Concerns about commodity prices, interest rates and re-emergence of drought weighing on farmer outlook: Rabobank
Australian farmers continue to ride the rollercoaster of seasons, commodity prices and economic factors, with rural sentiment at the start of 2023 dipping to its lowest level reported since late 2018. The latest quarterly Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released on 16 March 2023, found after rallying late last year, sentiment in the rural sector had fallen again this quarter as farmers continue to navigate a range of economic and financial uncertainties.
Action-packed Active Games
Titilua Ikenasio. Active Farmers in Coleambally held their second ‘Active Games’ event over the weekend. The event garnered 180 participants from Coleambally and other areas where Active Farmers’ regular classes run including Wagga, Griffith, Sydney and Bridgewater (Vic).
Lockhart residents warned to prepare for noise from energy project
Energyconnect will be constructing a worker accommodation camp ... to house workers during main construction activities as part of Transgrid’s construction of 700 kilometres of new power lines from the SA border to the regional energy hub of Wagga Wagga ... Crews will be working daily as required, Monday to Sunday 7am to 7pm in approved Out of Hours Work ... Workers will also be accessing water during the construction of the access point and will be using the existing water fill point ...
New real estate agency for Allora
Well known local Clint Kenny will operate Properties Ruhle from their new location at 46 Herbert Street (formerly El Cabalo). Clint is looking forward to having a base in Allora where he can meet with clients from around the region. However houses are difficult to buy as very few come onto the market.
Mayor Tiley gags himself after radio interviews
Clarence Valley Council Mayor Ian Tiley says he will no longer discuss council meetings in radio interviews after admitting he disclosed confidential information in two separate interviews in December. Addressing the February Clarence Valley Council meeting, Cr Tiley said a code of conduct complaint had been made about disclosures he made about passenger services for Grafton Regional Airport.
Allora welcomes back the Heavy Horse Festival
Two full days of Activities, Displays and Demonstrations. You’ll be amazed by the gentle giants such as Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires, Australian Draught Horses and Belgians. This year sees 120 magniï¬cent horses displaying their versatility in Breed Led Classes, Working horses and Ridden events including hack, dressage and barrel races.
Act Belong Commit Darkan Sheepfest – A show that is good for a town
Act Belong Commit Darkan Sheepfest is now more than a sheep and wool show. The event is a testament to the cultural and economic value that a show can provide to a community and town.
Esoteric a sellout success
Seven years in the making and interrupted by a Covid cancellation, Donald’s 2023 Esoteric festival, “Wild Wastelands”, proved to be a sell-out, with a gathering of 7,500 paying patrons converging on the site, just north of Donald for the five day event. Local promoter, Sam Goldsmith, has invested heavily in the continued development of the location, spending months upgrading infrastructure for this year’s event.
Farmers reach agreement with Inland Rail builder: NSW Farmers
Landholders can expect better treatment during the construction of Inland Rail thanks to a landmark agreement between NSW Farmers and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). Inland Rail and NSW Farmers have worked together to develop a joint information pack that acknowledges and addresses issues of concern to property owners...
Doesn’t look much but will set you back $10,000
Geoscience Australia Geophysical Survey Using magneto telluric (MT) technology ... the program is about contributing to a sustainable, long-term future for Australia through an improved understanding of the nation’s groundwater, mineral and energy resource potential.
Rural Bank Monthly Insights – A dry start and falling prices for Autumn
Rural Bank has released its March 2023 Insights report, with commentary on production and pricing trends for Australian agriculture: cattle, cropping, dairy, horticulture, sheep and wool.
Digitised greenhouse gas calculator launched for producers: MLA
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched an online, web-based greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator based on the Sheep and Beef Greenhouse Accounting Framework (SB-GAF) tool for Australian sheep and beef producers. The digitised version of the SB-GAF tool is based off the freely available excel version of the tool available on the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (PICCC) website to ensure consistency across the sector.
Don’t miss the inaugural York Writers Festival, 18-19 March 2023
Fancy a writers' festival with a bit of rustic charm and some good old-fashioned country hospitality? This March, head to the historic Avon Valley town of York in Western Australia's Wheatbelt for a unique event: a weekend featuring some of WA's finest authors and poets in conversation with each other, unmediated and unplugged!
Cooktown Discovery Festival 2023: Good for business, great for the community
Cook Shire Mayor, Peter Scott is looking forward to the upcoming festival, stating, "The Cooktown Discovery Festival is a celebration of our community's rich cultural heritage and the special place Cooktown has in Australian history. It is a time for us to come together and celebrate all that makes Cooktown and this region so special."
Research pays off in India avocado trade deal: Hort Innovation
Delivered through Hort Innovation using industry levies and funds from the Australian Government, some of Australia’s top scientists partnered with the avocado industry to develop phytosanitary data that shows the health and safety of Australian Hass avocados is in line with India’s import requirements.
Australia Post banking expansion in “national interest”: Katter
Australia Post’s future lies in the ability of the public-owned service to diversify and meet the needs of a modern-day nation that is being strangled by grotesque free-marketeers, Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has said ... Mr Katter said, with its well-established network of branches, an expansion of Australia Post into the personal and business banking space was in the “national interest” and now was a golden opportunity for transformation.
Littlest livestock, biggest impact: Beewise shares world’s first robotic beehive at evokeAG 2023: AgriFutures
The latest in cutting edge agritech is catering to a tiny but mighty important customer – bees. US-based company, Beewise brought the world’s first robotic beehive to Australia for the first time, unveiling it at evokeAG 2023.
Snapshot shows strength behind the numbers: ABARES
The latest ABARES Snapshot of Australian agriculture shows the industry continues to grow and perform strongly in a number of key areas including exports, incomes and risk management. Industry production and export values are forecast to hit record levels in 2022-23, with broadacre and dairy farm cash incomes remaining well above historical benchmarks.
New locally built homes ready for Broome workers: Carey
The State Government has announced the completion of five newly constructed dwellings in Broome which will house government workers servicing the Kimberley area ... The properties will house employees from the Departments of Education and Primary Industries and Regional Development to ensure delivery of essential government services in Broome.
Solar farm has all green lights
The Newstead Community Energy Project will be generating 100% local renewable electricity by the end of August this year. This is a cutting-edge project forming a partnership with energy retailers Flow Power and community energy group Renewable Newstead.
WA producers take to world stage at food trade events: Jarvis
Western Australian food and beverage companies are showcasing their finest produce on a global stage at two major food trade events, with support from the McGowan Government. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, in partnership with Invest and Trade WA, is leading the charge this week at FOODEX Japan 2023.
Rabobank Global Dairy Quarterly Q1 2023: The squeeze is on – Modest global milk production in 2023, with dairy value chain feeling pressure
According to a new report from Rabobank, participants all along the dairy value chain are being squeezed. Producers’ milk prices have tumbled from 2022’s lofty levels while feed prices are at record highs.
