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29 Apr 2003 | Major pork producer fails
One of Australia's major pork producers has been placed in voluntary administration: the Elenium piggery business, with about 38,000 sows and pigs. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2003 | Namoi Cotton boosts profit, expects drought to hurt 2004
Namoi Cotton Co-operative has reported an increased annual net profit, despite the impact of the drought. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2003 | Govt grants for food innovators
The Federal Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss, yesterday announced nine grants worth more than $5 million to innovators in the food industry. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2003 | Growers save Kondinin
Independent agricultural research group Kondinin has been saved at the eleventh hour from collapse by members and the Grain Growers' Association. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2003 | Fluoride battle brews in Vic rural towns
Anti-fluoride activists have vowed to fight any attempt by the Victorian Government to force rural cities and towns to fluoridate their water. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2003 | Farming's top performers
Holmes Sackett & Associates has released AgInsights 2002, which confirms the profitability gap between the top farms and average farms. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2003 | Soaker in time for Vic sowing
Most Victorian cities and towns received vital rain on April 27, renewing hope across the state that the drought has broken. Some regional towns even got storms and deluges. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2003 | Beef losing to chicken and pork
Beef consumption in Australia has almost halved since the 1970s, the Queensland Primary Industries Minister told a beef conference recently. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2003 | New Vic push to put fluoride in rural water
The Victorian Government may legislate to compel rural towns and cities to add fluoride to their drinking water, in response to a growing demand on the public dental health system. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2003 | Vaccine bank to protect beef trade
A vaccine bank for foot-and-mouth disease will be set up, probably in Victoria, even though Australia has not had an outbreak of the disease in over 130 years. ...... FULL STORY
24 Apr 2003 | Clock ticks on Vic drought aid
The Victorian Agriculture Minister has defended his decision to end State Government drought aid for farmers of up to $20,000, after being criticised by National and Liberal Party MPs. ...... FULL STORY
24 Apr 2003 | Question mark over mountain grazing leases
Parks Victoria has ruled out a total ban on Alpine National Park grazing next season but indicated several areas may be off limits. ...... FULL STORY
24 Apr 2003 | Milk a fat lot of good
Victorian milk contains high levels of a fat with cancer-fighting properties, according to a study conducted by the Dairy Research & Development Corporation. ...... FULL STORY
24 Apr 2003 | Nut net to nix knocks on noggins
A Queensland inventor, Tim Straatmans from Boyne Island, has come up with a special metal net, the Coconet, which can be placed on coconut palms to catch falling nuts. ...... FULL STORY
24 Apr 2003 | SARS scare puts fruit exports into cold storage
Northern Victorian fruit growers and packers will have to put thousands of tonnes of fresh fruit into long-term storage, due to the closure of Singapore's fresh produce markets. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2003 | Drought causes cane toads to croak
The advance of the pesky cane toad, which has steadily moved south and made inroads into New South Wales from Queensland, has been halted by both drought and bushfires. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2003 | Bumper wheat crop for Vic
Victoria could produce a bumper wheat crop in the 2003/2004 season, despite the drought. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2003 | Producers hail arrival of $1.5 million molasses shipment
With at least half of Queensland still in drought, over 500 cattle producers have welcomed the arrival of AgForce's $1.5 million rescue shipment of molasses from Thailand. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2003 | Nearly closing time again for the mighty Murray
The South Australian Government seems to be losing its battle to keep the mouth of the Murray River open: it will probably close within a week. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2003 | Ethanol plant to boost demand
Australia's biggest ethanol plant, on Queensland's Darling Downs, could be operational within 18 months. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2003 | CSIRO wheat disaster reaches across globe
The outbreak of wheat streak mosaic virus, which has crippled CSIRO's wheat research program, may be felt as far afield as Italy and Morocco, where pasta-making and new crop plantings will be affected. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2003 | Vic towns' dirty water threat
Country Victoria is facing a new threat to water supplies, following the state's devastating Summer bushfires. Recent rainfall has led to ash and debris choking waterways and poisoning mountain streams used for drinking water. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2003 | 'Worm' plague strips Qld crops
Drought-stricken Queensland farmers are battling a new menace: thousands of hungry caterpillars, known as army worms, are sweeping across the state. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2003 | Top End fungus endangers wine sector
A door-to-door search is on in the Top End to find and destroy the golden leaf rust fungus, first discovered in Darwin in 2001. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2003 | Duffers make a killing as stocks rise
Now that rainfall has fallen and pushed up the prices of cattle, theft has again become a problem. ...... FULL STORY
17 Apr 2003 | New NSW minister says: Let the Show begin
Sydney's Royal Easter Show was officially opened on April 16 by the new state minister for agriculture, Ian Macdonald. ...... FULL STORY
17 Apr 2003 | Knives out for Vic country hospitals
A consultant's report, commissioned by the Victorian Department of Human Services, has recommended that many country hospitals in North-east Victoria be stripped of acute services. ...... FULL STORY
17 Apr 2003 | Millions needed for rural airports
The federal parliamentary inquiry into regional air services was told yesterday that unless millions of dollars are put into upgrades, regional airports would become inoperative within 10 years. ...... FULL STORY
17 Apr 2003 | Wheat virus contained: officials
Quarantine officials believe the wheat streak virus, found at CSIRO's Canberra facility and a nearby farm, has not escaped outside the two locations. ...... FULL STORY
17 Apr 2003 | Vic Govt pledges $70m for bushfire recovery
The Bracks Government has pledged $69.4 million for new measures to assist recovery from the bushfires which ravaged Gippsland and Victoria's north-east during Summer. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2003 | Princes take crown
The four-day Victorian sheepdog championship trials were held near Mansfield over last weekend, with Greg Prince of Dubbo taking nearly all of the top honours. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2003 | Shareholders crush Farm Pride egg sale plan
Fifty-nine per cent of the Farm Pride shareholders eligible to vote have rejected the board's proposed $12.1 million sale of the company's egg business, inventory and facilities to Queensland-based Sunny Queen. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2003 | Sheep must be tagged from July 2005
The compulsory identification tagging of the nation's sheep flock will commence on July 2005, in a move just endorsed by federal and state ministers. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2003 | AWB happy to buy GM canola
AWB Ltd commodity trader (oilseeds) Stephen Bennett told growers at a southern New South Wales grains marketing forum last week that AWB would be prepared to buy genetically modified canola. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2003 | Virus infects wheat research
The wheat streak mosaic virus has escaped in CSIRO's Black Mountain facilities, putting wheat research back by up to four years. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2003 | AWB ready to move on Futuris
AWB Ltd has applied to the Federal Treasurer to take its 14.2 per cent stake in Futuris Corporation beyond 15 per cent, signalling it is moving towards a takeover bid. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2003 | US free trade deal under scrutiny in SA
The South Australian Government has started preparing a report on the impact a free trade deal with the United States may have on the state's products. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2003 | A2 milk issue boils
A fact-sheet from the Australian Dairy Corporation says there's no reason for dairy farmers to change their herds to produce A2-type milk. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2003 | Biocontrol bellyache for northern pasture weed
The highly toxic "bellyache bush", which can kill animals that graze on it, is set to get a natural predator from the weed's own place of origin . ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2003 | Take WTO challenge seriously, EU tells Australia
The European Union has told Australia's Trade Minister Mark Vaile to take its World Trade Organisation challenge to the Australian quarantine system seriously, not dismiss it as an intimidatory tactic. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2003 | Sugar talks stall over deregulation
Talks between the Queensland and the Federal Governments over reform to the $1.2 billion sugar industry have stalled due to disagreement over deregulation. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2003 | $1m mangosteen crop
In North Queensland, patient growers of the mangosteen - no relation to the mango - are expecting a bumper crop this season, generating more than $1 million. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2003 | Fire ants on run but still a threat
Queensland's Department of Primary Industries says the war on the deadly fire ant is being won but warned that they may still re-populate. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2003 | Free trade deal is 'overhyped'
Former trade minister Peter Cook, who led the Cairns Group in the Uruguay Round of trade talks, claims a free trade deal between Australia and the United States won't prevent unsubsidised Australian farmers having to compete with subsidised US farmers. ...... FULL STORY
11 Apr 2003 | Slump in US beef sales to trigger quota review
Export sales of beef to the United States, one of Australia's biggest markets, have fallen 16 per cent in the first three months of 2003, including a 26 per cent slump in March. ...... FULL STORY
11 Apr 2003 | Funds will help dairy farmers play hard ball
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recently granted dairy farmers the right to band together and bargain for better contracts with big dairy companies. ...... FULL STORY
11 Apr 2003 | Wine lobby enlists MPs for tax break
The wine industry hopes to get some tax relief in this year's Federal Budget for small-to-medium sized wineries which crush fewer than 1,000 tonnes of grapes a year. ...... FULL STORY
11 Apr 2003 | Rural plea to keep ABARE
Rural groups and financial analysts have cautioned the Federal Government on its proposed restructuring of ABARE and BRS, after a report was released recommending both be scrapped and replaced by a single multi-disciplinary bureau. ...... FULL STORY
11 Apr 2003 | Ethanol fix is a false prophet for cane sugar
David Trebeck, who headed the Federal Government's 2002 fuel tax inquiry, told a trucking conference yesterday that the promotion of ethanol as the saviour of the sugar industry is a "hoax". ...... FULL STORY
10 Apr 2003 | AWB has new Iraq sales hope
AWB Ltd is hoping the Iraqi market for wheat will grow after the end of the war. ...... FULL STORY
10 Apr 2003 | Three-way solution to eternal dairy quest
The search for the perfect milking plant has seen the advent of walk-throughs, herringbones, swing-overs and rotaries. ...... FULL STORY
10 Apr 2003 | Graziers stick to high plains
Parks Victoria's voluntary exit offer to Alpine National Park graziers has met with only six acceptances. ...... FULL STORY
10 Apr 2003 | Love ewes all, eastern farmers tell the West
Normally, sheep going from Western Australia to the eastern states go in cardboard boxes as meat. ...... FULL STORY
10 Apr 2003 | Report urges scrapping of ABARE
A report commissioned by the Federal Department of Agriculture has recommended scrapping commodity and economic forecaster Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. ...... FULL STORY
9 Apr 2003 | Qld minister warns farmers of obligations
The Queensland Natural Resources Minister has told farmers at a property rights forum that their land is not their own to do with as they please. ...... FULL STORY
9 Apr 2003 | OJD vaccine hope
Vaccine for Ovine Johne's Disease may become more widely available to sheep breeders under changes being considered by the National Ovine Johne's Disease Program. ...... FULL STORY
9 Apr 2003 | Support for NSW fruit growers
The New South Wales Government will provide loans to the state's fruit growers whose orchards have been hit by severe winds and hailstorms. ...... FULL STORY
9 Apr 2003 | Powerful antibiotic approved for beef
Australian food ministers have approved residue levels of a strong antibiotic, Ceftiofur, in beef despite concerns about its effect on humans. ...... FULL STORY
9 Apr 2003 | El Nino close to being over, says weather bureau
The Bureau of Meteorology says its latest review of the El Nino weather patterns shows the phenomena responsible for the drought are almost gone. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2003 | AWB to pay $127m in first 2002 pool distribution
AWB Ltd will pay growers more than $127 million this week in its first distribution from the 2002 AWB National Pool. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2003 | Beef alliance to target Taiwan
Australia, the US, New Zealand and Canada have formed the Beef Alliance, which aims to boost beef consumption in Taiwan. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2003 | Sugar outlook uncertain despite production lift
The Australian Sugar Milling Council's review of the 2002 season has found that overall the prospects for the industry have improved, with Queensland's cane and sugar production in 2002 about 10 per cent higher than in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2003 | Farms threatened by backburn
Several Victorian farms are being threatened by a backburn which has gone horribly wrong, with firefighters still battling to control the blaze. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2003 | Dairy giants in merger talks
Senior Fonterra executives will arrive in Melbourne today to begin talks with Bonlac Foods regarding a possible merger. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2003 | Parched state faces the dry facts
Hundreds of Victorian towns now have severe water restrictions, with some already having run out of drinking water. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2003 | Property trusts emerging as cattle investment alternatives
A series of Pastoral Industry Property Trusts, which will be launched later in 2003, could offer investors in the agricultural sector a new alternative. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2003 | Grape glut threatens US quality wine sales
The US wine market is seeing the emergence of the "two-buck chuck" - $US1.99 budget-quality wines - in response with a grape glut and competition from imports, leading Merrill Lynch to issue its second warning in two weeks for Australian winemakers. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2003 | GM mouse virus set to end plagues
Scientists at the Co-operative Research Centre for Pests have developed a genetically modified herpes virus that makes female mice infertile during their 200-day lifespan. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2003 | Dairy industry chews cud on consolidation
With the recent attempt at a merger between Bonlac Foods and the Murray Goulburn co-operative off the table, the road to consolidation for Australia's dairy industry may lie offshore, with New Zealand's Fonterra. ...... FULL STORY
4 Apr 2003 | Rural prices up in March
The Westpac-National Farmers' Federation index rose 0.8 per cent in March on the back of strong beef prices, with reasonable rains and a small depreciation in the $AUD against the $US also lifting prices. ...... FULL STORY
4 Apr 2003 | Rain showers slow slaughtering
The number of animals being sent to slaughter decreased in March, as some rains fell and partially broke the drought. ...... FULL STORY
4 Apr 2003 | Year of farming dangerously
Farming is the most dangerous job in Victoria, killing more people than in any other occupation, WorkCover statistics show. ...... FULL STORY
4 Apr 2003 | Families line up for Stanbroke
Private graziers are rushing to get their holdings valued as families prepare to make joint bids for AMP's Stanbroke Pastoral Company. ...... FULL STORY
4 Apr 2003 | Small wineries being crushed by giants
Australia's 1,600 small wineries are fighting over less than 5 per cent of the total market in the nation's $4.5 billion wine industry. ...... FULL STORY
3 Apr 2003 | E Gippsland farmers count cost of fires
Bushfire victims in East Gippsland are running out of clean water for domestic and stock use, with ash-laden waterways and dead stock forcing rural households to cart in alternative supplies at prohibitive cost. ...... FULL STORY
3 Apr 2003 | Dairy organisations' merger approved
Federal Parliament has given approval for the creation of Dairy Australia, an organisation to be formed out of the merger of the Australian Dairy Corporation and the Dairy Research & Development Corporation. ...... FULL STORY
3 Apr 2003 | Bid to cull feral pigs in WA
A co-ordinated program to trap and destroy feral pigs in the Denbarker to Lake Muir area of WA in March resulted in 48 captured for the month. ...... FULL STORY
3 Apr 2003 | Kondinin assets go up for sale
Expressions of interest are being called for the assets of Kondinin Group by the liquidator, putting Kondinin members in a race against time to raise the $800,000 needed to keep the group intact. ...... FULL STORY
3 Apr 2003 | NFF shake-up looms
The National Farmers' Federation is on the verge of its biggest shake-up in several years, and is set to abandon a number of rural issues and refocus on farmers' financial well-being. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2003 | GM canola gets the green light
Australia's gene technology regulator has found that genetically modified canola poses no risk for human health or the environment - the most compelling indicator that it will be released for general use soon. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2003 | AACo bids for AMP's Stanbroke
Australian Agricultural Company, Australia's third-largest cattle group, has made an offer to buy all the operations of AMP Life's Stanbroke Pastoral. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2003 | Aust quarantine laws provoke EU dust-up
Australia's tough quarantine laws will be challenged by the European Union before the World Trade Organisation in an action filed on April 1. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2003 | Audit cans AWI contract process
An audit of the contract process managed by the former Australian Wool Innovation administration has revealed that 50 research and marketing projects worth $20 million were funded without formal contracts. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2003 | Egg producers to vote on Farm Pride sell-off
Farm Pride shareholders will vote on April 4 whether to sell off the company's egg business. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2003 | $12m Bairnsdale railway revival begins
A $12 million project to re-open Bairnsdale's railway line has begun. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2003 | Drought cash rules sow seeds of anger
Hundreds of Queensland farmers have been told that they are missing out on Exceptional Circumstances relief because of what they grow. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2003 | Rural outlook improves as drought fears subside
A Rabobank rural confidence survey for the December 2002 quarter shows that confidence rose sharply in the three months. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2003 | Report finds only small losses from GM canola
A report compiled by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture has found that Australian canola exports would only be marginally affected if genetically modified crops were adopted here. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2003 | New multi-purpose drench released
A new multiphase liquid chemical for sheep, the Triton drench, has been released by Merial animal products. ...... FULL STORY
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