The Editor

Agricultural commodity prices continue to perform well for Australian producers with cattle prices the most compelling after the benchmark Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) surpassed a record 900c/kg in April. The NAB Rural Commodities Wrap, released today, reports trends in global grain markets point to encouraging news for Australian grain growers, while wool prices continue their upward trend.

Armidale producer Bill Mitchell has won the 2021 Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Producer Innovation Award for his remote cattle weighing system, Optiweigh, that enables in-paddock weighing and monitoring. Mr Mitchell was presented the award last night at the Rabobank Beef Industry Awards presented by Queensland Country Life, at Beef Australia 2021 in Rockhampton. Optiweigh is a fully portable in-paddock weighing system that works in all environments, does not require animal training, and does not require installation of additional infrastructure.

Australia can become a player in the billion-dollar global edible insect industry, producing nutritious, sustainable, and ethical products to support global food security, according to a new roadmap by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO ... CSIRO researcher and report co-author, Dr Rocio Ponce Reyes: “The worldwide edible insect market is expected to reach $1.4 billion AUD in value by 2023. Europe and the United States of America lead the western world market, with more than 400 edible-insect-related businesses in operation.”

A Surf Life Saving NSW drone has been used to successfully locate a missing man in bushland at Port Macquarie, demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology for search and rescue applications in a variety of settings.

In a first for the Australian agriculture sector, farmers will be able to physically see water infrastructure, gates, fences or other assets with the touch of a button on their desktop, tablet or mobile device.

In solving the rising challenge facing the agriculture industry of producing high-quality protein, traceably, sustainably and at scale, AgriWebb’s new Individual Animal Management offering will provide a world-first — granular livestock data at a per-animal level.

Jeff Hanson, NSW Country and Picnic Racing. Photo: Racing Photography. After what has been a tough couple of years for most country communities, it is easy to find a reason why any country or picnic racing committee might be struggling. For Marthaguy Picnic Race Club, and the community of Quambone, the past three years have been devastating ... A social day at the races is just what Quambone and surrounding towns need, especially if they are to decompress and forget about their troubles, if only for one day.

Animal welfare practices and tracking the industry’s sustainability credentials are top of mind for beef producers, according to the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) latest annual update. The latest Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) annual update, the fourth since its inception, was launched at the ABSF’s seminar at Beef Australia 2021 in Rockhampton today.

Saturday the 8th of May - join us at the QUAMBONE Racecourse on the outskirts of the small village 50kms from Coonamble and 80 kms from Warren. The Marthaguy Picnic Races offers a great day out for one and all and a fantastic way to catch up with friends.

Tie the Knot, Darby McCarthy, Les Bridge and Bob Charley are among the list of 10 thoroughbred racing greats to be elevated to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame (ARHOF) in Adelaide next month. The ARHOF spreads across four categories – horses, trainers, jockeys and associates – and induction is regarded as racing’s ultimate achievement, with the ceremony an opportunity to formally honour those who have left indelible marks on the sport.