Agriculture needs to do more to attract and educate young people: Nuffield Australia
As Australia’s agriculture industry continues to struggle with labour shortages, universities in other countries better prepare their students to work in agriculture. That’s the finding contained in Kathryn Fleay’s Nuffield Scholarship report ... Kathryn, an agronomy and operations manager from Western Australia’s wheatbelt, researched how Australia could shore up its agricultural workforce, particularly through university degrees with strong ties to the industry.
Commodity prices, production and exports ‘beefing up’ and some consumer pressure expected to ease, says Rural Bank
Commodity prices, production and exports have broadly lifted in the first half of the year, with beef the standout performer in Rural Bank’s Australian agriculture mid-year outlook 2024 (the Outlook), released today. With an overall outlook favourable for the second half of the year, despite some variability across sectors, some cost-of-living relief is also expected to reach beyond the farm gate.
Transformed freight vision can supercharge Victorian economy: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Victorian agriculture industry can propel the state’s economy and surpass $20 billion dollars of food and fibre exports by 2030 if the Victorian Government focusses on road maintenance, lowering costs and improving freight efficiency. In a submission to the Refresh of the Victorian Freight Strategy, VFF President Emma Germano said having a plan to maintain and fix regional roads would be key to reinforcing agriculture…
Shared Shop is up and running
Donald Shared Shop is now up and running after a formal morning tea launch ... Pat Timmons, Executive Officer for Rural Business & Community ... highlighted the potential durability of the model for difficult times ahead such as drought, and the importance of the business and social connectedness being built now.
Power for the asking, in more ways than one
The NT Government is charging you five times as much for electricity compared to what Fred next door is paying for solar. Got an envelope? Turn it over. Here we go ... Just 13 per cent of the town’s electricity consumption is from solar. A mere 3 or 4 per cent comes from the Uterne Solar Farm ...
Five employability skills for our next generation: Number 3 – an ability to problem solve
As the world gets more complex, the need to problem solve is a critical employability skill. We seem to live in a world where our “patience is appreciated” but problems are not solved. An example is when you have the misfortune to contact a telecommunications, utility, financial services, or government organisation ... Problem solving and accountability go hand in hand!
Why don’t more farms go off grid?
Last month, I attended the AgZero - WAFarmers PowerShift Forum, where we got the good oil on the exciting future that awaits us as we turn off coal and gas and turn on renewables ... it got me thinking about the cost-benefit of taking our farms across to the green side of the electricity equation and cashing in on all this free sunlight we have.
Live sheep export legislation passes Australian Parliament
Australian Alliance for Animals. The Australian Senate has this week passed historic legislation enshrining the phase out of live sheep exports into law. The Export Control Amendment (Ending Live Sheep Exports by Sea) Act 2024 prohibits exporting live sheep by sea from Australia by May 1, 2028 and unlocks a $107 million industry adjustment package. Australian Alliance for Animals spokesperson, Dr. Jed Goodfellow, welcomed the passage of the legislation, describing it as a pivotal moment in the history of animal welfare in Australia.
Men of Steel lengthen Taggerty’s life
The over one hundred year old Taggerty Buffet Car has been a familiar inclusion of the collection at Donald’s Train Park for many years, having been purchased by Donald Lions Club for $2,000 around twenty years ago. Once having held royalty, it is now being somewhat treated like royalty, with the erection of a steel shed cover to protect the historical carriage from the elements.
Frostbite Rally riders roar into town
The Warwick Chapter of the Historical Motorcycle Club of Queensland will host their 30th Anniversary Rally in Allora this weekend with riders coming from Northern New South Wales, Brisbane, Townsville, Brisbane and all around South East Queensland. At least 140 riders and pillions with their precious bikes will gather at the Allora Showgrounds.
Eat or heat
The vulnerable in the district are choosing between heating and eating this winter. If they turn on heating to keep themselves warm during the chilly nights, many say they will be faced with eye-watering power bills. So, what does the public do? The [Naracoorte Community] News asked our decision makers to explain why we have one of the highest electricity prices in the world and what is being done to give regional South Australians some relief.
Local agripreneur Robyn Verrall wins silver at 2024 Women Changing the World Awards
Charlotte Jackson. Robyn Verrall, a dedicated agripreneur from Keith, has been awarded Silver in her category at the prestigious 2024 Women Changing the World Awards. This accolade celebrates her outstanding contributions to regional and rural communities, particularly her efforts to empower women and girls.
No bushfire expert on panel
The Howitt Society has condemned the state government for not including bushfire expertise on the panel that is investigating the future of Gippsland's native forest ... The Howitt Society's bushfire fears come as a cross-section of bush users, miners and prospectors are rebelling against the possibility that several hundred thousand extra hectares of forest could be included in a Great Forest National Park.
Region’s historic water significance in the spotlight
Coliban Water recently hosted representatives from Heritage Victoria as part of a bid to have the Victorian Goldfields listed on the World Heritage List. Adam Crameri, General Manager Water and Climate Strategy at Coliban Water, highlighted the significance of the region, noting that its inclusion would make it the 21st site in Australia to achieve this status.
Disfigured trees distress residents
Occupants of heritage houses on Templeton Street, between Adair and Parker Streets, were distressed to discover that electricity supplier Powercor had pruned trees outside their homes last week. They were upset at the severity of the works and the resulting shape of the trees.
Council votes to progress Roxy Community Theatre build with $800k from developer contributions
Stage 2 of Leeton’s Roxy Community Theatre Redevelopment Project will receive an $800K boost from Council’s Section 7.12 Developer Contributions, following endorsement at the Council’s June meeting on Tuesday. The request to source additional Council funding was made by the Roxy Project Management Office after the project did not make the Federal Government’s final cut for Growing Regions funding in May 2024.
Local program inspires next generation of healthcare professionals
Across the Darling Downs and West Moreton regions, secondary school students are taking advantage of the opportunity for a glimpse into the day in a life of a health care worker through the PHN (Public Health Network) funded Aspire2Health program.
Australian-made test designed to detect serious disease in livestock shows promising preliminary results
To help protect Australia's livestock industry from the threat of infectious diseases, a revolutionary diagnostic test designed to swiftly detect infections in livestock has been tested by the CSIRO. The test is being developed by ZiP Diagnostics, a pioneering biotech company, and it is designed to provide early detection for diseases such as foot and mouth and lumpy skin disease.
Climate Council suggests farmers unfairly treated
"Farmers are bearing the brunt of climate change through extreme weather while also facing the financial burden of implementing livestock feed changes to curb cow burps," Coal and Gas Campaigner at Queensland Conservation Council, Ben Pennings said. "In stark contrast, coal companies are allowed to guess their methane emissions and rake in unprecedented profits while neglecting easily implementable mitigation practices such as proper equipment maintenance and operational improvements," he said.
Time for Meta to face the music and pay its dues
Andrew Schreyer. Last month, Country Press Australia (CPA) – the largest representative association of newspaper publishers in Australia, appeared before a joint hearing in Canberra into social media and its impacts on Australian society. The hearing was convened out of concerns about the negative impacts social media platforms have upon our community, including the recent decision by Meta to no longer pay news publishers for content posted to the company’s platforms.
Growing enthusiasm for emu products, says Lockhart producer
Lockhart Shire’s Marrocka Emus has been collaborating with other emus farms and Charles Sturt University to develop new emu oils with huge health benefits to humans as well as the further development of the farms as agritourism experience for visiting groups. Marrocka Emu farm was first purchased as a vacant block of land in 1991 by its current owners Ian and Marilyn Marston.
Opposition explores benefits of nuclear energy in Port Augusta: Speirs, Patterson
Leader of the Opposition, David Speirs ... travel to Port Augusta for the first time since the Federal Coalition announced the Spencer Gulf city as one of seven locations it proposes to build zero-emissions nuclear power plants. The State Liberal Opposition is keen to explore the viability of a civil nuclear industry in South Australia – and its potential to lower energy prices...
