Labertouche North’s Mark Hammond in one of the paddocks he will need to rejuvenate as soils dry out.By Danny Buttler
WHEN the rain finally stops, Gippsland dairy farmers will be looking to quickly get their operations back into full swing.
With that in mind, GippsDairy and the Department of Primary Industries will host wet weather recovery sessions at the Longwarry Football clubrooms on 8 September, Trafalgar Football Club on 9 September and Poowong Football Club on 12 September.
GippsDairy project director Annette Zurrer said the sessions, which are part of six events to be held across the region, were designed to aid farmers in getting back on their feet after one of the wettest winters in decades.
“GippsDairy and DPI ran the very successful wet weather information days in July, which provided farmers with invaluable information on how to minimise damage during the ongoing wet spell,” she said.
“We had a such a good reaction to those days that the obvious next step was to give the dairy community the information they need for when the sun finally starts shining again.
“GippsDairy is using dairy levy funds to help organise these sessions. We believe an initiative like this, which directly helps farmers during a difficult season, is money well spent.”
At each session, DPI dairy extension officer Frank Mickan will speak on his newly created science of “puggology”, which studies the effects of different degrees of pugging on paddocks.
Participants will need to arrive for a noon start, with activities expected to wrap-up at around 2.30pm. Lunch is provided. To RSVP, please call Frank Mickan on 5624 2259, mobile 0427 317 471, email frank.mickan@dpi.vic.gov.au or David Shambrook 5662 9913, email david.shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au.
