Farming

Kimberly Grabham. In areas like Hay retailers are lucky enough to benefit from the freshest produce. So lucky in fact, that Harrison’s IGA Fruit and Vegetable Department Manager Brandon Burns and worker David Osmond got to travel to Vishwa Farm to help pack broccoli, before picking up their order for the local supermarket.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Ensuring water buybacks can be made from Riverland communities while the “local economy stays strong” is the aim for a senior South Australian politician. Deputy premier, and Minister for Environment, Susan Close said – during a recent visit to Calperum Station – methods to ensure water buybacks that had minimal negative impacts on regional communities were being discussed. “As a state government, we’re still working – mainly through Primary Industries – with the region,” Dr Close said.

Grain Producers Australia welcomes the latest crop production forecasts with cautious optimism ... GPA Chair, Barry Large, said the ABARES winter crop forecasts were based on above average summer rainfall and timely autumn rainfall that continued to improve soil moisture profiles in Queensland and northern and central NSW. But he said autumn rainfall has been lower than average across major cropping regions ...

Production in Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors remains on track to be the third highest on record in 2024-25, supported by an improved seasonal outlook ... Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said this quarter’s Agricultural Commodities and Australian Crop Report show an expected improvement in agriculture following drier conditions seen in 2023-24.

Chloe Stubbings. In green fields of manicured grass Rochelle Deenen’s Pygmy goats bleat through the fence ... “Our first buck that we named, I had to go with Ed Sheeran because he was a big red fella,” she said.  And so she has stuck with a musical theme, naming each new kid after a singer or song.

Australia’s farmers are expected to plant 23.55 million hectares to winter crops this year – up more than three per cent on 2023 – despite a mixed start to the season across the country, Rabobank says in its 2024/25 Australian Winter Crop Outlook ... This year’s winter crop planting – representing a 3.6 per cent increase on 2023/24 though down 1.8 per cent on the five-year average...

Moove over ChatGPT – we’ll soon be using artificial intelligence to monitor cattle. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and  Goondiwindi-based company Infarm have collaborated to create a prototype automated camera system to detect cattle and monitor their condition using advances in machine vision and AI.

Tasmania's peak body for farmers, TasFarmers, is raising the alarm about the increasing use of drones in rural areas for illegal activities and privacy concerns. Ian Sauer, President of TasFarmers, said farmers have been increasingly reporting the sighting of drones flying over agricultural land under 500 feet.

It’s scary and a superspreader. That’s how a Keith farmer and elected councillor of the Tatiara District Council has described the situation involving the spread of African lovegrass in the Upper South East ... Lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) is a long-lived tussock-forming grass usually growing 30 to 120cm tall.

Emerald Show Society Horse competitions Monday 3rd - Wednesday 5th Entertainment - Helly Hoops, La La Fairy, Melvilles Animal Farm, Crack up Sisters, Mask Face painting,...

Patricia Gill. A biochar project of over three and a half years at the Shire Waste Transfer Station has the potential to develop a world-first industry for Denmark. Through a pyrolysis unit, which heats waste in low oxygen, green waste, silage wrap and food organics would potentially be converted into a carbon-rich product capable of improving soils and animal health.

At the Sustainable Agriculture Summit held in Toowoomba last Thursday, the Federal Government announced details of $63.8 million allocated in the 2024-25 Budget. The funding will go towards supporting the reduction of emissions in the agriculture industry and contribute to the whole-of-economy transition to net zero.

Kununurra Agricultural Society

The Muttaburra Stock Show is having their 62nd show June 1st! Showcasing the districts best sheep, cattle and wool fleeces. The show is renowned for getting the crowd, young and old, involved in their infamous Marsh Rural Dinosaur Dash, the Sproutag Sheep Races and the Ringrose Button Sheep Dog trials.

Farmers are reporting a fresh surge in feral pig numbers, prompting a call to escalate funding to fight the state’s feral pig problem ... “There’s reports of feral pigs weighing well over 100 kilograms charging through the paddocks, trashing food crops and killing calves and lambs at the drop of a hat”: NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin.

Field Applied Research Australia (FAR Australia) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have launched a new project to transform on-farm profitability for wheat and barley growers in the high-rainfall zones of Australia. The project aims to close the gap between actual crop yields and the profitability possibilities in these zones.

TAFE NSW Moss Vale is empowering a career musician and Abba tribute band bass player to call the tune on the next chapter in his career: as a farmer. Simon Tonks, 64, has enjoyed a long and illustrious music career, including stints as house engineer/producer at recording giant Sony Music, making records, mixing live shows, and writing television music.

Growing global and local demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) could spell good news for Australian agriculture, with the country’s farmers well placed to provide low- emissions feedstock to be used in future production, according to new industry research ... the largest contribution to cutting aviation emissions over the next decade will come from transitioning to the use of sustainable aviation fuel, which is commonly produced from agricultural products and by-products.

A new farming systems project is set to shed light on how farm management decisions affect profitability and sustainability to help southern region grain growers understand the upside and downside of their decisions. The five-year project involves nine field sites … covering different soil types and rainfall zones in South Australia and Victoria, as well as biophysical modelling and economic evaluation.