Farming

Under the framework, biodiversity, unlike traditional farm commodities which are delivered to a buyer, will need to be maintained and/or established within the farm boundaries, much like carbon sequestration in vegetation and soil. There will be an ongoing relationship between the supplier (farmer) and purchaser to manage and report the status.

A bill to create the legal framework for a national voluntary agriculture biodiversity stewardship market has been introduced in Parliament ... “The Bill will create a biodiversity certificate, which will be tradeable. This will mean biodiversity outcomes can be purchased, transferred, claimed, or used" : Minister Littleproud.

Over 30 attendees turned out for the land reclassification public hearing on February 3. Lot 1 DP1267277, Gonn Road, Barham is the proposed site for Barham’s new micro-abattoir ... While the hearing was focused on the land reclassification, topics raised by speakers were broad, from the benefits of the development to those who felt a lack of consultation and concerns over the process.

All the fun of the fair at Koorawatha - competitions, Tug.A.War., horse events, cattle, sheep, prince/ princess competition, woodchopping, music, markets.

Cases of Bovine Ephemeral Fever, also known as three-day sickness, are being seen in cattle on the NSW North Coast. The disease has been confirmed via laboratory testing in a herd within the Kyogle shire, and there have also been reports of clinical signs of the disease in the Tweed and Brunswick shires. It is expected that the disease will move south as the season progresses.

Attractions include the Eastend Bus Service Rodeo, free activities for children, Hot Air Balloon Rides on the Defence Force Balloon, Wood Chop, Beaut All Vehicle Show, Dog Show in Victoria Park, Young Farmers Challenge, Farm Livestock, Birds & Poultry, Horse Events, Pavilion Displays, Australian Wildlife Park Display, Side Show Alley, Live Entertainment including Step Up Dance Academy. Darsharni & Tayvin Martins, and the Moosic Man, the Mad Bucking Cow, Mid-Western Regional Council Mobile Library, and Captain Awesome.

With a large percentage of Queensland experiencing summer rains and continuing La Niña conditions, Queensland sheep and wool producers are being urged to remain vigilant for conditions favouring flystrike.

Ecological planned burning is a land management tool applied to promote positive benefits for a local environment. These benefits include stimulating dormant seed banks in the soil profile, reducing the vigour or eliminating weeds, nutrient cycling and the removal of biomass - all of which promote biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Rockhampton Regional Council is being inundated with reports of Prickly Acacia and Parthenium spreading in the region, and they are calling on the community to assist. Planning and Regulation Councillor Grant Mathers said officers have been working closely with landholders and community stakeholders to establish the extent of the areas of concern, and to treat areas on a priority basis.

Following on from the disappointment of cancelling last year’s show, Act-Belong-Commit Darkan Sheepfest is all set to navigate double vaccination entry requirements for events in regional Western Australia and is aiming for show success.

Many farmers in the Narrandera area agreed with NSW Farmers Grains Committee chairperson Justin Everitt that this year's harvest had resulted in a ''bumper'' year. Mr Everitt said the "end result" had been positive despite the challenges farmers had faced with worker shortages, high prices for supplies, a mouse plague and wet weather.

The beginning of the 2022 saleyard selling year for sheep and lambs  has  exceeded  all expectations when compared  to long-term historical prices, demonstrating the excellent market conditions producers are currently experiencing.

More investment in aerial incendiary fire management, greater communication and collaboration between landholder groups and neighbours, and more information about opportunities in the Carbon industry were among some of the key call-outs from the 2021 Fire Forum held in Cairns in December. Organised by Cape York Natural Resource Management, the Forum brought more than 130 people together from Cape York, the Tablelands, Brisbane and Darwin.  

Trevor Whittington. Last week the Minister asked in the Farm Weekly, what more could they have done to consult with industry on the outbreak of BJD. For WAFarmers and the Minister to end up exchanging letters in the Farm Weekly it is a clear sign of a breakdown in communications between industry and the Department.

School leavers looking for a lucrative career in the bush have the chance to join an iconic industry and help Australia recover from COVID. NSW Farmers Wool Committee Chair Helen Carrigan said a shortage of shearers meant there was good money to be made by young people who were willing to learn. Find out the details of courses between January and June 2022.

Charles Sturt University is running a survey for landholders to share their experience of carbon farming and drought planning. The insights from this research will be used to inform a formal guideline for carbon farming participants to help them plan and include drought resilience into the design of their carbon farming project.

Gabrielle Duykers. More than 7000 hectares of land has been burnt and about 6000 livestock lost in the aftermath of a car fire that lost control on New Year’s Eve. The inferno was sparked when a vehicle caught fire and set grass alight in Wrattonbully at around 1.30pm on Friday, December 31.

“This is the beginning of a new era for farmers and the wider community on the Liverpool Plains, ending years of uncertainty. From today, this land will be actively managed by the Local Land Services on behalf of the government to safeguard the areas with environmental and cultural significance”: Paul Toole, NSW Deputy Premier. ARR.News has questions for the Deputy Premier and Minister Saunders.

Kirstin Nicholson. “She’s not a lollipop cow, she mixes it with the others, but then she likes to get dressed up and get fancy and do well for us": Steven Hore, Elmar Holsteins.

The possibility of bare barbecues on Australia Day should be an alarm bell to all sides of politics, NSW Farmers says, with the major retailer supply chains continuing to struggle. NSW Farmers President James Jackson said ongoing failures to prevent anti-competitive behaviour had led us to a handful of companies controlling most of our meat supply, and called on the Federal Government to address the issue.

Sharon and Graham Collins live on an organic farm in the curve of the hills at Peacock Creek. Englishman Graham calls himself an accidental farmer, he’d never planned a life on the land. His wife Sharon grew up on a dairy farm in Cornwall in England and she described herself as a ‘”compassionate farmer”. They raise and sell English black pigs, have cattle, sell duck and chicken eggs and recently got some goats.

Four of Australia’s top agricultural peak bodies have united to send an important message to all farmers about adhering to best practice during the summer spraying region. The National Farmers Federation, Cotton Australia, Grain Growers Limited, and the Ricegrowers Association of Australia have strong advice this summer spraying season aimed at protecting each other’s livelihoods.