News

Western Australian grain growers are being urged to "walk through paddocks" to check for mouse activity and crop damage to determine whether they need to start baiting programs this season.

Growcom has welcomed the release of a new Australian-Grown Horticulture Sustainability Framework by industry R&D corporation Hort Innovation.

Sunshine Coast Council is joining outreach providers to shine a light on the challenges faced by vulnerable community members and provide support information across the region. An outreach program will deliver a range of services, support and information from next week, highlighting the help that is available to Sunshine Coast people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

The COVID-19 pandemic risks having a deep and lasting impact on Australia’s first responder community. New research highlighting alarming rates of anxiety, depression and burnout potentially leaves Australia with a scar that’s harder to heal that the disease itself.

Global investment giant AXA IM has acquired around 24,000-hectares of Australian woodland, as well as an associated forestry management business, Green Triangle Forest Products (GTFP) estate, marking one of the largest investments into Australian forestry in more than a decade.

Data from Wine Australia showed total exports fell to $2.56 billion over the 2021 financial year. Exports to China plummeted 45% to $606 million. Beijing’s introduction of anti-dumping tariffs and duties in November ... Outside of China, Australian wine exports actually increased by 12% by value to $1.96 billion, and 6% by volume, to 643 million litres.

Kirstin Nicholson. Georgia Sieben will represent Victoria at the 2021 Agricultural Shows Australia National Young Judges finals. The 18-year-old, who grew up on a farm in Torrumbarry, has been showing and parading at the Cohuna Show with her family from a young age.

Site works have begun on a medicinal cannabis facility delivering job opportunities for local trade contractors. Cannaponics Limited is building a new commercial cultivation, extraction, processing and distribution facility to compete in the rapidly growing medicinal cannabis industry.

Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Western NSW Adam Marshall has today announced a newly-created exemption to allow farmers and agribusiness workers to move freely across the NSW-Queensland border under current COVID restrictions.

Rockhampton Regional Libraries will share tales of empire, war, love, betrayal, Spanish Influenza and youthful naivet̩, thanks to a Rotary Club donation. Local author Mark Svendsen has recently released "As Hammers Fall", a book for young adults focusing on WWI with a Brisbane perspective Рand it is now available at the Southside Library.

The National Farmers' Federation is seeing red at the United Nations Food Systems Summit and has urged the Government to do its best to stop uninformed and alarmist outcomes being supported. The NFF, on behalf of Australia’s livestock sector is working closely with the Global Meat Alliance, the Global Dairy Platform and other nations, who share our concerns, in responding to the UNFSS.

In a tall shed at Fairy Hill, Andy Pleasance and Anette Hammat have big dreams as they build their first tiny house on wheels. “It’s all about wanting to help people live lighter and providing a house without a million-dollar mortgage,” Anette said.

Rous County Councillors voted 5–3 to keep the Dunoon Dam out of the region’s future water strategy and instead tap into ground water aquifers in Alstonville and Tyagarah ... “The community feedback on the council’s strategy was overwhelmingly in favour of the Dunoon Dam project with more than 10,000 of the 13,000 submissions received supporting the dam being investigated as a future water project. It is outrageous that the majority of elected councillors have completely ignored the community consultation process and Rous County Council staff recommendations”: NSW parliamentary secretary for Water Infrastructure, Sam Farraway.

The echidnas are looking for a mate, Wires said, and most of the ones spotted around Kyogle are likely to be males. “They join the echidna train where males follow a female for up to six weeks until she chooses one of them.”

Barbara Winters. The Ashby Nature Discovery team and the Clarence Valley Koala Working Group proved recently that we can still enjoy Covid-safe community events in the outdoors. The Ashby Hall Reserve is the perfect location to make new connections and go for a walk and learn more about nature while social distancing.

Emma Pritchard. “I don’t know how much time I’ve got left, but I just want to do whatever I can to help and encourage other people who are experiencing difficulties and mental illness to not be afraid to speak up and ask for help, and to also raise awareness of MSA-P" (Multiple System Atrophy): Jason Williams

Geoff Helisma. Bellingen Shire Council is the second council to support Clarence Valley Council’s anti-mining stance ... "So, this is asking that we don’t mine areas of high rainfall where there is a chance that it will have lasting effects on the environment and our economic opportunity. We do protect those things that are so valued in our community, so I have no qualms about putting this motion up to support what the Clarence Valley councillors have put” : Bellingen mayor, Dominic King.