Agriculture

The Victorian Labor Government’s promise of jobs with a transition from native forests to plantation forests, announced last week, does not add up, said Forest & Wood Communities Australia (FWCA). As it takes at least 15 years for trees to grow to the minimum harvest age, and the government plans to end native forestry in eight years, timber towns face ruin, with Orbost set to lose 37% of its full-time jobs.

Tweed Shire Council is urging Tweed River floodplain landowners to seek Council assistance in projects that can improve water quality, after recent testing detected acid-affected water in the river and red spot disease in local fish ... Recent testing has indicated acid sulfate soil (ASS)-related runoff from floodplain drains is affecting water quality in the Tweed River, with indications this is severely impacting fish health.

Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney has announced the Labor Government is investing $120 million – the single largest investment in plantation establishment in the state’s history – in an agreement with Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP), planting an extra 16 million trees in a new estate.

Nillumbik Friends of the Great Forest have followed with interest the developments in the native forest logging industry, in particular the decision by the Andrews government in 2019 to halt native forest logging in 2030. Victoria is well placed to transition to a 100 % plantation industry as we already have considerable areas of plantation ... The industry has every right to be upset with the government for withholding the funding for a fair and just transition ... ARR.News asks NFGF a few questions.

Sustainable land management in Western Australia has been boosted by a ground-breaking initiative that has more accurately calculated the extent of salinity in the agricultural region to support new approaches to conserving natural assets and agricultural productivity. The 'Mapping salt-affected land in the South-West of Western Australia using satellite remote sensing' report by the national science agency, CSIRO, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) was released at a forum in Perth.

South Australian pastoralists inside the Dog Fence will continue to benefit from the services of wild dog trappers, with funding for the trapper program guaranteed for the next four years ... The wild dog trapping program is open to landowners or managers inside the Dog Fence who have baited and still experience impacts from wild dog attacks.

Brett Shepherd. After two years off from showing we went to Adelaide Royal this year with no expectations - just wanting to compare our sheep with fellow breeders and catch up after such a long enforced break. So it was with great excitement and pride when our Poll Dorset ram 21-616 (sired by our own Mullinger Park 17-348) was judged the Champion ram.

Commodity markets are pondering the risk of a recession, especially in the EU-27+UK, where inflation and monetary tightening are combining with a looming winter energy crisis. A recession could weaken the demand side for a number of energy and luxury commodities.

NSW Minister for Environment James Griffin said the landmark program is restoring koala habitat on private land, increasing biodiversity and providing an additional revenue stream for landholders through carbon farming ... ARR.News has asked a question of the Minister.

The NSW Government has launched two new groundbreaking projects to encourage landholders and farmers to invest in sustainable timber production as part of their land management practices. The Forest Stewardship Program and Farm Forestry Certification Pilot are the first of their kind in Australia and mark a new era in sustainably managed forestry on private land in NSW.

Patricia Gill. Noongar cultural burning may offer historical cues for contemporary fire protection but these cannot be relied on to produce a fire resilient landscape. So said environmental historian Professor Andrea Gaynor at the Royal WA Historical Society Conference ... Prof. Gaynor said Noongar burning practices belonged to a mobile culture and were never intended to protect a sedentary society in a landscape which had been subjected to logging, farming and urban development.

After a two-year hiatus the national economy benefited from a $100 million injection from the biggest and most successful Henty Machinery Field Days on record ... Held on September 20-22, the 59th annual field days featured 14km of outdoor shop fronts from over 800 exhibitors on over 1200 sites.

The recent NSW Legislative Council Committee investigating the long-term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry has recognised the value that collaboration brings to outcomes ... The committee commended WMLIG for its efforts to recover and respond to the various changes impacting its region by working together to build a 'healthy working forest' and were encouraged to hear about wood waste and crop residue initiatives as well as recycling programs.

Kirstin Nicholson. Presenting ribbons to champion terriers, sorting grain, rubbing shoulders with racing’s greats and fine dining were all part of Giorgi Boucher’s Melbourne Royal Show experience last weekend. Giorgi wasn’t there purely for the thrill of the show, though, she was there for the Rural Ambassador Award state finals. Giorgi won the Rural Ambassador Award at the Cohuna Show in March, then won at the Northern District Agricultural Shows Association regional finals.

Waroona Agricultural Society, Inc.

Kyabram AH&P Society Kyabram has a large horse section,  dairy cattle, Boer Goats, poultry and bird judging. Plus many different pavilion sections, including cookery, sewing knitting,...

The theme for this year's Numurkah Show is bees. Several classes in the Pavilions will be centred around the theme and there will be a Bee Display showing the many reasons why the bee is a major component in agriculture and our lives generally.

The Ararat Show is a  fun family event, heaps of competitions and displays which are held throughout the day; including a shearing, wool production, poultry, sheep show, horses and dog show.

Farmers and landholders in the Riverina are having their say on Inland Rail, according to NSW Farmers. NSW Farmers Treasurer and Inland Rail Taskforce chair Peter Wilson said there must be benefit for landowners and the broader farming community if railway lines were to cut properties in half.