Liz Hamilton from DPI recently returned from a Gottstein Fellowship Study Tour looking at Bioenergy in Canada and the US. Liz has kindly allowed us to publish her study report for your information.

To open the report click here. Liz Hamilton Report on Bioenergy

Demonstration Farm Trial Results

The 2009/10 CHAF Demonstration Farm Trial Results are now available. To open the results document click here Demo Farm Trial Report 2009

The Central Highlands Region Biomass Audit has been completed and can be downloaded from the Bioenergy Page on our web site.

Biomass Audit

EverGraze - More perennials - Better livestock - Healthier catchment

CHAF has been supporting the National EverGraze program through funding received from the Federal Government's Caring For Our Country Program.

This project has set up 14 Supporting Sites across Victoria from East Gippsland to Casterton in the west, where farmers have established demonstration sites to assist local communities to better understand establishment and management of  summer active perennial pasture systems.

Fact Sheets have been prepared to assist all farmers to follow the EverGraze project and learn from those involved in the Supporting Sites.

The link to the EverGraze program is www.evergraze.com.au click on the Southern Victorian page for our sites.

Feed Central Web page for buying and selling all types of fodder

I attended the Farming in The 21st Century Seminar in Avoca yesterday where Tania Luders , the State Nutritionist for Landmark spoke. She went through an exercise  calculating the costs associated with feeding fodder to stock. and also discussed the Feed Central web page  which is available to farmers free of charge to buy and sell all types of fodder  from anywhere in Australia. This web page is able to provide to the buyer the following information:

• price per tonne at farm gate
• price delivered to your property
• nutritional value - eg ME, Dry Matter, Moiture content and much more.
• photo of the fodder being sold
• date of making, weed content and much more

You are also able to make an offer to the buyer, which may be different to the asking price.

This is a valuable tool especially for buying or selling hay during the drought.. You can compare and purchase hay accoring to its nutritive value and select hay close to home to reduce transport costs. 

Have a look on www.feedcentral.com.au  it is free to register. When you register you put in your location so that transport costs can be calculated. Give it a go and let me know if you think it is of value.