Focus on Fodder - Australian Fodder Industry Association

Winter 2012 

In this issue 

Let’s hope spring stacks up! 1 

Compost use on 

broadacre farms 1 

Chairman’s note 3 

AFIA activities 4 

Export report 9 

District reports 10 

ACACA China trade 

delegation, June 2012 11 

Member profile 12 

Vetch in the Victorian 

Wimmera and Mallee 14 

Social media and farmers 

– a recipe for success! 18 

2012 John Deere 

Marcus Oldham Rural 

Leadership Scholarship 20 

Irrigation in Tasmania 22 

2012 Diary Dates 

National Fodder 

Conference 

Hobart, Tasmania, 7–8 August 

Henty Machinery 

Field Days 

Henty, NSW 18–20 September 

Elmore Field Days 

Elmore, Victoria, 2–4 October 

Contact AFIA 

Suite 3.01, 620 St Kilda Rd 

Melbourne VIC 3004 

Ph: 03 9530 2199 

Fax: 03 9510 7558 

www.afia.org.au 

<strong>Focus</strong> on Fodder 

Newsletter of the Australian Fodder Industry Association Ltd 

Let’s hope the spring stacks up! 

Wow, what a difference twelve months 

makes in the hay market. This time last 

year hay producers were faced with the 

challenges of a sluggish hay market, 

low prices, mice and as a consequence 

the area sown was down considerably. 

A combination of dry springs, late 

autumns and general shortage of 

hay has fuelled an increased level of 

demand and is pushing prices up. The 

demand hot-spot at the moment is 

south west Victoria, where prices have 

risen by $70/mt since October 2011. 

Compost use on broadacre farms – 

what place in the 21st century? 

There’s an old saying that goes ‘the 

more things change, the more they 

stay the same’. Well that is probably 

true when it comes to soil condition/ 

health/quality. 

What is a healthy soil? Some say it is a 

soil that’s ‘fit-for-purpose’, others have 

ideas relating to soil organic matter, 

A lot of weather damaged hay produced 

in 2010 is being consumed and growers 

are relieved there is now a market for 

this hay that looked as though it had 

no commercial value last year. With 

the exception of Western Australia, 

hay stocks throughout the country will 

be very close to being depleted going 

into the spring. The upcoming fodder 

harvest will be extremely critical in 

rebuilding these stocks for next year’s 

consumption. 

Continued on page 10 

worms, colour or smell. Well, it’s 

probably all these and more. Whatever 

people say about the definition, most 

agree that a healthy soil is one with 

plenty of life in it; is well structured and 

friable; and grows productive plants. 


Ownership or access to use a compost turner is one of the most important things 

for successful commercial scale compost production. 

AFIA Newsletter Winter 2012 page 1

Bale up a deal. 

The John Deere 468 is our 

top-selling baler in Australia. 

Not just because it’s green and gold, but because 

it delivers perfectly round bales time after time. 

Bales that shed water, hold their shape and provide 

nutrient rich, quality hay for your stock. The 468 is also 

very fast and tough – so you can tackle the biggest 

jobs without a worry. Loaded with features and clever 

thinking that just makes the job easier, the John Deere 

468 pays dividends. Again and again. Contact your 

local John Deere dealer or visit our website and start 

making more. 

Nothing Runs Like A Deere. 

JohnDeere.com.au

Most of us are now watching and 

waiting to see how the weather treats 

us in the next couple of months. For 

some it has been an excellent start 

to the season whilst others have had 

a less then favourable start. The east 

coast has been receiving good rains 

recently, after a slow start, whereas 

the west coast is becoming dry. 

It has been amazing to watch the 

mass clean out of old season hay in 

the past couple of months. Whilst 

it is great to see a lot hay that was 

previously written off move out of 

sheds and paddock stacks it has been 

a bittersweet experience—the lack of 

early rain has caused some anxiety. 

2011 proved a challenging year for 

our grower and contractor members. 

Hopefully now that hay and fodder 

stocks have been cleaned out we 

will see a return to more average 

conditions. As we patiently wait for 

spring and you no doubt are doing 

some forward planning, keep in 

mind the loyal AFIA sponsors. Fodder 

machinery manufacturers and input 

suppliers and testing facilities are great 

supporters of AFIA and our industry 

and I urge you to support our sponsors 

where possible. 

The 2012 National Fodder Conference 

to be held on 7–8 August in Hobart, 

Tasmania is almost upon us. I urge 

anyone who hasn’t registered yet to 

quickly do so. The 2012 conference 

The AFIA delegation to China stop at a market for lunch. 

features a range of speakers relevant 

to all sectors of the fodder industry. 

The conference offers a great 

opportunity to network, access key 

suppliers and keep up to date with the 

fodder industry. As always Pru and her 

team have come up with what should 

be an exciting and enjoyable social 

program. The Pre Conference Tour will 

give participants an opportunity to see 

the best of Tasmanian agriculture and 

tourism while the Generation Ag Tour 

will give the under 35s a chance to 

develop leadership skills and challenge 

themselves. 

Recently I was fortunate enough to 

participate in a delegation to China 

with the purpose of promoting 

Australian oaten hay (see full report on 

page 11). I am thankful to Peter Gillett, 

Peter Philipzen and Charlie Williams 

for taking time away from their busy 

schedules to represent AFIA as part of 

the delegation. Their range of skills and 

experience proved to be of great value 

during the trip, helping to gain good 

outcomes for the industry. 

Since the last newsletter there have 

been some major changes to the 

AFIA staff. Colin Peace is now working 

with his consulting company Jumbuk 

Consulting P/L. Colin spent 13 years 

with AFIA and I am thankful to Colin 

for his immense contribution during 

his time with AFIA and wish him all the 

best. Nick McClelland has also finished 

page 3 AFIA Newsletter Winter 2012 

Chairman’s Note 

his full time role with AFIA to return to 

the family farm. Nick has been a great 

member of the AFIA team and I hope 

the seasons are in his favour. You will 

be able to catch up with both Colin and 

Nick in Hobart at the Conference. 

I am pleased to welcome 

Caitlin Scholfield to AFIA in the Industry 

Development Managers role. Caitlin is 

a fantastic addition to the AFIA team 

and will be at the Conference so make 

sure you say hello. I am sure you have 

all been following Caitlin on Twitter for 

AFIA—if not sign up as it is a fascinating 

forum. 

It is exciting to also introduce and 

welcome the incoming Executive 

Officer, Darren Keating. Darren comes 

to AFIA from the Victorian Farmers 

Federation. Darren will be at the 

Conference in Hobart and will start 

with AFIA in mid August. A short 

introduction to Darren will be available 

on the website. 

The trip to the US and Japan led by 

Phil Hanna has just arrived home. By 

all reports the trip was a great success. 

Nick and Phil are to be congratulated 

on the organisation and running of this 

tour. It sounds like the itinerary kept 

the group very busy and provided a 

good insight into both the Japanese 

USA hay industry. 

I wish you all the best for a prosperous 

and safe remainder of 2012 and look 

forward to seeing you all in Hobart. 

Jarrod O’Sullivan 

AFIA Chairman

AFIA activities 

AFIA welcomes Caitlin Scholfield 

Caitlin Scholfield is the newly appointed 

Industry Development Manager at 

AFIA, taking over from Nick McClelland 

who resigned from most of his AFIA 

commitments earlier this year. Nick will 

be much missed by the AFIA community 

and we wish him well as he takes over 

operation of his family farm at Lismore. 

Caitlin joins the AFIA team after a few 

months travelling in South East Asia and 

working on the family farm. Prior to 

this Caitlin was working with AFIA Silver 

sponsor Tapex in Sales and Marketing 

Support. 

Growing up on the farm in South 

West Victoria, near Glenthompson, 

Caitlin has always been passionate 

about agriculture and never thought 

of pursuing a career in any other field. 

“Ever since I can remember I’ve been 

helping Dad out on the farm, getting 

in the way and learning the tricks of 

the trade,” Caitlin said. The family farm 

at Glenthompson is predominantly a 

prime lamb enterprise with some crop 

(mostly forage) and more recently 

silage. 

“I’ve worked on farms, feedlots, 

in woolsheds and had a range of 

agricultural experiences in Australia, 

and they’ve mostly been good! I also 

spent a year on a sheep property in 

Scotland, a truly eye opening and 

amazing experience,” Caitlin said of her 

career in agriculture so far. 

After finishing her Bachelor of Farm 

Management (CSU, Orange) in 2007, 

Caitlin did a graduate year with 

STL1141134 

Landmark, and from there moved to 

Tapex early in 2010. 

A passionate advocate for agribusiness 

and agricultural careers, with the help 

of a good friend, Caitlin initiated AgNext 

in 2011. AgNext is an agribusiness 

networking group for young agribusiness 

professionals, based in Melbourne. The 

group has seen great success over the 

last year and continues to run regular 

social functions for Melbourne based 

agribusiness professionals. 

In her spare time Caitlin enjoys 

knitting beanies, reading, live music 

at Melbourne’s many local gigs and 

cheering on the Geelong Cats! Caitlin 

and partner Jerram Wurlod live in 

Brunswick in Melbourne’s inner north 

and spend a lot of time on the road 

between Melbourne and south west 

Victoria where they are both from. 

Caitlin is excited to become part of the 

AFIA community and is already enjoying 

the role as Industry Development 

Manager. “I am excited by the diversity 

of this role and by the opportunity to 

work with, and on behalf of, the AFIA 

community,” Caitlin said. 

Caitlin will be at the National Fodder 

Conference in Hobart and looks forward 

to meeting many of the AFIA members 

and fodder industry community there. 

AFIA election 

An election will be held at this years 

AGM for three vacancies on the AFIA 

Board. There are six nominees for these 

positions. For further details on the 


Industry News 

nominees and the election go to the 

AFIA website www.afia.org.au 

Japan and USA tour 

Ten people, including tour leader 

Philip Hanna, recently returned from 

the AFIA international study tour for 

this June/July. Stay tuned to the spring 

edition of <strong>Focus</strong> on Fodder for further 

insight to their trip! 

Fodder Care 

A workshop for non-accredited and 

accredited contractors will be held at 

the National Fodder Conference in 

Hobart on Monday the 6th of August. A 

reminder that renewal fees for Fodder 

Care are due in August. 

Upgrades to the website will 

automatically display the Fodder Care 

logo for all hay lots that have achieved 

any of the five modules of Fodder Care 

accreditation. 

Fodder industry e-news service 

Are you receiving our weekly news 

email and AFIA updates? Don’t miss 

out on the latest fodder industry news. 

Make sure you are on the list. Simply 

provide the Melbourne office with your 

email address, info@afia.org.au 

Membership renewal 

Renewal notices for AFIA membership 

will be sent out in August along with the 

Fodder Care renewal notices. 

Visit us at Henty and Elmore 

AFIA will be at both Henty Machinery 

Field Days (18–20 September) and 

Elmore Field Days (2–4 October). 


Ph: 1300 795 184 Peter: (m) 0411 745 272 Email: petergoodes.beejays@iinet.net.au

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Big Pack’s also include a unique cam less pick up design, for higher forward 

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For more information, visit HARDI.com.au or call 1300 042 734

...AFIA activities 

Continued from page 4 

Hay for Sale online 

As we are right in the middle of feeding 

season and lots of heavily loaded hay 

trucks are moving around the country. 

It’s time to start advertising your hay 

online. Demand for hay, particularly 

vetch and lucerne is huge. 

Advertise your hay on the AFIA website 

www.afia.org.au. If you are a financial 

member and don’t have login access 

to the website please contact Caitlin, 

caitlin@afia.org.au 

Tractor and baler sales 2012 

A press release from the Tractor 

Machinery Association of Australia has 

revealed that tractor sales have had a 

huge start to the season in 2012. Sales 

hit record levels in the tractor market in 

April and again grew in May. The TMA 

said that the market was up 20% on the 

same time last year. Strong demand is 

coming from WA where there was a 

DX SERIES HEAVY DUTY V-RAKE 

› Built for demanding conditions 

› Extra heavy duty 

› Accurate, simple reel depth control 

› Options include hydraulic fold 

and rear steer 

400% lift in sales of over 200 hp tractors 

for broad acre in the lead up to tillage 

and seeding season. 

New baler sales have resumed the fifth 

year of declining sales. However it is still 

the off season in this area. Early orders 

for balers this season continue to be 

subdued, Agriview industry analyst Alan 

Kirsten said “demand for early orders 

are low.” Mr Kirsten said, “Ironically 

(poor sales in balers) happens to 

coincide with better conditions, more 

hay and fodder around and rain.” 

Tell us your stories 

Do you have a story to share? Is there 

something you want read about in 

the newsletter? Is there something 

affecting fodder producers in your area 

or nationally? 

AFIA is committed as the voice for the 

fodder industry in Australia. So we 

want to support the AFIA members 

and wider community by hearing what 

ARE YOU RAKING 

IN YOUR PROFITS? 

AUSTRALIAN MADE 

FOR AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS 



DELTA SERIES V-RAKE 

you have to say. Type, Text or Tweet 

to AFIA and share your insights with 

members of the AFIA network. Send 

us pictures, share your concerns, let us 

know what you would like to read about 

in the newsletter, tell us your tips of the 

trade and stories from your farms / hay 

season etc. We want to hear from you! 

To be involved you can: 

Type–send an email to 

info@afia.org.au 

Text–send an SMS text message to 

0417 962 991 

Tweet–post tweets on AFIA’s very 

own Twitter page @AusFodder 

Please note tweets sent from trees, 

by birds will not be translated; 

smartphones, computers and iPads 

will be far more effective! A 

› Low maintenance - pivots are bushed 

› Sizes from 10-20 reels (6.5m-11.0m) 

› Options available: 

Rear steer, hydraulic fold and 

2 & 4-reel splitter kits 

HAY RAKES 

AVAILABLE FOR 

IMMEDIATE 

DELIVERY 

Call 1800 194 131 

for your nearest stockist 

www.k-line.net.au

...AFIA activities 


Hay for Sale online 

As we are right in the middle of feeding 

season and lots of heavily loaded hay 

trucks are moving around the country. 

It’s time to start advertising your hay 

online. Demand for hay, particularly 

vetch and lucerne is huge. 

Advertise your hay on the AFIA website 

www.afia.org.au. If you are a financial 

member and don’t have login access 

to the website please contact Caitlin, 

caitlin@afia.org.au 

Tractor and baler sales 2012 

A press release from the Tractor 

Machinery Association of Australia has 

revealed that tractor sales have had a 

huge start to the season in 2012. Sales 

hit record levels in the tractor market in 

April and again grew in May. The TMA 

said that the market was up 20% on the 

same time last year. Strong demand is 

coming from WA where there was a 

DX SERIES HEAVY DUTY V-RAKE 

› Built for demanding conditions 

› Extra heavy duty 

› Accurate, simple reel depth control 

› Options include hydraulic fold 

and rear steer 

400% lift in sales of over 200 hp tractors 

for broad acre in the lead up to tillage 

and seeding season. 

New baler sales have resumed the fifth 

year of declining sales. However it is still 

the off season in this area. Early orders 

for balers this season continue to be 

subdued, Agriview industry analyst Alan 

Kirsten said “demand for early orders 

are low.” Mr Kirsten said, “Ironically 

(poor sales in balers) happens to 

coincide with better conditions, more 

hay and fodder around and rain.” 

Tell us your stories 

Do you have a story to share? Is there 

something you want read about in 

the newsletter? Is there something 

affecting fodder producers in your area 

or nationally? 

AFIA is committed as the voice for the 

fodder industry in Australia. So we 

want to support the AFIA members 

and wider community by hearing what 

ARE YOU RAKING 

IN YOUR PROFITS? 

AUSTRALIAN MADE 

FOR AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS 



DELTA SERIES V-RAKE 

you have to say. Type, Text or Tweet 

to AFIA and share your insights with 

members of the AFIA network. Send 

us pictures, share your concerns, let us 

know what you would like to read about 

in the newsletter, tell us your tips of the 

trade and stories from your farms / hay 

season etc. We want to hear from you! 

To be involved you can: 

Type–send an email to 

info@afia.org.au 

Text–send an SMS text message to 

0417 962 991 

Tweet–post tweets on AFIA’s very 

own Twitter page @AusFodder 

Please note tweets sent from trees, 

by birds will not be translated; 

smartphones, computers and iPads 

will be far more effective! A 

› Low maintenance - pivots are bushed 

› Sizes from 10-20 reels (6.5m-11.0m) 

› Options available: 

Rear steer, hydraulic fold and 

2 & 4-reel splitter kits 

HAY RAKES 

AVAILABLE FOR 

IMMEDIATE 

DELIVERY 

Call 1800 194 131 

for your nearest stockist 

www.k-line.net.au

Export report 

Guy Lithgow 

Tailem Bend SA 

As we enter the new financial year 

most exporters are looking forward to 

the new season come October, with 

not too much carryover from this year. 

Although Victoria was looking bleak, 

rain in the last few weeks has lifted 

prospects of an average season, with 

most of South Australia and Western 

Australia having good rain, if a little 

late. Western Australia has had less 

area planted than previous years but 

should still get average tonnages. 

Victoria and South Australia have 

shifted most of their carry over and 

low grade stock in the first six months 

of the year and a lot of the hay that 

was rained on in Western Australia has 

gone to Korea (26,415 mt for the first 3 

months in 2012; 6685 mt for all 2011 

from WA). 

Bale Identification 

The tagger system uses RFID 

(Radio Frequency Identification) 

to create a unique profile for every 

large square bale made. 

Mounted on top of the bale 

chamber, the tagger holds a roll of 

heavy-duty vinyl tags that contain a 

tiny microchip and antenna. 

As a bale passes through the 

chamber, two arms on the tagger 

reach down and lift the twine just 

enough to wrap a RFID tag securely 

around the twine, applying one 

tag per bale. 

The bale information is stored in 

the tag’s microchip and includes: 

Bale Tag Scanner 

■ Bale identification (ID) number 

■ Field name 

■ Date and time bale was made 

■ Average moisture of bale 

■ High moisture of bale 

■ Bale weight (as input during 

system set-up or a calculated 

average of previous three 

bales if baler is equipped with 

a bale scale) 

>> Advantages of Bale 

Identification 

■ Sort bales by quality 

■ View field of origin 

To view the information of the tag(s), a RFID tag scanner 

is required. The tag on the bale transmits its information 

to a receiver in the scanner. The scanner translates the 

information from each tag and displays it on the screen. 

The push button keypad can then be used to navigate 

bale information. Use the scanner to help sort and 

group bales, accepting or rejecting bales based on the 

operator’s criteria, such as moisture content, or field 

where harvested. All data can be saved to a removable 

USB drive and downloaded to a computer. 

Japan continues to take the higher 

grades with little pressure on prices 

at this stage. As usual there is some 

market distortion due to new season 

USA hay, reflected in July and August 

orders. This has been more pronounced 

this year due to the large amount of 

Timothy that has been subsidized by 

the Japanese Government in response 

to the radiation damage to local 

hay. Japan is still the major buyer of 

Australian oaten hay taking around 

70% (426,890 mt) in 2011. This year 

their share is running at about 61%, 

due in part to the increase in exports 

to Korea from Western Australia. 

China is still a small market, having only 

taken around 14,000 mt last year and 

running at about the same this year 

due to the lack of supply from Western 

Australia. At this stage it is still a price 

driven market: we are perceived to be 

competing with local sheep grass at 

1200 RMB (approximately AUD$180) 

INDIVIDUAL BALE 

TAGGING SYSTEM 

■ View crop type 

■ Know average moisture content 

of bales and avoid putting wet 

bales into storage or shipments 

■ Monitor your inventory 

■ View information on stacks 

right from your computer 

■ Make sure your hay is what 

your seller claims 

■ Provide computerized records 

for export 

■ Provide customized 

spreadsheets to your customers 

on their purchases 


The Markets 

and also with USA alfalfa 18–20% CP 

and 2800–3300 RMB (AUD$420–495). 

It will take some time to educate the 

Chinese market to the benefits of 

oaten hay, but with 14 million dairy 

cows and a more affluent middle class 

there remains enormous potential. 

Some dairies who had been buying 

the lower grades of hay are now trying 

some higher grades as they realise the 

benefits of oats. 

Taiwan has been a steady market this 

year and is buying at a similar rate to 

normal, about 40,000 mt/year. This 

year Taiwan has had to buy some lower 

grades as there was some resistance to 

the higher price being paid in Japan 

but their preference is still for premium 

hay. 

This year has been good to South 

Australia and Victoria with most 

customers being happy with the quality 

of hay and very few claims. A 

Tagger Components 

>> PO Box 207, Goornong VIC 3557 >> Phone: 0419 136 383 >> Fax: 03 5432 2344 >> Email: tim@tenpack.com.au >> www.tenpack.com.au

...district reports 


Queensland 

There is a significant gap between the market for Lucerne to 

horse and cattle markets. The supply of premium quality hay 

for the horse market is diminishing rapidly, while the supply 

of lower grades for the dairy and feedlot sector are adequate 

due to hay being bleached during the production season. 

Equine markets are paying anywhere from $60–120/mt 

premium for hay that meets their specs. The challenging 

trading environment for feedlots is dampening their demand 

for hay and straw for their ration mixes. This seasons winter 

hay crop is in good shape with cereals on track for solid yields. 

Price ($/t) 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

Cereal hay and grain prices, south east Qld 

Cereal hay 2011 


Wheat 2011 

Wheat 2012 

100 

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

New South Wales 

The central west of NSW is experiencing a great season 

and demand for hay is high from riverina dairies and cattle 

producers. Chaff markets are also active hay prices have 

consistently been rising over the last few months. The Bega 

Valley remains quiet as a destination for hay. Most farms in 

the valley are now relatively self sufficient, though there are 

odd lots of cereal moving from the central west for those 

looking for some fibre in their cows diet. 

Victoria 

As vehicle registration plates suggest, Victoria is “the place to 

be” for hay producers. The demand from western Victorian 

cattle producers and south west dairies has been strong over 

the last four months and is expected to continue through to 

August until pastures achieve some growth. The dry spring 

and late autumn break has been the catalyst for this higher 

than usual demand. In contrast Gippsland has had high 

fodder demand due to the wet autumn and winter period. 

South Australia 

Similar to Victoria there is a high level of demand for fodder 

from south east dairies for both Lucerne and cereal hay. Due 

to the high level of export demand, cereal hay is difficult to 

source and most are using local pasture hay as an alternative. 

Acreages sown to oaten hay are at a more “normal” level 

this year which is up on 2011 sowings and fuelled by a 


Price ($/t) 

The Markets 

strong export market. Export hay processors are positive 

about increasing volumes to China and the Middle East and 

are backing their judgement by increasing their processing 

capacity. 

Western Australia 

There has been some slight movement in the market for hay 

into south west dairies but mainly for local pasture hay, there 

has not been the need to source cereal hay further afield 

from cropping zones. High quality hay is extremely hard to 

find and horse markets are paying a premium for hay without 

weather damage. Chaff processors are struggling to find 

premium quality lucerne to meet demand. As a consequence 

of the tough curing conditions last year and the difficulty in 

selling weather damaged hay, acreages sown to oaten hay 

varieties appear to be down around 20%. 

Price ($/t) 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 


400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

Cereal hay and grain prices, south west WA 



Wheat 2011 

Wheat 2012 



Wheat 2011 

Wheat 2012 

100 


Tasmania 

The host state of the AFIA National Fodder Conference is 

experiencing a fantastic season and demand for purchased 

hay is low. However due to wet conditions fodder 

consumption by dairy cows is quite high but the demand is 

being met by hay produced on farm. It is anticipated that this 

situation will remain the same for the rest of the winter. A

ACACA China trade delegation, June 2012 

A group of AFIA representatives 

recently returned from a trade 

delegation to China. The trip was 

funded through the Australia-China 

Agricultural Cooperative Agreement 

(ACACA), a joint program between the 

Australian Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and the 

Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. 

The purpose of the trip was to 

strengthen linkages with China’s dairy 

and beef production by providing 

nutritional information about the 

benefits of oaten hay. 

The delegates representing AFIA were: 

Peter Philipzen, Rural Management 

Advisors, NSW— AFIA member and 

consultant nutritionist; 

Peter Gillett, Bodiam, WA—Chair, 

AFIA Export Committee; 

Charlie Williams, Jenharwill Baling, 

Vic—AFIA member; and 

Jarrod O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan Farms 

Pty Ltd, Vic—Chairman, AFIA. 

During the trip the delegation were 

able to meet with Government 

officials, Universities, private Chinese 

companies and one international 

company. Each meeting presented a 

new challenge with varying views on 

the place of Australian Oaten hay in 

China. 

The delegation met with the Henan 

Province Department of Agriculture. 

Jarrod O’Sulivan inspecting some high 

quality hay in China 

The delegation took time out to visit the 

Great Wall. 

A wheat crop in China 

One message that was very clear is that 

the China dairy industry is growing very 

quickly and both the government and 

private companies want to continue 

the rapid expansion. A key to this 

expansion and growth is a consistent 

supply of good quality fodder. 

Common questions for Australian 

oaten hay and fodder industry were 

related to: 

1. Production capacity of growers to 

consistently produce oaten hay 

2. Capacity of the export industry 

3. Quality assurance 

4. Use of oaten hay for dairy in China. 

A highlight of the trip was to visit the 

World Dairy Expo and Summit 2012 in 

ZhengZhou. The Expo highlighted the 

progressive nature of the Chinese dairy 

The delegation at the World Dairy 

Expo and Summit. 


The Markets 

Housing and sky colour were a 

contrast to Australia 

industry. Three Australian exporters 

had stands at the Expo and it was a 

great opportunity to talk about the 

challenges and opportunities faced in 

the Chinese market. Whilst at the expo 

Peter Philipzen and Jarrod O’Sullivan 

gave an interview with the leading 

Chinese dairy magazine, Holstein 

Farmer (www.dairyfarmer.com.cn). 

The trade delegation was a great 

opportunity to create linkages for the 

continued and increased export of 

Australian oaten hay. 

A formal report on the findings and 

outcomes of the trip is currently being 

prepared and will be available by 

contacting AFIA. 

For more information on the ACACA 

program visit www.daff.com.au A 

Hebo farm with an overhead rail road 

in the background.

Member profile 

Eade Forages, 

Lockington Vic 

Lockington fodder producers, and AFIA 

members, John Eade and Sue Stewart, 

along with kids Kayla, Sarah, Rebecca 

and Sam, are no strangers to hard 

work! John was a shearer for twelve 

years, sweating it out in woolsheds 

whilst saving enough to buy his first 

property. Since retiring from shearing 

in the early 1990s John has gone on 

to grow his mixed farming operation, 

including Eade Forages, into a diverse 

and innovative farm business. 

John now manages 400 ha of irrigation 

and 800 ha of dryland production. He 

runs a rotary dairy milking 400 cows, 

as well as 250 head Merino ewe flock 

joined to terminal sires. On top of this 

John has an extensive fodder business, 

Eades Forage, which incorporates: 

Silage stored in pits on-farm; 

Lucerne which is chopped for green 

chop; and 

1300 522 232 | www.jcb.net.au 

page 12 

Grain for the dairy operation, with 

excess sold for milling. This year he 

has sown Yitpi wheat which he will 

turn into alkalage post harvest. 

Eade Forages was established in the 

mid 1990s, starting with contracted 

pit silage in 1996/97. At this stage the 

mixed farming operation didn’t include 

the dairy, so with excess silage available, 

John began contract feeding his pit 

silage for dairy farmers in the Pine Grove 

region of north central Victoria. The 

business grew such that John converted 

a feed-out wagon to fit the back of his 

1 t Isuzu so he could deliver the silage 

straight from the pit and into the feed 

bins of local dairies. 

The contracted pit silage business 

prospered until the onset of the drought 

in the early 2000s. John was forced to 

diversify his business at this point which 

led him to chopped fresh cut lucerne, 

or green chop. This initiative saw him 

awarded an innovation grant in the 

2002-03 season. 

AFIA Newsletter Winter 2012 

On Farm 

While there was still water allocations 

in the region the business of chopped 

lucerne by Eade Forages rapidly grew. 

John and his team of up to six full time 

employees chopped lucerne at 15 mm 

every 30 days from November to May. 

The irrigated lucerne was grown on 

350 ha of John’s own property and an 

additional 200 ha of irrigation to meet 

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John Eade with three of his children

demand. “Blokes tell me to this day 

their cows don’t milk anything like they 

did on green chop during the drought, 

the cows love it!” John said. 

The lucerne green chop came to an end 

when water allocations were stripped 

back to only 37% in 2005—it was 

impossible to get the consistent quality 

and supply the market demanded 

without irrigation. By this stage John 

had entered the dairy game, starting 

with purchase of 200 heifers that were 

too close to calving to make the boat 

to China. “It was too good a deal not to 

take up,” John says of the young heifers 

“although training 200 heifers onto 

the dairy at once was a steep learning 

curve.” 

Throwing himself into the dairy game, 

John had a need to source cost effective 

and high Energy (ME) and Protein feed 

for his cows. After struggling with some 

weather damaged hay and having a few 

concerns with acidosis from silage, John 

turned to alkalage. 

He was first introduced to the concept 

of alkalage by Harry Wilson who spoke 

at a National Fodder conference on his 

experience using alkalage in the UK. 

Alkalage is an alternative system for 

storing whole-crop (grain, stem and 

leaves) forage cereals. It is a process 

which preserves the whole crop using 

ammoniation. This is achieved, by 

adding specially blended pellet additives 

to the crop, once it has been chopped. 

The process of ammoniation breaks 

down the lignin in the stem, making 

the straw digestible. Eade Forages use 

a cracker when cutting alkalage to make 

the grain more digestible for cattle. 

Uncracked it is ideal feed for sheep. 

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page 13 

The wheat crop is cut with a forage 

harvester (top) then compressing it 

in a pit (bottom) with special pellet 

additives to produce alkalage. 

John’s finds feeding alkalage neutralises 

the pH in the gut of the cow. “Where we 

feed grain that has a pH of around 4.2 

and silage at around 4.2–4.5, alkalage 

has a pH of around 9 so it actually 

neutralises the gut and doesn’t leave 

you with problems like acidosis, which 

can be a concern with grain and silage.” 

Alkalage in Australia isn’t hugely 

popular as yet. John believes this is 

due to the expense of the pellets and 

the lack of cost benefit analysis done 

by farmers considering alkalage. “From 

the outset it looks expensive, but if you 

sit down and do the sums it comes out 

the same as any other feed source with 

the added benefits of increasing protein 

by 5% and ME by 1.5% when you add 

the pellets.” John also adds, “Another 

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On Farm 

benefit of alkalage is the lack of waste. 

When you put down 1 tonne of alkalage 

and add 40 kg of pellets, you get 1 t and 

40 kg back.” In John’s experience with 

hay and silage he expects losses of up 

to 10%. 

Most importantly “the cows love it! It’s 

the next best thing to fresh cut lucerne 

and the cows will dig down through the 

silage to get to the alkalage when we 

feed it over the top!” says John. 

But it’s not all roses with alkalage. 

John’s experience is that it needs to 

be correctly applied, which can involve 

investment in some infrastructure. This 

is mainly due to the smell the pellets. 

“It’s worse than sticking your face in a 

Domestos bottle! The ammonia smell 

is intense and needs to be handled 

carefully. We break the bulka bags on 

a special concrete pad, from inside the 

tractor cab with the forks.” 

Whilst the Eades didn’t put away any 

alkalage last year, they intend to do so 

with their Yitpi wheat sown this year. 

John said he regretted not having any 

alkalage on hand this year and was 

keen to build up his reserves in the 2012 

season. 

The machinery shed at Eade Forages is 

still full, with four Claas Jaguar Forage 

Harvesters, two Claas triple mowers 

and a double mower/conditioner, six 

Fendt Tractors ranging from 110 to 

270 hp, a 12 m quadrant rake and a twin 

rotor rake. When asked if he would get 

back into contract cutting and feeding 

green chop and alkalage, John said “I’ve 

got the gear there to do it and would be 

keen to have a go. I just need to find the 

lucerne and the cows to feed it to in the 

area.” A 

Own a bright future

page 14 


On Farm 

2012 vetch season in the Victorian Wimmera and Mallee 

Simon Sevrin, Dodgshun Medlin 

Kent Wooding, AGRIVision 

With a limited spring rainfall last year 

and late autumn break this year in 

south west Victoria and south east 

South Australia, demand for vetch hay 

has continued. AFIA investigated how 

the growing season was looking in the 

Wimmera/Mallee for vetch as a key 

supplier of vetch hay to these dairy 

districts. 

Vetch is an important rotational 

crop for Wimmera and Mallee grain 

growers. Vetch is grown as a break crop 

to provide alternative weed control 

options, disease break and importantly 

to provide nitrogen to the following 

cereal or canola crop. 

The area sown to vetch in the last two 

years has been consistent, but in 2012 

the area is up. The vetch area in the 

Mallee will account for 8–12% of the 

total cropped area. 

With increased canola area in the 

recent two seasons, many growers are 

finding that the cost of nitrogen is high, 

particularly if no legumes are grown to 

supplement nitrogen. Growing cereal 

on cereal stubble or canola on cereal 

stubble demands added nitrogen. 

Growing a legume has given growers 

more confidence in their following 

crop. 

Generally, vetch is an easy crop to grow 

with minimal inputs. As with all crops, 

weather is the biggest contributing 

factor and vetch crops in the Mallee 

are currently suffering due to the very 

low (decile 1) growing season rainfall. 

Aphids have been present in some 

areas and if not controlled will result in 

the spread of viruses. 

Crops have had slow early growth due 

to dry conditions. Early sown vetch 

(March and early April) has established 

better. 

Early sown vetch established well this 

year but is slow growing due to the 

dry conditions. 

Vetch bulks up in the spring when the 

day length increases. At this point a 

decision can be made on how the 

crop is to be managed and harvested. 

Factors such as weeds, yield potential 

and logistics will be used to determine 

if the crop is turned into hay, sprayed 

out as a brown manure or harvested 

for grain.

With the increasing value of vetch 

hay this year across Victoria and 

South Australia, hay production from 

vetch crops may be a worthwhile 

consideration. For many vetch 

growers, hay has been a lucrative 

prospect which helps diversify income 

and provides agronomic benefits grain 

crops can’t (e.g. ryegrass control if 

regrowth is controlled). 

Vetch hay is extremely popular 

with Victorian dairy farmers. When 

compared to lucerne, vetch is of 

similar nutritional value and the stem 

is generally softer and more palatable 

to livestock. 

When planning to cut your vetch crop 

for hay it is worthwhile considering the 

following: 

Availability of contractors, if you do 

not have your own hay machinery 

Potential clients and their 

requirements–bale size 

Storage–best to store undercover 

on a well drained site 

page 15 

The value of vetch hay has increased 

dramatically in the last eight months, 

up to $100/t in southern Victoria. 

Supplies of vetch hay is extremely 

limited and buyers are prepared to 

pay up to $300/t delivered south west 

Victoria for high quality hay with good 

nutritional value. Contributing to this 

price increase is the shortage of supply 

of vetch and lucerne hay, and the 

tough seasonal conditions throughout 

south western Victoria. 

Vetch is becoming a significant crop for 

Mallee farmers, and is likely to increase 

in the future. 

Livestock producers requiring hay 

would be best served by establishing 

an ongoing relationship with vetch 

growers to provide on-going support 

and risk management for each party. 

What are you planning to do with your 

vetch crop this season? 

Tell us on Twitter @AusFodder A 


On Farm

...compost for the 21st century 


For a soil to be healthy, we know we 

need the component parts to be 

healthy—its chemical, biological and 

physical properties. These properties 

determine how well the soil functions 

– how it drains, holds water, holds 

nutrients, and how well it grows 

pasture or crops. 

As the diagram (below) shows how 

organic matter (OM) is central to the 

soils condition. It performs critical 

roles in the biological, physical and 

chemical functioning of soil and helps 

to maintain conditions conducive for 

plant growth. OM: 

is the food that sustains soil 

organisms; 

contains most of the nutrients in the 

soil that sustain plants; 

holds nutrients in such a way that 

plants can access them; 

forms bridges with the clay 

component of soil to provide 

structure; and 

holds water and makes it available 

to plants. 

Physical functions 

• influences soil structure, stability 

• regulates water holding capacity 

• controls gaseous exchange 

• alters soil thermal properties 

page 16 

Biological functions 

• drive nutrient cycling processes 

• drives carbon cycling 

• source of energy 

• reservoir of nutrients 

organic matter 

In fact, OM is so important our soils 

would be dead without it. 

There is growing awareness in 

agriculture that we need to manage 

OM better than we have in the past. 

Research has shown that OM levels 

decline sharply following land clearing. 

In fact, every time we cultivate land 

we stimulate the degradation of OM. 

The good news is that this is usually a 

slow process; the bad news is that it 

is equally slow if you want to re-build 

levels of OM in your soils. 

Building OM involves a range of 

strategies. You can grow it (perennial 

pastures), spread it (animal 

manures), or make it (composts). All 

strategies have their place and all 

have advantages and disadvantages. 

Growing it is great but is slow, so long 

as you don’t cultivate that paddock. If 

you do OM is likely to decline faster 

than it accumulated. Spreading it is 

great too, and quicker than growing it, 

but you have to have access to good 

quantities of manure to make it work. 

Chemical functions 

• cation exchange capacity 

• buffers changes in pH 

• storage/cycling of nutrients 

• complexes with soil organic C 


On Farm 

Making compost with low quality hay. 

Composting is also an excellent way 

to increase OM. Advantages include 

its soil improvement properties, 

nutrient status and affordability, if 

you have access to the raw materials. 

Disadvantages generally surround 

making and handling compost. 

However, a growing number of farmers 

are exploring the options of making 

or buying in compost, and using it 

in conjunction with their inorganic 

fertilisers to boost soil health and 

maintain productivity. 

Trying to make compost on farm is a big 

hassle only if you are not properly set 

up, and if you don’t do it properly. But 

farmers who have invested the time 

and effort to get set up are reaping the 

benefits, with most reporting some 

improvement in their farming system. 

Improvements include soil condition, 

animal health, product quality and 

profit. Well set-up farmers report costs 

in the order of $100–250 to make and 

spread 3 t/ha compost. 

Probably the most important thing 

for commercial scale composting is 

owning, or having access to, a compost 

turner. This single factor is largely 

responsible for the growth in compost 

use in places like the South West, 

Gippsland and North Central areas of 

Victoria, where contractors are making 

turning services available on-farm. 

You can make compost quite well 

with a front-end loader–in fact it is 

recommended that you start that way 

on a small scale while you develop a 

‘brown’ thumb. Select a small area– 

say 1-5 hectares of average land, not

your best but not your worst. Make 

compost to apply at a rate of about 

3 t/ha. Monitor soil characteristics so 

you can measure the change when 

compost is used. 

Probably the most important 

thing for commercial scale 

composting is owning, or having 

access to, a compost turner. 

Remember that compost is not a 

soluble fertiliser! Don’t expect a result 

like you get out of the bag. Compost 

first conditions your soil and promotes 

improved carbon and nutrient cycling 

–it kick starts your soil to start working 

better. It will also release nutrients for 

plant growth but if your soil is low in 

biological activity, it may take a while. 

Look for changes over at least two 

years. Also, don’t think this is a onceoff. 

If you are going to use compost 

as part of your soil improvement and 

fertility management strategies, you 

need to use it every year, just like you 

would any fertiliser. 

page 17 

or contact : 

(02) 9517 3174 

info.mau@manitou-group.com 

DPI in conjunction with Monash 

University is commencing large-scale 

federally-funded demonstrations 

of compost use on dairy farms. The 

project will: 

1. The potential for compost to 

increase soil carbon levels; 

reduce nitrous oxide emissions 

through enhanced nitrogen use 

efficiency; reduce reliance on 

external inputs (especially nitrogen 

and phosphorous fertiliser); and 

maintain production. 

2. Work with farmers to convert 

effluent combined with spoiled hay/ 

silage into compost. 

3. Enable farmers to make better 

decisions on the use of soil 

amendments to improve and 

maintain the store of carbon in 

the soil and reduce greenhouse 

emissions. 

The project will: 

1. Produce guidelines on the use of 

compost on farm. 

2. Independently validate information 

that will improve the understanding 


On Farm 

of nitrogen and carbon dynamics 

using a mix of organic and inorganic 

inputs. 

3. Build knowledge and capacity 

in the dairy industry in on-farm 

composting for improved effluent 

and nutrient management, and 

carbon storage. 

4. Inform agricultural industries 

through workshops, field days and 

media articles. 

AFIA Member Frank Harney, Elmore 

Victoria, will be speaking about his 

experience with compost at the National 

Fodder Conference in Hobart. 

For more information on this project, 

contact Declan McDonald, Specialist 

Productive Soils, Farm Services Victoria – 

declan.mcdonald@dpi.vic.gov.au 

For more information on on-farm 

composting see http://www.dpi.vic.gov. 

au/agriculture/farming-management/ 

recycling-and-waste-management/ 

composting-spoiled-hay A

Social media and farmers – a recipe for success! 

AFIA was represented at the Marcus 

Oldham Rural Leadership Program 

20th Anniversary dinner on 28 June, 

by Rebecca Thistlethwaite, John Deere 

Scholarship winner and Caitlin Scholfield, 

AFIA Industry Development Manager. 

Jo Brosnan, the key note speaker, was 

so inspirational that AFIA has joined the 

social media revolution, via twitter! 

The keynote address was made 

by Jo Brosnan, General Manager 

of Darwin based public relations 

company, Michels Warren Munday. 

Her message to the current and future 

rural leaders at the dinner was that 

primary producers need to bridge the 

divide between those that produce 

goods and those that consume them! 

Jo used her address to share the 

story of her company’s work with 

the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s 

Association during the catastrophic 

live export trade suspension. She said 

that her experiences during those 

months cemented her belief that 

urban Australians, and those that 

represent them politically, have lost 

touch and empathy with their country 

cousins. This loss of connection shapes 

a dangerous future for rural Australia. 

She said the anti live export lobby 

groups had an exceptionally well 

organised and scripted online and 

social media campaign which they 

launched with overwhelming success 

the minute the Four Corners program 

ended in May last year. In comparison, 

the pastoralists were under resourced 

and ill prepared to combat the weight 

of public opinion whipped up by 

Animals Australia and Get Up. 

The Animals Australia campaign 

deliberately kept the emotions evoked 

by the Four Corners program alive 

for months after the program aired. 

Through their website, they collected 

thousands of dollars to fund mass 

media campaigns and collated on line 

petitions and direct emails to MPs. 

Jo said it was their highly orchestrated 

on-line and social media strategy that 

brought entire northern Australian 

rural communities to their knees when 

the federal government suspended 

the live cattle trade with Indonesia. 

“The weight of public opinion forced 

the hand of the Federal Government 

to suspend the live exports trade,” she 

said. “Federal politicians told us again 

and again that our industry had lost its 

social licence to operate.” 

The tide of public opinion began to turn 

when pastoralists, who until then had 

Twitter is an effective tool for sharing information and information sources, in a 

very timely manner, between like minded people and businesses. Follow AFIA for 

prices, links to relevant information, reminders... 



Jo Brosnan, Michels Warren Munday, 

Darwin was the inspirational 

keynote speaker at the MORLP 20th 

Anniversary dinner. 

been faceless and voiceless, stepped 

onto the media stage and shared their 

personal stories. “The immediate 

impact was astounding,” Jo said. 

“Waterloo Station owner, Emily Brett, 

travelled to Canberra with her young 

children to join the NTCA Executive in 

Federal Parliament. She used to the 

opportunity to front the microphone 

in a press conference and share the 

tragedy that was unfolding in the 

north, and her own life, because of the 

trade suspension. Her story connected 

with people from all walks of life who 

began to see that the human toll 

was far greater than they could ever 

imagine.” 

Jo believes that the voice of rural 

and regional Australia is the greatest 

story never told. She encouraged rural 

Australians to use social media to 

share stories, knowledge and insights 

into life in the bush, nowadays rarely 

experienced or understood by urban 

Australians. 

“With regional and rural areas and 

particularly northern Australia “out 

of sight and mind,” supporters of

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

agriculture need to use the web to 

write blogs, upload videos of farming 

life to YouTube or interact with each 

other and with people outside of the 

rural sector through social media, like 

Facebook and Twitter,” she said. 

AFIA, inspired by Jo’s experience and 

advice, has jumped on the social media 

bandwagon via Twitter. You can find us 

at @Ausfodder. 

We want to share the stories and 

experiences of our members. We are 

tweeting latest news and information 

updates and strongly encourage 

members to become involved. You can 

share your stories and experiences with 

a rapidly growing network of over 170 

farmers, agribusiness professionals 

and interested tweeters currently 

following AFIA @AUSFODDER. Sign up 

or log in today www.twitter.com A 

AFIA newslettr 1.9.11 copy.pdf 1 1/09/2011 3:01:58 PM 

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On 24 July, Caitlin Scholfield kept @AusFodder followers up to date with the 

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2012 Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Scholarship 

AFIA Gold Sponsors John Deere in 

conjunction with the Australian 

Fodder Industry Association would 

like to congratulate this year’s Marcus 

Oldham Rural Leadership Scholarship 

winner, Rebecca Thistlethwaite, 

Armidale NSW. 

Rebecca’s application was chosen from 

a high calibre of nominees for this 

year’s scholarship. Tactical Segment 

Manager for John Deere, Gary Weegink 

said “The calibre of applicants for 

the 2012 Leadership Scholarship was 

outstanding. Rebecca’s application 

clearly demonstrated her capability 

and desire to be a leader in Australian 

agriculture and John Deere aims to 

support such leaders by offering this 

scholarship.” 

Rebecca grew up in Sydney’s outer 

suburbs and unlike most of her 

high school friends she chose to 

study Agricultural Science at Sydney 

University. Her experience growing 

up in the city and choosing to move 

to the country to pursue her career in 

agriculture Rebecca says has enabled 

her, “to see firsthand the mental and 

physical gap there can be between 

urban and rural Australia.” 

Rebecca has engaged in a number 

of leadership roles, such as being on 

committees including the Ag Insitute of 

Australia, NSW Farmers, Angus Youth 

and the Royal Agricultural Society. 

She hopes her experiences gained 

through the Marcus Oldham Rural 

Leadership Program and these roles 

will enable her to encourage active 

communication and develop greater 

awareness about rural issues amongst 

our urban populations. 

“The Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership 

Program 2012 was one of the most 

valuable experiences to me and 

is learning tool that I now have at 

my disposal,” said Rebecca. “The 

contacts that I was able to make will 

be a huge asset to me as a leader in 

the Agricultural Industry. It was so 

refreshing to be around like-minded 

people with drive and a purpose.” 

The program, which ran during the last 

week in June, was filled with inspiring 

facilitators and guest speakers, 

including Mike Stephens, Neil Inall, 

Sam Inglis and Fiona Chambers, all 

leaders in their respective fields. The 

week enabled the 26 participants 

representing a range of different age 

groups and rural industries from across 

Australia, to experience some media 

training, learn about public speaking 

and how to be leaders in their rural 

communities. 

“Being a nervous public speaker, the 

module on how to successfully public 

speak was very important to me. I 

spoke about my goal to do everything I 

can to give the young urban population 

knowledge about what is happening in 

agriculture, and hopefully as a result 

attract more young people to the 

industry,” said Rebecca. “I came away 

from it with less nerves and much 

more confidence in my abilities.” 

The experience offered to Rebecca, 

through her Scholarship to the 

Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership 

Program is something that she will 

take with her into her workplace. 

As a Research Agronomist with PGG 

Wrightsons, Rebecca touched on how 

the experience will help her in her 

work life. “How to run a meeting was 



Caitlin Scholfield, AFIA Industry Development Manager (left) and 2012 MORLP 

Scholarship recipient, Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Armidale NSW. 

something that I had not really come 

across at University and was something 

that will really benefit my current role 

with PGG Wrightsons and also to have 

more of an input into the committees 

that I am on.” 

When asked what she would say to 

young people in the AFIA community 

who might consider applying for the 

scholarship in 2013 Rebecca said, “I 

would strongly encourage all those 

who want to be leaders to attend this 

course, you won’t regret it!” 

Overall Rebecca said, “The week 

went so well and I’m so lucky to have 

been given the opportunity. Thank 

you to John Deere for their generous 

sponsorship and support that allowed 

me to attend the Marcus Oldham Rural 

Leadership course for 2012.” 

Mr Weegink said, “John Deere felt 

privileged to support young leaders in 

Australian agriculture like Rebecca,” 

and after two years of supporting the 

scholarship said he looked forward 

as always to reading next year’s 

applications in May 2013. 

Rebecca will be sharing her experience 

of the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership 

Conference with delegates at the 

National Fodder Conference in Hobart 

in August. A

www.berrimahayrakes.com.au 

BERRIMA ENGINEERING 

ROLLER BAR HAY RAKES

Irrigation in Tasmania 

Irrigation is expanding in Tasmania. This 

is in contrast to the rest of Australia 

where irrigation is either static or 

contracting. 

Tasmanian Irrigation (TI) Pty Ltd is the 

State-owned company responsible for 

development and operation of publiclyassisted 

irrigation schemes in Tasmania. 

Projects are built as public-private 

partnerships to meet demand 

for additional water from current 

landholders. Private capital is raised by 

the sale of water entitlements to each 

scheme. The public contribution comes 

from a pool of $220m set aside by the 

State and Commonwealth governments 

for the purpose. 

This public assistance is for construction 

only. This recognises that the wider 

community will benefit from irrigation 

development through increased 

economic activity and employment 

over time. This is borne out by the fact 

that agriculture in Tasmania generates 

returns to farmers of more than 

$1 billion a year, about 60% of which 

comes from the 8% of farmland that is 

irrigated. 

So far, four new irrigation schemes 

have been completed by TI and its 

farmer partners. These are the: 

1. Sassafras Wesley Vale east of 

Devonport; 

2. Winnaleah augmentation in the 

northeast; 

3. Great Forester scheme in the 

northeast; and 

page 22 

4. Whitemore Irrigation Scheme west 

of Launceston. 

A further two schemes are being built 

now. These will irrigate the midlands. 

The Lower South Esk Scheme will 

irrigate the northern midlands from just 

north of Campbell Town to the outskirts 

of Evandale. The Midlands Water 

Scheme will extend over the central and 

southern midlands from the Campbell 

Town region to below Kempton. 

A seventh scheme, to service the 

Kindred to North Motton area in 

the Forth region, is undergoing final 

design and approvals after reaching 

the required threshold of water sales. 

Also scheduled for water sales during 


On Farm 

the remainder of 2012 are the South 

East Irrigation Scheme stretching 

from Brighton through to near Forcett 

and the Upper Ringarooma Irrigation 

Scheme. 

A further three projects are at various 

stages in the northwest, the northeast 

and southern highlands. TI also is 

responsible for the suite of pre-existing 

schemes such as those in the Meander 

and Coal valleys. 

Each and every scheme developed 

by TI is a partnership with the local 

community. The size and layout of each 

project is determined by actual demand 

from landholders for reliable water. 

Projects will deliver water with at least 

95% reliability. 

There are three main reason farmers 

are wanting the new and highly reliable 

water. 

1. To secure current operations, 

because existing supplies are 

unreliable or prone to shortage 

during drought. 

2. To expand current production. They 

want to produce more but lack the 

water to do so. 

3. To diversify their farm enterprise. 

They might be dry-land farmers who 

have sections of their farm suitable 

for higher value crops if only they 

had access to reliable water. 

Find out more by visiting 

www.tasmanianirrigation.com.au A

TA11109_190x277_AM.indd 1 28/06/12 9:32 PM

A bloke got bogged down a muddy road 

and paid a passing farmer fifty bucks to 

pull him out with his tractor. 

After the bloke was back on dry ground 

he said to the farmer, “At those prices, I 

should think you would be pulling people 

out of the mud night and day.” 

“Can’t.” replied the farmer. “At night I 

cart water for the hole!” 

A pom, fresh off the plane at Sydney 

airport, is trying to negotiate Australian 

customs. Finally, when it’s his turn to 

get his passport stamped, the customs 

officer starts rattling off the usual 

questions: 

CO: How long do you intend to stay? 

POM: 1 week. 

CO: What is the nature of this trip? 

POM: Business. 

CO: Do you have any past criminal 

convictions? 

POM: I didn’t think we still needed to! 

page 24 AFIA AFIA Newsletter Newsletter Summer Winter Spring Winter 2011 2012 

2011 

Smoko Time 

AFIA appreciates the ongoing support of all our annual sponsors 

Gold Sponsors 

Bronze Sponsors 

A man’s car stalled on a country road. 

When he got out to see what was wrong, 

a cow came along and stopped beside 

him. “Your trouble is probably in the 

carburettor,” said the cow. 

Startled, the man jumped back and ran 

down the road until he met a farmer. He 

told the farmer his story. 

“Was it a large red cow with a brown spot 

over the right eye?” asked the farmer. 

“Yes, yes!” the man replied. 

“Oh! I wouldn’t listen to Bessie,” said 

the farmer, “she doesn’t know anything 

about cars.” 

A man and his wife were sitting in the 

living room and he said to her, “Just 

so you know, I never want to live in a 

vegetative state, dependent on some 

machine and fluids from a bottle. If that 

ever happens, just pull the plug.” 

His wife got up, unplugged the TV and 

threw out all of his beer. 

Two brothers were raised on a farm, and 

one brother moved to town. Each year 

the city brother would come out to visit 

the farmer brother. Each time he came 

out, the farmer brother was complaining 

about his crops. It was too hot or too 

cold, too wet or too dry, prices were low, 

the crops looked bad. 

As the city brother was driving out one 

year, he noticed the crops looking great. 

He had the radio on and crop prices were 

hitting an all time high. As he got out to 

the farm, here was the farmer brother 

sitting on the verandah with a grumpy 

look on his face. 

The city brother asked, “Why are you in 

such a bad mood? The crops look great, 

there’s been plenty of rain, and prices 

were setting record highs!” 

The farmer brother replied, “You know 

what a crop like this takes out of the 

soil?” 

Disclaimer: Whilst AFIA has used reasonable endeavours to ensure that the information provided in this newsletter is accurate and up to date as at the time of issue, 

it reserves the right to make corrections and does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. AFIA hereby disclaims all liability to the maximum extent permitted by 

law in relation to the newsletters and does not give any warranties (including any statutory ones) in relation to the newsletter

Focus on Fodder - Australian Fodder Industry Association

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