Agriculture

“With the current limit for seasonal workers expected to be met by October – and a forecast shortage of up to 24,000 workers in the horticulture industry – Labor’s Agriculture Minister can’t afford to delay ... The time is now for the government to roll out rapid testing. It’s a way to keep Victorians safe. It’s a way to help reopen this state and keep us open, and that’s what Victorians need as much as anything else,” said Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Peter Walsh.

Claire Rankin. Evans Head Fish Co-op may be forced to close temporarily because of covid, its chair Bill Litchfield said. He was “extremely concerned” about how the snap lockdown has impacted the co-op and fishing industry.

The use of the feed additive Bovaer ® (3-NOP) was recently evaluated as part of an MLA-funded project on reducing enteric methane emissions in Australian feedlot operations, and was found to reduce methane production by up to 90%.    

Australia’s aquaculture sector continues on a trajectory of steady growth, but the entire industry has experienced disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the  latest edition of ABARES’s  Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics.

Fee-free heavy vehicle truck driver training and licencing courses are now on offer to the grains, cotton, rice, viticulture and horticultural sectors across New South Wales as part of an industry-led workforce development strategy.

NSW Farmers has welcomed news that an Australian Agricultural Visa (Ag Visa) is set to finally become reality from 30 September 2021.   The new Ag Visa will widen the recruitment opportunities of low to skilled workers from participating countries, which the Association understands will initially be open to ASEAN countries.  

Growcom  has enthusiastically welcomed confirmation today from the Federal Government that a new Australian Agriculture visa will be in place by the end of September.  

In a monumental commitment, the Federal Government has delivered on the National Farmers’ Federation’s long called-for Agriculture-specific Visa (Ag Visa) to provide real long-term workforce relief to Australian farmers.

NSW Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has announced that anglers around the state could get back to reeling in some of our finest native sportfish when the Australian Bass and Estuary Perch season opens on Wednesday, 1 September 2021.

Scenic Rim Regional Council is working in partnership with industry to deliver a 10-year road map and a three-year strategic plan for the Scenic Rim's agribusiness and agritourism operators.

The National Farmers Federation is teaming up with the Energy Efficiency Council the peak body for experts in smart energy management – to launch a new guide for farms that are looking to slash their energy costs through smart energy management.

The Institute of Foresters of Australia and Australian Forest Growers is celebrating the role that forest science plays in ensuring a healthy and resilient future for Australian society and the environment for National Science Week 2021. IFA/AFG CEO Jacquie Martin highlighted the benefits of forest management underpinned by data and research, paying tribute to the membership’s forest scientists.

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall today announced more than 2,000 overseas skilled agricultural workers have arrived in NSW in the last 12 months to help industry overcome the Covid-induced labour shortage.

The study, published in Ecosphere, analysed the severity of Australia's 2019-2020 bushfires by examining the amount of damage to vegetation. Co-author Professor David Lindenmayer said weather had a large effect on the fires. "However, forests also burned at very high severity when they were between 10 to 40 years old. Young forests regenerating after logging were particularly susceptible to very high severity fire," he said.

"Out of every adversity lays the seed of equal or greater opportunity" ... "if you've got a passion for farming, grazing, cropping or whatever it is, just keep looking through your genetics and the way that you manage your farms and your businesses and your environments" : Dave Reilly

Georgie Aley, Agribusiness Australia. As 2021 rolls into Spring, it looks like another bumper crop for grains, pulses and horticulture. More broadly, we continue to see new challenges for the agribusiness sector, which serve to highlight the fact that in COVID times, you never know what is next.

The Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Science has snapped up Australia’s northernmost pastoral property, Bramwell Station, for about $11.5 million after auction.

Dowerin Field Days, Media Release, 18 August 2021

Mount Morgan Agricultural Show Society, Media Release, 18 August 2021 The 2021 Mount Morgan Show held on 14 August 2021 has been hailed as a...

Forest scientists, professionals and growers in lockdown need not fear about missing the IFA/AFG National Conference this year. The Institute of Foresters of Australia and Australian Forest Growers (IFA/AFG) has announced its National Conference will be delivered both face-to-face and online in a hybrid model designed to increase accessibility for all interested attendees.