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24 Dec 2004 | Locust swarms cross the Murray
Locust swarms have crossed the border from NSW into Victoria. Farmers south of the border are now bracing for the arrival of the insects as the Australian Plague Locust Commission and Victorian Department of Primary Industry work to limit the damage. ...... FULL STORY
24 Dec 2004 | Fertiliser checks cost farms $5,000
The cost of compliance for farms with new laws designed to limit access to volatile fertilizers for criminal purposes will be around $5,000, the South Australian Farmers Federation estimates. ...... FULL STORY
24 Dec 2004 | Feds tip funds into pork research
Pork producers might be irritated at the adverse recommendations in the recent report of the Productivity Commission (which concluded producers needed no assistance against dumping and that profits were recovering). ...... FULL STORY
23 Dec 2004 | Aussie tucker free to use European labels
Australian food producers may be able to trademark their "feta" cheese, "kalamata" olives and "parma" ham in the European market, following a ruling by the World Trade Organisation. ...... FULL STORY
23 Dec 2004 | Jobs take off as flood waters rise
Cotton farmers in the north west of New South Wales say their plantings now seem safe for this season, with the drought easing its grip, many dams at much higher capacity, and floodwaters making their way down the Darling River. ...... FULL STORY
22 Dec 2004 | Tags come at a cost for livestock ID system
Primary producers in Queensland will have to spend $26 million a year on equipment such as electronic tags and readers in order to comply with the National Livestock Identification System. ...... FULL STORY
22 Dec 2004 | US farmers told to plant Aussie wheat variety
American farmers have been told to take on Australian wheat. ...... FULL STORY
22 Dec 2004 | Salinity funding underspent and badly used
The federal governments program to combat salinity is behind schedule and will probably not reach its targets, the National Audit Office has concluded. ...... FULL STORY
22 Dec 2004 | Cattle prices set to rise
The Australian Bureau of Resource and Agricultural Economics forecast that cattle numbers, production, prices and exports will all rise next year. ...... FULL STORY
21 Dec 2004 | Import risk assessments scrapped
All import risk assessments on the proposed import of potentially virus or disease-affected fruit, vegetable and animal products have been scrapped, and Biosecurity Australia will conduct fresh reviews. ...... FULL STORY
21 Dec 2004 | Fruit and veg farmers intimidated
Some fruit and vegetable wholesalers are allegedly intimidating horticulture farmers over a planned code of conduct aimed to bring transparency to the industry. ...... FULL STORY
21 Dec 2004 | GM cotton dominates the new season crop
Around 80 per cent of the Australian cotton crop will comprise genetically modified forms this season. ...... FULL STORY
21 Dec 2004 | Irrigation network expands in the Murray-Darling basin
The area of irrigated land in the Murray-Darling basin increased from 1.5 million hectares to 1.8 million hectares between 1997 and 2001, with most of the new irrigation areas opened up in the southern region of the basin, a CSIRO analysis shows. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2004 | No clear counter to citrus canker
The Queensland government will reconsider pleas by citrus growers to remove all canker hosts from the Emerald area. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2004 | Victorian dairy processors lift farm gate prices
Murray Goulburn Co-operative, the country's largest milk processor, said it would pay an extra seven cents a kilogram of butterfat and an extra 17 cents a kilogram of protein, effective from December 1. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2004 | Grain joint venture cleared by ACCC
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is expected to clear a proposed joint venture between AWB Ltd and GrainCorp which the two companies believe will drive down supply chain costs for export grain in the eastern states. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2004 | Wool growers forced to fund pension deficit
Wool Growers may have to tip more money into Australian Wool Services, with the federal government likely to reject a plea by AWS for help to meet a $27 million debt owed to the UK pension fund of its predecessor companies. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2004 | Juicy mango season sour grower returns
A flood of mangoes on the domestic market has had a devastating effect on mango prices, with some growers paid as little as $4 a tray for their fruit. ...... FULL STORY
20 Dec 2004 | Rural property in demand
Sales of rural holdings surged to more than $8.3 billion in 2003/04, with changes in the ownership of cattle stations in northern Australia and buoyant sales of “lifestyle” properties with reasonable proximity to cities and regional centres... ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2004 | Saturated soil promises healthy summer crops
The big dry has turned into the big wet in what used to be drought-stressed New South Wales. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2004 | Pigmeat profitability recovers
The pigmeat industry suffered a drop in profitability and market share between mid 2002 and late 2003, due to lower pig prices in rival markets, higher feed prices and the stronger Australian dollar... ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2004 | Telstra connection standards slip in the bush
Telstra’s customer service levels in rural regions slipped over the September quarter, according to a report by the Australian Communications Authority. ...... FULL STORY
17 Dec 2004 | Farmers face fewer choices on fertiliser supply
Agribusiness rivals, AWB and Futuris have joined forces to acquire a two-thirds share of Hi-Fert from mining giant, WMC Resources Ltd, in a deal reportedly worth about $56 million. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2004 | Cane growers dip into subsidies pot
Seventy companies, almost all in Queensland, are scrambling for a share of $75 million in federal government subsidies to the sugar industry. ...... FULL STORY
16 Dec 2004 | Rates cut on subsidised loans
The Queensland government said it would cut the interest rate on subsidised loans to primary producers by 0.37 percentage points. ...... FULL STORY
15 Dec 2004 | Farmers fight Telstra sale
The National Farmers' Federation said it was still too early for the government to sell its remaining stake in Telstra, as the telco had not done enough to protect rural services. ...... FULL STORY
15 Dec 2004 | Storms a mixed blessing for farmers
Storms across southern Australia over the last week have damaged fruit crops across northern Victoria and ruined many grain crops in Victoria and southern New South Wales close to harvesting. ...... FULL STORY
15 Dec 2004 | More clothing chains join wool boycott
Two further clothing chains, J.Crew in the US and London-based New Look, have joined US retailer Abercrombie & Fitch in their boycott of Australian-sourced wool products, following pressure from PETA. ...... FULL STORY
15 Dec 2004 | Forestry plantations spread seeds of land boom
The price per hectare for land suitable for forestry plantations has increased to more than $5,500, up from $3,000 five year ago, as investors and governments pursue widescale reforestation. ...... FULL STORY
14 Dec 2004 | Farm exports improve
Earnings from farm exports are forecast to increase by three per cent to $26.8 billion in 2004/05, estimates prepared by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics show. ...... FULL STORY
14 Dec 2004 | But farm profits weaken
Farm exports might be on the rise, but farms profits will soften next year, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2004 | Income may replace weather as basis for drought aid
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics has proposed changing the criteria that determine drought assistance for farmers. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2004 | Apples blight NZ trade deal
Australia and New Zealand still cannot resolve whether to allow New Zealand apples into Australia. ...... FULL STORY
13 Dec 2004 | Late rain only dampens farmers’ confidence
Confidence in the bush is on the wane. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2004 | Grape growers whine about lower prices
A record grape harvest has resulted in lower payments per tonne for growers in the Murray Valley. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2004 | Water licences slow to a trickle
The Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources in New South Wales is struggling to cope with demand for about 20,000 water access licences, water transfer applications and related paperwork from sales of irrigated farms in the state. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2004 | Mountain cattleman stranded by grazing study
A CSIRO and Latrobe University study has disputed the claims of alpine graziers that grazing cattle helps reduce bushfires in Victoria's high plains. ...... FULL STORY
10 Dec 2004 | Study plugs hi-tech solution to water leaks
Better management of Murrumbidgee River water using pipes, meters and new technology could save 900 billion litres a year at a cost of $824 million, a study funded by cardboard box magnate Richard Pratt shows. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2004 | AACo consolidates holdings on the Victoria River
Australian Agricultural Co, Australia's biggest beef producer, said it would buy three stations in the Northern Territory stations for $80 million. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2004 | Grazier bargains for freedom
A grazier who cleared World Heritage bushland is hoping that an offer to donate 436 hectares of his land to public ownership would be enough to keep him avoid prison over his unauthorised clearing. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2004 | Boarders’ education allowances increased
The basic boarding allowance and the distance education allowance will rise from next year, to $6,000 per student and $3,000 per student respectively, the federal government said. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2004 | Machinery prices on the march
The price of farm equipment is on the rise across Australia, due to rising steel prices that in turn are blamed on runaway steel demand in China. ...... FULL STORY
9 Dec 2004 | Dairy farmers bank on leases
More than 25,000 dairy cows are now under lease through Cowbank, a specialist owner of cattle hoping to persuade farmers to rent rather than buy. ...... FULL STORY
8 Dec 2004 | Woolmark seeks a cut of R&D levy
Australian Wool Services, which manages the Woolmark label, wants a reversion to compulsory wool grower funding of promotion of wool. ...... FULL STORY
8 Dec 2004 | Higher prices sought for apricots
Apricot growers are cranky with cannery SPC Ardmona over the firms plan to pay $635 a tonne this season for canning apricots, down from $700 a tonne last year. ...... FULL STORY
7 Dec 2004 | Fees crippling aquaculture
The Victorian Warm Water Aquaculture Association said small fish and yabbie farms were on the brink of closure, with fees eating away up to two-thirds of some operator’s earnings. ...... FULL STORY
7 Dec 2004 | Wool clip revised down
Australian Wool Innovation lowered its forecast for the 2004/05 wool clip to 487 million kilograms, down from the September forecast of 500 million kilograms. ...... FULL STORY
7 Dec 2004 | Wheat crop tipped to be smaller than expected
Australia's wheat crop may fall even lower than official forecasts. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2004 | Cotton growers fail to share in the commodity price boom
Cotton growers would have to diversify further into crops such as sorghum and soya beans, in light of an extended stretch of poor prices for cotton. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2004 | National Foods pleads for independence
National Foods will try to persuade its farmers and shareholders that they would miss out on the benefits of downstream rationalisation in the dairy industry if they sell their shares to New Zealand dairy group Fonterra. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2004 | Luxury life produce select wool profits
Italian luxury designer Loro Piana has paid $227,500 for a single 91kg bale of the 11.8 micron thick wool from the Highlander Farm at Tumbarumba, southwest of Canberra. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2004 | Fire season no longer predictable
The NSW Rural Fire Service said that fire seasons were changing, and that brief but heavy rain across NSW in October and November will not save the state from a brief but intensive fire season. ...... FULL STORY
6 Dec 2004 | Murray River drought the most severe on record
The River Murray is suffering more from the current drought than under any dry spell since record keeping began in 1890. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2004 | Fruit import bans extended
The federal government said it would continue to temporarily prohibit the import of some fruit produce on quarantine grounds. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2004 | Plenty of jobs in the bush, but few want them
Australian agribusiness is facing a debilitating skills shortage. ...... FULL STORY
3 Dec 2004 | Grain production takes off
Crop forecasts may be being reduced for the current season, but production of most crops, including of wheat and barley, are well up over the last two years since the worst point of the drought. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2004 | Diesel price premium here to stay
Farmers cannot expect diesel prices to fall, given strong demand and short supply. ...... FULL STORY
2 Dec 2004 | Heifer exports create a headache for dairy farmers
Dairy farmers nationwide are selling the equivalent of five per cent of their milking-age stock to exporters, in order to top up poor returns on many dairy farms. ...... FULL STORY
1 Dec 2004 | Rain fell too late for winter crops
Australia's winter crop is below the average achieved over the past five years, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. ...... FULL STORY
1 Dec 2004 | Irrigators may carry over water rights
The Victorian Government may allow irrigators to carry over unused sales water into the next season, a shift of the present policy of “use or lose”. ...... FULL STORY
1 Dec 2004 | Sheep meat of more value than wool
Lamb and mutton earn more to for sheep farmers than wool, a survey by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics found. ...... FULL STORY
1 Dec 2004 | Woolmark burdens worsen
Australian Wool Services, owner of the Woolmark logo has appealed to the federal government for financial help to offset potentially crippling liabilities inherited from its statutory predecessor, including millions in unfunded retirement benefits. ...... FULL STORY
1 Dec 2004 | Burdekin cane farmers challenge CSR
A group of Burdekin cane farmers aim to enter the cane-processing segment, with the engagement of a Brazilian engineering firm to design a new sugar mill that would handle up to 1.5 million tonnes of cane each season. ...... FULL STORY
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