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31 Aug 2004 | Cotton facing price crunch
Cotton prices remain near $400 a bale and planting is just around the corner. ...... FULL STORY
31 Aug 2004 | Broadband help on way for rural Australia
People in the agricultural sector who are frustrated by slow Internet connections have been given a reassurance that an improvement is on the way. ...... FULL STORY
31 Aug 2004 | Restructure blues for Bonlac
Bonlac Foods has recorded a net loss of $83 million for the year to June 30, compared with a net profit of $18.1 million the previous year. ...... FULL STORY
31 Aug 2004 | Quarantine agency slips again on risk
Biosecurity Australia's proposal to allow imports of Filipino bananas has come under scrutiny again after it said it will issue a third version of the draft risk assessment. ...... FULL STORY
31 Aug 2004 | New Grain Growers' Association chairman takes over
Ron Hards, a Victorian farmer, will take over as chairman of the Grain Growers' Association from August 31. ...... FULL STORY
31 Aug 2004 | Mutton losing its flavour
Victoria completed one of its smallest-ever weekly adult sheep slaughters last week, processing just 23,356 head. ...... FULL STORY
30 Aug 2004 | France sues winemaker over 'misleading' label
French winemakers and industry representatives have launched legal action against Australian grower Taltarni Vineyards over the use of the word Tache on its sparkling wines. ...... FULL STORY
30 Aug 2004 | Beattie upsets graziers
The $3 billion beef industry in Queensland has accused the State Government of doing a backflip on the National Livestock Identification Scheme. ...... FULL STORY
30 Aug 2004 | Avian influenza vaccine trials to begin
CSIRO Livestock Industries has developed an experimental vaccine to protect chickens from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. ...... FULL STORY
30 Aug 2004 | Dairy makes a brand name for itself
Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory has achieved sales revenue of $10 million-$20 million with its first branded product, Sungold milk. ...... FULL STORY
30 Aug 2004 | Farmers eye oil for poll
Farmers worried about new oil price highs as they passed the $US50-a-barrel mark last week - and some market analysts are starting to tip a $US60 barrel price. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2004 | WA, SA farmers threaten to fight policy at poll
The West Australian and South Australian Farmers' Federations will step up their campaign against the National Competition Policy and may make it an issue at the federal election. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2004 | Gunns to spread its roots
Timber company Gunns Ltd is targeting interstate expansion and the development of a pulp mill in its home state of Tasmania, following strong demand for its forestry products. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2004 | Farmers get new drought bail-out
Australia is facing an additional $300 million in assistance to farmers in Queensland and western NSW, where poor rains are threatening to devastate Winter crops and crush hopes of a rural recovery. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2004 | Juice that tames clots
A 250-ml glass of tomato juice a day could keep blood clots away for people with cardiovascular disease, according to a University of Newcastle study. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2004 | Rural Press lifts dividend
Rural Press has gone against the drought and posted a 27.3 per cent rise in net profit after tax to a record $87.1 million, with sales up 9.8 per cent to $515.6 million. ...... FULL STORY
27 Aug 2004 | NZ legal threat over new wine tax rebate
New Zealand may make a legal challenge to the tax rebate granted to Australian wine makers in this year's Federal Budget. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2004 | Silage to bail out dairy farmers
British expert Harry Wilson, here as a guest of Dairy Australia, says there's a way to make the dairy industry drought-proof. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2004 | Woolmark needs help, says Flugge
Woolmark Company's aim of being a self-funding promotion company has been dashed: chairman Trevor Flugge says it needs help to survive. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2004 | Be more cunning on fox baits: farmers
The Victorian Farmers' Federation is calling for fox baits to be sold at rural merchandise stores, making them more accessible to farmers. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2004 | Shops urged to list farm prices
The Victorian Farmers' Federation has started a campaign to encourage supermarkets to place farm gate prices next to the shop prices of milk and vegetables. ...... FULL STORY
26 Aug 2004 | Bigger, better Show kicks up a gear
The 2004 Royal Melbourne Show is shaping up to be bigger than ever. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2004 | Farmers back channel deepening in bay
The Victorian Farmers' Federation has backed channel deepening in Port Phillip Bay, in order to ensure the future of the state's agricultural sector. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2004 | Poultry at home on the range
Increasing numbers of consumers are willing to pay more for free-range chicken meat, as concerns over animal welfare outweigh price considerations. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2004 | No win for bank in Games ads
ANZ Bank is spending about $1 million on TV advertisements during Seven Network's coverage of the Olympic Games, telling viewers it's listening to customers and opening rural branches. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2004 | Dump 'threat' to wine, food exports
Food and wine exports from Victoria's Mildura region could be harmed if a proposed toxic dump site at Nowingi went head, says Mildura's mayor Peter Byrne. ...... FULL STORY
25 Aug 2004 | Farmers will fight policy rules
South Australia's farmers have embarked on a battle against the National Competition Policy in an attempt to gain fairer rules for export industries. ...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Ernst & Young Weekly Food & Agribusiness Report
- News Highlights
- Wool
- Livestock
- Crops
- Cotton and Sugar
- Rural & Agribusiness Stocks
...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Australia is BSE-free: EU
The European Union has given Australia the highest status of freedom from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). ...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Olive oil's day in the limelight
At the Sydney Showgrounds Members' Stand yesterday, nine judges presided over olive oil judgment day at the Sydney Royal Food Show. ...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Ag Show poised to offer
The Toowoomba-based 2004 Heritage Ag Show is fully booked and has a record number of exhibitors, according to its general manager Peter Erwin. ...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Bush flights slip net
Airline passengers from 146 regional airports to capital cities won't have to face compulsory security screening, despite a $48 million Federal Government upgrade to the nation's airports security. ...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Growers join ethanol push
Austcane, a business venture run by a group of Burdekin sugarcane growers, is negotiating with Dedini, the major Brazilian maker of sugar and ethanol mills. ...... FULL STORY
24 Aug 2004 | Outlook strong for beef sales
What's bad news for cattle is good news for Australian cattle farmers, as beef exports are tipped to hit the one million tonne mark by 2008. ...... FULL STORY
23 Aug 2004 | Lean, green farming beats oil price rise
Soaring oil prices may be bad news for Australia's farmers, but things could have been a lot worse had they not changed crop-farming techniques for environmental reasons. ...... FULL STORY
23 Aug 2004 | Competition, improved quality reporting for telecoms in the bush
The National Farmers' Federation has welcomed the announcement of Optus as the third national Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme satellite internet service provider. ...... FULL STORY
23 Aug 2004 | Look out, they're hatching
The Spring locust menace has started, with the first sightings of young hoppers around Lightning Ridge and Bourke in the past week. ...... FULL STORY
23 Aug 2004 | Farmers fight for fresh, clean image
Sunraysia farmers say the Victorian Government's plan to build a toxic waste dump in their district would undermine the Government's own marketing campaign about Sunraysia's "fresh, clean and safe" produce. ...... FULL STORY
23 Aug 2004 | Vic forestry boss unveils expansion plan
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries, headed by former greens lobbyist Tricia Caswell, has unveiled Vision 2025, a strategy that could double the size of the industry without using any more native forest. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2004 | Fresh SPC salvo at FTA
SPC Ardmona has fired new criticism at the US-Australia free trade agreement, with chairman Nigel Garrard saying it's worthless to Australia's fruit growers. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2004 | Creating more appealing macadamia nuts
Consumers could soon be enjoying macadamias that are tastier and more appealing than ever, following a market research project to identify what makes a perfect macadamia. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2004 | $34m to upgrade Vic's treacherous rural roads
The Victorian Government has allocated $34 million to upgrade 23 of the state's most hazardous sections of country roads. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2004 | Labor heeds grain concerns
Labor has pledged that feed-grain users will have better access to the Wheat Export Authority to help stop it from selling grain cheaply overseas at the expense of the domestic market. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2004 | Plan to let sugar cane farmers sell zone rights
Sugar farmers would be rewarded for keeping their land under cane in a scheme involving transferable development rights, which is being proposed to the Queensland Government. ...... FULL STORY
20 Aug 2004 | CBA concedes business banking changes will cut jobs
The Commonwealth Bank has admitted that a restructuring of its business banking division will lead to job cuts in support and back-office functions. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2004 | Wine regions mull over how to pop your cork
Hundreds of people attended the Upper Goulburn Wine Expo last weekend in Alexandra, at the foothills of the high country. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2004 | Beef on a stellar run
Buyer confidence in store cattle rose to new highs last week at Ballarat, when heavy, grown steers averaged more than 200 cents/kilogram liveweight. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2004 | The bush gets interactive online atlas
An new interactive online atlas of rural and regional Australia will help farmers and country town residents access up-to-date local statistics. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2004 | Jobs go as clothier strides out
Fletcher Jones, famous for its slacks and jackets, will close its textile cutting rooms at Warrnambool and Mount Gambier in October. ...... FULL STORY
19 Aug 2004 | Boys to show they're house-trained
There's a new section at this month's two-day Wentworth Show: Bachelor of the Show. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2004 | Thirsty outback farmers threaten to block flow to wetlands
On the Paroo River floodplains, north-west of Bourke, farmers are getting record high prices for cattle fed off the result of February rains in Queensland. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2004 | SA farm safety fund dries up
Funding for a vital South Australian farm safety program will be cut next month. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2004 | Unlocking the ways insect pests survive without air
CSIRO is examining how insect pests survive in low oxygen environments, such as grain silos, and how to reduce multi-million dollar reliance on toxic fumigants to kill these pests. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2004 | CBA banking managers go walkabout
The Commonwealth Bank has taken business managers out of some NSW rural branches and replaced them with "travelling business banking specialists". ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2004 | More bad news for SA, Vic grains farmers
Farmers in western Victoria and South Australia, who have already battled through a two-year drought, have been told to expect below average rainfall this Spring. ...... FULL STORY
18 Aug 2004 | Country women self-employed
Today's farmers' wives are much more likely to be using lap-tops and mobile phones, when not drenching the horses, rather than sporting aprons and baking scones, according to a snapshot of rural women drawn from the 2001 Census. ...... FULL STORY
17 Aug 2004 | US mad cow puts Australia in the black
Japan is Australia's most valuable export market for red meat: in 2003-2004, the combined total of beef, offal, processed beef, lamb and mutton exported to Japan was $2.05 billion - up 31 per cent on 2002-2003. ...... FULL STORY
17 Aug 2004 | Wool industry finds Olympics not a winner for sales
Australia's lime-green Olympic team jackets may not have won unanimous praise from fashion pundits but the wool industry is happy to take any publicity it can get. ...... FULL STORY
17 Aug 2004 | Ecological engineering taps into flower power to control pests
Planting wild flowers around an orchard or marigolds among the onions to ward off pest insects and attract good ones may not just be old wives' tales. ...... FULL STORY
17 Aug 2004 | Saltbush benefits for sheep and farmers
WA salinity and meat researchers have identified a major nutritional benefit for sheep grazed on saltbush, which is being used to reduce dryland salinity levels. ...... FULL STORY
17 Aug 2004 | Wheat prices going down
Good harvests in the northern hemisphere are driving down the price of wheat, says AWB. ...... FULL STORY
16 Aug 2004 | Doggone angry
The NSW Farmers' Association claims that "penny-pinching" bureaucrats have turned down a desperate plea from farmers to fund an additional trapper for three years to control wild dogs in southern NSW. ...... FULL STORY
16 Aug 2004 | Rust and rodents
NSW farmers are set to battle plagues of pests and diseases within a few weeks, as rising mouse numbers and an outbreak of stripe rust are added to concerns about locusts. ...... FULL STORY
16 Aug 2004 | Call to action for Merino breeders
The Australian Sheep Industry Co-operative Research Centre and CSIRO are calling for Merino stud breeders to support a research project designed to reduce costs associated with dark-fibre contamination of the national wool clip. ...... FULL STORY
16 Aug 2004 | Livecorp cash worry
Livecorp is in danger of running out of funds, after Parliament failed to pass legislation that would place a mandatory levy on producers. ...... FULL STORY
16 Aug 2004 | Cattle boom beefs up the bush
A growing number of Queensland and Northern Territory rural families have been quietly transformed into multi-millionaires due to the property boom over the past year. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2004 | Man versus machine in a show of shear skill
At Dunlop Station on the Darling River, near Louth, the buzz of mechanical shears first drowned out the click of hand-powered blades in 1888. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2004 | Genomics Centre targets acid soils
The NSW Agricultural Genomics Centre has identified DNA markers for aluminium tolerance that will help in the breeding of plants tolerant to acid soils. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2004 | Citrus canker: farm loses 90pc of trees
Almost a quarter of a million fruit trees on Evergreen Farms will be destroyed after further evidence of citrus canker was discovered yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2004 | Sugar mill, Ergon sign power deal
Ergon Energy and Tully Sugar Limited have signed a power supply deal. ...... FULL STORY
13 Aug 2004 | Worst locust plague in 30 years
A war on locusts has been declared in NSW as the State Government braces for the worst plague in decades. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2004 | Beef feedlot steaks high
A $50 million feedlot has been earmarked for the Riverina. The NSW Government and Agricultural Equity Investments have discussed the development on a site between Mathoura and Echuca. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2004 | Choice a taste tempter
Animal nutritionist Karen Venning tries to find out what ewes and lambs like to eat. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2004 | Show lookout for udder cheats
Officials of the Royal Melbourne Show say they'll thoroughly investigate all animals entered in this year's competition following the banning of four men from the Ekka for udder tampering. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2004 | Corish backs GM trials
The National Farmers' Federation president, Peter Corish, has backed trials of genetically modified crops, saying they're important to ensure farmers are not disadvantaged in particular future markets. ...... FULL STORY
12 Aug 2004 | Inquiry backs wine tax rebate bill
A Senate inquiry has backed a bill to provide a tax rebate of up to $290,000 to wine producers, which is expected to come into effect from October 1. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2004 | Compensate farmers, says report
Farmers should be compensated by governments for the huge cost of bans on clearing, says the Productivity Commission. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2004 | Beware: lamb prices tempting thieves to fleece flocks
Police have warned farmers to be vigilant, fearing soaring lamb prices could spark a wave of thefts. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2004 | An udder doping crisis
A man has been charged over another doping scandal - not in Athens but in Brisbane, at the Royal Queensland Show, the Ekka. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2004 | Pork industry takes quarantine issue to court
Pig producers have launched a move against new quarantine rules, in the first legal challenge to Australia's quarantine laws by an agricultural group. ...... FULL STORY
11 Aug 2004 | No future for bank wool arm
Wool brokers have been left stunned by Macquarie Bank's decision to close its wool futures business. ...... FULL STORY
10 Aug 2004 | Tractor trek for charity
Long-distance treks to raise funds for charity aren't new - but they usually aren't made up of a convoy of old tractors. ...... FULL STORY
10 Aug 2004 | Grain industry wants express action on NSW railways
AWB, GrainCorp and Pacific National have called on the NSW Government to commit to restoring NSW's silo-to-port rail links. ...... FULL STORY
10 Aug 2004 | Fruit and veg model
Last week, the Horticultural Australia Council, the National Farmers' Federation and the Federal Government reached agreement on developing a model for the fruit and vegetable industries' terms of trade. ...... FULL STORY
10 Aug 2004 | Wheat crop looks good, but prices are falling
Enough rain has fallen in recent months to put Australia back on track for a record grain crop but conditions in Europe and the US are also good, which means pressure on prices. ...... FULL STORY
10 Aug 2004 | Rural commodity prices ease as rainfall deficit continues in SE Aust
The Westpac-NFF rural commodity price index eased 2.3 per cent in July. ...... FULL STORY
9 Aug 2004 | High oil prices boost case for ethanol
Surging oil prices may be creating headaches for farmers but sugar producers see a potential bright side. ...... FULL STORY
9 Aug 2004 | Peanut farmers to check crops online
Peanut growers will soon be able to check crop progress and scan for disease via the Internet, as part of a trial using satellite technology to monitor peanut crops in south east Queensland. ...... FULL STORY
9 Aug 2004 | Concern aired about wool marketing direction
Two former wool industry leaders have expressed concerns about wool's future under present marketing arrangements. ...... FULL STORY
9 Aug 2004 | The gripes of wrath
Australia - and the world - has too much wine and the volume side of the business is suffering and contracting. ...... FULL STORY
9 Aug 2004 | 'Bushcare' farmers to be paid
Farmers will be paid to manage native vegetation on their own properties under a $12 million Queensland regeneration project. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2004 | Awash with wheat
The major barrier to any improvement in wheat prices is a forecast increase in world production. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2004 | Sweeter deal for sugar farmers after landmark win against Europe
Australia's sugar farmers should get higher prices on global export markets following a landmark WTO case against the European Union. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2004 | Studies look at sheep integration
Members of the Pastoralists' and Graziers' Association met recently at Mount Magnet and discussed the management of different sheep breeds, as well as strategies to address fibre and genetic contamination. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2004 | Sporting shooters offer home help
The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia has offered to help farmers in their battle against wild dogs and other feral pest animals. ...... FULL STORY
6 Aug 2004 | AgForce Meating Centre combines food, fashion and fun
AgForce's Meating Centre at the Royal Brisbane Show has a number of new events this year. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2004 | Farmers change minds on global warming
The National Farmers' Federation fears that global warming will be the greatest threat to farmers this century. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2004 | Surge in wine exports coming to an end
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the value of total wine exports for the 2003-2004 financial year was $2.47 billion, a new record. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2004 | Goat works expands to second shift
Queensland goat processing works Western Exporters has increased its kill time to meet booming demand from export markets. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2004 | NFF says rural policy deficient
A lack of co-ordinated Federal Government policy is holding back rural Australia, National Farmers' Federation president Peter Corish says. ...... FULL STORY
5 Aug 2004 | Sugar-waste generator to sweeten power outlook
Ergon Energy will begin construction of a $23 million power generator in Childers. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2004 | $50m more for pipeline
The Victorian Government is set to deliver an additional $50 million to the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline project. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2004 | Aerial attack to KO weed
South Australian farmers are taking to the skies to help in eradicating the noxious weed branched broomrape. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2004 | Stock predator is circling farmers
Stockmarket predator David Tweed has approached farmers with shares in United Grower Holdings, which is a merger candidate with ABB Grain. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2004 | Elders aims for strong growth
Elders Rural Bank has reported a 15 per cent rise in net profit to $21.8 million for the year ended June 30, 2004. ...... FULL STORY
4 Aug 2004 | Saleyard safety on course for shake-up
Increasing work safety demands mean every person involved with handling livestock at saleyards in Victoria will have to undertake an accreditation course and be given an ID card. ...... FULL STORY
3 Aug 2004 | Labor to support trade deal
Labor leader Mark Latham will use his authority today to back the Australia-US free trade agreement, which will then come into effect on January 1, 2005. ...... FULL STORY
3 Aug 2004 | Seedling firm wins Smart Award
Withcott Seedlings (Queensland) Pty Ltd has won the 2004 Premier of Queensland's SMART Award for outstanding achievement in the field of agribusiness. ...... FULL STORY
3 Aug 2004 | India could be new wheat competitor for Aust
India could be Australia's toughest new competitor on the global wheat market as tastes and budgets change, according to a new report compiled for the Grain Growers' Association. ...... FULL STORY
3 Aug 2004 | Qld seeks clarification on WTO sugar arrangements
Queensland will seek clarification from the Federal Government on agreements reached on sugar in the latest WTO talks, which could affect the state's single-desk selling arrangements. ...... FULL STORY
3 Aug 2004 | Where's the beef? Going to the US
Australian beef exports to the US are running at near-record levels: last week's exports exceeded 13,000 tonnes, the highest figure for the year. ...... FULL STORY
2 Aug 2004 | FTA a quicker fix than WTO deal: Vaile
The Australia-US free trade agreement will deliver benefits much faster than a breakthrough in world trade talks, according to Trade Minister Mark Vaile. ...... FULL STORY
2 Aug 2004 | $274m to end Tasmania's forests-to-plantations
It would cost $274 million to end the conversion of native forest into forestry plantations in Tasmania and bring the state into line with the rest of Australia, according to WWF Australia. ...... FULL STORY
2 Aug 2004 | Climate chips help vine-tune health
A tiny sensor chip which can measure humidity, soil moisture, the amount of rainfall on leaves and wind speed could help winemakers identify which vines require irrigation and which are most susceptible to disease ...... FULL STORY
2 Aug 2004 | New generation of animal scientists
Murdoch University will launch a new four-year Bachelor of Animal Science degree program in 2005 to address the shortage of specialist animal scientists. ...... FULL STORY
2 Aug 2004 | Global trade deal to cut subsidies
A framework for an historic trade deal was endorsed by the 147 members of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
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