www.umag.org.au

Issue No. 2 March 2007

1. UMAG Short Courses Begin

The first of several UMAG Short courses commenced last week in Corryong with "The World Wide Web for Farmers". This three week course is conducted by Goulburn Ovens TAFE and aims to develop internet skills and applications for primary producers.

Another short course, "Measuring Farm Profitability" is scheduled for Tallangatta in April and will allow participants to assess the potential profitability of new crops of their choice.

These are the first of many training opportunities developed from the "Sustainability at the Source" project and the aim is to move courses to various parts of the Shire to allow anyone to participate.

For enquiries about this and other training options contact Bernadette Thomas on 0409 511 575 or visit the web site.

2. Onion Seed Harvest

A recent field day and workshop looking at Onion Seed production has shed new light on the potential of this crop in the Upper Murray. The field day was held at the Cudgewa property of John and Jenny Star where the harvest of about 2ha of hybrid onion seed was completed in February.

Peter Reynolds, of Reynolds Horticulture, followed on with a workshop assessing the potential profitability of hybrid and open pollinated onion seed.

UMAG has a long history with seed crops including grass and various vegetable species and continues to work on these crops through various trials and industry development. Onions for seed have been grown by members of UMAG for some years and this workshop has allowed the group to move forward with trial and commercial plots planned for 2007-08.

For more information about onions or other seed crops in the Upper Murray contact Bernadette Thomas on 0409 511 575.

3. New Crops Update

One of the new crops trialled this year as part of the "Sustainability at the Source" project was Green Tea.

Green Tea is a perennial row crop (the species is Camellia sinensis, similar to the garden Camellia) and is grown for the foliage which is harvested, dried and made into teas and sold as both hot and cold refreshments.

The Japanese company Ito En Australia has allowed for trial plantings in the Upper Murray and has supplied planting material which was planted in November. The trial has not been particularly successful owing mostly to the extreme season. New plants have been provided and trials will continue through the next couple of years.

There is a growing world-wide market for green tea and Ito En have made a significant investment in north east Victoria with the construction of a processing plant in Wangaratta. Subject to the performance of green tea in the Upper Murray, opportunities may exist for farmers in this region to establish commercial relationships with this major processor.

4. Exciting new Scholarship for Secondary Students

UMAG, Towong Shire and the National Landcare Programme have announced a $2000 scholarship for secondary students interested in pursuing careers in agribusiness.

The aim is to provide young recipients of this scholarship with exposure to modern agribusiness through training, work experience and the provision of a laptop computer. One scholarship will be available to year 10 or 11 students at Corryong College and Tallangatta Secondary College. Awards will be announced in April. Click for more information.

5. Soil Moisture Monitoring Equipment Workshop

A major focus of the "Sustainability at the Source" project is improved irrigation management through the use of soil moisture monitoring.

Various monitors have been installed in crops around the district for demonstration and training and many farmers (irrigated and non-irrigated) have already seen the potential advantages this equipment can offer.

An information day was held with irrigation experts from DPI on March 20th to look at the range of equipment available, how to select the right equipment for your property and how to collect and interpret the data. This is part of a long term strategy to improve the uptake of SMME in the Upper Murray.

Those interested in this technology should contact Bernadette Thomas on 0409 511 575.

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