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20 Dec 2002 | AACo buys Perth pie business
Cattle group Australian Agricultural Company has bought the Perth-based Jesters Jaffle Pie Company, in a bid to beef up its retail outlet profile. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2002 | Farmers may get a stake in water
A new plan for the nation's water management, proposed by CSIRO, may result in irrigators effectively becoming shareholders in Australia's rivers. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2002 | Small winery dream turns sour
It's been hard going for the smaller players in Australia's $4 billion-a-year wine industry. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2002 | Merged company to manage dairy industry
A new peak body has been created by the Federal Government to manage the dairy industry: Dairy Australia. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2002 | One in six farmers affected by drought
One out of every six farmers is facing the prospect of being on some form of government welfare or support over the next two years due to the drought - and this number could grow ...... FULL STORY
19 Dec 2002 | Plan to save cotton farm workers rejected
The Darling Farms cotton farm at Bourke hasn't had rain for two years and the owners will have to start laying off their 45 workers very soon if help doesn't arrive. ...... FULL STORY
19 Dec 2002 | Fruit irradiation on the way
Irradiation of Australian tropical and exotic fruits is likely to commence following a decision by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. The approval now has to be ratified by federal and state government ministers. ...... FULL STORY
19 Dec 2002 | Farmers, truckies fight diesel price rise
The National Farmers' Federation and the Australian Trucking Association want the Federal Government to drop its plans for a one-cent regular diesel price rise from January 1, followed by further one-cent rises in 2004 and 2005. ...... FULL STORY
19 Dec 2002 | Drought prompts AWB pay cuts
Staff at AWB Ltd on salaries over $100,000 are being asked to voluntarily take a 10 per cent pay cut due to the drought. CEO Andrew Lindberg, who made the request, will himself take a pay cut of more than $50,000, and there will be no bonuses this year. ...... FULL STORY
19 Dec 2002 | Vic food exports on target
The value of Victoria's food exports has increased by more than 170 per cent over the past 10 years - from $2.7 billion in 1991-1992 to about $7.2 billion in 2001-2002, according to the latest figures from the Department of Primary Industries. ...... FULL STORY
18 Dec 2002 | Wheat growers face new export levy
The Federal Agriculture Minister is proposing a new levy on wheat growers to fund the $2 million annual cost of operating the Wheat Export Authority from the middle of 2003. ...... FULL STORY
18 Dec 2002 | Farmers slam diesel tax
The Federal Government will impose one cent a litre more in excise on diesel fuel from January 2003, which will rise to two cents a litre in 2004 and 2005. ...... FULL STORY
18 Dec 2002 | Export beef ban lifted for now
The Philippines has lifted bans on Australian beef imports after being satisfied that the anthrax outbreak in Victoria was contained. ...... FULL STORY
18 Dec 2002 | Fleeced out of their livelihoods by drought
Sheep shearers won a long-awaited pay rise on November 1: from $178.18 per 100 sheep to $184.69. ...... FULL STORY
18 Dec 2002 | Hay trucks carry hope
A convoy of 41 trucks travelled from south-west Victoria to the Goulburn Valley last weekend laden with free hay for drought-stricken farmers in the Kyabram district. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2002 | Grain, cattle push sheep off land
Australia's agricultural landscape has dramatically changed over the past 10 years, with grain and beef production rising strongly at the expense of sheep. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2002 | AusBulk profit to dry up
South Australia-based grain handler AusBulk posted a record net profit for the year to September 31 - up 48 per cent to $55.5 million. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2002 | Mango raiders eat into growers' profits
Every year, thieves in north Queensland's mango-rich Burdekin region steal fruit and cost growers up to $20,000 each in lost fruit and export sales. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2002 | Most farmers to miss out on drought help
Despite the Federal Government increasing its assistance package for drought-affected farmers, rural leaders say most will miss out on qualifying for help due to income and assets tests. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2002 | Banks won't penalise farmers
The Australian Bankers' Association has assured the Deputy Prime Minister that affected farmers won't be penalised with heavy fees for restructuring their financial arrangements during the drought. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2002 | Weekly Grain Market Report
- Harvest Update
- Pools steady in declining market
- Kenyan quarantine breakthrough
...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2002 | Banks urge farmers to take up special relief packages
The Deputy Prime Minister will meet with bank chiefs to discuss their support of drought-stricken farmers, with Mr Anderson expected to warn the banks against a repeat of the foreclosures seen in the early 1990s. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2002 | Car maker assesses parts made of sugar
Toyota has given hope to struggling Queensland sugar cane farmers by announcing it's looking into making biodegradable car parts out of sugar. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2002 | Cow of a year for dairies
The Australian Dairy Corporation says the short-term outlook for the dairy industry over 2002-2003 is unfavourable, due to the drought, weak global prices and the strengthening Australian dollar. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2002 | Govt offers drought aid to Mallee
The Federal Government will offer farmers in Victoria's north-west emergency drought-relief cash handouts. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2002 | Farmers pay for free hay
Farmers receiving free hay from the Victorian Farmers' Federation's hay drives have to pay $100 a tonne for transport and collection, thus saving only $50 on the normal cost, it's being claimed. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2002 | Big cats killing cows, says Vic farmer
A Gippsland dairy farmer has blamed large wild cats for attacks on his herd which have killed up to 200 cows over the past two years and menaced other farms and wildlife in the state's south-east. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2002 | New salt-tolerant wheat
CSIRO Plant Industry and NSW Agriculture have successfully bred a new durum wheat variety which tolerates saline conditions. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2002 | Flock ID scheme hits quarter million mark
Since the National Flock Identification Scheme was introduced in July about 250,000 tags have been sold to producers - only a modest 0.2 per cent, considering the nation's flock has been estimated at 124 million sheep. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2002 | Lack of work leaves harvest jobs high and dry
The drought has reduced the number of rural jobs available, with the grain industries particularly hard hit. ...... FULL STORY
12 Dec 2002 | Iraq halves Aust wheat imports
Iraq has carried through on its threat to reduce wheat imports from Australia, with AWB reporting confirming it has received orders for only 1 million tonnes in 2003. ...... FULL STORY
12 Dec 2002 | Salinity hits one in six farms
An Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of 20,000 farms shows that one in six is suffering from salinity, with more than two million hectares affected and 800,000 hectares rendered unusable. ...... FULL STORY
12 Dec 2002 | Sugar prices to rise to help growers
The Federal Government has won the support of the Democrats and will introduce a levy to fund its $120 million sugar industry assistance package. ...... FULL STORY
12 Dec 2002 | Govt commits funds to Farm Safe
The Federal Government has committed $887,000 over three years to the Farm Safe Australia program, which will introduce measures to make farms safer for rural families.
...... FULL STORY
12 Dec 2002 | More GPs go remote
The Federal Health Minister, Kay Patterson, says recent figures show that more general practice doctors are being lured to work in rural and remote locations. ...... FULL STORY
11 Dec 2002 | Deadlock on sugar levy
The Federal Government and the Democrats remain deadlocked over the Government's proposed $120 million sugar levy and if the Agriculture Minister doesn't achieve an agreement today, the motion will be defeated in the Senate. ...... FULL STORY
11 Dec 2002 | Vic farmer anger at drought aid limit
Victorian farmers in the state's drought-affected wheat belt are angry they've been excluded from the Federal Government's latest relief package. ...... FULL STORY
11 Dec 2002 | Whole of NSW could be in drought by end of January
The New South Wales Premier says the whole of the state could be in drought by the end of January next year, as the latest figures from government agencies show that the Cooma and Hume regions have now slipped into drought. ...... FULL STORY
11 Dec 2002 | Western Qld to get $40m Telstra upgrade
Telecommunications services in western Queensland should become more reliable within the next couple of years, as Telstra has announced a $40 million communications upgrade, with five major infrastructure projects due for completion by late 2004. ...... FULL STORY
11 Dec 2002 | Q fever warning to all meat workers
The Federal Government has allocated $8 million for a national program on Q fever and is encouraging everyone working with livestock to be vaccinated against the disease. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2002 | Banks deny hard line on drought
The major banks have denied they're making things even harder for drought-affected farmers, after the Deputy Prime Minister said he'd heard stories to that effect in the past. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2002 | Loan rate subsidy useless, says NSWFF
The Federal Government's subsidy for interest rates on loans up to $100,000 for drought-afflicted farmers is "useless", says the New South Wales Farmers' Federation. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2002 | Solutions wanted for Central Coast fox plague
Gosford and Wyong Councils are seeking help to rid the Central Coast of a fox plague, and they want researchers to come up with proposals. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2002 | Sugar output 'must rise 40pc for survival'
A report commissioned for the Queensland Government says the state's sugar industry productivity must increase by 40 per cent if it's to survive. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2002 | Most farmers gloomy but optimism on the rise
The latest Rabobank rural confidence survey shows that most Victorian farmers have become more optimistic about the future, despite the drought. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2002 | Monster egg breaks Gobber's record
Last month's report of a huge 125-gram egg laid by Cranbourne chook Gobber has been topped by a monster 170-gram egg laid by a chicken in Keysborough. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2002 | New-generation chicken antibiotic alternative
CSIRO Livestock Industries has developed a way of introducing a "natural" treatment into chickens to fight infection, which may replace the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2002 | Sugar cane trash able to feed cattle
Sugar cane growers are selling their unmillable cane tops and post-harvest trash as cattle fodder - and getting higher prices than they're able to get milling their produce into sugar. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2002 | Dole worker round-up to help farmers
The Federal Government is expected to announce a work-for-the-dole program this week which will help drought-affected farmers. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2002 | Wanted: girls in the bush
The Federal Youth Minister has put forward a plan to redress the gender imbalance in the bush, with women to be offered incentives to move to rural areas. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2002 | GrainCorp profit up as it faces a dry year
GrainCorp has reported a net profit of $48.7 million for 2001-2002, up from $44.6 million the previous year. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2002 | Water is too cheap, inquiry says
A federal parliamentary committee of inquiry says that the cost of water in Australia is so cheap it discourages the recycling of effluent and storm water. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2002 | Farmers saved from FMD tax ruling
The Federal Government has moved to head off a tax ruling that would see farmers lose their tax benefits under the Farm Management Deposit scheme. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2002 | Italians snap up the last of the fine fleece
Italian buyers from wool mills serving Europe's leading fashion houses have bought what could be the last bales of premium wool for several years. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2002 | Water shortage puts poultry at risk
The NSW Central Coast's biggest earner - the poultry industry - is at risk due to water restrictions. ...... FULL STORY
5 Dec 2002 | Winemakers warned that grape glut won't last
The chairman of the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, David Brownhill, warned the wine industry yesterday not to over-react to issues of oversupply, with concerns mounting about a grape shortage in the next few years. ...... FULL STORY
5 Dec 2002 | Nth Qld farmers hoping for a sweet cornucopia
On the Atherton Tablelands, where the tobacco industry is dying and sugar cane growers are struggling, one farmer has five hectares of sweet-corn which holds the promise of a healthy financial future. ...... FULL STORY
5 Dec 2002 | Labor sugar tax veto puts jobs at risk: Truss
The Federal Agriculture Minister has slammed the Opposition's plan to block the sugar levy next week, describing it as a "political stunt" which will put thousands of jobs at risk. ...... FULL STORY
5 Dec 2002 | PM to boost package for farm communities
The Prime Minister held an emergency meeting last night with Deputy PM John Anderson and Agriculture Minister Warren Truss, after figures showed the impact of the drought on farm communities is set to worsen. ...... FULL STORY
5 Dec 2002 | Water access rights must be priority, says cotton chief
Cotton Australia's CEO Philip Russell has called on the Council of Australian Governments to agree on a new system of perpetual water access for farmers. ...... FULL STORY
4 Dec 2002 | Fed Govt ready to help farmers
The Federal Agriculture Minister says the Government is "standing ready" to help drought-stricken Victorian farmers within two weeks if the newly-elected state Labor Government acts quickly. ...... FULL STORY
4 Dec 2002 | AWI backs sheep genetics
The new board of Australian Wool Innovation has given priority to an investment in sheep genetics, says chairman Ian McLachlan. ...... FULL STORY
4 Dec 2002 | US exerts meat quarantine pressure
Following strong pressure from the US, Australia is planning to abandon a 13-year restriction on North American meat imports. ...... FULL STORY
4 Dec 2002 | Water set for loan scheme
Murray Valley irrigators keen to get water can borrow up to 20 per cent of their entitlement under a deal just agreed to by Snowy Hydro and Murray Irrigation Ltd. ...... FULL STORY
4 Dec 2002 | New fireball device aims at orchard pests
A new fireball device - created by Queensland company Vigilance Technologies - is available for orchardists to deter pests such as cockatoos, flying foxes, lorikeets and galahs. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2002 | Food prices on way up as production plummets
With farmers now suffering one of the driest years in almost 100 years, Summer harvests are being ravaged and food price rises are already following. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2002 | Vic, Tas lead drop in milk output
Australia's milk production is continuing to be hit by the drought, with Victoria and Tasmania registering the biggest falls in production, according to the Australian Dairy Corporation. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2002 | Vic firefighters may go by train
A plan is being considered by the Victorian Government to use trains to carry water to fires in drought-afflicted areas of the state. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2002 | Water woes on horizon for NSW towns
Water supplies to 22 New South Wales towns could run dry within three months. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2002 | Rural property market stays firm despite drought
Values of rural properties have remained steady despite the drought gripping much of Australia. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2002 | Cotton irrigator's wall scheme dangerous, say farmers
A large cotton irrigator, RMI Pty Ltd, has applied to build an 85-kilometre levee bank around its properties near the northern NSW town of Boggabilla. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2002 | Winds expected to take more soil
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting Scorching hot weather for eastern Australia for this week, with a strong gusty cool change by mid-week. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2002 | Signs improve as EL Nino loosens grip
Hopes of a recovery from the drought next year are rising, with signs of an early breakdown in the El Nino weather pattern. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2002 | Beekeepers seek $10m
The nation's beekeepers, suffering from the ravages of bushfires, drought and a foreign pest - the small hive beetle - are seeking a multi-million assistance package from the state and federal governments. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2002 | Japan likely to lift beef tariffs
Australian cattle producers are likely to face a further blow next year, with Japan expected to lift tariffs on beef. ...... FULL STORY
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