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30 Nov 2004 | Chopper crashes impede locust assault
Five incidents involving helicopters and three helicopter crashes in recent weeks has led Public Service Association to implement a ban by staff of the Rural Lands Protection Board. ...... FULL STORY
30 Nov 2004 | Flavoured milk sales sour takeover tussle
National Foods and Fonterra are exchanging barbs about the recent performance and prospects of the Australian-owned dairy processor, which faces a hostile takeover bid from the Kiwi group. ...... FULL STORY
30 Nov 2004 | Coke might be it for fruit growers
Victorian fruit growers said they were encouraged about the prospects for growth if Coca Cola Amatil succeeds in its takeover bid for cannery SPC Ardmona. ...... FULL STORY
29 Nov 2004 | Farmers seek state compensation for clearing restrictions
The Australian Farm Institute accused state governments of unjustly restricting many farming practices in the interests of reducing or offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, while state governments continue to build coal-fired power stations. ...... FULL STORY
29 Nov 2004 | Murray-Darling water makes a half-hearted start
The Murray-Darling Basin Council revived the National Water Initiative last week, with in principle agreement to four water recovery proposals from Victoria and NSW that would recover 259 billion litres of the Murray-Darling flow... ...... FULL STORY
29 Nov 2004 | Tax concession escalates on farm management deposits
The country’s most profitable farmers avoided paying tax on another $494 million that they tipped into farm management deposits before the end of the 2003/04 tax year. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2004 | Graincorp expects lower wheat crop
GrainCorp lowered its forecast for this year's crop to 10.5 million tonnes, down on an earlier estimate of 11.5 million tonnes, due to hotter and drier than average weather in western NSW and Victoria in October. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2004 | Growers go nuts over macadmias
New macadamia plantations are being planted thanks to the highest farm gate prices in 13 years. ...... FULL STORY
26 Nov 2004 | Darling Downs retailers fuel petrol price discounts
Small businesses in the Darling Downs have opted for a radical pricing policy to woo customers from the big supermarkets by introducing a fuel discount of 24 cents a litre. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2004 | Organic meats sell for a premium
Organic beef producers can expect to earn a premium of between 25 per cent and 30 per cent on their livestock, in part because there are still so few of them. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2004 | AWB profits from record harvest
Grains export monopoly AWB said it more than doubled annual profit to $97 million after a record wheat harvest, and included a full-year profit from its new rural services arm, Landmark. ...... FULL STORY
25 Nov 2004 | Farm deposits take off
Deposits under the Farm Management Deposit Scheme are growing strongly. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2004 | Wine exports bubble over
Wine exports increased by 12 per cent in the September 2004 quarter, to a record $725 million. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2004 | Timbers beat milk for south-west farm profits
Prime dairy land in Victoria's south-west is being turned into forestry plantations, to the alarm of some dairy industry leaders. ...... FULL STORY
23 Nov 2004 | China now a major customer of Australian wheat
The AWB reached an agreement with buyers in China to take 11.5 million tonnes of wheat worth more than $300 million. ...... FULL STORY
23 Nov 2004 | CBH considers disbanding the cooperative
Grain handling and marketing group CBH will propose to its 6,000 grower shareholders in Western Australia that they disband the cooperative structure. ...... FULL STORY
23 Nov 2004 | Wool Corporation rises from the ashes
Research and development company Australian Wool Innovation is talking about a merger with marketing group The Woolmark Company, in a union that would re-establish a single wool promotion company. ...... FULL STORY
22 Nov 2004 | Rabobank tackles transaction banking
Rabobank will start offering transaction banking accounts to farmers and agribusiness customers, the first time the bank has offered these services to its many borrowers. ...... FULL STORY
22 Nov 2004 | Plant breeders sow seeds of suspicion
Private investigators are on the prowl in the countryside in search of crops grown with unlicenced seed varieties. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2004 | US and Thai free trade agreements in force from January
Australia's free trade agreement with Thailand will take effect from January 1, after the Senate yesterday passed the implementing legislation. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2004 | Newcomers and part timers driving farm growth
Hobby, lifestyle and part-time farmers may be the fastest growing segment of primary production. ...... FULL STORY
19 Nov 2004 | Controversy bubbles along over place names
The World Trade Organisation ruled in favour of Australian wine producers, who may soon win back the right to label sparkling wines as "champagne". ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2004 | Exports underpin dairy recovery
Farm gate prices for milk increased by three per cent over the year to June 2004, to 27.9 cents a litre, up from 27.1 cents a litre in 2003. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2004 | Services as fruitful as horticulture production
Strawberries, mangoes and avocados are three fruit driving growth in Queensland’s horticulture industry, but native Australian cut flowers and foliage appear to have the biggest export potential. ...... FULL STORY
18 Nov 2004 | Exporter pulls the pin on citrus
Paramount Export Company, a major exporter, has shut down its business and blamed the decision on the widening impact of citrus canker. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2004 | Dairy deregulation concentrates industry in Victoria
The deregulation of the dairy industry and the payment of compensation to farmers has caused a realignment of the industry. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2004 | Door open to thousands of weeds
A loophole in Australia's import protocols allows individuals, plant collectors or nurseries to import the seed of 4000 agricultural and environmental weeds without a permit. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2004 | Drought declarations extended to late 2005
The federal government said it would continue its drought support programs covering more than half Australia's arable area for another year, as the recent rains were not enough for recovery. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2004 | Plenty of jobs, but too few workers
Dubbo's local paper, The Daily Liberal, reveals an embarrassment of job offers. ...... FULL STORY
16 Nov 2004 | Feedlots numbers now a record
Cattle numbers in Australian feedlots increased by 25 per cent to 759,000 in the September quarter, and exceed the record set in 2001 by more than 17,000 head. ...... FULL STORY
16 Nov 2004 | Rain falls but drought assistance still flows
Recent rains in eastern Australia are too late to improve many winter crops, but may aid farmers as they prepare summer crops. ...... FULL STORY
16 Nov 2004 | Business booms in the bush, but labour hard to find
Businesses in regional areas are performing well, are more confident about their outlook than their city rivals and are also more strongly focused on exports.... ...... FULL STORY
15 Nov 2004 | Feel the heat in western NSW
Climate change would lead to more hot spells and fewer cold snaps, with the number of 35 degree-plus temperature days in New South Wales expected to exceed 100 days every year. ...... FULL STORY
15 Nov 2004 | Growers decide fate of Goulburn Valley canneries
Fruit growers and cannery workers in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley may decide whether or not Coca Cola Amatil gets to take over SPC Ardmona. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2004 | Small sheep farms becoming less viable
The relative productivity of sheep farms has declined over 25 years, a report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics found. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2004 | NSW trains farmers on land clearing rules
NSW proposed a system of approvals for land clearing, including new restrictions, that farmers hope will prove more effective than the controversial blanket bans imposed in Queensland. ...... FULL STORY
12 Nov 2004 | EU throws down the chips over wine labels
The European Union wants winemakers to finally agree to cease using both traditional expressions as well as geographical terms to describe Australian wine. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2004 | Investments reap water savings
Water savings and productivity gains are feasible for farmers forced to work with reduced water rations. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2004 | SPC merger talks off
National Foods suspended merger talks with canning company SPC Ardmona, in light of the unsolicited bid by New Zealand dairy group Fonterra for National Foods. ...... FULL STORY
11 Nov 2004 | Broadband excluded from Telstra service reforms
The federal government said it would introduce legislation to protect rural phone and internet services within two months, which would establish new minimum service standards, and investment levels, by Telstra in the bush. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2004 | Alternatives to mulesing being sought
Research into the genome of the blowfly will have to provide the alternative to the practice of “mulesing”, which protects sheep from fly strike. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2004 | Pork producers challenge pig meat import rules
Australian Pork Limited has challenged the Federal Government's quarantine policy in the federal court, which may allow further imports of pig meat. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2004 | Lots more rain, where the food doesn’t grow
The country is getting wetter, but not in the regions that would aid agriculture. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2004 | Citrus canker squeezes Burnett orchardists
Citrus Canker is starting to have an impact on some Queensland growers, with one prominent orchardist in the Bundaberg region selling out after failing to secure bank finance on favourable terms. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2004 | Sheep growers cut out mulesing
The sheep and wool industry have decided to counter campaigns from animal welfare groups, and promising to phase out the practice of mulesing by 2010. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2004 | Regional growth exceeds cities
The annual 'State of the Regions' report commissioned by the Local Government Association from the National Institute of Economics and Industry Research shows that economic growth in the country is higher than in metropolitan areas. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2004 | Barley prices improve
Production may be in decline due to the dry conditions, but one result is that prices are rising. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2004 | Fruit growers fear packaging costs hike
Supermarket chains are driving a shake-up in fruit handling methods by growers. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2004 | Land holders capitalise on commodity prices
Higher prices for many farm commodities are driving the price of agricultural land higher, with existing land holders often the buyers. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2004 | Farmers baulk at long term milk contracts
Farmers in the NSW southern highlands have baulked at signing long-term milk supply contracts with National Foods. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2004 | National Foods persists with SPC Ardmona offer
National Foods chief executive Peter Margin said the unsolicited bid for the company from New Zealand dairy group Fonterra bid would speed up talks between National Foods and cannery SPC Ardmona to create an alternative for shareholders. ...... FULL STORY
5 Nov 2004 | Zegna chief quits AWS board
Two prominent directors of Australian Wool Services have left the board in the wake of the $5 million loss reported by the company that owns the Woolmark label. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2004 | Dry conditions crack grain estimates
Profarmer analyst Dennis Wise says said he expected dry conditions would limit the national wheat crop of between 19.5 million tonnes and 20 million tonnes, less than the average of 20.6 million tonnes for the past five years. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2004 | Grains Council defends wheat export monopoly
The Grains Council of Australia attacked proposals by the Productivity Commission to reform Australia’s single desk system for wheat exports. ...... FULL STORY
4 Nov 2004 | Fonterra firm on National Foods offer
Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier said the company would not increase its from $5.45 a share bid for National Foods. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2004 | NZ monopoly seeks Aussie dairy dominance
Fonterra's bid for National Foods highlights differences in the regulation of primary industries in Australia and New Zealand. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2004 | Dairy processors agrees to increase farm gate prices
Four major dairy processors including Nestlé, Murray Goulburn Co-operative, Tatura Milk Industries and Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory agreed to increase prices to farmers. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2004 | AWB exports now second best
AWB said it recorded its second largest yearly wheat exports on record, exceeded only by the record crop of 1997. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2004 | Insolvent grain trader AFC in receivership
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission appointed a receiver to Australian Foods Company Pty Ltd, following orders in the Supreme Court of Western Australia. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2004 | Livestock ID bankable security
The controversial and as yet no more than proposed national livestock identification scheme may help livestock producers obtain easier access to finance. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2004 | Fertiliser demand dwindles along with the rain
The drought is drying up demand for fertiliser sales, and thus taking the gloss off the maiden profit reported by merged agribusiness supplier Incitec Pivot. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2004 | National Foods opens door to Fonterra offer
National Foods said it would review its merger plans with cannery SPC Ardmona, to allow NatFood’s shareholders to consider a $1.3 billion takeover offer from New Zealand dairy group Fonterra. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2004 | Livestock producers keep their confidence high
National Australian Bank’s quarterly survey of agribusiness shows that business conditions remained strong in the September quarter during the September. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2004 | Woolmark in the black, but R&D leaves red faces at AWS
Australian Wool Services, the parent company of Woolmark, recorded a loss of $5 million in the year to June 2004. This follows a loss of more than $6 million in 2003, and is the third loss in a row for AWS. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2004 | Truss 'close' to making EC announcements
The agriculture minister Warren Truss said he would decide soon whether to make further declarations of exceptional circumstances that would enable further payments of drought relief. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2004 | Aust Agricultural ahead of budget
Beef producer Australian Agricultural Company said that the reentry of US beef to the Japanese market at some stage early in 2005 would affect the price of Australian beef exports ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2004 | Producers lag services providers in agribusiness value chain
Companies further up the agribusiness production chain produced greater returns for investors than basic producers, research by Australian Agribusiness Group into listed agribusiness companies has found. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2004 | Livestock tags won’t be subsidised
Australia's beef industry is set to receive about $15 million to help it implement the National Livestock Identification System. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2004 | Campaign to dump MLA board
A group of cattle producers led by Australian John Carter wants the board of Meat and Livestock Australia dumped at the AGM next month because MLA is pushing ahead with the controversial National Livestock Identification System. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2004 | National Foods milks dairy market share
As part of its takeover defence against the hostile bid from Fonterra, National Foods said that it estimated that its national market share in fresh dairy products had risen by two percentage points to 37 per cent. ...... FULL STORY
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