Farming

Farmers are calling for a major effort to stamp out fire ants in NSW after the insidious pests were discovered near Ballina. According to the NSW Government, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) detected a Red Imported Fire Ant nest at Wardell, south of Ballina on Friday.

David Thompson is a farmer but he’s also a cultivator of change. David runs a 3000 hectare property just outside Katanning in WA and like thousands of farmers he’s seeing the effects of man-made soil salinity first hand ... Several years ago David decided to diversify his business (from solely grain crops and sheep) and start to grow sustainable, saline-infused food products. His business, Moojepin Foods, now produces saline greens that have won numerous awards and accolades.

The Federal Government has shot an arrow into the hopes of Australia’s cattle industry by rejecting a counter offer in the long-running class action over the unlawful closure of the live cattle export trade in 2011.  NFF Acting CEO, Charlie Thomas, said the Government had ignored an opportunity to address years of financial and emotional pain, and allow claimants to put the saga behind them once and for all.  

Dorrigo Showground Trust

Dorrigo Showground Trust

Farmers are backing calls for the Federal Government to review community engagement on renewable energy projects to ensure smarter, safer and more sustainable solutions to power the nation ... “To date, many farmers have had a very disappointing experience with the community consultation – or lack thereof – around the transmission lines set to run through their properties," Ms Bowman said.

Starlink is a low orbit satellite internet constellation operated by American aerospace company SpaceX ... John Deere will begin equipping new and existing machines across the United States and Brazil with Starlink to help connect farmers with high-speed internet so they can fully leverage precision agriculture technologies.

50 Australian agricultural producer representative groups have unified to send a powerful, collective message to the Federal Government about their strong opposition to the proposed 10 per cent biosecurity tax. These groups represent the views of tens of thousands of Australian agricultural producers across the full spectrum of farm commodities including grains, livestock, horticulture, dairy, forestry, seafood, etc.

The VFF says farming communities are being prevented from participating in the process for assessing the environmental risk of mining and energy projects leading to bad outcomes for food production. VFF President Emma Germano said concerns raised by farmers impacted by the Goschen Mineral Sands and Rare Earths Project near Swan Hill about public exposure of its Environmental Effects Statement occurring during the summer harvest exposed flaws in the system.

Summer 2023/4 has proven to be volatile for Queensland growers ... Growcom, the project delivery arm of the Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG), in conjunction with the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA), will host a webinar this coming Friday, 19 January to help primary producers recover from these events.

Tasmania's peak body for farmers says activists are not contributing to the resolution of animal welfare issues through their proposed protest on Tuesday.  President of TasFarmers, Ian Sauer, said we know that TQM, the government, and industry are resolute and will not tolerate breaches of the Animal Welfare Act any longer.  

The 2023 Australian Beef Eating Quality Insights (ABEQI) report has shown that the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) program generated $463 million in farm gate returns for producers over the past two years. The ABEQI report was generated through the analysis of all MSA graded cattle in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 financial years using data collected by MSA-accredited graders...

Scenic Rim producer collective launches the Towri Growers Market – time to make farmers famous, and bring your family and your fur babies ... where a full monthly shop can be done direct from the farmers, on the farm at Towri Sheep Cheeses just outside Brisbane, near Beaudesert in the Scenic Rim on the first Saturday of each month, commencing February 3.

Wine and grape growers need to break with tradition in production methods as new studies identify yield and quality improvements can be achieved through changes which focus on soil health ... “It’s like a dead zone when you create that space of exposed bare earth between rows of vines,” says AgTech  specialist and Bactivate  CEO Mark Gabsch.

NSW Farmers is calling for an ACCC inquiry into the supermarket retail sector as fair prices for consumers and farmers remain nowhere in sight ... “It has become increasingly clear that margins are not being passed through the supply chain in a fair and equitable manner, and it is farmers and families who are footing the bill”: NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin.

For an organisation that invests a considerable portion of their half a billion dollar budget predicting what’s going to happen in 100 years’ time, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has fallen short on the all-important, short term forecasts ... Farmers want less climate change lecturing on the doomsday predictions of global warming, and more lectures on the complexity of the dynamic system that actually influences the day to day, week to week, and month to month rain and temperature that impacts their annual production.

Peace and the end of the war are the most important things that Ukrainian farmers need. This is understood not only by Ukrainians, but also by all friends of Ukraine. Politicians from the United States, a country that is Ukraine’s main ally, said New Year’s wishes to the Ukrainian people on the pages of Australian Rural & Regional News.

The 2024 Kiama Show will be held on Friday 26th  and Saturday 27th  January 2024 at Kiama Showground. Prepare to be dazzled by an array of entertainment that caters to all ages. From heart-stopping rides to mesmerizing performances, the Kiama Show has something for everyone.

Australia’s peak farming body supports today’s announcements on the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, hoping the action will give the Code the teeth it needs to fix a system failing consumers and farmers ... “We need to get to the bottom of why there’s a growing gap between what farmers get paid and what produce is being sold for on supermarket shelves": NFF President David Jochinke.

Tasmanian farmers have the opportunity to take a close-up look at the results of a three-year industrial hemp variety trial at a field day to be held in the Northern Midlands ... Fairfield is home to one of nine sites across the country that make up the AgriFutures Australia national Industrial Hemp Variety Trial (IHVT) program.

Industrial hemp grower and country music legend James Blundell will open the gates to his southern Queensland property where a range of different industrial hemp varieties are being trialled for their suitability to the local growing conditions ... The sites are among nine across the country that make up the AgriFutures Australia national Industrial Hemp Variety Trial (IHVT) program...

Denmark cattle farmers Michael and Laura Sinclair will make their operations more sustainable and profi table through carbon farming. They are among 43 landowners, including three Aboriginal enterprise properties, seeking Carbon for Farmers Vouchers of up to $15,000 so they can gain advice and develop carbon-farming plans.