy company Observant, which creates water pump systems and applications to better manage water on farms.

As part of Broken Catchment Landcare Network’s Gecko CLaN, Landcare project officer Kerri Robson said the new system would tell Mr Crocker how full his water tanks, dams and bores were that supplied water to stock through troughs.

She said farmers who used the system would 8

AGFOCUS 2016

have one less thing to worry about.

Installed in October last year, the remote water sensor is linked to a smartphone application which allows Mr Crocker to view the water tank level percentages in real time.

The application can also tell Mr Crocker how much water has been used since it has been installed.

Mr Crocker said the application had saved him valuable time and money spent travelling to his properties to check the levels.

The system doesn’t automatically fill the troughs — it is purely a notification system — but it allows Mr Crocker to limit the amount of time spent checking the troughs himself.

“It’s great not having to drive out every day,” Mr Crocker said.

“You can see it at home — which means more

“It’s great not having to drive out every day.”

Charlie Crocker time spent doing other things.”

He said if the tank levels decreased to 50 per cent, he would receive an SMS notification and an email.

“If it gets down to 30 per cent, I get another text and that’s when I really need to move — but these percentages can be changed to fit the needs of the farmer,” Mr Crocker said.

While he said it was expensive, Mr Crocker said it was worth putting the system in.

“The product cost $2200 to buy, then an ongoing cost of $14 a month onto our Telstra bill,” Mr Crocker said.

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EQUINE Chris Nash with Canali.

C limate change for stud U

rsula Downs may be located in Mangalore, but the heartbeat of the property hails from Australia’s far north.

The 160 ha former lucerne farm was purchased midway through last year by the Brown family, synonymous with Darwin.

The family boasts a proud history in the Northern Territory capital, most notably in the world of horse racing.

Former leading Top End trainer Stephen Brown is setting about turning the farm into a state-of-the-art training complex.

Mr Brown, an international Group One winning trainer, originally made the move south from Darwin to Flemington at the start of 2013.

Despite preparing more than 70 winners across the state, including a Group Two triumph by Sea Lord in the Australia Stakes, Mr Brown was taken by the success of trainers such as Darren Weir and David Hayes.

“They have shown you can have great success training from a country base, so I thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’”.

Mr Brown made an offer on the Romsey property owned by the late Phil Sly which was turned down and also looked at Markdel, the training complex made famous by the Freedman brothers, based at Rye on the Mornington Peninsula.

But he found the right fit on a drive to the Goulburn Valley last year.

“As soon as we drove into this place, (brother) Roy said ‘buy this’, so we did,” Mr Brown said.

“It is little more than an hour from Melbourne, 10

AGFOCUS 2016

the Seymour racetrack is just down the road, this place fitted what we are looking for.

“We’ve downsized from 30 boxes at Flemington to 14 now, so we’re in the transition phase setting up here.”

The family is running some cattle, with Mr Brown’s wife Elisha regarded as the quintessential ‘cattleman’.

Construction is under way on a 24-strong stable complex which is nearly identical in design to Mr Brown’s former stable located at the Fannie Bay racecourse.

“We’re planning to have a sand track that will allow us to trot and canter the horses, but the great thing is Seymour is only 15 minutes away if we want full gallops.”

Chris Nash

A total of 32 day yards for the horses are already in place, with Mr Brown seeing the benefits the country setting can provide.

“Flemington can be hard on the horse mentally, so we’ve brought a number up here and they have really thrived,” he said.

“They are not cooped up in boxes, they have a bit of room to move around and appreciate the country air.”

Mr Brown commutes daily from his Melbourne base, located in the inner northern suburbs,

to Mangalore to monitor how things are progressing.

His daughter Alana, who has ridden 70 winners as a jockey, and her partner Chris Nash, a trainer in his own right, live on the property full-time. An already hectic period was made busier by the recent arrival of the couple’s first child, daughter Madeleine, born in April.

Mr Nash looks after the horses, including some household names to punters, including Sea Lord, Post D’France and Canali.

The 27-year-old speaks about why the property suits the thoroughbreds.

“The front half of the property is very flat and that is great for the horses, especially to rest and recuperate,” he said.

“That is where the day yards are located and also the stables.

“We’ll be able to use more of the property when we can get the barbed wire changed to the white plastic wire.

“We’re planning to have a sand track that will allow us to trot and canter the horses, but the great thing is Seymour is only 15 minutes away if we want full gallops.”

The second half of the property backs onto the Goulburn River and is a popular spot with fishermen, according to Mr Nash.

“We get a few in here from time to time, they reckon it is one of the best spots to put your boat in,” he said.

“The other day one of our neighbours went out there, caught a couple of cod and invited us around to eat it for dinner.”

EQUINE Former top Darwin trainer Stephen Brown is overseeing the transformation of a former lucerne farm into a modern thoroughbred horse training operation at Mangalore.

The 32 day yards ensure the horses have room to thrive.

AGFOCUS 2016

11

DAIRY VIEW

By NAB regional agribusiness manager Dave Davies

R oller-coaster ride for dairy I nternational dairy markets saw a tumultuous 2015 and early 2016. Lacklustre demand, particularly from China, European Union countries’ inability to export to countries such as Russia, combined with adequate supply of most dairy products, sent prices on a rollercoaster.

Australian dairy producers were shielded to some extent by a lower Australian dollar and the Australian dairy companies’ stance on providing a relatively stable domestic market.

NAB’s measure of dairy export prices, based on Global Dairy Trade auction results, is weighted by the quantity of Australian exports for whole milk powder, skim milk powder,

butter and cheese. The indicator has fallen sharply since February this year. In Australian dollar terms, the indicator was off 9.7 per cent in February and 5.3 per cent in March after gaining 3.3 per cent in January.

While new-season prices are eagerly awaited to allow dairy farmers to budget and make decisions, looking to the coming year, we are expecting little significant upside for global prices, with moderately higher Chinese import demand but continued strength in global supply.

Weather was a challenge in many Australian dairy regions in 2015–16 (especially Victoria, parts of South Australia and Tasmania).

Producers are looking to the autumn break received this year to establish pastures, and further winter rainfall to allow fodder conservation in spring.

While the long-term global outlook and demand for dairy produce still looked sound at the time of writing, recent changes to milk pricing expectations have come as a great shock to many suppliers and can increase the emotional and financial strain for dairy farmers.

Every farm and farmer are unique, and we encourage all of them to talk to their support people including banks, industry advisers and bodies, and also health care professionals during times of uncertainty.

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AGFOCUS 2016

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DAIRY The functional 30-a-side swing-over dairy was dismantled from its original site on a dairy farm at Yalca.

Switch to dairy I

Keith and Lynette Maples gave careful consideration to converting their property to a dairy farm.

14

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mproving cash flow and creating opportunities for their family was the motivation behind Keith and Lynette Maples’ decision to convert their mixed farm to dairy.

For about 18 years the 258 ha Katandra West property supported a sheep, beef and lucerne enterprise but in the past 12 months has been home to a herd of Jersey and cross-breed dairy cows.

Dairying wasn’t a foreign concept; Mr Maples milked cows with his family in the Kiewa Valley and at Invergordon, and Mrs Maples’ father had dairy farmed in the past.

“To be honest, I missed dairy farming, and the cash flow from the sheep and beef and lucerne was very sporadic,” Mr Maples said.

“My fixed costs for water, fertiliser and seed were the same whether I ran sheep or dairy, but with the sheep I waited 12 months to get a return. With dairy I get a return within a month when the milk cheque arrives.”

They said dairying also allowed their children — Nick, 20, Jake, 16, Brooke, 15 and Isabelle, 8 — to be involved in the family business.

Originally the plan was to sell their property and buy an established dairy farm.

They looked at other dairying areas of Victoria and on King Island before realising their home, with its quality Lemnos and Goulburn loam soils, was ideal.

Laneways, excellent fencing,

quality pastures and established stands of native trees for shelter were already in place, thanks to the couple’s forward planning when developing the property, and all they required was a dairy.

Mr Maples said they sought advice from industry experts and dairy farmers; some were encouraging, others thought “we had rocks in our heads”.

They bought a complete shed and plant of a 30-a-side swing-over dairy from Yalca and spent weeks dismantling and transporting sections to Katandra West.

The build took 12 months from the initial site works, which included constructing dams for water and effluent disposal, to powering up the plant for the first milking.

Cup removers, swing arms, an automatic feed system, automatic backing gate and yard blasters have been incorporated to ensure milking is quick and efficient.

The 210-cow herd is milked in about one hour with 15–20 minutes’ clean up time.

Existing infrastructure was utilised; the shearing shed and sheep yards now house calves, and cattle yards were incorporated into the dairy complex.

Laneways were improved to accommodate cattle, large 8 ha paddocks were subdivided into more manageable 4 ha parcels, small troughs were replaced with larger ones and additional pumps were installed to maintain water supply pressure.

The Maples operate a low-cost pasturebased system, supplemented by 4 kg pellets fed daily in the dairy, and plan to grow the herd

DAIRY

to a maximum of 240.

“We want to be self-sufficient, grow all of our own feed and not have to rely on agistment,” Mrs Maples said.

They are working towards a purebred Jersey herd as they believe the breed is more efficient, has fewer calving problems and the lighterbodied cows better suit an autumn-calving system.

The couple admitted the reality of twice a day milking was initially “a shock to the system” and conceded there were challenges in dairying such as milk price fluctuations, water availability and pricing, and the tie of being there day-in and day-out.

They said by surrounding themselves with industry experts, and developing trusted relationships, they were able to filter information and implement what worked for their farm.

Landmark Shepparton agronomist David Dawes, Ridley territory manager Cam Ross, Advanced Dairy Systems owner Adrian Hayward and Rural Finance agribusiness manager James Alcaniz had been integral to the conversion project, they said.

Price drop

Last month’s shock milk price drop has dented industry confidence but Keith and Lynette Maples are comfortable with their decision to change farming practices.

“If we were planning to build the dairy now, at this point, I would think twice about it with the price drop, but I’ve been in agriculture long enough to realise that there are ups and downs,” Mr Maples said.

“For the drop to come so near to the end of the season, and for farmers to be expected to pay that money back, I feel for those suppliers, it’s terrible.”

The Maples supply Kyabram-based Australian Consolidated Milk.

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AGFOCUS 2016

15

CROPPING

Mr Lindsay’s crop looked healthy last year which left him even more confused as to what went wrong. Poppies have grown in Tasmania for more than 40 years and are worth about $290 million to the state’s agricultural industry, according to the Department of State Growth in Tasmania.

Steve Lindsay looks out onto the paddock where the poppies grew last year wondering if he will try for a second season.

E xploring poppy potential F

armers in north-east Victoria have been growing an unusual crop — one which has proven profitable for farmers in Tasmania for decades.

Poppies have moved from being a trial crop to being commercially produced in Victoria for use in pain-relieving medications.

While some growers may have had success with the crop, Picola mixed cropping farmer Steve Lindsay was disappointed with the 40 ha of poppies he planted out last season, losing a considerable amount of money.

“I thought it’d be all right as a rotation crop.

And, being a pharmaceutical, I thought there’d be a bit of money in it, “ Mr Lindsay said.

“Poppies have high input costs — they are a very expensive crop to grow … we spent $25 000 on chemicals.”

Mr Lindsay’s poppies scored a low assay rating (assay tests measure the strength of the narcotic in the poppy opiate) of 1.4 per cent, achieving $820/tonne, however, a rating of just 0.4 per cent more could have almost doubled that amount he said.

Mr Lindsay grew the poppies for a licensed poppy processor, TPI Enterprises, and sought more information and evidence from them about why the crop failed.

TPI Enterprises is one of only three companies in Australia licensed to process poppies, the heads of which have capsules containing opiates such as morphine and codeine.

Poppy extract is a raw narcotic material and

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AGFOCUS 2016

all growers must hold a valid licence.

TPI field services officer Victoria White said a strong crop of poppies can return more than $2000/ha, which has been achieved in Victoria but not in the north.

While all other competing winter cereal crops were down 30 per cent in yield in 2015 compared to 2014, TPI had a 30 per cent increase in results for poppy crops in Victoria.

Ms White said the hot weather in the first week of October 2015 damaged yields considerably. “(The heat) burns the petals and can inhibit the seed set which leads to a decrease in weight,” Ms White said.

Heat also causes the alkaloid — the narcotic raw material — in the flesh of the capsule to dry out and stress the plant, ultimately affecting its growth.

Ms White emphasised the importance of precision and proactivity.

“Attention to detail is vital … always look at your crops because things can change very quickly.”

She said there was potential for the poppy industry to expand.

TPI chief financial officer Roger McPherson said last season produced “mixed results” across Victoria, largely due to the weather.

“We got some good results here (in the northeast region), but not as good as we would have liked,” Mr McPherson said.

“Poppies aren’t a forgiving crop. They’ve got a lot of potential but it’s important growers

follow the recommendations.”

TPI has committed to providing stronger communication with growers in upcoming seasons and is looking at a new harvester which has shown “extremely promising” results to date.

The machine will have the ability to harvest virtually a pure capsule off the paddock, leaving more of the stem and therefore delivering a stronger assay reading and higher returns for the growers.

Ms White and Mr McPherson agreed that growers needed two to three seasons to perfect the process.

Despite his bad luck, Mr Lindsay has planted out another plot of poppies this year — but he is not bearing the costs this time.

“I am doing it as a trial plot for TPI,” Mr Lindsay said.

“They are leasing the ground off me — so they are paying me to do it for them.

“It’s taken a lot of the expense out of it for me.”

After discussions with TPI, Mr Lindsay only agreed to grow the poppies again if there was no risk for him.

If this crop produces well, Mr Lindsay will consider planting it again for himself next year.

Agronomist Allan Reid said like any crop, poppies could bring successes and failures and growers needed to be highly observant and check the paddock regularly.

“It is worthwhile to embrace an emerging crop,” Mr Reid said.

CROPPING

The capsule at the top of the poppy is where the raw narcotic material is extracted and the harvester avoids collecting too much of the stem because this dilutes the concentrate of the alkaloid. Following trials in northern Victoria, the government passed legislation in 2014 to allow the growing of poppies commercially.

“Poppies aren’t a forgiving crop. They’ve got a lot of potential but it’s important growers follow the recommendations.”

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TPI field services officer Victoria White says there are “spill over” benefits to sowing poppies. The capsule is the only part of the plant harvested so the nutrients in the stem are returned back into the soil. Poppies also work well in rotations.

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DAIRY

Tough outlook in short term T he short to medium-term future looks particularly tough for farmers in the southern export-focused states of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, according to analysis by Dairy Australia.

Following a challenging dry season, many farmers in south-east Australia are staring down the barrel of significant financial losses.

This has come about due to farm gate price cuts by some processors and expectations of a much lower opening price for 2016–17.

Although far from immune to such market pressures, those focused on the fresh milk market in northern and western regions of Australia are yet to be directly affected.

Confidence levels for southern farmers have plummeted. As part of Dairy Australia’s Situation and Outlook June 2016 report released in May, the National Dairy Farmer Survey (NDFS) is carried out to gauge behaviour and attitudes of farmers across Australia.

At the time of the 2016 NDFS, conducted in February and March, the proportion of farmers feeling positive about the future of the industry dropped from 74 per cent last year to 67 per cent. A recent supplementary survey suggests the number of farmers feeling positive about the industry has now dropped below 50 per cent.

Dairy Australia senior analyst John Droppert said underlying tension across the industry in the export-focused states had been amplified

and brought to the surface by the recent price cuts.

“The survey highlighted confidence in the future of the industry is lower across Victoria than it has been for the past few years,” Mr Droppert said.

“Since then, late-season cuts to farm gate prices have caused a significant further decline in sentiment across most regions, which follow-up research is currently attempting to quantify.”

Dairy Australia analysis shows farmers across Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania face income losses of more than $150 000 in a number of cases — based on the late season changes to farm gate milk prices by some processors.

Even prior to the recent price announcements, Victorian Murray Dairy respondents were pessimistic (58 per cent) in terms of 2015–16 profit expectations.

Mr Droppert said overall, margins had been significantly tighter through 2015–16; squeezed by higher costs and lower income.

“Although some easing of costs during the 2016–17 season is likely, a weak milk price outlook suggests that margin pressure will intensify — at least through the first half of the year,” he said.

“Recovery in the global market remains unlikely until 2017, which will see cash flow challenges through spring presenting a significant hurdle for many farms.”

“Recovery in the global market remains unlikely until 2017, which will see cash flow challenges through spring presenting a significant hurdle for many farms.”

John Droppert

At the time of the NDFS, availability and/or price of irrigation water is expected to present a challenge for 75 per cent of Murray Dairy respondents. More than half (58 per cent) nominate it as their greatest challenge going forward and 48 per cent expect it to be an issue for the coming months.

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EQUINE

Getting horses back on their feet C ongupna’s Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital hopes to change the belief many people have that horses must be euthanased after breaking a bone.

Unlike humans, the way a horse’s body responds to fractures could be different.

Previously, when a horse fractured a bone like its leg, it was understood it must be euthanased because there was no way it could survive.

However, surgeons at GV Equine Hospital believe this isn’t always the case.

GV Equine Hospital was started in 1988 by the same two people who run it today: Jim Vasey and Angus McKinnon.

The hospital currently employs 13 veterinarians during the breeding

season and about 30 support staff.

Dr Vasey said nowadays not all horses with broken bones needed to be put down.

He said one of the major differences from earlier in his career was that technology had evolved dramatically, and there were now better X-ray machines and the ability to take multiple X-rays at one time — even during surgery.

“It does make the whole procedure a lot faster,” Dr Vasey said.

Dr Markwell said in some cases horses could eventually race again.

“Not in all cases, but in a lot, the horses could compete at race-level again,” Dr Markwell said.

“We now have bigger and stronger screws and stronger implants. There’s also a lot more research.”

Dr Vasey said lower limb fractures were the most common in older horses, and elbow fractures in foals.

He said sometimes a foal might be kicked by its mother, or by another horse, causing injury, while one misplaced hoof on a race track could easily shatter a bone, or bones, in a fully grown horse.

While a lot of horses could get back to racing and full quality of life, Dr Markwell and Dr Vasey said this was not always the case.

“We can’t save all horses,” Dr Vasey said.

“Some horses could end up with arthritis — or a horse that has smashed something like the pastern joint, sometimes these injuries cannot be salvaged.”

“A lot of horse owners want to give their horse the best possible chance at a healthy and happy life — and we hope we can achieve that for them.”

Dr Jim Vasey

Senior veternarian and surgeon Harry Markwell with Sleeque, who has recovered from leg surgery.

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EQUINE

Equine industry on the rise

E Harry Markwell said performing surgery on horses could be challenging.

He said a horse could not survive by weight-bearing on three legs for a prolonged period of time; therefore might need to be put down.

GV Equine Hospital performs between 16 and 20 surgeries a week.

“A lot of horse owners want to give their horse the best possible chance at a healthy and happy life — and we hope we can achieve that for them,” Dr Vasey said.

“Many horses are insured as well, because it could become quite expensive.

“But, it is also up to the owner whether they

would like to consent to the surgery — it depends on what the horse is being used for.”

Dr Markwell said being a surgeon and vet was rewarding, yet challenging.

“We carefully look into the welfare of each horse,” Dr Markwell said.

“We generally keep horses up to seven days post-surgery — because we often receive horses from around Australia and it wouldn’t be wise to send them back straight away when there could be complications.

“It gives us great satisfaction to see a horse back with their owner.”

quine businesses in Strathbogie Shire generate about $60 million annually.

A study of the industry being prepared

by Strathbogie Shire Council has found that the total economic value of the equine industry is about $90 million.

In the past four years the number of equine industry firms in the shire has grown from just over 60 in 2011 to currently more than 90, an increase of more than 50 per cent.

Horse numbers have increased from 2294 in 2010–11 to an estimated 4833 at the end of 2014.

The council expects that support businesses such as horse transport, agistment, veterinary care, hoof management, equipment supplies and feed supplies will grow in direct proportion to the growth in horse numbers.

The study has found strong evidence of an equine industry cluster having emerged, and strengthening, within the shire and surrounding area.

Full survey results are expected to be published this year following the compilation of the data for the first time in the shire.

The council is keen to develop a strategy to encourage the growth of the sector and identify any gaps or opportunities.

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CROPPING Riverine Plains committee chairman and Barooga farmer John Bruce said while the group mainly focused on crop production, they were beginning to do more work with livestock and look at how the enterprises fit within their farming systems.

G roup has eyes on the big picture W hen Riverine Plains started in 1999, a small group of farmers wanted to improve the productivity of their cropping and mixed farming systems. Now, they also have plans to keep farmers on top of agricultural issues.

According to Riverine Plains committee chairman and Barooga farmer John Bruce, farmers juggle a huge range of issues in their day-to-day work lives.

“From weed and pest management, to rainfall and climate, to machinery and inputs of seed and fertiliser, all while keeping an eye on maintaining the soil and environmental health of our farms,” Mr Bruce said.

“Many of us are also running livestock which adds an extra layer of complexity.”

Mr Bruce said helping farmers stay on top of issues was the key to the success of the group.

“Our farmer-based committee contributes to the planning of many of our events and sets the direction of our research program, and this keeps us focused on addressing the important issues facing our members,” Mr Bruce said.

“While we are mainly focused on crop production, we are also doing more with livestock and looking at how these enterprises fit within our farming systems.”

Riverine Plains has been involved in several projects, including implementing a network of weather stations, harvest weed seed control, 22

AGFOCUS 2016

managing sub-soil acidity and reducing nitrous oxide emissions.

Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble in the Riverine Plains region is a six-year project funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Riverine Plains extension officer Cassandra Schefe said within the project, grain farmers in the medium-high rainfall zones often had to deal with large amounts of crop stubble that

Riverine Plains extension officer Cassandra Schefe said grain farmers in the medium-high rainfall zones often had to deal with large amounts of crop stubble that remained after each harvest.

remained after each harvest.

“Much of this has traditionally been burnt or otherwise removed, before sowing begins the following year,” Dr Schefe said.

“Many farmers are trying to retain their stubble in no-till systems, but are encountering difficulties with increasing pest and disease pressures or mechanical issues with seeding equipment the following year.”

She said the project was trying to establish whether the use of one-off stubble management strategies including burning or cultivation, within an otherwise no-till, stubble retained system, might lead to improvements in productivity and sustainability.

Mr Bruce said research was key, because it helped address some of the significant production-based issues in the region.

“This means we can use the results to more confidently make changes to the way we farm,” Mr Bruce said.

“Change in farming is usually expensive, because it often involves investment in new machinery or other infrastructure, so knowing that the theory is underpinned by quality research helps enormously when making decisions.”

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POULTRY

F ocus on balance and sustainability E

lliot Fehring and his partner Chelsie McPherson run their portable and pastured chicken farm — 400 Acres — near Cohuna in northern Victoria in conjunction with a 120-cow organic dairy herd.

Their farm is all about balance and sustainability with both businesses complementing each other.

“Our business is not just about the eggs, they are integrated with the dairy and complement each other in a symbiotic relationship. The chooks follow behind the cows and clean up the leftover pasture, the bugs and the fly larvae in the manure, which reduces input costs for us and allows us to produce a quality, sustainable product that the consumer is looking for,” Mr Fehring said.

The chooks are housed in portable buses that are towed from paddock to paddock. The buses have been modified so the chooks can lay their eggs and the flock is guarded by several Maremmas at all times.

Aside from the diet of bugs the chooks can forage for, they also have access to pasture, grain and milk.

“Some chooks prefer to eat grass while others like grain or bugs. Our system provides them with the opportunity to eat whatever they want, and range wherever they want. We have happy chickens and great eggs,” Ms McPherson said.

Mr Fehring became involved in the chicken business five years ago. From humble beginnings he now has about 1200 birds with

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AGFOCUS 2016

plans to eventually grow the flock to about 3000.

Every single egg they produce is sold; demand is currently outweighing supply.

“If we can get to 3000 birds we can hopefully employ someone to help us and give us some time off,” Mr Fehring said.

The eggs are collected twice daily, midmorning and mid-afternoon, every day of the year. There are no days off for this busy couple.

The couple has chosen to move away from describing the system as free-range; they prefer the term portable and pastured.

Their birds are currently stocked at a rate of nine birds to the hectare — far fewer than the maximum 10 000 birds per hectare required to meet free-range certification.

“Free-range eggs have been getting a bad wrap and there has been a lot of debate in the media about that. We think portable and pastured describes our system better, because that is exactly what we have here, a system that keeps our birds happy and healthy and they do get the opportunity to range on pasture every single day of the year.”

The couple has plans to open the farm to the public in the future and host tours so consumers can get to know exactly how their product is produced.

“Consumers like to know they are buying exactly what they think they are — and we think it would be great to give them that opportunity here,” Ms McPherson said

“Free-range eggs have been getting a bad wrap and there has been a lot of debate in the media about that. We think portable and pastured describes our system better, because that is exactly what we have here, a system that keeps our birds happy and healthy and they do get the opportunity to range on pasture every single day of the year.”

Elliot Fehring

WATER

Microwave tackles weeds A lecturer from the University of Melbourne’s Dookie campus has transformed the household microwave into a prototype to kill chemical-resistant “super” weeds.

University of Melbourne’s Dookie campus senior lecturer of veterinary and agricultural sciences Dr Graham Brodie has researched the way microwaves could tackle weed issues in crops.

The microwave technology projects energy waves onto the plants and soil to kill weeds and their seeds in the field. This significantly reduces bacterial numbers and increases grain yields in a number of crops, including canola and wheat.

Dr Brodie said the technology had produced some impressive results.

“We’ve used a section of rice crop at the university to test the microwave technology,” Dr Brodie said.

“The areas where the microwave technology has been used has far less weeds and more yield — but in the control crop, where the microwave technology hasn’t been used, it is the opposite.”

The technology has so far been used on pot plants and testing fields.

Dr Brodie said the technology collapsed the structure within the weeds.

“In looking for alternative weed treatments, we have found that microwave treatment is immediate, chemical-free and leaves no

PHD student Mujammad Jamal Khan and senior lecturer Dr Graham Brodie with the rice group that was tested with the microwave technology.

residue at the treatment site,” Dr Brodie said.

“Microwave weed management has the potential to be applied throughout Australia to manage weeds not just in agriculture enterprises, but on public land, sporting facilities and in landscape gardening.”

He said bacterial numbers recovered within one month of treatment.

Dr Brodie said he had been thinking of researching the idea for about eight years, due to his engineering background.

PHD student Muhammad Jamal Khan has been working with Dr Brodie on the project.

Mr Khan said his research had been useful in controlling weeds.

He said it also significantly reduced the amount of bacteria in the top layer of the soil, but had no measurable effect on fungi or protozoa in the soil.

“So far, this has proved to be a success and we look forward to seeing how it performs on bigger scales,” Mr Khan said.

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MAN’S BEST FRIEND

The best of Man’s Best Friend Man’s Best Friend is one of Country News’ long-running columns.

Every week there is a new dog, with a new owner and a new story (and a pose) to share.

Cosgrove farmer Ross Harmer’s daughter found Milo at a Christmas party four years ago. Mr Harmer admitted while there were not enough sheep to justify a job for Milo, he has made a great canine companion. “He’s very loving; he looks through the window of the house at you.”

At 17, Tex (left) is no spring chicken, but his owner Troy Rossborough says he’s still keen to work on the Wyuna dairy farm. Mr Rossborough lets Tex join him daily and even lifts him onto the quad bike. Tex and his co-worker Lucky (right) both love the motorbike.

Rusty (Russell) Byrnes and Laura Byrnes-Smith with their much-loved working dog (and pet) Maggie. With the dairy gone, Maggie has lost a lot of weight. “She used to drink milk from it all the time.

She was one of the fattest kelpies you’ve ever seen,” Rusty says.

Jacinta Dekker owns Spy – one of her three working dogs – to help her out with the cattle on the Katunga dairy farm where she works. Spy rounds up cattle as well as Ms Dekker’s Indian Runner ducks. He has had some success in sheepdog trials too.

Working dogs Jess (left) and Donna make cropping farmer Ged McCormick’s life much easier. After a tractor accident in 1979, Mr McCormick was told he would never walk again.

Mr McCormick defied the odds and still works on his family’s mixed farm at Elmore.

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Euroa sheep breeder Neil Seach works between two farms with his trusty kelpies Roxy, 4, and Lucy, 3. Roxy (left) is more of yard dog while Lucy is an all-rounder but both dogs always love jumping on the back of the bike.

Riding coach and showjumper Scottie Barclay has a constant companion.

While there is no livestock on the Moorilim property, the kelpie/blue heeler cross has become a pretty good watch-dog. (Bert the cat also likes to be part of the action.)

David Steinfort from Tingulla Farms, Katunga, named one of his red kelpie working dogs Quick because she was super-fast. Quick is never afraid to assert herself and loves to be the top dog on the farm.

Andrew Kay has two very loyal working dogs on his Caniambo property — Tess, a playful chocolate Labrador, and Kelly, a purebred kelpie. Kelly might be shy but she sees herself as a top dog while Tess is more of a pet and great company for Kelly.

Maisie the border collie is always ready to take care of business but in her spare time, she’s on the dog catwalk. Owner Colleen Collins tried young Maisie in the show ring at last year’s Shepparton Show.

If Maisie’s ‘glamour’ career doesn’t take off, there’s always work to do on Rod and Colleen’s Coomboona dairy farm.

Aussie (left) and Gaffar just can’t seem to get along, according to their owners — and father/son team — Geoff and Spencer Rendell. “Aussie is the one that wants to fight every dog on the farm — there’s probably about 12 all up — but Gaffar’s the boss dog. He’s a real standover merchant. When I think about it, he’s a real shocker,” Spencer says.

With a commercial herd of cattle and sheep, Violet Town farmer Robert Love could not be without his black and tan kelpie pup Timmy. At just two years of age, Timmy is already a great working dog and Mr Love says he is a real thinker.

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LITTLE FARMERS

Best of Little Farmers Meet the little farmers who could shape the future of agriculture.

The Little Farmers feature was new to Country News in 2016, and has highlighted the knowledge and drive children have to potentially pursue a career in agriculture — or to just enjoy it.

The Weeks family has three girls, who are keen to get out on their Nanneella tomato farm after school.

The family provides tomatoes for SPC and Kagome, and Sienna, 5, Charlize, 8, and Alannah, 10, love getting their hands dirty on the farm — but for very different reasons.

Whether it’s transplanting, riding in the tractor or helping out with jobs, the Weeks girls love to help their dad, Dwight, and pop, Bruce.

The Weeks family has appeared on several SPC advertisements, and Alanna said a highlight for her was featuring in the ad and having her picture on the SPC Thick and Rich tomato tins.

Thoona little farmer Duncan Sinclair, 5, idolises his dad, Hamish, and his “papa”, Colin, who are cropping farmers.

Duncan’s mother, Michelle Sinclair, said on the way to kinder Duncan and his friend talked farming, and a lot of it.

Ms Sinclair said the amount of detail the boys went into when they talked amazed her.

Duncan takes his work very seriously; he has the same work clothing and matching high-visibility vest as Hamish and Colin, and he always wants to help.

Duncan has even attended seeder days with Hamish.

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Living on a dairy farm isn’t always for everyone, especially for little farmer Hannah Kelly, who doesn’t like cows because they “poo on everything”.

The Kelly siblings — Eloise, 11, Sophie, 9, Bridie, 7, and Hannah, 5 — help their parents, Chris and Andrea, on their Katunga dairy farm.

The girls have also shown cows at the Brisbane Royal, International Dairy Week and Gympie District shows.

There is no shortage of help at the Kelly farm, with all four girls keen to help feed the calves or milk the cows.

LITTLE FARMERS

Leni De Fazio, 9, is small but powerful.

She has no problems with tapping the dairy cattle on the rump to move them around her family’s Benalla dairy.

The daughter of Matthew and Caryn De Fazio, Leni loves horses so much she taught her ewe to be one, by taking her over small jumps with ease.

Leni plans to be a horse veterinarian when she grows up.

Gunbower dairy farmers Astre Modra, 9, and Kendall Modra, 7, have varying tastes when it comes to working on the farm.

Daughters of Stuart and Clare Modra, the girls like dairy farming for very different reasons.

Astre loves to show cows, and has done so in Rochester and at the Winter Fair in Bendigo.

Her younger sister, Kendall, prefers to work in the dairy with Clare, milking the cows.

Cropping little farmer Jamie Underwood, 5, from Arcadia loves farming, but dislikes the amount of flies.

If the flies don’t bother him too much in the future, Jamie plans to become a cropping farmer like his dad, Mitch.

Jamie has one ewe, Lily, and one hen, Monty, and Mitch said Jamie was a kid who always wanted to be outdoors.

AGFOCUS 2016

31

LIVESTOCK

Striking the balance M

ixed farming is about achieving a balanced and productive farming enterprise — and Tom Wren of Tungamah is succeeding in this and taking it to the next level with his flock of Merino sheep.

Mr Wren manages about 2500 ha of land, spread over 11 blocks at Tungamah, Cobram and St James through his business Glenburn Farms and Co. He runs 1200 wethers and 2500 breeders and followers, all from the Borambil Merino Stud, annually purchasing in the top five per cent of its offering.

“We run a self-replacing Merino flock, so the only thing we buy in is Merino rams from Borambil,” Mr Wren said.

Although Merino sheep are usually bred for their high value fibre, Mr Wren is trying to get the best from their meat as well.

Merino breeder and former Australian Stud Merino Breeders vice-president Jock Macrae said a blind taste-testing study undertaken by the Australian Sheep Industry Co-operative Research Centre earlier this year found Merino lamb to be the most popular choice among consumers.

Mr Wren said he would much rather eat Merino meat than sucker or crossbreed.

“Merino doesn’t have as much fat, so it’s a much leaner meat,” he said.

“We’re trying to breed a multi-purpose 32

AGFOCUS 2016

Merino. If the lamb market is good, we put the wethers in a feed lot and fatten them up to 24 kg.”

Currently, lamb was getting about $4.80/kg, Mr Wren said.

“The reason it’s such a good price is because skin prices are high at up to $25/head, which is amazing.

“The demand for wool at the moment is a major driver for that.”

The ultimate goal for breeders is to have sheep producing high quality wool and meat, and for Mr Wren meat price dictates whether or not he will keep his sheep for their wool.

“Everybody wants a big ewe with low micron,” he said.

“We’re on 18 micron here. If we can get wethers to at least 24 kg, then it’s profitable both ways.”

During the past few years Mr Wren has received 1500 ¢ clean for the 18 micron wool.

His ewes are culled at 50 per cent and the rest are sold to repeat clients annually.

With both the wool and meat market remaining stable at the moment, Mr Wren is confident about the future of sheep farming.

He was pleased to see a slight increase in wool price this year compared to last year, however he believes there is room

LIVESTOCK

Tom Wren and his wife Renee with their three children, Lachlan, 6, Charlotte, 2, and Harry, 4.

Renee helps out on the farm and takes care of the bookkeeping.

The sheep are off to the feed lots to eat up. While the meat helps profit, Mr Wren says wool will always be the more lucrative market for the Merino breed.

Each sheep cuts about 8.5 kg of wool/year he says.

Tom Wren was raised on the Tungamah farm by his parents and has always had a keen interest in sheep and cropping.

The wether lambs wait after being weighed by the Elders representative. About 236 of Mr Wren’s sheep were ready to be sold at the end of April, and he would receive about $130/sheep. for improvement.

“Costs are getting higher so we should get a better price (for wool).

“It would be nice to get a stable price that gradually increases.”

While meat prices can be predicted a few months in advance, Mr Wren said it was difficult to predict wool prices because they were often dependent on production numbers.

In December, the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee forecast a seven per cent decline in shorn wool production in 2015–16 to 322 million kilograms, reflecting a combination of fewer sheep shorn than the year before and a decline in average fleece weights due to unfavourable seasonal conditions.

There was also a 5.6 per cent decline in the weight of wool tested by Australia Wool Testing Authority in the first nine months of 2015–16.

Mr Wren recalled 10 years ago when a lot of farmers got out of sheep, but in the past 12 months he thought there had been a slight resurgence.

In terms of his mixed farming enterprise, Mr Wren works on finding a balance.

“We’re 50–50 (sheep and cropping). We grow predominantly clover pasture … if we run into weed issues we can cut for hay and feed it to the sheep,” he said.

“Mixed farms complement each other.”

“Our (program) works well with our cropping. Everything is planned to the week …”

Tom Wren The farm runs on a five-year cropping and pasture rotation, and building weed resistance is another reason Mr Wren prefers mixed farming.

He has one plot of irrigated land in Cobram where he grows lucerne to sell for hay and sheep feed.

Glenburn Farms placed third in this year’s McLennan-McColl Victorian Flock of the Year competition in March.

Mr Wren said the competition was a worthwhile experience and while he learnt a lot about other breeding programs, he would not be making changes to his own at this stage.

“Our (program) works well with our cropping.

Everything is planned to the week … I’ve got a tight schedule and I need to stick to it — it’s definitely hard work.”

Despite the hard work, Mr Wren loves what he does and appreciates that his parents allowed him to take over the farm 10 years ago when he was just 23 years old.

AGFOCUS 2016

33

WINE

GV wine in China I

t may be the oldest family-owned winery in Victoria, but Tahbilk Winery is up to date with the industry’s latest growth opportunity — the boom in the Chinese wine market.

Tahbilk, just outside of Nagambie, first started exporting wine to China around seven years ago and,v after forming a partnership with a small wine export company, Riversdale Fine Wines, about 18 months ago, the business has no plans to slow down.

Tahbilk’s export manager Matt Herde said about 15–20 per cent of Tahbilk’s wine was exported and while only a small amount of that went to China, he predicted it would soon increase significantly.

“Fast forward to 12 months’ time and I could easily see them (China) becoming our number one export market in terms of export and value,” Mr Herde said.

A Wine Australia Export Report, ending March 2016, revealed that China is now Australia’s second biggest export market, after the United States, increasing by 64 per cent to $397 million in the past 12 months.

Entry-level branded wines have dominated export to China, however Mr Herde said interest in premium wines was also increasing.

“We are selling wines like the 1860 Shiraz wines (to China) with a retail price in Australia of $220 a bottle.

“There’s definitely a market across all price points. China is looking at all wines — there’s a good cross section.”

Tahbilk has been involved in networking opportunities recently to boost trade opportunities and strengthen its connections with the Chinese wine industry.

Not long after a visit from a Chinese delegation in March, some Tahbilk wines were

34

AGFOCUS 2016

exhibited at Wine Australia’s pavilion at the China Food, Wine and Spirits Fair in Chengdu for the first time.

Riversdale Fine Wines general manager Ryan Wang agreed the market for wine in China was huge, especially given its population and the recent trend that has seen the Chinese opt for wine over spirits.

“Almost every country that’s producing wine has got their wines in China already, even small European countries,” Mr Wang said.

“The demand for imported wines will keep growing … I want to make sure that importing percentage will be from Australia (for Tahbilk).”

Ryan Wang While competition to get market share in China is fierce, Mr Wang said Australia was the second biggest wine importer into China after France.

“The demand for imported wines will keep growing … I want to make sure that importing percentage will be from Australia (for Tahbilk).”

The China Australia Free Trade Agreement which came into force late last year has reduced tax and assisted with export, Mr Wang said.

Mr Wang and Mr Herde both agreed the popularity of red wine in China had grown over the past few years.

Tahbilk has a strong reputation in the Chinese wine industry, Mr Wang said, which was strengthened after Tahbilk was named the 2016 James Halliday Winery of the Year.

Tahbilk has established export relationships with a number of countries — the US, Canada and Sweden being its three biggest export markets — however strengthening its relationship with China was a priority at present.

According to the export report, a deep understanding of market dynamics including consumer demand and trends, competition and building relationships with key players in the market is vital to a winery’s export success.

“We will continue to service existing markets and create more focus and allocate more funds towards exporting to China,” Mr Herde said.

Tahbilk owner Alister Purbrick also forecast great prospects for growth in China.

“From what I can see is happening with China now, over the next two to three years they will become one of our key export markets,” Mr Purbrick said.

He said securing potential strategic relationships was the key to export.

“When you’ve got a country year on year that has been growing so fast … you can see where the potential is.”

Although some challenges come with exporting, mainly associated costs, Mr Purbrick said all Australian wine producers should aim to acquire a share of the growth market in China and other countries.

“Our opportunities in Australia are limited because we have a small population and it’s competitive because there are a lot of wine makers in Australia — the competition internally is really fierce.

“If you want to grow — and grow significantly — it has to be around your export strategies.”

Alister Purbrick says sales to China used to be quite small and were dominated by the flagship wines. The past 12 months have seen an increase in sales to China across the range and a greater interest in the super premium wines, he says.

Tahbilk grapes at harvest time for Shiraz wine.

Tahbilk history Tahbilk has a rich history of export dating back to the early 1860s when barrels of wine were exported in bulk and bottled by the importer.

Exporting slowed following the death of the original owner John Penneybear in the early 1890s and picked up again when Reggie Purbrick purchased Tahbilk in 1925.

Business remained domestic until after World War II when Mr Purbrick’s son, Eric, started exporting again in 1948.

Top five export markets

Export of Australian wine to China has grown by 64 per cent in the 12 months to the end of March 2016.

Credit: Wine Australia.

Wine Australia’s Export Report revealed that from April 2015 to the end of March 2016, the value of Australian wine exports grew 13 per cent to $2.1 billion and volume increased by 3 per cent to 731 million litres.

Export growth has been driven by bottled exports, particularly premium varieties, according to the report.

“Bottled wine exports grew by 16 per cent to $1.7 billion, the highest value in five years. There was growth in bottled exports at all price points, but growth was strongest at the higher end,” Wine Australia chief executive officer Andreas Clark said.

Other factors such as free trade agreements and an ongoing weaker Australian dollar have also contributed to this growth.

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35

INNOVATION

Ashlee Weidenbach holds a bunch of colourful chrysanthemums, which have always been a popular choice for Mother’s Day. 36

AGFOCUS 2016

INNOVATION

Flower farm continues blooming D

Ornamental kale has become very trendy, David Weidenbach says.

There are around 200 hothouses on the farm with another 151 now available as part of Avonlea’s development.

avid Weidenbach had plans to be a wheat farmer until his future took an unexpected turn when met his wife Julie in the Goulburn Valley.

Mr Weidenbach worked as an interstate truck driver after moving to Tatura from his family farm in South Australia, aged 16.

It wasn’t long before he met Julie, whose parents owned a small flower growing farm in Murchison and, in a bid to “get in the good books”, Mr Weidenbach helped Julie’s parents with deliveries, learning more and more about the flower farming business.

In 1989, Avonlea Flowers, in Murchison, was established by Mr and Mrs Weidenbach.

“Flower farming interested me greatly because it was a type of farming that you could manipulate … it’s attractive to a farmer to have that control,” Mr Weidenbach said.

From humble beginnings and just one employee, Avonlea Flowers now employees up to 40 people, sells direct to customers through its on-site shop, supplies nationwide through its wholesalers and also does some export.

Mr and Mrs Weidenbach always wanted to run their own business and since the dream came to life, it has been shared with their family.

Children Stephanie, Ashlee, Bonnie and Steven work full-time for the business while Heidi works part-time.

“Our business has grown steadily since day one,” Mr Weidenbach said.

“We started to supply the supermarket chains five years after establishing the business and that increased the business by about 30–40 per cent every year.”

In order to keep up with the growth of the business, Avonlea has recently completed a development of its farm, increasing its capacity by 80 per cent.

Avonlea now houses 11 ha of crops under roof, which Mr Weidenbach thought made them the biggest cut flower grower in Australia.

Avonlea is Australia’s leading producer of lisianthus and the ornamental crop, gypsophila, which has gained popularity in recent years.

“It’s a hard crop to grow but we spent a lot of years learning how to grow it.”

Older style crops were trending at the moment, and Avonlea Flowers had not missed the boat on this with Mr Weidenbach trialling varieties that had not been tried for years. >> Continued on page 38 AGFOCUS 2016

37

INNOVATION

>> from page 37 Currently, there are 30–35 rotational crops in Avonlea’s growing program.

The business is sitting in a good position now, however the flower industry has its challenges.

“When the global downturn came about, the flower industry went into down time.”

The high Australian dollar saw large volumes of flowers being imported at a cheaper price from overseas, making it too difficult for local growers to compete, Mr Weidenbach said.

“It spelt the end of the rose market (in Australia) … there are more imported roses now than are grown here.”

Unlike many other flower growers who left the industry at this time, Mr Weidenbach seized the opportunity to expand and diversify into different crops.

“We did our homework on what was hard to import and what would be out of season for importers.”

While it is no longer a major focus for the company due to the fickleness of the Australian dollar, Avonlea exports a small amount of crop to Japan and North America.

Although crops are selected based on the region’s climate, Mr Weidenbach said the weather fluctuations were a challenge for flower growers.

“The last few years have been most trying for us … controlling the environment is the hardest thing.”

Since research is paramount to the success of the business, Avonlea employs one full-time researcher.

David Weidenbach among lisianthus. He says about 2.5 million of these are planted every year on the farm. Lisianthus has been grown at Avonlea since it was introduced into Australia 25 years ago and was Avonlea’s most popular seller, Mr Weidenbach says.

Mr and Mrs Weidenbach visit Japan and the Netherlands every few years to study breeding farms and ascertain what is happening within the industry.

Ten years ago, they went overseas to research how to build a perfect nursery for the crops they grow and came back to Murchison to invest in a purpose-built nursery.

Now, 90 per cent of the Avonlea crops are

grown on-site.

While the busiest period of the year — Mother’s Day — is over, the demand for flowers will not subside.

With more than 4 million plants planted every year, the team at Avonlea does not rest.

“To walk around and monitor every crop on this farm would take two solid days — if you were jogging.”

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AGFOCUS 2016

WINE

Winery guide to Heathcote A new tour guide map is making it easier for visitors to central Victoria navigate the area’s renowned wineries.

Released in March, the new map contains the location of more than 40 wineries in Heathcote and surrounding areas.

The Heathcote Wine Growers’ Association had a tour guide in the past, but association executive officer Chris Earl said it was time for a refreshed and exciting approach.

“As part of the process there was consultation with not only members of the association, but also within the tourism industry and to

identify the touring and travelling preferences of visitors so that it (the guide) is very much a user friendly brochure,” he said.

“The members hope it will have an even greater part when it comes to engaging with potential visitors to the Heathcote wine region.”

Mr Earl said the region’s wineries have a reputation for premium excellence but also for innovation in alternative varieties.

The wineries will be at the centre of this year’s Heathcote Wine and Food Festival, held on Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9.

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LIVESTOCK

N ew threat on horizon V ictorian livestock producers are facing a new threat, but it’s not from exotic diseases or the climate.

It comes from within the community the farmers are working to feed; and mostly, says VFF livestock chairman Ian Feldtmann, it’s about perceptions.

It’s called social licence, and it’s about what consumers, neighbours and residents who are not directly involved in food production, think about farming.

Mr Feldtmann, who has a mixed enterprise with his family at Dookie, running sheep and growing crops, said the industry needed to become more proactive in advancing the positive sides of farming and reassuring consumers that farmers could run livestock and grow food in an ethical and responsible way.

Old assumptions are being challenged and new myths are springing up.

“We need to give consumers a better understanding of what we are doing and why we do certain things,” Mr Feldtmann said.

“We are responsible for conveying that to the public.”

The threats come from misunderstandings which can be used by radical activist groups.

Mr Feldtmann has seen the criticism of intensive animal industries which are sometimes painted as factories with no consideration for the welfare of livestock.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.

“There are exceptions to the rule, of course,

and I don’t condone those exceptions, but certainly we work behind the scenes to address those issues or remove those people from the industry.”

Mr Feldtmann said farmers were becoming annoyed with the antics of activists who trespassed on properties and intruded in businesses in a belief they had a right to pursue an issue and even destroy an industry.

He said farmers needed to communicate with the wider public about how they provided safe and clean food in a sustainable way.

Mr Feldtmann said technology would provide some solutions in enhancing animal welfare.

“We have traceability on many of our production systems now and some can be traced right back to the farm.

“We can demonstrate to our customers here and overseas that we can identify the point of origin.”

Last year the activist group PETA attacked the wool industry, and the VFF went in to bat for farmers.

Mr Feldtmann said the vast majority of growers and shearers treated sheep well.

“It’s in our own interest to treat our animals humanely, given good treatment means healthy animals and good productivity,” he said.

“As I’ve said before, like most producers I’d kick anyone off my property who mistreated my sheep.

“All Australians should realise that PETA is all about portraying extreme behaviour as the norm,” Mr Feldtmann said.

The VFF is looking for more transparent markets.

“It’s in our own interest to treat our animals humanely, given good treatment means healthy animals and good productivity.”

Ian Feldtmann

VFF livestock chairman Ian Feldtmann.

40

AGFOCUS 2016

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HORTICULTURE

Made to order: Jason shields with pickers Jaswinder Singh and Khushminder Kaur on the platform.

H

igher labour costs during harvest time are inevitable for fruit growers, however an apple and pear orchard in the Goulburn Valley is aiming to reduce its picking costs and improve picker productivity.

When Plunkett Orchards at Ardmona purchased two picking platforms at the end of 2014, it was a milestone for the company’s efficiency savings.

“It was like all our Christmases had come at once,” orchard operations manager Jason Shields said.

At $70 000 a pop, the platforms do not come cheap, but Mr Shields is adamant they are worth every penny.

“Before these we were using hydra ladders 42

AGFOCUS 2016

Reaching efficiency heights and cherry pickers which were around $30 000 each,” he said.

“The platform is doing four times the amount of work as the picker, so it’s cheaper in the end.”

The platforms are not only useful during, but also pre-harvest and post-harvest, assisting with pruning, thinning and tree training.

Mr Shields said the platforms were almost paying for themselves.

“Just in picking alone, the platforms have saved us around $30 000/machine in two seasons … the savings made for the other eight months of non-picking time is just a bonus.”

The mechanised picking platforms assist with

harvesting the top fruit by holding the pickers, moving between the rows and transporting the fruit.

Self-steering means the platforms are guided by a small arm at the base of the machine that corrects the direction when it touches a tree trunk and moves the machine back into the correct position.

Pickers on the platform simply adjust the speed of the machine to ensure there is enough time to pick the fruit.

The fruit goes straight onto the conveyor belt and is gently transferred to the bin, eliminating bags and bruising.

“It’s more efficient and we save on machines because we are picking more and going

HORTICULTURE faster,” Mr Shields said.

The platforms — imported from Italian company Frumaco — can hold six people.

Currently, the platforms are used on about two thirds of the orchard, and this is likely to increase.

“We’re planting 10 ha of trees every year,” Mr Shields said.

The two platforms have replaced all 18 cherry pickers at Plunkett’s, and with another two platforms due to arrive in a few months’ time, efficiency will ramp up.

Mr Shields said picking platforms were at least 20 per cent more efficient than cherry pickers, and 30 per cent more efficient than hydra ladders.

“It costs us 10 ¢/kg to pick with the platforms, and with the cherry pickers it was costing us around 14–15 ¢/kg.”

He also said the platforms were much safer than ladders, which inevitably posed occupational health and safety issues.

Mr Shields started at Plunkett’s 15 years ago — the same time as when picking platforms were making their debut in Europe, he said.

At the same time, Plunkett’s became the first orchard in Australia to build its own platform, however it needed to be adjusted to warrant its use.

“It fit in one style block but then we changed blocks and it didn’t fit anymore.”

An orchard’s layout and canopy management are essential to ensuring the orchard is suitable for platforms.

Rows need to be narrow enough, about 2.5 m to 3.5 m wide, while the canopies cannot be

too deep, about 60 cm wide, so the centre of the tree can be reached with the picker’s arm.

Substantial height on trees justified purchasing the platforms, Mr Shields said, and for Plunkett’s it took about six years to grow all trees enough.

“That’s why it took so long (to purchase the platforms) in the first place. We had to get the trees this high and with a canopy like this.”

At this stage, the platforms are most suitable for use on apple trees, however if Plunkett’s decides to replant its established pear trees in future, they will be grown to suit platform specifications.

Plunkett’s will continue to monitor the platforms so it can provide feedback to Frumaco before the orchard’s next two platforms are delivered.

“Potentially, we want to see if they can go another 20–30 cm higher,” Mr Shields said.

Husband and wife team and full-time pickers at Plunkett’s, Jaswinder Singh and Khushminder Kaur, love using the picking platforms.

“It’s very quick and there is no bruising,” Ms Kaur said.

“Bags make it hard on your back and give muscle pains but on here (points to platform), there is no pain.”

Mr Singh said with four people on one platform, a bin was filled in 15 to 18 minutes.

“We can pick more than people on the bottom (on the ground),” he said.

When asked if they could ever return to the old method — ladders and bags — they shook their heads simultaneously.

“We can’t go back now.”

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Good result: Once the fruit bins are full, they are left in the rows to be collected as normal by forklift operators.

Mr Shields says when the first two platforms arrived, the bins were too large and the engineering team had to modify the machines.

“It’s more efficient and we save on machines because we are picking more and going faster.”

Jason Shields

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HORTICULTURE

Mark O’Connell in one of laboratories examining features on a Lanya pear.

Proving profitable produce F

ruit growers in the Goulburn Valley could one day receive better returns for their crops as research continues to examine how to grow commercial produce in the most cost-effective manner.

To improve the quality and yield of pears and stone fruit, two research projects are being undertaken at DEDJTR: Profitable Stonefruit and Profitable Pears.

The Horticulture Centre of Excellence in Tatura (DEDJTR research facility) is home to the experimental orchards on which all research is based.

growing, especially to Asia, with 13 000 tonnes of stone fruit exported every year, according to a DEDJTR report.

Victoria produces 60 per cent of the country’s summerfruit, according to DEDJTR’s Agriculture Victoria.

One of the findings from the report was that Indonesian consumers preferred the firm yellow peach much more than the soft variety.

Dr O’Connell said fruit behaviour, such as how the fruit performed in storage, was part of the post-harvest research and would help build the “bigger picture”.

Profitable Stonefruit Profitable Stonefruit project leader Mark O’Connell said the research was investigating the steps in the supply chain to deliver uniformity in fruit quality for nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots.

“You can manipulate fruit quality by tree training, canopy architecture, crop loads and irrigation management,” Dr O’Connell said.

The project research, set on 3 ha of experimental orchards, is running experiments under controlled conditions to examine irrigation, training systems, rootstocks and crop load.

The site is all on drip irrigation and the oldest trees are three years old.

With labour being the biggest cost on an orchard, every time a fruit was measured and trained it was recorded for economic analysis, Dr O’Connell said.

“There’s also a lot of consumer preference work going on internationally and domestically … we are trying to target the Asian market.

“We’re looking at what we can manipulate on the farm to get improved consistency and align that with consumer preference.”

Export of the Australian stone fruit market is

Profitable Pears Profitable Pears project leader Ian Goodwin said the drought years prompted research into achieving high yields of premium quality pears.

“We wanted to look at extreme water management. We looked at parking a tree for one year and leaving it without any water, then adding water to bring it back into production,” Dr Goodwin said.

“We were looking at the recovery period and the response time.”

Dr Goodwin said the majority of pears — mainly Williams and Packhams — were grown using traditional methods but maximum production could take eight to 10 years and yields could be highly variable.

The project aims to halve this production time, investigate how to achieve better yield with more consistent first-rate quality fruit as well as reinvigorate the industry with new varieties of fresh market pears.

The past five years had proven difficult for the industry with exports of Packham pears declining, Dr Goodwin said.

Experimental orchards were set up five years ago and have three cultivars — Deliza, Lanya and ANP-0534 (no trading name).

44

AGFOCUS 2016

Similar to the stone fruit project, the research considers the application of irrigation, planting systems and rootstocks.

Irrigation research conducted on the hayna pear concluded that drip irrigation is a viable method for growing pears.

“Traditionally, the industry didn’t think you could drip irrigate and you needed flood irrigation and lots of water,” Dr Goodwin said.

Drip irrigation could reduce water usage by 30–40 per cent, he said.

Pears have been dominated by traditional growing systems, in a vase-shaped canopy with wide spacing, however the planting systems research will determine which other training systems and planting densities will produce high-yielding trees with the best quality fruit.

The rootstocks experiment is used on all three cultivars to dwarf the trees and make the pears smaller but more abundant.

Economic analysis was also a critical part of the project.

The importance of the Asian export market was considered with consumer evaluations taking place in Indonesia and plans to do the same in China and Thailand.

In February, a trade delegation from Jakarta visited the research facility and tasted the Deliza and Lanya varieties.

“The buyers wanted to know how many containers could be delivered as soon as possible,” Dr Goodwin said.

With the Goulburn Valley producing 90 per cent of the pears grown in Australia, Dr Goodwin said research was vital for the industry.

“The industry is showing a lot of interest — it would just be good if it could happen quicker,” he said with a laugh.

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DAIRY

Big potential for a small business F

Ken Cameron with a variety of cheese in the factory.

Maturation times vary according to the type of cheese: • Soft cheese — Four weeks.

• Blue varieties — Three months.

• Cheddar — 12 months. Cheddar could be kept for about two years and in some cases even longer, Mr Cameron said.

Employee Courtney Robertson is busy packaging the cheese.

or most of his life, Boosey dairy farmer Ken Cameron has been waking up early to milk cows, but for the past eight years, his early rising has been for another reason.

Instead of milking, Mr Cameron heads to the dairy first thing in the morning to collect the cows’ milk to process into cheese for his business Boosey Creek Cheese. “(Cheesemaking) has always been of interest to me, probably since I was a lot younger,” he said.

Mr Cameron comes from a family of dairy farmers but both sets of great-grandparents tried their hand at cheesemaking.

“Maybe it’s genetic,” he said.

After undertaking cheesemaking courses, planning and meeting with consultants, Mr Cameron got a small factory up and running to create artisan-style cheese.

Boosey Creek Cheese might be small, but it produces some award-winning products, such as the Warby Red cheese, which took out 2015 Champion Washed Rind Cheese at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards.

The small business had one of its biggest wins in March this year when Woolworths started stocking Boosey Creek Cheese in 10 of its stores across northern Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne.

“Hopefully in the next year or so we get into 30 Woolworths stores,” Mr Cameron said.

“That would get closer to doubling what we’ve been doing (production wise), plus maintain those few markets.

“We could go nationally with Woolworths and some other supermarkets.”

Boosey Creek Cheese is also sold in delicatessens and independent supermarkets in Victoria, NSW and the ACT. There are five varieties produced by Boosey Creek Cheese — camembert, washed rind, cheddar, gouda and blue.

Camembert is the most popular order from stockists and, with the local name recognised, it is also the biggest seller in the region.

Farm gate sales formed about 20 per cent of the business, Mr Cameron said.

He plans to expand more into the local market but is not considering the export market at this stage.

“Export can be volatile for a small business,” he said.

With the exception of three casual staff members in the factory, Mr Cameron manages the business on his own, although his parents play a vital role and take care of all the sales and deliveries — even in their retirement.

Mr Cameron’s parents regularly travel to Melbourne and Canberra to promote and sell the cheeses at farmers’ markets.

Competition from cheaper imports was the main challenge for the business but Mr Cameron said premium quality could not be compromised.

“Cheese is a good, natural product … some

DAIRY

imported cheese has filler in it — I’m not even sure what filler is.”

Cheese was almost 100 per cent milk, Mr Cameron said, with the exception of a small amount of salt and the different cultures which matured to produce the flavours.

Cheesemaking goes on full-time at the farm, and consistency is key.

“Calving is all year round. That gives us the same quality of milk. If you calve once a year, cows have different lactation. So we have an even amount of constant quality.”

There are about two litres of milk in a standard block (about 200 g) of cheese plus a little more in the softer varieties.

In an average week, Boosey Creek Cheese produces 200 kg of cheese, requiring about 2000 litres of milk; however with 400 cows each producing an average of 30 litres/day, Mr Cameron said the cheesemaking did not impact on the milk volume sales.

Not only does the daily taste testing satisfy Mr Cameron’s palate, it is important for quality control purposes.

“Quality control is about the taste, texture and the visual appearance because most people see the product first before they go to eat it.”

Mr Cameron hopes to undertake further study in business and marketing courses and plans to expand the factory with more automated equipment.

All Boosey Creek Cheese is made by hand currently.

“I’ll try to achieve a balance — it won’t all be automation.”

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Mr Cameron with some of the calves. While he is busy with the cheesemaking side of things, he sometimes misses the cow work.

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AGFOCUS 2016

47

INNOVATION

Permaculture and produce I t looks like a normal country backyard with a vegie patch and fruit trees, but a property in Katamatite is producing both a premium quality crop and a philosophy of sustainability to live by.

Nine years ago, Lisa and Grahame Eddy left Canberra to start a life in the country with plans to lead a completely sustainable life, growing as much of their own food as possible.

With this tree change, not only was a business idea born but so was a mission to help people become more self-reliant in their own backyards.

Since starting their own backyard enterprise growing their own garlic, as well as other crops, the Eddys have tried to share their knowledge of permaculture and sustainability with anyone who is interested through tours and farm gate trail visits.

“People often say to me, ‘Don’t you worry that everyone around here will start growing their own garlic and put you out of business?”’ Mr Eddy said.

“But that’s exactly what we want! As long as we’re still part of that ethos, that’s where we want to be.”

The first official steps for the business were taken at the local farmers’ market where the Eddys sell braids of garlic.

“We couldn’t find good garlic from Australia so we started to grow our own, and friends were saying to us ‘you should sell this’ … so that’s what we did,” Mr Eddy said.

Now, Katamatite Garlic sells premium garlic and homemade garlic products at markets, online and direct to customers from the farm gate.

The farm’s fresh garlic bulbs won gold at the 2016 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards.

The garlic is grown in a permaculture garden with an integrated system of crops, which the Eddys refer to as their “food forest”.

Set up as a mandala garden — arranged in a series of circular shapes representing the universe — crops include the garlic, fruit trees such as a crab apple, quince and medlar (a hybrid of date and plum) and under these trees lie asparagus, artichokes and strawberries.

Chickens are also used to fertilise the garden.

“Everything in the food forest has more than one purpose. The chickens are used for meat, eggs and fertiliser — they are the cultivators — and the weeds become the chicken food,” Mrs Eddy said.

“We don’t spray anything — not even organic sprays.”

Conservation is key to the food forest — old newspapers and straw from broken hay bales are used as mulch, and crops are grown on a two-year cycle so the soil builds up over time instead of depleting.

Fresh garlic from the backyard enterprise is available from December until August and currently there are 30 garlic varieties being trialled.

The clever garden is yielding about one tonne of garlic per season — about 40 000 bulbs.

48

AGFOCUS 2016

Katamatite Garlic’s pickled garlic won gold at the 2013 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards. Every year the Eddys have entered the awards, they have received a medal for one of their products.

To enable garlic production all year round, the Eddys will soon try a new variety of spring garlic.

Just four months ago, the decision was made to rebrand the business to Katamatite Garlic.

“People couldn’t relate to Green Temple Garlic (original name) … people thought the garlic was coming from China,” Mr Eddy said.

With the quality of garlic from China often very poor, the Eddys did not want to be associated with such a product.

Sales had increased notably since the rebranding, Mr Eddy said.

While their product is 100 per cent organic, the Eddys are not yet certified, believing this was more suitable for exporters or anonymous sellers.

“We’d rather people know us and know the system we are working in,” Mrs Eddy said.

For now, the Eddys plan to keep their crop relatively small and continue evolving the business through capacity building.

“You build a business but then realise there’s another step to take. We can’t put in more garlic (at this stage) but we can do other things,” Mr Eddy said.

Not long after the success of selling the dried garlic, the business diversified into other garlic products such as its award-winning garlic condiments.

Value-adding has gone one step further — the Eddys run tours and workshops on their property to help people establish their own sustainable vegetable gardens.

INNOVATION

The farm gate shop is full of garlic condiments and, after a taste test, Country News can confirm the flavours are delicious. All of the products are made in the Eddys’ home.

“You build a business but then realise there’s another step to take.

We can’t put in more garlic (at this stage) but we can do other things.”

Grahame Eddy

Even their daughters, Millie, 6, and Miranda, 10, are following their parents’ footsteps, setting up their own mini gardens with strawberries and garlic.

With a passion for reconnecting people with where their food is coming from, the Eddys’ main goal is to promote sustainability and

inspire people in the community take on more small-scale growing.

“The big scale stuff is fine, but it doesn’t enrich communities,” Mr Eddy said.

“We want people to feel like they’re not alone (in their gardening endeavours) — we’re here to help you,” Mrs Eddy said.

The Eddys will continue to share their knowledge about self-reliance and sustainability by expanding their tours and workshops.

However Mr Eddy said they did not want people to feel as though this was just a means to get people to purchase their products.

“It’s not just about selling to people — it’s about creating a following and a movement.”

AGFOCUS 2016

49

LIVESTOCK

S tress less with Boers I

f a relaxed lifestyle in agriculture is what you’re looking for, then Boer goats might be for you.

Karen and Simon Kennedy from Boer goat stud Amahle Australia have about 100 South African Boer goats on their 23 ha property in Numurkah.

Mrs Kennedy said goats were the key to freedom, along with a relaxed lifestyle.

“I don’t like working for people — I’m my own boss,” Mrs Kennedy said.

After dairy farming, the Kennedys established a goat stud in 2009 when Mrs Kennedy decided to buy a couple of “commercial girls”, or cross-bred goats.

When asked why she decided to buy goats, she said it was because they had their own great personalities.

Once she settled into a routine of living with goats, Mrs Kennedy began breeding full bloods, which she said could be traced back to South Africa.

Mrs Kennedy exports her goats as far afield as China and the Philippines for breeding purposes.

While the goats carried numbered tags, Mrs Kennedy likes to get a little more personal.

“When the mother has a kid, I name the kid using the first letter of the mother’s name, then so on.

“But, I also base it on their personalities — If

One of the pregnant does.

The does have excellent mothering skills and have reproductive rates of up to 200 per cent, according to Amahle Australia.

they look like a Sam, I’ll call them Sam.” She said it was easy to get attached to the goats sometimes.

“It’s hard to let them go because I spend every day with them,” she said.

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lifestyle, but they provide natural weed management.

“They’re also pretty good lawnmowers,” she said.

Boer Goat Breeders’ Association of Australia Victorian branch treasurer Fleur Harvey breeds

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LIVESTOCK

full-blood Boer goats at Brenton Park Boers, in Katunga, with her husband Michael.

Their property is home to about 100 Boer goats as well as dairy cattle.

Like Mrs Kennedy, Mrs Harvey appreciates the freedom of having goats and their practical uses.

“You don’t need to milk them twice a day,” she said.

The main reason Mrs Harvey chose to keep goats was because they were easier to handle than sheep and could be run in greater numbers than sheep, however, she also liked their characters.

“They all have their own fantastic personalities and are low maintenance and fairly hardy,” Mrs Harvey said.

On a practical level, the goats were a means of providing extra income during the drought years, Mrs Harvey said.

The helpful goats clean up drainage and channel areas and reduce the need to spray weeds.

“Sale prices were four to five times better than that of commercial animals with not much more in input price.”

Fleur Harvey

In 2005, Mrs Harvey swapped her first commercial goats for full-blood Boer goats which she purchased from the Southern Riverina, NSW. “Sale prices were four to five times better than that of commercial animals with not much more in input price,” she said.

The herd was halved in size this year due to the dry conditions and high water prices.

Among Boer Goat Breeders’ Association of Australia members, there are currently 38 Boer goat studs with more than 100 goats in the herd and 14 of these are based in Victoria.

Both the Kennedys and the Harveys have shown their goats at various events including the 2015 Australasian Boer Goat Show and the Kyabram Show.

Did you know?

Goat meat is a nutritious, lean meat which is low in fat and cholesterol compared to beef, lamb, chicken or pork.

With just 122 calories/100 g, goat meat has 32 per cent less calories than chicken and 47 per cent less than pork.

Karen Kennedy with one of her goats. Boer goats are easy to manage and have fun-loving personalities.

AGFOCUS 2016

51

CROPPING

Mixed irrigation is working for maize F

ormer dairy farmer Ian Hamono is using modern irrigation techniques to successfully grow maize for animal feed.

A large share of the crops he grows in the Cooma district, west of Shepparton, now finds its way into the dairy industry either directly to farmers or through feed mixes.

A large plot grown under one centre pivot irrigator on a former dairy farm has drawn some attention.

He is removing a myriad of fences and converting the formerly rundown property into

Cooma grower Ian Hamono, uses a number of modern irrigation technologies to grow maize. This crop was about 3 m high before harvest in May. 52

AGFOCUS 2016

a productive cropping farm.

He has been growing maize for three years, and during the past summer has grown about 65 ha on just one 450 m irrigator. He has also grown about 120 ha on sub-surface irrigation and is planning to install more of this infrastructure.

“I’ve had no problems at all. It allows me to use fertigation and apply trace elements.”

Mr Hamono estimates sub-surface irrigation is more efficient than pivot irrigation, although the different characteristics have to be taken

into account in growing crops.

While the overhead spray provides an even distribution for germination, it can be harder to get an initial strike with sub-surface emitters working in certain zones.

He estimates about 50 to 60 per cent of his maize ends up in the dairy food chain.

Reid Stockfeeds commodities manager Marcus Dingle said the company provided custom feed mixes for pigs, poultry, beef and lamb, as well as for the dairy industry, which is now tending to use more maize in the mix.

CROPPING About 65 ha of maize was grown under this one pivot irrigator.

He said demand was price-sensitive, so there was some movement to other grains depending on seasonal conditions and the cost of production.

Australian maize can be attractive to some overseas markets because Australia is nonGM. Mr Hamono said maize used a lot of phosphorous and nitrogen, which could easily be replaced.

“The potassium it takes out is a little harder to replace,” he said.

Mr Hamono moved out of dairying to give himself greater flexibility.

“Every morning I would wake up and think: ‘Okay, so what’s dead, what’s broken?’

“I just had a sense that the job was driving me,” he said.

“But there’s still good money to be made in dairying.

“But I am concerned about the long-term viability of dairying in northern Victoria and southern NSW unless someone does something about irrigation.

“The government talks a lot about production but does not back it up with policies.”

He describes the situation where investors can own water without paying the full costs of water infrastructure as a debacle.

Key points when feeding maize to dairy cattle • Grains provide cows with starch for • Maize may be useful as a complementary energy. grain to wheat: • Maize grain is higher in energy density - When grain is fed at high levels and starch content than many other feed per cow per day. choices, and has a slower rate of rumen - When cows are freshly calved. fermentation.

- When cows are at increased risk • To optimise milk responses from maize of ruminal acidosis. grain, processing prior to feeding needs to - In hot weather. carefully control particle size.

Source: Dairy Australia

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1800 254 594

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AGFOCUS 2016

53

WATER

Pushing ahead with Connections A n independent financial report has found the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections project has about $388 million in uncommitted funds left in the $2 billion irrigation modernisation project.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers report was instigated by the Victorian Government to assess the progress of Connections, following a critical mid-term review.

The report found $827 million left in total for stage one and two in the project. Part of this amount was already committed.

A report released by the Project Control

Remaining Project funding at 29-Feb-16 ($m)

Group has found the project has achieved 225 Gl of audited savings, compared to the goal of 429 Gl. Although scheduled to be finished by 2018, Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville announced in June that the deadline has been extended by two years.

The aims and objectives of the project have also been revised and the goals are now to: 1. Assist irrigation communities in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District to adapt to reduced water availability and build a sustainable future

Total funding available (CIP2 budget)

Actual expenditure to 29-Feb-16

Net budget remaining 1, 2

for productive agriculture.

Provide services that meet customer needs for flow rates and timing, and are adaptable to meet changes in customer needs.

2. Enhance the environment locally and across the Murray-Darling Basin. a. Create water savings for environmental use across the basin. b. Create local environmental benefit by implementing environmental improvement projects (for example, lowering Little Murray Weir, Kerang Lakes, mitigation water and local environmental flows).

Net budget remaining comprises Committed expenditure 3

Uncommitted funding

Stage One

1,040.1

(924.7)

115.4

76.6

38.8

Stage Two

1,070.8

(359.1)

711.7

362.5

349.2

Total

2,110.9

(1,283.8)

827.1

439.1

388.0

Notes 1. Net budget remaining includes funding for the Connections project and other specific projects.

The Net Budget Remaining for the Connections project is, Stage One $58.5m and Stage Two $555.4m.

2. In a report prepared by GHD, “Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project Stage 2 – Mid Term

Review, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, November 2015”, GHD noted that as at June 2015, approximately $801m of Stage Two funding (excluding external funding) remained unspent. Project expenditure incurred between June 2015 and February 2016 has reduced the budget remaining for Stage Two to $711.7m

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M urra y Pla in M atte rs

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(including external funding).

3. The assumed definition of “committed expenditure” has a material effect on the calculation of the remaining cash forecast. To the extent that the definition is required to change as the project progresses, this will have a corresponding impact on the remaining cash funding available.

PETER WALSH MP MEMBER FOR MURRAY PLAINS

Putting Locals First It’s about standing up for local issues and working hard to get a fair share of funding for local communities in areas like roads, education and healthcare.

It’s about supporting local skills, businesses and industry through practical measures to promote growth and create more local jobs.

I am committed to putting our local communities first so that we can secure the future prosperity of our families, communities, farmers and small businesses.

For assistance with State Government matters please contact me.

16 Provincial Cres, Shepparton P: 03 5821 3099 F: 5821 8152 E: admin@mcpipes.com.au W: www.mcpipes.com.au

www.peterwalsh.org.au peterwalshmp peterwalshmp Peter Walsh MP 466 High St, Echuca Ph 5482 2039 or 1300 467 906 Funded from Parliament’s Electorate Office & Communications Budget.

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