Research

Shaped by the highest volume of feedback since its inception in 2018, the 2023-24 annual GenCost report has been released ... GenCost is a leading economic report by CSIRO ... in collaboration with AEMO on the cost of building future electricity generation, storage and hydrogen production in Australia. The latest report introduces a range of changes in response to stakeholder feedback, most significantly, the inclusion of large-scale nuclear for the first time.

Michelago, Bredbo, Adaminaby and Jindabyne residents impacted by bushfires highlighted the importance of bushfire maps showing users their location in relation to a fire risk, while clearly communicating critical information such as direction of fire spread to ensure emergency information is easily understood and followed by communities under threat.

The global dairy market may experience a slower price recovery than previously anticipated, particularly as China shows a reduced need for dairy imports, Rabobank says in recently-released sector research. But, despite this, the overall market outlook remains positive, the global specialist agribusiness bank says in its Q2 Global Dairy Quarterly, titled Searching for Equilibrium.

Mark Poynter, a fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia (now Forestry Australia) reviews The Forest Wars. The author, Professor David Lindenmayer, responds ... "The Forest Wars  purports to portray the ‘ugly truth’ about what happens in wood production forests": Poynter ... "As I point out in the book there are some key problems with the industry": Lindenmayer.

The 2024 Rural Bank Australian Farmland Values Report finds that Australian farmland values have now recorded a full decade of unbroken growth. While 2023 saw a rise in the national median price, capping off an extraordinary period for farmland values, it also marked a shift in the market as the pace of growth slowed considerably.

The world has witnessed a surge in interest surrounding superfood Moringa oleifera, a fast-growing tree known for its extraordinary nutritional benefits. Almost every part of the moringa tree, from its high-protein green leaves to its seed oil, is edible and packed with essential nutrients.

Australian farmland prices are set for further growth in the year ahead – but at a slowing pace – Rabobank says in its just-released annual Australian Farmland Price Outlook. The global agribusiness banking specialist says after three consecutive years of "double- digit" growth, the momentum in agricultural land price increases is expected to further slow in 2024, as farm profitability levels come off record highs.

New research on how to treat people with PTSD brought on by the 2022 floods was announced at Southern Cross University in Lismore ... Leading the research is Professor James Bennett-Levy ... The research project has many ‘firsts’ in its approach.

Frank Batini. I have observed patterns of foliage scorch, some tree deaths and then recovery in the northern jarrah forest for 22 years. These can be readily explained in terms of soil depth, water-holding capacity, winter rainfall and summer drought ... My hypothesis is that this forest has repeatedly shown resilience to drought ... This is the “good news”, as opposed to the alarmism of other commentators.

Suzie Christensen. LHI has been the latest site to host field trials for a novel detection method, Phytophthora-sniffing dogs. Staff from the Botanic Gardens of Sydney’s Plant Clinic, and Tate Animal Enterprises, visited the Island ... to conduct searches in the PPP and settlement area using Alice, a Springer Spaniel, trained to detect the soil-borne disease.

Australia’s cattle market is sitting in a "state of balance" – with improved beef production waiting on an increase in demand – but an upside in prices is expected towards the end of the year, Rabobank says in its Australian Beef Seasonal Outlook 2024. The current absence of any strong demand – along with a higher herd inventory, with no real liquidation or rebuilding urgency...

A recent Rabobank report highlights a complex scenario for the global fertiliser market – fertiliser costs are down, but so are commodity prices, squeezing farmers’ margins. Demand for certain fertilisers, such as phosphates, is experiencing a downturn.

Australian beef cattle prices are expected to remain elevated over the next year, supported by improved restocker demand on the back of better seasonal conditions and healthy export demand. NAB’s Beef in Focus Report released today reports that after falling to a nine-year low in October 2023, reaching 349c/kg, the benchmark Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) is now above the 2015-19 average.

Characterisation of key compounds offers way to verify claims of authenticity, underpinning unique value proposition. An investigation characterising the components of essential oil distilled from Australian tea tree will underpin the integrity and value proposition of the local product, and pave the way for access to premium international markets.

The results of a new comprehensive independent assessment of the environmental performance of Australia’s cotton industry have been released revealing significant gains, and areas for improvement.

Towong Shire libraries in Corryong and Tallangatta are showcasing a collection of local war heroes assembled by Year 6 students in the region, as part of an Anzac Day research project. Using digitised service records from the National Archives of Australia, students created informative posters ...

GRDC and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, are urging growers and advisers to be vigilant due to reports of moderate to high mouse activity in several regions across Australia … the areas with moderate to high mouse activity include parts of the north Adelaide Plains, Victorian Mallee and Wimmera, pockets of Queensland's Darling Downs, and the Central Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia.

Author Jill Griffiths describes her debut book, 'What's For Dinner?' as “an exploration of the food on the table and the farming that puts it there and what it all means for people who grow food and those who eat it”. Australian Regional & Rural News reporter, Serena Kirby, spoke with Jill recently to learn more about her background, how the book came about and some of the fascinating things she discovered in the process.

The government’s own research on the north coast has confirmed that forestry does not affect koala numbers ... New data from field surveys of 1000 sites, trumpeted by the incoming Environment Minister and commenced a year ago, will not be released in time to stimulate or inform public submissions on the Koala Strategy ... The result is preordained.

Shaun Hollis. A ground-breaking study into the movement of coastal sand dunes paints a picture of what will likely happen to Yorke Peninsula’s extensive dune systems across coming decades, according to a leading global coastal studies expert. Flinders University Professor Patrick Hesp said, as rising sea levels and less rainfall impact coastlines, dunes will increasingly migrate back from beaches and encroach on properties behind them.

In this webinar, you will hear about three PhD research projects covering bushfire smoke and eye health, remote sensing and machine learning to predict forest fire spread, and collaborative and adaptive fire risk-reduction.

Patricia Gill. Forests and reserves around Denmark have been hit by a ‘forest collapse’ event as the region struggles through a dry six months and feed for farms is depleting. Murdoch University fire and plant ecologist Dr Joe Fontaine says Denmark and South Coast regions may not be having the driest spell on record but the ecology was suffering due to an unusually long summer.