News from Australia

Farmers call for minimum wage increase An increase in the national minimum wage would help the struggling farming industry to attract entry level workers, Australia's peak farmers group say... Cattle grazing in national parks 'nothing new' Cattle have not only been grazing in national parks for years, but it's been a handy revenue raiser for government, according to a cattleman and forme... The Gillard Government's plan for Australian agriculture The 2013-14 Budget strengthens the foundation of Australian agriculture, prepares our farmers for future challenges, and lays the groundwork for the o... Agriculture ministers lobby to restore live trade exports Queensland Agriculture Minister John McVeigh says he holds no animal welfare concerns about Australian live cattle exports to Indonesia as he pushes f... Agriculture needs a leader, not this average Joe Country Life is a proud advocate for rural Queenslanders, always willing to deliver a metaphorical uppercut to those who need it or a pat on the back ... McVeigh heads to Indonesia QUEENSLAND Agriculture Minister John McVeigh will join his Northern Territory counterpart in Indonesia at the weekend as the states look to bypass Can... Ag needs to be on agenda: Farley AUSTRALIAN Agricultural Company chief executive David Farley says Australia's chances of becoming Asia's food bowl are being jeopardised by political ... The dire state of Australian agriculture It seems crazy given our very fundamental human requirement for food that the agriculture industry could end up in the dire state it is in today. Yet ... We're missing the boat on agriculture AS Australian cattle farmers continue to suffer from the fallout following the inept handling of the live cattle ban placed on Indonesia by federal Ag... Rising dollar, falling prices biggest threat to farmers A private sector survey has found Australian farmers' biggest concerns are easing commodity prices and the strong Australian dollar. Rabobank's qua... Subsidies go against the grain THE nation's single biggest grain farmer, NSW's Ron Greentree, says industry conditions are worse than any other time in his 35-year farming career. ... Cover cropping a winner for grower Not convinced his cropping rotation was maximising returns on farm, New South Wales cotton grower Rob Blatchford applied for a Nuffield scholarship fo... Australian farms unable to grow Australian farmers and agricultural businesses are struggling to make a keep in a market that seems all against them. Yesterday The Australian repo... Farmers not Asia-ready, warns Monsanto boss Daniel Kruithoff AUSTRALIA'S ambition of becoming a major food bowl for Asia is facing significant challenges and urgent attention is needed to address a lack of produ... pectre of drought menacing South Australian farmers THE dreaded spectre of drought is sweeping across South Australia once more - plunging the farming community into despair as pasture feed for livestoc... Dry weather hurting cattle prices Cattle producer Australian Agricultural Company will lower the value of its herds, partly because continued dry weather has hit domestic cattle prices... Agriculture dying in Western Sydney Agriculture on the outer fringes of Australia's major cities is dying a slow death. Experts say it's an inevitable end, unless there are drastic ch... Man charged over costly livestock hoax The WA major fraud squad has charged a 49-year-old man over a livestock hoax which duped Indonesian investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.... Worsening dry hitting farmers and company profits Widespread dry weather across huge chunks of the country is being blamed for a predicted slash in profits of Australia's largest rural services provid... Struggling farmers take comfort in Premier's visit On a hot afternoon in the tiny community of Moorine Rock, WA's largest grain grower had a blunt message for the Premier. "I've seen 10 or 12 letter... Australia has lost farmland the size of Ukraine Australia's volatile climate, which experts warned will produce increasing weather extremes, has already contributed to a loss in farmland the size of... Qld cattle baron dies after windmill fall Queensland cattle king Alexander McDonald has died after falling from a windmill last month. Mr McDonald fell four metres from the windmill at his ... Australian agriculture faces extreme weather risk Australia's most productive agricultural areas face a greater risk of extreme weather from climate change in coming decades, including a higher number... Beef industry accepts new welfare standards Proposed welfare standards for the beef industry have been endorsed by the Cattle Council of Australia and the Lot Feeders' Association. The nation... Rain slows NT cattle movement to Queensland The Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association (NTCA) says big rain in parts of the NT over the weekend will slow up the exodus of cattle moving into ... Preparing for drought - advice for livestock producers The rapid decline in pasture quality in western regions of Queensland has seen many landholders move into drought mode. Some areas in particular in... Stock squad investigates Gympie cattle deaths Queensland Police Detectives from the Kingaroy Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad (SARCIS) are appealing for public assistance after the mutila... Bull rider and livestock agent die in plane crash Former world champion bull rider John Quintana and Ray White Livestock CEO Charlie Maher have died in a plane crash near Roma in Southern Queensland. ... Aussie dairy and lamb farmers could benefit from NZ drought Australian farmers could benefit from an upswing in commodity prices as New Zealand's farmers struggle after their driest summer in 50 years. The d... Anthrax kills 40 cattle in Australia, disease contained Australia, the world's no. 3 largest beef exporter, said it has confirmed that approximately 40 head of cattle have been killed by anthrax, but it exp... Farmers urged to speak up before power price rises The deadline for submissions around changes to power prices is approaching and producers are being urged to speak up or wear hikes of up to $100 000 o... Chicken farmers want legal protection against animal activists Victorian chicken farmers sick of raids by animal activists want their properties protected by tougher laws. Some farmers say they're being raided ... Cattle owners' beef over losing millions Police are so clueless when it comes to solving livestock thefts that one victim was recently asked to supply the "serial number" of his stolen cattle... Dire times for dairy farmers The dairy industry is on the verge of collapse in the mid-north of South Australia. Four more farms have closed down in as many months. Only 16 ... Baseball-sized snail destroyed in Australia to protect crops A baseball-sized snail with an insatiable appetite for hundreds of plants including cocoa and papaya has been seized and destroyed by Australian offic... Cattle producers push for billion dollar boost The Northern Territory's peak cattle lobby group is meeting both sides of federal politics to push for almost a billion dollars in funding support. ... Dairy decline in South Australia's mid-north The dairy industry in the mid-north of South Australia is on the verge of becoming non-existent. There are 16 dairy farmers that still operate in t... Blackstone, TPG in final bids for chicken firm U.S. private equity firms Blackstone Group LP and TPG Capital have placed separate final bids for Australia's largest poultry producer, Inghams Chicke... Domestic cattle and sheep welfare in the spotlight New draft standards for welfare in sheep and cattle production have just been released for public comment. Developed in close consultation with ind... Australian exports of beef to China set for eightfold increase Australian beef sales to China are set to surge more than eightfold this year, providing a boost for farmers who are struggling with tougher US compet... India - friend and foe for Australian agricultural trade India, with its increasingly large and wealthy population, is often cited as one of the big export market opportunities for Australian agricultural pr... Farmers stuck with a high dollar for years The Australian dollar is likely to remain strong for up to five years, dampening the outlook for farm exports, the federal commodities forecaster warn... Simple farming could be the future of dairy The future of the dairy industry may be focusing on simplicity, according to a leading dairy farm consultant. Gippsland-based consultant John Mulva... Milk dumped as floods isolate dairy farms Dairy processor Norco estimates around 50,000 litres of milk will be dumped by its NSW suppliers as a result of the floods. Norco's chief executive... Cattle prices expected to rise in the south Domestic cattle prices are expected to improve by the time Northern Territory pastoralists start sending their stock to markets like Naracoorte in Sou... Queensland to review cattle disease response Two experts will review the Queensland government's response to a cattle disease that has rocked the state's beef industry. The outbreak of Bovine ... Beef producers doubt predictions of industry boom The Federal Government expects Australia's $7 billion beef industry to double in order to meet demand from Asia, but producers and agribusinesses say ... Dairy farmers hold crisis meeting The South Australian Dairyfarmers Association says the state's dairy industry is facing increasing pressure, with low milk prices and high input costs... Dairy farmers being 'screwed by supermarkets' Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean believes there is a future in dairy farming, but concedes the industry is being "screwed by the supermarkets".... Queensland farmers say government loan 'a godsend' Queensland farmers have welcomed special loans and grants from the government in the wake of devastating floods. Under the "Category D" assistance ...