Farmers, contract harvesters, transport companies and agricultural machinery retailers are invited to attend the Be Road Ready for Harvest Virtual Field Day via Zoom on Tuesday, 15 September from 8am.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said that unfortunately due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, the event will be held online for the second year in a row. Last year’s online delivery was well received and attended. We had 50 attendees on the day and a further 20 people had signed up for the waitlist.

“It was very pleasing to see many of the regulars join us for the online event last year, but there were also a large number of first-time attendees from right across the Central West,” Ms Suitor said.

The Virtual Field Day is supported by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Transport for NSW, NSW Police, NSW Rural Fire Ser-vice, NSW Farmers, Australian Custom Harvesters Association, Graincorp and the Grain Transport Safety Network.

Topics which will be discussed include access, permits, fire safety, fatigue, load restraint and much more.

Registration is free but spaces are limited, so get in quick. Register online at www.eventbrite.com and search ‘Be Road Ready for Harvest Virtual Field Day’.

Farmers across the Riverina and Central West will “greatly benefit” from the newly announced Agricultural Worker Visa, Riverina MP Michael McCormack said. The Federal Government has delivered a vital agriculture visa to help secure the future of rural and regional Australia.

The visa will provide a long term and reliable workforce for our critical industries. Mr McCormack said the Agriculture Minister David Litttleproud and he had agreed on an Agricultural Visa with the Prime Minister in June and was pleased to see it implemented.

“The Agricultural Worker Visa delivers on the Federal Government’s commitment to best support our food and fibre producers,” Mr McCormack said.

“It is important our farmers have the confidence to plant a crop and know they will have access to a reliable workforce to assist during harvest, and this visa will deliver just that.

“The Agricultural Worker Visa will help to steady the agriculture sector as we build it to a $100 billion industry by 2030.”

The Government’s primary and growing method for meeting agricultural workforce shortages are the existing Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme. The new visa program will build on these.

Between now and March 2022, the number of Pacific and Timorese workers in Australia will double to more than 24,000. These workers are highly valued by Australian industry and are critical to Australia’s horticultural and meat processing sectors, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forbes is among 20 regional locations across NSW where the Berajiklian Coalition Government will establish grain treatment sites to help combat the ongoing mouse plague.

“Pending approval, sites will also be set up at other western NSW areas including Nyngan, Condobolin, Coonabarabran and Coonamble, while Merriwa and Walgett are also on the list,” said NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said.

Mr Marshall also confirmed his hometown of Gunnedah, Dubbo, Holbrook, Inverell, Mudgee, Jerilderie, Narrandera, Scone, Tamworth, Moree, Narrabri, Wagga Wagga and Warialda as the other areas where sites will be situated.

“Instead of the initially suggested ten sites, we’ve now made our grain treatment even easier for farmers to access and doubled that number to 20,” Minister Marshall said.

“These mice are a scourge on our regional communities, but these 20 sites will be strategically located throughout the state’s most affected areas, from Warialda to Wagga, and Condobolin to Scone, to help ease the burden on our farmers,” he said.

Farmers can register for grain treatment through their nearest Local Land Service office, with sites to operate in rotation and by appointment to ensure safe chemical handling and access for staff and customers.

Mr Marshall said the treatment sites would complement the measures already put in place by the NSW Government to support landholders. “Our workshops educating farmers on best practice to manage mice continue to be well subscribed and well received,” Mr Marshall said.

The free grain treatment is part of the NSW Government’s $50 million support package to manage the impacts on regional communities, which also includes bait rebates for households and small businesses, community workshops and targeted pest research.

It’s been compared to the mice plague of 2011 that cost farmers $200 million.

Now, nearly a decade on, everyone is gearing up for the next wave and with all the welcomed rain comes mice, who breed and feed every 10-21 days and can produce up to 500 offspring in a season.

Information via the Central West Local Land Services website and Senior Land Services Officer for Mixed Farming, Callen Thompson has some tips for farmers explaining that, “Producers also need to be mindful that although mice will normally only travel 3-5 metres to forage for food, when numbers are high, they will actively travel.”

“So, if you do decide to treat paddocks early, you will need to at least budget on regular perimeter bating to keep them out of your paddocks.”

“The reason mouse numbers are high this year is because of the positive season. There is plenty of grass and crop seed on the ground to eat and a lot of grass and stubble that they can use for habitat,” Thompson said via the website.

For more information, contact Central West Local Land Services.

The Australian Government is investing $10 million through the Climate Services for Agriculture Program to help farm businesses increase drought and climate resilience.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud, said the program was funded through the $5 billion Future Drought Fund and would provide farmers with access to trusted and relevant information on national and regional climate data.

“We are the first government to look to the future to prepare for the next drought which is why we have established the $5 billion Future Drought Fund,” David said.

“The Climate Services for Agriculture Program will complement seasonal forecasts and climate guides that are currently available through BOM by providing detailed regional information about future drought and climate risks and inform management actions to address vulnerabilities and prepare for future impacts.

“CSIRO and BOM will engage the agricultural sector to determine the type of climate information that is most useful to their businesses and test in four pilot regions to ensure the decision support tools to meet their needs.”

“The pilot regions will be identified in early 2021 and will include a range of climatic regions and agricultural sectors.”

The Climate Services for Agriculture Program is one of the foundational programs announced under the Australian Government’s $5 billion Future Drought Fund on 1 July 2020. The Australian Government continues to support farmers and regional businesses through tough times.

For more information go to: www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/future-drought-fund#climate-services-for-agriculture-program.

Cereal, pulse and oilseed growers are being reminded to adhere to label directions for herbicides used as a desiccant and understand their target market requirements this harvest to avoid issues with chemical residues.

It is critical growers are aware that maximum residue limits (MRLs) in Australia could differ from MRLs in international grain markets such as the European Union, according to Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Manager Chemical Regulation, Gordon Cumming.

“Late season rain has created harvest issues across areas of Australia, and growers are now carefully considering their options when it comes to managing their crop and maximising yield, weed control and grain quality to achieve the best profit margins,” Gordon said.

“However, where chemical desiccants, used to speed up the crop ripening process, are being considered there is the potential for chemical residues to arise that may exceed certain market requirements, even when used in accordance with the label directions.”

“For example, for durum, the Australian MRL for diquat is 2 milligrams/kilogram, whereas in a major potential market for Australian durum, the European Union, there is a significantly lower MRL of 0.02mg/kg.”

Chair of the National Working Party on Grain Protection (NWPGP), Gerard McMullen, said all markets had strict limits for chemical residues and growers and marketers needed to work together to ensure grain was compliant with market requirements.

“Marketers need to closely monitor market requirements and provide advice to growers. Non-compliance can lead to the rejection of shipments in export markets and create ongoing market access issues,” Gerard said.

Differences in regulations make grain exporters wary and many were reluctant to consider buying grain from crops treated with certain chemicals, such as diquat on durum.

Growers have a legal obligation to follow label directions and understand the needs of their buyers. Exporters also have a role to play. Grain should not be exported unless the residue status is known and complies with market requirements.

The GRDC has produced fact sheets on desiccants for use by crop type. For more information go to https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/factsheets/2020/preharvest-herbicide-use-fact-sheet.