Farming

Australia’s peak farm body has called on delegates at the ALP National Conference this week to vote down a radical anti-farming motion backed by the Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN). Farmers say the “Climate, Clearing and Cows” motion, which calls for methane emissions to be halved in the next 6.5 years, is misinformed and in conflict with mainstream scientific opinion.

Weethalle Show Society Inc.

Ganmain Show Society Inc.

Industry body GrainGrowers has called for additional information about the potential sale of Incitec Pivot’s fertiliser business to foreign interests, citing growing concerns from members over future supply.

David Prestipino, NIT. A prominent First Nations leader in the Kimberley has called for an independent panel chaired by an industry leader and Indigenous expert to re-draft WA's doomed Aboriginal Cultural Heritage legislation. Nyikina man and former Kimberley Land Council CEO Wayne Bergmann said a roundtable of industry, pastoralists, farmers, native title holders and land councils should be involved in drafting the new laws.

Scientists are tracking Australian native stingless bees to determine what they like to eat, and how diet impacts overall hive health and their ability to pollinate crops effectively ... “The incursion of Varroa Mite has placed us in a position where we have had to reassess how we think about pollination”: Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield.

The Wentworth Show Society will be holding the 136th Annual show on 26 & 27 August, with the support of the community, competitors and exhibitors from local and far away. The township of Wentworth is situated in the best location for the best Show.

Victorian farmers will descend on Parliament House in Melbourne next Tuesday 15 August for the ‘Stop the Towers’ rally, in response to the proposed VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission projects.

NSW Farmers Energy Transition spokesman Reg Kidd says upgrading existing powerlines would short-circuit community pain over transmission projects. A proposal from the Victoria Energy Policy Centre to use existing powerline easements to house 80-metre-high pylons and high voltage powerlines was worth investigating for NSW as well, Mr Kidd said.

"A damning new report has laid bare the cost blowout and waste of the Western Victoria energy transmission project, threatening prime Mallee farmland," Member for Mallee, Anne Webster says. The Victoria Energy Policy Centre’s (VEPC) "No Longer Lost In Transmission" report highlights the VNI West) costs are understated by the AEMO and already reliant on outdated data.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has launched a petition to the Victorian Parliament calling for the VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission projects to be stopped. VFF President Emma Germano said the petition seeks to make the state’s political leaders take notice of decisions that are impacting Victorian farmers and their communities.

A groundbreaking animal growth and welfare monitoring, detection and notification system has been awarded the annual AgriFutures Research Award for 2023 ... the runner up, DryRice research, focused on enhancing rice genotypes and ensuring sustainable development in the rice industry.

Member for Benambra, Bill Tilley, fears farms in the Upper Murray will again be under constant threat from wild dogs if the rules for trappers are watered down. On Tuesday night in the Victorian Parliament, Mr Tilley called on the Agriculture Minister to visit the region and hear from the landholders who lived through the carnage of the early 2000s.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty met with the New Zealand Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor last week to discuss issues of mutual significance during her trip to Wellington NZ for the Food Ministers Meeting. Ms Moriarty said biosecurity was top of the agenda given that both NSW and New Zealand are exposed to the increasing threat of outbreaks from exotic incursions that are rising in volume, complexity, and severity.

Beef producers can expect a two-year holding pattern on cattle prices as drought conditions widen, processing sector labour shortages persist, and a huge stockpile of meat in Asian freezers start to thaw. While lightweight heifers will take the biggest price hit, the emerging El Nino may mean business opportunities for producing heavy Jap ox and heavy feeder steers, according to market analyst Simon Quilty, of Global AgriTrends.

Given the presence of the disease in Indonesia, positive results in Australian cattle post arrival are not unexpected ... Importantly, trade is and can continue to Indonesia from 28 Australian export establishments, however, there are 4 export establishments in Northern Australia who are working with the government to further ensure they are disease free.

The State Government has announced extended recovery support to cane farmers to help remove dangerous flood waste found in cane paddocks at the beginning of the cane harvest. The NSW Environment Protection Authority has agreed to work with local cane farmers to remove the waste at no cost to the farmers.

Projected high industry growth, an appetite for expanded trade and increasing sustainability priorities have driven the new Hort Innovation Strategy 2024-2026. Released on 31 July 2023, the strategy was informed by feedback from growers across the nation through farm visits, surveys and advice garnered through industry advisory panels and meetings.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has been advised by the Indonesian Agriculture and Quarantine Agency (IAQA) that Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) has been detected in a small number of Australian cattle exported to Indonesia—after those cattle had arrived and spent some time in Indonesia. “Australia is and remains free from lumpy skin disease, as confirmed today by Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer,” RMAC Chairman, Mr John McKillop, said.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) welcomes the Albanese Government’s decision to extend the timeframe for implementing the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said common sense had prevailed following Minister Tanya Plibersek’s announcement to allow efficiency projects to progress and be counted towards the Plan’s targets.

Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has entered a strategic alliance with plant nutrition company RLF AgTech, financing an innovative pilot program that aims to generate soil carbon credits ... RLF AgTech, a specialist in plant nutrition, has launched a soil carbon pilot program with Australian farmers who will utilise its Accumulating Carbon in Soil System (ACSS) technology.

NSW Canegrowers are annoyed and frustrated by government inaction and the failure to utilise the $5 million dollars allocated to the Northern NSW Drainage Reset Program in February this year. "Governments are very good at coming into disaster areas and promising money for recovery, but are extremely poor on delivery," Chairman of NSW Canegrowers Association Ross Farlow said.