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28 Nov 2003 | Aussie apple growers reject WTO ruling
The World Trade Organisation has rejected an appeal by Japan's apple growers, who had blocked the import of US apples because they might carry fireblight. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2003 | Funds to fight bio-terrorism
Moves are underway to activate the Australian Farmers' Fighting Fund to initiate a class action against the animal liberation activists who sabotaged the Portland live sheep shipment last week. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2003 | Ewe beauty
Australia's sheep flock is losing its masculinity: new ABARE figures show that the number of ewes is increasing at the expense of rams and wethers. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2003 | Ongoing drought to wither Queensland Cotton
Queensland Cotton's CEO Richard Haire has warned that the drought still affecting Australia is likely to keep pressure on the company's earnings until early 2005. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2003 | Rural doctors plan exodus
A new report predicts that the bush is headed for a health crisis, with rural doctors threatening a major exodus within the next five years. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2003 | Drought will 'kill' bush towns
Drought-hit regions will take up to seven years to recover, and some will never attract back the labour they lost during the drought, the Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, said on November 26. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2003 | AWB ups wheat profit forecast
AWB has upgraded its profit forecast for 2003-2004 to $110-$120 million from $100-$110 million. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2003 | Plight of Portland sheep in the balance
The plight of 70,000 sheep allegedly fed pork is increasingly uncertain, with growing fears they may be rejected by Kuwait. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2003 | Sugar farmers cane show biz over FTA opposition
Australia's sugar farmers have criticised television and film stars for opposing a free trade deal with the US. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2003 | Poor rural roads cost 100 lives a year
The underfunding of Victoria's rural roads kills around 100 people a year, according to an RACV report. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2003 | Wine levy a worry
Small wineries will suffer if the wine industry increases its R&D levy, according to Ken Helm of Helm Wines at Murrumbateman, near Canberra. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2003 | Anger at dairy fee deduction
Dairy Food Safety Victoria has told farmers their annual licence fees will increase from 0.010 cents to 0.013 cents a litre and be automatically deducted each month from milk cheques. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2003 | Sheep delay cost mounts
The delayed export of 70,000 sheep, due to be loaded on the al-Shuwaikh on November 20, is costing more than $50,000 a day while authorities investigate claims of contamination by animal activists. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2003 | US firm on trade talk wheat demands
US negotiators at the US-Australia free trade deal talks are adamant they will not back down on demands that Australia's AWB Ltd give up its monopoly on wheat exports. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2003 | Fruit growers demand price rise
Goulburn Valley canning fruit growers are asking SPC Ardmona to increase prices ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2003 | AQIS keeps out the creepies
Every year, Australia's quarantine officials hunt through airports, dockyards and mail rooms for items that pose a threat to the nation's $30 billion a year agriculture export industry. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2003 | Go bush for a great life
Melburnians have been learning about a wonderful "new" place called Provincial Victoria through a State Government advertising campaign. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2003 | Still doubt over the drought despite NSW downpour
Inland New South Wales received a drenching over the November 22-23 weekend, but it's too early to judge whether it will reduce the proportion of the state officially drought-declared. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2003 | Farmers fight US over wheat
AWB Ltd's monopoly on $4.5 billion a year in bulk wheat exports is under threat, as the US increases pressure on Australia on terms for a free trade deal. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2003 | Bans, limits for alpine cattlemen
The Victorian Government has announced that the grazing rights of mountain cattlemen will be severely curtailed for the next two years to allow bushfire-burnt areas to recover. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2003 | Farm Pride faces fresh attack from Sunny Queen
Queensland-based Sunny Queen, which wants to buy out Victoria-based Farm Pride Foods, is planning an attack on Farm Pride's board at the annual meeting on November 28. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2003 | City-country generation gap grows
The Australian Local Government Association will release its "State of the Regions Report" today, which shows that the generation gap between country and city is widening. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2003 | Water crisis runs deep for vegie farmers
Werribee South vegetable farmers came very close to a catastrophe recently. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2003 | Sheep feed contamination result due
The 70,000 sheep destined for the Middle East and allegedly fed shredded ham last week are still awaiting a quarantine export licence. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2003 | Beekeeper swipe at Tas forestry practices
Tasmanian beekeepers have launched a stinging attack on the State Government over its clearfelling and reforestation burns policies. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2003 | Sheep-feed sabotage raises fears for exports
Victoria's chief veterinarian confirmed on November 20 that animal rights activists contaminated feed for 70,000 sheep bound for Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2003 | Banana disease controls tightened
North Queensland banana growers will have to comply with tighter controls on disease treatment. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2003 | CSIRO cops 'greenie' serve from irrigators
Irrigators have told CSIRO to steer clear of environment advocates, particularly in relation to debates about water reforms and studies of Murray River flows. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2003 | Wild dog parasite infecting cattle
The neospora caninum parasite, spread by dingoes and wild dogs, is costing the beef industry an estimated $30 million a year. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2003 | Drought exempts farmers from paying wage rise
About 10,000 farmers who qualify for Exceptional Circumstances assistance will not have to pay their farm hands the extra $17 a week most workers are now getting. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2003 | Beef sizzles as diets take hold
The Australian beef industry is reaping the benefits of the popularity of the high-protein low-carbohydrate diet. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2003 | Moving shop to Ballarat pays off
The Victorian Treasurer, on behalf of the Ballarat City Council, will unveil the Business Eureka Pack today. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2003 | SA roo-meat firms caught on the hop
South Australia's kangaroo meat processors are being forced to look interstate for supplies, with the drought reducing kangaroo numbers to a 25-year low. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2003 | Tassie harvests grapes of wrath
More than 3,000 wines have been tasted and sniffed by 16 judges over the past five days at the Royal Hobart Wine Show. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2003 | VFF challenges activists' claim: we tainted feed
The Victorian Farmers' Federation has challenged a claim by Animal Liberation activists that they tainted the feed of 70,000 sheep and cattle about to leave for the Middle East on the live export carrier Al Shuwaikh, ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2003 | Wool levy stays at 2pc
Wool growers have reportedly voted to retain the 2 per cent levy. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2003 | Holy cow, Bessie hits 26
On sunny days Bessie the cow does nothing but lie in the grass and soak up the sunshine. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2003 | Milking it for a career
The National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp is a five-day initiation welcoming 16 to 20-year-olds to the dairy industry. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2003 | Woes extend for pressured state sugar
The ailing Queensland sugar industry continued to deteriorate over the past year due to oversupply from Brazil's expansion and the rising $AUD, the Maryborough Sugar Factory Ltd said on November 18. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2003 | Grain market to stay partly open
The Western Australian Government will not review its partial deregulation of the grain market this season despite the high volume of grain approved for export outside the traditional single desk system. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2003 | Recovery forecast for rice growers
Rice growers are hoping for a significant recovery this season, with potentially record prices encouraging them to increase production. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2003 | Vegetable prices to rise in growers' water crisis
Soaring vegetable prices and shortages are likely unless Werribee market gardeners receive emergency water supplies. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2003 | Extra spend on Vic's regional fast rail
The Victorian Government will spend an additional $61 million on the state's regional fast rail project, bringing the total cost to $617 million. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2003 | A stepping stone for rural youth
The Country Education Foundation of Australia provides communities with support to give school leavers incentives to develop their education and skills. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2003 | Farmers fear for rights to land
New South Wales farmers claim they will lose the right to manage their farms if the Native Vegetation Bill is passed in State Parliament tonight. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2003 | Storm relief for horticulturalists
Horticulturalists in New South Wales whose crops were damaged by storms in October can apply to the State Government for financial relief. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2003 | US targets wheat board
The US is cranking up pressure to get AWB dismantled, in a concession to US grain growers and part of the final negotiations for a free trade agreement between Australia and the US. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2003 | Low mouse numbers for central Mallee
CSIRO says there will be fewer than 100 mice per hectare this summer in the Mallee region of Victoria. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2003 | Bush vets: 'we can't survive'
Country veterinarians in New South Wales are angry about State Government plans to deregulate some animal health tasks, effectively handing over business to rural merchants and pastoral houses. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2003 | Stockmen dealt pay by the day
Industrial relations consultant Paul Houlihan has just negotiated a new pay deal covering workers on seven beef stations owned by Heytesbury Holdings. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2003 | Rail change would crush pineapple farmers
Queensland Transport intends to upgrade the Caboolture-to-Landsborough section of the Brisbane-to-Cairns line to improve services. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2003 | Water cuts hit farmers
Farmers' investment decisions are already being affected by potential cuts in irrigation water from the Murray River, according to a report compiled by the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2003 | Mudgee abattoir receives interest from six tenders
The Mudgee Regional Abattoir liquidator says several genuine tenders have been received to keep the business operating as a going concern. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2003 | Country shires' toxic site fightback
Victorian country shires named this week by the State Government as potential sites for a potentially toxic waste dump will fight to keep it out of their areas. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2003 | Woolies boss pledges backing for dairy farmers
Woolworths' CEO Roger Corbett has promised to ask the Federal Government to conduct a review of the dairy industry's rationalisation. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2003 | Farmer alarm at waste plan
Farmers at three potential waste dump sites in Victoria have received letters stating they could lose their land. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2003 | Raw milk not for sale
The Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation supports moves by the State Government to stop the sale of raw milk for human consumption. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2003 | Vets join in animal welfare Bill protest
The Australian Veterinary Association has joined forces with the Victorian Farmers' Federation in opposing a key section of the State Government's animal welfare Bill. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2003 | Stricter controls on GM trials
Stricter controls will be placed on genetically modified crop trials following problems with a Bayer CropScience GM canola crop near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2003 | Bush gathers to farewell legend
RM Williams was laid to rest on November 12, as mourners listened to one of his favourite poems. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2003 | Horses in RM's funeral cortege
The Queensland state funeral of Reginald Murray Williams, who died on November 4, will be held today in Toowoomba. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2003 | Rain fails to lift sheep farmers out of crisis
Wool and mutton production has slumped to its lowest level in 20 years, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2003 | Call for lower rural wages
A report by the Centre for Independent Studies, calling for lower wages for rural and regional workers, has been rejected by unions as "disgraceful" and the Federal Government as "punishing". ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2003 | Vic farmers take bull by horns
Livestock producers are threatening to boycott Victorian saleyards in protest against a $2-a-head fee by stock agents to scan store cattle from January 1, 2004. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2003 | Farmers, take care, be ready for bushfires
There are specific issues farmers should consider when it comes to bushfires, such as clearing volatile fuels from around buildings, isolating potential fire sources eg incinerators, and assessing water supply availability for fire extinction. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2003 | More than half of NSW still in drought
The drought is far from over in New South Wales despite the best statistics for over a year, the State Agriculture Minister, Ian Macdonald, said on November 10. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2003 | Flyodiversity under scrutiny
Australian researchers are to join a major international research project into the evolutionary history of flies. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2003 | Tassie seed a global success
Tasmanian tree species seeds are fetching up to $30,000 a kilogram in overseas countries, due to the commercial success of the Tasmanian Seed Centre, a business unit of Forestry Tasmania. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2003 | Alpaca packs an $83,000 sales punch
A Mount Compass couple who breed alpacas has sold a young animal, Romanza, for $83,000. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2003 | All frosted out in NSW
Freezing nights and frosts have again damaged grain and horticulture crops in central and southern NSW. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2003 | Are we ready for drought?
The Federal Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss, has announced a five-member panel to review Australia's preparedness for drought. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2003 | Dredging saves Murray
A 12-month dredging operation to help keep the Murray mouth open has removed one million cubic metres of sand, South Australian Environment Minister, John Hill, says. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2003 | Vic country hospital budgets look poorly
Several Victorian regional hospitals have reported substantial losses, with deficits in the millions. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2003 | WTO eyes Aussie quarantine dispute
The European Union has been granted a special panel of World Trade Organisation experts to rule on a dispute with Australia over quarantine measures. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2003 | Fox eradication farce in Tasmania
A Fox Task Force eradication officer has slammed Tasmania's effort, casting doubts on its eventual effectiveness. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2003 | Trial GM canola crop found in wheat
GM canola plants have been discovered in a conventional wheat crop in the south-west of NSW, near a GM trial area of less than a hectare close to Wagga Wagga. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2003 | BJD backdown
Cattle producers have welcomed the opening up of bovine Johne's disease risk assessment trading in Victoria and Tasmania. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2003 | Drought blamed for fall in rural employment
Agricultural employment fell by 60,000 jobs during 2002-2003 due to the drought, according to Treasury's Spring Economic Round-up, released last week. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2003 | Milk giants face siege
The NSW Farmers' Association will launch a campaign to pressure retailers and milk processors into giving dairy farmers a bigger share of the consumer dollar. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2003 | Tobacco growers face end of the industry
The last of North Queensland's contracted tobacco has left the selling floor at Mareeba - 13 tonnes bought by Philip Morris - which spells the official end of the industry. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2003 | GM crops could be legal in SA in 2006
A South Australian Government draft Bill, released for comment this week, will place a two-year ban on commercial GM crops in the state. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2003 | Farmers punt on cotton crop
Darling Downs cotton farmers are embarking on one of the biggest dryland plantings in years, with the lure being the high price paid for last season's crop - more than $600 a bale. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2003 | Fox bait program aims to clear one million hectares
The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment has launched a fox-baiting campaign aimed at eradicating the pest from one million hectares of East Gippsland bush. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2003 | State funeral to honour bush icon
Toowoomba is preparing for a state funeral for bush icon R. M. Williams. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2003 | Telstra grants lost in the bush
The Federal Government has not kept track of a $494 million slush fund aimed at winning support in the bush for the full sale of Telstra, according to a report by the Australian National Audit Office. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2003 | Wine industry facing profit squeeze
The wine industry has undergone difficult times over the last financial year, with wineries' profitability cut and smaller operations going out of business, according to the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation's latest annual report. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2003 | Hollows charity helped sheep deal
The Fred Hollows Foundation was instrumental in sealing the deal that saw Eritrea take the boatload of unwanted sheep aboard the MV Cormo Express. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2003 | CWA wants to go to pot
The Tasmanian branch of the Country Women's Association will lobby governments for the legalisation of cannabis for pain relief in the terminally ill and chronic pain sufferers. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2003 | Crime costs farms $72m
One in every eight farms was hit by crime during 2001-2002 at a total cost of $72 million, according to an Australian Institute of Criminology report. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2003 | Country mourns great Outback character
Bush legend Reginald Murray Williams died at 11.30am on Tuesday November 4, 2003, aged 95. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2003 | Domestic wine sales up 3pc
Wine sales within Australia increased by 3.3 per cent in September 2003, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2003 | GM crop trial 'stealth'
A new application by Monsanto and Bayer to carry out a 4,000ha trial of genetically modified canola in New South Wales is concerning environmentalists and farmers opposed to GM crops. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2003 | Saudi sheep deal never signed
On November 3 it was revealed that Australia had never signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over live sheep shipments - although Saudi Arabia did. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2003 | Exports hit hurdle: rising $A hurts business
Agricultural exporters first suffered from the effects of the drought - now it's the rising Australian dollar. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2003 | Be ready for surprises if you buy a bush block
People who buy bush blocks are often unaware of the many obligations, hard work, costs (such as pasture improvement) and problems that come with the purchase. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2003 | Live sheep trade at 12-year low
Australia's live sheep exports have sunk to their lowest level in 12 years following the MV Cormo Express saga. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2003 | Pesticide residues in organic produce
A report by Food Standards Australia states that some organic food sold in supermarkets contains pesticide residues equal to the maximum limit legally allowed in traditional food products. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2003 | Forget the top drop - the money's in the cask
Farms growing grapes for the bulk-wine market earn more money than those producing grapes for premium wines, a new ABARE study shows. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2003 | Cattle station supply dries up in drought
Rural agents say the strong demand for cattle stations is not being met due to a shortage of listings. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2003 | Sting in the price of honey as being a bee loses its buzz
Honey prices are at their highest for 40 years due to the drought, last summer's bushfires and a decline in world production. ...... FULL STORY
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