Business

Industry and Hort Innovation are working together to prime the Australian almond sector for growth amid a 118 per cent rise in overseas demand over the past decade. From exporting 52,795 tonnes in 2013 to 115,049 tonnes in 2022, the almond industry is gearing up for further expansion. Delivered through Hort Innovation and led by the Almond Board of Australia, the $7M program aims to increase almond exports by at least 50,000 tonnes over the next three years and push export sales beyond $1 billion.

Hundreds of mountain biking enthusiasts and their families gathered in Rockhampton for the recent Rocky Trail Academy Schools Competition and  the Fox Superflow ® Gravity Enduro race, two of the fastest growing mountain bike racing formats held in Rockhampton during winter ... “Mountain biking tourism is considered one of the fastest growing recreational activities globally, with AusCycle reporting a $136.9 million direct economic impact to Australia, per annum": Parks, Sport and Public Spaces Councillor Cherie Rutherford.

Prominent Australian beekeeping business, Coutts Crossing based HoneyBee Hives has been announced as a finalist in an impressive six categories of the Australian Rural Business Awards, and they are calling for help to win the highly regarded ‘People’s Choice’ award ... Mrs McQueen- Richardson said they were exhilarated when they received the news that they were a finalist in all six nominated categories.

NSW Farmers has welcomed a Parliamentary Inquiry into undergrounding powerlines, calling it a win for common sense and community safety. Multiple renewable energy projects proposed or under construction in regional areas would require new power lines to connect them to the grid, Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said, but too often landholders were being ignored by the big developers.

Ecology, community and renewable timber were on the agenda last week as the NSW Minister for Agriculture, The Hon. Tara Moriarty MLC spent time in Bagawa State Forest near Coffs Harbour.  Minister Moriarty said the field visit provided a deeper understanding of how State forests are managed to balance multiple uses and objectives.  

Patrick Goldsmith. Just four months after focusing its efforts entirely on Yorke Peninsula for Country Cabinet, the state government has left the region without much to celebrate ... "It makes for two budgets in a row where we’ve seen little investment in our area. In the glossy budget overview there was precious little for a number of regions and we suffered the absolute embarrassment of not even being listed": Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis.

More than 50 board members, staff, partners, stakeholders, and community members attended the North Central LLEN Annual General Meeting and stakeholder event at the Rex Theatre in Charlton last week. Hosted by CEO Jane Hosking and fellow staff member Molly Meadows, the evening featured a range of elements including the AGM itself and a facilitated panel of young people about why they chose agriculture as a career pathway.

In the face of already numerous adversities, the Northern Rivers of NSW is grappling with yet another concern: food security. Floods, bushfires, and the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic have exposed vulnerabilities in the region’s food system but also presented an opportunity to re-think how food is grown, distributed and consumed.

Do you want the chance to witness stunning wildflowers in bloom and learn why they are so special? Then mark your calendar for Monday, July 3, to book a spot at the Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival, with guided walks running from Saturday, August 19, to Sunday, September 3, from Bribie Island to Noosa.

The National Farmers’ Federation has warned a consultation panel assessing the phase-out of live sheep exports that Australia’s status as a favoured food exporter will suffer should the ban proceed. In a submission to the consultation process, made public on 20 June 2023, the NFF has named broader trade impacts among several reasons the phase-out plan must be scrapped.

Arum shop owner Georgie King happened upon a Country Road representative staying at the Clydesdale Motel in Casino. The rep was scouting the region for possible locations for the fashion brand ... Georgie convinced the rep that Arum in Walker St was the place to have Country Road clothes.

It’s not only the timber industry that’s in decline, the government’s forestry agency, the Forest Products Commission (FPC) is also sinking fast. The WA 2023-24 Budget Papers indicate that this commercial business is failing under the Labor Government. It is predicted to continue to make losses in coming years.

The farmers invited by Member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster, met with the Nationals leader David Littleproud, shadow ministers and senators, with Dr. Webster saying Mallee communities were being railroaded into accepting the $3.3 billion VNI West project. "I am deeply concerned for the region and fear Labor is railroading the community over thousands of kilometres of prime farmland and irrigation districts for a project that will have an enormous cost blow-out and detrimental consequences," Dr. Webster said.

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal has approved special rate variations of up to 64.3 per cent for country councils in a move farmers say will smash local communities ... “Every time you turn around someone’s putting their hand in the farmer’s pocket, and these rate rises will just further squeeze businesses and households in these areas": NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin.

Westpac Bank has moved to allay Tennant Creek residents’ concerns it would abolish its automatic teller machine (ATM) services in town, after news spread the former bank building will be taken over by a new tenant. A Westpac spokesperson said the corporation will continue to provide customers with access to cash in Tennant creek via a new agreement with Precinct ATM.

The Tennant Creek IGA has been given a colourful makeover thanks to the talented artists from Proper Creative. The award-winning company from Darwin has 15 years experience in art in public spaces, and the colourful wall art depicts a map of the town.

The first group of workers from Papua New Guinea to be employed in Australia’s aged care sector under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme has arrived in regional Queensland. The eight workers from PNG provinces including Western Highlands, New Ireland and Morobe will be employed by Southern Cross Care at aged care facilities at Chinchilla, Murgon and Taroom in Southeast Queensland, where local aged care staff have been hard to find.

When we say Noel Graham has dedicated a lifetime to the rice and general agricultural industry, we mean it. He almost had no choice given his family history, but luckily, Noel is just as passionate about agriculture and rice as his forebears ... Concurrently, Noel also held roles within SunRice and Murray Irrigation.

Haystacks Solar Garden members who purchased a solar garden plot have now voted an overwhelimg ‘yes’ to loaning $730,800 to Grong Grong Solar Farm - hosts of the Haystacks Solar Garden - to help construct the much anticipated 1.5MW solar array. The project has been three years in the making to get to this point navigating a pandemic, two energy price crises and innovating every step of the way in the Australian energy system to create something that has never been done before in our nation.