Research

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...

A collaborative research project led by Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie has the potential to improve the health and care services for people living with Parkinson’s disease in rural, regional, and remote Australia ... Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally, after Alzheimer’s disease...

John O'Donnell believes that many of the forested fire grounds across south eastern Australia are way too dangerous to fight bushfires and for firefighter safety and that, as a society, we have learnt very little following 2019/20 bushfires and bushfires before that, especially in regards to bushfire mitigation and safety. John has identified 21 main areas of concern in relation to bushfire firefighter safety in forested areas.

Brief webinar to showcase research conducted on a commercial farm in Tasmania, where steers were allowed ad libitum (free) access to feed-grade biochar. The webinar will discuss results measured for liveweight gains, pasture composition and growth, manure and soil organic carbon, enteric methane emissions and cost-benefit modelling

Scientists from Australia and the United States are teaming up to tackle one of animal science’s biggest challenges: a safe and effective vaccine against African swine fever, a viral pandemic devastating the world’s pig industries. CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is working with US biotech firm MBF Therapeutics to evaluate their novel DNA vaccine candidate for African swine fever.

A trial oyster hatchery in Wilson Inlet will need steady marine exchange to maintain salinity for the spats to continue their promising growth ... Marine biologist Zak Launay, who previously harvested mussels commercially in the inlet, said the oysters could grow to commercial size in about half the time of the standard growth cycle.

Pests and weeds are costing farmers a combined $5.3 billion a year in both management and production loss ... ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the latest ABARES report, Cost of established pest animals and weeds to Australian agricultural producers, was an eye-opening reminder of the immense task of managing pests and weeds.

Scientists are developing a vaccine-like solution to arm Aussie citrus growers with an effective way to combat citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a significant challenge for the Australian citrus industry ... The impact of CTV on citrus crops can vary from no effect to 100 per cent tree death, depending on the variant.

Despite low mouse activity reported around Australia, grain growers are being asked to remain vigilant and harvest cleanly to enhance future baiting effectiveness and increase on-farm profitability. Leading mouse experts recently spoke at the National Mouse Group Meeting supported by Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment, where the link between harvest losses and baiting effectiveness was discussed.

We live in a digital era where vast amounts of information are collected by government. It is easy to store and retrieve so why is access to this information stuck in the Dark Ages? What we need is for government departments' data to be made far more accessible. We need them to post all the most obvious metrics that we, as taxpayers and consumers of government services, need to hold them to account.

A potential new non-lethal and ethical approach to control invasive mammal pests was showcased at a briefing held at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide ... Hosted by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions and the University of Adelaide, the briefing introduced guests to a world-first breakthrough in gene drive technology.

The ‘Westfund Regional Health Gap Report’ shows that access to healthcare remains an ongoing issue for Australians in regional areas, with half (49 per cent) of respondents considering the wait time to see their GP unreasonable, some having to wait up to six weeks to get an appointment, and many having to travel more than two hours for an in-person consultation with specialists ... Mark Genovese, Westfund CEO, answers some questions from ARR.News about general trends, specific initiatives for specific areas, digital health care and more.