Business

Beef producers can expect a two-year holding pattern on cattle prices as drought conditions widen, processing sector labour shortages persist, and a huge stockpile of meat in Asian freezers start to thaw. While lightweight heifers will take the biggest price hit, the emerging El Nino may mean business opportunities for producing heavy Jap ox and heavy feeder steers, according to market analyst Simon Quilty, of Global AgriTrends.

Nadia. Last term 17 students and six staff participated in a major excursion to Uluru and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in the Far North of South Australia ... The group was lucky to experience some rarely seen events; waterfalls on Uluru and it shrouded in cloud and mist.

Popular local apprentice butcher Claire Keleher is an entrant in the Australian Meat Industry Council’s Apprentice of the Year competition. Competing last week in Brisbane at State level, Claire showed her skills amongst the best in the business. Out of fourteen entrants only Claire and another entrant were school based, with many of the others being at the end of their apprenticeships.

Purple Starfish Kaniva re-launched its website this week ... The new website features makers, volunteers and customers. It builds on the Visit Victoria campaign of supporting local artisans and makers with the ‘Meet the Maker’ stories of the creators behind the products.

Jen Melocco. Almost 100,000 homes have been knocked down during the past five years in Australia, with more expected in coming years. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 93,975 house demolitions were approved from March 2019 to March 2023.

Gold Hydrogen Ltd. has announced encouraging experimental stage one soil gas testing survey results for its southern Yorke Peninsula-based Ramsay project. The tests, which were completed by the CSIRO, detected hydrogen in soil across multiple locations.

The Mallee’s signature agricultural event, the Mallee Machinery Field Days, is set to return to Speed on Wednesday, August 2, and Thursday, August 3.   This year marks the 43rd annual event, which aims to showcase the latest technology and advances within the agricultural industry.

Given the presence of the disease in Indonesia, positive results in Australian cattle post arrival are not unexpected ... Importantly, trade is and can continue to Indonesia from 28 Australian export establishments, however, there are 4 export establishments in Northern Australia who are working with the government to further ensure they are disease free.

“I was really interested in wood fired kilns so I needed space and wood - lots of it.   WA’s Great Southern region was the ideal place and I was drawn to the area’s beautiful landscape. I was, and still am,   inspired by it and I believe the energy of the landscape permeates through me and comes out in what I create”: Jonathon Hook.

Western Australia's regional energy provider Horizon Power has purchased a vanadium redox flow battery for a long-duration energy storage pilot in Kununurra. The 78-kilowatt/220kWh battery will enable Horizon Power to test the capabilities of providing long periods of 100 per cent renewable energy, with the potential for it to be used across WA.

Rural Fire Service (RFS) aerial firefighting capabilities received a significant boost with the arrival of a $9 million high-capacity waterbombing helicopter at Richmond. The new helicopter will allow for aerial firefighting at night and expand on existing air capabilities.

A leader has a responsibility to role model a resilient mindset to overcome difficult times. Nothing goes to plan. Especially living in regional Australia there are always challenges ... Optimistic people are more resilient than pessimistic people. As Henry Ford famously quoted: “If you think you can - you are absolutely right! …. If you think you cannot – you are absolutely right!”

Pharmacies in regional, rural and remote Australia (known as areas 2 to 7 under the Modified Monash classification method) with average script volumes equalling dispensing income of under $1 million in the 12 months to 1 April 2023, will be eligible to receive a new Regional Pharmacy Transition Allowance (RPTA) ... The new allowance is  in addition to  the doubling of the budget for the Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA), which came into effect on 1 July.

Thoughts are turning to the return of Spring in Wingecarribee with Tulip Time Tickets now on sale. Entry to the daytime event is free for residents who need only book tickets to see Tulips After Dark.

Port Kembla is now home to Australia's first commercial hydrogen refuelling station for zero emissions heavy road vehicles, in a major breakthrough towards de-carbonising the region’s 7,000 heavy vehicles ... "The H2Station will be the first practical piece of enabling infrastructure towards de-carbonising the region’s 7,000 heavy vehicles as we move towards a cleaner, greener future": Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.

Kate Foran. Barkly Vet has been operating here in Tennant Creek for 10 years this year! One of the key goals of the business has always been to assist clients in the best animal welfare for their pets, despite this remote location. We are very proud of the degree to which we have grown the number of Aboriginal clients in the business.

Viv Markham. Maldon Bakery owner Rebecca Barnett is pretty chuffed that her business has been selected as the National Bakery Industry of Australia’s bakery of the month for July. Her business has only been open for nine months, but under her guidance, it has been going from strength to strength.

Narrandera film director Tim Hills and his crew of 47 are working hard to bring together their second lot of filming for ‘When the house is empty'... "We’ve got about eight to 12 weeks to really get the next winter shoot sorted out because its outside and you can’t fake it… it’s just better to still shoot in the real seasons": Narrandera film director Tim Hills.

Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has entered a strategic alliance with plant nutrition company RLF AgTech, financing an innovative pilot program that aims to generate soil carbon credits ... RLF AgTech, a specialist in plant nutrition, has launched a soil carbon pilot program with Australian farmers who will utilise its Accumulating Carbon in Soil System (ACSS) technology.