South Coast Farmer - Winter 2009

Fighting back: after the devastating summer bushďŹ res, farmers like Damian Moore (right) are still picking up the pieces with the help of people like fencing contractor, Ben Grylls. See story page 3.

PAGE 2 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

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“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 3

By Brad Lester

NEARLY four months after bushfire upended their lives, South Gippsland farmers are still trying to re-build their businesses.

Pastures were razed, fodder destroyed and fences turned to ash by bushfires around Boolarra, Mirboo North and Yarram in January and February.

With pasture gone, many farmers were left with no choice but to reduce their herds, and others have turned to working off-farm to raise money to repair fences.

While offers of help have made the rebuilding task easier, farmers are finding the biggest inspiration to keep going is coming from within.

By maintaining an optimistic outlook and visualising a future life of normality, the men and women who have poured their lives into their businesses are holding out for good days ahead.

Damian Moore of Devon North lost 175ha of pasture, 20km of fencing, and stockyards when fire roared from Mays Bush on February 7, fuelled by a south-westerly wind change. With only half an hour’s warning and fire-fighting resources stretched around the state that day, he could do little but rush – and hope.

With the end of May now here, the dairy and beef farmer’s time is still stretched. He is feeding more fodder than usual, an extra cost on top of low dairy prices and a poor season.

“You go through some stages where it looks pretty daunting. Because the autumn has been so dry, it’s been frustrating because there

has been no stock for three months on the pasture that was burnt. It’s just a matter of not having the rainfall.”

He is re-seeding about 90ha of pasture with a mix of annual and perennial species, including Italian ryegrass for its vigorous winter growth, in anticipation of springtime feed. Weeds have been sprayed to reduce competition for emerging pasture.

“If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done, that’s how it is. The only other chance is to sell and walk off the joint.”

“Where the fire was a lot hotter, there has been nothing growing back and in areas where there were cooler burns, the natural regeneration hasn’t been too bad.”

About 100 dairy and beef heifers have been agisted as far as Lake Tyers and Walkerville, and will return home in July for future breeding programs. About 180 head of beef have been sold.

With contractors, the Moores have restored about five kilometres, of fencing and still have 15km to go.

Despite long days behind him and more to come, Mr Moore still manages a smile.

“You’ve got to be self motivated to keep going. It’s a matter of doing jobs in between other jobs and prioritising things, otherwise the jobs are just too big.”

If anything positive is to come

On track: Devon North farmer Damian Moore is only looking forward as he returns his property to normal with the aid of contractors such as Ben Grylls of Yarram.

out of his ordeal, Mr Moore now feels more prepared to face another fire. Fodder is already better guarded.

At Boolarra, beef farmer Gary Sauppe is slowly restoring his property after bushfire burnt 20 acres of bush, 50 acres of pasture and four kilometres of fencing the week before Black Saturday.

“I had re-done 90 per cent of my fencing over the last couple of years and now I have to start all over again. I’ve only got cows on a quarter of the farm at the moment. I’ve been feeding them hay and have sold about half of the herd.

“I’ve been at Boolarra all my life. This was my parents’ farm. I’ve seen a few fires before but not like this, even when I was six-years-old and there was fire all around us.”

He spent a week-and-a-half clearing fences before heading away to work at his day job as a fitter and turner. Back after seven weeks, he now has an overwhelming task ahead.

“If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done, that’s how it is. The only other chance is to sell and walk off the joint. You’ve just got to do the best you can.

“I will just keep plodding along.

I will have to catch up with some pasture and may leave the herd small for a while.”

Fortunately a neighbour, HVP Plantations, supplied materials for 1.2km of fencing, but still Mr Sauppe spent $1000 on diesel alone over three days to clear fences. He will be replacing as many posts as possible with concrete posts as pine “burns like candles.

“Up in the Kiewa Valley, 90 per cent of the corner posts are concrete, with a mix of galvanised too.”

Positive outlook: Gary Sauppe of Boolarra is tackling every job one day at a time as the January bushfire edges out of his mind.

PAGE 4 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

Gearing up for winter

By Bert van Bedaf

FARMING in winter is tough going.

Winter warm: Cattle farmer Ron Wangman, of Leongatha South, keeps warm in winter while braving the elements.

The wind bites. The rain soaks your clothes. The cold sinks into your bones.

Hands and feet sting in the morning chill.

The ravages of the old days can be seen on retired farmers, grandfathers, whose gnarled hands are testimony of a tough existence.

It is unlikely winters will be as cold as 20 years ago, as global warming sets in, but there’s no doubt conditions can change quickly.

In August 2005 it

snow snowed wedd in in South South Gippsland, Gippsland including Korumburra, Leongatha, Foster and Mirboo North, which was the coldest snap in more than 30 years.

Leongatha South cattle farmer Ron Wangman remembered the snap, “It was cold. It snowed heavily.

Farmers watch the weather closely and usually we know in advance what the weather will do, but that day surprised everyone at the time,” he said.

The last few years we’ve had mild winters.

We’ve had cold snaps now and again, but we haven’t had nearly as cold winters as those 18 or 20 years ago.

Ron has been farming “off and on for 25 years”, first as a hobby farmer. But for the last 15 years he’s been full time, and for the last eight years with a business partner.

As a full time farmer, Ron said, “You’re open to the elements. You can’t afford to sit next to the fire.

You have to check on your cattle.”

He said dairy farmers in particular needed good protection from the cold.

Riding their quad bikes, they use shrouds on the handle bars to keep their hands warm.

He uses mittens which leave the top of his fingers exposed. “You still need the dexterity to operate equipment,” he said.

“These days, there’s plenty of gear around to keep you comfortable in winter. There are a lot of things you can do to make things more comfortable for yourself and your livestock.

“The greatest invention to keep warm has been polar fleece. It is a synthetic material, but it works like the fur coat of a polar bear.

It keeps the wet out and the warmth in.”

Polar fleece is widely used in protective clothing.

First manufactured in 1979, it is an insulating wool fabric made from synthetic fibres. It is used in jackets, hats and sweaters and other outdoor clothing.

Ron looks after his

180-cattle 180 cattle heard by moving them from the paddocks on the highway to the back paddocks behind the hill, where they find more shelter and protection from the trees.

“We make sure the animals are warm as well. The weather does affect them.

They can be under a fair bit of stress and we have to be aware of that.”

These days there’s a fair bit of help at hand in the way of parkas, pants, jackets or trousers, gloves and caps.

A popular brand of wet weather gear is Seal Flex. It includes a selection of garments such as parkas, bib and brace, over-trousers and fleece-lined vests.

The garments are tough yet flexible and light weight and designed to keep you warm and dry.

They are hard wearing and waterproof while maintaining optimum breathability, which adds to their comfort. A large range of gumboots for men and women is also available.

Possibly the icon of all

Australian wet wear is the Driza-Bone range of oilskin vests, jackets and coats.

The company was established in 1898 and has branched out overseas as well.

Another well-known range of gear is Daviesway, which has been a farm supplier since 1911. Established by the Davies family, the company is 100 per cent Australian owned.

Its range includes bib and brace overalls, vests and parkas. Outfits are typically weatherproof with storm cuffs and Velcro straps. The overalls are fully lined to reduce wind chill. Dairy aprons use tough PVC material for durability. Farm boots with cushion soles are designed for everyday use and lasting comfort.

Not to be underestimated is the use of good quality boot socks. They need to be soft to touch, but resilient. They need to stay warm when wet, able to dry quickly and remain comfortable to wear.

Wet weather gear: Sales representative Sally Hulls shows a top-to-toe Country Pack, which includes socks, beanie, pants, short sleeved shirt and jumper.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 5

Cabins within comfort zone MEMORIES of sitting exposed on a tractor, braving the wet and cold while traversing a wind-swept paddock still send a chill down the spines of old farmers.

Today’s tractor cabins are as cosy as houses, with several mod-cons making life on the land as bearable as putting up your feet at home, while using the remote to control equipment.

Two of the most popular tractor brands are John Deere and New Holland, regularly seen in the rural landscape of South Gippsland.

The New Holland T6000 Plus tractor series has been specially developed to meet the demands of livestock farmers.

The cabins provide good visibility for field work. A full size passenger seat is available. Good ventilation, with binnacle mounted vents as standard, is part of the ppackage.

Air conditioning is standard, which is iideal for keeping the screen clear in winid tter e and the operator cool in summer.

The work lights are controlled from a ssimple touch pad. Fully glazed acoustic

profile doors are curved to deflect sound away from the cab interior. The fully glazed doors hinge at the rear of the cab.

This four-pillar design gives an uninterrupted view to the sides.

The John Deere 6030 Premium Series tractor cab offers an ideal operating environment with a quality operator station.

The air suspension seat is adjustable.

The controls are ergonomically designed.

The steering wheel has a tilt and telescope facility. Notably, the instrument pod and left hand reverser stay with the wheel. For warmth, the operator can dial in a desired temperature for automatic control. Furthermore, there is a built-in cooler or conveniently placed cup holder for morning or afternoon tea.

An optional panorama door provides a wide expanse of glass, giving almost 360 degrees of clear visibility. On cold days, you can turn on the heated seat.

An improved sound system with greater reception and reduced cab noise provides a greater level of comfort during long working days.

It’s a long way from a steel seat and an oilskin to keep out the weather.

John Deere: comfortable and simple to use, trainee sales co-ordinator Samantha Drinkwater, of Windmill AG, Meeniyan, easily drives the 6830 premium model through the back yard.

New Holland: Graeme Dell, parts manager at Gendore Tractors, Leongatha, demonstrates the New Holland T6050 tractor.

Variety of gear: Joel Renden demonstrates a range of gear, including Ringers work socks, waterproof thermal gloves, pants and parkas.

PAGE 6 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

Happy at home: Frank Dekker on his farm in Hallston. The multiple committee man spends many hours working away from home to keep local sporting clubs afloat.

By Matt Dunn CALL it the milk of h u m a n

kindness if you like: dairy farmers are well known for their contributions to country sporting clubs.

And those in South Gippsland are no exception.

Dairy farmers have been essential to keeping many clubs afloat, be they players like Wonthaggi Football Club spearhead Rod Tack, or administrators like Mirboo North’s Wayne Roberts or Hallston’s Frank Dekker.

But how does the farmer contend with milking cows and doing all the things he needs to do to be part of the sporting crowd?

It’s more difficult than many might imagine.

But sometimes the toughest thing is heading back to the dairy shed when everybody else is out celebrating after a big win.

“It’s never easy. You rush around all morning to get there and you’re pretty much buggered by the time you get there,” Rod said.

Rod has been playing football in the senior team for 17 years.

But Rod was unlikely to walk away from the game when he is too old to play. Despite the challenges of playing football and being a dairy farmer, he would like to stay involved in some capacity.

“Whether I’m a runner, or something else. I love the camaraderie with all the guys. That’s the part that worries me. If I give it away I’ll miss all that,” he said.

“You definitely need an outlet – to get away from the farm. Otherwise you’d go mad, I reckon.”

Victorian Country Football League communications manager Jock Allan, believes football would be much poorer if not for the input of farmers.

“Farmers are indispensable. I was up at the North Central footy league over the weekend and you could throw a blanket over the team and everyone there would come from a farming family or would have some commitment to the land in some way,” he said.

“Some leagues are very reliant on primary industry for sponsorship, donating to the footy clubs. Other footy clubs own some land and they run some crops and they run some animals. It’s a big part of their fundraising, I guess.

“It’s hard for someone from metropolitan areas to work out what a bloke from a farm has to go through to get to training a couple of times a week, but also to get to the game on a Saturday.”

Rec reserve secretary, Woorayl Golf Club secretary (for the past 19 years), president of Leongatha Ten-

Clubs honour mates THE Victorian Country Football League will dedicate the May 30 round of football and netball to those who lost their lives in the recent bushfires.

In a letter to clubs and umpire groups the VCFL said: “Many of you will know how hard hit some of our communities were by these fires, with many people paying the ultimate sacrifice during the fires.

“We wish to show all affected communities and individuals a show of support from the entire country football family during the 2009 football season.

“We ask all leagues and clubs to support this venture by scheduling a formal recognition into the proceedings of the day, and also where possible, for a donation to be collected for the VCFL Bushfire

Appeal Fund.

“Monies from the VCFL Bushfire Appeal Fund go directly to supporting country communities via projects with the affected football / netball clubs.”

The VCFL has proposed that players, coaches and umpires forfeit part of their payments for the day and that fans give a gold coin donation at the gate.

Any extra activities for collecting extra funds by clubs and leagues are encouraged.

The day will also feature a minute’s silence, an address from the league president or ground announcer, and an invitation to local CFA volunteers as guests of the home club.

Clubs are urged to go to www.vcfl. com.au to register their intention to participate in the Bushfire Appeal Round.

For more information, please call Jock Allan on 8663 3041.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 7

nis Club, president of the Hallston Tennis Club, and recently retired president of the Leongatha Badminton Club Frank Dekker, believes in giving something back to the community.

But he knows too, when he has overstretched himself.

“I realised I was probably doing a bit too much. A friend of mine was interested in taking the badmintion job on. I’d been doing that for 13 years and I thought the time was right to give it away. It’s good sometimes to get new people onto committees, fresh blood and different ideas,” he said.

“I really enjoy the involvement and I think it’s good to give something back to your town. To be involved, to do your bit. I get a bit frustrated with people who criticise but don’t actually put their hands up to do something.

“Another big reason is you meet some great people through the whole process of organising. It’s a good release off the farm to have interests rather than a sick cow or a fence that’s fallen down.”

For Frank, like Rod, it is important to have interest away from the farm.

“It’s good to have something else to focus on. There’s certain types of year, when you’re calving or in the middle of harvest, you don’t want to do all that stuff. But that’s only

a couple of months of the year,” he said.

“I find the biggest drawback of living 15 minutes out of town, is when people need to meet you there for a five minute thing that just requires a ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ or something like that. That’s one of the big drawbacks, the travelling in and out all the time.”

Frank said he believes he would still be involved in various sporting clubs in 15 years time, but maybe not quite as many.

“I’m probably getting to the end of a couple. Like I said, I’ve been involved in the golf club for a long time – but I may take on another role one day. I really deserve the rec reserve job, to be honest. The rec reserve is something Leongatha can be really proud of, with so many different sporting clubs down there using it,” he said.

“We all seem to get along and sort things out. There’s a few times when there’s a few disagreements, but it’s a very good committee that we have there.”

Whatever the situation, Frank is not the type to throw in the towel: “Once I do a job I tend to do it for a fair while.”

But Frank credits his longevity in sport to unerstanding wife Jeanne, who helps him with much of the administrative work.

Wayne Roberts is similarly

committed.

Football, golf and tennis have been his favoured sports, but it is to the Mirboo North Football Club and the Mirboo North Recreation Reserve that he now devotes the most time.

“I got into football administration about 15 years ago. I’m basically the manager for sponsorship, that sort of stuff. I came in there and took control of that. It was just a matter of having time to speak to a few people and forge some friendships,” he said.

“The last few years, through the footy club and the rec reserve committee, we’ve been able to fund a lot of things, with the assistance of the Shire.

“We’ve really turned the reserve around.”

Wayne said the time it took to do the administrative tasks for the football club and the recreation reserve could be spent on the farm, but “you just manage”.

“Some days you know you should be doing some farm work and you’ve really got to get some sponsorship work done or something like that. You just manage. You just make the time and the farm work’s just going to be there either way. It’s a good break as well,” he said.

“I enjoy the time away. You can be stuck on the farm and not have much of a life there.”

Footballing farmer: Wonthaggi Football Club spearhead Rod Tack likes to spend time on his dairy farm. But kicking goals on the footy field (below) is also a favourite activity.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 9

PAGE 8 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

By Danny Buttler CO COMPARING heritage tag apples straight from the tree with fr supermarket varis eties is like come paring apples to p oranges. or Bursting with flavour and freshness, they are a totally different taste tota sensation sennsation to the type of apples that most m of o us spend our lives eating.

A Strzelecki Strzzeleck couple are a key part of a group of heritage apple enthusiasts who are working hard enthusi to preserve preeserve hundreds of apple varieties varietiees that tha have been brought to Australia since European Auustral settlement. settlem ment.

Their orchard is full of T strange strannge and an wonderful sounding apples applles that th are worlds away from Smiths, golden m Granny Gra delicious deliccious and pink ladies.

Take Taake a bite from an Esopus Spitzbergen, Nickajack or Spittzberg Cox’s Cox’s Orange Pippin and your taste buds will know they are alive.

Apple of her eye: Margaret Brammer inspects some of her favourite fruits.

There are a variety of reasons why these and hundreds of other varieties are never seen on the supermarket shelf.

Some might not hold onto the tree long enough, others have skin blemishes, some won’t store for long periods or can’t be grown to uniform size.

For all these reasons, some of the best eating apples have never been tasted by the vast majority of people.

But, bit by bit, Margaret and Mark Brammar are helping to turn more people on to the “real deal” of apple eating.

“People are missing out on a whole range of taste,” Mark said.

“They end up locked into a very limited experience – and that doesn’t just apply to apples, but other foods as well.”

The problem with commercial apples is not so much the varieties used but the way in which they are treated prior to sale.

According to the Brammars, a supermarket Granny Smith, for example, is picked too early to ensure that the sugars have fully developed.

This allows the fruit to be placed in cold storage for long periods.

A Granny Smith left longer on the tree will turn more yellow and will

have a better taste to it – but it won’t last six months in cold storage.

“They tend to pick when the apples have just a minimum amount of sugar so they can be put in cold storage, so they never really get to the full flavour, which leaves people a bit short-changed on flavour,” Margaret said.

“Another example is a red delicious, which can be floury in the supermarket, but is a really nice apple if it’s left on the tree.”

As word spreads about the better flavours on offer from home-grown heritage varieties, the demand for the Brammar’s trees continues to grow.

Selling the fruit is a sideline for the real business of propagating and selling young trees. Each tree sold secures the future of that variety for another few decades at least.

It has turned into a good business, but has the potential to grow more if the couple was willing and able to let it.

“We intended it to be a business ultimately, but we were happy to let it build gradually,” Mark said.

“If we wanted to we could push it harder, but at the moment we don’t want to.

“It’s growing quite nicely by itself with the minimal marketing we do and by word of mouth. It’s more than paying for itself.”

Promoting the fruit trees is as simple as cutting a wedge of apple.

The Brammars use farmer’s markets to allow people to taste their wares, hoping that the sensational taste will convince them to buy a tree or three for their own backyard.

“That’s the advantage of farmers markets,” Margaret said.

“We are promoting the apples so people can go by the taste and realise that the look doesn’t matter. If they like the flavour but don’t like the apple scab, they are willing to peel the skin off.

“They are surprised at the number of apples – we can have up to 40 apples on display for them to taste,” she said.

The global financial crisis may have prompted some people to consider growing their own food, but the Brammars claim there has been a longer term trend to planting backyard fruit trees.

“Definitely, we’ve just noticed a bigger increase in people wanting to have their own trees and have that experience of picking their own fruit and I guess price increases have meant

that people are looking at growing their own,” Margaret said.

“Initially it was people on acreages who wanted their own trees, but now we are seeing more people in suburbia.”

Unlike the ruthless commercial fruit and vegetable industry, the heritage apple market attracts people with more than just dollar signs on their mind.

“There’s a spectrum,” Mark said.

“Some are totally altruistic by preserving the varieties and are not making any money out of it. Then there the really business orientated ones. We are somewhere in the middle there”.

Apples ain’t apples HERITAGE apples don’t just taste good, they sound good too.

Their names are often unusual, sometimes downright strange. Here’s a short list of the better named varieties that make the Jonathon sound (and taste) quite mundane:

Grand duke Constantine Winter Banana Belle de Boskoop Peasgood Nonsuch Jolly Begger Doctor Hogg Twenty Ounce Cornish Aromatic Spartan Viking King of Tompkins County Improved Foxwhelp American Mother And one that would seem to be the ultimate apple experience -

Climax

Pick and choose: Mark and Margaret with just a few of their apple varieties which are ready for tasting.

Right, In the thick of it: Margaret amid the many young heritage trees that will soon be sold around Australia.

PAGE 10 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

No margin for error

By Chris Brown

GLENN Funnell has always loved flying.

He used to live across the paddocks from the Leongatha aerodrome and watch agricultural airplanes in the sky.

Now flying is his day job as one of only 200 or so agricultural pilots in the country.

He spreads fertiliser and sprays chemicals across the region with Air Ag Gippsland where he is the owner operator.

“I just love it,” Glenn said Peak aerial spraying time is from the start of January until the end of March with potatoes, snow peas and fertiliser spreading keeping Glenn in the sky.

Now heading into winter it is the tail end of the super spreading and weed spraying is starting up.

When spraying steep dairy farms in South Gippsland or potato crops on the Koo Wee Rup swamp, there’s plenty to concentrate on.

“You line up on the GPS marking system in the aircraft, keeping straight, looking out for cars on sides of road, houses and power lines,” Glenn said.

“Power lines are the big issue and the one you’ve got to look out for, and also drift and making sure the chemicals go on the right area. There are a lot of variables.”

He hasn’t hit a power line yet, but there have been a few near misses.

Glenn first flew at the age of 22.

“Once you get past the nerves and everything like that and settle down, it’s good,” he said.

He left cabinet making in 1997 and started loading Air Ag aircraft.

By mid-1998, after hundreds of hours in the air, he was qualified and began fertilising the region.

There are about 25 short air strips across

South Gippsland, in paddocks or on the sides of hills, which “don’t look like air strips”.

Fertiliser is taken to the air strip and then loaded onto the plane to reduce costs.

“Sometimes you might be landing 60-70 times a day on the one strip,” Glenn said.

“We’ll go to one air strip, finish it off and then go to the next one, and the next one.

“It might take you three or four months to get around them all, depending on how much fertiliser you have to spread.”

The shortest of these air strips is about 300m long and a tailwind isn’t wanted during landing or else overshooting is a risk.

“Usually the steeper the airstrip the better, as you get more speed on takeoff if you are going downhill,” Glenn said.

First thing in the morning when “it’s absolutely beautiful” and a gentle wind of no more than three or four knots are perfect spreading conditions.

Once the wind reaches seven knots it’s almost impossible to spread.

“The weather in South Gippsland can be frustrating. There might be times where you can’t fly for two weeks and that’s just the way it is,” Glenn said.

“Rain can be an issue, especially with spraying because most chemicals are rain fast to about six hours, but with fertiliser the rain helps to wash it in.”

For every job it’s critical the wind directions are right.

“If the conditions aren’t right we won’t spray,” he said.

“If there are people who aren’t real certain about the chemicals, we’ll go and see them and if they’re not happy we won’t spray.”

In the heavily regulated industry, Air Ag must follow Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia rules as well as DPI and EPA instructions.

Steep or wet country is the main reason

Flying man: pilot Glenn Funnell with his GA 200 at the Leongatha aerodrome.

Maize fertilising: a South Gippsland-based aerial agriculture plane along the South Gippsland Highway between Leongatha and Korumburra early last year.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 11

in spraying game farmers use aerial spraying But flat rocky terrain in the Western District also requires aerial attention.

In mid-May Glenn spread grass seed and fertiliser on 900 acres past Geelong.

Last year he spent a few weeks at Cootamundra, NSW spraying canola and rice.

“It’s always nice when you’re spraying rice, especially during the middle of summer when everything else is dead around it,” Glenn said.

He’s also sprayed Christmas trees on the swamp and spent six seasons fire bombing, but not recently.

High fertiliser prices and tough times on the farm have halved the amount of time Glenn spends in the air.

But he keeps busy maintaining Air Ag’s two planes and all the other demands of running a business.

One plane is set up for spraying and the other, a Gippsland Aeronautics 200, for fertiliser.

The GA 200 was built in the Latrobe Valley in 1989 and originally owned by Benambra identity Ben Buckley.

It uses about 60 litres of fuel, costing about $1.60 per litre, every hour it is in the air.

It has an endurance of two hours and can travel about 400km, in the right conditions, in that time.

Every 1600 to 2000 hours the engine is required to have an overhaul costing tens of thousands of dollars.

“If there was a couple of big seasons you’d probably do it in two years, but with the way it is at the moment, probably four or five years,” Glenn said.

Glenn would rather do it in two years as it’s better for business and he spends more time soaring above this beautiful region.

Aerial spraying: Glenn’s GA 200 working on a property beside the Strzelecki Highway at Leongatha last year.

PAGE 12 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

Caring for land THERE are 300 different types of bush in the bio region of the Bass Coast Landcare Network.

Well pleased: Bass farmer Graham Wood (left), loves to come to his bush block at the end of the day to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and the call of different birds. With him are Jodie Gager and Rob Gray of the Bass Coast Landcare Network.

Tea tree, messmate, woodland, grassland and saltmarsh are examples, each with different species in them.

So offsetting major works such as the duplication of the Bass Highway, is a complex task for the network.

Jodie Gager is the network’s corporate liaison officer. She said eight sorts of vegetation were cleared for the Bass Highway roadworks and each of those types had to be offset.

But it’s not a simple matter of replacing the vegetation with a few new trees on the roadside verge.

Using their skills in science and resource management, Jodie and her colleagues team up with community knowledge and volunteers to find matching bush somewhere in the area that needs rehabilitating.

With the Bass Highway duplication, this meant offsetting swamp scrub, lowland forest, swampy woodland, damp heath woodland, grassy woodland, damp sands herb rich woodland, riparian scrub and riparian woodland.

The State Department of Sustainability and Environment provides biodiverstiy maps, but Landcare staff do a lot of driving around to get to know what sort of bush is where.

Landcare project officer for the net gain program Rob Gray, said DSE plays an integral role in the offsetting work, requiring reports at one, two, five and ten year intervals.

Bass beef cattle farmer Graham Wood, has been happy to co-operate in the program.

“These boys have been a great help,” he said.

For three and a half years, the revegetation project has been rehabilitating a clump of bush on one of his paddocks, to offset Jemena and Origin Energy gas pipes from Lang Lang to Bass Coast towns.

Jodie explained that the offsets were a legal requirement of the pipe going in. Incidentally, following discussions with Jemena and DSE, the pipe was rerouted quite a lot to protect vegetation.

Jodie knew that Graham and his wife Faye, were Landcare members who were working to protect remnant bush.

Asked why, Graham replied, “Because I like trees. If trees are there, you like to try and preserve them if you can.”

Jodie and Rob approached them, and a five hectare section of remnant bush proved to be ideal for offsetting.

Landcare paid for Graham to fence it off to keep the cattle out and the rehabilitation began.

Graham is delighted with the progress.

“I come here late in the day; it’s peaceful and quiet, the birds are singing and the kookaburras are laughing at me.”

As well as providing tranquillity, the bush is good for the cattle.

Graham said his stock do well there because of the shelter.

The cattle are protected from the

wind, sun, so they can con conwind rain and sun centrate their energy on eating.

“They can put on more weight because they aren’t too hot or cold, so their energy goes to putting meat on.”

The patch contained weeds, blackberries and hawthorn. Clearing that has allowed the abundant scenecio (a large herb) to flourish.

“It’s a coloniser,” said Rob, “it reduces the space for weeds to get into and provides and under storey.”

Once the weeds have been controlled, said Jodie, the bush repairs itself.

Jodie and her colleagues were thrilled to find a stand of the native currant coprosma and a native elderberry, which is rare. There are eucalyptus trees, including swamp gums, as well as native hop.

“There’d be bats and owls in here,” said Jodie.

“And goannas,” chimed in Graham.

The site has been used by a PhD student for sightings of birds and animals, and Origin Energy staff have come down from their carpeted city lairs to spend a day seeing what has been done in their name.

The block is also providing seed for a seed bank.

Jodie said farmers like Graham have taught the Landcare crews a lot, and vice versa.

If it hadn’t been for the Landcare revegetation program, Graham said the bush on his Bass block would have been fenced off and allowed “to go to rack and ruin”.

Great story: Bass Landcare Network’s Rob Gray (left) and Jodie Gager, with Bass farmer Graham Wood, in front of bush on Graham’s land that has been rehabilitated under a Landcare revegetation offset program.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 13

Grass roots change THE grass roots women’s movement to reduce the everyday impact of climate change, has been given a boost in the State Budget.

During a Rural Women in a Changing Climate State Forum recently, Premier John Brumby announced that funding for the initiative would be continued for two more years.

The allocation is $660,000 - $250,000 of which will be disbursed to community groups and individuals.

The money also means that a program begun by the Gippsland office of the Department of Planning and Community Development, will be able to continue.

Many Gippsland women last year attended Circles of Influence dinners held across the region, to debate the ongoing drought and climate change and what they could do to help their communities deal with both.

The dinners resulted in lively discussion and a wealth of suggestions.

The message was clear: women are the key to taking action on climate change.

They were organised by departmental community engagement officer Lisa Price, who has since gone on to a greater leadership role; she is the mayor of the City of Latrobe.

Her community development job has been taken up by Sue-Ann McGowan, a Queenslander, who is enjoying getting to know the Gippsland area. She was an attentive listener at a climate change field day at Bimbadeen, the Phillip Island property farmed by Rob and Anne Davies.

They run a free range Angus, Brangus stud, raising beef without growth hormones or antibiotics. The farm has for many years been a certi-

fied supplier of Enviromeat and the Davies transport their own cattle.

Their field day focused on their aim to reduce carbon emissions from animals, soils, energy and machinery by an overall 35 per cent by 2020.

Part of that will come about via an annual tree planting program.

The Davies have featured in Landcare recognition, winning a Landcare Primary Producer Award in 2005, being runner-up the following year and gaining a sustainable farming award as well.

Anne was one of about 30 women at a Circles of Influence dinner in San Remo last October.

Alison Taylor of Tall Tree Sustainability Solutions, told that dinner that women have enormous power.

They have already run a global revolution: feminism.

“We have great power to influence and change the way we live,” she said. “We have the consumer power because women do the shopping and decide what to buy.

“Women have fewer greenhouse gas emissions than men because we drive smaller cars, we’re not the ones with the big boats.

“Women can act as leaders.”

Sue-Ann McGowan said the State Budget had also allocated $500,000 to support women in leadership.

That money is to pay for “community-led place-based” projects that support women’s participation in leadership roles, with the aim of increasing women’s leadership opportunities and diversity among Victoria’s female leaders.

The State forum brought together 200 women from across Victoria. Sue-Ann said they divided into groups to talk about climate change and what women were doing in their communities.

She said one group talked about a “kitchen table” movement, whereby

several gathered around the kitchen table to share a cup of tea and talk about what they could do about climate change. They then each went to another person’s house to do the same, thus taking the message around the community in a simple and friendly way.

“We still want to empower women to do what they can,” she explained.

The forum also included a presentation by Baw Baw Shire Council, which aims to be carbon neutral by 2010.

Sue-Ann was impressed.

“They’re such a small shire, you’d think the expense would be too great. But they recycle e-waste such as computers, phones, fluoro tubes, every public building they own has a huge water tank. Tanks top up their swimming pools, playing fields use recycled water, stairwell lights only go on when they’re needed and they offer ratepayers a huge range of rebates.”

Sue-Ann is delighted the women and climate change funding has been extended.

“We’re waiting for further direction about the community leadership,” she said.

In announcing the grants at the forum, Premier Brumby said, “We need to understand and manage climate change; we need to better prepare ourselves for the challenges and opportunities that it will bring and we also need to a build the capacity of rural communities to adapt to change.

“In country communities everywhere, women are leading the way – they are driving a range of community, social and sporting organisations, they are running farms and businesses and they are raising families.”

Don’t be dammed

SOUTHERN Rural Water is telling people thinking of constructing a new farm dam or altering an existing one to obtain a licence first.

Some land owners in South Gippsland have been dealt with for unauthorised construction or alteration, but there were no prosecutions.

The water authority has prosecuted several dam owners across the state for illegal construction in recent

Pulling power MAX Semken of Leongatha, takes a particular interest in transport.

He was excited to read in a British magazine recently that New Holland has built a hydrogen powered tractor.

Based on a T6000, the prototype runs on hydrogen and oxygen and produces water.

The article notes that the cost of hydrogen fuel cells has been very high because of the use of platinum, but alternatives are being found.

The cab is quiet.

But it will be a long time before the vehicle is on the market for farm use.

years, with a range of penalties up to dismantling the dam.

Landowners need a licence to construct or alter a dam if it is situated on a waterway, which includes not only rivers and creeks, but also natural or man-made channels, lagoons, swamps and marshes.

Construction or alteration of large dams also requires a licence. A large dam includes those with: A wall that is five metres or higher, and with a capacity of 50ML or more.

A wall 10 metres or higher, with a capacity of 20ML or more.

A wall 15 metres or higher, regardless of capacity.

SRW’s Manager Groundwater and Rivers, Craig Parker, said any farmer thinking about constructing or altering a dam should phone Southern Rural Water to check if a licence is required.

“We also advise landowners to always consult with an engineer who specialises in farm dams,” he said.

Sate forum: these Gippsland women were delighted that the women and climate change program has been funded for another two years. They heard the good news at a State forum. They are back from left, Margot Reeve, Kerri Easton, Lynda McMillan, Colette Newcome, Karen Halasa and Meridith Freeman.

Front from left, Jessica Tarpey, Liz Clay, Machelle Crichton, Tammy McGhee, Sue-Ann McGowan and Kate Earle.

PAGE 14 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

Self made: award-winning Carrajung dairy farmers, Peter and Judy Johnson had little experience when they first started dairying 12 years ago, but have overcome all obstacles to be the Genetics Australia Producers of the Year.

Triumph over hardship CARRAJUNG dairy farmer Peter and Judy Johnson have come through some pretty tough times to win the Genetics Australia Producers of the year recently.

Judy and Peter are the second farmers in the area to win the prestigious award. Janie and Bill Bodman took out the award in 2007.

“We were nominated for the award and were sent forms to fill in. We weren’t going to fill them in as we thought we wouldn’t have a chance in a national competition,” Judy said.

“The award came as a real surprise to us, we weren’t going to attend the awards, but we got a call from the organisers who said we should. We were blown away when our names were called as the winners,” she said.

“For two dairy farming enterprises in the one area to win this award in consecutive years is really quite special and has certainly made people sit up and take notice of the area.

“Our area is not as well known for dairy as Leongatha or the Macalister irrigation districts, so this award makes people aware of what we have to offer the dairy industry.”

Peter and Judy purchased their then 297 acre dairy farm with an eight double up dairy shed 12 years ago.

“When we took over the farm we were just so green,” said Judy.

“Fourteen cows had already

calved, our son Ben was just four and our daughter Monique was three, we had a house full of unpacked boxes, it was the middle of winter and 210 cows were on the point of calving,” she said.

Judy said if we knew then what we know now we may never have taken the plunge.

“However having said that, we have no regrets,” she said.

“Our very first pay cheque equated to just two cents per hour, according to my dad.”

Since then Peter, Judy and children Ben, 15, Monique, 14 and Luke, 8, have handled everything Mother Nature and the milk companies have thrown at them and come out the other side stronger.

The couple built a new 36 stand rotary in 2006 and purchased a further 90 hectares next door, which has given them the ability to conserve fodder and run their young stock.

“The new dairy has been sensational. Before we were in the shed for up to three hours per milking, now it takes just 80 minutes to milk our 250 cows,” Peter said. “The spring of 2007 allowed us to conserve good silage and the milk price was good.

Everything was going along well and then the crash came.”

Peter and Judy have increased production on their farm from 4300 litres, 137 kg protein and 184 kg butterfat when they started, to 6850 litres per cow, 225kg protein and 283 kg butterfat last season.

Good management in the good years has enabled Peter and Judy to

tough out the bad times.

“We learnt early that in dairying the good times come and go, you can be at the top of the wave and all of a sudden it crashes.

“This year we have experienced crap prices, a crap season plus the bushfires, but we are determined to remain upbeat and go with the decision we feel necessary to move our business forward,” “Dairy farmers must have risk management strategies in place as things change so quickly, you have to remain positive though, just roll with the punches and enjoy life,” Judy said.

Peter and Judy receiving their hard-earned award.

“SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009 - PAGE 15

By Brad Lester FARMERS first and forem foremost think of themselves as producers of food but in some cases, they grow art materials. ca

Natural origins: spinning fleece is sourced from John Tyrrell’s alpacas at Alberton.

Won Wron craftswoman, Thelma Th Hicks has created an award-winning shawl from alpaca fleece grown by Alberton breeder, John Tyrrell.

The shawl this month won the group final of the 2009 Gippsland Agricultural Societies Association for hand spun and knitted scarf or headgear, at Maffra.

The piece qualified for the prestigious competition after placing equal first in the same sa class at the Yarram show last year.

“You get satisfaction from starting with a lump of fleece and ending up with a jumper or whatever e the end of it.” at th Mrs Hicks transformed the alpaca fleece into knitting yarn on a spinning wheel, conin vverted to an electric model by her mechaniccally minded husband, Barry.

With the right speed and tension, the 5500gm of fleece took just one hour to spin.

“You can’t mix alpaca fleece with sheep wool because it does not have a good texture; w it gets very heavy.”

She prefers alpaca fleece over sheep wool for its light and hollow qualities; the lanolin of wool makes the material difficult to separate.

“Alpaca is really fine, beautiful to spin and “A is sold sol cheap enough. This year, the fleece has been very clean with no grass in it because of the drought. The fact alpacas are long-legged means droug they do not get the grass caught to the same extent aas sheep.”

On and off over four weeks, Mrs Hicks knitO the shawl from a pattern of her own creation, ted th simply because she could not find a design she simp fancied. fanci “But I have not been able to use it yet because “B I did not want to get it dirty before I took it to Maffra.”

Maff She has knitted most of her husband’s jumpers Sh and ccreates woolen teddies and dolls, making the most of a skill she began perfecting at age four.

Painstaking work: Thelma Hicks displays her shawl, officially the best of its kind in Gippsland.

Right (inset): Life-time talent: Thelma Hicks extends her knitting skills to making children’s toys.

PAGE 16 - “SOUTH COAST FARMER”, May 26, 2009

Ready for action

By Jillian Staton FARMERS are ready and willing to adapt their businesses to manage the impacts of climate change.

That was the clear signal given by participants at a field day held at Phillip Island last week to discuss ways that farmers can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, improve water efficiency and build soil carbon.

More than one hundred people attended the field day, which was organised by Enviromeat and the Bass Coast Landcare Network as part of the Western Port Greenhouse Action and Resource Efficiency Project (Western Port Project), and was funded by the Victorian Sustainability Fund.

Feedback at the end of the day indicated that a large number of farmers were ready to take immediate action to reduce their own emissions, and improve water efficiency.

The feedback also revealed that there is a huge interest amongst farmers about learning how to improve soil fertility, and the role of carbon in healthy soils.

Hosted by progressive beef farmers Anne and Bob Davie, the field day looked at not only the science behind emissions, but also the practicalities of implementing abatement strategies on-farm.

Bob and Anne have been active participants in the Western Port Project, achieving significant reductions in their emissions (their goal is to become

carbon neutral) and waste to landfill, and improving their water efficiency to the point that they are no longer reliant on mains water for stock.

Through the Western Port Project, Bob and Anne have recently begun trialling different feed supplements that have been shown to reduce enteric methane and nitrous oxide emissions in dairy cows, to measure their effect on weight gain in beef cattle.

A demonstration of feeding vegetable oils to a test mob of steers revealed that scientists and farmers have much to learn from each other, both about the practicalities of various strategies, and the long term impacts of the use of dietary supplements.

One of the scientists present, Associate Professor Richard Eckard from the University of Melbourne and Department of Primary Industries Victoria, opened the field day with an explanation of the causes of enteric methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

He also gave a valuable overview of the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the potential impacts for Australian agriculture.

While agriculture’s entry and role within the Scheme is yet to be decided, it will certainly be included in measures to reduce Australia’s emissions (agriculture accounts for 16% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions).

The difficulty with agriculture however, is the fixed relationship between nitrogen and food production: as global demand for food rises, more nitrogen is required, and therefore more emissions are created.

“We will never manage a net reduc-

Hot air: farmer Bob Davie and scientist Richard Eckard discuss reducing methane emissions from cattle.

Big interest: there was no shortage of participants at the field day. tion in greenhouse gas emissions, and feed the world,” explained Dr Eckard.

“What we must aim for is a reduction in emissions per unit of food production.”

Dr Eckard favours an incentivebased approach like that proposed by industry in New Zealand.

Farmers who adopt best management practices are rewarded with permits, which can be sold to those farmers who are yet to achieve the same standard.

With greenhouse gas emissions representing losses of energy and nutrients, the overall result should be a more efficient and competitive agricultural sector.

Moragh Mackay of the Bass Coast Landcare Network which is a partner in the Western Port Project, agrees.

She adds, however, that farmers need to be confident that any proposed strategies will deliver quantifiable productivity gains without any negative side effects.

For that reason she is grateful for farmers like Anne and Bob, and others in the Western Port Project, who have been willing to trial different strategies to develop best management practices for the broader farming community.

Glen McMillan of Genesis Now, who is helping to develop action plans for farmers in the Project, also spoke at the field day, along with Sonia Lees from Vital Soil Consulting who discussed soil health and building soil carbon.

There were also displays of fence posts made from recycled silage wrap, a car run on recycled vegetable oil, an Australian-made wind turbine and a soil conditioning mulch made from paper waste.

Participants were treated to a barbeque lunch of rump steak and sausages provided by Enviromeat.

The Davies, who have an accredited environmental management system in place, are Enviromeat suppliers and receive a premium for their meat in recognition of their good environmental management.

Bass Coast Landcare Network is running workshops on regenerative soil management, and has also produced fact sheets relating to topics discussed at the field day.

The Western Port Project also has vacancies for interested Bass Coast farmers. For more information, contact Moragh Mackay on 5678 2335 or moragh@vic.chariot.et.au.

For information about Enviromeat, or to register for the next training for producers to supply Enviromeat contact Jenny O’Sullivan on 5663 2386 or osulliva@dcsi.net.au.

Thirsty work: field day coordinators Jenny O’Sullivan and Moragh Mackay relax after the event with Greg Hunt and Jodie Gager.