Farming

Under the Albanese Government’s new Strategic Reserve powers, a further 200 million litres of additional diesel for Australia has been secured, and work has commenced with leading fertiliser companies to secure more supply at this critical time in the growing season.

A soil aeration trial on a Caldwell farm has delivered strong gains in feed production, helping carry more cattle through dry periods. Working across his 1100-acre farm east of Barham, Don Hearn has spent several years trialling soil aeration, a process designed to relieve compaction and improve pasture growth.

Patrick Tucker. Farmers across the region are preparing for a series of VicGrid visits to properties in the coming weeks, as part of ongoing efforts to conduct ecological studies linked to the proposed VNI West transmission project ... "This is the second attempt from VicGrid to get access to our properties to do the ecological study," he said.

Collagen from sheep skin and lungs can support wound closure and tissue regeneration in people, opening the door for new wound care materials made from traditionally underutilised red meat processing byproducts ... "Wound healing is a complex process requiring the coordinated interaction of cells, growth factors and extracellular matrix components.

Norco, Australia’s oldest and last operating 100 per cent farmer-owned dairy co-operative, has announced a five cent per litre increase to its farmgate milk price from May 2026, while calling on the wider industry to step up and better support farmers as soaring input costs intensify pressure across the sector.

Victoria’s peak farming body has released a sweeping 20-point plan that demands all major parties commit to the strongest farmland protections in Australia ahead of the Victorian state election in November. The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF)’s Victorian Farmland Protection Plan calls for a fundamental reset in the way Victoria safeguards its agricultural land.

At a time when Australian farmers are facing a major fertiliser squeeze, Canberra has decided the priority is not supply, not affordability, and not domestic resilience—but underwriting a green ammonia export dream ... while farmers are being told to accept decile 10 nitrogen prices, or even decile zero availability, taxpayers—including those same farmers in the years they make money—are being lined up to help fast track a plant that will help foreign farmers access fertiliser.

Carey Brennan. More than 100 farmers attended the recent VFF community meeting held by the St Arnaud branch on Thursday, April 9, to listen to legal experts speak about the effects of the new Victorian Treaty Act and the land acquisition procedures for transmission lines, all of which will adversely affect farmland in this district.

The Albanese Labor Government is helping to get fertiliser to Australian farmers faster with the introduction of streamlined border processes for imported fertiliser that does not compromise on biosecurity. These changes, which have been established in consultation with Fertilizer Australia, will reduce costs, reduce port clearance times, lower administrative burdens and ensure the safety of fertiliser prior to shipping. 

Patrick Tucker. A local farmer has been left out of pocket and frustrated after more than 1000 litres of diesel is believed to have been stolen from his property. Benjeroop farmer Lindsay Schultz said the fuel went missing sometime in March after a fresh delivery ... he believed the scale of the incident pointed to something more organised.

The most sheep producers ever assembled on stage will headline LambEx26, with a freshly released program designed to bring the entire supply chain together - and onto one agenda.  

A new national Faba Bean Breeding Program will provide growers with improved higher-yielding varieties of faba beans with better disease resistance, quality traits and adaptation across Australian growing regions. Australia is the world’s largest exporter of faba beans, supplying around one-third of global trade, with key markets including Egypt, the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.

WAFarmers consistently advocated to the Federal Government during its consultative process on the phase out of live sheep exports, including in our 2023 submission that this decision would be significantly detrimental to the Western Australian wool industry. We hate to tell you that we told you so! Three years on, we are seeing that prediction become reality.

Greater Shepparton City Council is intensifying its advocacy and engagement efforts to ensure local community and industry voices are heard as part of the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) review, with public submissions closing on 1 May 2026. As part of its water advocacy program, Council is undertaking targeted engagement activities to encourage community and stakeholder participation in the review process...

Sebastian Calderon. Riverland farmers are being urged to look closely at South Australia's newly opened drought loan scheme, with Riverland Lending Services agribusiness (RLS) senior manager Jeff McDonald warning the concessional finance could bring both short term relief and long-term complications.

A new machine designed and exhaustively tested at a field-scale over 15 years and 32 sites in Western Australia, Queensland and Pakistan has been shown to increase crop yields by 25 per cent, on average (range 10 to 40 per cent).

The Western Australian Government has announced that it has secured a stockpile diesel. The Opposition is sceptical.

Recent rains have given Aussie farmers a valuable head start on sowing this season’s winter crop, but higher freight, fuel, and fertiliser costs are squeezing margins across the country, Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ latest Monthly Commodity Update outlines.

Some of you may have read my previous articles on Summit’s Force Majeure Gamble: A Pattern Emerges and CSBP’s Force Majeure Gamble ... The response on social media has been staggering, with the algorithms going off the charts — which tells me I have hit a nerve. Even more interesting are the stories of urea...

The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland MP, says Victoria’s growing police vacancy crisis is leaving regional communities exposed, as reports of fuel theft surge across the region. Ms Cleeland said with more than 1500 Victoria Police vacancies and limited farm crime officers remaining, the Allan Labor Government had left farmers increasingly vulnerable to organised theft.

On today's No Drama Farmer with James Blundell and Carzo......... Fiona L Fox (ARR.News) talks about potentially turning Canola to Diesel, plus some other potential fuel sources...