“AUSTRALIANS need to brace for a future of higher prices for life’s essentials,” National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) President David Crombie warned today. “It’s an inevitable consequence of more mouths to feed and less food to go around. “Food scarcity is... more
As the world awaits the outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, the Australian beef industry is researching new ways to reduce methane emissions in cattle by 50 per cent by 2030. Speaking at a Beef CRC producer and stakeholder forum in Brisbane recently, Beef CRC CEO, Dr Heather Bur... more
Tasmanian farmers were warned today that their window of opportunity to develop additional agricultural land is quickly closing. Under a 2006 supplementary agreement to the Regional Forest Agreement between the Australian and Tasmanian Governments, broadscale land conversion has to end by 2015 b... more
FLUCTUATIONS recorded by the Westpac-NFF Commodity Index have highlighted why managing risk is an increasingly important part of farm business. In the last six months the index has shown global prices for wheat, barley and canola have decreased by 31.9%, 8.3% and 13.8% respectively. If left unadd... more
Armidale, Australia, August 10, 2009: The Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies (Beef CRC) is delighted to welcome Sarah Meibusch to its senior management team. Ms Meibusch has prime responsibility for commercialising Beef CRC’s research products. Rebuilding the trust t... more
Premier Bartlett’s State of the State address hits the mark The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) welcomed the Premier’s State of the State address today. The TFGA believes that the address demonstrates the Premier’s commitment to the agricultural sector in Tas... more
A Department of Agriculture and Food project is assisting Western Australia’s wine industry with ways to improve its reds by selecting better clones for yield, vine health, climatic suitability and wine quality. The department’s premium wine project manager Glynn Ward said current re... more
Primary producers throughout Australia can now take advance of the new FarmReady scheme to increase their skills and knowledge. With the challenges today's farmers face with climate change and the need to reduce carbon emissions it is a priority new farming techniques are learnt and implemented n... more
At a crucial time in Tasmania’s rural sector, the state’s peak farming organisation, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA), is calling for nominations for its commodity councils and committees. “If ever there was a time for Tasmanian farmers to step up to the ... more
Uncertainty about beef consumption in the wake of the global financial crisis is reason enough why producers should learn how to make the most from their production systems. Todd Andrews from the NSW Department of Primary Industries said the last 12 months have been extremely turbulent, adding... more
The newest member of the Beef CRC Board maintains reducing the cost of implementing new technology willhelp ensure research is adopted by end-users. Richard Rains, CEO, Sanger Australia has taken over from Professor Grant Sutherland, who stepped down from the Board after 3 years of service. Mr... more
The Western Australian Farmers Federation (Inc.) (WAFarmers) has expressed serious concerns at the passing of legislation to provide up-front tax breaks for carbon sinks, and applauded the actions of Nationals Senators Joyce, Nash, Boswell and Williams in crossing the floor in support of their ru... more
The WAFarmers WheatPool, managed by Emerald, has revised its Estimated Pool Return (EPR) in light of falling international grain prices and continued volatility in global financial and commodity markets. WAFarmers WheatPool 2008/09 APW wheat has been revised to $320/t FOB (plus Emerald Rewards... more
The Beef CRC has welcomed the launch of a new tool which helps beef producers predict the growth rates of their stock, months in advance. The BeefSpecs calculator predicts carcass weight and fat depth for groups of steers. It is designed to take the guesswork out of selecting and managing cattle... more
The Queensland beef industry has been introduced to a new tool which aims to further improve the consumer satisfaction of beef. Launched at Brahman week in Rockhampton, trial tenderness marker assisted Estimated Breeding Values (EBVm) should increase the rate of genetic gain in the area of beef ... more
The Queensland Farmers' Federation (QFF) has questioned the view that Emissions Trading through the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is the best and only way to reduce carbon emissions in the farming sector, and called on the Federal Government to consider more cost effective alt... more
Queensland rural industries are facing a major hit to their international competitiveness with the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme in 2010 with the Federal Government offering only minimal compensation, according to the Queensland Farmers’ Federation. QFF Chief Executive Offic... more
The Beef CRC has forged a new international agreement which aims to give Australian cattle producers significantly greater confidence in new genetic technologies. The collaboration brings together the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), The US National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consorti... more
Set to contain several new features designed by Western Australian growers, Emerald Group and WAFarmers will launch the highly anticipated WAFarmers WheatPool at the 2008 Dowerin Field Days. One of the features to be announced at the launch of the WAFarmers WheatPool, managed by leading independ... more
WAFarmers Grains Council believes that it is in the best interest of growers, at this stage, to vote against the proposed changes to the AWB LTD’s (AWB) Constitution at the AWB meeting on August 21, 2008. WAFarmers believes members need time to ascertain the real value of their A-Class (gro... more