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Some of this district’s most historic and iconic properties are to be sold for a whopping $780 million.
Abusiness agreement has been entered into for the planned acquisition of a group of Australian pastoral holdings, previously controlled by the late Colin Bell of Australian Food and Agriculture Company Limited (AFA).
It includes the famed FS Falkiner properties Wanganella and Boonoke.
While the agreement with Agriculture & Natural Solutions Acquisition Corporation (ANSC) is still subject to approvals, all parties have said they do not anticipate any major changes to operations or staffing at any of the properties.
The acquisition will be made by a special purpose fund co-created by ANSC CEO Bert Glover, founder of Armidalebased Impact Ag Partners.
The deal includes stations covering 225,000 hectares in the Deniliquin, Hay, and Coonamble districts.
It also includes more than 55,000 megalitres of water entitlements, providing security and risk mitigation in drier years.
The historic sale of the AFA properties was launched in September last year, which AFA chair Alastair Provan said was triggered by the earlier death of Mr Bell.
“We have built the AFA business over 30 years through the combination of three major Australian farmland aggregations,” he said.
“We have undertaken the sale reluctantly following the death of our founding director Colin Bell, to enable estate planning and the restructure of our shareholders’ affairs.
“We are pleased to enter into this agreement to pass the business to ANSC who intends to continue to operate it with our existing staff as a major diversified agricultural enterprise.”
ANSC, a NASDAQ listed company, completed an initial public offering in November 2023 with the purpose of completing an initial business combination with companies in the agriculture sector that may provide opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns and benefits from sustainability objectives.
AFA is expected to continue to operate as a large-scale, diversified agricultural business across its three freehold title land aggregations including its livestock, irrigated cropping, dryland cropping, merino stud and feedlot operations.
AFA’s experienced management and support staff team, of about 70 people, will continue to run the business together with certain individuals from Impact Ag Partners LLC
Frazer CADET JOURNALIST
- a leading regenerative agriculture company and a cosponsor of ANSC.
ANSC intends, through the Business Combination and any subsequent acquisitions the combined company may make after closing of the Business Combination, to create an attractive agricultural decarbonisation and premium product company.
“ANSC’s central thesis is to decarbonise agriculture and enhance natural capital at scale,“ Mr Glover said.
“We’ve searched for companies with assets and business models producing food and fibre whose potential we can harness - and expert teams we can work with to enhance it. That’s AFA.”
“ANSC has global aspirations, and this iconic portfolio will form part of our broader plan to scale activities - and impact - across other markets.
“We know how significant these properties are, both to the ag sector and the communities which they call home.
“AFA’s bloodlines and genetics underpin around 95 per cent of Australia’s Merino flock.
“It’s a huge privilege, and responsibility, and we’re determined to secure their legacy for generations to come.”
The sale remains subject to approval of ANSC’s shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions such as regulatory approvals.
This includes the Foreign Investment Review Board and the Federal Government.
Deniliquin aggregation properties included in the sale are Boonoke, Wanganella, Peppinella, Barratta, Zara and Warriston.
The Hay aggregation includes Burrabogie, Mulberrygong, Kolora, North Cobran and Wahwoon, and the Coonamble properties are Wingadee and Netherway.
Judged over a three-week period, this year’s hotly contested Royal Fine Food Show, as part of the Royal Sydney Show, had more than 1400 entrants across seven categories.
Fromthose, 38 products were bestowed the Champion Product title of the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. Among them were products entered by three NSW Murray Valley producers.
Quincey Jones Jelly Preserves Company in Moama was a stand-out from the show. The business walked away from the show with two gold medals, one for their Pink Grapefruit & Pink Sea Salt Marmalade and another for their Roasted Red Capsicum Ketchup. Quincey Jones Jelly Preserves Company also received four silver and four bronze for other entries.
Bundarra Farming for Good in Barham also did well with their entries, collecting gold for their Free Range Berkshire ‘Little French Ham’ in the Smallgoods & Charcuterie Competition. They also collected two additional silver medals, and three bronze medals in the Smallgoods & Charcuterie Competition. The Barham producers also claimed a silver medal in the Branded Meat Competition.
Another stand out business from the area was The Original Beef Chief Pty Ltd, out of Tocumwal. It was awarded gold in the Smallgoods & Charcuterie Competition for their Original Beef Chief Chipotle Lean Biltong. The Original Beef Chief Pty Ltd also received
five silver medals and 13 bronze medals in the Jerky, Droewors, and Biltong Strips category of the Smallgoods & Charcuterie Competition.
This is a fantastic group of businesses from our own backyard achieving fantastic results. These results, at such a well-respected event, are a testament to the quality of products, goods and services we have at our fingertips here in the locale.
The 2024 show saw a number of new classes and additional Champion Awards introduced to cater for the increasing range of diverse products that have been entering the consumer market recently.
Chair of the RAS Fine Food Committee, Michael Bullen, said it was exciting for both the competition, and the wider fine food industry, to see exhibitor numbers returning to pre-COVID levels.
“We were delighted with the increase in exhibitors across the whole show, with some individual competitions receiving 30 per cent or 40 per cent more entries than last year” Bullen said.
“Competitions like the Sydney Royal are vital to the Australian food and beverage industry as they allow producers to benchmark their products against industry standards, which then helps drive product quality”.
There have been a few issues with scour worms diagnosed in sheep flocks throughout the Murray district recently. Common local scour causing worms include black scour worm and brown stomach worm.
Worms infect sheep as the sheep graze, the worm larvae picked up and eaten with the feed. Worm larvae infect a paddock after hatching from an egg which has been passed out in infected sheep faeces. Once a worm larvae hatches in pasture it must be ingested by a sheep to complete its lifecycle. Worm larvae will die on the pasture if not ingested by a sheep. It takes longer in winter for worm larvae to die as they use up their energy store and dry out more quickly in summer. Worm larvae only move randomly so are usually found no more than 5cm from the ground.
This means sheep are more likely to pick up a high worm burden if they are heavily stocked and eating close to the ground.
To confirm if worms are causing an issue, you can collect a sample of sheep faeces and get a worm egg count done. One way to do this is to get a Worm test kit from your nearest Local Land Services office. These kits come complete with sample collection jars, gloves and a postbag to post the sample to the laboratory for analysis. You can choose different testing options such as individual worm counts or a pooled sample. You can also choose between just having a count of how many eggs are present or you
can also get larval differentiation done to work out which species of worms are present in the sample.
Sheep suffering from worm infections can be treated with an effective drench to kill the adult worms living inside the sheep. To check if your drench has worked
you can complete another Worm egg count 14 days after drenching. More information about this process, called a DrenchCheck can be found on the Wormboss website wormboss.com.au
For further information about worms, you can go to the Local Land Services website or contact your local District Veterinarian.
Finley High School agriculture teacher Gary Webb has been inducted into the Melbourne Royal Show’s Beef Cattle Hall of Fame.
He was chosen for the honour because of his contribution to youth in agriculture.
It is a fitting accolade for a man who has fostered and guided numerous students to find a passion for agriculture.
As well as teaching agriculture in school, Mr Webb encourages and supports his students in cattle showing at regional shows and big events like the Melbourne Royal Show.
Mr Webb began his teaching career in 2007, starting as an intern at Finley High School before joining the team on a full-time basis.
“I was always keen to have him join Finley High full-time after his internship,” fellow ag teacher Robyn O’Leary said.
“I would pop in and ask the principal if he had a job for him.”
Mr Webb is a popular teacher at Finley High, and as well as teaching ag is a year level co-ordinator.
He accepted his award in person at the Melbourne Show, which he is attending with the Finley High show team.
Mr Webb said the induction caught him off guard.
“It completely took me by surprise,” he said.
“I am very much a quiet person. This sort of thing sort of makes me uncomfortable, but it is very nice, and I am very grateful.
“It was particularly nice to have my own kids there too - another nice surprise.
“I thought they just used me being in Melbourne as a chance to come see me.”
Before going into teaching, Mr Webb was a tradesman and then a dairy farmer. But he felt he had more to give.
“I always had a passion to work with kids,” he said.
Mr Webb has accompanied the show team to the Melbourne Show every year since 2007, except for the COVID impacted years.
Each time, the show team has averaged about 30 students.
Mr Webb joins Mrs O’Leary as a member of the Melbourne Royal Show’s Beef Cattle Hall of Fame.
“It’s a great honour, but Gary is more than a thoroughly deserving candidate,” Mrs O’Leary said.
A premier quality fruit grower has been leading the way for growers in the Murray Valley region for generations, and has now welcomed continued security in future operations.
Conti Orchards, proudly based in Cobram, has been a staple of Australia’s food bowl producing fresh fruit for more than 50 years.
Current Conti Orchards grower Adrian Conti is the third generation of family fruit producers, delivering high-quality fruit across 100 hectares, from some 70,000 trees.
Going into the upcoming summer fruit season, a recent bright spot has developed on the horizon for fruit growers like Mr Conti.
This was the news that Vietnam has opened as a market for Australian plums.
After two years of negotiations between the Australian and Vietnamese governments, market access has now been granted for Aussie plums with a trade agreement reached in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Tuesday, September 10.
Mr Conti said it was a new opportunity for Australian growers.
“It’s a brand-new market for summer fruit, so we are hoping growers will take up the opportunity.”
Mr Conti, who is president of the Cobram Fruit Growers Association and an exporter, said Vietnam would be a protocol market, requiring exporters to comply with a range of conditions.
He said the opportunity of accessing export markets will be up to the farm’s strategy and capability whether
“It’s a brand-new market for summer fruit, so we are hoping growers will take up the opportunity.”
ADRIAN CONTI
it is worth exploring international markets, including Vietnam.
“Some growers are focused on export markets internationally and some are focused on domestic.”
“It depends on each individual farm, on their trees, what they’re growing, how much they’re growing, what their relationships are in the industry and what their focus is.”
Conti Orchards supply domestically and internationally.
Expanding and diversifying across Australia and the world continues to ensure the security of the summer fruit industry, making for a viable and sustainable future.
Heading into the upcoming season this year’s summer fruit and plum harvest is shaping up as a good one, albeit in drier than normal conditions.
Some growers have already started irrigating.
The cold winter had provided some good winter chill hours resulting in good fruit setting.
“We have just gone through flowering as it is still early in the season.
“It’s not an issue, we’re just irrigating earlier,” Mr Conti said.
The Albanese Government said the plum deal was part of a two-way agricultural market access agreement that provides Australian plums to Vietnam and Vietnamese passionfruit to Australia.
Trevor Ranford — head of Summerfruit Australia, the peak industry body for stone fruit growers — described the agreement as “significant.”
“We’re anticipating that we will get substantial growth over a number of years and that Vietnam will become potentially the number two markets behind China,” Mr Ranford said from Hanoi, after the agreement was reached.
“The more markets that we can open up and get access to the better, to help the industry further develop and expand.”
Australia currently exports around 20,000 tonnes of stone fruit each season, about a sixth of the total grown, mostly to Asian markets, with China the largest buyer.
Vietnam began accepting peaches and nectarines from Australia again in 2022, with about 140 tonnes exported to the South-East Asian nation in 2023.
“It will take us time, but expectations are that we can get to 100 tonnes (of plums exported) in the next season, which runs from November to April,” Mr Ranford said.
Vietnam had previously been a big stone fruit export market but the introduction of pest controls by Hanoi in 2014 had limited access for Australian producers, he said.
Government data shows Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry exports to Vietnam were worth $3.7 billion in 2023-24, reflecting strong ties between the nations, Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said.
“Accelerating mutual market access outcomes is a reflection of Australia and Vietnam’s strong bilateral relationship and drive to support our agriculture industries to capitalise on export opportunities,” Ms Collins said.
The Albanese Government said the next pairing on the trade agenda is Australian blueberries and Vietnamese pomelos, with negotiations well under way.
For Conti Orchards, however, plums are not the only high-quality fruit for buyers to keep an eye on.
They grow a range of stone fruit, pome fruit and citrus.
“We have a large range; a mix of everything.”
As a result of this mixture, opening export markets and superb local fruit growers such as Conti Orchards, Aussies can continue to look forward to world-class Australian fruit on their dining table this upcoming summer.
We’re anticipating that we will get substantial growth over a number of years and that Vietnam will become potentially the number two markets behind China.”
TREVOR RANFORD
with
Vehicles
Scrapers: Caterpillar 623G, 623B, and 2 x 623F
Excavator: 1 x Komatsu PC200-8, 1 x Hidromek 310LC, 1 x Hidromek 230LC
Longreaches: Komatsu 300-8, 18m Boom & Komatsu 220-5, 14m Boom
Graders: Caterpillar 160M AWD, 2 x Caterpillar 140H
Bulldozers: Caterpillar D7H & Caterpillar D6T with Rake
Tractors: Steiger 450 With Laser Buckets - 14 & 16. Case
IH Steiger 535 & 600
Loaders: Cat IT 28B Cat 960F
Low Loaders: 2015 Quad Axel (with Tandem Dolly), SES Tri-Axel
Water Tanker: 45,000 Litres
Roller: Dynapac CA602D (smooth drum & pad foot) For
I’m passionate about protecting our water as you know and what has riled me for a long time is the lack of transparency over who exactly owns and trades our most precious resource.
That’s why the introduction of a new Water Register - something I have long campaigned for - is not only a win for me personally but all of our electorate and beyond in NSW.
My team and I were thrilled to convince the NSW Government that this private members bill and eventual law will help stop money laundering as well as the secret purchase of Australian water by foreign governments.
The register means criminals will no longer be able to hide their proceeds of crime by purchasing and trading water.
Whenever I am out talking with people in our Murray electorate, I hear one particular phrase over and over again. The subject is often water but can be anything, from roads to schools or hospitals. Often the conversations start with the same words. “Why doesn’t the government just do X, or Y.” The reason I hear this phrase all the time is that it’s often obvious to voters what governments should do when it comes to key issues.
Water is one of them and I’m proud to deliver meaningful change. Thank you also to Water Minister Rose Jackson and my cross-bench colleagues for backing my Water Register. Quite simply, this will help farmers by restoring common sense to our water markets.
From now on, the people who buy water will be buying the water for the right reasons. They will be using water to produce the food and textiles that make this country great Issues like this are above politics. Finally, Australians will know who is buying Australian water in NSW.
Young shearers from across the Riverina region were recently hand-picked to learn more about the trade through the Cooinbil Shearing School.
Formerly the Steam Plains Shearing School, the program was initiated by Magnus Aitken and Brian Sullivan in 2012.
In September, Paraway Pastoral Company Limited hosted the Australian Wool Innovation’s novice shearing school at Cooinbil, Conargo.
A group of 15 young, enthusiastic shearers participated and “are all doing very well”.
Mr Sullivan and fellow AWI trainers Janice Beshmann and Mike Pora guided the course, also training Nathan McClelland to come on board as an AWI trainer at the same time.
“The students are selected over a 12-month period, and sometimes longer, from many shearing contractors that I am in contact with on a regular basis,” Mr Sullivan said.
“The students come from a large area, including the Riverina region.
“We also train overseas shearers that want to upgrade their shearing skills in Merino sheep, to work in Australia on a visa.
“These students have heard about the schools by word of mouth and social media.”
The ages of the students vary, from 15 to those in their 20s.
Some come to shearing after leaving school early, while others are exploring other career options after starting apprenticeships in other trades.
“We have a range of students that want to shear; however, we teach them to become a shed hand first,” Mr Sullivan said.
“They then have the option to move on to learning to shear.
“The Coonbil Shearing School runs for two weeks in autumn and spring, with an additional improver school in July.
“The techniques and skills that are taught start with learning to live, respect and work with others.
“We also cover personal hygiene, novice shearing techniques, punctuality and handpiece maintenance, among other new skills like novice wool handling.
“The primary goal is to train and or upskill students in shearing and wool handling in preparation for the workforce.”
If anyone would like to participate in any of the AWI schools programs, contact Mr Sullivan on 0429 815 816.
• Income Tax Returns
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Offices located in Deniliquin, Barham, Hay, Echuca, and Rochester.
Murray Irrigation will be hosting its 2024 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 27 November at the Deniliquin RSL.
The meeting will start at 10.00am, with registrations opening at 9.30am.
Similar to last year, this will be a hybrid meeting which will enable shareholders to attend either in-person or virtually.
More details, including notice of meeting, agenda, resolutions and proxy forms, will be distributed to shareholders by the beginning of November.
murrayirrigation.com.au
The Barham Micro Abattoir has gained audit approval from the NSW Department of Primary Industries for poultry processing, meaning the facility is licensed and ready to operate.
This follows the completion of final fit-out rectification works that were required following a facility audit in late 2023.
The Murray Plains Meat Co-operative will progress towards poultry processing initially, then complete processing audits for other species.
The Barham Micro Abattoir is designed as a multispecies facility that will cater to “paddock-to-plate” producers across the region.
The project was the brainchild of the Murray Plains Meat Co-operative and was formed in response to the closure of local abattoirs.
Murray River Council was awarded $2.2 million of state and federal funding on behalf of the co-operative for the establishment of the micro-abattoir.
This positioned council as the project manager of the build and subsequent owner of the facility.
Council’s director community economic development Sarah Ryan welcomed the milestone.
“It’s welcome news that the facility can now commence operations,” she said.
“Whilst it’s been a lengthy process to ensure all checks and balances are in place, it’s exciting to now see this project come to life.
“The local meat and poultry industry provides significant employment opportunities in Barham and district, so we look forward to the ongoing success of this transformative project and its contribution to the economic growth of the local region.”
The directors of Murray Plains Meat Co-operative are thrilled to have reached this important milestone, where they can now begin staffing and training for poultry processing.
“We are committed to establishing a high-quality livestock processing facility and are grateful for the council’s support in helping us achieve this goal,” the group said in a statement.
“We also extend our sincere thanks to the funding bodies whose support has been crucial to this project’s success.”
Under the lease agreement, council will remain custodians of the building for a period of 12 months from commencement of the lease, at which time complete ownership can be transferred to the Murray Plains Meat Co-operative.
The Finley High School agricultural program is one of the most highly regarded of its type across Australia. It has been developed over a quarter of a century, and continues to be the catalyst for a career in agriculture for many of the district’s young people.
The agriculture learning environment and programs at Finley High School have provided a wide range of students from diverse backgrounds and abilities the opportunity to participate, explore and enjoy the challenges and rewards of agriculture.
From this program, Finley High has helped influence the career paths of many students to be rural supply merchants, agronomists, agriculture teachers, farmers, jillaroos, jackaroos, engineers, scientists, stock agents, mechanics, commodity traders and analysts, a regional certification standards coordinator, post-doctoral research fellows and more.
The ‘ag plot’, as it is fondly called, continues to be developed and now includes a Shorthorn Cattle Stud, Poll Dorset Sheep Stud, poultry, bees and a variety of horticultural crops.
It provides the students with hands-on experience to build their skills and knowledge of animal husbandry, cultivation and harvesting of horticultural crops, as well as the maintenance and operation of machinery.
Students actively participate in the handling and management of livestock, with activities that include drenching, vaccinating, viewing artificial insemination, droving, clipping, weighing and data collection.
They are also involved in establishing trials with animals, examining growth and development.
These hands-on experiences instil confidence and understanding of animal physiology, behaviour, industry standards and expectations.
Similarly, agronomy trials have been conducted in areas such as the propagation of potatoes and cereal plant density trials. Students plan these trials, monitor, irrigate and harvest and analyse the results.
Over the years, the staff and students have built relationships within the local and broader agriculture community to gain access to industry leading genetics and equipment in the management and handling of livestock.
Advice and guidance are regularly sought from industry leaders to provide students with the most up to date technologies and safe practices within the agriculture sector.
Community groups, local businesses and farmers actively support the agriculture learning program through financial and practical means, including the donation of livestock, stockfeed and fertiliser supplies.
For many years, Finley High School has been at the forefront of agricultural shows, being highly regarded and returning with numerous trophies.
The skills involved in preparing, parading and judging both the stud sheep and cattle have featured at shows including Finley, Yea, Deniliquin, Cowra, Numurkah, Nathalia, Bendigo, Canberra Royal, Sydney Royal, Echuca, Euroa and Melbourne Royal.
Additionally, the school prepares up to 18 steers donated by local studs and farmers for judging at the Royal Melbourne Show in a ‘Hook and Hoof’ carcase competition.
In all these shows and competitions, Finley High School has been recognised on numerous occasions as ‘Most Successful School’, while individual students have won recognition for both their parading and judging skills.
The school has won numerous awards, even when competing against some of Australia’s best known Shorthorn and Poll Dorset Studs.
A great example of this success was at the 2023 Royal Melbourne Show, when the school clinched the championship prize in both the Interbreed Ram and Ewe competitions. Agriculture teacher, Robyn O’Leary, described the moment as “a bit of a pinnacle of our career … we were pretty stoked”.
Robyn and fellow ag teacher, Gary Webb, take immense pride in their role with the agricultural program.
Robyn attributes the school’s success at last year’s Royal Melbourne Show to the great partnership the school has built with other sheep studs, and the tireless work put in by the agricultural staff.
While she acknowledges that taking a busload of students to shows, including Royal Melbourne, is no easy feat, she understands the benefits the competition provides to the students is invaluable.
“It’s a great experience to be able to expose the kids to something different and to put them into a new cultural environment,” she said.
However, ribbons and industry prestige are not the main motivations behind the ag program – student wellbeing is the major focus.
“We want the kids to go out into the world as confident kids with transferrable skills they can use in their life, and know where their food comes from – and if any critical comments come up about farming, they will have enough knowledge to be able to challenge that and tell the story about agriculture,” Robyn says.
Gary adds: “We want to be able to offer kids things that engage and inspire them.
“It’s giving them something they can enjoy,” he said.
“Being able to do something they are passionate about gives them a great reason to turn up and enjoy school.”
The agriculture program is more than just feeding and caring for animals. Students also research history, learn about the safe operation of farm machinery, environmental issues, sustainable practices, biosecurity and the key elements of production across a range of commodities.
School principal Jeff Ward, the son of a Blighty dairy farmer, is a big supporter of the agricultural program and the learnings that happen outside the traditional classroom. And he is full of praise for the teachers behind it, especially the roles played by Robyn and Gary.
“Good schools evolve through committed teachers,” Jeff said, before adding that the school’s agriculture program provides students with invaluable hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of sustainable farming practices.
“This program sets students up with essential leadership, mentoring, teamwork and care in working with animals and, most importantly, is the prelude to a life in agriculture, which is so essential for rural communities like Finley,” he said.
“Many of our students study aspects of agriculture at university or TAFE. As an educator we emit enormous pride when students want to become agriculture teachers, just like Robyn and Gary.
“The students appreciate the community and school support, and the opportunity to be involved in this unique agricultural education; this is evident by the large groups of students who enrol in the program, turning up at lunchtime, after school, weekends and holidays, with many of these days starting as early as 4.30am.”
Niamh Mason is a former Finley High agriculture student now studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at University of Queensland, Gatton.
“I studied agriculture at FHS from Year 7 until Year 12, and the exposure and skills I gained from this experience have been invaluable,” Niamh said.
“I was exposed not only to basic cattle and sheep handling, but also to new technologies, people and career paths that I never would have considered if not for the ag program and the teachers.
“The knowledge I gained in my ag classes covered many industries and commodities, and helped me to develop deep critical thinking and problem-solving skills that I have taken with me post-high school.
“Throughout my time at Finley High I was also a part of the show team, which was one of my favourite aspects of high school. The team gave me purpose and helped me to understand the importance of commitment and dedication, both in school and out.”
“In later years of high school it was so rewarding to not only be able to take a beast from the paddock to the show ring, but also to help younger students with the skills I had learned.
“I strongly believe that without the ag experience at Finley High, I would not have considered a career in agriculture and gone on to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at university.
“Finley and Finley High School are so lucky to have such an incredible program led by such dedicated teachers and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities that studying agriculture has rewarded me,” Niamh added.
The agricultural program’s continued success requires ongoing development at the ‘ag plot’, which is supported by the school’s P&C Committee. It raises funds to create opportunities for all students, helping them to thrive in an ever-changing world.
The P&C’s primary source of fundraising is through the school canteen, which also services the local Finley Primary Schools with lunch orders.
The P&C also coordinates the sale of the school’s uniform, regularly conducts raffles and caters for local community events such as the Jerilderie Apex Dog Auction, to help generate funds.
It also seeks support from external organisations to ensure the school is developing the facilities it requires.
The P&C’s current major project is developing an ‘Outdoor Learning and Education Hub’ within the ag plot. The aim is to provide a fully equipped classroom environment for students and staff to further enhance the safety and comfort to deliver the extensive and expanding agriculture program.
The ‘hub’ received a boost this year when it received $5,000 in funding through Murray Irrigation’s annual Community Sponsorship Program.
This contribution will help support the construction of a 12m x 7.5m building, high enough to house machinery. It will have facilities that allow students to work on the data they have gathered and facilitate senior students to work in small groups in a sheltered, safe environment on machinery operation and maintenance.
The school sees Murray Irrigation’s support as having direct and positive impact on the learning outcomes of children across the Berriquin region; empowering the next generation of farmers and local businesses.
When considering livestock production and driving animal performance; several factors come into play.
element which may not frequently be considered or checked is water quality unless there is something obviously wrong with it.
Water quality can have quite an impact on your livestock productivity from several perspectives including;
• Animal health (internal parasites, residues etc)
• Animal function (temperature regulation, cell function, digestion etc)
• Conversion efficiency- milk, meat, fibre produced from feed intake
Given that water quality can influence production up to approximately 20 per cent (improved production when on ideal water quality and other factors), with strong correlations between water intake and feed intake- drink more, eat more, produce more; it is worth getting right. Factors which can affect water quality:
• Contamination (run off, other animals, rubbish, debris)
• Salinity levels (<7000ppm)
• pH (ideal between 6.5-8.5)
• Algae blooms
• Water temperature
Water should look and smell clean and fresh.
The class of livestock (dry stock, cows and calves, ewes and lambs etc) will have an impact on how much water they require and so too will the time of year- through the summer months, intake will increase considerably. These are things to consider when planning how you will water your livestock. Consideration in a reticulated system needs to be given to stock numbers, intake requirements, flow rate, trough size and more. Similarly, open water sources need to be monitored for water levels, cleanliness, stock access, contamination, algae risk, flow and refill etc.
If you are interested in discussing farm water quality and planning, there is currently a project ‘Farm Water Management Planning’ running in the region with involvement from LLS, Rice Growers Association and others, contact Janet Manzin at RGA for further information locally. This is a Southern NSW Drought & Innovation Hub project funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
If in doubt, contact your local LLS office to speak to an Ag team member or District Veterinary Officer, water sampling kits are also available with laboratory costs associated. Additional resources and information can be found on the Local Land Services website or contact Rebecca Stacey at LLS in Deniliquin.
Contributed by Rebecca Stacey (pictured), senior local lands officer - mixed farming with Murray Local Land Services.
Join Peppa and her family as they drive all over Australia on a road trip! Peppa and her family are visiting Kylie Kangaroo in Australia. They plan to have a lovely, relaxing holiday but Kylie has lost Keith her cuddly toy Koala! Join them as they travel all over Australia to find him. Meet quokkas in Perth, waddle like a penguin on Phillip Island and even spot a real koala in the outback! Peppa loves Australian road trips. EVERYONE loves Australian road trips!.
$16.99
An interactive lift-the-flap farm book for inquisitive young readers with more than 80 flaps to lift! Lift the flaps to experience the fun of the farm through the seasons. Take a tour of the farm and discover what a fun-packed year on a farm looks like. Watch the farmer care for adorable baby animals, plant seeds to grow crops, make hay bales, and take delicious harvested goods to market. Lift more than 80 flaps to discover exciting surprises like fluffy little lambs and other farm animals exploring the farm, colourful vegetables growing in the fields, combine harvesters harvesting the crops, tasty fruit being picked in the orchard, and produce being packed, displayed, and sold at the busy farmers’ market. Fun and educational text teaches children about the people, plants, and animals that live on the farm. In addition, simple, age-appropriate questions invite young readers to recall information, or to explore the scenes for clues before lifting the flaps to reveal the answers. This book is perfect for any little animal, tractor, or farm lover. Get your wellies on and get farming!
Kat Macleod
$27.99
Join the Tiny Gardeners as they grow fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs for the upcoming Summer Market. See the long and bumpy beans! Taste the fresh and juicy strawberries! Feel the spikey rosemary sprigs! Smell the sweetly scented honeysuckle! Everything is almost ready to pick, but it’s a hot, humid day and the garden is looking dry and thirsty ... just a moment ... can you hear that? Continuing the Tiny Professions series (The Tiny Explorers and The Tiny Tailors), Kat Macleod’s newest picture book, The Tiny Gardeners, navigates the process of preparing, growing and harvesting a productive garden through the five senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and sound. This imaginative and charmingly illustrated story uses a range of verbs and adjectives to describe the process of preparing a garden bed through to harvesting. Young readers are invited to join in with the Tiny Gardeners and explore their senses as they learn how fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs are grown. With mentions of pollination, bees, pests and the importance of water in a garden, The Tiny Gardeners will inspire a new generation of gardeners and nature enthusiasts.
$26.99
Hay Plains Livestock is excited to announce a new partnership with Te Mania Angus, a leading name in Australian Angus genetics.
Thiscollaboration has begun with the arrival of 20 Te Mania Angus spring bulls in Hay. These bulls are known for their excellent carcass traits, ease of calving, impressive marbling, and strong $ Index figures, making them a valuable addition to any herd.
Ed Lilburne from Hay Plains Livestock sees this partnership as a significant opportunity for the local community.
over the past few years, making this partnership with Hay Plains Livestock a natural choice.
They also highlight the strong local growing season and increased cattle numbers in the region as additional factors that make this collaboration timely.
“Ed Lilburne and his team have long been key players in the cattle and sheep industries, and with Ed’s expertise as an AuctionsPlus assessor, they are well-positioned to offer full sales and services to the livestock industry,” they add.
To mark GWR’s 70th birthday, we’re throwing a party, starting off with a feast of retro features in the opening chapter that look back over our last seven decades. Of course, we’re also highlighting the very best of record breaking from the past 12 months! This new edition - fully revised and updated with 1,000-plus images - salutes our milestone while continuing the annual tradition of serving up thousands of awesome facts and feats for the whole family to enjoy. GWR are celebrating our landmark year by bestowing platinum grade ICON status on a select group of record breakers - including Taylor Swift and LeBron James - who epitomize what it means to be a Guinness World Records title holder. Poster-style Flashback features within each chapter explore the history of one key record category. We also speculate about the ultimate limits of recordbreaking - for instance, will we ever see a sub-3-second Rubik’s Cube solve? Look out for our Dear GWR... features throughout the book. We’ve delved into our archives to find some never-before-seen record applications that didn’t quite make the cut. It’s our affectionate tribute to human inventiveness - and the evergreen fascination with securing a hallowed GWR certificate! $46.99
These great titles and more available instore. We post direct to you, contact us today to discuss getting your copies posted* *Postage and Handling fees apply.
249 Cressy Street, Deniliquin. Phone 03 5881 2080. info@deninews.com.au
“We’re thrilled to offer these top-tier herd bulls to our clients, providing them with a unique chance to enhance their herds quickly. We believe this partnership will have long-lasting benefits for our clients.” Ed says.
“These bulls are a great investment for local breeders, offering a significant boost to the performance.”
Te Mania Angus representatives have noticed growing interest from producers in the Hay Plains area
“These young bulls have been bred from some of Australia’s top sires, including Te Mania Kirby and Neon. Te Mania Neon N1387, for example, is the 2nd highest-marbling Angus sire in the TransTasman region, with an impressive EBV of +9.8 (82 per cent). At the same time, Te Mania Kirby K138 (IMF +8.7) was a top sire and has been widely used in ACR herds, offering high accuracy for marbling.”
FARMtalk welcomes community contributions from farmers, experts and professionals who make their living and life on the land. If you would like to contribute, there are several ways to do so.
• Get in touch and give us a tip of a great story idea.
• Contribute an article: If you are an expert in your field then contributing once off, or regularly, is a great way to get started in our FARMtalk magazine. Contact Zoe McMaugh at farmtalk@denipt.com.au or 03 5881 2322.
• Become an author: FARMtalk is open to occasional contributors who are experts in their field or authorities on a subject or area. Once you have contributed an article, and the editorial team have approved you, we can set you up with a regular column to contribute. We would love to hear from you. Contact Zoe McMaugh at farmtalk@denipt.com.au or 03 5881 2322.
• Have a fascinating farm in mind for us to showcase? Tell us! We would love to hear from you. Contact Zoe McMaugh at farmtalk@denipt.com.au or 03 5881 2322.
