Media Release

Armidale producer Bill Mitchell has won the 2021 Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Producer Innovation Award for his remote cattle weighing system, Optiweigh, that enables in-paddock weighing and monitoring. Mr Mitchell was presented the award last night at the Rabobank Beef Industry Awards presented by Queensland Country Life, at Beef Australia 2021 in Rockhampton. Optiweigh is a fully portable in-paddock weighing system that works in all environments, does not require animal training, and does not require installation of additional infrastructure.

Australia can become a player in the billion-dollar global edible insect industry, producing nutritious, sustainable, and ethical products to support global food security, according to a new roadmap by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO ... CSIRO researcher and report co-author, Dr Rocio Ponce Reyes: “The worldwide edible insect market is expected to reach $1.4 billion AUD in value by 2023. Europe and the United States of America lead the western world market, with more than 400 edible-insect-related businesses in operation.”

In a first for the Australian agriculture sector, farmers will be able to physically see water infrastructure, gates, fences or other assets with the touch of a button on their desktop, tablet or mobile device.

In solving the rising challenge facing the agriculture industry of producing high-quality protein, traceably, sustainably and at scale, AgriWebb’s new Individual Animal Management offering will provide a world-first — granular livestock data at a per-animal level.

Animal welfare practices and tracking the industry’s sustainability credentials are top of mind for beef producers, according to the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) latest annual update. The latest Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) annual update, the fourth since its inception, was launched at the ABSF’s seminar at Beef Australia 2021 in Rockhampton today.

Saturday the 8th of May - join us at the QUAMBONE Racecourse on the outskirts of the small village 50kms from Coonamble and 80 kms from Warren. The Marthaguy Picnic Races offers a great day out for one and all and a fantastic way to catch up with friends.

Tie the Knot, Darby McCarthy, Les Bridge and Bob Charley are among the list of 10 thoroughbred racing greats to be elevated to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame (ARHOF) in Adelaide next month. The ARHOF spreads across four categories – horses, trainers, jockeys and associates – and induction is regarded as racing’s ultimate achievement, with the ceremony an opportunity to formally honour those who have left indelible marks on the sport.

There is increasing anxiety around the potential for dingoes to be re-introduced into the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in Victoria’s west. The decision is currently in the hands of the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio after submissions to a draft Grampians Management Plan closed in January. Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, said farmers are exceedingly concerned about the dingo plan, given another dingo attack on a person on Queensland’s Fraser Island just one week ago.

As major work begins on the Wiigulga Sports Complex, 12 local sub-contractors and consultants who have been engaged to date to work with Lahey Constructions on the build were welcomed to the site today by Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan MP, State Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh MP and Coffs Harbour Mayor Councillor Denise Knight. More local sub-contractors will join the ranks as the project progresses.

A derelict building filled with pigeons, broken windows and damp, rotting timber isn’t usually the definition of Art Deco beauty. When that building is scored for an astonishing $1 though and revived, its transformation is just one of many putting Leeton on the map as the Art Deco capital of regional Australia.

Our First Nations heritage met our digital world head-on today (April 29), with the launch of a brand new virtual reality experience and app, which will transport users to a day before European settlement at Bankfoot House. The unique immersive and interactive experiences were launched today at the Bankfoot House Heritage Precinct, during Sunshine Coast Council’s 2021 Heritage Symposium.

The biennial Cornish Festival will be held 17th to 23rd May and will welcome thousands of visitors to Australia’s Little Cornwall to celebrate our unique heritage and culture ... There is something for everyone including heritage, entertainment, Cornish food, Maypole and Furry Dancing, Classic Cavalcade of Cars and Motor Cycles, Art Prize, a street party, concerts, ceremonies, window displays, markets and parades.

Agriculture is the next frontier for space tech, with billion-dollar opportunities to super-charge technology adoption for farmers, fishers and foresters over the next five to ten years. That’s according to a new report by AgriFutures Australia, commissioned to give producers awareness of the depth and breadth of available space technologies, the potential uses and insights into what is coming over the next decade.

Researchers at The University of Western Australia have identified the cause of the devastating faba bean gall disease for the first time, a disease that causes significant destruction of bean crops in Ethiopia and China ... Faba bean is of critical importance for food security in Ethiopia, and faba bean gall disease is especially devastating for this East African community ... Australia is the world’s leading exporter of faba bean, producing up to 500 thousand tonnes annually and supplying one-third of faba bean traded internationally.

Granular Products, in collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), have launched the new Regain 750WG herbicide for control of Prickly Acacia and other woody weeds - with the new formulation providing graziers with an option to manage infestations as they arise, while using existing spray equipment and their previous knowledge of spray chemicals.

With seeding ramping up across many parts of the southern region, growers are being reminded of the importance of monitoring and maintaining soil phosphorus levels in order to maximise yield and profit.

The results for the 2021 London Wine Competition were announced earlier this month and the prestigious Wine of the Year award went to Lévrier Wines’ Anubis Cabernet Sauvignon. The competition, in its 4th year, is unique in that each wine is judged on quality, value and package. The 2021 edition saw entries from 36 countries. Congratulations to Jo Irvine for taking top spot in the whole competition.

Qantas will add more flights to the Bendigo to Sydney route and has made tickets more flexible to accommodate changing COVID-19 restrictions across Australia. Qantas have announced that from May 24 it will increase to a two flight a day return service. This means there will be two flights a day leaving Bendigo and two flights arriving from Sydney.

Greater Shepparton City Council has undertaken a trial of incorporating recycled glass and reclaimed asphalt pavement to renew part of Kialla Lakes Drive, Shepparton ... “Incorporating recycled glass sand into the base layer makes sense, using a waste product, recycling it to renew a road it’s better for the environment. We are very keen to explore every option we have to increase recycling and reuse of waste products that would otherwise go to landfill it just make sense and is something we will expand,” Greater Shepparton City Council Director Infrastructure Phil Hoare said.