News Photo competition celebrates the Year of the Paddock Tree Ravaged by drought, battered by winds and seared by fire, the lone paddock tree has stood the test of time. Geoff Adams 16 Aug 2019 16 Aug 2019
Country News Tragowel dairy farmers diversify into a farm stay Dairying has been a tough gig over the past few years. Sophie Baldwin 15 Aug 2019 15 Aug 2019
News Activist almost turned young farmer off agriculture A pork farmer has told federal politicians that one of his daughters considered dumping her long-held plan to get involved in the business after animal activists invaded the family’s farm. Geoff Adams 15 Aug 2019 15 Aug 2019
News Meet the millennials helping revive the ‘ghost town’ of Graytown What could possibly entice a couple in their early 20s to move to a “gold mining ghost town” in Central Victoria? Vanessa Wiltshire 14 Aug 2019 14 Aug 2019
News Donated dunny fits the bill When the good people over at Schneider Electric spotted a plea in The Ensign from Goorambat asking for help building a toilet, they had a solution. Simon Ruppert 13 Aug 2019 13 Aug 2019
Dairy Lachlan Marshall starts the process of destocking Lachlan Marshall’s Blighty dairy farm has hit the trigger point he was hoping it would never make. Sophie Baldwin 14 Aug 2019 14 Aug 2019
Dairy ‘Bold new measures necessary’ More than 130 delegates representing all Australian states and elements of the supply chain in the dairy industry met in Melbourne on July 30 and 31 to frame the key elements of the Australian Dairy Plan. Country News 09 Aug 2019 09 Aug 2019
Dairy Stinky blue still on menu Federal Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie has melted concerns roquefort imports could be banned after French-cheese lovers kicked up a stink. Country News 09 Aug 2019 09 Aug 2019
Dairy Coles follows price rise lead Coles has followed the lead of Woolworths and Aldi by increasing its home brand milk prices. Country News 08 Aug 2019 08 Aug 2019
Dairy Dairy farmer Chris Hibberson enters top 100 producers for milk quality After years on the cusp of the dairy industry’s top prize for milk quality, northern Victorian dairy farmer Chris Hibberson has been announced as a winner in Dairy Australia’s 2019 Milk Quality Awards. Country News 06 Aug 2019 06 Aug 2019
Horticulture $10m to help combat pest A further $10million has been invested into sterile fruit fly research as part of a three-year Hort Innovation-managed project. Country News 24 Jul 2019 24 Jul 2019
Horticulture Fruit growers praying for rain After the difficulties that come with a hot season last year, fruit growers around the Goulburn Valley are set to be faced with a lack of water for the season ahead. Rodney Woods 23 Jul 2019 23 Jul 2019
Horticulture Sharing new research A stonefruit research roadshow will be travelling to the region next month, with growers across the Goulburn-Murray region to hear about the latest Agriculture Victoria research. Country News 14 Jul 2019 14 Jul 2019
Cropping Survey into skills project NSW grain and cotton growers are being encouraged to have their say in a statewide survey to gather critical information about the impact of the AgSkilled initiative in meeting the training needs of their respective industries. Country News 08 Aug 2019 08 Aug 2019
Cropping Dookie crop farmer welcomes review into council rates An independent panel will give Victorians a chance to voice their opinions on local council rates and charges and how they are applied. Sophie Baldwin 07 Aug 2019 07 Aug 2019
Cropping Hay quality is still high Victorian and NSW farmers are still producing quality hay despite unfavourable seasonal conditions and high input costs. Rodney Woods 06 Aug 2019 06 Aug 2019
Livestock Ram sells for $35,000 in Hamilton A ram by the name of Moorundie 219 sold for a top price of $35,000 at Sheepvention in Hamilton last week, eclipsing the previous record of $31,000. Sophie Baldwin 12 Aug 2019 12 Aug 2019
Livestock Tooborac and Euroa to host nutrition and management workshops Agriculture Victoria invites sheep and beef producers to a nutrition and management workshop with Dr Paul Cusack. Rodney Woods 12 Aug 2019 12 Aug 2019
Livestock Apply now for on-farm grant Livestock producer groups interested in running local projects to validate the on-farm benefits of research and development findings have until the end of August to apply for funding. Country News 09 Aug 2019 09 Aug 2019
Livestock Find answers at genetic hub A range of short ‘how-to’ videos to help beef and sheep meat producers get started setting breeding objectives using breeding values in their herd or flock are part of the suite of genetics resources being rolled out by Meat & Livestock Australia. Country News 09 Aug 2019 09 Aug 2019
Water Irrigation allocations increase Allocations in the Goulburn-Murray Water irrigation system have taken a substantial move upwards. Geoff Adams 16 Aug 2019 16 Aug 2019
Water McKenzie and Drum talk about water Country News caught up with Federal Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie and Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum last week at the University of Melbourne’s Dookie Campus. Reporter Rodney Woods put the topic of water on the agenda. Rodney Woods 14 Aug 2019 14 Aug 2019
Water Acknowledge Lower Lakes were once estuarine, says Speak Up A clear statement acknowledging the historic estuarine condition of the Murray River’s Lower Lakes must be released by the South Australian Government and University of Adelaide. Rodney Woods 09 Aug 2019 09 Aug 2019
Management Looking for a reason to smile HAPPY COWS mean happy farmers and young Western District farmer Rachael McGrath is doing her best to keep smiling. At 25, Rachael is taking over management of her family farm which has endured years of adversity and setbacks. With a good 2019... Rick Bayne 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Management Making a moove to a new processor in south-west Victoria IT’S MILKING time at Sarah Chant’s farm in south-west Victoria. The 240-Jersey herd ambles to the herringbone dairy from paddocks at the foot of Warrion Hill, just north of Colac. There’s been a shower of rain, but the sun’s out and... Dairy News 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Management “Two speed” autumn in western Victoria FARMERS KNOW better than anyone the power of Mother Nature. In western Victoria, the weather has played a huge role in the fortunes of dairy farmers this autumn. Early rain for some, has delivered pasture to calve cows on, while others had to... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
Management Farmers share business philosophies FIVE DIVERSE dairy farmers, with five different farming systems, formed a panel as part of day two of Murray Dairy’s Murray Muster, held in Kyabram during May. The panel spoke to the group about their own businesses and management, their own... Sophie Baldwin 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
From the Experts California faces similar dairy issues MULTIPLE DEMANDS on irrigation water, stricter environmental controls and pressures from animal activists are some of the issues that are similar for Californian dairy farmers and those in Australia. Animal scientist Dr Russ Hovey drew some... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
From the Experts Gippsland reminders for July Pastures and grazing Aim to grow as much pasture as possible while keeping costs under control. The use of nitrogen and gibberellic acid can increase DM yield, and when combined with good grazing management can increase available pasture to cows... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
From the Experts Designing calf housing THERE IS no single “right” way to rear calves and no “best” housing system. Good management is essential to the success of any system. However, badly designed and managed housing systems can definitely pose risks to calf health, welfare and... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
Markets Australian milk production continues to slide, while global markets present opportunities THE 2018–19 season will most certainly be remembered as an exceptionally challenging season for the Australian dairy industry. Universally high feed costs, record high temporary irrigation water costs and widespread dry seasonal conditions have... Sofia Omstedt 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Markets Rain will be key to cow value lift: agents There’s opportunity in current cow values for those who have feed, according to a cow leasing and agricultural finance company boss. This comes as livestock agents continue to report tough selling conditions, as farmers in northern Victoria battle... Dairy News 17 May 2019 17 May 2019
Markets Speculation mounts on farmgate milk prices As farmers nervously await a definitive autumn break, speculation is concurrently intensifying around 2018–19 farmgate milk prices. Some processors have made early announcements, and more are likely to follow suit, as the battle to secure milk... John Droppert 17 May 2019 17 May 2019
Machinery & Products Air drills integrate seeding technology BUILDING ON the best features of the 1990CCS Air Seeder that has been the standard for small grains seeding for the last decade, John Deere has introduced the redesigned N500C Series Air Drills for 2019. These new air drills integrate the latest in... Dairy News 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Machinery & Products New JD site MACHINERY DEALERSHIP Haeusler’s reached a milestone on April 2 as the business held the opening of its new Shepparton location. Having moved further north of Shepparton at the end of last year, director Martin Haeusler said it was evident that... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
Machinery & Products Upgrades to Patriot sprayer range for 2019 A BIGGER tank and upgraded components are among the latest updates to the Case IH Patriot self-propelled sprayer range. The 4542 litre fuel tank on the Patriot 4430 has been replaced with a larger 6000 litre tank. Customers still have the option of... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
Machinery & Products Office to cab software Farmers Edge has released an app-based in-field intelligence tool that provides a seamless digital experience from the office to the cab. Digitally linking growers, dealers, retailers, trusted advisers and other key stakeholders, the In-Cab Tool... Dairy News 17 May 2019 17 May 2019
Animal Health Preventing lameness in your herd LAMENESS IN cattle can occur at any time of the year but extremely wet conditions are associated with higher rates of lameness in dairy cows. This is because prolonged exposure to moisture causes the hoof to soften and increases the risk of... Gemma Chuck 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Animal Health Trace minerals issue universal A TECHNICAL services veterinarian from the United States visited Numurkah last month to speak about cattle multi-mineral injection Multimin. Dan Tracy addressed a small group of farmers at MG Trading on June 18, and spoke about the research on the... Dairy News 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Animal Health Farm activist inquiry FARMERS ARE being urged to prepare submissions for a Victorian parliamentary inquiry which will look into how to protect farms from invading animal activists. The inquiry follows a series of farm invasions around Australia, and a public... Dairy News 12 Jul 2019 12 Jul 2019
Animal Health Welfare key in rearing calves THERE IS not much Bernie McManus doesn’t know about rearing calves, after all he has been doing it for most of his life and has got the skill down to a fine art these days. Mr McManus and his wife Carol milk 130 spring calving Jerseys on their... Dairy News 14 Jun 2019 14 Jun 2019
