Victorian Farmer Winter 2020

Victorian Farmer WINTER 2020

The harvest challenge COVID-19 has created a big dent in the manual labour workforce

BARLEY TENSIONS

THE GREEN WEDGE

AFTER THE FIRES

Will Australia and China come to the table together?

Challenges for farmers on Melbourne’s outskirts

Farmers all over Victoria are rebuilding their livelihoods

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Victorian Farmer PUBLISHER James Wells EDITOR Michelle Hespe ART DIRECTOR Chris Papaspiros

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EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Michelle Hespe Email: mhespe@intermedia.com.au 41 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW, 2037

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CONTRIBUTORS Ian Llyod Neubauer Jocelyn Pride Luke Hooke Steve Madgwick Sue Wallace Tony Blackie

THE INTERMEDIA GROUP

MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Grover GM OF OPERATIONS Chris Baker FINANCE MANAGER Mina Vranistas PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper HEAD OF DIGITAL Pauline Grech HEAD OF EVENTS Beth Tobin Victorian Farmer is published for the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) (ABN: 67 079 980 304) by The Intermedia Group (ABN: 94 002 583 682) 41 Bridge Rd, Glebe NSW 2037. @2020. All rights reserved. Printed by IVE Group.

Getty Images were used throughout the magazine.

VICTORIAN FARMERS FEDERATION

CEO Stephen Sheridan STAKEHOLDER POLICY AND ADVOCACY MANAGER Luke Hooke STAKEHOLDER MEDIA & COMMS ADVISOR Ryan Moloney MAGAZINE WORKING GROUP Annabel Mactier Gary Beck

From the editor

W

elcome to the first issue of your new Victorian Farmer magazine. We hope you enjoy these pages as much as we’ve enjoyed putting them together, and we look forward to bringing you more great stories every few months.

To say that 2020 has been turbulent is the understatement of the century. From the Black Summer fires to COVID-19, everyone has been on a physical and mental rollercoaster that for most of us, has not been easy to ride.

We’ve all been pushed far out of our comfort zones and thrust into a new chapter of the world that none of us expected to be a part of. But good can come of this. Farmers are some of the toughest people on this planet because there is always something to contend with on the land. And with any crisis, there are turning points where something at first viewed as negative can be turned into a positive, and a new way of doing things emerges.

Now the new normal means less travel, and for now, less connection with the world beyond our borders, but that in itself is sure to bring some good things. We are all being forced to live in the places we call home, and to concentrate upon, and be grateful for what we have. We’re all being pushed into a more digital existence and new technologies and ways of communicating will help us all to move forward in ways we hadn’t dreamed

of a decade ago. It can be scary, but also liberating.

In this issue, we take a close look at the barley trade tariffs ruffling so many feathers, meet some farmers rebuilding their livelihoods after the fires, delve into farming in the Green Wedge, look into the labour shortage left by a lack of backpackers on the land, and generally, meet some incredible people from Victoria doing inspiring things, despite the unusual times we find ourselves in.

So enjoy the read and we hope that you and your loved ones are pulling through and looking towards a bright future. Keep your eyes on the horizon and your hands on the ball, and we’ll get through this.

Michelle Hespe

The Intermedia Group takes its corporate and social responsibilities seriously and is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We continuously strive to improve our environmental performance and to initiate additional CSR based projects and activities.

As part of our company policy we ensure that the products and services used in the manufacture of this magazine are sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers.

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DISCLAIMER: This publication is published by The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by New Zealand and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information.

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Copyright © 2020 – The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd

Contents 5. Out & About

26. Business

Some top shots from across the state that our members have shared. Send in one of your own!

With COVID-19 ensuring the most backpackers have had to return home, farmers have been left with a lack of staff to take on manual labour

6. News News, updates and interesting things too keep you in the know

8. Current Affair China’s barley tariffs have affected Australia’s $600 million industry

14. Community

30. Great Debate Farming just outside of the big smoke in the Green Wedge has its unique set of challenges

36. Meet a farmer Bendigo farmer Brendan Williams has never been afraid to think and work differently

We catch up with farming families that were affected by the December/January fires.

22. Big Issue How has your farming sector been affected by the pandemic and what’s on the horizon?

IS YOUR NEIGHBOUR A VFF MEMBER? REFER THEM TO THE VFF MEMBERSHIP TEAM TODAY.

members@vff.org.au | 1300 882 833

Out & About

Here we showcase some of the best shots from our members all over the state. If you have a great photo of your farm that you’d like us to publish, send your shots to: media@vff.org.au and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Photo courtesy of Ian Arney

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Photo courtesy of James Wagstaff

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1. Beef farm near Warrnambool 2. Victoria’s South West 3. Farmgate in Millewa in North West Victoria (before) 4. The same gate in Millewa ten months later 5. Victoria’s West 6. VFF member Al Gabb on his farm in Beaufort 7. Milking cows 8. Snow on farms near Colac WINTER 2020

VICTORIAN FARMER

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News Quad Bike Safety Rebate Scheme The Quad Bike Safety Rebate Scheme was a $6 million rebate scheme aimed at farmers to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities from quad bike rollovers. The rebate covers a contribution towards either the purchase of an alternative vehicle, such as a side-by-side vehicle, or the purchase of up to two operator protection devices.

The scheme was first introduced in October 2016 and ended on 30 June 2020. In total, over 6,500 farmers have accessed the scheme, and all allocated funding has been distributed.

Making our Farms Safer program The VFF’s workplace health and safety services will expand due to the federation receiving the $3 million ‘Making our Farms Safer’ grant from the Victorian Government.

The grant will enable the VFF to employ two Farm Safety Officers, develop online tools and boost access to information and resources aimed at protecting not only Victorian farmers, but everyone in the farm environment.

The initiative is an industry led farm safety service and aims at ensuring safety remains the number one priority on Victorian farms.

The VFF will provide further information on how farmers can access the ‘Making our Farms Safer’ resources as and when they become available.

VFF working from home, but still working for you The majority of VFF staff have been working remotely since March and many events this year have been cancelled to comply with Victoria’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Whilst there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction and we pride ourselves on having a physical presence in Victoria, rest assured our team continues to work hard behind the scenes to ensure Victorian farmers have a voice that is heard.

Whether it be online webinars or advice on the latest restrictions and how it impacts you and your farm, remember we’re here for you and we are only a phone call away.

You can contact us on 1300 882 833

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Queen’s Birthday Honours In June friends of the VFF and former Grains Group Presidents Allan McCallum and Andrew Weidemann both received recognition in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for their outstanding service and contribution to the agriculture industry.

A fantastic effort and a well-deserved recognition to the outstanding work not only here at the VFF, but throughout many years in agriculture.

New workplace manslaughter penalties commenced 1 July 2020 The Andrews Labor government has introduced a new penalty – workplace manslaughter – into the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004.

For those farmers who meet their health and safety duties there is no need to change a thing. But, for those farmers who aren’t quite sure whether they have things covered they need to re-assess or get some help. And for those who know things are lacking, now’s the time to do things differently.

Get in touch with the VFF Farm Safety Extension Officer Richard Versteegen on 0499 772 472 to find out how you can improve safety on your farm

Securing your business The Workplace Relations Team at the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) provides tailored as well as up-to-date advice on workplace related matters.

The team delivers updates for members on key issues pertaining to employment, clarifying information from the Fair Work Commission, and explaining the information in clear terms to help members understand their employment obligations.

The Workplace Relations Team’s services are available to full commodity members of the VFF, either by a subscription to the Workplace Relations Handbook or an hourly feefor-service arrangement.

Get in touch with the team at wr@vff.org.au or call 1300 882 833 WINTER 2020

VICTORIAN FARMER

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Current Affair

Trade tensions:

the barley

tariff Words: Luke Hooke

C

hina’s President Xi Jinping famously joined former UK Prime Minister David Cameron for a drink at a South Buckinghamshire pub in 2015. The two sipped pints of English IPA and smiled for the international press. The occurrence was dubbed ‘beer diplomacy’ and it led to an increase in UK beer exports to China.

However in March this year, Australia was on the wrong end of beer diplomacy – China slapped Australian barley with an 80.5 per cent tariff, seriously damaging an important export industry.

There has been a lot of commentary about the tariff due to its timing and a potential inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 fueling tensions between China and Australia. Here we’ve tried to sort fact from fiction and provide an honest account of what actually occurred.

How important is the Chinese barley market?

Valued at more than $600 million in recent years, the Chinese barley market is Australia’s biggest barley export market.

In 2017-2018, 5.7 million tonnes of Australian barley was exported to China, equating to 27 per cent of total production.

In 2018-2019 this fell to 2.5 million tonnes, or 14 per cent of total production.

VFF Grains Group President Ashley Fraser says that although the large majority of barley exports to China come out of Western Australia, Victorian growers will be impacted.

“Of the malting barley grown in Victoria, 50-60 per cent is exported, so the impact on those growers will be significant, let alone the knock-on effect on the domestic barley price generally,” he says. “This is

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why industry has been working really hard, and I’ve got to give credit to GPA (Grain Producers Australia), working with the Australian Government to seek a resolution as soon as possible.”

Convenient timing

The timing of China’s barley tariffs led to headlines and commentary connecting dots between the tariff and Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s position on an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

These facts might easily align but it should also be recognised that the decision came after an anti-dumping investigation that stems back to 2018.

Weihuan Zhou, Senior Lecturer in International Trade Law at UNSW, is cautious about drawing any conclusions. “When the investigation commenced in 2018, there was clearly no connection with COVID-19 at all.

It was primarily China’s response to Australia’s frequent use of anti-dumping against Chinese exports,” he says.

“However, China issued a report (a week prior to its final decision on 18 May 2020) finding an anti-dumping duty of 73.6 per cent which was an increase from 56.14 per cent as originally requested by the Chinese industry applicant in the first place.

The timing of the report (right after Australia’s call for a probe into the origin of COVID-19) and the duty increase may have a connection with Australia’s stance,” Zhou says.

Breaking down the tariff

The tariff applied to Australian barley on 18 May is made up of a 73.6 per cent anti-dumping tariff and a 6.9 per cent countervailing duty.

China has applied these types of tariffs to goods from other countries. Australia benefited from the tariff on US corn, for instance, providing opportunity for Australian feed barley, but this is the first time China has

The VFF Grains Group thanks its major sponsors

WINTER 2020

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Current Affair applied such duties against Australian goods.

In contrast, Australia has applied numerous anti-dumping and countervailing measures against Chinese steel, aluminium, glass and paper. According to the Australian Anti-Dumping Commission, Australia currently has 17 anti-dumping measures and nine countervailing measures against Chinese goods.

Despite the 18 month investigation, the Chinese justifications for the tariffs were labelled “spurious”

by Dr Scott Waldron, Senior Lecturer in the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences at University of Queensland, “poorly justified” by Simon Lacey of the Institute for International Trade at the University of Adelaide and “out of kilter” by Andrew Weidemann, chair of Grain Producers Australia.

China’s Ministry of Commerce commenced an anti-dumping investigation into Australia’s barley imports in November 2018. That is, to determine whether a number of Australian barley exporters were selling barley to Chinese buyers at a price lower than the price it is normally sold in Australia.

China used an equivalent market test to compare Australian export prices in China to Australian exports to Egypt, despite it being a feed barley market.

Ultimately, the investigation recommended a 73.6 per cent anti-dumping tariff.

The Countervailing Duty is more complex. A Countervailing Duty is applied in cases where it is found that the target commodity is benefiting from domestic subsidies. Given that Australia is only second behind New Zealand in terms of having the least subsidised agricultural industries according to the OECD, this finding raised a lot of eyebrows.

The Countervailing Duty investigation assessed the benefit of a litany of Australian and State Government programs, ultimately adding a 6.9 per cent duty, bumping the total tariff to 80.5 per cent. The duty is attributed to three government programs, only one of which operated in Australia’s dominant barley exporting state, Western Australia.

The majority, 5.82 per cent, concerns the Murray Darling Basin Plan. It is attributed to the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program that included projects such as the Goulburn Murray Water Connections Project and the Sunraysia Modernisation Project. These projects involved Federal Government investment in ageing irrigation infrastructure in return for a portion of the efficiency savings.

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VFF Grains President Ashley Fraser

Another 0.56 per cent it attributed to an $8.5 million grant the Victorian Government made to Graincorp in 2016. The grant came from the Victorian Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund, a $200 million fund established by the Victorian Government to return some of the proceeds of the Port of Melbourne lease to regional Victoria. The grant went towards Graincorp’s $85 million investment into the upgrade of railway sidings at grain receival sites throughout Victoria.

The final 0.52 per cent was attributed to a South Australian program, again to recover water under the Murray Darling Basin Plan through efficiency measures.

You may be forgiven for thinking – ‘What’s this got to do with the bloody barley tariff?’ and that’s the point. The links drawn between these programs and Australia’s barley exports to China are tenuous to say the least.

Making sense of it all

There are a few lessons we can take out of this affair.

Over-reliance on one major market leaves commodities vulnerable. Australia needs to continue to expand existing markets and open new ones.

Australia is a frequent user of anti-dumping and countervailing measures, particularly against China.

However, Simon Lacey, Senior Lecturer at University of Adelaide, suggests the sheer numbers should not be given too much weight.

“Australia has been very liberal in how it targets China for one reason and one reason only, and that is because China is such a huge exporter. China easily takes first prize as the number one target for all users of anti-dumping and countervailing, and this again, because it is simply such a big player and exporter across so many commodities. It’s really nothing personal.”

Anti-dumping and countervailing measures are important tools for Australia to protect Australian industry, such as the Portland aluminium smelter and steel works at Whyalla, Port Kembla and Newcastle.

Australia is pursuing a Chinese domestic administrative review rather than taking the dispute to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This should be an easier, quicker and cheaper process than going to the WTO where it could take up to four years to get a finding.

So what’s our suggestion to the trade gurus at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade? If we want to get back into the malting market in China, it might be time to employ some good old beer diplomacy. Can’t hurt, can it? n

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Community

After black

summer

In the January bushfires, five lives were lost, 1.5 million hectares of land was decimated and 396 homes were destroyed. Victorian farmers in the worst hit areas are slowly rebuilding their lives.

Words: Steve Madgwick Photography: Charlie Kinross

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“W Far left then clockwise: Gordon Nicholas and his sons have been rebuilding their farms at Biggara and Tintaldra, where they lost 86 Friesian heifers, three sheds, machinery and 50 years of fencing; Graeme Clyde points out some of his land that was burnt at Walwa; Gordon Nicholas taking care of his cattle.

hen a fire comes at you like that, what can you do?” asks Frank Boulton.

The unrelenting colossus that stood on its hind legs and mauled Frank and wife Dawn’s four beef-cattle properties near Snowy River National Park last summer eventually charred 320,000 hectares of East Gippsland.

Half a year later, Frank and affected farmers around Victoria are still trying to address that question in three parts: not just what can you do during, but before and after a bushfire, too. Their anecdotes and harrowing front-line experiences underline both the strengths and struggles of regional communities, but also form an impromptu bushfire-emergency playbook of great value.

Crucially, no one was injured when flames raced through the Boulton’s properties at Gelantipy, Butchers Ridge, Wulgulmerang and Deddick (20,000 acres in total), but the damage makes for sobering reading: one house, one hayshed and two cattleyards lost. Valuable grass and 40 kilometres of fencing incinerated. At one stage, fire flanked the family home, too, only to be saved by one of Frank’s tenacious workers.

“The fire virtually used the road to travel,” says Frank. “As soon as it found spots to take off into paddocks, houses and haysheds, that’s what it did.

Some paddocks were as dry as you could get them.”

The Boulton’s son and some friends were helping out with the farm work as the fires approached around New Year’s Eve. “I kept trying to send them off, but they wanted to stay, keep defending. They were telling me to go. I said ‘I’m not going until you go’.”

The flames raged through and by New Year’s Day the battle began to access the razed farms to feed hungry, distressed stock. “At first we couldn’t get trucks up there because of road blocks but my son got three through – I don’t know how!”

The small community was rattled but the response was as heartening as it was decisive.

“People started to send us hay

as quickly as they could. The most generous people were stock agents that I hadn’t even sold cattle with, like Phelan & Henderson & Co from Yarram, South Gippsland.”

Much of the Boulton’s stock is on agistment now and they’ve been boundary fencing ever since. Cattle-yards and interior fences are next on the to-do list. Despite receiving the Special Disaster Grant and good cattle prices since, there’s still “more money going out than coming in”.

The 76-year-old has been farming in East Gippsland since 1968 (he lost a house in a 2003 blaze), so he’s mastered the art of long-term perspective.

“In farming, there’s always something having a go at you: drought, fire, price slumps.

You’ve just got to ride along with it. Some people lost their lives.

The land will grow again. We’ll probably be right by next year.”

Scraping through

Two-blaze veteran Brad Smith says nothing prepares you for a bushfire like the last bushfire.

He and wife Jennifer own two East Gippsland cattle and sheep properties (Tambo Crossing, 1600 acres, Clifton Creek, 220 acres) and share two other farms. All were burnt on the same day.

“I was on the neighbour’s place looking back and our land was on fire,” says Brad. “There were different

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Community neighbours on our place looking back and there were fires on their place.”

Fire first came through after dark on December 21. Brad and Jennifer extinguished as many fires as possible. As another front threatened days later, Jennifer, their two sons and Brad’s parents headed to safety in Melbourne.

On New Year’s Day, Brad and his brother defended the Tambo Crossing property, bought from his parents four years before. The flames came within 200 metres of the main house, incinerating 150 acres of grass and fences. At Clifton Creek, the (unmanned) fire burnt up to the front lawn but, spared the house. Stock losses were minimal from an inventory of 700 cattle and 3,500 sheep.

Brad had been “waiting for the fire”, drawing on experience from the 2007 Tambo Crossing “burn-out”. He’d built containment pens [with sprinklers] and fed all his lambs in them. He’d replaced wooden fences with steel.

Brad says he came out of the summer “pretty well”, thanks in no small measure to Jennifer’s foresight in increasing their insurance in the build-up.

“We knew what would burn, what wouldn’t.

We knew what cattle to sell, what it was going to cost us to feed them. We actually had more damage from the floods after the fire than from the actual fire. Compared to last year, we’ve scraped through.”

Hay to help

Many farmers wouldn’t have scraped through at all without emergency community hay depots. The Orbost East one sprang up on Chris Nixon’s farm soon after the flames raged past (December 30) and onwards towards Mallacoota for weeks.

“As soon as the road was clear, we got ninety-five semi-loads [eventually] to farms all around the east, as far as Genoa. Chinook helicopters were airlifting donated hay out of our place, too. The trucks just kept rolling in – it got a bit embarrassing. At one stage we had to say, ‘there’s no point in bringing it in right now, we can’t get it out’. We tried hard to get it to everybody as best we could.”

Fire spared Chris' cattle operation by two kilometres, but left its mark on 40 per cent of his Wulgulmerang property and 60 per cent of the Cann River one.

He learned lessons from a 2002 blaze, using emergency techniques like “crash-grazing paddocks around the houses to nearly bare dirt” but not much human effort can compete with the dry fuel loads that had built up. He laments what he sees as woefully inadequate fuelreduction burning over the past decade locally.

Chris says the post-fire response from both the wider community and government was “enormous”.

“So much was donated – they had to put ‘no more donations for East Gippsland’ on road-side signs. And while the government doesn’t take responsibility for its half of the fencing, at least it came to the party with that $75,000 grant.”

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Top and bottom: Graeme Clyde assesses some of the fencing on his 400-acre property at Walwa

Not all doom and gloom

As it happened…

Dairy farmer and Biggara CFA Brigade Captain Gordon Nicholas knew the fire across the Murray River was not going to be a normal event. It more or less spared Gordon and wife Janet’s properties at Biggara and Tintaldra in the early hours of New Year’s Eve, but on January 4, the wind turned treacherous.

“Both properties got burnt a couple of hours apart,” says Gordon, “even though we had the best fire break you could ever want [from the first fire]. In events like that, you can’t really have any designated structure. Just bloody put your head down and go for it.”

On the 95 per cent burnt Tintaldra property, Gordon buried 86 Frisian heifers. With not enough “people on the ground” property damage was extensive on both. Farming-wise three sheds, machinery and “fifty years of my fencing work” were lost along with masses of dry matter.

“To a point, I consider myself fortunate. Places further down river got smashed five years ago and they’ve copped it again.”

Afterwards, enough feed was salvaged to keep stock going before donated hay started arriving, which, Gordon says, was distributed fairly, thanks in part to the VFF and local council.

He concedes that “we hadn’t thought the insurance through well enough” – only about half-insured

for the cattle and less so on about 800 tonnes of dry matter.

His land still bears the scorched-earth scars. Gordon says he could easily see a fallow deer on the ridgeline a kilometre away but it’s not all doom and gloom.

It’s been a good winter: sewn product is taking off and milk prices are buoyant (Gordon replaced half of his dead heifers).

The Lavington Football Club helped out with boundary fencing, too.

Most of all Gordon credits his “great team”: wife Janet, and two sons, Evan and Thomas, “who don’t just work 40-hour weeks”. “Some people would probably want to go and hide under a blanket for a bit, but we probably handled this situation well.”

Pitching in

When resources are stretched, even the semi-retired pitch in.

Graeme Clyde from nearby Walwa still isn’t sure how he came to coordinate the district’s emergency fodder distribution.

“I was probably asked because I was probably least impacted,” says the sheep and cattle farmer who ‘downsized’ to 400 acres four year ago. Not that his property was spared from the huge Green Valley fire, losing half his country grass wise.

Once the fire jumped the Murray “she took off like a rocket – nothing would have stopped it”. The first load of donated hay arrived on January 7, but there were a few challenges for the 71-year-old.

21 DEC 2019:

NEW YEAR’S EVE:

15/16 JAN 2020:

20 FEB 2020:

Fire sweeps through Brad Smith’s Tambo Crossing property in the dead of night. Hits again on New Year’s Day

Fires arrive at Frank and Dawn Boulton’s East Gippsland properties

First hay convoys head east from Orbost East with military escorts (road still closed). Second convoy rolls east 20/21

After almost eight weeks, the Green Valley fire is declared out

30 DEC 2019: Fires reach Chris Nixon’s Orbost property. New Year’s Eve is “spent sleeping”

30 DEC 2019: Green Valley fire jumps the Murray River. Sweeps through Walwa and Corryong on 31 December.

Returns to burn Gordon Nicholas’s property 4 January

2 JAN 2020: Premier Daniel Andrews declares a state of disaster for affected shires

4 JAN 2020: First semi-loads of donated hay roll into the Orbost East depot

7 JAN 2020: First semi-load of donated hay delivered to Walwa fodder distribution depot

LATE JAN/EARLY FEB: 200ml of rain falls on Brad Smith’s Tambo Crossing property (including 40ml in half an hour). Flood damage destroys more fencing than bushfires

8 FEB 2020: Last delivery of donated hay unloaded at Walwa

WINTER 2020

27 FEB 2020: All significant Victorian fires are declared contained

30 JUNE 2020: Chris Nixon finishes fixing fences on his Cann River property

JULY 2020: BlazeAid due to continue fence repair work at Graeme Clyde’s Murray River properties

VICTORIAN FARMER

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Community

Post-bushfire conversation starters

“Power went down on the first day and communications lasted about six hours.

Luckily, my daughter found one small spot where we could get mobile reception. I would work from there.”

Around 800 bales arrived to service the district, with Graeme’s tractor getting a solid workout until the last delivery on February 8.

The stockpile lasted “until the rain and the grass started to grow”. Now, still with a couple of kilometres of fencing to be done, Graeme is philosophical about 2020.

“If Coronavirus hadn’t hit, we would have been pretty well on top of it because of BlazeAid and that sort of help. You had to take it in your stride because everyone was taking it in their stride, even those who got completely burnt out.”

That’s the way farming communities survive and rebuild from disasters like Black Summer.

Help each other out, do the hard graft and file away that valuable experience for the next challenge, whatever it is. n

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Clockwise from top left: Graeme Clyde and his wife outside their home near Walwa that was spared. Graeme considered himself to be one of the most fortunate farmers in the area; Two of Gordon’s hardworking farm dogs; A misty morning at Graeme’s incredibly green property

These are the issues bushfire-affected farmers just couldn’t stop talking about…

The (up to $75,000) Special Disaster Grant was well-received, but some argue that it should have been better audited and perhaps paid pro-rata on property size and/or damage BlazeAid President Kevin Butler “needs a swag of gold medals for the idea that he’s come up with”, as one VFF member said, but given that many farmers are still fixing damage seven months later, is it time for more government funding to boost the organisation’s army of volunteers?

Many discovered the hard way that they were under-insured, and others were adversely affected by the substantial lag between event and insurance payout Fuel-reduction burning was perhaps the hottest debate, followed by the issue of postfire road blocks hindering farmers getting back to their properties

Rising From The Ashes – VFF bushfire support The sheer scale of Victoria’s bushfire disaster called for an equally enormous response effort to ensure all farmers impacted by the event had access to feed and fodder to supply livestock whose grazing land was scorched.

The VFF led the coordination of donated fodder relief for farmers affected by bushfires right across Victoria’s North East and East Gippsland regions, not just in the immediate aftermath of the fires, but for months after the flames were extinguished.

More than five hundred farmers received the much-needed supplies, with those tasked with the emergency relief being overwhelmed by the generosity of the rural and regional communities who continued to dig deep despite many facing their own battles, including drought conditions in many areas.

The support for those directly impacted by the fires came from far and wide, with more than 1000 individual fodder loads from across Australia delivered to makeshift fodder distribution depots in Corryong and Bairnsdale.

Overall, just under 400,000 kilometres was covered by vehicles laden with donated fodder for Victorian farmers – that’s roughly the distance to the moon.

VFF Fodder Drive • 1028 individual loads subsidised • 387,900 kilometres subsidised • 44,342 bales transported • 310 companies/individuals that transported fodder • 500+ farmers who received assistance • 522 farmers registered with VFF who donated fodder (number through external agencies is unknown) • 113 tonnes of pellets transported 2018 St Patrick’s Day bushfires Area burnt: 40,000 hectares Number of farms destroyed: 200 Livestock lost: 2,600 2019-2020 Dec–Jan Vic bushfires Area burnt: 1,561,000 hectares Number of farms destroyed: 1,344 Livestock lost: 7,100

Gordon Nicholas on his farm at Biggara

Disaster Relief Support Programs

Gippsland Fencing Grant Relief Fund

The recovery process for farmers impacted during Victoria’s bushfire crisis has continued long after the fires were extinguished, and the VFF has been there to support them by running two separate fire grants to help farmers get back on their feet in Victoria’s North East and East Gippsland regions.

The VFF would like to thank the GERF for initiating this partnership to deliver much needed funds to fire-impacted farmers, and trusts these funds will help farmers as they continue their post-fire recovery journey.

Both the VFF Disaster Relief Fund and the Gippsland Fencing Grant have helped play an important role in recovering from the disaster.

At the same time the VFF was coordinating fodder donations, the VFF Disaster Relief Fund began taking monetary donations from people across the country and internationally to support the bushfire recovery.

In total, just under $800,000 was distributed through 266 individual grants to fire-impacted farmers to repair and rebuild infrastructure including fencing, water, livestock yards and fertiliser.

The Gippsland Fencing Grant was run in conjunction with the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund and helped distribute much needed funds to farmers in East Gippsland to replace lost and damaged fencing.

More than 270 grants were distributed to farmers totalling $1.4 million, with one request lodged requiring over 68 kilometres of fencing to be replaced.

• $798,000 distributed in 266 grants to farmers between March-June 2020 • 38 per cent of funds went to East Gippsland • 62 per cent of funds went to the North East • 42 per cent of funds used for fencing, 22 per cent for infrastructure, 30 per cent for pasture regeneration/ tanks and troughs and 6 per cent miscellaneous • $1.4 million distributed in 275 grants • Majority of grants were to replace under 5kms of fencing • The shortest claim was 250m of fencing and the largest was 68kms

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Big Issue

AGRICULTURE UNDER COVID-19: HOW HAS YOUR SECTOR FARED? Words: Ian Lloyd Neubauer

I

n the first week of July, after nearly 200 cases of COVID-19 were detected in Melbourne in a single day, the Victorian Government made the difficult but necessary decision to return the city and some regional areas to lockdowns only a few weeks after it was lifted – dashing hopes of a quick economic recovery in the state.

But as an essential service granted exemptions during lockdowns to keep supermarket shelves stocked and food on people's tables, agriculture has been spared the brunt of the recession.

“The Victorian agricultural industry is performing well in 2020 with rainfall promoting good pasture and crop growth,” according to Rural Bank, a

"We are also now seeing our export markets starting to come out of COVID-19 lockdowns and regaining historic levels of consumption. It all adds up to confidence in the dairy sector."

Paul Mumford President of United Dairy Farmers of Victoria

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partnership between Bendigo Bank and Elders.

As this utterly unprecedented situation continues to unfold, we take a look at how half a dozen specific sectors have fared under the pandemic – and what lies ahead for 2020.

DAIRY

With the highest milk prices on record and heavy rains, the Victorian dairy industry saw the beginning of a longawaited recovery in January. And despite all the operational challenges introduced by the pandemic, the outlook for Victorian dairy farmers remains upbeat.

“The dairy industry in Victoria has been in a precarious position for the past 10 to 15 years and this has created a lot of tension and depleted the milk pool,” says Paul Mumford, president of United Dairy Farmers of Victoria. “Many of the factors

needed for that recovery are now in play: continued autumn rains, a good end to the financial year and the setting of a new milk price on July 1 for the next month that has come down a little but is still high.

We are also now seeing our export markets starting to come out of COVID-19 lockdowns and regaining historic levels of consumption. It all adds up to confidence in the sector.”

GRAINS

Heavy rains and drought-driven local demand also gave grain growers in Victoria the best start to the season in many years, with Rural Bank forecasting a 59% increase in production compared to last year. “This is likely to see the east coast grain supply more than meet demand and result in domestic grain prices aligning themselves with – and taking direction from – offshore markets,” Rural Bank says. And the good news looks set to continue, with more rains forecasted for the rest of the year. But growers of barely, Victoria’s second-largest grain crop after wheat, are bracing for harder times ahead after China announced an 80% tariff that will effectively price Australian barley out of the world’s biggest market.

“The largest unknown,” Rural Bank warns, “looks to be how grain

markets will deal with an expected reduction in China’s demand for Australian barley.”

BEEF

Record-high cattle prices driven by strong demand from re-stockers coupled with the rain have also given beef farmers in Victoria a better than average start to 2020, Rural Bank says. It has also offset much of the reduced demand for beef in the food-service industry from the first lockdown. But in July cattle farmers near the NSW border voiced serious concerns about accessing farm inputs and saleyards in NSW after the border was closed. “It’s a catastrophe,” Robert Belcher, a cattle and sheep farmer with property in both states, told the ABC. The border issue became even more poignant after two large abattoirs in Melbourne – Pacific Meats and JBS Australia – were closed after some workers had become infected with COVID-19.

But Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes assured the industry again it would not be affected by lockdowns. “We know there are many farmers, agricultural workers and service providers that need to cross the border regularly to do their jobs,” she said. “We are committed to ensuring we can support them.”

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Big Issue

SHEEP & WOOL

Rural Bank reports that Victorian sheep farmers are enjoying favourable seasonal conditions for lambing, which will support flock rebuilding. Lamb and mutton prices also hit record highs this year but are now starting to fall because of a decline in demand for exports, according to Meat & Livestock Australia. “With ongoing uncertainty in global markets and restrictions still in place, overseas demand, in particular from high-end foodservice, remains subdued,” the peak body says. Wool, as a discretionary product, is facing leaner times ahead, with global demand expected to remain low for the rest of the year. The cancellation of face-to-face events at Wool Week scheduled for August has also dampened enthusiasm.

“This year has certainly been a challenging one for all and there seems to be no end in sight at the moment,” says Australian Wool Industries executive manager Bianca Heaney.

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FRESH-CUT FLOWERS The market for fresh cut flowers has also been upended by the pandemic. But a dramatic drop in imported flowers and a corresponding increase in home deliveries have helped flower growers in Victoria muddle through the first half of the year.

“With imported flowers hardly available, demand was good.

And during the last lockdown over Easter and Mother’s Day, we had two of our biggest events of the year,” says Mariska de Wit of Sunny Hills Flowers, a lilly specialist in the Dandenong Ranges. But Victoria’s second lockdown presents a new and more complicated set of challenges for flower growers.

“We’re in the middle of winter when both demand and supply is a bit slow and they could very well be balanced. But we’re worried about what could happen from September onwards. People are doing it tough and growers

WINTER 2020

have already planned ahead in terms of production size and that cannot be changed now. Those flowers need to be planted. It’s stressful. Things are uncertain again.”

Egg Farm and retail complex in Werribee. “We have had to split our grading staff in half so that if one team gets infected, the other can still work.”

EGGS

BEEKEEPING

Egg farming in 2020 has proved the ultimate coin toss. Egg farmers supplying the retail sector have seen sales go through the roof.

“The flow of people coming through the door is massive. Things are crazy,” said a sales-assistant at Keysborough Egg Farm, a wholesaler in Melbourne that sells direct to the public. But egg farmers who supply the foodservice industry have been hard hit by the lockdowns and try to restructure their distribution channels. Socialdistancing at the workplace has also made packing eggs much more complicated than before – and forced farmers to find creative solutions. “The big risk was that if one of your staff members on the grading floor gets COVID-19, the whole business shuts downs,” says Brian Ahmed, co-owner of LT’s

With increasing consumer awareness around the anti-bacterial properties of honey, sales in this category have boomed during the pandemic. “It was just incredible. Nobody could keep up at one stage,” Liz Barbour of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Honeybee Products told the ABC. Beekeepers have also benefitted from heightened biosecurity protocols introduced in 2016 that have thus far succeeded in making Australia the only country in the world to be free from Varroa, a parasite that makes bee colonies break down and die. Measures include testing, limiting the movement of honey bees (the bee equivalent of social distancing) and limiting the size of honey bee populations in densely populated areas and near ports where a Varroa incursion is likely to occur. n

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No workers No harvest No food As seasonal working backpackers disappear during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s becoming increasingly harder for farmers to find unskilled labour.

Words: Tony Blackie

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Business

T

here was a collective sigh of relief from Victorian farmers as reports came in about the citrus harvest – it was touch and go but some quick thinking allowed the harvest to go ahead without issue. The worst had been predicted; a scenario of fruit rotting on the ground with no workers available to pick or pack.

The current COVID-19 crisis is placing massive pressure on the ability to find unskilled farm labour as the flow of seasonal and backpacker worker numbers dwindle.

As the isolation renewed lockdowns and the potential for more closed State borders loomed, along with insufficient numbers of available backpackers and seasonal workers for the task, farmers, labour hire and government put their heads together to find a solution.

The end result was an innovative scheme to move available workers

sector, Cattle also pointed out that the growing number of Australians without a job is also a major concern.

“We are talking to government about various solutions including encouraging the unemployed to work on farms,” he says.

He says many farmers are not convinced this will work, as it has been tried in the past and has failed.

In addition, Cattle commented that the JobKeeper scheme had not proved successful in rural areas.

Robert Hayes, State Manager of Harvest Labour Services at MADEC said while it is a quieter time in south eastern Australian rural sector, farmers, government and labour groups have some time to plan.

“The fact is that 70,000 backpackers have gone home and haven’t been replaced. There are 80,000 still here and many of them were in hospitality so they will now be looking for horticulture jobs,” Hayes says. “Many have been staying on farms waiting out the virus and

“It’s a pretty attractive proposition for the grower.

We do our job and tell the farmer we’ll have 10 workers to a property at 8am to start work. Done.”

Robert Hayes State Manager of Harvest Labour Services at MADEC

Nathan Free, Managing Director of Wattle Organic Farms, and Charlotte (Lottie) Lawler, Assistant Manager

from farm to farm to ensure the fruit was picked and packed in a timely way.

However, this being the first of what many expect will be many future crises facing Victorian farmers, it’s feared the success of this plan may not be repeated the next time seasonal workers are needed.

Tyson Cattle, National Public Affairs Manager at AUSVEG and Horticulture Council Executive Officer at the National Farmers’ Federation, says there are other major harvests looming and, as yet, there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution.

He pointed out that the Northern Territory mango season starts midAugust and there are major concerns about the access to labour then and into September when Victorian and NSW harvests begin in earnest.

While acknowledging that restricted seasonal labour is a pressing issue facing the rural

farmers have been encouraging them to stay. Our concern is that in September and October we might be short of harvest workers.”

Hayes says that farming groups are getting increasingly concerned about labour availability as the isolation continues and border restrictions are put in place. He pointed out that VegetablesWA – the peak industry body representing vegetable growers in Western Australia – has voiced serious concerns because of its closed border.

“At least in rural Victoria we can go to the Northern Territory where the mango harvest is coming up.

The people in seasonal workers programs are still here, they have had their visas extended and they are spread across the States. Now the farmers who are approved employers of seasonal workers are working together to move those people around the country to where they are WINTER 2020

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most needed. That co-operative approach has worked reasonably well.”

Hayes says that MADEC, an approved supplier of farm workers, is trying to provide for the needs of farmers large and small. Along with a number of other accredited labour hire groups, MADEC is sourcing and supplying as few as six workers to farms. The labour hire groups do all the administration, organise transport, accommodation and payment.

“It’s a pretty attractive proposition for the grower,” he says. “We do our job and tell the farmer we’ll have 10 workers to a property at 8am to start work. Done.”

But he says the fact is that the numbers of available workers is continuing to drop.

“The figures we saw in the beginning showed 20,000 backpackers a month were leaving. That has now dropped to 7,000 a month, but there have been no new ones coming in. It will be interesting to see what happens in Queensland when they restart the hospitality industry.

That is a traditional area for backpackers and it’s likely those who remain will head there.”

Hayes also observed that there is a growing group of potential farm workers – unemployed Australians.

“We are looking at a significant unemployment pool and maybe they could be encouraged to work on farms.

Intuitively it seems like a no brainer as a solution to the need for workers. It’s largely unskilled work, picking and packing so it is not necessarily good for the Federal Government’s job training scheme.”

Hayes says that a scheme to involve the unemployed would need a lot of support as encouraging city dwellers to the country would, understandably, not be easy. There is very little incentive to being a long way from home, having to get up to speed doing work they are not used to doing and, of course, the fact that if they stay in the city they will still receive government support.

“We are really in a holding pattern to see what happens when demand ramps up later in the year. You can’t just click your fingers and get backpackers.”

Hayes says for the past five years labour for farms hasn’t been a problem with plenty of unskilled labour available whenever it was required. “Growers haven’t had to think too much about how to attract people.

Now they have to think beyond that, it’s a new way of thinking for farmers.”

Sam Badans of Backpacker Operators Association and Youth Hostels of Australia said that many young holiday visa holders were trying to stick it out as long as they could. He said they are vital to the rural economy as they do many of the jobs that Australians won’t do.

Nathan Free, Managing Director of Mallee Organic Farms, said that while the lack of backpackers and seasonal workers is acutely felt by fruit and vegetable growers, it is also a major problem across the whole farming community. “Even the cereals industry would get in young backpackers to help with their harvests. They need arms and legs on the ground,” he says.

While the citrus harvest result has been a welcome relief, Free predicts that the shortage of workers – particularly backpackers – will create a serious situation for farmers in the Sunraysia area from Swan Hill to Mildura. He also believes the solution is to encourage the growing number of unemployed people in the city to go to the country areas to help out.

“This idea could represent a tree change for some people. People who are struggling to find a new job could possibly work in fruit, dairy or cereal for a couple of months.” n

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Top to bottom: Nathan Free discusses the future harvest with Lottie Lawler at Wattle Organic Farms; Nathan at his Lake Boga property inspecting a fruit crop; Seasonal worker on Wattle Organic Farm picks fruit for packing

Business Help is on its way State and Federal Government are working with farmer groups to ensure rural agricultural industries continue to produce food for the nation and for export. Victorian Agriculture Minister, Jaclyn Symes, MP, has been working with Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud MP, to ensure the safety of the community while providing the necessary environment assistance to maintain the farm sector.

The Federal Government has agreed to extend the visas for season workers – most of whom are citizens of Pacific Island nations.

The office of the Victorian Minister for Agriculture announced that the government is providing a $50 million Agriculture Workforce Plan which offers case management and financial assistance to eligible business to support worker relocation, transport and induction costs. This grant can also be used to make practical and necessary adaptions to workplaces to make them COVID-19 safe.

Minister Symes also said that a testing regime for farm workers, including the temporary visa holders, would be put in place. This would include the extension of contact tracing and testing where necessary.

The Minister said funding has also been provided for SuniTAFE in Mildura to develop an online upskill program for new horticulture workers (https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-onlinetraining-horticulture-workers/].

In addition the government has established The Victorian Agriculture Industry Reference Group which brings together senior representatives from Agriculture Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Commonwealth’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, close to 40 industry peak bodies as well as representatives from similar bodies in NSW and South Australia allowing the group to discuss cross border issues.

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vff.org.au | 1300 882 833

Great Debate

David Gibb on his farm in the Mornington Peninsula Green Wedge

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Living on the wedge Meet four veteran farmers and VFF members to discover the challenges of commercial farming in the green wedge and peri-urban areas of Greater Melbourne.

Words: Jocelyn Pride Photography: Gina Milicia

I

t’s nearly 50 years since green wedges were first introduced as ‘the lungs’ and ‘food bowls’ of Melbourne. Open landscape where town meets country throughout 17 municipalities within a 100km radius of the city, designed to preserve rural life through agriculture and the protection of cultural and natural features and resources. Peri-urban areas lie beyond the green wedges, but still within the 100km radius.

In 1970, Melbourne’s population was around 2.5 million. Predictions have the population reaching in excess of 8.6 million by 2066. So as the urban sprawl creeps further afield, what challenges do green wedge and periurban areas face? And where does that leave commercial farmers?

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Great Debate

In limbo

For more than 40 years Alan McKenzie has grown crops and raised cattle in the Sunbury area. “We’re the closest rural area to Melbourne that’s been kept in a green wedge,” he says. “Go to the other side of Melbourne, and you’ll see magnificent, mouth-watering agricultural country that has houses growing on it.”

Like the many farmers who once surrounded his 160 hectare family property, Alan feels like he’s fast going down the path of finishing up.

“It’s too bloody hard,” he says.

However, Alan is hamstrung. “We’ve had a planning public acquisition overlay slapped right through the middle of our land for a new ring road. Vic Roads won’t tell us the exact area involved, but we estimate it to be about 100 acres. The land only gets paid for when (and if) they finally take it.”

There are already high tension power lines through Alan’s property with a sewer line and gas main proposed. “Directly opposite we have a privately owned tip. You’ve heard of Mt Buller, well this is Mt Bulla. At around 40-50 metres high and 500 square metres, it’s like a block of flats!”

Veolia green waste is also nearby. “The EPA have whacked a 1.3km buffer zone around it to

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Above – Allan Bullen on his tractor at his farm in Lang Lang Right page, top to bottom: David Gibb feeding some of his cattle in Mornington Peninsula; Allan Bullen at work on his Lang Lang farm

protect the urban dwellers from the odours,” Alan explains, adding that his house is in the zone. “If someone is going to put a buffer around you, there should be compensation.”

Hard lines between housing and farmland also leads to people tossing rubbish over fences.

“We’ve had everything you can think of. I’ve even had to clean up boxes of dirty nappies,” he says. “When the government talks about the green wedges, one policy doesn’t fit all. They need to look at every green wedge individually and see if the farmers can make a living. If they can’t, they need to find a different use for the land.”

Shifting sands

Thirty years ago Allan Bullen moved his chicken farm from the Mornington Peninsula to Lang Lang, 73km from Melbourne. “I needed to expand, but it wasn’t viable to do it in Red Hill,” he explains.

Although Allan’s operation isn’t officially classified as peri-urban (yet), through his sixyear stint as a VFF chicken meat representative and his current role as chairperson of ACGC (Australian Chicken Growers Council), he maintains strong links with Mornington.

“We’re losing a lot of our chicken farms on the Mornington Peninsula. Basically, they can’t

expand, so therefore the processors deem them too small. When chicken farmers lose their contract they’re stuck. They can’t sub-divide.

Their $3 million investment declines because no-one is going to buy a chook farm. The exit strategy in a green wedge zone is not there to help farmers.”

Allan believes there’s disparity between the amount of land and how much is being commercially farmed, begging the question – What is a farmer?

“To me a farmer is someone running an operation solely to make money,” Allan says.

“They keep improving the property which means they probably have a bank debt. On the Mornington Peninsula there are a lot of farmers who survive by using their resources for tourists. I applaud their flexibility, but call them tourism farms rather than commercial farms.”

Allan explains that it’s hard for the government to create a legislation to cover everyone. “They’ve tried a blanket approach and what works in one place doesn’t necessarily work in another. I think there needs to be an inquiry into the green wedge to see what can be done for the future. It was meant to be a buffer, but urban areas have jumped over it. Now we have green wedge in the middle of housing areas. It’s parkland for urban people.”

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Great Debate Uninvited guests

Nick Dellios’ family has been fruit farming in the peri-urban area of Bacchus Marsh since the mid 50s. “When we started there were 23 orchards in the area and now we are the only commercial orchard left,” he says.

However, a couple of curve balls have recently bowled him over and the family has never been in as much debt.

Dellios apples are a household name, and it turns out grey headed fruit bats love them too.

“At the end of the 2017-18 season a couple of thousand bats came from nowhere and destroyed a few bins of apples,” Nick says. Then they told their mates. “The next season we were inundated. A colony of around 30,000 devastated our crop worth around $2 million.”

Despite several calls for help through DELWP and lodging a hardship case for financial assistance, Nick had to go it alone. “We purchased drape netting at a cost of $1 million with a further $160,000 for annual costs to assemble it. A permanent structure is what we wanted, but that’s more like $5 million.”

Living in hope the netting continues to deter the bats, Nick now has another issue to contend with – soil contamination. Maddingley Brown Coal, a low grade industrial waste site is a front runner for the dumping of soil from the West Gate Tunnel Project. Unions stopped work on the tunnel due to the soil being contaminated with PFAS. Nick has 10 farming blocks around Bacchus Marsh, and the closest one to the dump is one kilometre away. “We believe it’s already a done

“On the Mornington Peninsula there are a lot of farmers who survive by using their resources for tourists. I applaud their flexibility, but call them tourism farms rather than commercial farms.”

Allan Bullen

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deal,” he says. “If we get contamination in ground water from PFOS, it will undoubtedly put us out of business.”

Nick reckons his type are a dying breed. “The land is too valuable for farmers to make a living, there are too many restrictions on selling the land and who is going to buy it with the prospect of contamination?” he says.

Turning the tide

David Gibb is a second generation beef farmer in the Mornington Peninsula green wedge.

“To misquote Geoffrey Blainey, we suffer from the tyranny of closeness. It’s too easy to slip down to the Peninsula,” he says.

This leads to a decrease in land used for agriculture. “People buy in areas for weekenders and rural interests. Some people have described it, tongue in cheek, as affordable housing for the rich.”

And this in turn drives up the price of the land for farmers wanting to expand their operation.

“It’s very difficult for young couples to get into agriculture because the cost of the land is high compared to the return on investment. This makes continuity farming difficult,” he explains, adding that access to local agricultural services is also a challenge. “Twenty years ago we had several large animal vets, now there is only one. It’s the same with farm supplies.”

The Mornington Peninsula is also popular horse country. “The proliferation of horses is a problem too,” he says. “Because when we need to shoot vermin like foxes, rabbits and kangaroos, the horse owners arc up. We need to eliminate vermin to protect agriculture, which is something urban people sometimes don’t understand.”

David Gibb is worried about people who buy farmland and look for ways to sub-divide

A bit of history In 1829, British landscape architect John Claudis Loudon came up with a plan to separate built up areas in England with greenbelts, cut through by green wedges.

David is also worried about people who buy farmland and look for ways to sub-divide.

“It seems to be a cultural thing in Australia.

When you go to Britain, the greenbelts are sacrosanct. If land is zoned greenbelt – it’s permanent. In Australia it’s the opposite. People immediately say – how can I beat the system?

So there’s a completely perverse counterview in Australia of individualism versus the greater good of agriculture.”

With 20 years of experience as a councillor, including two terms as Mayor, David often discusses the future of green wedges. “It will require strenuous efforts from government, planning departments and strategic planners,” he says. “And it will require positive efforts from shire councils and land owners.” n WINTER 2020

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Outside the

square

Bendigo farmer Brendan Williams has never been afraid to think differently when it comes to farming.

Words: Sue Wallace Photography: Charlie Kinross

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Meet a Farmer

I

t was the sight of long queues and worried faces outside Bendigo’s Centrelink that prompted Victorian farmer, Brendan Williams, to consider how to support people affected by COVID-19.

As a result, Brendan, wife Robyn and business partners Robin and Emma Smith, who together established Williams Smith Farming in 2017, donated 10,000 kilograms of chickpeas to the Bendigo Foodshare.

“I just kept thinking how can we help and then I thought about the chickpeas we had in reserve – it will go towards producing 200,000 serves of protein for those in need,” Brendan says. “Often we all get caught up in our own bubble and it’s great to look outside it. City folk have always given generously to farmers following bush fires and drought, and it is now our turn to help.”

Brendan and Robyn Williams with their dogs on their farm in Serpentine

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Top then clockwise: Brendan and Robyn’s son Nick on their farm at Serpentine; Robyn, Nick and Brendan; the family’s farm gate

Williams Smith Farming is one of many producers assisting regional food share centres with fresh and staple food supplies, which is supported by the Victorian Farmers Federation.

Brendan, 61, who is a third-generation farmer, grew up at Kaniva, east of Bordertown, on a sheep and wheat property, where his grandfather farmed. He studied agriculture at Melbourne University and worked for the Department of Agriculture and Longerenong College before venturing into his own private enterprises. His first company was GPS-Ag.

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Meet a Farmer Brendan and Robyn, who is a physiotherapist, have three children, Lucy, 26, Joe, 23 and Nick, 18, who all enjoy farm life when at home.

The Smiths have two young girls, Mary, 3, and Victoria, five months.

The farming operation is run over three properties at Campbells Forest, Serpentine and Kamarooka, near Bendigo. They farm 2000 hectares of no-till crops including wheat, barley, chickpeas, oats, faba beans and canola.

Although Brendan and Robyn have always been involved in farming, they have only recently moved from Bendigo to their Campbells Forest property.

“While many farmers think about retiring to a town at our age – we are doing the reverse and have moved to live on a farm and we love it,” says Brendan.

But he’s the first to admit he’s always done things a little differently including pioneering a new approach to irrigation methods.

“When it came to irrigation, I tried to think outside the square and while most people are geared to irrigate in summer, we irrigate in winter/spring to fill the soil profile. We adapted equipment for that purpose, spreading a small amount of water over a large area as efficiently as possible,” he explains.

“Often it’s only a few inches of rain between a good year and a bad year and our irrigation system gets us through if that happens.

We had some difficulty convincing the irrigation industry about this approach and we have made it work.”

Brendan, who is a driver of change for better and sustainable farming practices, is also a pioneer in the adoption of GPS technology on Australian farms. He also remains involved with the distribution of the WEEDIT technology that reduces herbicide use by 90 per cent by detecting weeds and targeting the herbicide to just hit the

weeds. He consults to the company, Seed Terminator, a product that kills 98 per cent of weeds as they are discarded from the harvester without chemical use.

But ultimately, it’s the freedom, independence and the fact that he doesn’t have to rely too much on others that fuels his love for farming. “Sure, the weather is the variable you have to cope with, but we are lucky that half our crops are under irrigation, so we are insulated from the lack of rain and the farming enterprise is more secure,” he says. “If you irrigate in winter, you are adding to the winter rainfall.

We designed our irrigation methods to provide a little water over a big area, so we spread 200mls on 750 hectares – it’s a bit novel but an effective way. We took risks and it paid off.”

Brendan believes the key to a successful joint partnership is being open and honest.

“We pretty much run the business on a corporate structure, and we share resources across the properties with all equipment leased,” Brendan says.

“These days it is extremely difficult to make a profit if you are looking for a return on every dollar invested.”

Brendan wants to encourage other farmers to support centres such as the Bendigo Foodshare.

“Organisations such as the Bendigo Foodshare are a fantastic initiative – often when you donate money to causes you are not sure where your dollars are going but if you donate food and grains you know it’s 100 per cent going to those who need it.”

As for the future of farming, Brendan believes it’s tough for young people, especially in remote locations, and he says valueadding is the answer. His advice – “Forward thinking and planning with options is the way of the future.

And never be afraid to think differently”. n

VFF rates battle continues Farmers are being encouraged to take up the campaign for fair local government rates in response to a 5 per cent average increase to farm rates in 2020-21.

Livestock producer John Buxton at Bundalaguah says Gippsland farmers have had a gutful over the constant increases to their rates notices.

“At the moment we have a Council that is sitting back and blaming the state government’s rating system and the valuation process. They refuse to take any responsibility for the way they set the rates locally.”

With support from the VFF policy team, the VFF Gippsland Branch is campaigning for Wellington Shire to change its rating strategy next year.

“We sat down with the Council before they passed this year’s budget and a submission was put in by the VFF. We put forward some positive solutions to the council on how they can make the rates fair for all ratepayers.

Unfortunately they didn’t listen,” John says.

“Council elections will be held in October this year, so there’s a good opportunity for us to make this a prominent issue for the candidates.”

“If we are unable to get farmers elected to Council, then hopefully we can get people elected who understand the inequity of the rating system for farm businesses and who are committed to having a go at fixing it,” John says.

Manangatang grain grower Christine Plant who is Chair of the VFF Farm Business and Regional Development Committee says there’s a lot of work going into the fight for fair rates.

“Last year we took part in the state government’s review of the rating system. This was something the VFF successfully lobbied for at the 2018 election. This year we have analysed every local government budget and where there has been unfair rate rises, we have responded directly to the councils and through the media.”

Christine says with local government elections just around the corner there is an opportunity for farmers to campaign locally on rates.

“The more farmers we have working together to campaign for change, the greater chance of success we’ll have. Even if farmers receive an unfair rate rise this year, taking the time speak with your council now can bear fruit when it comes to next year’s budget.”

She adds that VFF stands ready to assist branches and members who want to fight for a fair go. “The policy team at the VFF will prepare data and information to help put a strong case to your council.”

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WORKPLACE RELATIONS ADVICE

SECURING YOUR BUSINESS The Workplace Relations Team at the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) provides tailored and up-to-date advice on workplace related matters.

The team delivers updates for members on key issues pertaining to employment, clarifying information from the Fair Work Commission, and explaining the information in clear terms to help members understand their employment obligations.

The Workplace Relations Team’s services are available to full commodity members of the VFF, either by a subscription to the Workplace Relations Handbook or an hourly fee-for-service arrangement.

Critical advice and expertise Areas of advice the Team can assist with includes: Ü Federal and State employment legislation Ü The National Employment Standards (NES) Ü Interpretation of modern awards Ü Wage rate information Ü Employment contracts Ü Performance counselling Ü Warning letters Ü Abandonment of employment Ü Termination of employment Ü Redundancy Ü The Fair Work Information Statement Ü Workplace policies and procedures Ü Workers compensation Ü Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Ü Legislative developments Ü Court & tribunal rulings Ü Enterprise Agreements and bargaining

Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü Ü

Union entry Union rule interpretation Workplace bullying Discrimination Adverse action cases General protections Flexible work arrangements Pay and remuneration Equal opportunity Underpayment of wages

The Team also offers individual consultations for VFF members on a fee-for-service basis, providing professional and comprehensive advice on the following: Ü Agreement making Ü Mediations with agencies such as Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman Ü Workplace audits Ü Representation (Fair Work Commission)

WORKPLACE RELATIONS ADVICE

SECURING YOUR BUSINESS Reducing your risk By utilising the fee-for-service option, members greatly reduce the following financial risks to their business, including: Ü Underpayment Ü Unfair dismissals Ü Safe working conditions Ü Correct documentation Ü Equal Employment Opportunity Ü Anti-Discrimination As an example, the VFF service reduces the risk of an infringement notice being issued by a Fair Work Inspector (FWI) to an employer who fails to follow the required record-keeping and pay slip workplace obligations. This includes: Ü Not making or keeping time and wage records Ü Not including the right information on a pay slip or employee record Ü Not issuing pay slips within the required time limits

Timely information and peace of mind Workplace Relations is a necessity for businesses small and large in today’s climate, due to the ever changing legislation, rules and regulations, and entitlements to employees. Workplace entitlements that are being regularly updated include: Ü Ü Ü Ü

Your investment Full commodity members of the VFF who subscribe to the VFF Workplace Relations Handbook can call for advice anytime on workplace relations matters and the advice, in many instances, could reduce your business risks. Financial penalties can be applied to the individual business owner who is deemed at fault, or they could be applied to the entire business.

The VFF Workplace Relations Handbook, which contains all your workplace relations needs, is available to commodity members of the VFF for $204 (including GST, postage and handling). The subsequent annual subscription fee, which provides regular Handbook updates, is $165 per year (plus GST).

In addition, the VFF Workplace Relations Team, is available on a fee-for-service basis to provide assistance at $200 per hour (plus GST).

JOIN NOW For all your workplace relations needs, please contact us 1300 882 833 wr@vff.org.au

Casual rights per all modern awards Family violence and domestic unpaid leave Overtime for casuals (horticulture) Labour Hire Licensing Act (all industries)

With access to the VFF Workplace Relations Team you, as a member and employer, can make sure you are doing the right thing by your employees, keeping up-to-date with changes and minimising your chance of any infringement or claims. Infringement notices can be quite expensive at a cost of: Ü Up to $1260 per breach for an individual Ü Up to $6300 per breach for a corporation

September 2019

Tips for tough times Bushfires, drought, COVID-19, a recession and increasing unemployment has nearly everyone feeling worried. We worry about what could happen due to the uncertainty and unpredictability of life right now.

The number one thing each of us can do is to focus on what is within our control.

Easier said than done, so here are some tips that might help you.

Words: Rebecca Martin

1. Believe in your strength Recall times in your life when you have overcome difficulties and challenges. Make a list of them. Don’t be humble – you will see your track record of tenacity, grit and strength.

Tip: Acknowledging our past resourcefulness helps us to be resilient now.

2. Stay informed, but don’t read too much news Watching, listening or reading excessive news and social media distracts us from taking more positive actions and can make us anxious.

Tip: Limit your news and social media each day.

3. Be kind, and have patience and gratitude When we are kind, we feel good, and make others feel good. Kindness promotes kindness and helps us feel connected to one another and less isolated in difficult times. If others aren’t being kind, be patient, they’re possibly stressed.

Tip: Notice the positive things that others are doing for us and thank them.

4. Do not dwell on the past We often mull over what we should have done or what happened in the past. This can lead us to wasting a lot of negative emotions. If you find this happening, ask yourself: “What could I change if anything?” If you can’t change the situation, let it go. If there was something you could change, learn from this and try to change it in the future.

Tip: What can you change? If you can’t, let it go.

5. Focus on you We know that we feel better when we exercise, eat healthy food, and have good sleep. It’s good for our psychological health and helps us deal with uncertainty.

Set yourself wellbeing goals. It may be as simple as a walk in the paddock each day. Tell a friend about your goal. Get them to hold you accountable.

Tip: Set wellbeing goals and get a friend to help you achieve them.

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Telstra tips to keep you connected in-building coverage, providing clearer voice quality and more consistent data performance in more places. These devices amplify the network signal your mobile device receives, which extends the area that your device can work in.

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