Research

The 2023 Australian Beef Eating Quality Insights (ABEQI) report has shown that the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) program generated $463 million in farm gate returns for producers over the past two years. The ABEQI report was generated through the analysis of all MSA graded cattle in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 financial years using data collected by MSA-accredited graders...

For an organisation that invests a considerable portion of their half a billion dollar budget predicting what’s going to happen in 100 years’ time, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has fallen short on the all-important, short term forecasts ... Farmers want less climate change lecturing on the doomsday predictions of global warming, and more lectures on the complexity of the dynamic system that actually influences the day to day, week to week, and month to month rain and temperature that impacts their annual production.

Margrit Beemster. Research has been conducted in the Yallakool Creek and upper Wakool River near Deniliquin to find an easier way to detect adult freshwater mussels and to better understand why mussels are no longer as plentiful as they once were.

Patricia Gill. A Denmark Community Foundation-commissioned report on social isolation has found that Denmark has more people living alone than the rest of WA. Economist Juliet Grist of Rural and Regional Economic Solutions undertook desktop research and case study analysis of social isolation in Denmark.

Tasmanian farmers have the opportunity to take a close-up look at the results of a three-year industrial hemp variety trial at a field day to be held in the Northern Midlands ... Fairfield is home to one of nine sites across the country that make up the AgriFutures Australia national Industrial Hemp Variety Trial (IHVT) program.

Industrial hemp grower and country music legend James Blundell will open the gates to his southern Queensland property where a range of different industrial hemp varieties are being trialled for their suitability to the local growing conditions ... The sites are among nine across the country that make up the AgriFutures Australia national Industrial Hemp Variety Trial (IHVT) program...

Michelle Daw. A shark behaviour specialist believes a three-pronged approach is needed to reduce the likelihood and impact of shark attacks. Professor Charlie Huveneers is a marine ecologist at Flinders University and a keen surfer.

Is this really how harvested forests are left? Australian Rural & Regional News looks into recent statements that highlight continuing conflicting and confusing information in the public domain about connections between forestry operations and bushfires and whether prescribed burns reduce bushfire risk.

Vic Jurskis comments on a research article on the causes of morbidity and mortality in rescued koala joeys ... "academics don't see the big picture of forest ecology and management ... the scientific solution would be to restore frequent mild burning in the bush ... "

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.

Erin McWaters. In November 2022, Shannon and Erin were handed the keys to the Autumn 2021 Shitbox Rally AU Falcon of local Lucindale Survivors Rohan Giles and Andrew Wilks, and began their fundraising campaign to get the face-lifted Sherlee the Shitbox off the Port Douglas start-line on October 13th 2023 for the Spring 2023 Rally, bound for Adelaide via Birdsville.

The December 2023 Situation and Outlook Report from Dairy Australia forecasts milk production to remain steady over the 2023/24 season despite the anticipated impacts of the El Niño weather event ... "High production costs, Australia’s price competitiveness of dairy products and economic constraints on consumers are emerging risks": Eliza Redfern.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters battled a blaze in a grain silo at Leeton and discovered a new use for their Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), or drones, that is expected to significantly reduce the length of emergency operations. The Leeton crew is now preparing to share this newfound capability with their firefighting colleagues across the nation.

This World Soil Day, Kellanova ANZ, parent company of Kellogg’s, is shining a light on how farmers are preparing for the upcoming El Niño summer season, with soil health at the very heart ... New research reveals that 9 in 10 Aussie farmers already have a plan in place to deal with drier weather; Almost a third are confident the practices they use will help them prepare for potential drought.

Rohan Cleave, Kate Pearce. A big thank you for hosting us on Lord Howe Island (LHI) in September, where we celebrated Threatened Species Day at the LHI Community School and a community event ... The LHI Stick Insect (Dryococelus australis) is one of the world’s most critically endangered invertebrate species.  

A new collaboration between Deakin University researchers and Australia’s largest commercial linen supplier Simba Global is tackling a critical global issue, the spread of harmful microplastics through our laundry.

A new research project by AgriFutures Australia and the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) is set to examine the wild-harvest buffalo supply chain in the Northern Territory (NT). The first-of-its-kind project … aims to identify the barriers and potential opportunities to ensure the industry’s sustainable growth.

A $10.4 million industry with 275,000 mature trees the potential of pomegranates is largely untapped. AgriFutures Australia has funded the latest literature review and industry consultation into the sector, captured in the newly released  Australian Pomegranate Management Guide.

Australian chickpea, dairy and lamb prices recorded notable increases in October, partially offsetting the downward pressure on the NAB Rural Commodities Index* from declining cattle prices ... NAB’s November Rural Commodities Wrap reports the Index fell 1.8 per cent in October...