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    Hospital staff assist people waiting in line to be screened for COVID-19 outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital on March 11, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Seven coronavirus screening clinics are now open in Victoria to help avoid the further spread of COVID-19. 18 people in Victoria have now been diagnosed with the virus, with the Australian total of confirmed cases now at 100.

    Queensland industries fear migration cut will worsen worker shortage

    Slashing migration numbers risks compounding stretched workforces, Queensland industries warn.

    • James Hall

    Yesterday

    Elders CEO Mark Allison has plenty to smile over.

    Elders chair overrules shareholders

    When 63.6 per cent of shareholders indicate they don’t want to grant a CEO some 180,000 free shares, most chairmen would listen. Not Ian Wilton.

    • Myriam Robin
    Farmers sold off livestock in a rush on the BOM forecast of an El Nino event.

    Elders plunges to worst result in 10 years on wayward BOM forecast

    Farmers sold livestock and cut orders for farm chemicals based on the weather bureau’s prediction of an El Nino hot and dry period, which did not eventuate.

    • Simon Evans
    Robert Costa is the chairman and co-owner of goFARM

    Costa family-backed GO.FARM seeks $300m for new agricultural fund

    Stressed assets – either from receivership or family dynamics – is where the firm has harvested nearly a third of its 100-plus deals since its founding in 2013.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

    This Month

    Fonterra is the dairy giant behind Western Star butter and Mainland cheese.

    Fonterra puts its Australian dairy assets up for sale

    The New Zealand-based co-operative is behind household brands such as Western Star butter and Mainland cheese and has eight local manufacturing sites.

    • Updated
    • Brad Thompson
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    GrainCorp boss Robert Spurway will be hoping to see canola crops like this come Spring in Australia.

    Biofuels battle: GrainCorp puts $500m-plus price tag on oilseed plant

    Robert Spurway says market was underestimating the cost of building a major expansion, and the potential returns amid growing demand for biofuels.

    • Brad Thompson
    A farmer in Gunnedah. The cotton industry is made up of major businesses and smaller, family-run operations.

    ACCC intervenes in bidding war over Namoi Cotton

    The regulator’s intervention pushed shares down eight per cent at the start of trade on Thursday. It has fielded offers from France’s Louis Dreyfus and Olam.

    • Kylar Loussikian
    The charity plans to convert Dixieland, located in the Snowy Monaro region some 2.5 hours from Canberra, from grazing land to a biodiversity corridor.

    Conscious IM bankrolls agricultural acquisition for carbon credits

    Under the deal, Conscious has chipped in 100 per cent of the acquisition price as debt for Greening Australia to sole ownership of the property dubbed Dixieland.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    Betting on wagyu sales: AACo CEO David Harris.

    Beef giant’s earnings dip but CEO says there’s ‘strong demand’

    The beef giant saw a drop in profits as rivals pushed more meat onto the market and costs rose.

    • Updated
    • Liam Walsh
    Incitec Pivot hired a former BHP coal and copper executive, Mauro Neves de Moraes, as its new chief executive late last year.

    Incitec advisers work through final checklist for $1b fertiliser deal

    The army of lawyers and bankers around Incitec Pivot’s $1 billion-plus fertiliser deal are feeling good. 

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    Louis Dreyfus has lifted its taekover offer for Namoi Cotton to 67¢ a share.

    Louis Dreyfus fires back at Olam in takeover battle for Namoi Cotton

    The French agribusiness has struck another blow in the battle with its Singaporean competitor for control of Namoi Cotton.

    • Brad Thompson
    Craig Garvin was “terminated” from the role of CEO of Australian Vintage, owner of McGuigan, Tempus Two and Nepenthe, late on May 3. He is considering his legal options.

    AusVintage turmoil may strengthen Accolade’s hand: Allan Gray

    The boss of Allan Gray, with a 17pc stake in Australian Vintage, is concerned larger player Accolade Wines may seize on management upheaval to drive a harder bargain.

    • Simon Evans
    GrainCorp boss Robert Spurway.

    GrainCorp profit downgrade casts doubt over earnings target

    GrainCorp boss Robert Spurway is expected to face a grilling over the company’s through-the-cycle guidance after a downgrade to 2023-24 earnings.

    • Brad Thompson
    Craig Garvin’s role as CEO of McGuigan owner Australian Vintage has been terminated by the board.

    McGuigan owner Australian Vintage dumps CEO over ‘conduct’ issues

    The ousted CEO of Australian Vintage, Craig Garvin, is ‘considering legal options’, while the chairman says his exit won’t have an impact on merger talks with Accolade.

    • Updated
    • Simon Evans
    The fresh Olam bid values Namoi at almost $145 million.

    Takeover battle for Namoi Cotton heats up with fresh bid

    Singapore-based group Olam has moved to trump Louis Dreyfus’ latest takeover offer for the Australian business.

    • Brad Thompson
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    The Australian government is eyeing new international markets for processed sheep meat.

    Australia eyes UK, India for sheep meat trade ahead of live export ban

    China, the United Kingdom and India are among countries the Australian government hopes will buy more processed sheep meat after it bans live export.

    • Tom Rabe

    April

    Namoi cotton says growers are on 
 track for another  good season based on above average rain over summer and dam levels.

    Louis Dreyfus hits back in bidding war for Namoi Cotton

    The French agribusiness giant has trumped a takeover from Olam in the latest twist in the battle for Namoi Cotton.

    • Brad Thompson
    Namoi Cotton had been undergoing a “strategic review”.

    Louis Dreyfus confirms higher bid at Namoi Cotton

    The French commodities giant has confirmed it intends to make a 60¢-a-share bid for Namoi Cotton, after Street Talk reported it had beefed up it advisory lineup.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    Sequoia Lewien holds a mycorrhizal fungi extracted from soils in the east Otway region of Victoria.

    Why Mike Cannon-Brookes invested in this mushroom

    A tree-planting boom is required to get the world to net-zero, and the billionaire is betting mushrooms and fungi will be a crucial enabler

    • Peter Ker and Lap Phan
    Twelve massive super growers, some backed by foreign capital, account for half of the $9.1 billion in fruit and vegetables sold each year.

    Super growers take on Woolies, Coles with private equity cash

    Giant pension funds from Canada, Singapore and US private equity are behind super producers who account for half the $9.1 billion fruit and vegetable market. Bigger is better, and Australia is mirroring a global trend.

    • Simon Evans and Carrie LaFrenz