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The Western Vic South East SA Rural report is broadcast at 6:40am weekdays

• A 20-year-old Portland producer's love affair with farming

  
  SA Country Hour

  By Cassandra Steeth

  Posted August 22, 2016 11:12:23 | Updated August 25, 2016 10:33:26

  Rachel Alexander prefers to shovel cow poo and fertilise an orchard than catch up with friends.

  Topics: agricultural-marketing, women-in-agriculture, mount-gambier-5290

• A national grain grower survey points to unprecedented pulse plantings

  
  By Danielle Grindlay

  Posted August 12, 2016 11:02:43 | Updated August 12, 2016 14:22:01

  A survey of Australian grain growers shows a dramatic increase in pulse plantings, including 50 per cent more chickpeas than 2015.

  Topics: agricultural-crops, grain, agricultural-prices, horsham-3400

• South Australian farmers visit Victorian poppy crops

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted August 12, 2016 07:46:12 | Updated August 12, 2016 09:59:15

  The company aiming to harvest South Australia's first poppy crops takes local farmers across the border to visit its Victorian crops.

  Topics: rural, agricultural-crops, mount-gambier-5290, penola-5277

• Historic railway to be reborn as bike track

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted August 11, 2016 12:39:08

  The campaign to establish a bike track along an abandoned rail line through Coonawarra gains momentum.

  Topics: rural, travel-and-tourism, mount-gambier-5290, coonawarra-5263

• Heywire: Nervous in the limelight? Have a crack anyway

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted August 09, 2016 11:31:49

  Rebecca Greening overcame her fear of public speaking, and scored a free trip to Canberra so it is little wonder she recommends entering Heywire.

  Topics: rural, immigration, refugees, rural-youth, information-and-communication, community-and-society, regional, naracoorte-5271, mount-gambier-5290, canberra-2600

• New facility nears first export of powered milk

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted August 04, 2016 12:36:13 | Updated August 05, 2016 11:43:12

  Blue Lake Dairy will process the first samples of powdered milk products from its new facility near Mount Gambier over the next few days.

  Topics: rural, dairy-production, mount-gambier-5290, millicent-5280, tantanoola-5280

• Rose farm not so romantic when the mud sets in

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted August 01, 2016 13:11:50 | Updated August 04, 2016 10:13:38

  The first serious rains in two years have made life tough on a South Australian Rose farm, but the show must go on.

  Topics: rural, gardening, flowers, kalangadoo-5278

• Animal welfare a 'great' opportunity for industry

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted July 28, 2016 13:00:03

  Livestock industry must regard animal rights as an opportunity to succeed in the global market, according to former Victorian premier Denis Napthine.

  Topics: rural, livestock, livestock-welfare, animal-welfare, mount-gambier-5290

• Iron bacteria build-up crippling irrigation equipment

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted July 28, 2016 11:46:22

  A build-up of iron bacteria and other solids in bore water is crippling irrigators' infrastructure in the Limestone Coast area, leading to a new study of the problem.

  Topics: rural, dairy-production, water-supply, water-pollution, irrigation, penola-5277, mount-gambier-5290, coonawarra-5263

• Youngsters see bright future in rural Australia

  
  SA Country Hour

  By David Sparkes

  Posted July 21, 2016 10:47:28

  In an era when rural communities are grappling with the challenge of losing their young adults to the capital cities, two youngsters in South Australia decide to go against the grain.

  Topics: rural, youth, rural-youth, penola-5277, coonalpyn-5265, adelaide-5000