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December 2024 President’s Report

2024 has been a testing year with a record dry growing season, and tough economic conditions resulting in less funding/grant opportunities for the group so bring on 2025!!

In saying that funding gained through our group has once again allowed for a lot of on ground environmental work to be done, and congratulations to our members who have pushed on despite the conditions and made this happen!

I would like to thank the entire committee for their hard work throughout the year. In particular I would like to thank Jayne Drum. This has been Jayne’s first year as Secretary. She has transitioned into the position seamlessly and together with our amazing treasurer Kelly Gellie, have ensured that our group remains on track and up to date. The administrative load required to run our group could be easily underestimated so thank you Jayne and Kelly for all your hard work!

Special mention should also be made of our soil health sub committee consisting of Jayne, Kelly, CC and Sarah. They have been very active again this year and have successfully run several events throughout the year.

Recognition should also go to our facilitator Nick who has done a fantastic job once again. Over and above his usual duties Nick, in conjunction with Elia from Project Platypus, have organised and run a series of educational workshops with the local, rural primary school cluster consisting of Buangor, Maroona, Moyston, Pomonal and Willaura. These have been really well received and it’s great to see kids getting excited about Landcare.

Now is also the time to let it be known that 2025 will be my last as president of the group. This will hopefully allow plenty of time to find a replacement! I have greatly enjoyed my time as president but will be stepping down next year to support a healthy culture of succession within the UHLMG.

Thank you to our Committee of 2024 including an outgoing Committee member Heidi Rees. Farewell Heidi, we thank you for your support to the group over the years and look forward to catching up with you at an UHLMG event in the future.

I would also like to give a warm welcome to our 2024/25 UHLMG committee: 

• President: Jack Tucker
• Vice President: Don Rowe
• Secretary: Jayne Drum
• Treasurer: Kelly Gellie
• General Committee: Richard Franc, Andi Armytage, Tim Johnstone, Tess McDougall, Celia Tucker and Kate Gellie.

Welcome Kate Gellie! Kate has joined the general Committee and brings a number of new skills to the table; thank you Kate and we look forward to having you on board.

Thank you also to all those continuing on, your commitment and contributions to the UHLMG are very much appreciated.

To all our readers and UHLMG members I’d like to wish you a safe harvest, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Whatever your plans may be for Christmas and New Year we hope you have a wonderful time and look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Happy Landcaring!

Jack

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Buangor Water Bug Day

Have you ever wondered about the plethora of life living in our creeks, rivers, dams and waterways? These often-unobserved ecosystems are hubs of life and activity and sustain a multitude of plants and animals far beyond their own banks.

On Monday the 11th of November our small cluster schools – including students from Willaura, Maroona, Moyston, Pomonal, and Buangor Primary Schools – came together to discover what sorts of bugs live in Billy Billy Creek beside Buangor Primary School. The Creek had been affected by runoff from the fires in the summer of 2024 and had spent a number of months with the water running in various shades of black and brown. As we discovered, since then the Creek has begun to make a good recovery with the water clearing and insect life multiplying as we moved into Spring. Students used dip nets to search for and catch bugs and found an impressive array of underwater insects that called the Creek their home including water mites, water beetles, tadpoles, dragonfly and mayfly nymphs and other bug larvae, including plenty of mosquito larvae! Although no one is too keen on mosquitoes they form a vital part of the ecosystem as pollinators and as a food source for many insects and animals.

Students were able to get up close and personal with the water bugs, looking at them under magnifying glasses. Special guest Ayesha Burdett from Nature Glenelg Trust helped us to ID all the bugs and shared some interesting facts about their lives and what bugs the larvae would grow up into.

Students also embarked on a scavenger hunt with special guest from Project Platypus, Huib Ottow. Together they found some signs in the landscape of how water drains into waterways and what to look for to see if a waterway is healthy or in need of a little help. Students talked about how water ran off land into waterways and the potential implications for waterway health from runoff such as rubbish ending up in waterways, excess nutrients and the effects of erosion. All students were able to complete their scavenger hunts and generated some very interesting conversations while they were doing so!

Landcare facilitator Nick Moll from Upper Hopkins Land Management Group helped students to analyse the water samples they brought in from home and consider the important information we might need to record when collecting water samples. Students compared the results of dam and creek samples to the water that came out of their taps at home, noticing the differences in results of clean compared to muddy water and comparing how salty the samples were.

We look forward to seeing the schools again next year, it’s always a pleasure to embark on our Junior Landcare adventures together!

This event was funded by the Ararat Wind Farm through the Ararat Wind Farm Sustainable Grants program.

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Conserving Wetlands with Precision Agriculture

Four farmers recruited for trial

Nutrient maps reduce run-off

Field day, case studies and videos to share knowledge

 Jileena Cole is Landcare Facilitator for BBCAG. For more information about the trial, including case studies for each landholder, visit www.beyondbolac.org or email beyondbolac@outlook.com.

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“Farmers’ Perceptions of Net Zero and Decision Making in Agriculture” and “Carbon Farming” Projects

The Ararat Hub of Federation University has a group of PhD candidates & two of them are seeking farms managers to complete a short survey which may also include a follow up phone call or visit to assist with their projects. There are some good opportunities for regional agriculture coming out from Fed Uni, so it would be great to get local help when we can. The projects are (1) Farmers’ Perceptions of Net Zero and Decision-Making in Agriculture (Pramod Gautam) and (2) Carbon Farming (Kashif Khaqan) which could include the opportunity to have your farm carbon emissions calculated for free.

If you’re interested or able to help out, please contact PPS Project Manager, Rob Shea 0438 521 357 yadin061@tpg.com.au & he will pass on your contact.

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New Grant Opportunity for Young Farmers

Farm Fund – New grant opportunity

Natoora Melbourne have recently announced the local opportunity of their Farm Fund: Boosting Young Farmers in the Southern Hemisphere. Grants of $8,000 to $30,000 are available to farmers aged 35 and under, to support projects enhancing resilient, productive, and nutritious food systems. Focus areas include soil health, cultural identity, biodiversity, education, accessibility and innovation, with aims to create case studies for future farming practices. Applications close 30th December 2024.

For more information and to apply, visit Natoora’s website. 

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Fire Recovery Project and Possible Chicory Project

The Upper Wimmera region was affected by three large fires in February 2024, one at Dadswells Bridge, which burnt 4,350 Ha. affected a PPS member farm, past of the Maher family’s Marlu Partners enterprise. The Maher’s had planted a multi species pasture in spring 2023 following a canola crop and capital P application in 2022. The soil on the Dadswells Bridge site is a light sandy loam and Graeme has chosen a fast-growing mix to prevent any soil damage from wind erosion.

The mix consists of Chicory, Plantain, Lucerne, Uplands Cocksfoot, Fescue, Veldt Grass, Arrowleaf clover, Balansa clover and two Sub clover cultivars; sown at 0.5-1 kg/Ha, depending on species. The fire burnt part of the pasture and it was decided to record recovery after the fire.

The project is assessing three areas (1) unburnt, (2) severely burnt, where the fire entered the paddock burning fiercely and (3) the main section of burnt pasture where the green chicory and plantain seemed to reduce the intensity of the fire. Graeme was pleased with the growth of the chicory before the fire and it doesn’t seem to have been adversely affected post fire. The grasses were damaged but have recovered in area (3) but some in the severely burnt area (2) many did not survive.

The graph at above shows the total plant counts from each area after measuring and adding together results from 6 x 40 sq cm squares in each area.

The success of the chicory and another pasture, this time on a heavy black soil at member farm “Millbanks” Elmhurst have PPS considering some chicory trials. Ben Greene from Millbanks says chicory might be one of pastures “best kept secrets”.

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Drought Support Package for Farmers in South-West Victoria

The Victorian Government’s $13.53 million Drought Support Package aims to support farming communities affected by the drought in south-west Victoria. The Drought Support Package provides targeted support for farmers in the following south west Victorian LGAs where dry seasonal conditions are most impacting farmers and communities: Ararat, City of Greater Geelong, Glenelg, Colac Otway, Golden Plains, Corangamite, Moyne, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians, Surf Coast, Warrnambool, and the southern half of West Wimmera (for primary production enterprises located in postcodes 3312, 3317, 3318 and 3319). ​

A key feature of the package includes a $12.1 million On-farm Drought Infrastructure Grant program. Eligible farmers will receive up to $5,000 (excluding GST) as a co-contribution to support infrastructure upgrades to water pipes, tanks, troughs, dams, stock containment areas, and grain and fodder storage. ​

More information about the infrastructure grants including guidelines and a copy of the application form is available from Rural Finance by calling 1800 260 425 or visiting the Rural Finance website.​

The technical decision-making support program supports producer group events and one-on-one consultations with a farm business advisor. Farmers can submit an Expression of Interest.​ The Drought Support Package builds on the existing support already available to farmers across the state to prepare for and respond to drought.​ For more information on the Drought Support Package, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or contact 136 186.

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Events, Events, Events! – See upcoming events, courses and webinars of interest below

Lake Bolac Restoration Community Forum

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Recent Landcare Victoria Inc Webinars

Carbon Farming Webinar:

Get answers to your carbon questions. Carbon experts Cam Nicholson and Graeme Anderson came together to answer your questions for Landcare Victoria’s first Carbon Farming Outreach Webinar.  Both speakers spoke about how understanding on farm emissions is more important than ever and how carbon farming activities increase farm efficiency and have benefits across your property, even if you’re not engaging in carbon markets. 

This is the first in a series of webinars, aimed at answering your questions around low emissions farming and carbon. If you’d like to suggest a future topic or sign up for events near you, register here. The Carbon Farming Outreach Program is running events across the state tailored for local audiences.

Watch the webinar and see other upcoming events on our calendar on our website. 

Media and Advocacy Webinar:

Advocating for a fair go for facilitators. The work of facilitators has massive environmental, social and economic benefits. Still, the future of the Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program is uncertain and there are opportunities for improvement to address current challenges. We are advocating for a commitment from the Victorian Government for $48M over four years, including (per year) $9.5M for facilitator roles, $2M for CMA coordination and $500,000 for a Landcare Victoria support program.

We need your help!

Your voice is critical to the future of Landcare in your community and across the state. You can boost support for your Landcare group and the community Landcare movement by engaging with your local MP, writing letters to the editor and getting active on social media.

We held a Media and Advocacy Webinar recently, which covered engaging with the media, advocacy and how to have a successful meeting with your MP. The recording of the Media and Advocacy Webinar is now available to view. 

You can also use the resources in our Communications Toolkit to arrange a meeting with your local MP, send a letter to the editor, or engage on social media. Check it out on our website. 

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Insect identification workshops for grain growers and advisers 

When: Wed 19th Feb 2025 (8:45 am – 3:00 pm)

Where: Ararat VIC. Venue TBC

Bookings are now open for our one-day, intensive identification workshops. This workshop is for growers and advisers to practise identifying key pests and beneficial invertebrates found in broadacre grain crops in Victoria and southern New South Wales.

Topics include:

• An introduction to insect taxonomy
• Basic insect and mite morphology – body and mouth parts
• Insect and mite life cycles
• Moths and their larvae
• Aphids
• Mites and springtails
• Beneficials – predators and parasitoids

The workshop includes practical sessions for participants to build their skills identifying invertebrates using microscopes, dichotomous keys and other resources.

Lunch, refreshments and training materials will be provided.

There is no cost to attend the workshop for participants working in the grains industry, however spots are limited to 20 places due to equipment requirements, so bookings are essential.

Bookings: To book or find out more, contact: Julia Severi and Lilia Jenkins, Cesar Australia on 0484 310 697, pestfacts@cesaraustralia.com

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SFS – Upcoming Events

Harvest & Christmas Greetings
Southern Farming Systems is busily harvesting the cropping trials across all the trials sites in Victoria & Tasmania, when weather permits. This season has been a challenge for all farming enterprises with late breaks, frost and storm activity. It is time to reflect, reset and regenerate for 2025. The staff and board of Southern Farming Systems would like to
wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas. Enjoy being with your family and loved ones over the festive season.
The Southern Farming Systems team will be harvesting between the public holidays, but the office will be shut from the 23rd December to 5th January 2025. Grain testing at the Inverleigh shed will be available from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm weekdays. No testing on weekends or public holidays.

Save the date!
February

• 4-5th GRDC Research Update, Adelaide
• 25-26th GRDC Research Update, Bendigo
• 27th GRDC Research Update, Skipton

Total of eight Carbon Farming Outreach Program Workshops with Craig Drum, Murray Johns, Simon Falkiner & the SFS Team will be held in the New Year across SW Victoria, Bairnsdale, Campbelltown & Hobart (Tasmania) looking at various farming systems, dates to be determined, keep and eye out here…

March

• 19th SFS Results

Keep in touch with our events www.sfs.org.au/events

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Harvest Weed Seed Control in the HRZ

A valuable late-season cultural weed control tactic to reduce annual ryegrass seed set is Harvest Weed Seed Control (HWSC). HWSC strategies capture or destroy weed seeds at harvest, minimising the reliance on pre and post-emergent herbicides and therefore reducing risk of herbicide resistance. While HWSC has proven to be highly effective in many Australian cropping regions, efficacy is slightly lower in the High Rainfall Zone (HRZ) due to the long growing season and extended harvest period.

In this region, 50% of annual ryegrass seeds can shed before cereals are able to be harvested, therefore a realistic target for ryegrass seedbank reduction in the HRZ is 30% with HWSC. The most common HWSC strategies in Australian cropping systems include chaff carts, narrow windrow burning and impact mills. Chaff carts towed behind headers collect chaff and weed seeds, dumping them in piles for grazing or burning. Studies have shown that only 3-6% of ryegrass seed remains viable after passing through the rumen after grazing.

Narrow windrow burning (NWB) involves a chute attached the rear of the header, allowing the formation of a narrow 500mm windrow that can be burnt the following autumn, displaying up to 99% weed seed control in some conditions. Impact mills such as the Seed Terminator, mounted to harvesters have been widely adopted in southern Australia, crushing weed seeds at a high velocity during harvest to achieve 96% destruction of ryegrass seeds. Material is then spread back onto the paddock to retain nutrients. HWSC tactic success relies on a four key factors – the efficacy of the HWSC technology, weed species must retain seed in seed head before rather than shedding, the weed must remain upright after maturity, and the harvester must be set up to prevent weed seeds from being missed inside the machine.

Although only 30% of ryegrass seeds are captured/destroyed, HWSC tactics can be profitable in the HRZ given the high yield potential of the region. Small plot trials have shown that in systems where weeds are largely under control, HWSC technologies must cost $34/ha or less in extra costs to remain viable. Whereas in HRZ systems with herbicide resistance, HWSC can cost more than this and still be profitable. For further information about HWSC tactics, considerations and efficacy in the HRZ, take a look at some GRDC resources such as the update paper, ‘Harvest weed seed control – beyond windrow burning’ (Condon,2018) and ‘Harvest Weed Seed Control for the Southern High Rainfall Zone’ (2019) to help get on top of your weeds in seasons ahead.

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Long-Term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practises in Victoria

Southern Farming Systems is involved in the Long-Term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practises in Victoria project, led by the University of Melbourne which received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. The purpose of the trials is to investigate innovative and transformational cropping, grazing and mixed farming practises through the lens of drought resilience and associated risk management. The ‘Central Hub’ trials are conducted by the University of Melbourne, established at their Dookie campus. These trials have intensive scientific data collection and are then used for engagement and extension activities undertaken by Riverine Plains, who will then scale up the trials to paddock scale demonstrations. There are then three ‘spoke trials’ located in Tasmania (managed by the University of Tasmania), North-West Victoria (managed by Birchip Cropping Group) and South-West Victoria (managed by Southern Farming Systems). The SFS ‘spoke trial’ is located at the ‘The Meadows’, Rokewood. 

The locally relevant objective is to determine a crop and fodder-based system that is more robust and profitable across a range of climatic conditions compared to the current pasture and crop rotations. Livestock farmers in the South-West have a high proportion of self-replacing flocks and herds, and to be efficient, female weaners need to be well managed, so they are cycling at joining and then go on to lamb/calve successfully. Which comes down to nutrition and feed on offer.

With climate change predictions of a long-term decline in production from a typical phalaris/perennial ryegrass/sub-clover pasture and crop systems, the challenge of growing out weaner animals will only become more difficult. Rethinking the current pasture/crop rotation and adjusting the crop rotation, opportunistic grazing of crops and introduction of novel fodders may better utilise out-of-season rainfall and complement the traditional pasture base. We will be investigating a traditional system: ongoing rotation of wheat, beans and canola, with phalaris/sub-clover pastures on less suitable cropping land. Feed shortfalls are addressed by supplementation. Compared to a novel system: three years of adaptive novel feed sources to maximise the availability of feed (high quantity, high quality) as part of a traditional crop rotation, along with traditional phalaris/sub-clover pastures.

The aim is to replace/reduce the need for supplementary feeding throughout the year. Each treatment in the trials is run within separate small paddocks so they can be grazed by livestock when required. These paddocks are currently being set up by “The Meadows” and we thank them for their support. Trials will then begin in autumn 2025 and conclude in 2028. We are currently seeking local farmers to be part of a steering committee to help shape these trials and possibly be a part of Melbourne Universities social research, investigating the pathways and barriers to the adoption of practises, that will go on to shape the extension component of this project. 

For more information, or to get involved, email Jessie at: jwettenhall@sfs.org.au

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Do You Know of a Saline Area Close to You?

The search is on to find the endangered Adamson’s Blown Grass. Keen to learn more? Aggie and Austin from Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority are available to speak at your local meeting/catch-up on what to look out for, or they can come out and help you ID. 

Think you might have some Adamson’s Blown-grass on your property? Check out this handy ID guide below to help you narrow it down.

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Victoria’s Changing Climate Report – Now Available

Victoria’s Climate Science Report 2024 (VCSR24) summarises the best available scientific evidence on the climate for our state. The report builds on the earlier Victoria’s Climate Science Report 2019 (VCSR19), which remains a relevant component of our scientific evidence base.

VCSR24 and supporting resources can be used by Victorian decision-makers across businesses, the community and government, to improve research, risk assessments and planning for climate resilience.

VCSR24 delivers important messages about Victoria’s changing and future climate:

• Victoria’s climate has continued to warm since the 19th century, becoming drier in recent decades and experiencing more frequent and intense climate hazards.
• Victoria will experience a warmer future climate with further increases to average temperatures and more frequent and intense hot days.
• Victoria is likely to continue to become drier, especially in winter and throughout the cool season (April – October), while the intensity of short duration extreme rainfall events is projected to increase.
• High-impact climate hazards that affect Victoria, including floods, heatwaves, drought, bushfires and sea-level rise, are also changing and are projected to exacerbate under a warming climate.

High-impact climate hazards that affect Victoria, including floods, heatwaves, drought, bushfires and sea-level rise, are also changing and are projected to exacerbate under a warming

To learn more or to read the full report click here.

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Safe EC Levels For Livestock

EC values for each species of livestock denotes the level at which production decline begins:  

Beef Cattle: 6,200 EC μS/cm

Lactating Ewes and Weaners: 6,000 EC μS/cm

Dry Sheep: 9,300 EC μS/cm

Horses: 6,200 EC μS/cm

Pigs: 3,100 EC μS/cm

Poultry: 3,100 EC μS/cm 

Tomatoes: 3,000 EC μS/cm

Roses, Camellias: 1,800 EC μS/cm

Charts colour-coded: Green = Safe, Yellow = Unsafe for some species, Red = Unsafe for all livestock

Upper Mount Emu Creek Sites

Fiery Creek Sites

Hopkins River Sites

Happy Landcaring!