Research

Carla Wilshire. I visited Lord Howe Island as a child. I remember the quiet strength of it, the gentle precision of life shaped by tides and cargo, and the sense that everything here moved to its own rhythm ... In the years since, I have come to see Lord Howe not only as a national treasure, but as a case study in resilience under constraint.

The latest Sheep Producers Intentions Survey (SPIS), conducted by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), reveals a significant shift in producer sentiment and flock management strategies across the nation. This shift is being driven by volatile market conditions, extreme weather events, and regulatory changes, most notably the planned phase-out of live sheep exports.

Despite the prolonged drought, the yalgiri (brush-tailed bettongs) reintroduced to southern Yorke Peninsula since 2021 are not just surviving, they’re reproducing. A recent health check led by the Marna Banggara team found all captured females were carrying young, a strong sign the small marsupials are adapting well to tough conditions.

New data published today by Tourism Research Australia shows international holiday visitors spent a record $3.1 billion, surpassing pre-Covid levels for the very first time. Visitors from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, France and Indonesia led the charge, all spending a record amount while they were holidaying in Queensland. 

Residents are asked to help review the historical and cultural information of the Shire of Denmark's Local Heritage Survey ... Denmark shire president Kingsley Gibson said the review was a chance for everyone to join in and write Denmark's heritage story together.

An international team of scientists has developed a biodegradable material that could slash global energy consumption without using any electricity, according to a new study published today. The bioplastic metafilm – that can be applied to buildings, equipment and other surfaces – passively cools temperatures by as much as 9.2°C during peak sunlight and reflects almost 99 per cent of the sun’s rays.

In a world-first discovery, researchers have shown that Australia’s iconic Bogong moth uses constellations of stars and the Milky Way to navigate hundreds of kilometres across the country during its annual migration – making it the first known invertebrate to rely on a stellar compass for long-distance travel.

Latest statistics by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have revealed the value of Australian vegetable, cut flower, nursery and turf industries all went backwards in FY24. 

Australia’s co-operative and mutual sector has ambitions to emulate its UK counterpart’s planned doubling in size, after recording an 8.4 per cent increase in annual revenue. The latest National Mutual Economy Report (NME) … shows continued resilience by the sector against a backdrop of on-going global volatility and stabilising inflation.

The Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) is proud to host a Sustainability Showcase, where the latest research and development initiatives related to the ABSF priorities will be presented to the industry’s valued stakeholders.

Western Australian grain growers are set to benefit from a series of targeted projects focused on time of sowing in response to increasing seasonal variability. Delivered through the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) National Grower Network (NGN), the local projects are designed to support growers in making more informed sowing decisions...

The global grains and oilseeds trade continues to grow steadily and reached around 880 million metric tons in 2023/24, with an estimated value of USD 330 billion, according to Rabobank’s just-published global grains and oilseeds world map.

Global dairy commodity prices have continued to climb in most key exporting countries in recent months, defying expectations and economic headwinds. But ‘downside’ risks are expected to emerge in the second half of the year, Rabobank says in a newly-released report.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says a Ricardo report commissioned by Dairy Australia raises serious concerns over the future of the dairy industry, with water buybacks potentially leading to a further 270 million litre decline in milk production.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has slammed the Federal Government for paying a staggering premium of $1,000 per megalitre above the seasonal average in its recent purchase of Goulburn water, calling it a reckless move that distorts the market and punishes farmers.

Milk production could plummet by up to 15 per cent in the southern Murray Darling Basin if water buybacks are not halted immediately, a new study has shown. The Dairy Australia report … Australia’s annual milk production could plummet by up to 270 million litres if the federal government pressed on with water buybacks that would strip dairy farms of vital water supplies.

Researchers from La Trobe University in Bendigo have developed an innovative recycling solution for synthetic bale twine, helping to address the growing problem of agricultural waste. In a study published in the journal Recycling, the research team analysed the thermal, physical and mechanical properties of various plastic waste materials...

Climate change has such a large negative impact on Ukrainian agriculture that it affects the country's macroeconomic indicators ... Farmers from all regions of Ukraine have sown 5.5 million hectares of spring grain and leguminous crops ... However, this spring cannot be called ordinary.

It was the drought about a decade ago that the penny finally dropped for farmers in East and Central Gippsland. The tough times had brought people together and looking forward, the question on many farmers’ mind was ‘How to boost farm production in the good times better to cope with the tough times?’ ... in 2018-19 the Gippsland Agricultural Group was formed ...

John O'Donnell presents an analysis of town and city bushfire protection case studies where prescribed burning and other adaptive management and mitigation have assisted in restricting bushfire impacts on communities across Australia and the United States. His extensive review covers some 25 Australian and nine US fires.

The Australian thoroughbred breeding industry, the second largest in the world, delivered a solid economic performance in 2022 – 23, contributing $1.68 billion to the national economy and supporting 9,268 full-time equivalent jobs ...

In a year when the eastern states have either been drowning under floods or gasping through drought, and here in the west half the state has been left staring at a dry horizon, it seemed timely to stop watching the skies and start digging into the past ... What I aim to do is cut through the rising noise between the climate catastrophists shouting Armageddon and the hardened sceptics waving it all away, versus the climate fatalists like me—convinced that, whatever humans do, nature already has the final say—and put some facts on the table.