Rural
Marty McCarthy
Marty is the Sunshine Coast rural reporter based in Maroochydore.
Pineapple farmers apply 'sunblock' to fruit in Queensland heatwave
Posted
Sunshine Coast pineapple farmers are concerned their fruit will burn and become unsaleable in extreme heat.
Topics: fruits, fruit, agricultural-crops, rural, weather, glass-house-mountains-4518, maroochydore-4558
Dairy farmers fear pay dispute could cost them $3 million
Posted
A group of Queensland and New South Wales dairy farmers fear they could lose up to $3 million if a major milk processor drops the price it pays to farmers.
Topics: livestock, dairy-production, rural, business-economics-and-finance, industrial-relations, agribusiness, agricultural-prices, brisbane-4000, maroochydore-4558, lismore-2480, toowoomba-4350, bundaberg-4670
Fewer dangerous box jellyfish found at Sunshine Coast confuses locals
Posted | Updated
A marine creature captured on Queensland's Sunshine Coast that a Facebook user claimed to be a box jellyfish confuses locals not used to seeing the deadly animal in their waters.
Topics: marine-biology, biology, environment, animals, mooloolaba-4557, cairns-4870
The ban on fresh prawn imports are pushing Aussie prices skyward Audio
Audio
Posted
Norman Grant speaks to Marty McCarthy about the growing pressures from the Federal Governments ban on imported green prawns.
.Topics: rural, food-and-beverage, fishing-aquaculture, mackay-4740
Skyrocketing prawn prices 'inevitable' as import ban kicks in
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The imported seafood industry says the ban on green prawns from overseas will cost the sector half a billion dollars over six months.
Topics: rural, food-and-beverage, fishing-aquaculture, industry, australia
Australian researchers develop eco-friendly nanotechnology pesticide
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Australian researchers say they have developed a sustainable way to protect crops from pests and diseases, by spraying them with a special clay.
Topics: pest-management, rural, pests, environment, crop-harvesting, agricultural-crops, vegetables, fruit, brisbane-4000
Green prawn imports banned following white spot outbreak
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The importation of green prawns into Australia will be suspended following an outbreak of white spot disease in Queensland, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announces.
Topics: brisbane-4000, canberra-2600
Prawn industry in crisis mode as disease spreads
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The devastating prawn virus white spot disease spreads to another Queensland farm, with claims the outbreak is affecting the livelihoods of more than 100 families.
Topics: fishing-aquaculture, pests, pest-management, brisbane-4000, surfers-paradise-4217
Privacy concerns for farmers who employ backpackers
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Concerns are raised about how the Federal Government will use information from farmers who register as employers of foreign workers.
Topics: work, vegetables, agricultural-crops, brisbane-4000, maroochydore-4558
Calls for the federal government to be proactive on backpacker tax Audio
Audio
Posted
Lobby group Growcom's chief advocate Rachel Mackenzie says the federal government needs to be more proactive in educating employers about changes to the backpacker tax.
Topics: rural, vegetables, fruit, farm-labour, tourism, bundaberg-4670, ayr-4807
Farmers urged to register for backpacker tax rate or risk having to withhold higher rate
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Businesses that employ backpackers are being urged to register with the Australian Tax Office to take advantage of the new tax rate.
Topics: rural, vegetables, fruit, farm-labour, tourism, bundaberg-4670, ayr-4807
Australian lychee industry triumphant as it cracks United States market
Posted
Australia's first-ever shipment of fresh lychees into the United States has landed, but China trade remains a challenge.
Topics: fruits, fruit, agricultural-crops, rural, trade, brisbane-4000
White spot outbreak a 'wake-up call' for Australian biosecurity, as prawn farmers blame imports
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Queensland prawn farmers say the outbreak of white spot disease is a 'wake-up call' for Australia's entire biosecurity system.
Topics: fishing-aquaculture, rural, pest-management, pests, environment, livestock-welfare, environmental-impact, environmental-policy, environmental-management, livestock, alberton-4207, brisbane-4000
Bigger is better when it comes to the secret sex lives of prawns
Posted
Imagine a prawn up to eight times bigger than the ones you see in the supermarkets at Christmas time.
Topics: rural, fishing-aquaculture, brisbane-4000
Critics brush off One Nation's plan to drought-proof western Queensland
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Conservationists and Queensland's environment minister have brushed off One Nation's announcement that it wants to drought-proof western Queensland through a mass water infrastructure project.
Topics: water-management, water-supply, water, environment, irrigation, rural, one-nation, brisbane-4000
Demand for turkey meat soars at Christmas
Posted
A poultry farmer estimates 75 per cent of turkeys grown in Australia are sold into the Christmas market.
Topics: livestock, rural, poultry-and-egg-production, brisbane-4000
Pink cricket ball in plain sight, but origins of its leather are top secret
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The origins of the leather in the pink cricket ball used for day-night Test matches is a closely-guarded secret, with even the location of the farm the leather comes from being a mystery.
Topics: livestock, beef-cattle, sport, cricket, business-economics-and-finance, brisbane-4000
Disease on Queensland prawn farm has not spread to wild prawns, FRDC says
Posted
Authorities do not know how a devastating prawn disease got to aquaculture farms in Queensland, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation says.
Topics: fishing-aquaculture, rural, pest-management, qld
A Big Country: Spanish peppers spice up life Audio
Audio
Posted
Richard Mohan loves Spain and Spanish food so it's not surprising he's growing peppers on his farm at Conondale on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Read more
Topics: food-and-cooking, agricultural-crops, vegetables, conondale-4552
ABC gardening guru Costa weighs in on urban street food controversy
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ABC gardening guru Costa Georgiadis offers to meet with Sunshine Coast Council over the Urban Food Street controversy.
Topics: food-safety, health, food-processing, rural, vegetables, agricultural-crops, fruits, fruit, community-development, buderim-4556
Gold Coast cane farmers to truck cane to NSW as 'disaster' season continues
Posted
Cane farmers north of the Gold Coast will send their cane to a New South Wales mill for crushing after a fire at the Rocky Point Sugar Mill.
Topics: agricultural-crops, sugar, surfers-paradise-4217
Mary Valley farmers fear mine dust could threaten crop
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Farmers in Queensland's Mary Valley fear the dust from a proposed manganese mine in the region could add to the toxicity of local soils.
Topics: mining-environmental-issues, environment, mining-rural, rural, vegetables, agricultural-crops, gympie-4570
Mary Valley growers count cost after wild storms lash region
Posted
Farmers in Queensland's Mary Valley report total crop losses after the region was battered by a series of violent storms.
Topics: storm-event, sustainable-and-alternative-farming, vegetables, fruits, fruit, gympie-4570, kandanga-4570
Queensland farmer grows popular Padrón pepper to cash in on tapas trend
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A Queensland farmer with a love of Spain brings his passion home by growing a type of Spanish pepper known as the Pimientos de Padrón.
Topics: vegetables, agricultural-crops, agricultural-marketing, agribusiness, conondale-4552
A Big Country: Solar composter makes meal of waste Audio
Audio
Posted
Queensland worm farmer Penny Mitchell believes she's designed the world's first commercially-produced solar powered compost machine. Read more
Topics: recycling-and-waste-management, rural, maroochydore-4558
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