Grains

I subscribe to Greg Ibendahl's Agricultural Economics Substack. Greg is with the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University and regularly produces practical, data-driven analyses of broadacre farming from an American perspective. His latest article ... shows we are not alone facing rising input which can turn what appeared to be a profitable wheat crop into a financial disaster. It also serves as a timely reminder that while American farmers face many of the same seasonal and economic pressures as Australian growers...

The Grains Research and Development Corporation says the decision by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority means grain growers will continue to have access to the herbicides, paraquat and diquat, under new restrictions.

Early signs of reduced fungicide performance in barley loose smut have been detected in key grain growing regions across Australia. While there is no cause for alarm, growers are reminded to remain proactive in disease management.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has delivered its long-awaited regulatory decision on the herbicides paraquat, and diquat. The APVMA announcement of the decision, together with the responses collected here, from Grain Producers Australia, Parkinson's Australia, Graingrowers and NSW Farmers, show that the decision has been neither universally approved nor condemned.

The honeybee mite, Varroa destructor, finally breached Australia’s biosecurity defences 4 years ago, and is here to stay. Even more concerning, our standard treatments – such as specialised pesticides – are already failing. What does this mean for Australians, and what can we do about it?

Sentiment among Australia’s agricultural producers continued to track lower this quarter, with concerns about cost pressures in the wake of Middle Eastern tensions remaining top of mind for farmers across the country. The quarter two Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released today, found national sentiment at its lowest point since November 2006 as it dropped to a net reading of - 48 per cent.

The new practice of Seedbed Conditioning not only improves the physical, biological and chemical properties of the root zone of cropping soils, it also produces very large and near-permanent improvements in the drought and waterlogging resilience of cropping soils.

Growers in the far eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia will benefit from two new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investments exploring long coleoptile wheat, deep-seeded crops and deep phosphorus fertiliser placement.

In light of the pending decision on paraquat by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and recent media drawing a connection between paraquat and Parkinson's disease, Australian Rural & Regional News has sought responses from industry bodies.

Australia is set to plant a reduced winter crop this year, as the nation’s grain growers contend with mixed weather conditions and the impacts of significantly-higher farm input costs, Rabobank says in its 2026/27 Australian Winter Crop Forecast. The specialist agribusiness bank estimates Australia’s winter cropping area will come in at 23.1 million hectares for the season – down eight per cent on last year and 4.3 per cent below the five-year average.

Grain Producers Australia (GPA) has secured a national emergency permit allowing grain growers to access stronger mouse bait as significant mouse numbers plague several states. Australian grain growers have been desperately calling for permits to access stronger mouse bait to tackle the growing problem, with the standard available bait proving inadequate. 

Grain growers are urged to check their paddocks for signs of mice, with reports of activity in SA, WA and parts of northern NSW. CSIRO rodent expert Steve Henry, who is one of the lead researchers on GRDC-supported investment into mouse management, is reminding growers that conditions are ripe for mouse breeding at this time of year.

The Seedbed Conditioner creates the perfect seedbed and root zone for crops at a fraction of the current power (HP/KW) requirement and cost of seeding. Over 15 years of paddock-scale research this machine always produced large yield increase, which averaged 25 per cent with a range of 10–40 per cent.

The May Budget delivered by Treasurer Jim Chalmers has elicited criticism, and some praise, from many quarters, as illustrated by the following statements from the National Party, Beyond Zero Emissions, National Farmers' Federation and the NFF Horticulture Council, National Seniors Australia, Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, TasFarmers, Grain Producers Australia and NSW Farmers.

Caitlin Menadue. Recent reports from farmers during the early stages of seeding have indicated an increase in locust activity across several cropping regions in South Australia, Grain Producers South Australia has warned. GPSA chief executive Brad Perry said producers from Yorke Peninsula, the Riverland, Eyre Peninsula and Flinders Ranges had reported locusts on farms.

Queensland company MaxSil is converting waste glass destined for landfill into ultrafine silica that improves plant uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium helping farmers do more with the fertiliser they have. ARR.News found out more from MaxSil founder David Archer and Oscar Ledlin, co-founder of parent company Sustainable Concrete Group.

A new national Faba Bean Breeding Program will provide growers with improved higher-yielding varieties of faba beans with better disease resistance, quality traits and adaptation across Australian growing regions. Australia is the world’s largest exporter of faba beans, supplying around one-third of global trade, with key markets including Egypt, the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.

A new machine designed and exhaustively tested at a field-scale over 15 years and 32 sites in Western Australia, Queensland and Pakistan has been shown to increase crop yields by 25 per cent, on average (range 10 to 40 per cent).

Recent rains have given Aussie farmers a valuable head start on sowing this season’s winter crop, but higher freight, fuel, and fertiliser costs are squeezing margins across the country, Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ latest Monthly Commodity Update outlines.

As Australians grapple with current fuel price hikes and supply challenges, a new report highlights the key role the nation’s canola could play as a biofuel in future energy transition and fuel security.

Urea hit the equivalent of $2,800 a tonne in today’s dollars back in 1974. That’s not a typo—and it’s not ancient history either. To understand how that happens, you need to start with geography. Roughly a third of global fertiliser trade by sea—not production, trade—passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Caitlin Menadue. Yorke Peninsula farmers, businesses and residents are grappling with the ongoing fuel crisis, as prices soar, independent retailers start to run dry and there’s no visible end in sight .... "Tractors, sprayers, seeders and trucks all rely on diesel to operate, and with seeding approaching it is essential that grain producers can access reliable fuel supplies."