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31 Jan 2006 | Fonterra consolidates Aussie operations
Fonterra has begun a major review of its Australian operations in a bid to reduce duplication and consolidate its acquisitions under one brand name. ...... FULL STORY
31 Jan 2006 | AWB lifts return estimates for 2006
AWB says sharp price rises on the US futures exchange will lift returns to growers this crop year ending 31 March. ...... FULL STORY
31 Jan 2006 | CBH promises better returns for SA grain growers
Western Australian grain handler CBH has appointed a marketing manager for South Australia as it seeks to expand and take on ABB and AWB. ...... FULL STORY
30 Jan 2006 | Woolgrowers pin hopes on China demand
Australian benchmark wool prices fell to $6.32 in December, their lowest point in six years, and growers are counting on continued strong demand from China to lift returns. ...... FULL STORY
30 Jan 2006 | Roberts buys Tasmanian silos
Seed and grain business Roberts Limited has bought Tasmanian Grain Elevators Pty Ltd giving it silo complexes at Launceston, Devonport and Powranna. ...... FULL STORY
30 Jan 2006 | Victorian farmers count the cost of fires
Forty eight hours of rain over the weekend has eased the threat posed by the massive Grampians-Mt Lubra fire in Victoria whilst the Moondarra-Erica blaze is still burning out of control as farmers count the cost. ...... FULL STORY
27 Jan 2006 | Namoi buys back shares
The NSW-based cotton ginner Namoi Cotton's share buyback scheme has been criticised by its biggest shareholder Warakirri Asset Management. ...... FULL STORY
27 Jan 2006 | Australia must accept Pacific workers
Australia must accept unskilled migrants from the micro states of the Pacific in order to save them from economic disaster a report commissioned by the federal government says. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jan 2006 | Victorian fires destroy farms
One hundred thousand sheep may have been lost in this week’s fires across Victoria, with the VFF saying that the fires have caused significant damage to the Victorian rural economy. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jan 2006 | Victorian Government chips in to help farmers
Fires in Victoria have destroyed 16,000 hectares of pasture and 330,000 hay bales across Victoria and the Premier Steve Bracks has announced a $100,000 package to assist with transporting feed to affected farmers. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jan 2006 | AWB to bid for new Iraq contract
AWB is preparing to bid for a contract to supply 150,000 tonnes of hard wheat to Iraq in competition with the US who won the last contract in October. ...... FULL STORY
25 Jan 2006 | Growers to vote on AWB monopoly
Agriculture minister Peter McGauran said he would support growers being polled on whether they support AWB’s monopoly selling rights. ...... FULL STORY
24 Jan 2006 | RBA issue warning over hoax email
A hoax email is being circulated claiming that the Reserve Bank of Australia requires people to verify their debit card account details. ...... FULL STORY
24 Jan 2006 | Sugar subsidies may not now be paid
With sugar prices at a 24-year high, the federal government may not have to allocate the final round of a planned industry support package. ...... FULL STORY
23 Jan 2006 | Pacific islanders may pick our fruit
Federal parliamentarians will investigate using Pacific Islanders as seasonal workers to address the rural labour shortage. ...... FULL STORY
23 Jan 2006 | Emerging industries are a rural success story
Game birds, meat goats and kangaroos are among a group of successful emerging rural industries worth $673 million in total. ...... FULL STORY
23 Jan 2006 | Japan reimposes ban on US beef
Japan reimposed a ban on American beef imports only a month after being lifted, a decision that will sustain demand for Australian beef. ...... FULL STORY
23 Jan 2006 | NAB targets agribusiness
National Australia Bank set up a team of advisors specialising in agribusiness to assist farmers manage their investments and prices for their products such as sugar, grain, cotton, lamb and wheat. ...... FULL STORY
23 Jan 2006 | Sugar hits sixteen year high
The price of sugar hit a sixteen year high of US16.1 cents a pound on Friday, but Australian growers were unlikely to see that price flow through to them until late this year... ...... FULL STORY
23 Jan 2006 | Taiwan fruit exports resume for some
Taiwan will only accept stone fruit and cherries from Tasmania and the Riverland of South Australia on the basis that these areas are free from Queensland Fruit Fly under the latest negotiations for a new export protocol. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jan 2006 | SA egg producers split over industry restructuring
Big egg producers in South Australia, including Golden Eggs, have split from the South Australian Farmers Federation’s draft industry plan and established their own association. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jan 2006 | ASIC watching AWB
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is watching the Cole inquiry into the AWB’s dealings in Iraq closely to determine whether the wheat marketer deceived the market in relation to its disclosure over kickbacks to Saddam’s regime. ...... FULL STORY
20 Jan 2006 | Lamb Ads ruled not offensive
Complaints against Meat and Livestock Australia’s television advertising campaign featuring Sam Kekovich have been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Board which has ruled that the ads intended to be humorous or satirical, not offensive. ...... FULL STORY
19 Jan 2006 | Farmers give water back to the Murray
The Murray's mouth, the Coorong, the Chowilla floodplain, the Hattah Lakes and forests at Gunbower and Barmah as well as farmers in northern Victoria will benefit from the federal government’s approval of a scheme... ...... FULL STORY
19 Jan 2006 | Queensland Cotton buys NSW gins
Queensland Cotton is buying the Twynam Group for $25 million in a deal that will give the company the broadest geographic footprint in the cotton industry. ...... FULL STORY
19 Jan 2006 | Imports dry up grower returns
Imported sultanas, currants and raisins, mostly from Turkey, Iran and Greece have almost tripled in the past decade forcing local prices down. ...... FULL STORY
19 Jan 2006 | Lamb consumption down
Lamb consumption is down about twenty per cent over the last six years despite an intensive campaign by Meat and Livestock Australia. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jan 2006 | Olive Oil exporter wins big US deal
Waikerie olive oil producer, Mitolo group, will produce, bottle and package oil for a large US supermarket chain which will sell it under their own brand. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jan 2006 | Farmers battle the weather
Western Australia and NSW are experiencing their worst floods on record after three of the driest and warmest summers since 1910. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jan 2006 | Fosters offloads wineries as prices fall
Fosters Group is looking to sell more of its smaller wineries as it seeks to integrate its recently acquired Southcorp operations. ...... FULL STORY
18 Jan 2006 | Red meat turnaround as CSIRO diet under fire
Spending on red meat rose to $8 billion in 2004-2005 from $5.3 billion in 1998-1999 as the industry comes back from a thirty year decline in consumption. ...... FULL STORY
17 Jan 2006 | Egg producers must unite
South Australian egg producers are struggling to cope with the flood of cheap interstate product but will get no major financial assistance from the state government the premier Mike Rann told producers yesterday. ...... FULL STORY
17 Jan 2006 | Wheat prices to fall
Abundant global wheat stocks will push returns to growers down $3 per tonne this year said AWB. ...... FULL STORY
17 Jan 2006 | Seed partnership to grow exports
Australia's largest marketing and seed-distribution company, Adelaide based Seedmark has joined forces with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) to develop new pasture varieties for the domestic and export markets. ...... FULL STORY
17 Jan 2006 | Live Cattle exports jump
58,933 head of cattle were live exported in November 2005 a rise of 17 per cent over the previous November and almost triple the 20,776 exported in October 2005. ...... FULL STORY
16 Jan 2006 | AWB brings forward AGM
AWB has announced that its AGM will be brought forward to 23 February because of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March.... ...... FULL STORY
16 Jan 2006 | DFAT phoned AWB to check on kickbacks
Australia’s current ambassador to Egypt telephoned AWB in 1999 or 2000 in response to UN concerns about AWB payments to Iraq and was reassured by AWB staff that no kickbacks to the Saddam Hussein regime were being paid. ...... FULL STORY
16 Jan 2006 | Farmers tackle labour and skills shortage
Rural labour supply problems are so severe that production is being constrained. ...... FULL STORY
16 Jan 2006 | Wool price up in first auctions of 2006
The eastern market indicator was up 2.1 per cent last week to 649 cents pushed by strong demand from Europe. ...... FULL STORY
13 Jan 2006 | Dairy farmers squeezed by milk prices
There are still opportunities for reasonable returns for dairy farmers despite steadily declining milk price returns. ...... FULL STORY
13 Jan 2006 | Taiwan fruit debacle angers growers
The Taiwanese government announced new anti-fruitfly measures last April but the Australian government still has not concluded a new agreement with Taiwan, leaving fruit growers with an oversupply of white flesh nectarines and other stone fruit. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jan 2006 | Animal activists face tough new laws
Agriculture minister Peter McGauran discussed a crackdown on animal welfare activists who interfere with any aspect of animal production or marketing at a secret meeting with the industry late last year. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jan 2006 | Egg war hurts producers
The egg war between Queensland’s Sunny Queen, NSW’s Pace Farms and Victoria’s Farm Pride is hurting family owned operators who can’t compete with the flood of cheap product. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jan 2006 | Long recovery ahead for Eyre Peninsula
Bush fires 12 months ago on the Eyre Peninsula which burnt 800,000ha, 90 houses, 6300 km of fencing and killed nine people and 46,000 head of stock will take decades to recover said the South Australian premier Mike Rann. ...... FULL STORY
12 Jan 2006 | CSIRO defends its red meat diet
The CSIRO has defended its Total Wellbeing Diet as scientifically proven and based on independent research after prominent dietician Rosemary Stanton wrote to the Prime Minster to complain.... ...... FULL STORY
12 Jan 2006 | Grain farmers urged to donate to Africa
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer is urging grain farmers to donate a portion of their winter crop to World Vision Australia’s Grain Appeal which directs grain to Africa’s 184 million people currently suffering malnutrition. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | US no-till farmers share their experience
ABB Grain is sponsoring the South Australian No-Till Farmers Association (SANTFA) eighth annual conference in Tanunda starting on Friday 10th February. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Most farmers underinsured against fire
While most farms were insured, up to 90 per cent were underinsured in the event against losses caused by bushfire according to CGU. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Enviromeat now on sale
Three boutique butchers and food retailers in Melbourne are stocking meat from 25 farms accredited as having minimal impact on the environment, stress on animals and is guaranteed to be tender. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Ammonium Nitrate licenses now required
As of the first of January, Work cover Victoria requires farmers and all people using or handling products containing 45 per cent Ammonium Nitrate or more to hold a special license. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Lamb exports up
140,000 tonnes of lamb meat was exported last year, up 25 per cent on 2004 and look set to go even higher as demand from China grew 44 per cent. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Farmers Face Price Squeeze
WA farmers are facing tough times in 2006 say farm advisors who are highlighting the worst cost-price squeeze for more than a decade. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Minister backs single desk for wheat
Agriculture minister Peter McGauran defended AWB’s veto power to block rival exporters and dismissed claims that a private members bill to dismantle AWB’s monopoly would attract support in the coalition party room. ...... FULL STORY
11 Jan 2006 | Grape Growers to Walk Away From Vineyards
Export prices for wine fell for the third year in a row in a period of record volumes and will prompt some growers to “walk away” from their vineyards in 2006. ...... FULL STORY
10 Jan 2006 | Warm weather brings insect plague
A plague of house flies and other insects caused by three years of mild winters and moist soil conditions is annoying farmers and households across Australia. ...... FULL STORY
10 Jan 2006 | AWB faces trouble on two fronts
AWB’s rejection of WA bulk wheat handler CBH’s application to ship wheat directly to its mills in south east Asia has brought a strong response from CBH, who say they will lobby for an end to the 66 year old single desk export system. ...... FULL STORY
10 Jan 2006 | AWB distribute $450 million to growers
Wheat growers who participated in the 2004-2005 national pool will share $450million in distributions said AWB. ...... FULL STORY
10 Jan 2006 | Protesting cattlemen face $75,000 in fines
A group of 100 protesting cattlemen herding their stock through Victoria’s Alpine National Park were confronted by senior park rangers on Sunday who took names and warned the men that they faced on-the-spot fines of $1048 per head up to $75,000 in total. ...... FULL STORY
9 Jan 2006 | Broad acre property booms in SA & WA
NSW’s share of national rural property market has fallen from 42 per cent in 2002 to 27 per cent last year as drought took its toll on rural broad acre real estate. ...... FULL STORY
9 Jan 2006 | Irrigators suspicious about Snowy privatisation
Irrigator group Lakes R Us has failed in its application to the National Competition Council to secure 800,000 Ml for its members over 30 years from the Snowy Mountains water storages. ...... FULL STORY
9 Jan 2006 | MLA Cattle transaction levy up to $5
Meat and Livestock Australia has raised the Cattle Transaction Levy from $3.50 to $5.00 to fund new domestic and overseas marketing initiatives including the launch of a premium Australian beef brand in Japan. ...... FULL STORY
9 Jan 2006 | Grain prices hurt farmers
Mallee wheat farmers will struggle to meet production costs of fertilisers, chemicals and diesel, which have been driven up by high oil prices, despite high yields this harvest because grain prices are at a historic low. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jan 2006 | Sugar back on the FTA agenda
The US sugar industry will fight any attempt by Australia to renegotiate access to the American market for Australian growers at the March review of the agreement. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jan 2006 | Winemaker angers grapegrowers
Angry Riverland grape growers are threatening legal action against winemaker McGuigan Simeon over the mass suspension of their purchasing contracts. ...... FULL STORY
6 Jan 2006 | Locusts set to hatch this week
The next generation of locusts is due to hatch this week and the Victorian government is telling land holders to be ready to begin spraying egg beds. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jan 2006 | Rural recovery threatened by prices and weather
The outlook is weak for wool, cotton and grain growers who are struggling with high costs and low commodity prices and need further rain to finally break out of drought. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jan 2006 | Sugar industry is “welfare orientated” says Government
The dramatic rise in sugar prices since the $444 million sugar package was announced in April 2004 has led to savings for the government of about $140 million, despite one thousand growers exiting the industry. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jan 2006 | Beef export prices to fall slightly
ABARE predicts that export prices for beef and export volumes to Japan will both fall about ten per cent, as the US resumes sales to Japan. ...... FULL STORY
5 Jan 2006 | Stone Fruit Growers face big losses
Despite desperate last minute manouvering by the federal government, a quarantine dispute with Taiwan has not been resolved, stranding 7000 tonnes of nectarines, peaches, cherries and plums worth about $15 million... ...... FULL STORY
4 Jan 2006 | Grape growers ask government to pay for its mistake
The Wine Growers Association wants the federal government to lend growers money to pull up vines because former tax breaks for investment in the industry were partly to blame for the current oversupply problems. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jan 2006 | Airline chief to run Meatworks
Stark Investments and Harmony Capital Partners, the consortium which will buy the troubled Harvey Meatworks has announced that Scott Henderson, the previous boss of WA regional airline Skywest will take over the job of resurrecting the business. ...... FULL STORY
4 Jan 2006 | Mosquito diseases to bounce back
Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses are expected to bounce back to pre-drought levels after low numbers of mosquitoes in the last years have helped to bring numbers down. ...... FULL STORY
3 Jan 2006 | Burnt out Junee farmers to get help
NSW bushfires, which are expected to flare up again in the next week or so have burnt out more than 30,000 hectares of farm and grazing land around Junee. ...... FULL STORY
3 Jan 2006 | Grants to fire victims in Stawall
The Victorian government has announced grants of up to $20,000 for victims of fires in the west of the state, particularly around Stawall. ...... FULL STORY
3 Jan 2006 | Farm Pride to record a loss
The massive surplus of eggs has been blamed for diminished margins and the expected first half loss announced by egg producer Farm Pride Foods Ltd. ...... FULL STORY
3 Jan 2006 | Berri goes back to National Foods
Philippines-based San Miguel is reuniting Berri, Australia’s largest juice producer, with National Foods which sold Berri in 1999. ...... FULL STORY
3 Jan 2006 | Bird Flu fears put to rest
Government testing of a backyard poultry flock in Wentworth NSW have come up negative for the Avian influenza virus. ...... FULL STORY
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