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Christmas beetles and koalas – part of the whole big picture
Vic Jurskis. The principles of monitoring animal numbers are no different for koalas or beetles. Monitoring should not be an end. But the first step should always be to look at historical information. They are irruptive animals which sometimes occur in plagues. Koalas and Christmas beetles have both gone through booms and busts in the same places at the same times for the same reasons ... ARR.News asked some further questions of Vic.
As 2022 draws to a close, what’s ahead for ag commodities in 2023: NAB
Despite agricultural commodity prices retreating last month to the same level as November 2021, many Australian producers are seeing their most profitable period in living memory as 2022 draws to a close. Released on 19 December 2022, NAB’s December Rural Commodities Wrap reports the bank’s Rural Commodities Index was down 2.6% in November on the back of increasing volatility in livestock and grain markets.
No regional Australians, things aren’t quite as the banks say
The Federal Government’s Treasury Department now has in its possession pages of first-hand accounts from bank staff admitting that they have been working under orders to move customers away from face-to-face banking and on to digital channels ... It is the first time hard evidence has been available to prove these long-suspected practices exist, yet the information, provided to the Regional Banking Taskforce through the Financial Sector Union, was ignored by the Government in its final report.
Self-thinning forest understoreys and wildfire debate – closing question
In light of the discussion over many submissions on the topic of self-thinning forest understoreys and wildfire from our notable commentators - Jack Bradshaw, Philip Zylstra, Roger Underwood and Peter Rutherford - and the continuing differences of opinion, each was asked the following question, with a view to concluding the debate, at least for the time being, and hopefully on a constructive note: What more might it be useful to explore?
Election year reflections and hopes for 2023
Three elections in one year was draining, inspiring, and historic. For the elected officials that we have in 2023, I wanted to share a few hopes for your work in 2023. #1 Create a high performance culture. The saying that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” applies to families, community groups, businesses, elected officials, and public sector staff. The culture eats strategy rule of thumb has been a lesson throughout my career and it has the persistence and reliability, but not always the timeliness, of gravity.
Seasonal rural update
Danielle Moore. A seasonal update of where things are at in our local area ... This season has not let up. I’ve been an agronomist for 32 years, while there is rain there is still work to be done and it hasn’t stopped!: Jamie Weatherald, Nutrien Ag Bordertown ... “Its been pretty challenging from the vineyard side of things with many rainfall events...": Will Malone, Wrattonbully.
Opportunities to improve fuel management in NSW: John O’Donnell
John O'Donnell reviews the NSW Rural Fire Service Annual Report 2021/22 ... Unfortunately, areas of annual hazard reduction burning and mechanical reduction in NSW are both at very low rates ... Only 3.1 per cent of the NSW forested landscape has received fuel treatment over five years, this is extremely low and inadequate to reduce bushfire areas and risk. In addition, the forests with extensive hot bushfires of 2019/ 20 are now three years old and in many cases there are extensive areas of dead trees, heavy grass/ bark etc fuel and dense understoreys ...
Clarence candidates on nuclear fusion electricity generation
Rodney Stevens. As power prices are predicted to skyrocket by up to 50 per cent, a raft of alternative energy sources are being explored to satisfy our endless electricity consumption, including nuclear fusion, which the Nationals are open to exploring ... the CV Independent asked the candidates for the seat of Clarence their thoughts on the controversial topic.
Push to turn forgotten ‘wet’ trades into a hot ticket: Katter
Katter’s Australian Party is flagging a proposal incentivising Year 12 students to take up the forgotten “wet” trades of bricklaying, concreting and scaffolding in a transitional schedule strategically-timed with the winter weather. In response to predictions that North Queensland would face an alarming lack of willing workers in the “wet” trades of bricklaying, concreting and scaffolding in the next decade, the KAP proposed to incentivise and provide employment pathways for an annually-set number of Year 12 students.
Coming up to speed on farm connectivity
If you understand the difference between 5G low and high band, fixed wireless, repeaters and extenders, then you don’t have to read this. While the tech savvy know their way around digital connectivity, the vast majority of us are staggering around in the dark when it comes to getting information on how to get a couple of extra signal bars on our mobile phones or stop the download lag on our broadband.
Why the quail is a strategic bird for Ukraine
During the war, quail could save millions of Ukrainians from hunger and poverty. Only 1m2 is needed to grow this bird. For this, 200 dollars is enough. Investments begin to make a profit after 2 months. The income is 25-40 per cent of the invested funds per month. However, several reasons do not allow the quail to become a national bird in Ukraine.
Koala monitoring and habitat: Vic Jurskis responds
Vic Jurskis responds to ARR.News questions including about the different methods for monitoring koalas, sustainable koala populations, koala habitat and the relationship with timber harvesting ... "Gathering numbers should not be an end. Deliberations of the TSSC assume that more is better. The koala’s ecological history of irruptions and crashes in numbers after European arrival clearly shows this not to be the case. Effective monitoring requires an understanding of the reasons for any real changes in numbers."
Pharmacist believes decision will benefit patients and GPs
Narrandera Capital Chemist pharmacist in charge Melissa Close has welcomed the NSW Government’s plans to offer people easier access to more medications and vaccinations at their local pharmacies ... Melissa believes that allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication for conditions such as urinary tract infections, skin ailments, ear infections and hormonal contraceptives will ease the burden on local GPs and reduce wait times for patients who need more specialised care.
The Victorian election and the Riverina State
David Landini, Riverina State Group. The Victorian election, with the re-election of the Daniel Andrews’ Labor government, and the election of seven Greens Members of Parliament, ensures that the suppression of natural resource-based industries such as irrigated agriculture and timber harvesting will not only continue, but actually accelerate and expand. That these Members of Parliament are all urban-based, while the industries being suppressed are all in the country, demonstrates the cultural and economic division existing between the urban and country populations.
Choke hold
Even with more than 100,000 megalitres a day crossing the South Australian border, SA Water closed the barrages due to seawater flowing into the freshwater estuary. SA Water satellite imagery also shows the current flooding is still not moving down the Coorong. The real risk of constraints relaxation may be felt closer to home. The modification of the Barmah Choke has been seen as the crown jewel for accessing held environmental water. The choke protects Echuca-Moama and Koondrook-Barham from large Murray floods from Hume Dam, currently on display with the flows heading north down the Edward-Wakool system ... Community concerns over constraints relaxation flooding farmers and potentially impacting townships has been labelled as scaremongering by MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville.
What you should know about your local rural pathology service
When I came to rural NSW pathology in the 1990's, there were approximately six rural cytology positions employed in the government pathology laboratories in the state and a single rural cytology position employed by the private sector. So the number of trained cytology positions was never large and very much fewer in rural areas. However, as of 2016-17 they are non-existent in any rural NSW pathology setting, private or public sector. Similarly, numbers are greatly reduced for most of the other specialist pathology positions, especially pathologists themselves.
The Zylstra theory: a final comment: Roger Underwood
Having read the latest comment by Philip Zylstra in the ARR.News journal I was tempted to dismiss it as negligible, and move on. Then I realised that he had denigrated my colleagues, dismissing them as an emotional "lobby group”, and I realised that he must not be allowed to have the last word. To the extent that we are pushing for Australian governments to adopt a bushfire policy and management practices that minimise bushfire damage to the Australian people, to community assets and the environment, then yes, we are lobbyists. But we do so unemotionally, from the basis of science and experience.
Blowing in the wind in your window
If you love the view from the top of your farm looking out over the surrounding countryside, then let’s hope you are not near the coast or major power lines or in a windy part of Western Australia because the state and federal governments and the men and women with white shoes are quietly pouring over maps looking for sites that will become tomorrow’s wind farms.
NSW koalas and industrial logging of the public forest estate: Sue Higginson
Sue Higginson responds to ARR.News questioning of the premise for the Green's introduced Forestry Amendment (Koala Habitats) Bill 2022 ... "All levels of Government agree that our Koalas have declined significantly in recent decades and that they are facing extinction in coming decades if threats to their survival are not stopped ... The legitimacy of the Law article is broadly contested": Sue Higginson, NSW Greens MP.
Banking taskforce report opens the gate for mass closures
The number of banks closed in regional Australia in the six weeks since the Albanese Government quietly released the Coalition’s Regional Banking Taskforce final report is comparable to a dam opening its spillways. The blame for the acceleration – at least 71 branches across all states and territories – can be laid squarely at the feet of the two opposition MPs who led the inquiry, Michael Sukker and Perin Davey, and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones, who released the report.
Andrews SEC plan is a mixed bag
When Daniel Andrews announced his plans to revive the State Electricity Commission (SEC), he said: “Unreliable, privatised coal will be replaced by clean, government-owned renewable energy.” This is a distorted claim.
Stop. Think. Vote! Australia’s peak animal welfare body says Victorian politics needs your vote to count: Animal Care Australia
Australia’s peak animal welfare body, Animal Care Australia, has published a score card of how each Victorian Political Party performed in supporting or opposing sound Animal Welfare initiatives for companion animals in this last term. Animal Care Australia painstakingly trawled through the last 3 years of Hansard (the official record of the Minutes of Victoria’s Parliament) to find how often each party spoke in favour of improving animal welfare and supporting companion animals, and those who blocked, or spoke against, those motions.
