Agriculture

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.

Shaun Ossinger, Patricia Gill. A Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee project, Green waste towards net zero, will target the conversion of Denmark’s green waste into biochar ... Instead of burning the green waste at Denmark’s Waste Transfer Station or transporting it to Albany’s Hanrahan Road tip, WICC is seeking solutions that benefit farmers and the community.

The outlook shows 2022/23 may be the first year since 2012/13 in which the world has to consume less grain than the previous year – due to high prices and low supply, says Rabobank senior commodities analyst Cheryl Kalisch Gordon.  “This is forecast to be a drop of only 0.1%, but that compares to average annual growth of 2.1% over the past decade,” she said.

In an election campaign of hits and misses for farmers and regional Australia, the National Farmers’ Federation has revealed how the major parties stack up against its election priorities, rating them in a Policy Voting Guide.

Gates open at 9.00am.   $15 per adult, 16 and under free.   No dogs permitted. Free Parking.

This timber reserve is located just west of the Boddington townsite , on the eastern fringe of the jarrah forest in Western Australia ... The infertile, lateritic soils that initially spared the MTR from clearing by farmers were its ultimate downfall ... An important question to ask is “How much bauxite mining is enough?”

Nicoli Barnes, UTas. It has been suggested that biochar improves animal health and liveweight gain. It has also been suggested that biochar reduces enteric methane and, by increasing carbon content in the manure, may improve soil carbon over time. Together these effects would theoretically reduce whole farm emissions. In an MLA-funded research programme, we are testing this theory using in a farm experiment near Deloraine, Tasmania.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCo) are proud to announce a landmark partnership that will include an additional six million hectares to conservation land management in Australia. The historic new relationship will see the two organisations working together to influence positive, measurable outcomes for biodiversity across NAPCo’s six-million-hectare estate.

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia has released its inaugural Impact Report detailing the wide range of sustainable practices being successfully implemented by vineyards and wineries across Australia. The report outlines the program’s first national data set and the significant steps being taken towards net zero emissions for the sector, with 100% of members measuring and reporting their scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions.

The Mildura Field Days is an annual two day event which has grown from humble beginnings as a Gadget Day to become an important link between the broader community to agriculture and the associated industries.