Country Today

Country Today has been at LambEx in Adelaide. Young farmer, Katherine Bain, went back to the family farm and one of the first things she did was buy the neighbouring property. We'll will discuss if sheep producers will be tempted back to merinos to profit from two income streams now that wool prices are back on the rise. Also today, updates on the cropping season following substantial rain and mor...

In what is claimed to be the largest ever sheep conference in the world. Lambex in Adelaide this week. And half the delegates are sheep, lamb and wool producers. It’s all about challenging mindsets and looking to the future of these industries that are currently enjoying the good times. Today increasing merino breeding profits by attention to data details with Mumblebone stud sixth generatio...

A new take on crop insurance. An Australian seed wholesaler is offering a payout to grain growers using their cereal and canola seed if they don’t get enough rain during crop establishment.  Victoria currently has approximately 30 major data centre projects in the pipeline across the development, construction, and commissioning phases. Driven by the need for abundant land and power, mas...

Coming up an update on how agricultural commodities are faring with Rabobank’s latest commodity outlook. Sheep farmers could soon be able to estimate their flock’s liveweight and fleece weight using a 3D sensor system being developed by the CSIRO.     The latest seasonal climate outlook is for a drier and warmer spring.   The Victorian Government has merged the vari...

New federal environment laws are confusing to navigate, and will make it harder for farmers to manage their own land.   The Murray Darling Basin Authority has dumped 14 environment projects. So where will the extra 355 gls come from?   Water traders beware: market manipulation and insider trading in Murray-Darling Basin water markets is now illegal with potential fines in the millioins o...

There have been some pretty impressive rainfall recordings in the past few days. Most cropping zones had 10 to 25 mills and some double that. You’ll hear from farmers in the Wimmera and the Victorian/NSW border, which has also had great rain. You might have noticed the price of urea has fallen after the first shipment under the Federal Government’s policy to underwrite the inflated cos...

Victoria is introducing new rules for how renewable energy and large-scale battery projects access the grid The Ararat Export Meatworks has installed a bioenergy system to convert organic waste into energy and reduce carbon emissions.  Farmers are encouraged to consider the Victorian Trees on Farms Program (VToF), which provides grants to rural Now is the time for farmers to check their water...

The largely unpublished works of a man considered one of the great pioneers in wool science in Australia have been shipped from England back to Victoria: A treasure trove of work that was foundational to the modern understanding of wool. This unseasonably warm, wet weather has led to outbreaks of blackleg fungal disease in canola crops. Council Watch argues that Victoria's 79 local counc...

In this edition, we’ll answer a lot of questions and misconceptions about the new regulations regarding the use of the herbicide paraquat. Farmers should be preparing now for what could be a tough and earlier fire season.  The Australian Veterinary Association says it doesn’t have enough vets in regional areas to deal with the potential outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influen...

Lamb and mutton prices are at record highs, with sheep selling last week at Wagga Wagga for 1000 cents a kg. You'll hear from Elders Wagga Agent, Rob Inglis.   It’s estimated the feral deer population in Victoria is around a million and growing. Yet in Victoria, they are a protected species under the Wildlife Act of 1975.    And what should be a farmer's best friend, the humbl...

Sheep producers have long been dealing with worms that are increasingly resistant to drenches. It’s now a big problem in cattle.   Beef cattle prices have returned to the record highs of 5 years ago. That’s despite our beef exports to China hitting the trigger point so that tariffs of 55 per cent now apply. So what’s driving demand. You'll hear from Simon Quil...

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has released the “What We Heard” report, which will influence what Governments do next with the basin plan. The take-home message from the report was people want the basin plan to work better. You’ll hear from  CEO of National Irrigators Council, Zara Lowien. Cuts to water allocations in the Murray Irrigation system has meant some farmers h...

How prepared is Australia for the highly virulent strain of bird flu, H5N1 that’s been confirmed in WA? You’ll hear from Victoria’s Chief Vet Graeme Cooke. A Victorian egg producer has been fined nearly $40k for selling eggs falsely claiming to be free range.    It’s less than 12 months since the Victorian Government approved the use of virtual fencing i...

We’ll talk about the discovery of the highly infectious H5N1 avian flu in WA with egg producer Brian Ahmed who says it’s when, not if, we get infections in our poultry flocks. Wouldn’t it be great to get a bird's-eye view of how your crops are faring. Well, you can, though satellite imaging and Victoria’s crops are going gangbusters.. Farmers reliant on bees for spring poll...

Farmers for Climate Action has commissioned a report looking at the best alternatives for fossil fuels for farmers and has concluded electrification of farm equipment is the most cost-effective solution   The Federal Treasurer bows to pressure and expands capital gains tax concessions so they’re much better for farmers than they were before the budget announcement.  ...

It’s the weather phenomenon farmers fear most … El Nino, officially declared this week by the Bureau of Meteorology.  Winter can be a challenging time for sheep producers, with worms and scours posing a significant risk to weaners and lambing ewes Renewable energy developers have been banned from forcing farmers to sign non-disclosure agreement  The successful...

The building of 70 km exclusion fence bordering the Big Desert National Park in north west Victoria hasn't succeeded in keeping the wild dogs at bay.    With a disappointing opening milk price for farmers, there is some hope for increased demand as global milk production slows.     There's a changing world for agricultural employment due largely to the technology revolutio...

Recent widespread rain has driven substantial increases in sheep and cattle prices are farmers look to restock. But will El Nino put the handbrake on rain.   Australia's science research is largely reliant on Federal Government Cooperative Research Centres, and there's now a push to create a Regenerative Regions CRC.   It's no secret there's a shortage of vets in regional areas.. Dr...

Farmers impacted by this year’s January bushfires are encouraged to check what support they may be eligible for to help with recovery.  Regional road users across Victoria are being asked by the RACV to nominate the most dangerous roads for the My Country Road Survey.   Grain growers have historically been locked out of the regulated carbon market. New trial results from Victo...

To the controversy about the chemical herbicide paraquat. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority is due to announce if the highly toxic weed killer will be banned. Neurologists argue that exposure to paraquat is linked to Parkinson's disease.    Damaging hailstorms that can destroy entire crops are likely to increase in south east Australia due to climate change. Whi...

The start to the new milk season hasn't been as dairy farmers had hoped.. So what's holding prices back? Australia's red meat exports to the Middle East have begun to rebound, despite the war with Iran.  the Federal Government has announced it has secured another 31,000 tonnes of fertiliser, and another 50 million litres of diesel. So how significant is that? To the expansion of ren...

To the King's Birthday Honours and Lucinda Corrigan has been named a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition for her significant contributions to Australia’s meat and livestock industry, sustainability and climate action. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is calling for a strong code of conduct for the horticulture industry, NSW is joining national requirements...

This lovely recent rain has already boosted cattle prices, with weaner steers making up to 8500 cents a kg at the Euroa sale earlier this week. But Elders analyst Richard Koch thinks these prices are overcooked.   A study into dingo DNA has found Australian dingoes do typically carry at least a small amount of domestic dog genetics.  The wool market continued its upward trend Grains Rese...

Following a record year ABARES is forecasting the value of agricultural production to fall by 5% to $98.3 billion.    Bulla Dairy Foods has announced its opening farmgate milk price for the 2026–2027 season at $9.15 - $9.95 kg/milk solids, which is higher than most processor prices.     There’s been widespread and very welcome rain over the past week, with...

Today we revisit the global fuel and fertilizer situation with specialist international supply chain management, David Leaney. And a resolution to the War with Iran is no closer, so we’d better get used to increasing input costs. Dairy farmers are disappointed by opening milk prices, but industry leaders say processors are struggling too.  Gippsland farmers are fighting plans from three...