Why it’s worth heading to Seymour Alternative Farming Expo
If it’s possible to farm it on small acreage, it will be on show at the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo, April 16-18.
FROM hobby beekeeping and backyard chooks, to more serious activities such as breeding cattle, growing organic vegies or rearing goats for milk or meat, if it’s possible to farm it on small acreage, it will be on show at next week’s Seymour Alternative Farming Expo.
The annual field days is known for its diverse mix of livestock, equipment and machinery for smallholders, and hands-on farming workshops suitable for novices to experienced producers.
Event manager Jamie Gilbert said organisers had worked hard to make the event safe for the community, and hoped people would support the businesses, clubs and producers who were taking part.
“With no events happening over the past 15 months, we are excited about the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo opening the gates on our all-new dates in April,” Mr Gilbert said.
“We would really like to encourage people to come enjoy this event.
“With a shift of people moving to rural properties, our Expo represents a real interesting opportunity to come see local businesses, listen to lectures and learn about small to medium-acreage farming.”
The Expo will run April 16-18 at Kings Park in Seymour, and can accommodate up to 7000 visitors a day, meeting current health guidelines.
With nearly 400 exhibitors confirmed, family-friendly entertainment and a three-day schedule of farming lectures and workshops, run in collaboration with the Seymour Agricultural and Pastoral Society, there are plenty of things to see, do and buy.
A newly built pavilion at Kings Park will house all the livestock this year, creating an exciting Livestock Hub, where people can see rare-breed cattle, alpacas, goats, sheep and poultry.
Mr Gilbert said entertainment highlights this year included the Victorian Whipcracking Championships, which will be held on Saturday, April 17.
For a hands-on piece of the cracking action, come-and-try whipcracking demonstrations will run Friday and Sunday.
Former Geelong Cats player Tom Lonergan will run a longest-kick competition as part of the Toyota Good for Footy program, on Friday, April 16.
Visitors can test their boot against Tom, and each other, to win prizes.
One big change for the Expo this year is the move to online ticket sales.
To meet health department requirements, there is a daily sales cap of 7000 tickets, so Mr Gilbert encourages all visitors to book ahead to avoid disappointment.
Another big move is the shift to April dates.
In the past, visitors would have slapped on sunscreen and braved 40C heat to attend Seymour, because it has traditionally run on the third weekend in February.
“People have the chance this year to experience the Expo in autumn. If you base it on this week’s weather, it will be just fantastic,” Mr Gilbert said.
The Expo was one of the few ag events that still took place last year, before travel and health restrictions hit in March, forcing all field days to cancel.
Mr Gilbert said this year’s date change allowed his team time to organise an event that would be well-attended, and safe for visitors and exhibitors.
The Expo team worked closely with organisers of Farm World, which ran in late March, to learn from their successes.
“I think we should commend Farm World for being the first major regional field day since the COVID pandemic,” Mr Gilbert said. “They have done a fantastic job down there and that will help everybody get back on track.”
Exhibitor numbers attending Seymour have swelled since the end of March.
Mr Gilbert said feedback had been that businesses are keen to come out and meet people in a safe environment.
“It is a massive opportunity for these businesses to come out and get back on track, especially for those that rely on field days for a large part of their revenue model,” he said.
“They are keen to interact with audiences. And the evidence from Farm World is that those audiences will be keen to interact with them.”
To book tickets, visit seymourexpo.com.au
Lectures a solid start for sound advice
STEPHEN KOCH’S Murray Grey cattle stud is a shining example of what can be achieved on smaller acreage with a bit of hard work, openness to new ideas and solid research.
Stephen established Atriem Murray Greys after moving from Queensland to Victoria in 2012 with his family.
On 260ha of owned and leased land at Tallarook, he runs 75 breeders, selling Murray Greys to producers who want to introduce the breed’s calm temperament and high eating quality to their commercial herds
“All of our animals are ultrasound scanned for eye muscle size, rib fat, rump fat and, very importantly from an eating-quality perspective, we scan for intramuscular fat — or as most people would know it, marbling,” said Stephen, who is a seasoned cattleman but was unfamiliar with Murray Greys when he started with the breed.
While he normally shows some of his cattle at the Seymour Expo, this year’s April dates clash with calving, so he will be taking part in the Farm Lecture series and supporting the Seymour Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s homemade cafe, in his role as vice president of the society.
Stephen has volunteered his time for the past five years to run cattle lectures at the Expo, and will do the same again this year. Running from 9.30am Friday, Saturday and Sunday, his Cattle Production Basics talks cover animal health, productivity and handling skills, and are suitable for people of all abilities.
“Sometimes I will have people there who don’t have cattle, sometimes it will be people with half a dozen cattle. Sometimes people with a whole herd. It is a real mix.
“If people have input, I invite them to put their hands up. I’m available after the lectures for anyone who wants see the ClipEx facility, or anyone who wants to continue to talk about cattle.”
A practical demonstration of how to handle cattle in a set of ClipEx yards will be part of the presentation, if suitable animals are available on the day.
There will be about 10 cattle breeds displayed in the Livestock Hub, from Highlands and Charolais to Dexters and Lowlines.
Megg feeds chook owners with smart tips
GIVE an egg to Megg Miller OAM, and she can tell you more than you ever dreamt there was to know about the hen that laid it.
“We all like to have something that keeps us happy, and mine is researching and looking at eggs,” said the central Victorian local.
Megg is a life-long chicken owner, editor of Australasian Poultry magazine, and a respected poultry expert and judge. Not to mention the fact the OAM after her name was awarded for service to the Australian poultry industry.
So, experienced farmers and new chook owners alike should jump at the chance to hear Megg’s lectures at this year’s Seymour Expo.
“Should you have chookies and bring along your eggs, I could probably tell you how you keep your chooks. I am absolutely obsessed with how, why, when and which with eggs,” she said.
Megg will give two presentations about how to set up for poultry in the backyard or on small acreage.
Her lectures run on Friday and Sunday, and cover chook handling, animal welfare, equipment and chook nutrition. She may even reveal what causes hens to lay at strange times, or produce eggs with thin, speckled, rough or frosted shells.
“I have a really strong belief that if you can understand why your chooks do things, your management is much easier,” Megg said. “Basically when we are talking about setting up housing, or feeders, or selecting the breeds, I will be pointing out little oddities about chooks.
“The biggest area I like to stress is whilst we all love our home-produced eggs, chooks don’t make eggs out of the sky. A chook needs really good nutrition if you want a highly nutritious egg. I do encourage a balanced ration.”
Megg expects the recent surge in popularity of backyard chooks will mean visitors to Seymour will be looking for information and equipment to help care for chickens.
“I think families have discovered chooks. It has become a family activity, where people want their kids to have some outdoor time and they can feed and play with them.”
Seymour Poultry Club will have chicken breeds on display and available for sale at the Expo. Megg’s lectures will be at the Small Farms Learning Hub on Friday and Sunday at 11am.
Caravans high in pecking order
FORGET new puppies.
Keeping chooks has been one of the biggest trends to emerge from the pandemic.
And to cater for all those proud new poultry owners — from backyard hobbyists to small commercial operators — there will be a huge selection of chicken-related equipment on display at Seymour, including feeders, small chook runs and larger mobile chook caravans.
It will be the first year Aussie Chicken Trailers will be on display at Seymour Expo, and company director Luke Lindsey said it was a great opportunity to showcase the mobile caravans to Victorian farmers.
Manufactured by South Australian company Aussie Feeders, the robust automated caravans come in models that can house from 20 to 1500 birds. “We are taking with us an ACT 20 and an ACT 40, and we are hoping to have an ACT 300 there,” Luke said.
The Australian-manufactured towable caravans are priced starting at $30,700, excluding GST and delivery.
Daniel O’Brien of Chicken Caravans will also display small mobile chook caravans at Seymour. This week the company launched its newest model, the Chicken Caravan 10. It is light, easy to move and has a tow-ball hitch for attachment to a ride-on mower. The model starts from $2900, plus delivery.
Other chicken-related exhibitors at the Seymour Expo include The Chicken Vault, Edd’s Movable chook sheds and Chooktred Australia.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
April 16-18
Times 9am - 4pm, daily
TICKETS
Buy tickets online in advance at seymourexpo.com.au
Contact Seymour Expo: admin@seymourexpo.com.au
1300 178 881
Venue
Kings Park, Tallarook St, Seymour
Admission
ONLINE ONLY
Adult $20
Concession $17
Family
(2 adults & 3 kids) $47
Child (aged 5-15) $9
Child (under 5) Free
Getting there
Seymour is 109km north of Melbourne on the Hume Freeway. V-line operates a regular service to Seymour Railway Station, which is 800m from Kings Park.
Tickets must be bought online in advance
seymourexpo.com.au
DON’T MISS
Catch these must-see events at the Seymour Expo
FRIDAY
■ MUST TRY Test your boot in the longest-kick competition with former Geelong Cats player Tom Lonergan, Find out more at the Toyota exhibit
■ 9.30am Watch butcher Victor Bonacci break down a side of pork from Limestone Pork in the Country Kitchen
■ 11am Listen to a farm lecture from Megg Miller OAM about how to set up a backyard or small acreage poultry operation
■ 12.30pm Watch
ex-harness racing horses put through their paces by trainers from Harness Racing Victoria’s Hero re-homing program
■ 3pm Take part in whipcracking demos on
the oval
SATURDAY
■ MUST SEE AWPA Victorian Whipcracking Championships
■ 9.30am Cattle production basics lecture with Stephen Koch
■ 10.30am Watch a hemp-building demo with David Brian of Southern Hemp
■ 12.50pm Kids cooking workshop in the Country Kitchen
■ 3pm Working dog demos on the oval
SUNDAY
■ MUST VISIT See all the livestock, from Highland cattle to colourful alpacas,
in the Livestock Hub
■ 9.30am Flipping Disc
Dogz in action on the oval
■ 10.50am Butcher Victor Bonacci and hunter Paul Boag will illustrate how to prepare venison
■ 12.30pm Listen to a lecture about what to consider before buying a small farm, from Yvonne Summer of Summer
View Farm
■ 2.15pm ALL4FMX Motorcross demo on the main oval
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