Clem Sturmfels, Land Management Extension Officer With patchy rainfall across the state and the forecast of a drier spring, now is an ideal time to start monitoring dam water levels. Over recent years stock water has become a scarce commodity across many parts of the state, significantly impacting carrying capacity over drier months. Taking stock […]

Natasha Morgan was approached last year by Murdoch Books and this year, The Productive Garden Companion, the book she had hoped to find her entire life, was created. She chatted to Kyle Barnes. Kyle: How did it all come about? Natasha: They had seen one of my posts on Instagram and out of the blue […]

Gee, the scammers are out there. Or a ghostly tale. I came across a website that piqued my interest the other day. A store called Hartley Daylesford was having a closing down sale – while they move to bigger premises. This was from their “about” piece. “Hartley Daylesford started as a small dream on Vincent […]

Well here I am penning another article for you, the reader, to enjoy… This time I’ll be showcasing some amazing plants from around the world that I have come across in my travels. 1. Let’s start with couroupita guianensis known as the cannonball tree and this common name is spot on as the spherical fruits […]

The Young Farmers Advisory Council is a ministerial advisory committee and non-statutory body established by the Minister for Agriculture in 2015. Agriculture Minister Michaela Settle is seeking expressions of interest for a chairperson, deputy chairperson and eight members to serve on the council for a term of two years, starting in September. Applications close on […]

By Liz Hancock, District Veterinary Officer, Warrnambool In April 2025, Agriculture Victoria investigated the sudden deaths of ducks in a backyard setup in south west Victoria. While the deaths were caused by avocado (persin) toxicity, this case study provides a working example of how reports like this are urgently assessed to rule out an Emergency […]

Agriculture Victoria is supporting farmers through drought with practical events, both in-person and online. Agriculture Victoria Program Manager Aimee McCutcheon said having access to specialists and sharing challenges and approaches with other farmers at a workshop, field day or farm walk is incredibly valuable. ‘Every farm is different, and we have a range of events […]

Farmers statewide are encouraged to subscribe to Agriculture Victoria’s Soil Moisture Monitoring Cropping Report e-newsletter for real-time soil water data in their region. The report summarises data from underground probes at 20 monitoring sites across Victorian cropping regions as part of Agriculture Victoria’s Soil Moisture Monitoring (SMM) project. Agriculture Victoria Seasonal Risk Agronomist Dale Boyd […]