Media Release

NSW Farmers is encouraging dairy farmers to work with processors to secure the best farmgate deal possible for their milk, with the deadline for processors to publish their supply contracts around the corner... “Sustainable relationships are important, and farmers should work with processors to position their businesses for growth on the back of these prices.”

Australia’s oldest organic beef company – OBE Organic – is putting sustainability in the spotlight ahead of World Environment Day this coming Sunday, June 5 with the release of a new report that details industry-leading practices in sustainable agriculture, supply chain management and human resources.

The property known as Kurrumbede  was originally part of the Burburgate run, a vast pastoral holding in the 1800s. In 1905, this estate was subdivided into 58 blocks and sold at auction. Two of these blocks were purchased by prominent doctor and politician, Sir Charles Mackellar, Dorothea’s father, who completed building the homestead on the eastern side of the Namoi River in 1908.

Australia’s iconic Greater Bilby is bouncing and digging around Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary near Alice Springs thanks to a national collaboration with Taronga Conservation Society Australia which has seen an important reintroduction of the species to a 9,450-hectare feral predator free area at the sanctuary. Thirty-two founders (18 males and 14 females) were specially selected from Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

Australians have changed the Government. Anthony Albanese is our 31st Prime Minister. The policy mandate is clear. More will be done on climate, anti corruption and cost of living. So, what does that mean for rural transport?

Ongoing inflationary pressures, a weaker global economic outlook and the prospect of a wet winter across many production regions of Australia is causing volatility for the agriculture sector... NAB Senior Agribusiness Economist, Phin Ziebell, said Australian agriculture was facing a number of opportunities and risks as a result of current global conditions.

The Joint Declaration of Intent for Cooperation in Bioeconomy was signed by Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick and German Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger. Bioeconomies are an emerging model for government and business, with a greater focus on sustainably using renewable biological resources to produce food, energy and industrial goods.

Farmers and regional communities in the state’s Central West can now readily access detailed, real-time weather observations received by the new Doppler radar at Yeoval. Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Dugald Saunders said the information provided by the radar will revolutionise how weather-dependent decisions are made, and will enhance the productivity of rural communities.

"Native vegetation helps mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon. This policy seeks to achieve a net gain in native vegetation, while providing regulatory clarity for business, and building a strong, accessible evidence base for policymaking, decisions, and transparency" : WA Environment Minister, Reece Whitby.

Overseen by Forestry Australia, the Trials Review, Information and Genetics (TRIG) project aims to improve information pathways to assist the expansion of farm forestry in Victoria. TRIG Project Steering Committee Chair, Dr Kevin Harding said the project aims to build on Victoria’s history of farm forestry to help the state reach carbon targets and expand the productive farm-tree estate.

NSW Farmers is urging Australia’s new Labor government to act on power imbalances in poultry meat supply chains...The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has identified potential unfair contract terms (UCTs) in chicken growing contracts, including terms that allowed processors to vary growers’ supply arrangements or impose additional costs on growers.    

The new national parks will be created by linking existing state forests, parks and reserves. The largest, combining Lerderderg State Park and Wombat State Forest to create the Wombat-Lerderderg National Park covering more than 44,000 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh ... ARR.News asked some questions of the Minister which were responded to by a Victorian Government spokesperson.

Food and fibre production has been significantly and catastrophically impacted by rain events from March 2021, not only the flooding of 2022, resulting in significant hardship for town residents and businesses, and particularly the farming community ... NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle said the three tiers of government needed to work together with farming and community leaders to look at how to rebuild more resilient businesses, communities and regions.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) crackdown on chicken meat processers and any potential unfair contract terms in the industry ... “Greater contract term transparency between processors and growers is critical to foster a fair deal for all and we see this as a positive step forward for the chicken meat industry” : Colin Peel, VFF President.

The main event, the three-day show, will this year take place on the 24th, 25th and 26th of June which is the first weekend of the school holidays – perfect timing for families from afar to plan a trip to the Atherton Tablelands.  

Citizen scientists are once again being called upon to help record the call of the rare Albert’s Lyrebird to map and protect this vulnerable bird ... Data from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 winter calling seasons has been collected from sites at Mount Nullum and Numinbah near the NSW/Qld border.

GreaseBoss, an Australian start-up founded in 2020 on the Sunshine Coast, is going for gold in the global award program dubbed the Innovation World Cup Series ... Three mining industry engineers launched the company after developing a novel system to automate the lubrication of heavy equipment and avoid the costly hassle of breakdowns.

People anywhere in the world can now take a step back in time to what was making the news during our region’s Soldier Settlement years thanks to Mildura Rural City Council Libraries’ newspaper digitisation project.

The early supply chain disruptions of 2022, including COVID-19 and floods, have not impacted the continued growth and strength of Australia’s feedlot sector, according to the recent results of the ALFA and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) survey.

The St Heliers Heavy Horse Field Days have regrettably had to be cancelled due to wet weather and the condition of the grounds being unfit for the show.