Wool

Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) has been appointed by Jumbuck Pastoral to undertake the divestment of a contiguous aggregation of three pastoral stations spanning 1,289,700 hectares. The aggregation is an iconic powerhouse of wool and sheep meat production, having the prescribed capacity to carry over 83,300 sheep.

WAFarmers consistently advocated to the Federal Government during its consultative process on the phase out of live sheep exports, including in our 2023 submission that this decision would be significantly detrimental to the Western Australian wool industry. We hate to tell you that we told you so! Three years on, we are seeing that prediction become reality.

Recent rains have given Aussie farmers a valuable head start on sowing this season’s winter crop, but higher freight, fuel, and fertiliser costs are squeezing margins across the country, Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ latest Monthly Commodity Update outlines.

Extreme weather, the rising Aussie dollar and fluctuating global demand have driven a complex start to the year for Australian agriculture, Bendigo Bank’s Agribusiness Insights team outline. Key insights from the latest Commodity Update include Pressure on producers as extreme weather impacts livestock, damages infrastructure...

Bendigo Bank’s 2026 Australian Agriculture Outlook report provides an in-depth perspective on supply, demand, and price outlooks for Australia’s major agricultural commodities for the first half of 2026.

The Bendigo Bank Agribusiness Monthly Commodity Update for November contains several positive findings and a major milestone as the year draws to a close. Australian cattle exports reached the second highest monthly volume on record, the third-largest winter grain crop is waiting in the wings and there’s good news for consumers in the run-up to Christmas...

Matt Canavan’s exposé at the recent Senate Estimates, which had the Department of Agriculture’s executives sweating in their seats, deserves wide circulation ... “There’s lots of talk about the need to increase reforestation—effectively, the conversion of agricultural land to forests ..." ... If Matt Canavan is the Senate’s zealot hunter, then Western Australia’s Senator Matthew O’Sullivan is its Maremma the Sheepdog that protects its flock ... In committee, O’Sullivan’s questioning tore open the government’s $139.8 million Sheep Industry Transition Assistance Package ...

An excerpt from Michael Holding's book, "A Pointless Story" about a young shearer's cook in Cooma in the 1960's ... "3:55 a.m., No alarm clock. Just Stew’s voice booming through the hut like a gospel preacher announcing Judgement Day. “On your feet, Charlton!” There’s a special kind of pain that comes from rolling out of a warm swag into sub-zero air, dragging on yesterday’s stiff clothes, and stumbling into a kitchen where the fire is nothing but a few sulky coals."

Australia’s sheep industry is at a turning point - and producers are being asked to help write the next chapter. Sheep Producers Australia (SPA) has launched the development of The Future Flock, a national strategy designed to guide the sheepmeat and wool sector through change and set a profitable, resilient direction for decades to come. ARR.News asked some questions of SPA CEO Bonnie Skinner about The Future Flock and national strategy.

Sentiment in Australia’s agricultural sector has softened over the winter months, as the nation’s farmers contend with higher input costs and mixed seasonal conditions, the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey has found. The survey, released today, found net farm sector confidence has eased to a neutral reading of zero (down from five per cent in the previous survey).

The team from Glendonald and Orrie Cowie had an exceptional few days at the 2025 Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, showcasing the strength and consistency of their breeding programs. A combined 34 sheep were taken to the event between Glendonald and Orrie Cowie, contributing to both the show and sale with sheep that were well-prepared and highly competitive.

Three Narrandera High School students and their teacher Jim Shady, made their way to Bendigo to represent the school at this year's Angora Judging at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. After preparing the fleeces and animals for judging the events started with the fleece classes.

Australian Sheep and Wool Show The Australian Sheep and Wool Show is no ordinary gathering of fleece and flair: this year’s event is gearing up...

Ian McLaughlin. This June, the Riverina will come alive with the echoes of clippers, stories from generations past and the vibrant sounds of local music as the historic Toganmain Woolshed celebrates its 150th anniversary ... Toganmain Station has long stood as a testament to the rise and resilience of Australia's wool industry.

Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ Monthly Commodity Update, released today, reports even higher beef export volumes in early May, and heralds the possible breaking of the previous monthly export record for cattle, set in October 2024.

...Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ Monthly Commodity Update finds that US tariffs should have less impact than initially expected, however dry conditions across key cropping regions still have grain producers on edge. Lamb markets are stable with wool a bright spot, while supply chain issues for fruit and vegetables have seen a lift in wholesale prices on the east coast...

“I'm actually embarrassed to say now that I used to think sheep farmers had it easy.” said sheep expert Geoff Duddy, addressing the Best Wool Best Lamb meeting at Wakool. Geoff spent 27 years with NSW DPI in both Sheep and Wool research and extension roles before establishing his own private sheep consultancy ...

Paul Simons is a genuine phenomenon. He is a charming, unassuming person, who is also a captain of industry ... this account of his life shows that when an opportunity presented itself, he had the courage and self-assurance to take it and do whatever he had to do.

The so-called “clean green” warriors of today are too busy waving banners against petroleum products to notice – or care – that the natural fibre industry has been driven to the brink. The irony, of course, is as glaring as a newly-shorn sheep.

Heather Fleming. A new book detailing the story of the Modern Merino sheep in Australia was launched at the Grampians Estate Cellar Door at Great Western last weekend. "Collinsville and Beyond: a pastoral history of the Modern Merino," was written by Chris Guthrie, well known breeder, classer and consultant from Rich Avon, near Donald.

Born in Wales, Paul spent his early childhood years amidst the rigours of the Great Depression... A career in the British Merchant Navy took him to all corners of the globe ... Settling in Australia, he took a job at the bottom of the rung of Woolworths, rising through the ranks to become perhaps its most successful CEO. When retirement should have beckoned, a third career as a Superfine Merino woolgrower has occupied Paul to the present day.

Twenty-seven years and 2.2 million boxes later, Sharon Drabsch has called it a day. Shaz, as her colleagues call her, ends her 27-year career as a box maker at the MiniJumbuk in Naracoorte at the end of this month. The 46-year-old with special abilities is not only a box maker but also a beacon of hope to those with special needs in the community.