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30 Apr 2004 | Chips are down, but the spud fights back
Potato farmers want weight-conscious consumers to loosen up and reach for a spud. ...... FULL STORY
30 Apr 2004 | China trade reform urged
Elders China’s Nick Hunt says trade protocols with China are in urgent need of reform if Australia is to take advantage of surging demand from that nation. ...... FULL STORY
30 Apr 2004 | Kickback likely in Aust-Iraq wheat deal, says US
US investigators claim that at least one of AWB’s contracts with Iraq could have been inflated by as much as $A20.6 million (US$14.8 million), or 11 per cent. ...... FULL STORY
30 Apr 2004 | $444m sweetener for canegrowers
The Federal Government announced a $444 million assistance package for the sugar industry yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
30 Apr 2004 | Locusts ticking time-bomb
Farmers and fruit-growers in SA’s Riverland fear a swarm of locusts is a ticking time-bomb. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2004 | Giant sheep fleeced on TV
Shrek, a wild and woolly hermit sheep, was shorn by champion blade Peter Casserly on television yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2004 | Drought's toll: 100,000 rural jobs
The 2002-2003 drought in Australia cost the agricultural sector a massive fall in jobs, according to Federal Treasury figures. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2004 | Big dry hits juicers
Australia is facing a 30 per cent shortfall in its Valencia orange crop for the next two years, Australian Citrus Growers said yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2004 | Sugar rescue federal issue, says Beattie
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says he has no plans to add to the state’s $30 million contribution to sugar industry assistance. ...... FULL STORY
29 Apr 2004 | Cotton market gains $40/bale
Cash prices for Australian cotton have increased about $A40 a bale during the past week, as global supply starts to squeeze. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2004 | Cotton farmers to gain in trade blow to US
Australia may gain access to the world cotton market after the US appeared to lose a key battle on subsidies. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2004 | Island to become fruit and vegetable oasis
Torrens Island will become a major hydroponic fruit and vegetable producer with the development of a $75 million greenhouse precinct. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2004 | Warning on pest threat
A quarter of Victoria's farmers do not know they can be fined for not reporting pest disease outbreaks in their crops, according to a survey of 300 farmers by the Auditor General's office. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2004 | New voice for dairy farmers
Victorian dairy farmers have a new organisation representing their interests. ...... FULL STORY
28 Apr 2004 | 2000 to quit sugar despite handout
Up to 2,000 sugarcane farming families may have to leave the industry, Canegrowers says, as the Federal Government prepares to announce an expected $400 million-plus assistance package for cane farmers. ...... FULL STORY
27 Apr 2004 | Gippsland chuffed by return of rail
Victoria's Bairnsdale railway line will re-open to passenger trains on Sunday, almost 11 years after being closed. ...... FULL STORY
27 Apr 2004 | Drought aid 'needs to be simplified'
The recent National Drought Summit discussed future drought policy, with a number of participants arguing that the focus should shift to preparedness programs. ...... FULL STORY
27 Apr 2004 | Roo meat a 'disease preventer'
Research by a WA animal biology student, in collaboration with CSIRO Livestock Industries, has found that kangaroo meat is rich in a healthy fat. ...... FULL STORY
27 Apr 2004 | Cattle ID backlash
A producer backlash in NSW against the National Livestock Identification System has prompted the Federal Agriculture Minister to state he has no problem if NSW bows to pressure and delays its start. ...... FULL STORY
27 Apr 2004 | WA wine grape glut 'will pass'
Rich Hanen, MD of one of WA's largest wine producers Goundrey Wines, says the state's wine grape glut will be resolved "way faster than people think it will". ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2004 | Dairyman questions survey bias
Witchcliffe dairy farmer Brian Yates has queried the validity of a national dairy survey to be carried out by Dairy Australia. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2004 | Bug battle takes to the air
NSW's locust plague is now affecting almost 75 per cent of the state. NSW Agriculture Minister said the pests are being attacked from above and aerial spraying has been carried out over 89,000 hectares. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2004 | Nationals back sugar rescue
The National Party has backed a rescue package for the sugar industry which was signed off by Federal Cabinet yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2004 | Wiluna group wants dog bounty
Wiluna pastoralists will push for a wild dog bounty, despite a lukewarm response to a similar trial around Laverton. ...... FULL STORY
23 Apr 2004 | Charges to follow sheep ship protest
Two animal rights activists are expected to be charged with trespass after chaining themselves to a tugboat to prevent a live export ship docking at Portland Harbour. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2004 | Protesters keep sheep ship vigil
Animal rights activists are maintaining a vigil at Portland Harbour in a bid to stop the loading of up to 80,000 live sheep aboard the Al Messilah, bound for the Middle East. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2004 | Farms may win $145m water deal
Victorian farmers may receive a $145 million windfall if the State Government proposal to turn their access to "sales" water into a tradeable asset goes ahead. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2004 | Meat exports surge
Exports of Australian beef and lamb are booming as demand lifts in the US, Japan and South Korea. Beef and veal exports increased by 9 per cent to 76,598 tonnes in March 2004. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2004 | Farmers ready to accept FTA
The National Farmers' Federation will support the proposed Australia-US free trade agreement despite disappointment over the deals for sugar and beef producers. ...... FULL STORY
22 Apr 2004 | Chooks find secret to plucking up
Queensland's Primary Industries Minister hopes a new vaccine will stop the spread of coccidiosis, a potentially deadly bacterial chicken disease. ...... FULL STORY
21 Apr 2004 | Sugar: funds to stay and funds to go
The Queensland Government has allocated an additional $3 million to help keep cane growers in the sugar industry, amid reports that the Federal Government will provide $240 million for growers to leave. ...... FULL STORY
21 Apr 2004 | Cash crisis for citrus marketing
Horticulture Australia has told citrus growers that promotion of their fruit overseas will be cut due to a lack of funds for marketing and R&D. ...... FULL STORY
21 Apr 2004 | Row over funding of cattle ID scheme
A battle is brewing between the state and federal governments and livestock producers over funding for the introduction of the National Livestock Identification Scheme. ...... FULL STORY
21 Apr 2004 | Milk price warning
Tatura Milk has warned dairy farmers that milk prices could fall by 5-10 per cent in the next season, following a 7.5 per cent downturn in income estimates by the co-operative. ...... FULL STORY
21 Apr 2004 | Review over pig meat imports
Australian Pork Ltd's appeal against the decision to relax quarantine bans on imported pig meat has gained a hearing. ...... FULL STORY
20 Apr 2004 | PM to double sugar offer
Federal Cabinet is likely to approve a $240 million sugar industry reform package to win back the votes of cane farmers in key marginal electorates. ...... FULL STORY
20 Apr 2004 | Speedy spud machine is the pick of inventors' crop
A 73-year-old farmer from South Australia has designed a four-row potato harvester which can harvest 30 tonnes of potatoes an hour. ...... FULL STORY
20 Apr 2004 | Three-pronged attack on livestock pox
Maintaining Australia's disease-free status for capripox disease of livestock is the aim of a three-year research project involving Australian Wool Innovation, CSIRO and Canadian scientists. ...... FULL STORY
20 Apr 2004 | Vic dairy farmers urge PM on water
A group of Gippsland dairy farmers has urged the Prime Minister to intervene to ensure they have enough water to run their farms. ...... FULL STORY
20 Apr 2004 | Snail farmer coaxing foodies
Sonya Begg, a snail farmer in Orange, NSW, wants to replace imported tinned escargots with her fresh home-grown variety. ...... FULL STORY
19 Apr 2004 | Disease test scam investigated
Victorian and Tasmanian government officials are investigating possible breaches of the Victorian Diseases Control Act: beef females may have been shipped into Victoria without appropriate documentation stating they were free of bovine Johne's disease. ...... FULL STORY
19 Apr 2004 | Breeding mastitis out of the dairy herd
New technology developed by CSIRO Livestock Industries will lead to strategies which should substantially reduce the $140 million lost each year due to dairy cows contracting udder infections. ...... FULL STORY
19 Apr 2004 | Rejected Aust wheat could cost Pakistan $US30m
The company hit by Pakistan's rejection of 150,000 tonnes of Australian wheat earlier this year will sue the Pakistani Government. ...... FULL STORY
19 Apr 2004 | Exports surge after big dry but dollar dampens outlook
Victoria's agricultural exports are rebounding from the drought, although the state Department of Treasury and Finance says prospects are mixed. ...... FULL STORY
19 Apr 2004 | Safety push for farmers
Victoria WorkSafe and the State Government have launched a hard-hitting farm safety campaign in a bid to halt an increase in fatalities. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2004 | Wool experts see bottom of market
Wool industry analysts say the 30 per cent market decline over the past 12 months may be close to bottoming. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2004 | Tassie export lettuce moratorium lifted
A ban on exports of Tasmanian loose-leaf lettuce, imposed on March 31, has been lifted. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2004 | Big dry brings bees to their knees
There have been many droughts in the far west of Queensland, but there's never been one so bad that even honey bees are dying from lack of nectar. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2004 | $20m crack at big walnut market
Tasmanian walnut producer Webster Ltd will invest $20 million expanding into NSW, establishing 850ha of orchards at Griffith in the Riverina over the next four years. ...... FULL STORY
16 Apr 2004 | Locusts reach Melbourne's northern edge
Locusts that have plagued NSW in the past two months have reached the northern outskirts of Melbourne. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2004 | Irrigators offered water rights carrot
The Victorian Government is offering irrigators a tradeable right over the one million megalitres in Goulburn Murray Water's sales pool in return for giving up 20 per cent of that water to the environment. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2004 | Wheat's Egypt export boom
AWB (International) Ltd hopes to ship 2.3 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt by the end of September this year, thereby getting close to setting a new record for exports to Egypt. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2004 | Fruit growers plead for illegal workers
Fruit and vegetable growers want to be able to employ workers currently deemed to be illegal. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2004 | Move for united front on drought
Federal and state governments promised yesterday to put aside their differences in order to support farmers battling with drought. ...... FULL STORY
15 Apr 2004 | Bonlac out of step
Suppliers have warned that Bonlac's failure to match competitors' milk prices may cost the company dearly. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2004 | Tassie apples top of the flops
Apple crops around Australia are down 60-70 per cent on last year's bumper harvest - which means fruit from Tasmania is in demand and commanding good prices. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2004 | Rural health funds shortfall
The Federal Government spent nearly $7 million less on the health of rural and regional Australians than it allocated for the purpose, a review by the National Audit Office has revealed. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2004 | SA politicians join forces to cut wine tax
SA Premier Mike Rann, Opposition leader Rob Kerin and National MP Karlene Maywald have sent an unprecedented joint letter to the Prime Minister pushing for cuts to taxes on wine. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2004 | Ministers and farmers to debate drought aid
A drought round table, made up of government and industry leaders, will today discuss ways of improving drought assistance to farmers while encouraging them to plan better for dry conditions. ...... FULL STORY
14 Apr 2004 | Banana scientist 'silenced'
The Australian Banana Growers' Council yesterday accused Biosecurity Australia of intimidating an international expert hired by the council in its fight against Filipino banana imports. ...... FULL STORY
13 Apr 2004 | GM cotton trials for struggling sugar belt
Sugarcane farmers may get approvals within a week to test genetically modified cotton on the Burdekin River. ...... FULL STORY
13 Apr 2004 | Banana blue brews
Biosecurity Australia is refuting claims by local banana growers that Australia will be subject to a Moko disease outbreak if Filipino bananas are imported. ...... FULL STORY
13 Apr 2004 | Tas rural show bigger by a country mile
Tasmania's Agfest is celebrating its 22nd birthday this year, and it promises to be the biggest show yet. ...... FULL STORY
13 Apr 2004 | Labor will axe rural science funds
The Federal Opposition has changed its policy on the Bureau of Rural Sciences and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. ...... FULL STORY
13 Apr 2004 | AWB to distribute $970m
AWB Ltd will pay its growers their share of a record first distribution of $970 million this week. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2004 | $400m boost for farmers
The Federal Government will give farmers about $400 million over four years in next month's Budget. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2004 | Farmer lobby confirms Greenpeace link
The Network of Concerned Farmers has confirmed that it gets funds from Greenpeace, which paid for the construction of NCF's web site and chaired several teleconferences with network members. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2004 | OJD found on 9 WA farms
The Western Australian sheep industry has abandoned hopes of eradicating Ovine Johne's Disease in the state after it was found on nine properties. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2004 | Farmers to cover river water costs
The National Farmers' Federation has released a plan under which farmers would absorb a third of the cost of returning water to rivers. ...... FULL STORY
8 Apr 2004 | RSPCA switches stance
The RSPCA has again switched its stance on live animal exports, issuing a statement calling for a ban on the industry. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2004 | Wool stocks soar
The wool stockpile has reached one million bales as producers store their wool in the wake of falling prices. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2004 | Dairy firms offer more to battling farmers
Murray Goulburn Co-operative and Tatura Milk have announced milk price step-ups. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2004 | Five Qld shires off drought list
Five shires in Queensland's south-east have been taken off the state's drought list. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2004 | Fun wines storm into US market
Australian winemakers are launching "fun" wine brands in the US, following the unprecedented success of the Yellow Tail label. ...... FULL STORY
7 Apr 2004 | Pig farmers abandon problem-plagued industry
The strong $AUD, low world prices and high feed costs are forcing some pig farmers to abandon the industry. ...... FULL STORY
6 Apr 2004 | One in six lose jobs on land
About one in every six agricultural jobs in Queensland was lost in 2003, according to a State Treasury analysis of the effects of the drought. ...... FULL STORY
6 Apr 2004 | Dip in $A benefits farmers
The Westpac-National Farmers' Federation rural commodity index rose 3.5 per cent in March due to a fall in the value of the $AUD. ...... FULL STORY
6 Apr 2004 | Plan for rival wool sales
Two of Australia's biggest players in the wool industry have announced a plan to set up a rival auction system to the existing exchange. ...... FULL STORY
6 Apr 2004 | Incitec Pivot stops sale of ammonium nitrate fertiliser
Australia's biggest fertiliser manufacturer, Incitec Pivot, has taken ammonium nitrate fertiliser off the market, citing "concern for public safety if the material is used for terrorist or criminal acts". ...... FULL STORY
6 Apr 2004 | Wine sales up in February
Australian domestic wine sales rose 5.7 per cent to 35 million litres in February, according to Bureau of Statistics figures. ...... FULL STORY
5 Apr 2004 | Shock flock loss after dog attacks
Wild dog attacks at Bulga Downs, south west of Sandstone in WA, have reduced a flock of 2,500 Merinos to just 800. ...... FULL STORY
5 Apr 2004 | PN's freight stranglehold
NSW-based rail freight business Pacific National has made a $285 million offer for Victorian rail operator Freight Australia, despite PN's co-owner Chris Corrigan saying recently he was out of the race for Freight Australia. ...... FULL STORY
5 Apr 2004 | Vintage vintners will soon age to perfection
The men of Coonawarra need to be convinced that there's more to good health than a good cabernet. ...... FULL STORY
5 Apr 2004 | ABB Grain and AusBulk return to merger talks
South Australian grain companies ABB Grain Ltd and AusBulk have reignited merger talks. ...... FULL STORY
5 Apr 2004 | CSR lifts stake in two sugar refineries
CSR Ltd has increased its stakes in two sugar refineries, in a $61 million deal with Man Group plc. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2004 | Ominous signs of return to drought
Much of Australia has been undergoing exceptionally dry weather over the past three months, bringing ominous signs of a return to drought conditions. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2004 | Export trade fear shrinks GM crop trials
The NSW Government has ruled out a 3,000ha trial of GM canola after strong concerns were voiced by AWB Ltd. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2004 | Flour dump claim
The biggest private buyer of Australian wheat, Indonesia's Bogasari Flour Mills, has threatened to slash orders if concerns about alleged dumping of flour by Manildra Flour Mills are not addressed immediately. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2004 | Living with locusts
Swarms of locusts are continuing on their path of destruction, eating their way from over the Queensland border to the Riverina. ...... FULL STORY
2 Apr 2004 | New policy to guide migrants into regions
Australia's skilled migration intake will be increased by 7,000 in the 2004-2005 financial year, with 5,000 of these migrants being directed to regional areas. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2004 | Fox fears grow as Tassie sightings soar
Tasmania's Fox-Free Taskforce has received a sudden rush of sightings, with nine received between last Friday and this Tuesday. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2004 | Fertiliser buyers to face checks
The Federal Government will soon introduce checks for farmers and miners wanting to buy ammonium nitrate, which supports combustion and is favoured by terrorists in bomb-making. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2004 | Qld farm death toll since 1990 passes 100
Between 1990 and 2002, 77 farm workers were killed by tractors, 11 by all-terrain vehicles, 10 by farm bikes and two died as a result of becoming entangled in rotating PTO shafts. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2004 | Orange deficit
Fruit juice maker Berri will be forced to import squeezed oranges for the first time ever this year, due to a severe domestic shortage. ...... FULL STORY
1 Apr 2004 | Aust accuses EU of propping up inefficient sugar farmers
Australia's and Brazil's challenge to European sugar producers has begun in the World Trade Organisation. ...... FULL STORY
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