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29 Aug 2003 | ICAC calls for prosecution of grains board officials
The Independent Commission against Corruption has recommended criminal charges be laid against three former executives of the NSW Grains Board, which collapsed in 2000 leaving a deficiency of $151 million. ...... FULL STORY
29 Aug 2003 | Drought hasn't shackled Rural Press
Rural Press Ltd lifted its net profit to a record $68.4 million for the year to June 30, 2003 - a rise of 27.3 per cent. ...... FULL STORY
29 Aug 2003 | Wool research funding 'misused'
A Senate inquiry was told on August 28 that Col Dorber, former head of Australian Wool Innovation, misused funds and employed his own children. ...... FULL STORY
29 Aug 2003 | SA wind farm plan breezes through
Hydro Tasmania's proposal to build a 66-megawatt wind farm on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula has won final regulatory approval. ...... FULL STORY
29 Aug 2003 | 57,000 sheep trapped at sea
Trade Minister Mark Vaile and Agriculture Minister Warren Truss have suspended the $195 million-a-year live animal trade to Saudi Arabia after talks broke down over a banned consignment of 57,000 sheep. ...... FULL STORY
28 Aug 2003 | New-look water rights in Victoria
The Victorian Government may allow water rights to be held without owning land. ...... FULL STORY
28 Aug 2003 | Rabbit vaccine 'will hurt Australian farmers'
Spanish scientists are working on a genetically modified organism (GMO) to vaccinate rabbits against myxomatosis and calicivirus, which could have devastating consequences for Australian farmers. ...... FULL STORY
28 Aug 2003 | There's sheilas in them thar hills
Country blokes might be beaut - but the girls say they're great too. Rebecca, 27, a nurse from South Gippsland, says heaps of attention is paid to lonely farm boys but single women find it just as hard to find a partner in the country as the men do. ...... FULL STORY
28 Aug 2003 | WA Govt funds for organic industry
The Western Australian Government has granted $60,000 in funding for a development project examining WA's organic and biodynamic industry. ...... FULL STORY
28 Aug 2003 | Mice plague prevention in Qld
Some people are warning that a mouse plague is building up on the Darling Downs to rival that of 1995, ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2003 | Gum offers sweet scent of success
Sugar gum - once regarded as just good firewood - is becoming very popular with Australia's furniture makers and architects. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2003 | Eco-fears on cloud seeding plan
Snowy Hydro Ltd claims that NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is opposed to the cloud-seeding plan that would boost flows to the Murray River flows by up to 150 gigalitres a year. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2003 | Close watch as anthrax hits Vic dairy farm
A dairy farm near Tatura in Victoria is under quarantine again after a cow died there from anthrax last week. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2003 | Vic Govt calls for police checks, fees to protect child workers
A Bill due to go before the Victorian Parliament this week would require farmers who allow their grandchildren, siblings or neighbours' children to help on their farms to undergo police checks and obtain permits. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2003 | Farmers delighted to be drenched
The wild weekend weather that wreaked havoc in Sydney also brought welcome rains to rural New South Wales. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2003 | Drink a good Aussie red and you could live longer
Red wines grown in harsh climates like Australia contain more chemicals that might help people to live longer, according to biologists. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2003 | Fertile year for one in four WA farmers
One quarter of Western Australian farmers had a bumper year in 2002-2003, largely due to the uneven impact of the drought. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2003 | Dairy products fight colon cancer
A diet rich in dairy products has been linked to reducing the risk of colon cancer, according to a CSIRO scientist who was speaking at a food research conference on August 25. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2003 | Pratt calls for federal water schemes
Businessman Richard Pratt has urged the Federal Government to introduce radical changes in water management, including a system of "water bonds" that would attract investors to schemes aimed at fixing the ageing regional water infrastructure. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2003 | The facts on rice farming and water
A 2000 report by the Bureau of Statistics said they found that vegetables and fruit returned the highest gross value per megalitre of water at $1,760 and $1,460, while rice was lowest at $189. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2003 | Drought-busting rain brings joy to Vic farmers
Wild weekend weather brought relief to the drought-ravaged bush, with farmers rejoicing as rains fell on crops and winter pasture. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2003 | Honey sting a hive of crime
The New South Wales south coast is undergoing its worst spate of honey thefts anyone can remember. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2003 | Queensland's first wheat delivered
Central Queensland's Koorngo depot has taken the first wheat of what is expected to be a depleted Queensland winter crop. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2003 | PM's $500m bid to save river system
The Prime Minister will put a $500 million rescue package for the Murray-Darling river system to premiers this week. ...... FULL STORY
22 Aug 2003 | Qld bushfire season open
There's only a week left of Winter but the Queensland bushfire season has been declared open. ...... FULL STORY
22 Aug 2003 | Agbiotech's 'gene genies' compare notes
Some of Australia's leading experts in livestock genetics have come together to discuss the latest research into how livestock yields can be improved through selective breeding and superior nutrition ...... FULL STORY
22 Aug 2003 | Cane farmer works a new angle on success
Innisfail cane farmer Chris Phillips is not waiting for the Federal Government's bail-out or the proposed sugar levy: he's found his own solution. ...... FULL STORY
22 Aug 2003 | Vic forests to be logged
Victorian forests destroyed by the Summer bushfires will be logged and replanted. ...... FULL STORY
22 Aug 2003 | Sydney sells off the farm
Sydney's residential real estate boom is threatening the city's billion-dollar agriculture industry, with hundreds of farms being enveloped by housing developments. ...... FULL STORY
21 Aug 2003 | Govt chips in $43m for Vic farmers
Victorian farmers have received more than $43 million during the current drought from federal government assistance, official figures show. ...... FULL STORY
21 Aug 2003 | Farmers should lock in rates now: NAB
Farmers should seriously consider locking into long-term fixed interest rates now, according to the National Australia Bank, as rates have probably fallen as far as they will go. ...... FULL STORY
21 Aug 2003 | Keep farm viable for easier succession
Careful planning is required when preparing to hand over the farm to the next generation, says Bill Beard, a director of RSM Bird Cameron Chartered Accountants in Ballarat. ...... FULL STORY
21 Aug 2003 | Five fruitful years for grapes, canola
Grapes and canola have been the boom crops for Australia's agricultural sector over the past five years, with the value of production for both almost doubling, according to the Bureau of Statistics. ...... FULL STORY
21 Aug 2003 | Genetic tools improve herd
DNA technology is now a realistic management tool, according to Genetic Solutions. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2003 | Grains giant for east coast
Grainco Australia Ltd shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a takeover by NSW bulk grain handler GrainCorp Ltd ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2003 | Snowy bid for cloud seeding
Snowy Hydro Ltd believes cloud seeding could deliver more than 100 gigalitres a year in extra water to the River Murray. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2003 | Dorber signals bid to join AWI board
Col Dorber, the former managing director of Australian Wool Innovation, has indicated he wants to stand for election to the board. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2003 | Wary farmers want answers on GM crops
A new national survey by Biotechnology Australia has found that 74 per cent of farmers are not considering growing GM crops at this stage, ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2003 | Amorous moths in a spin
The air will be filled with pheromones in the Victorian town of Cobram next week, as local stonefruit growers prepare to do battle with the Oriental Fruit Moth. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2003 | Legislation takes raw milk off shelf
New legislation in Queensland will ban the sale of unpasteurised milk. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2003 | Herbicides, GM expert at TeXpo
WA wheatbelt growers will be given an insight into future farm production systems at a major event to be staged by Elders and CSBP in conjunction with the Plant Protection Society of WA on Thursday, August 21, from 10am to 4.30pm. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2003 | Beef industry tips cattle prices to rise
Beef and cattle prices will remain buoyant in the short term despite falling cattle numbers due to the drought, but exports will decrease for the rest of 2003, according to Meat and Livestock Australia. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2003 | Rain brings a grain of hope
Soaring world wheat prices and the best rains in parts of NSW for the season last week are poised to lift rural Australia from the drought. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2003 | Ekka as popular as ever
About 600,000 people visited the Brisbane Exhibition this year and more than 25,000 competition entries also confirmed that Queenslanders still see the Ekka as the place to exhibit their talents. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2003 | AWI supports retention of levy
Australian Wool Innovation declared its support for retaining the 2 per cent grower levy on gross wool proceeds in the WoolPoll 2003 debate last week. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2003 | Cattle producers lose out on eartag competition
Victorian cattle producers may be missing out on cheaper national livestock identification scheme tags because the State Government won't open up tenders for tag supply to competition. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2003 | Reform unlikely to sweeten harvest
Queensland's sugar industry reforms may be postponed until 2004, as a stalemate between state and federal governments makes the passing of laws in time for next year's cane season unlikely. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2003 | Organic produce finds a free range as market grows
Consumers are shaking off a perception of organic food as the province of hippies and alternative lifestylers, ensuring that organic farming is one of Australia's fastest-growing niche industries. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2003 | Fifty-four rural Telstra exchange areas need upgrades: ACA
The Australian Communications Authority has identified 54 Telstra exchange service areas in regional Australia that are in need of urgent upgrade. ...... FULL STORY
15 Aug 2003 | SA wind farm to go ahead
A wind farm near Crystal Brook, in the Mid North of South Australia, has been given the go-ahead by Port Pirie Regional Council, with construction of the $90 million Clements Gap Wind Farm in the Barunga Range to begin within 12 months. ...... FULL STORY
15 Aug 2003 | Fears for Qld pineapple jobs
Brisbane federal parliamentarian Wayne Swan says that thousands of jobs are threatened by proposals to change quarantine regulations for fresh pineapples imported from Asia and the Pacific. ...... FULL STORY
15 Aug 2003 | Cotton production unravels
Drought is threatening Australia's cotton production: in 2002-2003, production was halved to just 1.62 million bales, and in 2003-2004 this may drop to 1 million bales, less than third of normal. ...... FULL STORY
15 Aug 2003 | Police raid makes duffers of organised cattle rustling ring
Police in central western New South Wales have seized more than $1 million worth of cattle in what is described as the biggest-ever haul. ...... FULL STORY
15 Aug 2003 | Global warming turns up heat on burping cows
Livestock are responsible for more than half Australia's methane emissions and up to 90 per cent of the methane produced on Victorian farms comes from the burping and breathing of cattle (rather than flatulence). ...... FULL STORY
14 Aug 2003 | World taste for Aussie food continuing to grow: report
A new report shows that the world's taste for Australian foods is growing faster than ever. ...... FULL STORY
14 Aug 2003 | Feedlot industry attacks subsidies for ethanol
Australia's $3 billion feedlot industry has criticised the Federal Government's subsidies to ethanol company Manildra and claims it will double grain prices. ...... FULL STORY
14 Aug 2003 | Farmers milked dry as drought hits dairy production
Dairy Australia says a large decline in milk output over the past year, due to the drought, has led to a dramatic drop in the production of many dairy products. ...... FULL STORY
14 Aug 2003 | Pork producers back importer levy
Australian pork producers have welcomed a move to impose a voluntary levy on pork importers to help fund domestic pork promotion. ...... FULL STORY
14 Aug 2003 | Howard says bush up to scratch on telecommunications
The Prime Minister says that telecommunications services in rural areas are "now mostly up to scratch - as I promised". ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2003 | Bid to ban trade in live export
The Democrats have introduced a National Animal Welfare Bill in the Senate. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2003 | Bait program to replace $2m fox bounty trial
The $2 million Victorian fox bounty trial has failed to cull fox numbers and will be replaced with an extended baiting program. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2003 | SPC Ardmona hopes for tariff reduction
SPC Ardmona is hoping that the proposed free trade agreement with the US comes to fruition, and says it could mean a $20 million-a-year, or 4 per cent, boost to its revenues. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2003 | Ban on udder glue teeters on sticky ground
A ban on Ekka exhibitors sealing their cows' teats with glue is an "udder" disaster, according to some dairy farmers. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2003 | Pig meat might fly in quarantine reform
Biosecurity Australia has proposed that quarantine barriers to the import of cooked pig meat generally be dismantled, as long as certain conditions are met by the exporters. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2003 | TLC helps AusBulk put its finger on the pulse
AusBulk has acquired The Lentil Company (TLC) for an undisclosed price. TLC, which is based at Horsham in the Wimmera, will become part of AusBulk in October. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2003 | Unions, farmers talking turkey on chicken-meat industry
The Victorian Farmers' Federation has teamed up with the Australian Workers' Union in a bid to re-regulate the state's $540 million-a-year chicken-meat industry. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2003 | Mutton, lamb set saleyard records
Record saleyard prices for lambs have resulted in some Brisbane supermarkets charging up to $16 a kilogram for loin chops and over $30 for cutlets. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2003 | Squeeze on udder cheats on Ekka
It's a crime that's almost impossible to detect with the naked eye but is the talk of Ekka this year: udder fraud. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2003 | Telstra's bush broadband stand hurts healthcare
A country GP says the lack of broadband connectivity in rural Australia is putting lives at risk. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2003 | Farmers reject FTA offer
The Federal Government's aim to conclude a free trade agreement with the US by the end of 2003 is in jeopardy, as the National Farmers' Federation has rejected the US's initial offer. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2003 | Canegrowers seek support to buy out Nambour mill
Brisbane-based Big Australian Co-operative is trying to rally investor support to fund an estimated $11 million rescue of the Nambour sugar mill and save the Sunshine Coast sugarcane industry. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2003 | NSW dairy farmers milked
The Federal Agriculture Minister is sending his envoy Senator Judith Troeth to meet with struggling Hunter Valley milk producers. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2003 | Squeeze on grape fungus
Vines from the Margaret River region will be among the first to be tested for resistance to a fungal spore that is threatening Australia's $4.4 billion grape industry. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2003 | Control bid for stock routes
Rural councils and shires want greater control over stock routes, which graziers often turn to for stock feed during drought. ...... FULL STORY
8 Aug 2003 | $3.5m available for SA farmers
FarmBis has $3.5 million to spend on South Australian agricultural training. ...... FULL STORY
8 Aug 2003 | Record year on live ex front
The live export sector had a record-breaking year during fiscal 2002-2003, with one million head - breaking the former record set in 1996-1997 by 110,000 head. ...... FULL STORY
8 Aug 2003 | SA shiraz takes top wine award
The annual Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for the best one-year-old red wine in Australia has been awarded to Saltram Wine Estates from South Australia. ...... FULL STORY
8 Aug 2003 | Wild dogs wanted: $20 bounty
A bounty system on wild dogs will be trialled in WA's Laverton Shire in a bid to tackle the problem. ...... FULL STORY
8 Aug 2003 | CWA takes on the big issues
New CWA president for WA, Margaret Sullivan, says it's probably the organisation's own fault it has a reputation as bakers and knitters. ...... FULL STORY
7 Aug 2003 | Quiet cows best for steak
CSIRO Livestock Industries says quiet, mild-mannered cows produce better tasting steaks than their temperamental mates. ...... FULL STORY
7 Aug 2003 | Brisbane's Ekka starts today
At 3.30am, when most city folk are still fast asleep, about 700 "cow cockies" living on site at Brisbane's RNA showgrounds will be starting their day. ...... FULL STORY
7 Aug 2003 | Our premium wines don't measure up
Petaluma boss Brian Croser, one of South Australia's leading winemakers, believes Australia's reputation as a respected wine producer is at risk. ...... FULL STORY
7 Aug 2003 | Fear of speculators buying water stocks
An auction will be held today in the South Australian town of Loxton of 9,500 megalitres of water. ...... FULL STORY
7 Aug 2003 | Long time between drinks ends
It wasn't rain but tankers full of water were the next best thing for farmers in north-west Victoria. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2003 | Victorian farmers face a harvest of hope
Most Victorian farmers are likely to get higher incomes this financial year if normal seasonal rains fall, according to Terry Sheales, chief commodity analyst with the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2003 | AWI opts to peg wool levy
Australian Wool Innovation wants to retain the 2 per cent wool grower levy, with chairman Ian McLachlan expected to announce AWI's recommended levy rate to the Australian Wool Industries Secretariat meeting in Melbourne on August 7. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2003 | $14m to rescue rice crop
The rice industry, through its marketing arm Sunrice, has agreed to provide up to $14 million to subsidise the cost of water for the 2003-2004 season. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2003 | New beef freeze
Frozen beef imports could be next in line for a sharp tariff rise in Japan, the Cattle Council of Australia has warned. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2003 | Drought slashes beef farmers' incomes by two-thirds
Lower export prices, soaring feed costs due to dry weather and the stronger dollar have slashed incomes in the beef industry by 67 per cent ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2003 | Survey shows GM-free labelling counts for nothing
A survey by Food Standards Australia New Zealand has found that four brands of soy milk advertised as GM-free actually contained traces of genetically modified material. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2003 | $500m plan for Melbourne Showgrounds
The Royal Agricultural Society and the Victorian Government have formed a joint venture to redevelop the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds site. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2003 | National Foods to acquire Bonlac's Victorian UHT plant
National Foods Ltd is to acquire Bonlac Foods' UHT flavoured milk plant at Cobden in western Victoria for an undisclosed sum. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2003 | Small wineries to face union pressure on wages
Hundreds of small Victorian wineries are facing a union campaign to increase the wages of casual vineyard workers. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2003 | McGauchie sees drought easing
Don McGauchie, former National Farmers Federation president, Reserve Bank board member and rural expert, says he thinks one of Australia's worst-ever droughts is coming to an end. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2003 | Harrow's beaut blokes to see the Big Smoke
More than 120 Melbourne women have signed up to show some rural lads around the big city. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2003 | Free NLIS information days for Qld producers
A number of free information forums are being held in Queensland in August to show beef and dairy producers how the National Livestock Identification Scheme can help to enhance on-farm productivity and animal traceability. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2003 | NSWFF board under fire
The board of the New South Wales Farmers' Association was criticised recently over the association's continued financial losses. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2003 | Auction action runs the bush dry of heritage
One of the consequences of the drought in NSW is that cash-strapped bush families are selling off parts of their cultural history to Sydney home-owners. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2003 | NSW shires dig in over boundary restructuring
The New South Wales Government is pressing small shires to amalgamate or undergo boundary restructuring. ...... FULL STORY
1 Aug 2003 | Winemaker Rick pick of the crop
Rick Kinzbrunner has just been named the 2003 Winemaker of the Year. ...... FULL STORY
1 Aug 2003 | Anti-Japan tariff campaign goes plastic
A herd of plastic cattle has appeared on Capital Hill with anti-tariff messages written on their flanks, as Australia's beef farmers intensify their campaign against Japan's increased beef tariffs. ...... FULL STORY
1 Aug 2003 | Stomping for red meat
1960s rocker Little Pattie is to become the ambassador of the Meat and Livestock Australia's red meat campaign. ...... FULL STORY
1 Aug 2003 | SAFF elects youth to board
The South Australian Farmers' Federation has appointed former primary school teacher Peter Angus to its board. ...... FULL STORY
1 Aug 2003 | Rural Vic gets more funding for broadband services
The Victorian Government will spend an additional $900,000 to boost regional broadband infrastructure in the rural town of Shepparton. ...... FULL STORY
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