Agriculture

Australian consumers are seeing significant price increases across dairy products – based on the national Consumer Price Index (CPI) data – with milk prices having risen at the fastest rate since records began, according to a new report by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. In its Global Dairy Quarterly Q4 2022 – Walking the Tightrope into 2023, Rabobank says while the Australian consumer has shown resilience in the face of cost-of-living pressures, signs of dairy demand weakness are emerging as a willingness and ability to spend on discretionary items softens.

Biosecurity and safeguarding were front of mind at the Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity roundtable in the Northern Territory ... Indigenous Ranger organisations contracted to undertake biosecurity surveillance are generally located along the northern Australian coastline, with a focus on high-risk pathways with a potential for pest and disease incursions.

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is calling on Australian energy ministers to make sure the transition to renewable energy is overseen by a national code, so we don’t sacrifice food security for energy security ... NFF CEO Tony Mahar said energy, agriculture and food prices were inextricably linked and at a time when food security was high on the agenda, careful consideration had to be given to how the energy and farming industries could work together.

With the price of Australian fertiliser imports rising by a record 128 per cent, PyroAg, a leader in creating commercial quantities of Pyroligneous acid or wood vinegar, is urging Australian farmers to embrace the next generation of sustainable farming practices, as well as stripping their fertiliser costs significantly, with scientifically backed high density liquid that will provide proven substantial benefits to the Australian agricultural sector.

During the war, quail could save millions of Ukrainians from hunger and poverty. Only 1m2 is needed to grow this bird. For this, 200 dollars is enough. Investments begin to make a profit after 2 months. The income is 25-40 per cent of the invested funds per month. However, several reasons do not allow the quail to become a national bird in Ukraine.

Rapidly growing interest in the biodegradable, drought-resistant sunn hemp crop is the basis for increased investment in the sector ... It is a focus in the AgriFutures Australia’s Emerging Industries Program thanks to its diverse application as a fibre, fodder, biofuel and even in pharmaceuticals.

Vic Jurskis responds to ARR.News questions including about the different methods for monitoring koalas, sustainable koala populations, koala habitat and the relationship with timber harvesting ... "Gathering numbers should not be an end. Deliberations of the TSSC assume that more is better. The koala’s ecological history of irruptions and crashes in numbers after European arrival clearly shows this not to be the case. Effective monitoring requires an understanding of the reasons for any real changes in numbers."

Chris Oldfield. The Liberal Shadow Cabinet will continue to support a moratorium on fracking in the SE which runs until 2028. It will also continue to work on land access through agricultural properties to mines because “both agriculture and mining are important to the economy”.

Kristin Murdock. With harvest in the mid to lower south east normally starting slightly later than other areas in the state, continual rain and cold weather hasn’t interrupted harvest – yet ... “The higher-than-average rain has been good for our pastures but the extra disease pressures mean input costs really add up. We are also worried about frost on our grapes which is very unusual for this time of year. More rain could possibly split the berries”: Casey Lodewyk.

New forecasting showing record Australian grain production numbers – despite impacts of severe weather and flooding during a delayed and disrupted harvest – makes good news for today’s papers. However, Grain Producers Australia says the headline numbers mask some serious structural issues faced by growers on the ground, which impact productivity and need to be urgently addressed.

Residents and landholders have breathed a sigh of relief this week as flood waters peaked at Moulamein at a height of 6.235m. While the peak is a welcome sign, the impacts of the flooding are still dramatic on the community ... In what is typically a busy time for mixed irrigators of Moulamein, the flooding is hampering the harvest of winter crops and rice production.

As the weather warms up and dissolved oxygen in the local rivers and creeks remain dangerously low, the community is leading the fish protection response. From old bedframes with dripper lines supplied with air compressors, to garden hoses circulating water, and even a paddleboat churning through $700 in fuel per week in an effort to provide an oxygenated refuge for native fish. The Murray Downs Marina dissolved oxygen went up above 5mg/L after four days with the Iron Dry paddle boat running.

Animal protein producers and processors face an “inflection point” with a need to respond to structural changes in the market even with production levels and prices likely to remain elevated next year, according to a new report by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.

Peak industry body for Queensland horticulture, Growcom is calling on the federal government to engage in genuine and meaningful discussion after the passing of the new Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 so industry can understand how it will be implemented. Growcom CEO Rachel Chambers said when discussing a Bill called ‘secure jobs, better pay’ you need to have the business owners, the people who create the jobs for employees, around the table. Without employers there is no employment.

“Crops in Western Australia and South Australia benefitted the most from spring conditions, with total production in both states forecast to reach new record levels. Total production in Queensland is forecast to reach the second highest on record, despite parts of the Darling Downs missing out on plantings after being impacted by the floods. In other parts of the country, the results are mixed with both flooding and water-logging impacting winter crop production": Jared Greenvillle, ABARES.

Amid extreme market volatility and record-high prices, fertilizer consumption suffered in 2022. According to a new Rabobank report, a recovery in consumption is possible in some regions in 2023, with fertilizer prices lowering and commodity prices at historically high levels.

This year the theme of World Soil Day is ‘Soil: Where food begins’, highlighting the importance of healthy soil as a crucial element of food production ... “Soil in good condition is more productive. It has higher water-holding capacity, supports biological activities and resists erosion during extreme climate and weather events": Lisa Nitschke, DAFF.

A spirited collaboration between Devils Thumb Distillery and Far Northern Milling has culminated in Best Cane Spirit (sugarcane juice) at the inaugural 2022 Australian Rum Awards held in Brisbane this month ... Dependent on proximity to the raw ingredient of sugar cane juice gives Australian Cane Spirit a distinctive quality and means Far North Queensland’s Devils Thumb is uniquely placed to produce cane spirit which in other countries is known as Agricole (Martinique) or Cachaça (South America).

The whites run when juvenile western rock lobsters undergo a synchronised moult in late spring actually starts in the Two Rocks to Cervantes region before getting underway later in northern areas such as Kalbarri. During the whites run recreational fishers, who need a licence, flock to the Two Rocks marina and other areas so they can head out to check their pots.

Recent flooding across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia has been declared the most expensive in the nation’s history and a natural catastrophe by trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, as the dire consequences to regional communities become more clearly understood ... In response to the unfolding disaster the organisation is relaunching its Buy a Bale fundraising campaign which was popular during the equally significant recent drought.

A safety reminder from the CFA to farmers during harvest to ensure machinery such as headers are regularly inspected and maintained, and moving parts such as bearings are cleaned of any material on hot engine components. After heavy rains, there is extra growth around that makes the chance of fires highly likely.