Agriculture Victoria and Meat & Livestock Australia want to establish five new on-farm demonstration projects, covering areas such as managing or adapting to a changing climate, reducing emissions and biosecurity risks.
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Agriculture Victoria Farming Systems project leader Bindi Hunter, said the program was inviting expressions of interest from Victorian sheep and beef producer groups to design and conduct their own three-year project.
"The demonstrations are conducted on group members' farms (preferably three sites per project per year) and involve participation by members in group activities, including skill development, site monitoring and discussion of results," Ms Hunter said.
"'Projects must be focused on increasing adoption of key management practices or commercially available technologies that improve business profitability, farm productivity and sustainability.".
Selected projects will focus on demonstrating systems or technologies in one of four priority areas:
- Managing and adapting to a changing climate, or specific regional conditions.
- Reducing emissions or emissions intensity
- Managing animal health and welfare risks, resulting from increasing or emerging biosecurity threats
- And implementing on-farm innovations that improve production and management efficiencies
Mortlake BetterBeef group leader Mike Carroll, Widgeegonga, Derrinallum said the projects were a great avenue for demonstrating new farming methods and technologies "close to the coal face".
"People can touch and feel it, and get comfortable with change, because change is always a challenge," Mr Carroll said.
"I think they are all very important and relevant areas - I can't think of anything that has been missed."
He said as long as there was a good co-ordinator, to guide members putting the demonstration into practice and implementing outcomes, projects were not that hard to set up.
"I know how they have worked in the past, there have been a few enhancements, a few improvements and I will be looking at them with interest," he said.
"I will be talking to our members, to see if they would like to pursue a project."
University of Melbourne senior lecturer John Webb-Ware said the projects covered a wide area.
"I think it is pretty important to be focused on what you want to do with those projects - all those topics cover a pretty broad range," Dr Webb-Ware said.
"It might be under the banner of climate change but that also often entails efficiencies on farm."
He said he when he'd been involved in such projects, he had tried to look for answers to the problems facing farmers.
It wasn't just about demonstrating techniques, but encouraging the adoption of farming systems to reflect the changes being sought, he said.
"If you do it, you want to be really targetted and not try and solve all the problems of the world," he said.
"Otherwise you end up not really achieving much."
Expressions of interest close on Monday 13 May 2024.
For more information and to receive an expression of interest form, go to https://go.vic.gov.au/3fTKvdU or contact Ms Hunter on 0428 589 016 or at bindi.hunter@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
