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31 Oct 2006 | Outlook bright in northern Australia
Australian Agricultural Co said its operations were largely unaffected by the dry conditions. ...... FULL STORY
31 Oct 2006 | Payroll tax relief for bush businesses
The New South Wales government will provide a $1 million payroll tax relief package for small businesses in the bush and more help for families to pay their household expenses, including utilities bills. ...... FULL STORY
30 Oct 2006 | Central Queensland may return reasonable yields
The entire grain belt in New South Wales is drought-declared and total crop failures are likely in many areas. ...... FULL STORY
30 Oct 2006 | Little rain likely before autumn
The National Water Commission said in its October outlook that there was little prospect of any major relieving rainfalls by the end of this calendar year. ...... FULL STORY
30 Oct 2006 | This drought more like 1982 than 2002
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Rural Economics predicted the combined wheat, barely and canola crops will struggle to make 13.6 million tonnes, the smallest yield since the 12.1 million tonnes during the 1994/95 drought... ...... FULL STORY
30 Oct 2006 | Banana crop getting back to normal
Banana growers in far north Queensland shipped 100,000 cartons last week, up from 40,000 cartons a week in July. ...... FULL STORY
30 Oct 2006 | Small business ignore financial aid
Operators of small businesses in farming regions affected by the drought are campaigning for financial assistance similar to the interest rate subsidies paid to farmers. ...... FULL STORY
27 Oct 2006 | Weather bureau maintains dry forecast
The Bureau of Meteorology said in its latest seasonal outlook the chances of above-average rainfall is now as low as 25 to 30 per cent over large areas of eastern NSW. ...... FULL STORY
27 Oct 2006 | ABA frets over small business in the bush
The Australian Bankers Association says its members have few concerns about the viability of farmers, but hold concerns about the financial health of small businesses and contractors who rely on them. ...... FULL STORY
26 Oct 2006 | Wheat crop likely to be grim
Wheat exporter AWB cut its forecast wheat production for this financial year to between nine and 11 million tonnes, down from the September estimate of 12 to 15 million tonnes. ...... FULL STORY
25 Oct 2006 | Cost of chicken feed escalates
The Australian Chicken Meat Federation said an 80 per cent increase in grain prices was likely to drive up prices as well as cut production. ...... FULL STORY
25 Oct 2006 | Milk production likely to decline
Dairy Australia said growth in milk production in 2006/07 is likely to be slight at best. ...... FULL STORY
25 Oct 2006 | More drought aid for farmers and banks
The Australian government’s latest package of assistance for farmers in drought-affected areas has a couple of ramifications for banks. ...... FULL STORY
25 Oct 2006 | Drought relief covers half of all farmland
Financial aid from the federal government for farmers is likely to apply to farmers more than half the agricultural land in Australia. ...... FULL STORY
24 Oct 2006 | Contractors may defer some tax payments
Additional drought relief measures rumoured to be announced by the federal government later this week include a deferral of tax payments for contractors... ...... FULL STORY
23 Oct 2006 | More drought aid may be paid as grants
The federal government may pay small infrastructure grants to farmers under an extended package of measures to provide financial relief during the drought. ...... FULL STORY
23 Oct 2006 | Pipeline underway to Mallee
Construction will start next month on the first stage of the Wimmera Mallee water pipeline. ...... FULL STORY
23 Oct 2006 | Modest rise in water prices
The national index of prices for water entitlements, or Waterdex, has increased five per cent over the last 12 months, to an average price of $875 per megalitre. ...... FULL STORY
23 Oct 2006 | National water market a dream
More than 20,000 state rules and regulations blunt the operation of the market for water. ...... FULL STORY
20 Oct 2006 | Dams inflow plummets in WA
A 21 per cent decline in rainfall in parts of Western Australia translates to a 64 per cent decline in water run-off, leading to a halving of inflow into dams in the south-west, including Perth, since 1994. ...... FULL STORY
20 Oct 2006 | Debate over dry cycles
George Warne, head of Murray Irrigation, said he believed the current dry spell was cyclical as much as due to global warming, based on his family’s farming records dating back to the 1880s. ...... FULL STORY
19 Oct 2006 | Slight increase in water allocations on Murray Goulburn
Goulburn-Murray Water said it would increase water allocations, even though inflows are near an all time low. ...... FULL STORY
19 Oct 2006 | Twelve per cent of farmers seek drought aid
Nearly 15,000 of Australia's 130,000 farmers have received interest rate subsidies under exceptional circumstances assistance. ...... FULL STORY
18 Oct 2006 | Bourke and Brewarrina farmers advised to walk off the land
Wentworth Group convenor and scientist Peter Cullen said farmers working marginal farm land, such as that around Bourke and Brewarrina in western New South Wales, should accept that parts of Australia are perpetually dry and unsuitable for farming. ...... FULL STORY
18 Oct 2006 | Stone fruit yields suffer in Tasmanian frost
Apple, cherry and stone fruit yields in Tasmania may be halved after severe frosts this week. ...... FULL STORY
18 Oct 2006 | Most WA farms miss out on drought relief
More than 61,000 square kilometres of farmland in the Western Australia’s wheat belt is in drought after the driest winter on record. ...... FULL STORY
17 Oct 2006 | Farmers dip into their deposits
Balances held under the Farm Managed Deposits scheme have fallen from a peak this decade of $2.8 billion in June 2005 to the current level of $2.4 billion, indicating that farmers are using their savings to cope with loss of income caused by drought. ...... FULL STORY
17 Oct 2006 | Cubbie Station out of water
Cubbie Station, the controversial cotton farm with a vast water storage in Queensland’s south-west, has hardly any water. ...... FULL STORY
17 Oct 2006 | Drought relief extended to March 2008
The federal government will extend income support and interest rate subsidies for irrigators, dry land farmers and dairy farmers in 18 “exceptional circumstances” declared areas in Victoria, NSW, Queensland, South Australia until March 2008. ...... FULL STORY
17 Oct 2006 | Drought aid ignores futility of farming on the margins
Professor Peter Cullen, a water ecologist and member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and a board member of the National Water Commission said... ...... FULL STORY
17 Oct 2006 | Banks may be overextended to drought-stricken farmers
Farmers across Australia are preparing themselves to deal with severe drought conditions and so are their bankers. ...... FULL STORY
16 Oct 2006 | Murray Darling water storages may be dry in a year
The total capacity of water storages in the Murray Darling basin stands at 34 per cent of capacity as at the middle of spring. ...... FULL STORY
13 Oct 2006 | Carry-on finance an option for stronger farms
The Australian Bankers Association, said last night that banks were prepared to deal with farmers on a case by case basis. ...... FULL STORY
13 Oct 2006 | SA harvest underway early
Harvesting of barley is under way a month early in some districts of South Australia, as those farmers who can harvest crops. ...... FULL STORY
13 Oct 2006 | Drought relief rules eased
Farm communities will be able to receive government drought assistance continuously for up to 18 months rather than having to reapply as often as every five months. ...... FULL STORY
13 Oct 2006 | Most catchments in a parched state
A report by the Department of Primary Industry shows that catchment areas are far worse off than previously thought and that even heavy rain in coming months would be insufficient to provide adequate irrigation for many areas. ...... FULL STORY
13 Oct 2006 | Wine grape surplus reduced by drought
A smaller vintage, due to the drought, will allow wine makers to clear a billion-litre surplus. ...... FULL STORY
12 Oct 2006 | Hand-outs only farm income this season
Treasurer Peter Costello said many farmers would not earn any income this season and that this may be the worst drought ever. ...... FULL STORY
11 Oct 2006 | Water availability critical for cotton crop
Namoi Cotton Co-operative said the 2007 season would be affected by the continuing drought conditions. ...... FULL STORY
11 Oct 2006 | Wheat prices break another record
Wheat prices jumped for a second day to a 10-year high. ...... FULL STORY
11 Oct 2006 | $29m a month spent on farm family support
The federal government said it he had written to banks and financial institutions asking them to be sympathetic to the plight of farmers during the drought. ...... FULL STORY
11 Oct 2006 | Drought tightens finances
Westpac forecast that farm incomes will fall 60 per cent this year to their lowest level since 1994. ...... FULL STORY
9 Oct 2006 | Bleak outlook worsens for summer crop
Agribusiness analyst ProFarmer said Australia was headed for one of its worst crop harvests ever. ...... FULL STORY
6 Oct 2006 | SunRice offers price guarantee
SunRice, which buys most of Australia's rice crop, said it would guarantee a minimum of $320 per tonne for the summer rice harvest. ...... FULL STORY
6 Oct 2006 | Farmers shift stock in record numbers
Wagga Associated Agents said the number of stock sold over the last six weeks were at record levels, including 67,000 sheep and 6,000 cattle sold on one day this week. ...... FULL STORY
6 Oct 2006 | Goulburn water eight times more expensive
Goulburn Murray Water told farmers in the Shepparton region of northern Victoria they would get only 21 per cent of their usual allocations. ...... FULL STORY
5 Oct 2006 | Crop forecasts slumps in SA
The Primary Industries and Resources Department forecasts a grain crop in South Australia of 3.2 million tonnes, with a value estimated to be down $700 million on the $1.4 billion expected before drought conditions developed. ...... FULL STORY
4 Oct 2006 | Beef herd rebuilding at an end
ABARE said Australian cattle numbers have increased consistently since the 2002/03 drought, and estimated the beef cattle herd at June 2006 to have been approximately 25.5 million. ...... FULL STORY
4 Oct 2006 | Little chance of a break in the drought
The federal agricultural minister Peter McGauran said his advice was that there was only a five per cent to 10 per cent chance of drought-breaking rains before summer. ...... FULL STORY
4 Oct 2006 | Interest rate relief reprieved
The federal agricultural minister Peter McGauran said he agreed only in principle to recommendations that the government remove interest rate relief as a core element of the financial assistance available at times of drought. ...... FULL STORY
3 Oct 2006 | Early start to fire restrictions in Victoria
Fire restrictions will come into force in some areas of Victoria in mid October, weeks earlier than normal. ...... FULL STORY
3 Oct 2006 | A wet September in coastal Queensland
A number of weather stations broke monthly rainfall records in the northern Peninsula and north tropical coast during September. ...... FULL STORY
3 Oct 2006 | South Australian farm incomes above average
Farm cash incomes for South Australian broadacre farms fell sharply in South Australia in 2004/05, reflecting the combination of lower winter crop production, lower grain prices and lower wool prices. ...... FULL STORY
3 Oct 2006 | Cuts likely to high-security water rights in Murray-Darling basin
The Murray Darling Basin Commission warned that drought conditions mean the Murray River's storage system "could be drawn down to very low levels" by the end of the 2006/2007 water season. ...... FULL STORY
3 Oct 2006 | Stone fruit prices likely to double
Growers of pears, apricots and plums may receive about twice as much for their produce as they did last year due to the loss of many fruit to frosts in Victoria last week. ...... FULL STORY
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