Farming

The agricultural sector is looking at another record-breaking year, with the gross value of production (GVP) forecast to reach $73 billion in 2021-22. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said if the forecast in the  Agricultural Commodities: September Quarter  report proves to be accurate, then it will be the first time the agriculture sector has been valued at over $70 billion."

Expressions of interest are now being called for the McGowan Government's inaugural Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.

With bumper crops on the horizon for much of the state, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has today urged landholders to be on the lookout for locust activity this spring and report any sightings immediately.

Three major new missions from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, will grow Australia’s agriculture and food sectors targeting $20 billion by 2030. The $150 million investment from CSIRO, government and industry will tackle drought, the food export market and growing the protein market.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government has agreed to  continue its landmark quarantine arrangement with Victoria which sees Tasmania quarantine seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands, in return for the Victorian Government assuming responsibility for Tasmania’s commitment to assisting Australians returning from overseas.

A new multidisciplinary Australian Research Council Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers at the University of Melbourne will develop a new class of fertilisers and inhibitors for Australian farmers.  

Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility and Territorians are being encouraged to join the conversation with the community consultation now open on the Northern Territory’s livestock biosecurity laws.

The opportunities and the potential of the NSW Agriculture sector to grow to $30 billion by 2030 came through loud and clear at the NSW Farmers online Annual Conference. “The prospects for increasing local food and fibre production are abundant, with 94 percent of the state out of or recovering from drought and strong commodity prices,” said NSW Farmers President James Jackson.    

The York Agricultural Society was founded in 1840 in York, Western Australia’s first inland town... These days the Society's primary focus is the annual York Agricultural Show, held on the first Saturday of September each year as a celebration of all things agricultural and the York community.

Natural capital is set to be the path forward for the income and security of NSW farmers and for conservation of the environment, as the agricultural industry aims to reach its $30 billion by 2030 target, says the state's minister for energy and environment Matt Kean. As investors around the world and markets move towards decarbonisation as standard practice, NSW is looking to ensure more capital is invested outside its city centres.

A significant milestone in building a future for the commercial and recreational fishing industries has been reached with the next stage of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries reforms coming into effect on September 1.

In an increasingly competitive world, Australia has some innate advantages in delivering high quality red meat protein to global markets: it is in the right neighbourhood to access growing demand in the Asia Pacific and world-leading shelf-life performance underpins an expanding chilled trade ... However, global shipping and air-freight have been in turmoil over the last year.

The Australian Government has today released for public consultation a draft soil carbon method for the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the new method will support greater uptake of soil carbon projects by overcoming barriers to participating in the ERF by reducing costs and introducing new activities to store carbon.

The ACIAR Annual Operational Plan for 2021–22 sets out the context and objectives of the work program throughout the Indo-Pacific region for the year ahead. ACIAR CEO Andrew Campbell says that it describes how we will continue to build the partnerships, knowledge and capacity required to achieve more productive, sustainable and resilient agrifood systems in our region.

As National Cabinet prepares to meet, farmers have accused state premiers of ‘arrogance’ over border arrangements, saying they seem to have forgotten that growing food and fibre is essential to public health. The National Farmers’ Federation is calling on National Cabinet to recommit to the National Agriculture Workers Code and focus on quarantine solutions for ag workers as a bumper grain harvest looms.

Red meat producers are featuring in a series of new videos, sharing their stories to inform consumers on how red meat is produced in Australia.

“With the current limit for seasonal workers expected to be met by October – and a forecast shortage of up to 24,000 workers in the horticulture industry – Labor’s Agriculture Minister can’t afford to delay ... The time is now for the government to roll out rapid testing. It’s a way to keep Victorians safe. It’s a way to help reopen this state and keep us open, and that’s what Victorians need as much as anything else,” said Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Peter Walsh.

Claire Rankin. Evans Head Fish Co-op may be forced to close temporarily because of covid, its chair Bill Litchfield said. He was “extremely concerned” about how the snap lockdown has impacted the co-op and fishing industry.