The Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) is warning people to get vaccinated and take other steps to guard against Q fever, as drought and high winds may increase the risk of the disease spreading. WNSWLHD Health Protection Manager, Priscilla Stanley, said so far this year there have been 47 confirmed cases of Q fever in the WNSWLHD area. In 2018, there were 41 confirmed cases of the disease in the area.
“Q fever is a serious bacterial infection caused by inhaling dust particles contaminated by infected animal secretions that does not just affect farmers or people who deal with livestock,” Priscilla said.

Nine-year-old Seth Whiteman, from a property near Yeoval contracted Q fever in May this year. Seth’s Mum, Brooke Ryan, said, “Seth had been helping on the farm, which included being exposed to animal fluids. Some of the other kids were sick too, but Seth wasn’t getting better. He had high temperatures, but was shivering and freezing cold to touch”.

“A single dose vaccine is recommended for people who work in high risk occupations and anyone over 15 years who has the potential to be exposed to Q fever,” added Priscilla.

The following steps can protect against Q fever:

• washing hands and arms thoroughly in soapy water after any contact with animals

• wearing a properly fitting mask when handling or disposing of animal products

• wearing protective clothing and thick gloves when working with high risk animals

• removing and washing dirty clothing, coveralls, boots and equipment in outdoor wash areas to prevent exposing other household residents

• washing animal urine, faeces, blood and other body fluids from equipment and surfaces.

21,787 bales were on offer this week, the lowest weekly quantity in 12 months. The small offering may have had a negative impact, as some exporters may not have been confident about being able to fill orders. The limited number of good style wools with favourable additional measurements were highly sought after, these wools recorded minimal change for the series. Lesser style lots and those carrying poor additional measurements lost 30- 50 cents, pushing the MPGs down by 20-40 cents.

The NRI lost 26 cents, closing the week at 1,883. The crossbred sector also tracked downward but not as steeply as the merinos, prices generally fell by 5-10 cents. 30.0 micron however managed a small increase for the week, the only quoted MPG to record positive movement for the series.

The cardings also lost further ground this week and are now 571 cents, from the record high set in September last year.

Next week will see 29,989 bales put before the trade, with Fremantle back-in after a week’s recess.

Source: AWEX

Tough is the word Lake Cargelligo grain grower Andrew McFadyen is using to describe the current seasonal conditions across much of New South Wales’ grain growing regions. He said reasonable rain was needed in the next three to four weeks to give winter crops a fighting chance after a dry summer and autumn.

“Grain growers are a resilient group, but the current situation is testing everyone in the agricultural sector, including regional communities,” Mr McFadyen said.

“In seasons like this, it is really important to remember we are all in this together and it’s always rained. It will turn around this time too.”

“In the Lake Cargelligo region, the past 18 months have been incredibly dry, and we are now at a point where we need rain in the next three to four weeks to give winter crops a chance, or in some cases to get winter crops in the ground.”

At Forbes, GRDC Northern Panel member Tony Hamilton said the season had been “very patchy” with reduced canola plantings, very little chickpea planted and some irrigation water available to carry over. “Irrigators are definitely disillusioned. But the planting decision window could extend from mid-June to July if the price outlook is good and we get some rain,” Mr Hamilton said.

At Wyalong, grower and GRDC Northern Panel member Roger Bolte said it was a similar situation despite 70mm in late March giving growers hope for a great autumn start to the season.

“We had another 50mm in early May and that helped set up some growers across this area, but the conditions vary significantly through this region,” he said.

“Wheat and barley are the main crops this season at the expense of canola and legumes. Canola could be back as much as 90% this year across this district. A small area of chickpeas and lupins will really round out what’s in the ground here.”

Investing In Farmers And Agriculture

The Government continues to support farmers facing hardship as drought and flood hit farmers in various parts of our nation, whilst aiming to boost our exports.

The Government is providing $6.3 billion in assistance and concessional loans to support those affected by drought and $3.3 billion to support those affected by flood.

This includes expanding the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and establishing a new $5 billion Future Drought Fund to support drought resilience projects.

The Government continues to support farmers receiving Farm Household Allowance. From 1st July farmers on FHA will be able to discount or exempt the sale of livestock from the FHA income test when it’s invested in a Farm Management Deposit.

Australia’s agriculture industry has been given another boost by the Government, with $29.4 million worth of measures that target sectors with high export growth potential.

Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud said the Government continues to target investment where it would bring the biggest boost to agriculture.

“We produce the best food and we need to give our farmers as many markets as possible to send it to. Free trade deals decide the tariffs but we still need to negotiate protocols to send our produce across which satisfy the importing country we won’t bring pests or disease,” said David.

“The Government is also investing $6.8 million over four years to extend the Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC) program – an initiative of the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper.

“The ATMAC program is there for large industries and producers. It has successfully broken down technical trade barriers and improved access to premium markets returning dividends for our farmers,” said David.

Crunching Cattle Price Grid Numbers

Cattle producers now have access to a free online tool which allows them to quickly compare the prices on offer for direct consignment to a range of processors and feedlots.

The tool, located on the new AgCentre website (www.agcentre.com.au), is compatible with smart phones and laptops and is the brainchild of two mates, Forbes Norton and Chris Hourigan.

Producers and their agents simply gain a login to the tool for free and then punch in the details of cattle they want to sell including numbers, liveweight, location, EUstatus and breed.

The tool will then quickly compare the prices on offer in real-time from the publicly- available grids of major processors and feedlots including Teys, Thomas Foods, Bindaree, Borthwicks and NH Foods.

The AgCentre tool also provides an estimate of transport costs to various abattoirs and feedlots.

Forbes Norton said the tool allowed producers and their agents, processors and feedlots to connect with each other more easily.

“There is no need for producers to seek out (individual) price grids by phone, email or fax,” said Forbes. “You put in the details and it shows you live prices for all those public grids.”

He said the tool enabled producers to discover the best price and estimated overall net returns for their cattle and then can make contact with the processor or feedlot to discuss a sale or get more information.

Forbes said the price discovery service had the potential to alleviate ACCC and Senate pressure to publish price grids and in turn mitigated the risk of regulatory intervention to force mandatory price reporting on the industry.

Greater price discovery would also lead to better competition in the market, he said.

Following the one-week Easter recess, quantities increased this week with 43,053 bales on offer. With reduced volumes coming forward, combined with a 2% fall in the AUD, the larger offering did little to soften buyer demand.

Main buyer interest was in the best/good style wools, spirited bidding on these types helped push prices up by 15-30 cents, which in turn helped push the AWEX NRI up by 18 cents, to close the week at 1997. Inferior style wools were not as well supported and lost further ground and when viewed in US dollar terms the NRI was actually 23 cents cheaper.

Crossbreds again recorded healthy gains, with rises of 40-60 cents, pushing the 28 micron indicator further into record territory, and after tracking downward for the previous six weeks, merino cardings recorded positive movement, with general increases of 10-30 cents.

Next week sees quantities reduce with 33,464 bales currently rostered for sale nationally.

Source: AWEX

A Good Investment In Farmers

The Coalition Government is investing $5.93 million in new research, extension and adoption to boost farm productivity through well managed dams and shelterbelts deliver on-farm. The project will also measure the biodiversity benefits of farm dams and shelterbelts.

Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud said putting native vegetation and entry points around dams meant stock grew faster on cleaner, cooler water – and this research would measure the benefits across 15,500 farms.

“Fencing, installing watering points and planting native vegetation around dams can increase farm productivity,” said David. “Stock with access to clean, cool water grows better meat.”

“Native vegetation filters out runoff from paddocks, which often contains sediment, faecal matter and other things. This keeps the dam water cleaner, cooler and with less bacteria, which reduces the risk of stock contracting water-borne parasites.”

“Trees reduce surface temperatures and evaporation rates meaning the farmer’s dam retains more water. Good dam management and shelter belt management helps with drought management.”

“Then of course there’s the biodiversity boost and as I’ve announced recently, I see a future in which farmers are paid for biodiversity and carbon absorption on their farms. I’ve put $34 million towards this already.”

“Field days and workshops will make sure we get the highest adoption rates possible. Having farmers see real productivity benefits and take this up, improving Australia’s farm output and growing agriculture, is the real goal here.”

“More than 7,500 sheep farmers and 8,000 cattle farmers will be involved, including at farm field days and workshops. This investment will also help build drought resilience by giving farmers a better understanding on what happens to water stored in dams,” said David.

Drought Retains Tight Grip Despite Rain

The State continues to experience prolonged and widespread drought conditions despite some welcome rainfall in March, particularly in the east, eastern Riverina, Central and Southern Tablelands and Central West, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Western NSW, Adam Marshall said this week.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries State Seasonal Update for March has been released, which shows that while some isolated areas had moved into drought recovery, much of the Western region missed out altogether.

“The NSW Combined Drought Indicator shows that although there has been some shifts in the nature of the current drought, 99.5 percent of NSW is still experiencing drought conditions,” said Adam.

“It was wonderful to see farmers in some areas receive their first significant falls in a long time, but unfortunately there is no break from drought conditions.”

“Sadly drought is continuing to retain its tight grip on the State and more follow up rain is needed to ensure that any short-term improvement is sustained.”

According to the update, conditions are unchanged in the far west, north-west and parts of Central NSW, which remain in the Intense Drought and Drought categories.

“I am acutely aware of how difficult these conditions are for our farmers, which is why I am quickly assessing current drought relief measures to make sure farmers are receiving the best possible support and that this support is ongoing,” said Adam.

“The NSW Government has committed almost $1.5 billion to the drought support package, boosted the Farm Innovation Fund from $650 million to $1 billion and increased the value of low interest loans available through the fund up to $1 million.”

The latest State Seasonal Update and information on a range of services and support is available on www.droughthub.nsw.gov.au.