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30 Nov 2006 | Single desk may stay in some form
There is likely to keep a reformed version of the so-called single desk wheat export system rather than moving to a totally deregulated system. ...... FULL STORY
30 Nov 2006 | Bargaining power improving for wine grape growers
Wine Grape Growers Australia said weather conditions this season and the prospect of another drought-affected crop in 2008 would lead to a more rapid than expected reduction in wine stock levels. ...... FULL STORY
29 Nov 2006 | AWB faces multiple court actions
AWB is facing a $60 million class action from institutional and retail shareholders who have lost money and believe that directors misled them. ...... FULL STORY
29 Nov 2006 | AWB to split
AWB will announce plans today to quit the wheat export market by spinning off AWB International, the company's wholly owned subsidiary that controls the single desk. ...... FULL STORY
29 Nov 2006 | Drought slashes water usage
Australian agriculture is using 25 per cent less water than it was five years ago because of the drought. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2006 | ABB shutting silos
ABB Grain, Australia's biggest barley exporter, says it is closing silos, cutting staff and delaying pay increases to prepare for lower crops as dry conditions intensify. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2006 | Eleven AWB execs recommended for criminal charges
Eleven current and former executives of AWB are to be investigated for criminal charges for the actions in organising the payment of kickbacks to Iraq in connection with the export of Australian wheat. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2006 | Agribusiness customers slash investment
Banks face a tough test of their expansion strategies in the agribusiness sector, with news yesterday that farmers are planning a massive cutback in investment over the next 12 months. ...... FULL STORY
28 Nov 2006 | Grape prices rising
Grape growers are enjoying a 30 per cent spike in prices for fashionable white varieties as east coast drought conditions force winemakers to look west to find fruit. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2006 | Dairy Australia seeks to maintain levy
Dairy Australia will invite farmers to consider an increase in the industry research and marketing levy on sale of bulk milk supplies, though DA is actually recommending a vote for the status quo. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2006 | Water theft on the rise
Water theft is on the increase with thieves siphoning off thousands of litres from farm dams and rainwater tanks. ...... FULL STORY
27 Nov 2006 | Stock squad a sign of the times
The police stock squad in New South Wales now has 32 officers, up from two six years ago. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2006 | Beef, dairy and sugar farmers on firm ground
Beef, dairy and sugar farmers were still saving for adverse times earlier this year while grain and sheep farmers were drawing on savings. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2006 | 560 cane farmers benefit from sugar aid
Only 560 sugar cane farmers ever received financial assistance from the federal government under a package designed to cut the number of growers. ...... FULL STORY
24 Nov 2006 | CBH waives storage fees for a month
CBH is providing growers with free wheat storage. ...... FULL STORY
23 Nov 2006 | Sugar levy dropped
The three cent a kilogram levy on sales of sugar cane will be scrapped at the end of November. ...... FULL STORY
23 Nov 2006 | AWB profit dives
Wheat exporter AWB said profit fell 68 per cent to $58.1 million, due to the drought as well as lost sales and huge costs associated with the Cole inquiry and Iraqi kickbacks. ...... FULL STORY
23 Nov 2006 | AWBI defends single desk
AWB International, which holds the right of veto over wheat exports by any entity other than AWB, said the single desk system allowed AWB to realise price premiums of $16 per tonne above comparable grades in the international market in the 2003/04 pool. ...... FULL STORY
22 Nov 2006 | GM ban under review
Victoria may review a ban on the growing of genetically-modified crops. ...... FULL STORY
22 Nov 2006 | Meat producers fret over contaminated feed
Cattle Council and Sheepmeat Council meetings were told that some feeds, harvested from failed crops, could prove to be contaminated with chemical and pesticide residues. ...... FULL STORY
22 Nov 2006 | Wimmera harvest a write-off
A survey of 962 Wimmera paddocks by the Primary Industries Department found only 24 per cent of paddocks were harvestable at an average of up to one tonne a hectare, 43 per cent were not harvestable and three per cent had been cut for hay. ...... FULL STORY
22 Nov 2006 | AWB lobbies for slow transition to free market
AWB has accepted the loss of the so-called single desk, which has protected its monopoly and is now preparing for what it hopes will be an orderly transition to full deregulation of the market... ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2006 | Growers prefer to warehouse reduced wheat crop
Less than eight per cent of the wheat harvested so far has been earmarked for the monopoly exporter AWB. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2006 | Banana shipments increase 50 per cent in a week
The Australian Banana Growers Council said that, depending on size and quality, wholesale prices were between $5.30 and $7.70 a kilogram. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2006 | Barley crop at a 10 year low
Australian Crop Forecasters cut its estimate of Australia's current barley crop to 3.4 million tonnes, down from last season's production of 9.5 million tonnes. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2006 | Murray Irrigation turns off the taps
The farmer-owned Murray Irrigation has endured record low inflows and will close supply to around 90 per cent of irrigators from December 2. ...... FULL STORY
21 Nov 2006 | NFF seeks subsidies for farmers as environmental custodians
The National Farmers Federation wants farmers to be paid for the environmental work they do on their properties and are pushing for policies to manage droughts. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2006 | Final veto for AWB
AWB will lose its power to veto grain exports, though some other statutory authority may have the power to allocate, or at least veto, grain exports. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2006 | Snowy Hydro holds back water
Snowy Hydro is preserving its reduced water storages to ensure it can sell electricity at times of peak summer demand. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2006 | Grain prices flourish as crops don’t
The Westpac-National Farmers Federation commodity index rose by 6.4 per cent in October. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2006 | Forests using more water
Regeneration of native forest, such as from the 2003 bushfires, may be a cause of low inflow into the upper Murray River. ...... FULL STORY
20 Nov 2006 | AWB vetos CBH export plan
Monopoly wheat exporter AWB used its veto power to block a two million tonne wheat shipment by West Australian grains giant CBH. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2006 | Livestock prices lower in WA
The Department of Agriculture said livestock prices in Western Australia lagged prices in the eastern States. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2006 | Israel suspends sheep trade
Israel rejected a shipment of 10,000 Australian sheep due to arrive in the country on November 3 and has suspended live sheep imports from Australia. ...... FULL STORY
17 Nov 2006 | Water outlook dire on lower Murray
The South Australian government said that the water storage in the upper Murray River may be virtually empty by May if it did not rain. ...... FULL STORY
16 Nov 2006 | Fairbairn dam running low
Fairbairn dam in central Queensland is down to 14 per cent of capacity. ...... FULL STORY
16 Nov 2006 | Spud growers steamed over McCain prices
Potato growers in the Ballarat region rejected an offer from McCain Foods to increase the price for spuds by $10 a tonne for the next year. ...... FULL STORY
16 Nov 2006 | Cotton crop shrivels
Cotton Australia predicts the cotton crop to be harvested in March and April will be barely one million bales, less than half the five-year average of 2.5 million bales. ...... FULL STORY
15 Nov 2006 | Standard set for timber
Standards Australia recognised the Australian Forestry Standard's "chain of custody", which most state forestry agencies use. ...... FULL STORY
15 Nov 2006 | Grain imports needed for eastern states
Australia will import grain for the first time in 10 years to offset a national wheat shortage due to a reduced crop thanks to the drought. ...... FULL STORY
15 Nov 2006 | Grain Growers supports single desk
The Grain Growers Association called for the retention of the single desk for wheat exports, but wants it run by an independent regulator. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2006 | Goulburn water prices double in three months
The price of water in the Goulburn system reached $605 per megalitre last week, up $50 a week and twice the price of water in August. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2006 | No water cuts planned south of the Murray
Goulburn Murray water said it had no plans to cut the existing allocation of 95 per cent for farmers, and said it adopted more conservative methods of assessing available water than in New South Wales. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2006 | AWB cuts management fees
AWB said it cut $25.5 million from its pool management fee. For this season AWB also said it would cap the performance fee at $2 a tonne. ...... FULL STORY
14 Nov 2006 | No need to exaggerate impact of the drought: RBA
The Reserve Bank of Australia said the current drought was not as bad as the drought of only four years ago, and nor was the drought any worse than those of the late 1890s and early 1900s, the 1940s or early 1980s. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2006 | NSW cuts water allocations again
New South Wales reduced general security water allocations to 10 per cent of the notional entitlement of farmers. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2006 | Inflows diverted by farm dams and plantations
The National Climate Centre says the 2006 drought has recorded the second lowest rainfall in the Murray Darling basin since records began in the 1800s. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2006 | Cattle price recovers with recent rain
Rains in part of Queensland and New South Wales revived cattle prices last week. ...... FULL STORY
13 Nov 2006 | Milk price lifted to cover cost of grain
Norco will increase the farm gate price of milk by four cents a litre from January. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2006 | Acton active in beef buyouts
Graeme and Evan Acton's Acton Land & Cattle Co is emerging as a significant owner of cattle stations in northern Australia. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2006 | Smut fungus found further north
The Department of Primary Industries detected the fungus disease smut on a sugar cane a farm at Farleigh, north of Mackay. ...... FULL STORY
10 Nov 2006 | CBH makes limited appeal over AWB veto
CBH said it was unlikely take mount a a challenge to AWB's veto of a proposed wheat export. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2006 | Orange prices higher
The Valencia orange crop is expected to be 26 per cent lower this summer at 207,000 tonnes. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2006 | McCains pays more for spuds
McCain's will pay $10 a tonne more for potatoes. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2006 | AWB vetoes rival exports
AWB said it would deny requests by 12 alternative bulk exporters of wheat to send grain to eight markets. ...... FULL STORY
9 Nov 2006 | Dairy farmers vote on levy
Dairy farmers will consider three choices under the periodic ballot on the levy to fund Dairy Australia. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2006 | Green light for interstate water trading
Permanent water trading between NSW, Victoria and South Australia will begin on January 1 next year. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2006 | Rural businesses qualify for drought aid
The federal government extended "exceptional circumstances" payments to businesses that derive at least 70 per cent of their income from farming. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2006 | Murray dams may be dry by late 2007
Town and city dwellers may have priority over water allocations in the summer of 2007/08, leaving irrigators on even lower allocations. ...... FULL STORY
8 Nov 2006 | Hydroponics a drought beater
The inventor of the Commercial Hydroponic Fodder System say that 1.2 tonnes of green feed a day can be produced for 3 cents a kilo, using 500 litres of water. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2006 | Murray Irrigation short of water
Inflows into the Murray River this year are at a record low at 550 gigalitres compared with a long-term average of 1120 gigalitres. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2006 | Too few workers on hand for banana crop
The Australian Banana Growers' Council said it feared there won't be enough hands to pick the fruit as the crop ripens in north Queensland. ...... FULL STORY
7 Nov 2006 | Indonesia may cease purchases of Australian wheat
Indonesian buyers of Australian wheat warned the federal government that unless it dismantles AWB's monopoly over wheat exports they may source $1.3 billion of imports from other markets. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2006 | Bureau chronicles the dry spell
Rainfall deficiencies have been gradually spreading over southern and eastern Australia during 2006. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2006 | Snowy Hydro expects minimal summer flows
Snowy Hydro does not expect to release sufficient water this summer to meet minimum flow requirements. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2006 | NSW suspends water trading
The New South Wales government suspended water trading in the Murray and Murrumbidgee catchments. ...... FULL STORY
6 Nov 2006 | Spring the warmest in 50 years
It was the driest August to October period averaged across South Australia, the second driest averaged over Victoria and the Murray Darling Basin, and the third driest for NSW whose state-average was boosted by above-normal falls along the north coast. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2006 | Fewer dust storms likely
A study for the Grains Council of Australia found that modern farming techniques meant the "dust bowls" that typified previous droughts were unlikely. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2006 | Wool prices at two year high
Wool prices are at a two-year high, with the Eastern Market Indicator rising 27 cents to 782 cents a kilogram. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2006 | Cattle prices recover
Farmers are taking fewer cattle to saleyards, though yardings of lambs continue to rise. ...... FULL STORY
3 Nov 2006 | Orange harvest running late
The valencia harvest is running a month late as growers wait for fruit to reach suitable sizes and sugar levels. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2006 | Murray-Darling storages drying up
Storage estimates from the Murray Darling Basin Commission show that just 2500 gigalitres remain in the system and its two main dams - the Hume and Dartmouth - are likely to be dry in months. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2006 | First tenders for Murray water buyback
The federal government tenders have been requested for the buyback of water entitlements on the River Murray, but will apply only to water saved through efficiency measures. ...... FULL STORY
2 Nov 2006 | AWB lifts pool estimate
Wheat exporter AWB yesterday increased its forecast return for the wheat crop by $3 rise to $248 a tonne for the benchmark grade. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2006 | HomeGrown out of business
Australian HomeGrown entered voluntary administration after food companies declined to support plans to adopt new food labelling standards. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2006 | Frosts trash Coonawarra grape crop
Black frosts have cost some grape growers in South Australia's southeast 100 per cent of their crop and damaged crops for other growers. ...... FULL STORY
1 Nov 2006 | Farm levies waived in western NSW
The New South Wales Government waived 2006/07 water access charges to irrigators on the Lachlan River. ...... FULL STORY
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