Rural
Sarina Locke
Sarina Locke is a National Rural Reporter for the ABC. Sarina was born into the land at Holbrook and grew up around cattle, sheep and horses. She's been with the ABC since 1991 as roving rural/environment reporter. The roving took her to Scotland and England with the BBC.
RSPCA demands phasing out of caged eggs in developing new poultry standards
Posted | Updated
The RSPCA threatens to walk out of developing new poultry standards unless the phasing out of caged eggs is considered.
Topics: livestock-welfare, poultry-and-egg-production, animal-welfare, sydney-2000, bundaberg-4670, murray-bridge-5253, toowoomba-4350, wollongong-2500, moss-vale-2577, albury-2640, melbourne-3000
Winter grain crop sets new record
Posted | Updated
Australia's winter grain harvest is now officially the nation's largest for every single mainland state, says forecaster ABARES.
Topics: agricultural-prices, grain, sydney-2000, port-pirie-5540, dubbo-2830, horsham-3400, bunbury-6230, forbes-2871
Leading global scientist fearing the growth of so-called 'anti-science'
Posted | Updated
A former UK chief scientist warns that in an era of 'anti-science', politicians are ignoring scientific evidence and making poor policy decisions.
Topics: climate-change, food-and-beverage, genetically-modified-food, greenhouse-gas, electricity-energy-and-utilities, agricultural-policy, sydney-2000, brisbane-4000, wagga-wagga-2650, wollongong-2500
Horticulture producers to get better system to resolve disputes with traders
Posted
Horticulture growers and traders will be able to employ an expert mediator in a new fast, efficient and flexible dispute resolution process.
Topics: agricultural-prices, fruit, vegetables, sydney-2000, launceston-7250, gawler-5118, margaret-river-6285, katherine-0850, orange-2800, bundaberg-4670, shepparton-3630
Crop insurance helps give farmers peace of mind
Posted
Farmers with multi-peril crop insurance claim it helps them sleep at night, not worrying about a third failed harvest.
Topics: agricultural-prices, agricultural-insurance, agricultural-policy, grain, sydney-2000, clare-5453, tallygaroopna-3634
The key uncertainties for Australia's beef industry in 2017
Posted | Updated
As a live cattle shipment sails to China, Australia navigates global uncertainties with Brexit, President Trump threatening partner Mexico with tariffs, and bigger US beef production.
Topics: agricultural-prices, beef-cattle, sydney-2000, rockhampton-4700, portland-3305
Vodafone and Telstra battle over regional spending
Posted
Vodafone says Telstra should stop getting subsidies for fixed line services.
Topics: telecommunications, internet-technology, mobile-phones, rural-tourism, sydney-2000, shepparton-3630, cairns-4870, molong-2866
Rural phone users protest suggestion landlines be replaced by NBN
Posted | Updated
People living in regional areas are not just worried about poor internet access, they are now worried they will lose their reliable landline phone following a Productivity Commission draft report.
Topics: wireless-communication, mobile-phones, regional-development, rural-media, sydney-2000, wollongong-2500, orange-2800, cairns-4870, port-augusta-5700
Grain ships heavily booked as they export a bumper grain crop
Posted | Updated
A record grain harvest is causing bottlenecks on the way to port terminals, where export ships are heavily booked for the next six months.
Topics: agricultural-prices, sea-transport, grain, sydney-2000
GrainCorp and Cargill Australia to sell Allied Mills joint venture
Posted
Grain companies GrainCorp and Cargill Australia hope to offload their ownership of Allied Mills, Australia's largest producer of flour and bakery pre-mixes, to a private equity firm.
Topics: grain, food-processing, sydney-2000
Backpacker employers to register with ATO or face penalties
Posted | Updated
Backpacker employers, like farmers and hospitality businesses, need to register with Australian Tax Office by tomorrow or risk penalties.
Topics: vegetables, fruit, tax, farm-labour, sydney-2000, young-2594, orange-2800, wollongong-2500, mareeba-4880
Multi-peril crop insurance industry pays out for floods and frosts
Posted | Updated
Multi-peril crop insurance companies are looking forward to governments offering subsidies for premiums, despite having a better year with fewer payouts.
Topics: agricultural-insurance, agricultural-crops, government-and-politics, federal---state-issues, horsham-3400, griffith-2680, forbes-2871, toowoomba-4350
Call for farmers not to bear full risk of a destroyed crops
Posted
An agribusiness consultant calls for new approach to crop insurance that involves the whole supply chain, not just the farmer.
Topics: agricultural-prices, insurance, agricultural-insurance, grain, sydney-2000, horsham-3400, geraldton-6530, narrabri-2390
Free-range edges out caged eggs in market
Posted
The proportion of caged egg sales in Australia is falling, a trend pushed by the popularity of free-range eggs.
Topics: agricultural-prices, poultry-and-egg-production, sydney-2000, wollongong-2500
Hungry plague locusts hatching in wet summer pose a risk to autumn crops
Posted
Plague locusts are building in intensity in border region of south west Queensland and north west New South Wales.
Topics: pest-management, agricultural-crops, grain, birdsville-4482, broken-hill-2880
Organic grain production rises but not enough to meet export demand
Posted
After severe shortages of organic grain in Australia for the past two years, there is now a surplus, with flour millers urging more growers to go organic.
Topics: agricultural-prices, food-processing, grain, gerringong-2534, toowoomba-4350, vic, qld
Fisherman for top restaurants calls for public to pay more for sustainably farmed fish
Posted
As Tasmanian environmentalists battle big salmon farm plans, a prominent fisherman says intensive aquaculture is unsustainable.
Topics: fishing-aquaculture, environmentally-sustainable-business, environment, environmental-impact, sydney-2000, hobart-7000
Australian aid workers in East Timor find inspiration to help the poorest farmers
Posted
An Australian agricultural aid worker helps East Timorese farmers double crop yields and find useful time saving devices.
Topics: crop-harvesting, international-aid-and-trade, sydney-2000, east-timor, lismore-2480
Chef Kylie Kwong on being an ambassador for Australian horticulture producers
Posted | Updated
Famous Sydney chef Kylie Kwong promotes Australia's fruit, vegetables and nuts as the finest in the world.
Topics: vegetables, food-and-beverage, sydney-2000, sale-3850, lockyer-4344
Horticulture wholesalers anxious to see new improved Code of Conduct
Posted
Horticulture wholesalers are anxious to see a new and improved Code of Conduct in 2017 that will be workable and fair.
Topics: agricultural-prices, fruit, vegetables, sydney-2000
Voluntary sow stall phase-out deadline approaches for last 20 per cent
Posted | Updated
Voluntary phase out of gestation stalls likely to become mandatory after 2017 to bring remaining 20 per cent of sows out.
Topics: pig-production, rural, food-processing, sydney-2000
Rebuilding agriculture after conflict
Posted | Updated
An aid project in Afghanistan helps enterprising women to multiply grain seeds for cropping, share vegetable seeds and breed better goats.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, women-in-agriculture, agricultural-crops, sydney-2000, syrian-arab-republic, afghanistan
Californian farmers welcome huge drought and water package
Posted
US President Obama has signs a bill delivering a $US558 million ($AU766m) relief package for drought-stricken farmers in California.
Topics: agricultural-prices, food-processing, vegetables, dairy-production, sydney-2000, united-states
With animal activists campaigning for the industry to phased out, caged egg farmers are speaking out
Posted | Updated
Egg farmers across the production spectrum are readying themselves for new welfare laws that will govern their industry.
Topics: poultry-and-egg-production, agricultural-policy, animal-welfare, melbourne-3000
Australian food exports to Asia needs investment in cold storage supply chain
Posted
Broken chain of supply in Asian countries means Australian food perishes en route, expert calls for more Australian investment in Asia.
Topics: beef-cattle, trade, vegetables, sydney-2000, indonesia, thailand, toowoomba-4350
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