Grains

The Bendigo Bank Agribusiness Monthly Commodity Update for November contains several positive findings and a major milestone as the year draws to a close. Australian cattle exports reached the second highest monthly volume on record, the third-largest winter grain crop is waiting in the wings and there’s good news for consumers in the run-up to Christmas...

A key panel session at the Digital Agrifood Summit exploring Denmark's proposed carbon tax on agriculture has highlighted the need to avoid simplistic comparisons between Australian and European models. GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said the summit, attended by leaders across agriculture, technology, and policy, prompted robust discussion about the relevance and risks of similar mechanisms in the Australian context.

Pakistan has approved market access for Genetically Modified (GM) canola from Australia. Australia is a trusted and reliable supplier of canola to Pakistan, with non-GM canola exports valued at $506 million in the last financial year – making Pakistan one of Australia’s top markets for canola. 

Confidence in Australia’s farming sector has lifted, as the nation’s farmers hang their hopes on continuing strong commodity prices – particularly in livestock sectors – and better seasonal conditions in a number of regions, the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey has found.

Australia is forecast to harvest a larger winter grain crop this year, with Rabobank estimating total volumes to reach 62.8 million tonnes in its just-released annual 2025/26 Australian Winter Crop Forecast.

On a cotton farm near Emerald in central Queensland, something unusual is taking root. Among the cotton, mung beans and peanuts that typically fill the rotation, a small but mighty crop is showing its potential to change the face of Australian agriculture: sesame.

Grain Producers Australia notes ... decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) of conditional approval being granted to Elders Limited’s takeover of Delta Agribusiness, requiring divestment of Delta stores, only in WA ... GPA Southern Region Director, Andrew Weidemann, said he was disappointed the ACCC had not realised all of the concerns expressed by growers, in GPA’s submission, about the Elders takeover reducing competition in 33 regional locations/communities.

The ink is barely dry on Canberra’s new 2035 carbon targets, and the climate catastrophists are already eyeing 2050, the holy grail when net zero will finally be achieved. Out in the Wheatbelt, most farmers shrug. Another distant date, another government promise, most have tuned out with the view that what I can’t see does not hurt me — a bit like the GRDC levy that nicks 1 per cent of farm-gate revenue. But let’s be clear ...

A team of world-leading researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, are exploring if a small insect, the stem-boring weevil, Lixus caudiger, could hold the key to tackling flaxleaf fleabane; one of the most invasive and costly weeds in Australian grain production.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is seeking input from growers to shape investment in 'blue sky' research that could uncover the next game changer for the Australian grains industry. This engagement will build on the grower-informed priorities captured in the organisation's current, 5-year research, development and extension (RD&E) plan.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation thought it could settle the question of whether its budget was “right-sized.” Instead, it has lit a fire under growers. After a run of big harvests and strong prices, levy income has ballooned and reserves now sit at $688.4 million—up more than $100 million in a single year.

Grain Producers Australia is calling for agri-tourists to stop and think about biosecurity risks and other dangers, before entering grain farms, to try to take selfies in flowering canola crops.

Murrumbidgee Council Mayor Ruth McRae OAM has expressed deep disappointment at the closure of Coprice's Coleambally facility from 1 September 2025. Cr McRae described the news as devastating for the community and said it was disappointing to see the withdrawal of a business, particularly one that has helped drive the region's agricultural sector.

Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry production is expected to hit a record combined value of $101.6 billion in 2025-2026, according to the latest ABARES forecasts released today. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the new record value was mostly down to livestock.

The travels of former Donald resident, Mary Raynes, have so far also included meetings in Puebla with Heineken and Central Altiplano Maltería, Mexico ... Australia has been right in the brew of it, supplying on average 61 per cent, up to 85 per cent of Mexico's total malting barley imports.

Sentiment in Australia’s agricultural sector has softened over the winter months, as the nation’s farmers contend with higher input costs and mixed seasonal conditions, the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey has found. The survey, released today, found net farm sector confidence has eased to a neutral reading of zero (down from five per cent in the previous survey).

Crop pathologists and fungal disease experts are concerned about the increasing use of precautionary fungicide applications in Australian canola. Repeated applications of a single fungicide as ‘cheap insurance’ against disease could have serious long-term consequences.

Australian grain growers have reduced their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity, while continuing to produce high quality cereals, pulses and oilseeds, according to a new report released by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

Sophie Baldwin. Since the 1970s, the Chalmers family have been growing rice, so they certainly know a thing or two about the importance of performance and business planning. For Michael and Felicia that acumen was rewarded with the couple recently crowned CY25 SunRice grower of the year.

Today’s release of the August Bendigo Bank Agribusiness Monthly Commodity Update finds that widespread rain in late July marked a turning point for Australia’s winter cropping season. Recent falls have further reinforced production confidence in NSW, Qld and large parts of WA and growers in Victoria and South Australia have also been given a renewed shot at achieving average yields or better...

Grain Producers Australia is calling for a rigorous investigation of the recent acceleration of Australian farmland purchases, by US-owned foreign investors with serious financial clout, emboldened by major tax breaks. 

Key grains research outcomes will be shared next Tuesday, 5 August at the Grains Research and Development Corporation's (GRDC) free Grains Research Updates event. Events are being held at multiple locations across Queensland and New South Wales this week and next week, with Dalby by far the closest to Clifton.