Media Release

A new Henty resident made the Three Sheep Trial his own at the Henty Machinery Field Days, taking out the tough event against the cream of the nation’s best trialers. Paul Elliott and his Border Collie Elliott’s Brisket scored 188 points to win the trial from John Perry, Bredbo, and Boco Raffa on 183 points under judge Ken Robinson, Quirindi, NSW.

Get ready to dust off those long-forgotten treasures and clear out the clutter because the national Garage Sale Trail is returning to the Bundaberg Region in November. Bundaberg Regional Council is proud to be partnering with Garage Sale Trail  in 2023, the nationwide community-based initiative which encourages friends and families to embrace sustainability...

Tweed Shire Council is inviting businesses and commercial operators to share in the success of the popular Northern Rivers Rail Trail (Tweed section) and sign up to its new Connect Program ... the Connect Program is designed to connect commercial operators and businesses to the award-winning Rail Trail which opened in March.

The National Farmers' Federation Horticulture Council is calling on the Albanese Government to respond to the decision to stop the Varroa Mite eradication effort with a clear commitment to conclude its review of the legality of levying containerised cargo under international law before the end of the year. Council Chair Jolyon Burnett said ... it is abundantly clear more support for the biosecurity system will be required.

The Cook Government announced the appointment of 10 Aboriginal people to the State's first system-level Aboriginal Advisory Body to advise on the Department's progress towards reconciliation and creating a culturally responsive education system. The Aboriginal Advisory Body will provide independent advice to the Minister for Education and Director General…

Farmers aspire to leave their farm to the next generation in a better condition they received it in. Improving and securing soil is an important part of achieving such an aspiration ... The University of Sydney and AFI are undertaking research to deliver a process to measure human connectivity to soil.

SOURCE Hydropanel technology is bringing reliable drinking water to the underserved community, Irrkerlantye (White Gate), in the Northern Territory. Children’s Ground – a First Nations community-led organisation – is working in partnership with SOURCE to improve drinking water access in remote communities.

The National Management Group (NMG), of which Melons Australia represents industry on, confirmed at its meeting on 19 September 2023 that eradication of Varroa destructor (varroa mite) is no longer feasible based on technical grounds, following advice from the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP). The response will now enter a transition to management phase.

In a major boost for domestic tourism,  Bonza  has revealed Darwin and Alice Springs as the airline’s newest destinations. The airline will add 12 new flights per week to and from the NT with three new routes - Sunshine Coast to Darwin, Gold Coast to Darwin and Melbourne to Alice Springs.

Australia's most promising paraders of dairy cattle have been announced by Agricultural Shows Australia as eligible to compete in the national finals ... William Dudfield, 20, from Somerset will be representing Tasmania in the dairy cattle young paraders. “I’ve been showing since I was three years old and I’ve been a part of the paraders since I was nine."

The ability of the Australian grains industry to compete internationally is being seriously hampered by supply chain inefficiencies, with recent record harvests highlighting a need for more capacity in the current network, a GrainGrowers commissioned report has found.  The ‘Connecting the Dots: Improving Australian Grain Supply Chain Efficiency’ report was compiled by independent global strategy consultancy LEK.  

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey and Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt officially opened the eight kilometre extension of Bells Creek Arterial Road, completing the 11.9km link between the Bruce Highway and Caloundra Road.

Ten of the nation's leading agricultural research organisations are pooling their powers to bolster on-farm adoption of research outcomes and returns to farmers ... Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said it was crucial for agricultural research organisations to collaborate on cross-industry priorities such as research adoption.

The Howitt Society are concerned at the lack of broadscale fuel management operations in East Gippsland over the past four years post the 2019/20 fires ... A public meeting has been convened at Mallacoota to discuss the issue of the long term protection of the townships and the forests of East Gippsland.

Australia's most promising judges of Merino sheep have been announced by Agricultural Shows Australia as eligible to compete in the national finals of the prestigious annual competition to be judged next month. The competition brings together the best young judges and paraders aged from 15 to 25 in each state to compete at the national finals.

Prior to the Authority meeting, members had a very constructive visit to the Upper Murrumbidgee and were briefed on issues affecting the river ... The Authority also met with the First Nations Leadership Group who had travelled from Country to meet in Canberra. There was a constructive discussion on how to establish long-term productive relationships.

Enjoy live music, food and drink and brightly lit displays of the tulips which offer a wonderfully different perspective to the day time tulip time garden display ... It’s a lovely community vibe which will also have a number of visitors to the Southern Highlands region due to the Festival being held over the long weekend.  

This is the 20th year that we have enjoyed seeing stunning tulips bloom in Bendigo! Our Parks staff have again created a beautiful display  that features an assortment of colours and sizes, with around 25 varieties on show.

The removal of tariffs on Australian barley by Chinese authorities has seen barley prices trend higher since the start of August, according to NAB’s September Rural Commodities Wrap. The NAB Rural Commodities Index* fell 1.6% in August and is now 30.7% lower compared to when Australian rural commodity prices peaked in June 2022.

With a goal of achieving “the three Rs” of reducing emissions, removing greenhouse gases and repairing the climate, the Climate Foundation has developed an innovative technique for cultivating seaweed to regenerate lost kelp forests and sequester carbon in the ocean’s depths for hundreds of years.

A chance conversation with a landholder interested in the methane-reducing properties of red seaweed prompted a research team led by Deakin University to examine if there were freshwater alternatives. A mix of algae scooped out of a Victorian waterway and a species of amphibious grass plucked from a stream have both been found to reduce methane production by up to 24 per cent...

Ecologists are reporting a promising start to a translocation project involving the Southern stuttering frog (Mixophyes australis) ... The Southern Stuttering Frog was regarded as extinct on the south coast of New South Wales due to chytrid fungus, which attacks the skin of a frog.