Media Release

More than 2,400 grain and cotton growers and spray contractors across Queensland and New South Wales have signed on to a world-first, Australian-developed weather data system to help minimise spray drift and limit the damage it causes to food and fibre crops and the environment. Spray drift is a significant problem for agriculture.

We’re on the hunt for the best country pub that provides a cracker experience for mature-age RV travellers. That’s why we’ve worked with other organisations to identify and short-list 16 top pubs that are now up with a chance of being named the Best  Grey Nomad Pub  Stay  in Australia.

Hundreds of messages gathered on National Agriculture Day have been collated as the ultimate Christmas gift to Australian farmers. Now in its seventh year, Ag Day – or #AgDayAU – gives all Australians the opportunity to celebrate and learn about farming and the production of food and fibre.

A Charles Sturt University legal academic has successfully represented First Nations people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia before a United Nations tribunal ... “The decision concerns the Wunna Nyiyaparli people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, an area rich in minerals such as iron ore, and basically concerns a miscarriage of justice in the Federal Court in determining their native title rights": Dr Scott Calnan.

SFF is calling on the Minister for Agriculture to refer the inhumane actions of the National Parks and Wildlife Service during aerial culling trials over Kosciuszko National Park to NSW Police for investigation ... chasing an animal for several hundred yards whilst delivering as many as 15 shots into it, to induce enough bleeding to euthanise the animal, would be a reportable offence under the POCTA Act.

The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA) is proudly announcing its transformation into the Australian Wild Game Industry Council (AWGIC). The change reflects the industry’s commitment to the expansion of its national membership base, representing the interests of wild game meat and skin processors throughout Australia.

Staff from Mangalore-based business, Kestrel Aviation, were recently recognised with The National Emergency Medal for their services during recent fire events across the country. The National Emergency Medal is awarded to persons who rendered sustained or significant service during nationally significant emergencies in Australia.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is concerned not enough is being done to protect the rights of landholders when it comes to the development and operation of transmission lines across farmland … newly released Land Access Code of Practice falls short of offering farmers the protections they need.

Scoot Boots are a healthier, natural barefoot alternative to metal horseshoes to help protect horses’ hooves and the innovative Australian company has taken out the prestigious E-Commerce Exporter of the Year Award at 61st Australian Export Awards.

Andrew Smith, Rural Bank Head of Agribusiness Development said: “As was the case for 2023, the three key themes that will impact Australian agriculture in the first half of 2024 continue to be seasonal conditions, trade conditions and economic headwinds, but looking to the upside, a more favourable economic environment is expected to begin supporting agricultural markets in the back half of 2024."

Australia’s farmers are approaching the end of the year with a hint of improving optimism as rural confidence levels nudge slightly higher in the latest quarter. The Q4 Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, found net level farmer confidence across the nation edged up marginally…

The South Australian Government welcomes the Chinese Government’s decision to lift suspensions on the Naracoorte abattoir – along with two other Australian facilities. Eased restrictions will enable the Teys Australia meat facility to recommence sending its products to China.

Basin states and the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) are jointly celebrating 20 years since the historic ‘first step’ decision to establish The Living Murray program. A forerunner of the 2012 Basin Plan, The Living Murray (TLM) program was initiated in response to compelling evidence of severe and long-term decline in the health of the Murray River system.

Relocation, demolition and site rectification works are powering ahead on Lockyer Valley properties purchased under the Voluntary Home Buy-Back (VHBB) program ... 21 contracts of sale have now been settled in the Lockyer Valley, with more to come, allowing families to move on with their lives out of high-risk flood zones.

A “new breed’’ of recycling plant is up and sorting on the Sunshine Coast, leading the way in creating a cleaner, greener future for our region – and country. It’s called “MuRf’’, which rolls off the tongue much better than Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

Regional and rural Queenslanders are seeking access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) services at a rate that is almost double their inner-city counterparts – a revelation that should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who cares about the equitable delivery of healthcare, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has said.

The Victorian Government has launched a review of the current approaches to dingo management and conservation to quell its radical left-wing backers. At the same time, it has extended a legislative rule allowing control of dingoes by only one year, as opposed to five years in previous instances...

New research focused on Australian thoroughbreds is now available to help understand the impact of a range of lesions on a yearling’s potential racing performance. The  Investigation of what radiographic lesions in thoroughbred yearlings are significant in limiting future racing performance  project was delivered by AgriFutures Australia in conjunction with The University of Queensland and has significant implications across the industry.

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has warned farmers face greater costs, more complexities and lengthy delays, if Labor’s push to abolish Commonwealth-funded legal advice for landholders in native title claims is passed. The Native Title Respondent Scheme provided financial support to pastoralists and other landowners for native title claims.

Farmers across the globe have united on climate with the newly formed Agriculture Climate Alliance. The Alliance has released its first statement from COP28 in Dubai ... “Farmers around the world are at the front line of climate change..." the statement says.

After years of neglect, the glory days of Babinda’s historic nursing quarters have been returned with a new lease of life, transforming the Art Deco beauty into a popular guesthouse in the heart of nature’s playground ... In carrying on her mother’s tradition of bringing old buildings back to life, Maggie Perpetua Nelson’s daughter, Kim Marsden, undertook the considered renovation of Babinda Quarters, reimagining it into a fresh iteration oozing creativity, character, and a good dose of quirk.