International

It’s a time of major events: Donald Trump has again been elected President of the USA and its biggest foreign spy base Pine Gap features in the movie Twilight Time to be screened in Alice Springs ... For decades “the base” has been described as a prime nuclear target. Does that worry the town? Apparently not.

These wonderful ladies are busy making hygiene kits to send overseas to those who are less fortunate. Members of Allora’s Days for Girls meet on a monthly basis to create essential reusable items for girls and women who don’t have access to feminine hygiene products.

While the wider implications of a new US administration under President Trump for Australian agriculture will only become apparent over time, there are a number of key watch factors for the sector, particularly for grains and oilseeds, Rabobank says in newly-released commentary.

David Jochinke. The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) acknowledges ... signing of the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), marking a meaningful step forward for Australia’s trade partnerships in the Middle East. The agreement will eliminate tariffs on key Australian exports...

Rent land, don't buy it. Produce agricultural raw materials, don't process agricultural products. By following these rules of Ukrainian farmers, foreign investors might achieve great success in Ukrainian agriculture.

Liz Sandeman. Over the past 16 years since the first edition of Marine Connection’s Lone Rangers report was produced, there has been an increasing number of dolphins and whales around the world living solitary lives ... The report is not only an historic record of solitary, sociable dolphins, and whales, but also highlights their individuality and why it is vital that we respect them as wild animals.

Catholic Early Learning and Care (CELC) Director Alison Forster commended the children at St Joseph's Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) for their compassion and thoughtfulness in sending homemade gifts and heartfelt messages to support a young international visitor injured in a rock-throwing incident while riding the Kuranda Scenic Rail in Cairns.

As part of our Roadshow events, you can visit the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid information display at the Maldon Museum and Historic Archives. The team worked together with the Museum volunteers to set up our display on show at the museum throughout November.    

The story of an American father and his two sons who swam Australia’s longest river, the Murray, is now available for streaming in Australia ... ‘Take Your Dream’ was made by the Helmick family ... The film features their 120-day swim down the Murray from Corryong, through Lake Hume and Lake Alexandrina, eventually ending at the mouth of the river in Goolwa, South Australia.

The Sunshine Coast’s passion for innovation, growth and commitment to community has been highlighted with three major international awards. Sunshine Coast Council won three Gold awards at the 2024 International Economic Development Council (IEDC) awards ceremony held in Denver, Colorado, in the United States.

I’ve already outlined Canberra, our very own isolated political bubble in the bush, but make no mistake—there’s a whole global club of purpose-built capitals that decided to swap sense for seclusion. These cities, built from scratch, aimed to be the shining beacons of national pride, but somehow all have ended up as bubbles of bureaucrats, completely detached from the real world.

Daniel Puentes. We may all march to the beat of our own drums, but this day showed just how well those drums fit together, and how community comes from the harmony of us all. From the moment I arrived at the festival held at Donald’s Memorial Park to the minute I left, this event left me filled with community spirit.

GrainGrowers today launched a comprehensive report shedding light on the significant implications of the upcoming United States presidential election for Australian grain growers … the report, Navigating Uncertainty: What the United States Election Means for Australia's Grain Industry addresses concerns about increasing trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions.

Hugh Schuitemaker. A 5c on the dollar return for unsecured creditors of Salena Estate, in the wake of the winery’s sale, is "another devastating blow" for the Riverland wine industry according to senior local politicians. Salena Estate creditors last week approved a sale of the vineyards, winery properties and equipment to an entity associated with China’s Tianyu Wool.

Metha.ai, a company launched from MIT in 2022, is revolutionising the agricultural sector by reducing methane emissions from livestock with its groundbreaking AI-driven microbiome analytics technology. Metha.ai’s proprietary technology not only cuts emissions by 30-40 per cent but also enhances milk yield efficiency by 5-10 per cent…

Long, long ago, in the early 1980s, a group of Western Australian farmers decided they had had enough of the growing spread in tractor prices between what was on offer at their local dealer and what American farmers were paying. So, they decided to bypass the local dealer network and order directly from the land of the free, thereby proving that middlemen exist only if you allow them.

Aimee Pirie, who spent 14 years growing up in Yamba, recently completed the toughest challenge of her life, the Spartathlon in Greece, running the final 85km with a severely sprained ankle due to ‘inflammation from extensor tendinitis’, becoming the youngest Australian woman ever to finish. Described as the world’s most gruelling race, the 246km Spartathlon runs over rough tracks and muddy paths ...

Ukraine is at the epicentre of global warming. The average air temperature in the country is rising faster than the world average ... in the long term, this phenomenon will greatly complicate farming in Ukraine. Therefore, even during the war, Ukrainian society is trying to adapt agriculture, villages and cities to the consequences of global warming.

Australian pulse production is expected to reach historically-high levels this season, as growers capitalise on strong international demand, particularly from India – a major consumer of chickpeas and lentils ... RaboResearch general manager Australia and New Zealand Stefan Vogel said the 2024/25 Australian pulse harvest … is expected to exceed last year’s volumes, due to a higher area planted and despite dry seasonal conditions in some growing areas.

An international airline has entered an enforceable undertaking with the Australian Government after it failed to declare two dogs’ arrival to the country, breaching Australian biosecurity measures. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which has regulatory powers for Australia’s biosecurity as part of the Biosecurity Act 2015, found United Airlines had breached its reporting requirements twice...

As the price of reliable rainfall farmland in Western Australia is careering past $10,000 per hectare, and the big corporates are out there with their even bigger chequebooks, outbidding the neighbours, what options do farmers have if they want to stay in the game? Well, the answer is to follow the example of their forefathers and up stumps and find a new country with some new land that can be opened up.