Farming

The Business Council for Co-operatives and Mutuals said the worsening flood outlook across the state underscored the need for greater collaboration on disaster and resilience planning, as it launched the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Co-operatives and Mutuals. With scores of flood warnings in place across New South Wales, the BCCM said its members’ community values would once again be in action in coming days and weeks.

Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald has warned the Federal Government to cut the “bull” and not the national cattle herd ahead of signing up to an international methane reduction agreement ... Senator McDonald warned that any move against cattle and sheep herds would be met with fierce resistance, especially from Northern Australia’s $1.35 billion live cattle export sector which supplies much-needed beef to South East Asian countries ... Senator McDonald said attacks on methane emissions ignored the contributions made by herbivorous and ruminant feral animals.

If you see an advertisement for livestock that sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. True, that is. The Rural Crime Prevention Team has warned farmers to be cautious of scammers pretending to sell livestock online through social media and other marketplace platforms.  

The small community of Undera in northern Victoria is pulling together during the floods. It has been reported to Australian Rural & Regional News that, as at 18 October 2022, it had had no assistance from council, the ADF or any authorities with sandbags, levees or with fighting the flood ... It is concerning that this dire situation may be being repeated across a wide area of rural and regional Victoria.

Grain producers on the east coast of Australia are on high alert with severe flooding and more heavy rains causing significant interruption and damage to this year’s crop, and loss of critical value. Victorian grain grower and Grain Producers Australia Southern Director, Andrew Weidemann, said this year’s crop was on a knife’s edge and with more rain forecast the losses will only escalate.

Australia is on track to harvest a near-record winter grain crop of 61.9 million tonnes, according to Rabobank’s 2022/23 Australian Winter Crop Forecast. But what will be a record for some farmers will be heartbreak for others, due to the impacts of excessive rainfall on grain volume, yield and quality in parts of the country.

Rabobank's Marcel van Doremaele said while assessment of damage was still in a very early phase, farmers would be dealing with a range of issues including damage to grain and horticulture crops, as well as pasture and feed. In addition, he said, there would be impacts on summer crop planting programs, disruptions to milking, as well as flooded sheds and damage to other farm infrastructure, machinery and access roads. "Added to this, there will be logistical concerns in relation to harvest and getting livestock to market,” he said.

A good place to start reading Farm is at the back. That may sound counterintuitive but by taking a look at the extensive bibliography you’ll quickly see how intensely researched the book is which adds weight to the arguments and questions it presents. While Farm is a memoir that chronicles the journey of Nicola Harvey and her husband after they leave their city lives to farm cattle in rural New Zealand, it is far more than that.

There are more attractions than ever, with something for all ages – from Animal Nursery to Beer tasting, from face-painting and balloons with “Fairy La La”, to Reptile Shows, from the Chainsaw Competition to Live Music with Dave Cavanagh, from Market stalls to Magician, and so much more!

Stawell Agricultural Society Inc After a break of two years, the Stawell Show is set to return on Saturday, 22 October, and a great day...

The President Mrs Jill Kowald and committee welcome visitors to our Show, and will be offering “FREE GATE ENTRY FOR ALL” with thanks to WAMMCO International’s sponsorship.

132nd Maffra Show, 22 October 2022

It’s Junee Show time again! After a two-year hiatus, the Junee Show is set to go ahead again on Saturday, 22 October 2022. Gates will open at 9am at the Junee Showground on Park Lane, and the 132nd Junee Show is going to be the biggest and best show yet!

$1 off all rides! Free entry for all! Lismore Show Society All ride tickets at the Norco North Coast National Lismore Show will be $1 off...

The state’s peak agricultural advocacy body says it is opposed to Australia signing up to a global ‘methane pledge’ that is killing small towns across the ditch ... NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle said while the federal government had been quick to promise no tax on farmers if it signed up to the Methane Pledge, the experience of New Zealand’s farmers proved talk was cheap.

Some of Australia’s brightest minds are collaborating to finalise a portable device that uses artificial intelligence to help biosecurity officers more quickly identify high-risk brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) on the frontline ... This app will help operational staff identify the BMSB (Halyomorpha halys) and other invasive and endemic stink bug species in the field and in real-time.

Kristin Murdock. A new approach to managing shearing teams is paying dividends in the Mid North of the state and helping address the skills shortage which is being felt by the entire livestock industry. When Sarah-Jane Abley’s shearing team steps onto the boards of shearing sheds around South Australia, out goes any hierarchy and instead the team just gets to work.

When you’re at the Maldon & Baringhup Agricultural Show this Sunday, you’ll see local farmer Bill McKnight quietly going about his business as ringmaster: he’s in charge of the horse events. It’s not an easy job, with 100 to 140 horses competing in a range of events. At the age of 87, is Bill the oldest ringmaster in Australia?

Community members have been left flabbergasted and frustrated at government agencies who threatened prosecution over repairing flood banks which have protected local properties throughout previous high rivers. Community members were told “expect to be flooded if you live on a floodplain” by the same authority that wants to build a flood bank to deliver environmental water to artificially flood the bush.

Kylie Cook. Natural Intelligence Farming improves pasture diversity and productivity, rebuilds soils, repairs landscapes and benefits human and livestock health. The manager of Prospect Pastoral Co, a Wheatbelt mixed cropping and livestock operation of more than 60,000ha, Di Haggerty, spoke to the Wilson Inlet Growers Group in July ... She said Wheatbelt farmers faced many challenges, a drying climate, ‘gutless’ sandy soils, salinity and erosion of bare ground between cropping seasons.

The Murray River Group of Councils has welcomed an updated report from Frontier Economics and Tim Cummins and Associates which clearly shows the impact of Basin Plan water recovery on communities across Northern Victoria. As water Ministers prepare to meet to discuss the Basin Plan, this timely report puts the focus where it needs to be: on the people who live and work in the Basin.

After 14 work related deaths in the WA agricultural industry over last 18 months, far more than any other state, serious questions need to be asked about why our Ministers have put all their faith in the impact of draconian new industrial manslaughter laws when it's clearly not working.