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The Central Highlands Region Biomass Audit has been completed and can be downloaded from the Bioenergy Page on our web site.
Biomass Audit |
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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.
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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.
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Climate Change Summit
The Agribusiness Forum Climate Change Summit held in Ballarat in July 2007 attracted over 150 people from across the country. Those who attended were able to get a real insight into the impacts of climate change on agrisculture over the next 20-50 years. We were also able to hear from both researchers and practicing farmers on how they will adapt to the conditions. Those who were unabe to attend now have teh benefit of being able to hear what the presenters said through a FREE DVD of interviews with each speaker and see their Power Point presentations.
The DVD is FREE contact Laurie through the CHAF website and send your postal details. Be quick - numbers are running out.
The Summit Proceedings can be downloaded free of charge if you are a member from the Document Library (memberships is free) or from the CHAF Summit 2007 page on the Main menu
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Central Highlands Agribusiness Forum
The organisation was established in 2004, after recommendations from a regional capability audit of the Victorian Central Highlands region, The Forum’s activities seek to include all regional shires, commodity and interest groups associated in agribusiness development. The geographical area covered includes the City of Ballarat, and the Shires of Hepburn, Macedon Ranges, Moorabool and Pyrenees. Board members to bring to CHAF a diverse range of skills and experience in the agribusiness sector, government and industry.
Snapshot of the Region
The Central Highlands region’s agribusiness sector is typified by increasingly diverse agricultural production, with a growth rate of 25% from 1997 to 2001 and a reduction in land use for agricultural purposes in the same period from 548,004 hectares to 522,429 hectares.
It is the 4th largest industry by value, following manufacturing, retail and construction.
Benefits to the Agribusiness Sector
All areas of agribusiness will benefit from having a Strategic Plan and Marketing and Business Plan to assist agricultural production, service and value adding enterprises in the region to achieve business growth and profitability.
Agribusiness and government within the Central Highlands region will be able to use the Strategic Plan to support their projects and business development plans. It will identify the opportunities for the sector to work together to further develop the region’s agricultural sector.
The agribusiness sector is operating in a period of substantial and dynamic change. The continued growth of this sector will depend on how this change is addressed.
Log in as a Member (its free) and take advantage of our website. Members are able to add events to our calendar, join the Forum, vote on issues of importance, link your web site to ours to increase your exposure, tell us what is important to you and many other features as they develop.
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