AgLife - August 30, 2017 edition

August 30, 2017

New crop of students Longerenong College leaders are confident of easily attracting the maximum 60 first-year students for a February intake following a successful open day. Sisters Darcy and Ella Gervasoni were at the open day. Story page 49.

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PRACTICE RUN: Longerenong College student Rachaell Prillwitz showed steers at the college’s open day.

Students were prepraring for next month’s Melbourne Show steer parade.

A potential new crop of students

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potential new crop of agriculture students made the most of an opportunity to gain insight into Longerenong College during an open day.

More than 400 people, including prospective students and their families, familiarised themselves with what the college had to offer, taking part in various tours and presentations.

College business development officer Donna Winfield said the response to the open day left little doubt that people were gaining an understanding of the growing employment opportunities in the agriculture industry.

She added that college leaders were confident of easily attracting the maximum 60 first-year students for a February intake.

“To be able to say the college will be in a position where prospective students are likely to be in competition for places reflects the growth and

potential longevity of the institution,” she said.

“The open day was great. We had people who had travelled long distances, from NSW and South Australia as well as across Victoria.

“They took part in farm, accommodation and facility tours and presentations were popular, promoting a lot of positive feedback.

“There was also much discussion between visitors and staff about how agricultural employment opportunities in fields such as agronomy were blossoming. And people took interest in our steer parade in preparations for next month’s Melbourne Show.”

Ms Winfield said student interest continued to reflect an even mix between females and males.

“Students looking to pursue studies at the college next year who missed the open day can attend an information day on December 8,” she said.

Groups involved in national research Ararat district farming groups will be part of three-year national trials to explore the best ways in regional areas to optimise feed bases and boost livestock production.

Willaura Best Wool Best Lamb group and Perennial Pasture Systems are among organisations in Victoria, NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania to receive up to $25,000 for projects as part of a 201718 Meat and Livestock Australia Producer Demonstrations Sites, PDS, program.

The program covers seven projects.

The Willaura group plans to investigate how temporary fencing can reduce paddock size and ewe mob size during lambing to better manage ewe

nutrition and enhance lamb survival.

Perennial Pasture Systems group will trial high-production annual forage options in perennial grazing systems on the farms of 12 members, with the aim of boosting lamb production systems.

All PDS projects will investigate, develop and encourage adoption of strategies to improve sheep and cattle performance and business profits for group members and other local producers.

MLA Producer consultation and adoption manager Michael Crowley said the PDS program was designed to help reduce the time lag between technological innovations and onfarm adoption.

He said farming systems groups were ideally placed to co-ordinate the demonstration sites to assess practices that would suit their region’s specific environmental, seasonal and farming system considerations.

“Establishing these sites helps producers realise the benefits from the practical application of new technologies and instigation of innovative management ideas relevant to their production system and location,” Mr Crowley said.

“This leads to higher rates of adoption of new research and management strategies that ultimately contribute to a business bottom line through reducing costs or improving productivity.”

Renowned rural broadcaster Libby Price will join ACE Radio as presenter of the network’s rural program Country Today in September.

Listeners tune into Country Today on 3WM, 3CA, 3YB and 3SH. Price has worked as the editor of the Benalla Ensign newspaper in north-east Victoria for the past three years but is best known for her 30 years working for the ABC, including more than a decade as presenter of the Victorian Country Hour.

She also spent five years in television as a senior reporter for both The 7.30 Report and ABC TV News and six years with Radio Current Affairs flagship program, AM, PM and The World Today.

Her presenting career began in Perth in 1985 presenting the WA Country Hour. Libby has presented across the ABC networks, from TV news and Stateline to 774 Melbourne and regional radio.

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Ten-year plan for exchange

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ork is set to begin on a master plan and enterprise plan for Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange.

The plans will set the future direction for the exchange for the next 10 to 20 years.

Three key areas will be addressed in the plan: Infrastructure. A review of existing assets and future needs and opportunities; Operations. Examining the sale-day and general activities to run the saleyards including its financial position; Strategic. Aiming to understand the future directions that livestock sales might follow and the position required to be strongly competitive.

Short-term issues the master plan will address include accommodating electronic identification of sheep and lamb movements, and assessing the need for roofing of the exchange.

Exchange board chairman David Grimble said community and stakeholder input was being sought as part of the preparation of the plan.

“We want to hear from people who can help us to identify issues that should be addressed in the master plan and provide advice on the directions the saleyards should take,”

he said. “A series of meetings have been arranged for this purpose and we hope to see lots of representatives attend so we can get as much input as possible.”

A key stakeholder workshop will be between 1.30pm and 3pm today at the exchange and a community-stakeholder consultation meeting, also at the exchange, will be between 6pm and 7.30pm.

People can also organise an individual meeting time by calling Danielle Fowler on 5382 9724 or emailing danielle.fowler@hrcc.vic.gov.au.

Alternatively, stakeholders can also provide information through industry representatives on the exchange board.

Representatives are Cr David Grimble, Neville McIntyre, Victorian Farmers Federation; Vince Muscat, Horsham Stock Agents Association; Graeme Astbury, buyers representative; Gordon Fischer, Livestock Transporters Association of Victoria; Ray Zippel, community representative; Paul Christopher, exchange manager; John Martin, Horsham Rural City Council technical services director; and Rob Moir, Horsham council operations manager.

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RECOGNITION: Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange manager Paul Christopher has received an industry award from Australian Livestock Saleyards Association.

Livestock service honour for Paul Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange manager Paul Christopher has been recognised for his services to the livestock industry.

Mr Christopher received one of only two awards presented at the Australian Livestock Saleyards Association’s annual conference in Melbourne earlier this month.

Council’s technical services director John Martin said Mr Christopher was a key member of two international study teams in the past year.

“Paul visited Nepal to gain a firsthand understanding of foot-and-

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mouth disease, FMD, where the disease is still prevalent,” he said.

“An outbreak of FMD in Australia would devastate the livestock industry, so early detection of any signs of the disease is vital in managing an outbreak. He also visited Europe and Britain to inspect their processes for identification of sheep fitted with electronic ear-tags or electronic identification, EID. “The State Government has introduced a requirement for sheep movements to be monitored using EID within the next 12 months and the

Europe visit has helped in the identification of suitable technology and procedures for this purpose locally.”

Mr Martin said Mr Christopher was also a leading participant in many of the association’s activities.

“Paul acts as a mentor to many of his colleagues around the state, through the combination of his significant practical experience and engaging style,” he said.

“Council congratulates Paul on this outstanding achievement and looks forward to his ongoing contributions to the livestock exchange.”

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Trials of a relatively new approach to fertilising dryland cereal crops during the growing season have entered their second year, following promising results in 2016.

Mid-row banding of nitrogen, N, in-season increased uptake of nitrogen fertiliser in wheat by more than 50 percent – when compared with other methods of in-season N application – in Victorian trials last year.

Agriculture Victoria’s regional research agronomist Ashley Wallace, who has undertaken the work as part of the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources Bilateral Research Agreement, described the outcomes from the trials as encouraging.

“Trials of mid-row banding of N in-season have produced promising results, including increasing fertiliser uptake by an average of 46 percent and up to 52 percent in wheat when compared with other methods of in-season N application,” he said.

“The method also boosted grain yield by up to 0.5 tonnes-hectare.”

Results from mid-row banding trials in 2016 – an exceptional year in terms of rain and yields in many parts of the southern region including the Wimmera and Mallee where the trials occurred – are being validated this year, with further trials underway at Ultima,

Farmers on fungus alert

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griculture Victoria Horsham pathologist Dr Grant Holloway is urging Wimmera wheat farmers to be on the lookout for a fungus that could potentially strip their yields by half.

RESEARCH: Agriculture Victoria regional research agronomist Ashley Wallace.

Picture: PIOTR TREBICKL Horsham and Telangatuk. Mr Wallace said there had been a significant swing towards in-season management of N fertiliser in southern dryland cropping regions as growers looked to improve management amid variable seasonal conditions.

He said the crop’s demand for N was largely determined by its yield potential, which was strongly related to growing-season rain.

Last year’s trials at Longerenong and Quambatook aimed to compare mid-row banding with other forms of in-season N application, including top-dressed, liquid foliar and mid-row surface applications of N. At each trial site, the first timing of application coincided with forecast

rain in the days following, while the second timing of application coincided with dry weather forecast in the days following.

“Results from 2016 indicated that the benefit of mid-row banding to crop uptake of N was greater where rainfall was limited soon after application and the surface applied urea was not washed into the rooting zone, which suggests mid-row banding could be a more effective way of applying N under drier seasonal conditions,” Mr Wallace said.

A report of the 2016 trial results, co-authored by Mr Wallace, is available for viewing and downloading via the GRDC website at https://grdc. com.au/mid-row-n-fertiliser.

Dr Holloway is urging farmers to inspect their crops for Septoria tritici blotch, already recorded in the Wimmera this season.

“Septoria was common in the Wimmera in low levels last year and this has provided the carryover of inoculum for this year,” he said.

“Given repeated wet conditions which are favourable for the disease, septoria can cause losses greater than 50 percent.”

Dr Hollaway said growers should look for symptoms on older leaves and needed to consider fungicide control if found.

He said symptoms were pale grey to dark brown lesions, which contained black fruiting bodies.

Grains Research and Development Corporation has noted long periods of leaf moisture were required for disease development.

Early-sown crops and crops sown

into wheat stubbles were at most risk, however, the disease could also become airborne.

To manage Septoria growers should be spraying at early stem elongation – growth stage 31-32 – and follow up with a second application at flag leaf – growth stage 39 – if necessary.

Dr Hollaway said the timing of fungicide application and choice of fungicide were both important in managing this disease “Because of increasing levels of resistance to fungicides in the Septoria tritici blotch population in Victoria, it is important that the same active ingredient is not used more than once in any season,” he said.

“Where possible apply fungicides that contain a mix of actives.

“Growers are reminded to always read the chemical label and only use as directed.”

Adoption of an integrated disease-management approach which includes crop rotation, selection of resistant cultivars and if necessary, the application of fungicides, were noted by GRDC as the most effective management tools.

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AHEAD: A rain comparison of 2016 and 2017 during the growing season up to mid August at a BCG Longerenong research site.

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An August 14 report, before latest rain that swept across the region, showed the season seven millimetres ahead of last year.

When crunching the numbers for August 14, the Longerenong research site for the 2017 growing season had received 202 millimetres, while at the same time last year it had received 195mm.

Harnessing the opportunity to spread urea and make the most of the rain in recent weeks, Agriculture Victoria agronomy research graduate Jasmine Marsh said crop growth was excellent and the trials were progressing well.

“With the favourable conditions we have had lately, growth has been incredible. This means the team has been doing treatment sprays and assessments,” she said.

The Grains Research Development Corporation-funded project ‘managing early sowing wheat’ aims to look at a range of winter and spring wheat varieties to compare their suitability over four times of sowing.

The three spring varieties, Scepter, Cutlass and Trojan in our earliest time of sowing, March 16, are all flowering.

BCG staff have observed frost damage in the flowering Scepter, highlighting the risks of sowing varieties outside of their optimal sowing window.

Another trial that has flowering crops is canola

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CG researchers have reported 2017 growing-season rain at a Longerenong research site is ahead of the 2016 growing season.

phenology, which is funded by GRDC in collaboration with the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

As phenology is investigating growth habits and rates of various canola varieties, this trial requires regular visits to the site with assessments occurring at 50 percent flowering for each variety.

When the varieties reach this date, cuts are taken at ground level and brought back to Birchip to be dried out in commercial ovens and weighed.

This data is used to calculate crop biomass.

Ms Marsh said that so far, the majority of the first-sown varieties, sown on April 7, except Archer and ATR Wahoo, had reached 50 percent flowering and the cuts had been taken and weighed.

“In the second time of sowing, April 25, Diamond has already reached 50 percent flowering, with Stingray not far behind,” she said.

“Even though mice activity seems to have slowed down recently, mice damage has been observed in the canola phenology trial, with flowers being nipped off.”

The mice seem to be targeting only a couple of the varieties and don’t seem to be damaging other crops at this stage, although the site is being closely monitored and baited where necessary.

The BCG Main Field Day is on September 13 at Curyo, 25 kilometres north-west of Birchip, with the Mallee component of the ‘Managing early wheat project’ to be presented on the day.

For more information about the BCG Main Field Day visit www.bcg.org.au or call BCG on 5492 2787.

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