Agriculture

Plus your farming weather, rural news plus we catch up with Matt Read from Boekeman Toyota who is refusing to give me a 300 series...

Bernie Free. "We’re extremely disappointed with initial opening milk prices at a time when dairy farmers are facing skyrocketing on-farm costs. We must see this price stepped up in the coming weeks to ensure the viability of dairy farmers and processors in these turbulent times."

Following a record year in 2025-26, ABARES is forecasting the value of agricultural production to fall by 5 per cent to $98.3 billion in 2026-27, ($104.5 billion when fisheries and forestry are included). Agricultural export value is expected to fall, down $7 billion to $74.8 billion in 2026–?27 ($79.3 billion including fisheries and forestry exports). 

The world’s only listed purely almond company - Select Harvests has released Half Year results announcing close to a record almond crop and increased underlying NPAT of 32.9 per cent.

One of the more interesting developments in modern journalism is that reporters increasingly seem to know the answer before they begin asking the questions ... The problem with Ros Thomas's recent Weekend Australian feature on paraquat and Parkinson's disease is that by the time you reach the end, you are left with the feeling that the destination was already known before the journey began.

Agri-fintech company DAS (Digital Agriculture Services) has developed a Rural Sales Dashboard, an interactive tool for interrogating the data behind rural property sales across Australia's mainland states and the NT. DAS has now released its first quarterly report using findings from the dashboard. "Australian farmland remains one of the country's most important asset classes, but we're seeing greater variation in performance between regions": Sarah Gormon, DAS cofounder.

Today, the Albanese Government announced it has secured the first vessel in its Maritime Strategic Fleet, the ANL Kokoda. The ANL Kokoda, a large cargo ship, will be the first to participate in the Strategic Fleet Pilot Program.

...the trial of the $26.2 m bubble plume project is already making a positive difference by creating warmer temperatures throughout the Severn River’s Pindari Dam storage ... “This project aims to re-establish more natural water temperatures below dams for native fish breeding and growth. The project also ensures that water temperatures from environmental flow releases enhance the health of the river downstream”: Tara Moriarty.

Aussie Helpers Brekkie in a Bag program is providing practical support for the remote families quietly struggling under mounting pressure ... “This year, with the school runs and soaring fuel prices, it’s just not affordable to clock up an extra 100 km each day”: Valerie Galipo ... “Just knowing they’ve had something to eat and can start their day ready to go is a real comfort.”

The Nationals will fight to stop the Victoria to NSW Interconnector West (VNI West) by scrapping Labor's net zero agenda, which has driven the reckless renewables rollout across regional Australia. Speaking after a Farmers' Forum in St Arnaud last week, Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said farmers and the local community had made clear the disastrous impact Labor's net zero agenda was having on regional Victoria.

Plus road train owner operator Zac Anthony gives a real on the road update on diesel prices, plus your weekly farming weather and all of your rural news with Fiona L Fox from Australian Rural and Regional News.

“It’s no longer a level playing field. Farmers trying to secure water to grow food and sustain communities are competing against taxpayer-funded buybacks and major investment entities with access to massive amounts of capital”: VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy.

Hamish McIntyre. The National Farmers’ Federation is disappointed the Federal Government has introduced its tax reform legislation without explicitly committing to review the outdated small business Capital Gains Tax (CGT) concession thresholds. In introducing the legislation, the Government signalled that this is the first tranche of legislation, with more consultation to come on small business and further legislation required for implementation.

I’ve just returned from a two-day National Farmers’ Federation members meeting in Canberra and the mood is dark. It is increasingly clear this Government has little affection for the productive capitalist class and is hunting for revenue, regulation and control from wherever it can extract it.

Burdekin Show, 24 June 2026.

The Crisafulli Government is delivering $300,000 to support two local agronomy projects, helping shore up the future of agriculture in Far North Queensland after the local collapse of sugar cane when the Mossman Mill closed in 2024.   

The peak body for Tasmanian farmers has released its Rushy Lagoon Land Use North-East Community Impact Survey. TasFarmers said it had received concerns from numerous members regarding the proposed sale of Rushy Lagoon, and federal government support allowing a foreign-owned entity to purchase the property and convert it to a pine plantation.

The Albanese Labor Government continues to secure essential fuel and fertiliser to keep Australian agriculture moving, with around 80,250 tonnes of additional urea now locked in through the Government’s $7.5 billion Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility. Through Export Finance Australia, the Government has partnered with Incitec Pivot to support the purchase of two shipments of urea from Indonesia.

Australia is set to plant a reduced winter crop this year, as the nation’s grain growers contend with mixed weather conditions and the impacts of significantly-higher farm input costs, Rabobank says in its 2026/27 Australian Winter Crop Forecast. The specialist agribusiness bank estimates Australia’s winter cropping area will come in at 23.1 million hectares for the season – down eight per cent on last year and 4.3 per cent below the five-year average.

Almost three months since the closure of the Straits of Hormuz, the federal government continues to issue statements couched in confident language about fuel and fertiliser "secured" and "shipments" and "cargoes" headed our way ... Australian Rural & Regional News put out some feelers to many of the Australian farmers' associations this week ... your story from on the ground out there is wanted.