Agriculture

Emma Pritchard. Timber producers throughout Northern NSW have been given a massive boost after the State Government announced a $10 million subsidy to assist local mills impacted by recent bushfires, destructive floods and relentless rain to source supplies from outside the region ... With J Notaras and Sons Sawmill presently operating at 60-70 percent below normal production, Ms Layton said the announcement will enable the local business to source timber supplies from further afield, and most importantly, allow the sawmill to remain operational.

Australia is laying the groundwork for a third consecutive bumper harvest, with this year’s total planted crop area forecast to reach a record 23.83 million hectares, Rabobank says in its just-released 2022/23 Winter Crop Outlook ... Locally, the bank says, “hopes are on” another large winter crop to allow Australian farmers to secure good margins in the face of high costs for inputs including fertiliser, fuel, freight and agrochemicals.

NSW Farmers is encouraging dairy farmers to work with processors to secure the best farmgate deal possible for their milk, with the deadline for processors to publish their supply contracts around the corner... “Sustainable relationships are important, and farmers should work with processors to position their businesses for growth on the back of these prices.”

Loved for both their great taste and awesome sport fishing, the yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is one of Australia’s most economically important fish species. Despite their importance, little is known about the species’ large-scale movements, fine-scale population structure or behaviours ... Project Kingfish aims to deploy satellite transmitters on mature-sized kingfish across the NSW east coast and key offshore habitats such as the Lord Howe Island Marine Park to gain further insights ...

Australia’s oldest organic beef company – OBE Organic – is putting sustainability in the spotlight ahead of World Environment Day this coming Sunday, June 5 with the release of a new report that details industry-leading practices in sustainable agriculture, supply chain management and human resources.

Australians have changed the Government. Anthony Albanese is our 31st Prime Minister. The policy mandate is clear. More will be done on climate, anti corruption and cost of living. So, what does that mean for rural transport?

Ongoing inflationary pressures, a weaker global economic outlook and the prospect of a wet winter across many production regions of Australia is causing volatility for the agriculture sector... NAB Senior Agribusiness Economist, Phin Ziebell, said Australian agriculture was facing a number of opportunities and risks as a result of current global conditions.

"Native vegetation helps mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon. This policy seeks to achieve a net gain in native vegetation, while providing regulatory clarity for business, and building a strong, accessible evidence base for policymaking, decisions, and transparency" : WA Environment Minister, Reece Whitby.

Overseen by Forestry Australia, the Trials Review, Information and Genetics (TRIG) project aims to improve information pathways to assist the expansion of farm forestry in Victoria. TRIG Project Steering Committee Chair, Dr Kevin Harding said the project aims to build on Victoria’s history of farm forestry to help the state reach carbon targets and expand the productive farm-tree estate.

NSW Farmers is urging Australia’s new Labor government to act on power imbalances in poultry meat supply chains...The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has identified potential unfair contract terms (UCTs) in chicken growing contracts, including terms that allowed processors to vary growers’ supply arrangements or impose additional costs on growers.    

The new national parks will be created by linking existing state forests, parks and reserves. The largest, combining Lerderderg State Park and Wombat State Forest to create the Wombat-Lerderderg National Park covering more than 44,000 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh ... ARR.News asked some questions of the Minister which were responded to by a Victorian Government spokesperson.

Food and fibre production has been significantly and catastrophically impacted by rain events from March 2021, not only the flooding of 2022, resulting in significant hardship for town residents and businesses, and particularly the farming community ... NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle said the three tiers of government needed to work together with farming and community leaders to look at how to rebuild more resilient businesses, communities and regions.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) crackdown on chicken meat processers and any potential unfair contract terms in the industry ... “Greater contract term transparency between processors and growers is critical to foster a fair deal for all and we see this as a positive step forward for the chicken meat industry” : Colin Peel, VFF President.

Beef Week celebrates 40 years this week. Come along to your favourite events, and if you’ve never been before, here are four reasons to go in celebration of every decade of the Casino event: 1. Free steak 2. Brenda in the moke 3. Men in undies 4. Cows ... lots of cows.

The main event, the three-day show, will this year take place on the 24th, 25th and 26th of June which is the first weekend of the school holidays – perfect timing for families from afar to plan a trip to the Atherton Tablelands.  

The early supply chain disruptions of 2022, including COVID-19 and floods, have not impacted the continued growth and strength of Australia’s feedlot sector, according to the recent results of the ALFA and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) survey.

The St Heliers Heavy Horse Field Days have regrettably had to be cancelled due to wet weather and the condition of the grounds being unfit for the show.

"The NFF looks forward to continuing our productive relationship with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his leadership team on the priority issues for agriculture and the bush. Prime Minister Albanese has always demonstrated strong support for our sector’s opportunities and challenges. We were delighted to host the now Prime Minister in person at NFF’s National Conference in April" : NFF President, Fiona Simson.

NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle says the future of agriculture must be a focus for the incoming Labor government. With Australians voting for change at Saturday’s poll, Mr Arkle said there were clear challenges and opportunities for the new cabinet.

Community members are invited to review and provide feedback on updated forest management plans for the softwood plantations and coastal hardwood forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW.

National Farmers’ Federation President Fiona Simson: "This election, the NFF was looking for ideas and funding commitments to propel the farm sector’s growth trajectory and to give the support regional Australia needs to reach its potential. Unfortunately, all parties have fallen short ... The NFF was shocked and frustrated, when at the eleventh hour this week Anthony Albanese put a red pen through the $500 million Regionalisation Fund. This announcement was not included in Labor’s official response to the NFF." The Coalition’s regionalisation plan also falls short of the $4.1 billion ask from the NFF.