Climate Smart Farming rolled out across Victoria

Over the first seven months of this year, rainfall has been below average for most of Victoria, and significantly below average in parts of Gippsland districts and north-west of the state, according to BoM.

This slide into a drier climate state has spurred four Climate Smart Farming workshops hosted by Agriculture Victoria and consultant Jason Trompf, to be held at Greta, Violet Town, Cavendish and Ararat.

"On a daily basis, farmers are having to juggle many factors to make big decisions that affect their livelihoods, their animals and their landscape," Dr Trompf said.

"The complexity of this ongoing juggling act is exacerbated by our highly variable environment.

"Producers that have established flexible strategies in their business and deploy proactive tactical decision making can adapt most effectively."

With ongoing dry condition forecast for spring, Dr Trompf said Climate Smart Farming workshops would enable producers to better understand the impacts and opportunities of climate variability on their businesses.

Each workshop would focus on flexible farm systems, increasing turnoff, seasonal and commodity forecasting and managing feed resources.

"As sheep farmers we are on the front line dealing with the impact of the weather," he said.

"Unfortunately, we can't control the weather but we can make management and business decisions to have control over its impacts.

"We need to make sure our sheep systems are designed to handle the variable seasons."

He said the workshops would help producers "bulletproof" their businesses against varying seasons, using a practical focus with strategies to be applied on-farm to make a difference.

"Improving the consistency of profits means you need a production system that can make money across most years, not just the good ones," he said.

"This means we need to be proactive and have strategies in place that can quickly adjust to the circumstances of each production season.

"Participants will undertake an activity where they critique the flexibility of their own enterprise, from feed demand to pasture supply, infrastructure, animal management, business, and human resource management."

Hosted by Lambs Alive champion Lyndon Kubeil, topics include diversified marketing strategies, water desalinisation plant, lifting Merino marking rates, robust perennial pastures, optimising meat and wool production from Merinos.

Hosted by Charlie de Fegley, topics include driving lamb growth rates, productive pasture systems, lifting lamb survival, meat production per hectare, integrating stock and crops, adaptable marketing.

Hosted by Ricky Luhrs, topics include robust Merinos, containment feeding, use of silage, temporary fencing, marketing strategies.

Hosted by Jason Trompf, topics include maternal trial results, lifting lamb survival, marketing with assurance, managing water resources, production per hectare, mob size and ewe lamb trial results.

To register, click here.