Research

The largest and most ambitious trade initiative in Australian horticulture has been given the green light with a host of partners signing on to an historic $130 million program, the Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA) ... As part of the program, FASTA will also boost biosecurity initiatives to solidify Australia’s strong reputation in pest-management and as a responsible trading partner for years to come.

Scientists are tracking Australian native stingless bees to determine what they like to eat, and how diet impacts overall hive health and their ability to pollinate crops effectively ... “The incursion of Varroa Mite has placed us in a position where we have had to reassess how we think about pollination”: Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield.

John O'Donnell identifies the multiple contributory factors that influenced fuels, forest fire resilience, bushfire attack, safety, impact, cost, bushfire extent and intensity of the 2019/ 2020 major bushfires across south eastern Australia ... Are we better prepared now?

John Anderson. If ever there was a family of birds that exhibits supreme mastery of the skies, albeit those close to the ocean, it is the albatross family. The CSIRO Australian Bird Guide lists 17 species of albatross that can be seen in Australian waters. They range over vast areas of the Southern Ocean, nesting on Sub-Antarctic Islands such as Macquarie Island and in winter push northwards to patrol the southern coastline of Australia.

A groundbreaking animal growth and welfare monitoring, detection and notification system has been awarded the annual AgriFutures Research Award for 2023 ... the runner up, DryRice research, focused on enhancing rice genotypes and ensuring sustainable development in the rice industry.

Projected high industry growth, an appetite for expanded trade and increasing sustainability priorities have driven the new Hort Innovation Strategy 2024-2026. Released on 31 July 2023, the strategy was informed by feedback from growers across the nation through farm visits, surveys and advice garnered through industry advisory panels and meetings.

Portable air purifiers fitted with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can substantially improve indoor air quality during bushfire events, according to new research from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.  Published in Public Health Research & Practice, researchers found that HEPA filters have potential, when used appropriately, to substantially improve indoor air quality by 30–74 per cent during smoke episodes caused by prescribed burns.  

Clearing of regulated vegetation reduced from about 98,000 hectares in 2019-20 to 61,000 hectares in 2020-21. This year’s annual SLATS report shows that total woody vegetation clearing in 2020-21 decreased by 17 per cent compared to the previous year, and 49 per cent overall since 2018-19.

A new report released last week confirms the Australian horticulture industry will be making an essential contribution to attaining the ambitious goal of $100 billion in national agricultural value by 2030. Commissioned by Hort Innovation and delivered by The Centre for International Economics, the Contribution of Australian horticulture industry report predicts the sector will witness a 22.5 per cent increase in combined value by 2030, to reach $21.8 billion.

Ukrainian chicken producers have made a good marketing move. Thanks to this, the retail price of boneless chicken meat is about US$3 for one kilo. This is the most affordable meat in Ukraine. Beef and pork producers have yet to strike back ... Private entrepreneur Lyudmila Koloshko speaks about how profitable it is to sell "Leg meat".

The latest agricultural lending statistics provided by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) show an increase in aggregate lending to the farm sector of 9 per cent in 2021–22. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the cumulative value of loans outstanding has increased from $100.7 billion at 30 June 2021 to $109.9 billion at 30 June 2022.

The state government decision to close the native forest timber industry culminates eight years of mismanagement that turned VicForests from a profitable business into a loss maker, an analysis by a Traralgon consultant has found ... Mr Cameron said Australian hardwood sawn timber mill gate revenue sold for 3.5 times the price of Australian softwood sawn timber, and contributed to much greater value-adding and job creation than softwood.

The state government has been accused of using a landmark Victorian climate report, which was written without any input from forestry researchers or the forest industry, to prematurely close the native forestry industry. These forestry groups resent the lack of consultation and have attacked the intellectual content of the report ... The report was written without any contribution from leading forestry experts – Forestry Australia, which represents forest scientists, forest managers and timber growers; Forest & Wood Products Australia, the sector’s chief research and marketing arm; the Victorian Forest Products Association; and leading forestry academics.

Dust storms pose a significant threat to the environment, public health and the economy ... In this article, we will delve into research insights from our scientists, discussing the impact of dust storms, the importance of land management practices, and measures that can be taken to prepare for these natural phenomena.

Over 4,600 historic plans of 460 regional towns in NSW — from Bourke to Bega — have just been digitised and made available for the first time on the State Library of NSW’s website ... "Subdivision plans are an absolute goldmine for genealogists and local historians as they allow us to place ourselves in the past... ": State Library’s maps expert, Maggie Patton.

Global grain prices will continue to be volatile until the market is able to decipher the end impact of Russia withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to Rabobank senior grains analyst Dennis Voznesenski. The deal – which has allowed wartime Ukraine grain exports across the Black Sea – expired overnight Australia time after Russia confirmed it would not agree to its renewal.

Charles Sturt University is leading an important advancement in the Australian agriculture sector with an initiative that will enable a global on-farm emission calculator (Cool Farm Tool) to be customised for a region-specific focus ... The Cool Farm Tool is already used in 150 countries to estimate GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, water stewardship and biodiversity by tens of thousands of users, including farmers, crop advisors and agribusiness leaders.

Livestock prices continue to place downward pressure on the NAB Rural Commodities Index, which has fallen for the eighth consecutive month to now be 28.1 per cent below June 2022 levels ... NAB Senior Agribusiness Economist, Phin Ziebell, said cattle prices have been the single greatest driver of the lower Rural Commodities Index, constituting a quarter of the total Index and losing around half its value from the 2022 peak.

Forestry Australia has released a series of two-page Position Statements to better inform members and the community of its position on a range of issues. Designed to be short, sharp and easily understood, the first five in a series of position papers covers the areas of Ecologically Sustainable Forestry Management, Forest Fire Management, Forest Fire Recovery and Restoration, Sustainable Forest Harvesting and Forest Research, Development and Dissemination ... President of Forestry Australia, Dr Michelle Freeman said the organisation is seeking greater recognition by policy makers, media and the wider community of balanced science-based positions on important forest policy and forest management issues.

Climate change is having an impact on Australian agriculture, with farmers having to contend with higher temperatures and lower winter rainfall ... The latest ABARES figures show climate adjusted productivity in Australia’s broadacre industries grew by 0.6 per cent per year on average between 1988–89 and 2021–22.

This year, Australia’s sheep flock and its breeding ewe numbers reached their highest levels since 2007 at 78.75 million and 46.14 million head respectively, according to the latest Sheep Projections update from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) ... Carcase weights in 2023 will remain 7% above the 10-year average.

Sheep and cattle farmers are planting hundreds of thousands of an elite variety of Oldman Saltbush across Australia’s southeast this winter to supplement feed during dryer conditions heralded by a potential El Nino. Anameka Saltbush is a specially selected variety of the drought-tolerant native shrub, developed over 15 years by CSIRO.