2019-02-21: New look Ag Vic stand at Wimmera Machinery Field Days – Department of Ag
Horsham’s Agriculture Victoria team has a new home at this year’s Wimmera Machinery Field Days, joining other local agribusinesses and services in the Field Days Agri Marquee.
Situated just inside the door of the marquee, visitors can come and talk to staff about the latest grains research, plant diseases, animal health, managing dry conditions, the Australian Grains Genebank, how to apply for a Property Identification Code (PIC) and much more.
Grains Innovation Park Site Leader and Agriculture Victoria Research Director, Traci Griffin, said the Wimmera Machinery Field Days provide a great opportunity for Agriculture Victoria to showcase the latest research and new technologies that are relevant to the Wimmera.
“The field days also provide an important opportunity for farmers to talk directly to Agriculture Victoria staff to gain a better understanding of what is happening and how it could apply to this season.”
Agriculture Victoria’s Dry Seasonal Conditions Coordinator for the north west, Rob O’Shannessy, will be on hand with information about support and assistance for farmers navigating dry conditions.
Mr O’Shannessy will be joined by agrihealth professionals from the National Centre for Farmer Health who will conduct free farmer health checks.
Taking just 20 minutes, the farmer health assessments include a lifestyle survey covering health behaviours, farm practices and social and emotional wellbeing. Participants will also have their cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, BMI and diabetes risk measured, and their eyesight tested. They can also discuss cholinesterase testing.
There will be information about workshops coming up in the region addressing stubble management, soils, weed control and other issues, and copies available of the ‘hot-off-the-press’ 2019 cereal and pulse disease guides.
Staff from the Australian Grains Genebank in Horsham will bring the Genebank to life, revealing what goes on inside and presenting some of the genetic material stored there – even some of the ‘wild relatives’ researchers are looking to in a bid to improve diversity in crop varieties.
Adding to the display will be some of the high-tech equipment, such as drones and infra-red sensors, that are being used by Agriculture Victoria researchers to ensure new varieties and farming practices can be adopted by farmers faster.
Farmer Health eNews February 2019
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- Supporting farmers and rural communities – Drought support
- Filtering the facts kidney research
- Agricultural Health & Medicine HMF701 – call for final enrolments
- Wellness Wednesday
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2019-01-23: Western Victorian study into kidney disease – Warrnambool Standard
Kidney disease is becoming an issue in rural communities in Victoria and globally but no one is really sure why.
Professor Karen Dwyer, a nephrologist and investigator, said 10 per cent of Victorians had chronic kidney disease with a higher rate, 13.5 per cent, in rural Victoria.
It is doing a study to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in rural communities in western Victoria and to identify traditional and novel risk factors.
Many people can be unaware they have chronic kidney disease because 90 per cent of kidney function can be lost without experiencing any symptoms.
Screening for chronic kidney disease is simple.
A blood and urine sample can ascertain the presence and stage of chronic kidney disease.
The National Centre for Farmer Health is recalling people who have completed a Health and Lifestyle Assessment with the centre at an agricultural field day or other event, are aged between 18 and 75 years and have at least one traditional risk factor for kidney disease.
The risk factors include being over the age of 60, having high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking, heart problems or stroke, family history of kidney disease, history of acute kidney injury and being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
Participating in the study is a once-off.
It involves coming into a clinic at Hamilton, Warrnambool or Horsham and completing a brief health assessment and providing a blood and urine sample for pathology analysis, and a conversation with a doctor.
It will also require filling out a questionnaire. Participants’ results will be sent to them and participation is free.
Participants from the study can benefit from identifying the presence of chronic kidney disease early, improve their understanding and awareness of their own health and contribute to research of chronic kidney disease in rural communities.
If participants have chronic kidney disease, they can be referred to an appropriate health professional.
People interested in participating should contact research assistant Jessie Adams at the National Centre for Farmer Health, email: jessie.adams@wdhs.net or phone 5551 8508. Places are limited.
Farmer Health eNews April 2019
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- NCFH Presenting at 23rd IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion in Rotorua, New Zealand
- Health & Lifestyle Assessments at Farm World with Agriculture Victoria
- Supporting farmers & rural communities
- Wellness Wednesday
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2019-01-02: Victorian Young Farmers experiences resurgence after slump – The Weekly Times
by: SARAH HUDSON, The Weekly Times
WHEN the Victorian Young Farmers group was established in 1947 it was, for many years, largely a social club — a chance to catch up with mates and chew the fat.
So popular did VYF become among its membership of largely 20-somethings that at its peak in the 1970s there were 140 clubs around the state and 6000 members.
But then it hit the skids and by 2004 there were just four clubs with 100 members.
“It was before my time so I can’t say exactly how it shrank,” says 29-year-old VYF president Nikki Georgiou.
“Probably it was a mix of competing interests, farmers were time poor, or facing tough times in the drought.”
It’s a sliding trend Nikki and her immediate predecessors have been determined to reverse, with a quiet revolution currently afoot among young farmers.
Nikki, who has been a member of the Clunes and District Young Farmers group for seven years, says the VYF is determined to rejuvenate the organisation for a new generation.
The recruitment drive appears to be paying off with 11 clubs now around the state and membership numbers at 250 and growing.
“We have introduced some considerable changes.
“For instance every year there would be a gala dinner, but when I took over we instead introduced a more family-friendly event,” says the mother of one.
VYF has recently partnered with the National Centre for Farmer Health in Hamilton, sharing knowledge and events to highlight broad farmer wellbeing, including mental health.
Read the full article: 2019-01-02: Victorian Young Farmers experiences resurgence after slump – The Weekly Times
Farmer Health eNews January 2019
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- Fatigue
- Heat Stroke
- Agricultural Health & Medicine HMF701 – Enrol Now
- Wellness Wednesday
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Farmer Health eNews December 2018
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- Enrolments now OPEN for HMF701
- Give a Safe Gift this Christmas—Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Keep visitors safe on the farm these holidays
- Wellness Wednesday
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Farmer Health eNews November 2018
Find out all the latest from the National Centre for Farmer Health
- Farm Safety – Harvest Health
- NCFH Media Guidelines – CLICK HERE for updated link
- Final chance for HMF701 Scholarships
- Wellness Wednesday
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2018-10-24: Mental health, business planning and cost of living pressures target of new $25m drought-help package – Bendigo Advertiser
Farming communities in northern Victoria will be given support to prepare for drought as part of a new $25 million drought preparadeness and support package.
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford announced the new package – which features targeted support for mental health, small business planning and support for parents in farming communities to manage cost of living pressures – in Wedderburn on Wednesday.
This includes more than $2 million for mental health and wellbeing services, with $180,000 of this funding dedicated to the National Centre for Farmer Health to deliver health checks to farmers.
Read full article here: 2018-10-24: Mental health, business planning and cost of living pressures target of new $25m drought-help package – Bendigo Advertiser
2018.10.12: The Harcourts Foundation’s latest funding round sees over $65,000 donated to nine charities – Elite Agent
The Harcourts Foundation, the charitable arm of Harcourts Group Australia, announced grants to nine Australian charities during its most recent quarterly funding round. A total of $66,268 was donated across Australia to benefit charities serving the communities where Harcourts employees live and work.
“Over the past six months, a total of $100,128 has been granted by The Harcourts Foundation,” said Julia Eyles, The Harcourts Foundation Coordinator.
“This quarter’s group of charities represents a cross-section of causes supported by Harcourts franchisees and team members.”
Charities selected by The Harcourts Foundation (region) and grant amount:
The National Centre for Farmer Health is a partnership between Western District Health Service and Deakin University. Based in Hamilton, Victoria, the Centre provides national leadership to improve the health, well-being and safety of farm men and women, farm workers, their families and communities across Australia by increasing knowledge across the farmers, rural professionals, academics and students. This grant will fund the cost of the marquee where participants of the “Run 4 Farmer Health” team at the Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival 2018 gather post-event. Pictured is the team, including staff, families, friends, supporters, farmers, agricultural workers and health professionals.
Harcourts franchise owners in each state nominate and support the organisations that impact the community. Additionally, Harcourts corporate team members who salary sacrifice to the Foundation are given the chance to nominate a specific charity for a grant as part of an initiative called ‘corporate choice grants’, while the Landmark Harcourts network also designates grant recipients.
Since The Harcourts Foundation’s first donation in 2008, over $5 million has been raised. That translates to 686 charities supported, 311 communities impacted, and 851 grants made through Harcourts offices in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the USA.
Read full article: 2018.10.12: The Harcourts Foundation’s latest funding round sees over $65,000 donated to nine charities – Elite Agent
Bright Futures: Young people in rural and regional Victoria – Vic Health
As presented at the National Centre for Farmer Health 2018 Conference, these are the findings from conversations with young people living in rural and regional areas in Victoria to understand their views on the five megatrends that are predicted to impact the health and wellbeing of young Victorians over the next 20 years.
Bright Futures: Young people in rural and regional Victoria – VIEW REPORT
Bright Futures: Young people in rural and regional Victoria – VIEW DATA
This information is available so community organisations and groups can generate new funds and projects.
2018.10.09: Glyphosate concerns for gardeners as well as farmers – Warrnambool Standard
By Everard Himmelreich
People using the weedicide glyphosate in their backyards are exposed to risk as well as farmers who use it in larger quantiites, a leading local health advocate says.
Sue Brumby, the director of the Hamilton-based National Centre for Farmer Health, said while farm workers were likely to be exposed more often to the weedicide, glyphosate was also in a lot of weedicides used n gardens.
In home gardens, there was a higher chance of people and pets being exposed to the weedicide, she said.
“The message is regardless of what use it is put to, always protect yourself appropriately,” Dr Brumby said.
She has backed a call by Cancer Council Australia for an independent review of the latest data about the health risks of glyphosate because of cancer concerns.
Warrnambool Community Garden deputy convenor Geoff Rollinson said the garden did not use any synthetic chemicals such as glyphosate.
It used other forms of weed control such as a mixture of pine oil and vinegar, steaming, and solarisation that covers earth with plastic to kill off weed seeds.
Mr Rollinson, who is also the Heytesbury District Landcare coordinator, said glyphosate was used by farmers in many Landcare projects and by chemical contractors because alternative chemicals were a lot more expensive.
A Warrnambool City Council spokesman said it currently used glyphosate because the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority said it could be used safely according to label directions.