Media Release

Effective collaboration across the timber industry and learning the lessons from past fire salvage efforts have been highlighted as key factors underpinning the success of the record salvage program in the Tumut and Tumbarumba regions following the Black Summer fires in  a report commissioned by Forestry Corporation of NSW.

The Australian almond industry is on track to enjoy a "much better year in 2024", Rabobank says in a newly-released report, with producers expecting to see margin improvement thanks to lower input prices, affordable water prices and high water availability, better climatic conditions and improving export prices.

Announced changes to the Biosecurity Protection Levy are an important step forward in developing a sustainable system and address some of the concerns raised by industry GrainGrowers said ... “While there are still issues to be addressed, the announcement is a positive step, and we look forward to further discussions, particularly around accountability and performance issues”: GrainGrowers Chair Rhys Turton.

The peak representative bodies for Tasmanian and Victorian farmers have joined forces to call for fair land access rules in the face of rapid renewable energy developments taking over prime agricultural land. TasFarmers and the VFF released the Farm Access Code of Conduct which is aimed at promoting respectful and sensible infrastructure development on agricultural land.

Scientists are researching and developing new technology to build a prototype robot arm that will automate the repetitive and intensive parts of banana processing, resulting in significant efficiencies for the banana industry ... “If successful, this type of technology could also be applied to other crop-types to support Aussie fruit and vegetable supply": Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield.

The Authority met with the Hon Tanya Plibersek Minister for the Environment and Water, to discuss Basin issues. The Authority noted the Minister’s announcement of 30 January 2024 launching new programs to deliver the Basin Plan in full. Members were further briefed by representatives of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Australia’s dairy import and export mix is "slowly trading places" – with export volumes falling sharply in recent years while imports have spiked, Rabobank says in a newly- released report.

Cargill is introducing a sustainable agriculture program to help Australian canola growers connect with new and emerging markets with the launch of Cargill SustainConnectâ„¢. The Cargill SustainConnectâ„¢ program will open new revenue streams for growers in Australia and assist Cargill in catering to the rising demand from domestic and international customers for sustainable Australian canola.

South Australian artificial intelligence (AI) company AICRAFT and deep tech company GoMicro have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to utilise AICRAFT’s low-power, compact, high-performance edge computing systems for powering GoMicro’s AI assessment solutions for agriculture and other industrial in-machine applications.

The implementation plan to assist in delivery of Australia’s first National Biosecurity Strategy (NBS), a collaborative, national approach to protecting Australia from exotic pests and diseases backed by all government agriculture ministers, has been released.

Regional-specific new build targets; bolstered and quarantined regional housing infrastructure funding; and better planning for growth are among the asks of government from the National Regional Housing Summit ... A Discussion Paper, presenting the latest regional housing stock data and featuring stories of communities who’ve successfully taken action to solve their housing issues, provided context to Summit.

A lone performer. An unseen script. A show without borders. Join Australian comedian, and Helpmann award-winning actor, Darren Gilshenan as he boldly steps onto the stage, opens an envelope, and reads a script for the very first time, in front of a full house. White Rabbit, Red Rabbit  is a groundbreaking play from Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour.

At ... National Regional Housing Summit, the National Farmers’ Federation is calling on policymakers to shine a light on how farmers can be part of the solution to Australia’s deepening housing crisis ... NFF President David Jochinke said: “It’s no secret agriculture is struggling with workforce shortages, and one of the biggest barriers to getting employees on farm is a lack of regional housing.

The National Farmers’ Federation has flagged the rushed backroom deals that will allow the industrial relations reforms through today, will leave farmers to deal with legislation fraught with problems.  NFF Chief Executive Tony Mahar said the suite of measures would deliver more uncertainty for farmers, more power for union bosses, and a less dynamic economy for workers.  

Within a day of supermarkets lodging their submissions to the Senate inquiry established to review their own pricing practices, it’s clear their defences rely more on deflection than fact.

"The memories of the opposition appear to be shorter than the brief time they were in Government. The feral deer culling program was approved by then Environment Minister, David Speirs. If the South Australian Liberals have abandoned their support for a deer culling program, then they need to come clean with farmers as this is a significant policy shift": Susan Close.

New data shows mixed fortunes for an Australian horticulture sector facing numerous challenges; however, the long-term outlook remains strong with total production value increasing by 2.8 per cent to $16.3B. The latest edition of the Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook ... includes information on 75 different horticulture categories across fruit, vegetables, nuts, and greenlife.

The NSW Government has continued to take a hardline approach to the threat of imported red fire ants, as the Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty announced the successful results of Operation Victa over the past weekend … Operation Victa activated another wave of security checks on heavy vehicles at the border between NSW and Qld, turning back any non-compliant vehicles.

Canegrowers and the Australian Cane Farmers Association are calling on the State Government to support Mossman’s recovery as the far north Queensland community continues to struggle in the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

There is cause to celebrate in the Southern Highlands with the completion of an international standard Arena in Bundanoon, and everyone is invited to the Grand Opening at 11am on Saturday 17 February ... And this is another feather in the cap of the Carriage Club, which was awarded the 2023 International Carriage Club of the Year by the British Carriage Driving Society.

Supporters advocating for the protection of Lots 512 and 513, DP727686, identified as part of Kariong Sacred Lands along Woy Woy Road, express shock and dismay over the lack of transparency and fairness during the Community Consultation Phase for the contentious rezoning proposal ... "We estimate over 3,000 public submissions opposing this unpopular planning proposal. It is impossible to contact every person to resubmit their views": Lisa Bellamy.