MSF Farm Talk Podcast

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 10: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Tackling Mallee Wind Erosion with Rachel Coombes

Agriculture Victoria with support from the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), is monitoring wind erosion risk in the Victorian Mallee by assessing groundcover and land management throughout the year.  This will help build a picture as to how the region is maintaining ground cover and reducing the effects of wind erosion.

Groundcover data is obtained through remote sensing (satellite imagery) technology and roadside surveys.  This combines new technology and is reinforced by existing tried and true methods.  Land Management Development Officer with Agriculture Victoria, Rachel Coombes, talks about the project and the results from the 2019 growing season in this podcast.

For more information on this project contact Rachel Coombes at Rachel [dot] coombes [at] agriculture [dot] vic [dot] gov [dot] au

This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority, though funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Further reading: Using Technology to Monitor Wind Erosion and Land Management in the Victorian Mallee 

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 9: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Improved decision making with John Gladigau, Bulla Burra

In this episode John Gladigau from Bulla Burra talks about improved decision making.

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 8: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Asking the tough questions when it comes to forward planning

Mike Krause from P2P Agri discusses how to navigate asking the tough questions when looking at your options for the future.

In collaboration with Agriculture Victoria, season 2 of Mallee Farming AgVic series focuses on livestock and land management in the Mallee.

The podcasts are delivered through funding from the Victorian Government’s 2019–20 Drought Support Package. For more information about other drought and dry seasonal conditions support from Agriculture Victoria go to https://bit.ly/2Ce44dk or call 136 186.

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 7: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Reducing costs while maintaining profit with David Smith

In this episode David Smith from ORM talks with Drew Radford about agronomic planning and reducing costs while maintaining profits during dry seasons.

David also delivered a webinar on this topic, you can listen to this webinar here https://bit.ly/3iuih54

In collaboration with Agriculture Victoria, season 2 of Mallee Farming AgVic series focuses on livestock and land management in the Mallee.

The podcasts are delivered through funding from the Victorian Government’s 2019–20 Drought Support Package. For more information about other drought and dry seasonal conditions support from Agriculture Victoria go to https://bit.ly/2Ce44dk or call 136 186.

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 6: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Weaning calves and lambs with Nick Linden

In collaboration with Agriculture Victoria, season 2 of Mallee Farming AgVIC series focuses on livestock and land management in the Mallee.

In this episode, Nick Linden, Livestock Development Officer, discusses weaning best practices with Drew Radford.

The podcasts are delivered through funding from the Victorian Government’s 2019–20 Drought Support Package. For more information about other drought and dry seasonal conditions support from Agriculture Victoria go to https://bit.ly/2Ce44dk or call 136 186.

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 5: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Cutting for hay with Tony Fay

In collaboration with Agriculture Victoria, season 2 of Mallee Farming AgVIC series focuses on livestock and land management in the Mallee.

Featured in this episode is Agriculture Victoria Grains Regional Manager, Tony Fay, talking about cutting for hay.

The podcasts are delivered through funding from the Victorian Government’s 2019–20 Drought Support Package.

For more information about other drought and dry seasonal conditions support from Agriculture Victoria go to agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 4: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Risky Weeds with Jeff Cave

A year of risky weeds!

In this episode, Dr Jeff Cave, District Veterinary Officer from Wodonga, discusses some toxic plant issues, including Heliotrope toxicity and Nitrate poisoning, and the times of year that they may be a problem.

For more information on risky weeds contact jeff [dot] cave [at] agriculture [dot] vic [dot] gov [dot] au

The development of the episodes included in the Mallee Farming AgVic series was funded through the Victorian Government’s 2019-20 Drought Support Package. For more information please visit: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 3: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Feed Testing with Erica Schelfhorst

MALLEE FARMING AGVIC SERIES – SEASON 2: LIVESTOCK AND LAND MANAGEMENT

Episode 3: Feed Testing with Erica Schelfhorst.

When sourcing feed supplies there are a couple of key issues worth considering before securing a seemingly cheaper feed: feed testing and commodity declarations, so you know exactly what you are getting. This will ensure that the feed value is high enough, and hence give you value for money and peace of mind that it is safe to feed.

For more information about feed testing you can read this information note:

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/sheep/sheep-notes-newsletters/sheep-notes-spring-2018/buying-feed-need-to-know

To learn more about feeding sheep in dry times check out Agriculture Victoria’s Drought Feeding Guides.

Information on feed testing is also included in the drought feeding guides. You can access a digital version of each guide using the link below or speak with your local Agriculture Victoria Extension staff to get a hard copy, or contact Agriculture Victoria’s Customer Service Centre on 136 186:

Sheep: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/312733/Sheep-drought-feeding-guide.pdf

Cattle: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/312735/Beef-cattle-drought-feeding-guide.pdf

The sheep and beef drought feeding and management books with other related livestock feeding resources, tools and links can now be found at our feeding livestock website:

https://www.feedinglivestock.vic.gov.au/

There’s also some great resources including videos, case studies and fact sheets on our website:

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farm-management/drought/managing-resources-in-drought

For more information on this topic contact Erica Schelfhorst, Livestock Extension Officer, Agriculture Victoria erica [dot] schelfhorst [at] agriculture [dot] vic [dot] gov [dot] au

The development of the episodes included in the Mallee Farming AgVic series was funded through the Victorian Government’s 2019-20 Drought Support Package. For more information please visit: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 2: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Controlled Traffic Farming with Rebecca Mitchell

Mallee Farming AgVic Series Season 2: Livestock and Land Management 

Rebecca Mitchell, Land Management Development Officer, Agriculture Victoria joins Drew Radford to discuss controlled traffic farming.

Handy resources for further reading:

For more information on the project and to download the publication On the Right Track – Controlled traffic farming in the low rainfall zone of south-eastern Australia head here: https://grdc.com.au/CTF-in-LRZ This publication provides a number of case studies of farmers who have adopted CTF and practical information.

Read the media release about this project http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/media-releases/controlled-traffic-farming-on-the-right-track

For more information on this project contact Rebecca Mitchell, Land Management Development Officer, Agriculture Victoria Rebecca [dot] mitchell [at] agriculture [dot] vic [dot] gov [dot] au

Mallee Sustainable Farming in collaboration with Agriculture Victoria proudly developed the Mallee Farming AgVic series. This series was produced to assist farmers experiencing drought and dry seasonal conditions. The development of the episodes included in the Mallee Farming AgVic series was funded through the Victorian Government’s 2019-20 Drought Support Package. For more information please visit: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons 

Podcast - Season 2 | Episode 1: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Grazing crops with Daniel Schuppan

Mallee Farming AgVic Series Season 2: Livestock and Land Management Daniel Schuppan, Livestock Consultant with Nutrien Ag Solutions joins Drew Radford to discuss Grazing Cereals.

Handy resources for further reading: Rules of thumb for grazing cereals – GRDC: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/groundcover/gc109/rules-of-thumb-for-grazing-cereals

There is a range of information and resources on the Grain and Graze website: http://www.grainandgraze3.com.au/

Find more information on the various producer demonstration sites around Victoria (current and past projects) which include some grazing studies: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/on-farm-demonstrations

Mallee Sustainable Farming in collaboration with Agriculture Victoria proudly developed the Mallee Farming AgVic series. This series was produced to assist farmers experiencing drought and dry seasonal conditions. The development of the episodes included in the Mallee Farming AgVic series was funded through the Victorian Government’s 2019-20 Drought Support Package. For more information please visit: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons

Podcast - Episode 7: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Planning for success during dry times with Chris Hunt

Chris Hunt, Millewa Farmer and MSF Board Member, chats with Drew Radford about robust farming plans and how he adapted his farming practices to overcome the driest conditions on record last year. Chris talks about his planning philosophy from seeding, weed management and rotation, livestock and his golden farming rules.

Check out Chris Hunt’s Case Study here: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons

Podcast - Episode 6: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Succession planning with Mike Krause

Mike Krause, from Plan2Profit Agri, joins Drew Radford to talk about the ‘Elephant’ in the room: Succession Planning. Mike discusses why succession planning is becoming more of a pressing issue as he unpacks his guiding principles to deal with it more effectively.

Podcast - Episode 5: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | The way forward with Rob Norton

Rob Norton from Norton Agronomy joins Drew Radford to discuss the nutrition status of soils following successive dry years and rehabilitating soils that have experienced wind erosion. Rob outlines weed control decisions, planning ahead, minimising stress, gathering information to make critical decisions plus much more.

Podcast - Episode 4: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Soil testing for profitability with Dr Rick Llewellyn

Dr Rick Llewellyn from CSIRO joins Drew Radford to explain the economic value of soil testing for growers to increase profit margins and fill in the gaps when it comes to soil health and decision making. In this episode, Dr Llewellyn outlines GRDC’s project, ‘Soil and plant testing for profitable fertiliser use,’ the value of soil testing programs, why testing is used the way it is and how farmers can profit from getting soil testing done.

Podcast - Episode 3: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Soil testing data post wind erosion Sean Mason

Dr Sean Mason from Agronomy Solutions joins Drew Radford to outline GRDC’s massive ‘Soil and plant testing for profitable fertiliser use’ project. Growers are concerned about where soil nutrients have ended up post wind erosion damage in the Mallee. In partnership with Frontier Farming Systems, soil testing was conducted in the Mallee with findings including low organic carbon levels in sands and reduced mineralisation. Tune into this episode for all the details from Dr Sean Mason.

Podcast - Episode 2: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Daniel Bell demystifies zones, soil sampling and data sets

Daniel Bell, Precision Ag specialist from Nutrien, joins Drew Radford to chat strategic soil testing, zoning techniques and data sets. Daniel explains how available data sets can be used to determine what sampling strategies can be used, how many zones are set and how to interpret the data to a usable format to then do a soil test.

Podcast - Episode 1: Mallee Farming AgVic Series | Productivity gains in Mallee sandy soils with Michael Moodie

Michael Moodie, from Frontier Farming Systems, joins Drew Radford to unpack significant results from a 3-year trial to improve sandy soil productivity. In this episode, Michael discusses the findings on specific crop yields, how deep ripping significantly improved yield by reducing the penetration resistance and what must be considered before these findings can be implemented.