Country Today

An update on how winter crops are coping with the lack of rain in the Wimmera with many grain growers choosing to resow ahead of forecast rain. Part of the Allan Labor Government's extension of drought assistance includes the formation of Drought Response Taskforce. Nationals member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, has been invited to join. The Victorian government may have put a freeze on the emer...

The Allan Labor Government's declaration of a state-wide drought means all Victorian farmers are now eligible for financial support, following the Autumn that never broke. You’ll hear from State Minister for Agriculture, Ros Spence, to find out what this new criteria actually looks like.  Dairy processors had until 2pm yesterday to announce their opening milk prices and farmers are agai...

The Victorian government has finally declared a state-wide drought, announcing an expansion of the drought package as well as a temporary freeze on the controversial Emergency Services Volunteers Fund levy. Victorian Farmers Federation President Brett Hosking. Then Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan goes through some of the details of who is eligible for what. We’ll take a look at how the droug...

Red meat producers, fasten your seatbelts, take a deep breath. Simon Quilty of Global AgriTrends is predicting record beef and lamb prices ahead. The Federal Coalition is back together, so what policy compromises were made? Nationals leader David Littleproud says his party supports the review of net zero emissions by twenty fifty, despite most major agricultural groups in Australia adopting a new...

Heavy export lambs hit $400 a head this week at sales in Ballarat. With supply dropping as winter approaches, could the prices go higher? Matt Dalgleish of Episode 3 thinks yes. He spoke to Libby Price.  The Victorian farmers federation has finally managed to score a meeting with Premier Jacinta Allan to talk about drought funding. farmers are taking the fight to government to reform drought...

It's been a huge three months in the meat processing sector, with lamb slaughter rates in particular up 12 per cent on last year. The National Farmers Federation has released a roadmap for reform, after what has been a rather tumultuous twelve months its struggle to retain, let alone attract new members. You'll hear from National Farmers Federation President, David Jochinke. Greater Hume Shire Cou...

To the devastating New South Wales. Tony Buttsworth is a dairy farmer from Moorland he hasn't slept or eaten for three days and fears it’s the end of farming for him. One of the dairy processors in NSW, EastAusMilk has confirmed the losses from the floods will put many dairy farmers out of business. Dairy processor, Fonterra is the first to announce its opening milk price for the season, an...

The highly influential USDA report, , estimates global wheat supplies will reach record highs this year.  Autumn is traditionally calving time and this year poses serious challenges due to an exceptionally dry autumn. To the Victorian Government's supposed ‘Billion-Dollar Better Roads Blitz’ package announced last week. When it comes to funding allocation there’s still...

Many farmers in drought stricken South West Victoria are having to change their management of livestock by either selling off early or feed lotting.  Still looking at alternative stock feeds, and what to consider when feeding by-product, that is food for people that’s currently going to waste. Artificial intelligence is starting to make its mark in agriculture with a new cutting-edge gr...

Is this a trial separation, or grounds for divorce? I’m talking about the Federal Nationals decision this week to withdrawn from a Coalition with the Liberals. Darren Chester is Nationals Member for Gippsland.  Farmers are still desperately waiting and hoping for autumn break in much of the Riverina and Victoria, and rain hopefully on its way, you’ll get some timely...

You’ll hear what leader of the Nationals in Victoria Danny O’Brien thinks about the Labor Governments latest state budget. To the decision by the Federal Nationals to dump its coalition agreement with the Liberals. Victorian Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie. The US dairy industry is booming with a significant wave of investment into expanding supply. The highly regarded Best Wool, Be...

Founder of Blaze Aid and Kilmore farmer Kevin Butler heads back to Melbourne for the second protest in a week against the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund rally. One of the rally’s organisers and regular contributor Andrew Weidemann has spent the last 72 hours putting pressure on the coalition to step up. He says it needs to start acting now, ahead of next year’s state election.&n...

The fallout from the passing of the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund legislation last week continues. Council's will have to collect the levies and already ratepayers are saying they'll refuse to pay. To the pre-State budget snippets the Victorian Government announced another year's funding for the National Centre for Farmer Health. And the Allan Government has announced what it says is a "BI...

Farmers are trying to come to terms with the Victorian Government’s Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund legislation The levy increase has been reduced from 189 per cent higher, to 150 percent but that’s done nothing to placate farmers who make up most of the CFA volunteers. In what is no coincidence, the Allan Government simultaneously announced a further $16million in drought assist...

The Victorian Government hasn't just infuriated farmers with its $2 billion emergency services levy. More and more councils are voicing their anger, not just at the cost, but the fact that councils will be burdened with the responsibility of collecting the tax. You’ll hear from the Ararat and the Benalla Rural City Councils. Farmers are shocked and disappointed as the controversial fire serv...

The podcast today focusses on two areas of mounting concern to farmers.. First the Victorian Government’s $2 billion emergency services levy which it pulled from the upper house at the 11th hour. Is this the last of it? Hundreds of farmers have taken to the streets in protest at the levy. for many of them it’s the first time in their lives they’ve protested. As the drought deepen...

Big news today is that the Victorian Opposition has been informed by the State Government that the controversial fire services levy has been pulled from the parliament.  The response has been rapid. Many regional councils have been very vocal about their opposition to the Emergency services Levy. To the Federal Government's cabinet reshuffle, former Agriculture minister Murray Watt is ta...

Carol Mudford is a registered nurse, shearer and wool handler who founded sHedway, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting positive mental health in shearing sheds across the country. In agriculture we often hear the term “sustainable” but what does that really mean. A lack of a standard definition has led to widespread scepticism of the term.   Record yardings o...

The National Centre for Farmer Health’s yet again having to go cap in hand to the state government to plea for ongoing funding. In North East Victoria, and winegrowers are pleased with this year's vintage after experiencing one of their best growing seasons of recent years.  Also a world leader in Cattle and reducing  methane University of California, Davis air quality special...

With below average rain this year for most of Victoria, some regions are dealing with severe rainfall deficiencies. The result is more beef cattle producers are making the tough decision to sell cattle earlier than planned. Dairy farmers are struggling to break even due to huge input cost increases and the spread of the drought. The leader of the Greens might have lost his seat of Melbourne this f...

Australia’s wine exports to China are back on track following the lifting of China’s tariffs but our exports to other countries are at the lowest level in more than twenty years. You’ll hear all about the FutureAg Expo coming to Melbourne showgrounds this August. We’ll head to the Wimmera, where farmers are well and truly into their winter sowing, but there are some problem...

The past decade has seen the national median price for Australian farmland triple. But has the rural property bubble burst. Many grain growers are having to take alternative routes due the poor condition of the roads and it’s costing both time and money.   With the landslide win by the Albanese Government, what was promised to rural and regional voters? When or if there is a serious dis...

To the federal election, and it wasn’t just Opposition Leader Peter Dutton who lost his seat. The Liberal/National Coalition lost 23 seats, to hold just 35 seats compared with Labor’s 82, you’ll hear from political scientist Professor Andrea Carson The focus is now shifting to what went wrong, and who will be the next leader. Having scraped back into the south west Victorian...

The European Union's controversial Deforestation Regulations will come into effect at the end of this year, which means Australian exporters are working to a tight deadline to ensure they can comply. A Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry draft document has been leaked and it highlights its funding allocation for Western Australia’s sheep and wool sectors impacted by the...

Mice numbers are on the rise and while they often populate as the months get cooler, given the long-dry summer in the Wimmera, it’s highly unusual to be seeing so many. CSIRO Mouse management specialist Steve Henry joins us.  Ongoing dry conditions in Victoria's South West and North East have led to the Fire Danger Period being extended in a handful shire's. There certainly has been res...