Vic Hub’s North-East Node update, November 2024

Severe frosts, farm margins, livestock feeding, low rainfall, blackberries and indigenous culture are some of the topics discussed at community events held across the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub’s North-East Node, led by Riverine Plains.

 

Representing farmers at the Strategic Blackberry Forum

 

The Murray Region Forestry Hub held a Strategic Blackberry Forum in Albury late last month to identify key issues and actions for tackling blackberry.

Riverine Plains’ Sophie Hanna attended the Forum on the behalf of the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub’s North-East Node lead, representing Towong Shire and north-east Victorian farmers affected by this invasive, destructive weed. Representatives from private and public land managers, government agencies, Landcare networks, key organisations and researchers also attended.

The Centre for Invasive Species Solutions describes European Blackberry as a declared Weed of National Significance. The centre’s Weeds Australia website notes blackberry is proliferating across all land types in areas receiving more than 700mm annual rainfall, causing major agricultural and forestry productivity and environmental damage, as noted in the Murray Region Forestry Hub’s Blackberry Impacts Project Report.

The forum provided context for blackberry-control efforts, costs and economic impacts across the Murray Region Forestry Hub, before collaborative workshop sessions identified key elements for a Strategic Plan and Action Plan.

Sophie will contribute to developing the Strategic Plan as part of the Strategic Plan Working Party. These plans will be instrumental in tackling this major issue, which has been exacerbated following the 2019-20 Black summer bushfires and subsequent wet years.

 

Rural Assistance Commissioner visits Towong Shire farmers

 

Victoria’s Rural Assistance Commissioner, Peter Tuohey, and Executive Director Agriculture Sector Development and Services in Vic Hub Partner Agriculture Victoria, Dougal Purcell, visited several farmers in the Towong Shire council earlier this month following the tough, dry conditions that have challenged the region since early autumn.

They were joined by Agriculture Victoria’s Nick Linden and Brad Costin, as well as Sophie Hanna from Riverine Plains (Riverine Plains provides an agricultural service to the Towong Shire Council and leads the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub’s North-East Node).

The lack of a proper autumn break, coupled with below-average rainfall through to spring, caused substantial pasture deficits in the Towong Shire. This imposed significant costs for farmers who were required to purchase and distribute substantial quantities of feed for livestock. There are also concerns regarding the lack of soil moisture and water in dams leading into summer.

Peter Tuohey said it was highly valuable to talk to farmers in the Upper Murray.

“This visit provided the opportunity to understand more about the challenging conditions farmers are currently experiencing and to discuss what supports Agriculture Victoria can offer to assist with stock and farm business management.”

Dougal Purcell reiterated the sentiment.

“I really appreciated the opportunity meet up with many farmers I have known for a number of years to hear about the difficult seasonal conditions that have occurred in 2024,” he said. “It was also beneficial to discuss the preparedness measures that a number of farmers have taken to date and are considering in the months ahead. Agriculture is such an important part of the regional economy.

“I know the Agriculture Victoria team have been active in the region supporting farmers and this will continue in the months ahead.”

Sophie Hanna said Agriculture Victoria’s ongoing support is instrumental in advancing farmers capabilities through challenging times.

“The visit was a valuable opportunity for the Department to strengthen their understanding of the issues farmers in the region have faced this year, on the back of previous challenges caused by fires and floods.

“I look forward to collaborating with the Agriculture Victoria team, to provide on-going support, information and resources to farmers.”

While there is always uncertainty regarding future seasonal conditions, there is a wide range of resources available to support farmers in increasing their drought preparedness and resilience.

Sophie encouraged farmers in the Towong Shire, and broader north-east Victoria, to reach out to Riverine Plains or the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub for information and resources. Agriculture Victoria also provide valuable information and support, and AgBiz Assist provide a variety of programs, including a Rural Financial Counselling Service.

 

Dunggula Cultural Festival

 

Many Mobs Indigenous Corporation hosted the Dunggula (Murray River) Cultural Festival, on the Yarrawonga Foreshore last month.

It was a celebration of First Nations culture, showcasing connections to the land, water and sky through music, dance and art.

Gamilaraay man Mitch Tambo was the headline act, with several First Nations tribes coming together to showcase traditional dance, songs and storylines.

First Nations artists and food filled the festival stalls, while the local Rotary Club sold kangaroo sausages.

The well-attended event was organised by Kooma/Kamilaroi woman Iris “Cheeky” Troutman, Michaela Jane Walsh and the team at Many Mobs , with the audience participating in learning about the different aspects of First Nations culture that was on display. After its success, there are plans are for a 2nd Dunggula Cultural Festival to be held in 2025.

This project is supported by FRRR, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

 

Farm margins and livestock feeding

 

Farm margins and tips for managing livestock feeding in a dry spring, were the hot topics at the Riverine Plains In-season Update at the end of August. Rob Inglis from Elders highlighted the role of feed testing and knowing pasture quality and the importance of a good quality water supply to manage animal production. He also discussed how early weaning can conserve pastures and maintain ewe condition this year.

Given four years of increasing costs and the potential outlook of lower yields, Ben Percy from Farmanco explored how farm margins are being squeezed. Ben stressed the importance of “knowing your numbers” over a set period before making big business decisions that involved changing the enterprise mix or structure. There was extensive discussion on how farmers were “drilling down” into their numbers to look for the 5% savings or gains that could be made to improve margins.

Severe frost

 

With temperatures below zero (down to -5^oC) experienced across the Riverine Plains region during mid-September, frost-event implications were discussed at the Evan Moll Gerogery Field Day last month by local Elders agronomist, Sheree Hamson. Sheree brought in samples of frost-affected wheat (stem frost and head frost) and canola (watery pods, absent grains and missing pods) to show farmers what to look for in the paddock.

She highlighted the importance of taking time to make a decision to cut crops for hay or to leave for grain, as the extent of the damage may take one to two weeks to become apparent. The crop’s growth stage at the time of the frost, paddock elevation, crop density and paddock moisture status all influenced the amount of damage seen across the region. The extent of crop damage was patchy across the region and is becoming more apparent as farmers move into harvest.