Focus on dairy at annual expo
The Strzelecki Lions Club will again host the South Gippsland Dairy Expo at the Korumburra Showgrounds next Wednesday and Thursday.
With free entry, the South Gippsland Dairy Expo provides an opportunity for members of the dairying fraternity to showcase the latest in dairy innovation and technology.
Volunteers are again the backbone of the expo including the Korumburra Rotary Club, Strzelecki Lions Club and Poowong Kindergarten parents.
The Dairy Expo began in 2000 with the committee having a core objective to deliver a one stop shop to local farmers, so that if they were busy, they could visit, do their business and leave. Today, the event still has the same focus. Matt Harms will be hosting a session on Wednesday, September 28 at 11am titled: Some things are worth running for…. How do I handle the elephant in the room?
“Dairying has a strong future and there are opportunities for wealth creation, equity growth and lifestyle. Are the current industry woes just a hiccup in an otherwise brighter future or are we ignoring the elephant in the room?”
Hear how a number of dairy businesses are managing this current downturn, as well as how they have weathered previous tight times. The audience also will hear from another business directly impacted by the dairy downturn, and what they see the future in dairying being. Is it all rosy, and how do others deal with the elephant in the room.
To encourage some competitive banter amongst exhibitors and patrons the expo has introduced an inaugural gum boot throwing competition, otherwise known as the Golden Tosser Award.
So exhibitors, farmers and kids start practicing your gum boot throwing now. Great prizes are available.
Guest speaker at the expo breakfast on Thursday, September 29 will be Beau Vernon whose life changed forever four years ago
A normal incident in a normal game of Aussie rules football left him with a C5-C6 quadriplegia. In an instant Beau went from a 23 year old who never sat still, to spending eight months in hospital and looking at the prospect of spending his life in a wheelchair.
The breakfast will begin at 8.30. For bookings contact Louise Bruce, louise.bruce@mgc.com.au (5662 3522) or Angie Brister, abrister@reidstock.com.au (5633 2222).
The Korumburra Rotary Club will be in charge of the Kids Activity Pavilion. This year the Kids Activity Pavilion will include some Farm Animals pens so be sure to bring the children along to enjoy these free activities.
Parents and volunteers from the Poowong Kindergarten will provide catering.
The Strzelecki Lions Club has a Dairy Expo committee who are volunteers and some of them are dairy farmers.
Many of these people have been on the committee since it started and collectively have raised and disbursed over $370,000 back into the local community.
Back to basics
Dairy farmers interested in ensuring they have the basics correct in cow nutrition are encouraged to attend a Young Dairy Network evening in Warragul tomorrow night.
Held in conjunction with Alltech, the evening will focus on the fundamentals of nutrition in tight times to get the best performance possible.
Topics to be covered will include: cow requirements; feed sources; rumen health; milk constituents and feed opportunities; and cow and grass signals.
The panel of presenters includes Rob McFarlane, general manager of ruminants at Alltech Oceania; Don Blackwell, dairy technical specialist and Jake Frecklington, Alltech Gippsland sales representative.
The evening will be held at the Warragul Country Club, Sutton Street, Warragul from 6:30pm for dinner. A free two-course meal is provided.
Please RSVP to Irene Baker on 0428 889 337 or irene@gippsdairy.com.au
Spuds and sheep
A free event will provide information to sheep and potato producers on fast finishing lambs, making the most of pastures, managing lameness in sheep, and navigating contracts.
The seminar will be delivered by Livestock Health & Biosecurity Victoria in conjunction with Potatoes Victoria.
The event will be held at Thorpdale Recreation Reserve on October between 6pm and 8.45pm.
RSVP: Friday, September 30 to VFF on 1300 882 833 or for more information contact Catherine James (0418 360470) or cjames@vff.org.au