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State budgets to provide support for drought
Vivien Lin
Numerous 2019-20 state budgets have allocated funding to address the flow-on impacts of drought conditions, acknowledging the need to assist affected farmers.
The NSW 2019-20 budget will include a $355 million economic stimulus package to support regional communities, businesses and workers. $170 million will be dedicated to a special purpose Drought Infrastructure Package, whilst an additional $185 million will go towards on-farm drought support measures.
This brings the NSW Government’s investment in drought support to more than $1.8 billion.
“The impact of this drought has spread quickly off farm and is now being felt by businesses and households in towns and cities across regional NSW,” says NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. “When farmers can’t contract tradies and other workers, there is a flow on effect felt throughout local businesses such as cafes and local stores. This funding package will support these rural communities in their time of need.”
The assistance will cut the costs of fees and charges for farmers, whilst also allowing them to continue relying on transport subsidies.
“Our farmers are doing it incredibly tough and that’s why we’re directing additional funds to help reduce cost of living pressures, drought-proof properties and transport stock and fodder,” says NSW Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall. “While what is needed most is simply more rainfall, I’m confident this package will help alleviate the burden associated with one of the worst droughts in living memory.”
The Queensland Government’s 2019-20 budget will also support communities affected by drought by continuing the state’s Drought Relief Assistance Scheme , which provides farming businesses with subsidies and rebates to help manage livestock welfare during drought periods. It has committed $74.6 million over four years to implement Queensland drought reform and deliver on its commitments under the National Drought Agreement.
In addition to this, the Queensland budget has also allocated $11.7 million to the Queensland Drought and Climate Adaption Program to fund the program’s remaining three years. This research-focused initiative brings together various scientists, government and non-government agencies and industry leaders to help producers better manage climate impacts.
“These are critical measures to support farmers and regional communities so jobs are protected and drought-affected industries can bounce back,” says Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner.
This funding has been welcomed by the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF). “Credit to the government for maintain funding for drought relief,” says QFF CEO Travis Tobin. “An unwavering commitment to these areas is a must for the sector.”
However, although the Victorian Budget will provide $12.6 million in funding to help drought-affected farmers, including support for infrastructure and the extension of hardship payments, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) believes more action is necessary.
“Many of our farmers across the State are still experiencing drought and it was frustrating not to see a greater focus on support and adaption,” says VFF President David Jochinke.
To read more about drought and rural support measures, click here.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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