Business

Widespread global disruption to supply is set to see Australian farmers again move to lock in fertiliser and other inputs early for the season ahead, Rabobank says in a recently-released report. This is despite global fertiliser prices at near-decade highs and expected to remain elevated in the short to medium term.

Continuing COVID border restrictions are making life difficult for farmers and harvest workers at the start of a bumper season. For the second year in a row, farmers are scratching their heads on how to harvest fields full of crops with limited access to workers and COVID testing facilities that have limited hours of operation. NSW Farmers Grains Committee Chair Justin Everitt said there needed to be a coordinated effort from governments to make sure the season wasn’t wasted.  

An international contingent from NASA have been released from quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience today, to prepare for an historic rocket launch from Arnhem Land. The 27 essential personnel will travel to Nhulunbuy to undertake 40 days of work with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) at the Arnhem Space Centre.

There is much debate within the scientific community regarding the relationship between bushfire and forestry but what is not debated is the overwhelming impact climate change is having on the frequency and intensity of severe weather events and resulting bushfires. In the past 50-years there has been a 40% increase in very high fire danger days, and this is set to triple in some parts of Victoria by the end of the century according to the International Journal of Wildland Fire.

A family-owned engineering company based in Port Macquarie has been awarded an $8.47 million contract to deliver the Australian Defence Force’s next generation rough terrain vehicle fleet, providing a boost to the local economy.

City of Whyalla Mayor Clare McLaughlin said council welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to hydrogen production on Eyre Peninsula, further augmenting the State Government’s investment in infrastructure and projects that will support Whyalla as a “mega-green” hydrogen hub.

Woodridge residents are thrilled with a decision by Gingin councillors to reject a development application for a new quarry on Caraban Rd but the applicant can take the matter to the State Administrative Tribunal for review. On Tuesday councillor Frank Johnson put forward an alternative motion that the council refuse the application by Sheepco for a quarry to operate on Lot M1332 Caraban Rd.

The Pattisons, from 'Minmi' at Burraboi, market their beef directly through the Pattison Pastoral brand, tapping into consumer demand for sustainably raised beef with provenance. Hayley is excited by the opportunities the new micro abattoir will bring. “It will do wonders for my brand to have local processing ... With my paddock to plate business, the welfare of the animals is so important."

Minister for Resources and Water Keith  Pitt joined Member for Dawson George Christensen in Mackay to officially announce the North Bowen and Galilee Basin Strategic Basin Plan. “The Plan supports industry to develop the region’s major gas resources and is the second to be delivered under the Government’s Strategic Basins Plan Program,” Minister Pitt said.

As a producer in our highly competitive industry it's important and difficult to keep up with the market. For over 20 years we tried to sell Rose. We made different styles, different grape varieties, fancy packaging. Our Rose wines won numerous show awards. We tried targeting various markets: women, young  people, the gay market. But we were pissing into the wind. So we gave up. Then Rose took off. Wrong place, wrong time.

The Club Motor Inn has been sold for $4.5 million, nearly 18 months after owners the Narrabri Bowling Club entered into voluntary administration ... Narrabri lies in the heart of the Namoi Valley, around six hours’ drive and 568 kilometres north west of Sydney, in what is an agricultural and administrative centre that is being transformed into one of the state’s largest gas mining regions.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Agriculture has sold Nerrima Station for more than $30 million, and a further two pastoral stations Ruby Plains and Sturt Creek ... The 203,000ha Nerrima Station, 480,000ha Ruby Plains and 316,000ha Sturt Creek in Western Australia’s Kimberley region were put on the market after Hancock Agriculture and S. Kidman & Co revealed in November last year plans to sell its pastoral holdings comprising eight properties spanning 1.9 million hectares.

Fund manager Gunn Agri Partners has picked up an avocado orchard in northern NSW, looking ahead to higher retail prices for the popular fruit after this year’s massive harvest. The group has paid $11 million for the orchard despite avocado prices plunge from as much as $4 to just $1 each this year as strong seasonal conditions in Western Australia particularly created a bumper crop ... Gunn Agri bought the asset for a European institution with a mandate to invest in permanent Australian crops assets.

Strong month-on-month price increases for most commodities saw Australian agribusiness industry conditions rise to record levels, according to Rabobank, and key drivers are expected to hold out to the December quarter. The latest Rabobank Rural Commodity Price Index rose by another 3.26% in August to its highest-ever reading.

High cattle prices and the housing crisis have led to changes at the casino Food Co-op. Shifts have been reduced and the co-operative plans to build worker cottages on site. Chief executive Simon Stahl said the price of cattle was too high for the meat processing plant.

The NSW Sugar Industry has just passed the half-way point for the 2021 cane crush, having enjoyed favourable weather conditions, reliable transport and factory operations and a positive sugar price outlook. To date, the three North Coast mills have processed some 850,000 tonnes of locally grown cane.

Australian farmers and businesses will get more opportunities to reach new markets and create more jobs through global trade as Peru becomes the eighth economy to bring the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) into force. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan today welcomed Peru joining Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam as a Party to the CPTPP.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation has progressed agreements with Laing O’Rourke (Freight Connect) and Acciona CPB Joint Venture (ACACPB JV) for the detailed designs and civil works construction planning for critical sections of Inland Rail in New South Wales. These companies will now seek partnerships with businesses and skilled operators that can support delivery ...

The Australian Government has announced an additional $15.1 million investment to deliver bushfire-affected softwood to underutilised timber mills, and increase supply of structural timber to the housing and construction industry. Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the government had listened to industry’s concerns to keep product moving.

Weipa's solar farm will triple in size as Rio Tinto looks to reduce its reliance on diesel power generation in Cape York. The mining giant has approved a new solar farm and battery storage in a move that will more than triple the local electricity network’s solar generation capacity and help provide cleaner power to Rio Tinto’s operations.