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Drought Droughts are very much a part of farming in Australia. They bring with them a whole range of hardships and can be costly events due to feed and water costs, lost production, reduced income and environmental cost to a property with issues like pasture degeneration and soil erosion. In particular, the feeding and management of livestock is a major concern during droughts. DPI has produced a range of booklets to provide a comprehensive coverage of the current knowledge about feeding and management of stock during a drought. These booklets can be accessed through DPI's Drought Information for Victoria webpage. For information on handling drought on a small property refer to the attached document New Landholder Handling Drought. To view the attached PDF documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). New Landholder Handling Drought (PDF 241KB)

Bushfires

The Country Fire Authority (external link) has a range of useful information for protecting your family and your property from fire; information such as Living in the Bush (external link) for protecting your home and Farms and Property (external link) for planning fire safety on farms and rural lifestyle properties.

If you are building a house you need to be aware if the land is in a Wildfire Management Overlay area (external link). You should also be aware of what you can and cannot do in regards to fire restrictions (external link).

The Victorian Bushfire Information Line can be used to report smoke sightings, to get advice on wildfire incidents or wildfire preparation and to access information about fire restrictions. The number for the Victorian Bushfire Information Line is 1800 240 667.

Callers who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech/communication impairment may call the Victorian Bushfire Information Hotline through the National Relay Service using a modem or textphone/teletypewriter (TTY) by dialling 1800 555 677 then asking for 1800 240 667.

Weeds

Weeds are plants that are unwanted in a given situation and may be harmful, dangerous or economically detrimental. An efficient weed control program can only be developed after the weed has been properly identified. For more information on identifying and managing weeds as well as an explanation of your legal responsibilities to control them, see Weeds.

New Landholder Weeds (PDF 259KB)

Pest Animals

Pest animals can affect agricultural production for small landholders. They may also be a nuisance around your house or garden. Recognised pest animals include rabbits, wild dogs, foxes, sheep blowflies, plague locust, kangaroos and wallabies. More information can be found by following the links on Pest animals.

Legal Aspects of Farming

There are many legal issues that rural landholders must deal with in managing their property. You need to be aware of relevant legislation so that you are a prepared and responsible landowner. Prevention is always better than a fine or legal proceeding! Laws govern matters ranging from weed management and native vegetation to managing neighbour disputes or preparing an agistment agreement. Our laws help protect the environment and farming and they support community harmony. For more information on your legal obligations and responsibilities refer to the attached document New Landholder Legal Obligations.

New Landholder Legal Obligations (PDF 358KB)

Small Property Agistment

Agistment is the placement of livestock from one farm to another for food, water and shelter – in return for a fee (usually cost per head per week). For owners of livestock considering agistment or for landholders considering agistment on their land, there are some points that need to be negotiated and agreed upon, usually in writing. We have a useful checklist that can be followed to assist people in developing up a lease agreement.

Small Property Agistment Checklist

New Landholder Agistment Form (PDF 249KB)


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