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29 Jul 2005 | Orchardists get together
Two Victorian orchardist organisations have merged to strengthen their voice in championing fruit growers rights. ...... FULL STORY
29 Jul 2005 | Feds won’t make broadband a Telstra obligation
The communications minister, Helen Coonan, said that “I don’t think a case has been made out to roll broadband into” the universal service obligation. ...... FULL STORY
29 Jul 2005 | Ageing graziers quit Queensland wool industry
The 37,000 hectare Belingra wool station aggregation in the St George district in southern Queensland will be auctioned in September. ...... FULL STORY
29 Jul 2005 | Beef exporters escape punitive tariff in Japan
Japanese authorities confirmed the anticipated “snap-back" tariff on foreign beef would not apply from August because of a sharp drop in imports last quarter. ...... FULL STORY
29 Jul 2005 | WA dairy farmers whinge over eastern milk prices
Dairy farmers in Western Australia are complaining over a reduction in price for their milk caused by the bulk purchase of supplies by WA supermarkets from processors in eastern Australia. ...... FULL STORY
28 Jul 2005 | Telstra warns of lower service standards in the bush
Telstra said the level of the subsidy paid by the federal government to ensure basic telephone services in the bush was inadequate. ...... FULL STORY
28 Jul 2005 | Rural lobby starts alternate environmental lobby
Former broadcaster Don Burke will chair a new environment group which has adopted the name Australian Environment Foundation. ...... FULL STORY
28 Jul 2005 | Citrus growers seek biosecurity levy
Citrus growers want a biosecurity levy imposed on citrus fruit sales to raise funds to combat exotic pests and diseases. ...... FULL STORY
28 Jul 2005 | Namoi cotton growers uneasy over takeover
Some of the 500 or so cotton farmers that are the equity owners of Namoi Cotton are concerned that the Queensland Cotton offer for their company is an all cash offer... ...... FULL STORY
27 Jul 2005 | Livestock producers take on the sugar set over ethanol
A coalition of livestock industry producers said lobbying by sugar cane farmers for subsidies for grain-based ethanol fuels would displace the production of grains for livestock. ...... FULL STORY
27 Jul 2005 | Clean and green image more like a mirage
Australia’s farmers may think their food is clean and green, but so is food grown almost anywhere else in the world. ...... FULL STORY
26 Jul 2005 | Winter crops now growing strongly
The Grains Council of Australia said the earlier forecasts by ABARE for the winter crop was now looking conservative. ...... FULL STORY
26 Jul 2005 | Apples growers raise a glass to Coke
Coca-Cola Amatil will buy more than six times as much fruit from its newly purchased subsidiary SPC Ardmona. ...... FULL STORY
26 Jul 2005 | Meander farmers offered water rights on new dam
Farmers in northern Tasmania can either buy an equity stake in the planned Meander Dam, for $9900 a unit, or pay more for water once the irrigation dam is completed in late 2007. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jul 2005 | Rural property price set for a downturn
Real estate analysts LJ Hooker said in their Property Market Monitor that changes in the world economy and the continuing drought will bring an end to the boom in rural property prices. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jul 2005 | Too many cool climate reds
The Clare Region Winegrape Growers Association said the wine grape and wine bottling sectors had "too much growth too quickly". ...... FULL STORY
25 Jul 2005 | Parmalat not for sale
Dairy processor Parmalat Australia said its EBITDA profit for 2004 was up 16 per cent from 2003 at $54.1 million and the company expects a significant improvement for 2005. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jul 2005 | Drought aid extended for a third year
The federal government extended exceptional circumstances drought aid assistance has been extended for 21 drought-affected regions in the Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. ...... FULL STORY
22 Jul 2005 | Queensland Cotton wants a fast answer from Namoi
Queensland Cotton questioned the timing of the upgraded profit forecast published last week by the Namoi Cotton Co-operative. ...... FULL STORY
22 Jul 2005 | Growers paid to leave grapes on the vine
Grape growers from the Barossa Valley region say the oversupply of wine grapes and massive stockpiles of wine are signals of a crisis which has left tonnes of grapes to wither on the vine. ...... FULL STORY
21 Jul 2005 | Namoi investors support takeover
Capital unit holders in Namoi cotton have generally expressed approval for the proposed takeover by Queensland Cotton. ...... FULL STORY
21 Jul 2005 | Drought relief likely to be renewed
The federal government is expected to extend drought relief to most of the 23 regions now receiving aid. ...... FULL STORY
21 Jul 2005 | WA wheat farmers unhappy with AWB
West Australian wheat farmers, who grow about half the Australian crop, claim the single-desk monopoly on bulk wheat export marketing is short-changing them by more than $40 million... ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Mixed support for home grown produce
HomeGrown, a not-for-profit entity pushing country of origin labelling, says a trial of its green and gold label on fresh produce at 110 Coles supermarkets demonstrated that more than 80 per cent of shoppers wants to “buy Australian”. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Food labelling laws extended to fresh produce
All fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood sold in Australia will have to clearly identify its country of origin under a new draft labelling standard. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Salmon farmers combine
A Tasmanian aquaculture company has taken over an Adelaide-based seafood operation to create the nation's largest "gate to plate" salmon business. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Queensland mulls ‘sustainable’ farming leases
Farmers in Queensland could be given leaseholds over their land of up to 50 years in return for better environmental outcomes. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Weeds flourish in winter rains
Scientists at the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management say that, while rain has brought relief to many parched regions they have also nurtured a huge burst of weed growth. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Milk prices frozen in the west
Dairy farmers in Western Australia are celebrating one of the best seasons in years, but they wont get any more money for their milk. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jul 2005 | Cattle prices on a roll
Young cattle prices around Australia have surged over the last week, with the eastern young cattle indicator reaching a record high late last week. ...... FULL STORY
19 Jul 2005 | Queensland simplifies inducements to leave the land
The Queensland government will modify restrictions on land clearing so more landholders will qualify for financial assistance to change the way they run their farms or to get off the land permanently. ...... FULL STORY
19 Jul 2005 | Tassie farmers rally in Melbourne over Fair Dinkum food campaign
Tasmanian farmers staged their first mainland rally in what they intend will be a three week odyssey to Canberra. ...... FULL STORY
19 Jul 2005 | Coles says only five per cent of fresh produce imported
Coles Myer agreed to support a food industry proposal to promote the benefits to consumers of buying Australian-grown produce. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jul 2005 | Toowoomba desperate for bore water
Toowoomba’s city council wants to sink a 700 metre deep bore in a bid to avert a water crisis in the Darling Downs city of 90,000 residents. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jul 2005 | Great Artesian Basin pressures recover
Water pressure in the Great Artesian Basin is recovering after decades of supplying water to the outback. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jul 2005 | Victorian sawmills face 10 per cent rise in price of timber
Timber prices in Victoria will rise by between 10 per cent and 15 per cent under a 10-year plan to remove price controls in the sector. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jul 2005 | Dairy Farmers spends to defend brand
Dairy Farmers will plough advertising dollars into its branded milk product for the first time in five years in a bid to arrest a decline in market share. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Growers allege wholesale harassment
The Horticulture Australia Council said some growers received threats of lower prices, and warnings their produce may be returned unsold if those growers supported the mandatory code of conduct at public meetings. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Becrux loads first sheep shipment
Siba Ships is introducing MC Becrux, a modern livestock carrier, onto the Perth to Middle East run. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Mainland set for Tassie tractor rally
The Victorian Farmers Federation and the NSW Farmers Association yesterday promised financial and administrative support for the Tasmanian farmers' Fair Dinkum Food Campaign. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Namoi cool on Queensland Cotton offer
Namoi Cotton advised grower members and Namoi capital stockholders “should not assume that any transaction would eventuate”. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | News next week on wasting disorder scare
Pork producers have to wait at least a week to find out whether the untreatable post-weaning multi-systemic wasting disorder has been found in two pig herds - one of them in South Australia. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Seasonal gamble pays off for SA grain growers
One third of South Australian farmers sowed their winter crops into dry soil. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Big wet costs northern NSW farmers half their crop
The NSW Department of Primary Industries estimated 60 per cent of a potential 4.3 million hectares of winter crop has been planted so far in NSW. ...... FULL STORY
15 Jul 2005 | Topas 19/2 found in Victorian canola
A consignment of Victorian canola seeds bound for Japan contains genetically modified material. ...... FULL STORY
14 Jul 2005 | Rains slow flow of stock to abattoirs
Most abattoirs in Queensland, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania have been either dropping days or reducing the number of animal kills, with insufficient numbers coming through the system. ...... FULL STORY
14 Jul 2005 | Citrus growers freed in SA
South Australia’s parliament changed the Citrus Industry Act, with the state government to provide growers with the same marketing arrangements that apply to other horticultural industries. ...... FULL STORY
14 Jul 2005 | Queensland Cotton targets Namoi cooperative
Queensland Cotton launched a takeover bid for rival Namoi Cotton. ...... FULL STORY
14 Jul 2005 | NSW Farmers maintain opposition to Telstra sale
Phone services in rural NSW are "a joke" and the sale of Telstra should not proceed without a commitment by the Federal Government to improve access and guarantee future funding, the NSW Farmers Association said. ...... FULL STORY
13 Jul 2005 | Fonterra links interest payments to milk deliveries
New Zealand dairy group Fonterra will impose financial penalties on farmers supplying Bonlac in Australia should milk deliveries fall below 1.2 billion litres a year. ...... FULL STORY
13 Jul 2005 | Warrnambool signs SA farmers
Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory said it signed up 70 new dairy farmers from South Australia, and would increase production by 20 per cent. ...... FULL STORY
13 Jul 2005 | Talks over wool merger take time
Australian Wool Services and Australian Wool Innovation are unlikely to amalgamate soon. ...... FULL STORY
13 Jul 2005 | Recycled steel makes poor fence posts
One Queensland fencing contractor believes fence posts made from poor quality imported steel are not worth the saving. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jul 2005 | Gunns eyes Victorian farmland
Forestry and timber products company Gunns will expand into Victoria, blaming the cost of timber in Tasmania. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jul 2005 | Dairy Farmers culls brands
Dairy co-operative Dairy Farmers has scrapped more than 30 per cent of its product lines as part of a restructure as it prepares for a public float. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jul 2005 | AWB makes second pool payment
AWB will distributes its second round of cheques to wheat growers for last season's crops. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jul 2005 | Sheepmeat levy unchanged
The Sheepmeat Council of Australia recommended to the sheep industry that the sheep and lamb transaction levy remains unchanged. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jul 2005 | Western dairy farmers challenged to choose a single processor
Dairy farmers in Western Australia are under pressure by the two major processors to make a choice. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jul 2005 | Emerald orchardists seek compensation
Orchardists in the Emerald citrus growing region of central Queensland want the federal government to pay growers $97 for each tree destroyed and $20 a year for each tree until orchards were re-established and back in production. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jul 2005 | WA retailers reach agreement on labelling
Retailers in Western Australia will have to label all imported single source lines of fresh, unpackaged produce under a consistent code, effective immediately. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jul 2005 | West’s label laws of little relevance
Western Australia’s new rules on produce labelling will have little impact in the market, as retailers import less than five per cent of fruit and vegetables sold in the state. ...... FULL STORY
8 Jul 2005 | Golden Circle back from the brink
Golden Circle, the Brisbane-based food processing co-operative said it expected to return to profitability this year. ...... FULL STORY
8 Jul 2005 | Feds extend broadband subsidies
The federal government said it would spend $50 million to subsidise the introduction of broadband telecommunications services in the bush. ...... FULL STORY
8 Jul 2005 | Bonlac falls into line on milk price
Bonlac Foods joined other dairy processors and raised the price it would pay farmers for milk. ...... FULL STORY
8 Jul 2005 | Genetic databases may merge
Lambplan, the genetic improvement service, may be privatised and merged with Merino Genetics Australia, which is operated by Meat and Livestock Australia. ...... FULL STORY
8 Jul 2005 | More state aid for Mallee farmers
The Victorian government said it would pay half the council rates this year for around 3500 farmers receiving assistance in drought-declared areas. ...... FULL STORY
7 Jul 2005 | Wasting disorder suspected at two piggeries
Department of Agriculture veterinarians in New South Wales and South Australia are investigating two suspected outbreaks of post-weaning multi-systemic wasting disorder at piggeries in each state. ...... FULL STORY
7 Jul 2005 | Exports support Tassie growers
Tasmanian agricultural services group Webster said the outlook for produce in the states was excellent, despite loss of sales of offshore suppliers and low prices. ...... FULL STORY
7 Jul 2005 | US retailers negotiate compact over mulesing
Australian Wool Innovation and the US National Retail Federation said they drafted an agreement that commits to end mulesing by 2010. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jul 2005 | Farmers in a rush on FMD deposits
The highest proportion of farm management deposits – which help farmers defer income tax to a later tax year - are made in June. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jul 2005 | Small vegetable growers urged to leave the land
The number of vegetable growers in Australia may need to decline sharply, from around 4,300 now to fewer than 1,000. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jul 2005 | Winemakers cop lower margins to clear stock
Domestic consumption of wine is rising, but exports are falling, leave wine makers, and wine grape growers, to deal with a prolonged wine glut. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jul 2005 | Irrigators face tax on water subsidies
Farmers may have to pay income tax on $100 million in grants to irrigators who face cuts to their water licences. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jul 2005 | Vegie growers spit chips over food labelling
The federal government will consider support for Australia's vegetable growers. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jul 2005 | Cropping and mixed farms more productive than pure livestock farms
Productivity doubled within Australia’s agricultural sector over the past 30 years, a study by the Productivity Commission found. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jul 2005 | Wool production expected to ease
Australian shorn wool production will dip in 2005/06 thanks to the dry autumn in the eastern states and South Australia. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jul 2005 | Cotton growers reduce plantings
Queensland Cotton, a marketing company, said the world price was two-thirds the cost of production and that it would wait to sell its growers’ crops rather than sell at a loss. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jul 2005 | No charges over Nyngan land clearing
The NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources has not prosecuted a Nyngan farmer accused of clearing 2000 hectares of native bush, instead ordering him to fence off and remove stock from the cleared land. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jul 2005 | Grain growers back the single export desk
The grain growers' peak group, the Grains Council of Australia, said the wheat export marketing system should not be reassessed until the review scheduled for 2010 under national competition policy. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jul 2005 | Cash flows into low tax agribusiness schemes
Investors poured more than $1 billion in tax-advantaged forestry and agriculture schemes by the end of the financial year. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jul 2005 | McGauran take the populist road on Australian farm produce
The National Party warned corporate giants including Woolworths, Coles Myer and McDonald's that it expects a better deal for Australian farmers. ...... FULL STORY
1 Jul 2005 | Rain brightens farmers hopes
National Farmers Federation president Peter Corish said the June rains were "wonderful … it provides confidence for the rural community, and it provides an opportunity to plant crops and promote pasture growth. ...... FULL STORY
1 Jul 2005 | Goulburn valley farmers sell water and not milk
Of the 215,000 megalitres of annual water rights subject to trading in the Goulburn Murray irrigation district in Victoria, farmers have sold half the water to water traders and farmers in other districts. ...... FULL STORY
1 Jul 2005 | Three weeks of rain won’t break the drought
Three weeks of widespread rain is not enough to call an end to the drought that afflicts 45 per cent of the country’s agricultural land. ...... FULL STORY
1 Jul 2005 | Harder wheat varieties wanted
AWB International, AWB's international marketing arm, wants farmers to plant higher-value varieties for specialist overseas markets. ...... FULL STORY
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