Country Today

Let’s take a look at the latest agricultural commodity outlook from Bendigo Bank, Farmers in western Victoria call for a re-visit of the business case for a Western Grampians pipeline If US President Donald Trump refuses to exempt Australia from the 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, it's our regional areas that will be hit the hardest.  Australia is a world leader...

There's been an alarming increase in Q fever cases  in the Gippsland region. You’ll hear from a dairy  farmer who believes he contracted the disease from his cows.  The Australian timber industry says it has the timber harvested and processed ready for building new homes to ease the housing crisis. It just needs Government's to act. To the growing opposition to renewable...

  The National Farmers Federation appears before the 3G Shutdown Senate Inquiry with a barrow load of farmer complaints about lack of service The NSW Farmers Association calls for the wheat port code of conduct to be made mandatory. There’s been another outbreak of avian influenza, this time on a poultry farm at Euroa in north east Victoria. And what impact is Donald Trump's presidency...

To the Queensland flood and the impact on agriculture, particularly sugar and banana crops. Farmers should think twice about clearing native vegetation if they want high yielding crops. To the fire in the Little Desert National Park and the destruction of the iconic Little Desert Nature Lodge,  1976 by Ray Whimpey Reichalt, Dimboola farmer Stu Walker who says hopefully a big fire ev...

The Victorian Goldfields have now been included in Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List. You'll hear from a very excited Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. You might think US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze the 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico for 30 days as promising. But all it’s done is create more uncertainty in global grain markets. D...

South West Farmers are still being encouraged to apply for an On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants  of up to $5,000. You’ll hear how there is help available for filling out the applications. Inland wetlands are crucial for the survival of many bird species, some of which are critically endangered. There’s now a new pictorial guide to 52 species of wetland...

A survey of dairy farmers has revealed the majority of farmers are dissatisfied and are considering their options You’ll hear from the Fair work Ombudsman with a warning to farmers that fair work inspectors can arrive unannounced for an inspection to make they are meeting all their workers’ lawful entitlements.   If you consider yourself to be an innovative farmer, you’...

You’ll get an update on the fires in Victoria from the CFA State Control Centre including the latest outbreaks near Apollo Bay and the Otways. Pressure is mounting on Australian Wool Innovation after an independent report concluded that AWI’s current marketing efforts have little to no impact on the wool price. The report lead author Matt Dalgleish of Episode 3 and a response from AWI...

Australian Wool Innovation cops yet another caning, this time report on factors influencing wool prices commissioned by the grower organisation Wool Producers has concluded current marketing efforts have little to no impact on the wool price.  As the fires continue to burn throughout the Grampians, the lack of funding from both levels of government is becoming abundantly clear. You’ll h...

An update from the Bureau of Meteorology, as Country Today follows the widespread, high fire dangers across the state. To the Little Desert National Park fires, and the highest cost to farmers is replacing the exclusion fences bordering the park that keep wildlife and wild dogs off farms Asparagus growers are walking away from the sector, as the cost of production climbs and supermarkets demand lo...

On Country Today let’s get an update on the fires in Little Desert national park and the evacuation from homes in Dimboola which is on the border of the park First CFA. Luke Heagerty is at the CFA State Control Centre. Chan Uoy is Deputy Mayor of the Hindmarsh Shire, and has evacuated from his home in Dimboola and is at the Horsham relief centre. To the fire in the Grampians, and farmers are...

The Victorian Government has this week announced the appointment of the Regional Drought Coordinator for South West Victoria Agriculture Victoria is offering a free online business program for farmers.  Another case of the potentially fatal viral infection, Japanese Encephalitis has been detected, this time at Murray River town of Cobram in Northern Victorian.  NSW Farmers has welcomed a...

Livestock producers should be on the lookout for blue green algal blooms in troughs and dams, as it can kill animals.  Scientists and winemakers have teamed up to find an alternative use for wine grapes tainted by bushfire smoke, turning wine into brandy More conflict over the phasing out of live sheep exports. The lobby group Sheep Producers is highly sceptical about the Federal Government p...

The wool market is unlikely to ever fully recover from the halcyon days where it was the most profitable agricultural pursuit and Australia was once famous for the finest merino sheep in the world. Many of the major studs have been dispersed. So before it was too late, Victorian wool grower Chris Guthrie decided to write a book about the history of the most elite merino st...

Farmers looking at building new dams and the likes of pumps, bores, tanks and troughs need to take a fair bit into consideration. Teachers are calling for more to be done to attract graduate educators to rural and regional areas. A mineral sands mining project, 15 km east of Minyip in the Wimmera region is forcing farmers to relocate. Can we train tastebuds to change the response to foods in the u...

Agriculture Victoria is urging farmers who have been affected by the Grampians bushfires to seek support and use the resources available to them.  Meanwhile Farmers impacted by the Grampians fires are claiming there has been no follow up from the state government in providing financial support. So what would the opposition do if they were running the state? You’ll hear from Leader of th...

There have been two livestock disease outbreaks globally: first the new world screw worm in Mexico and Foot and Mouth Disease in Germany. So what does it mean for us? A likely return to record high beef prices according to analyst Simon Quilty the benefits of introducing probiotics into cattle feeding systems. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2024 is the warmest...

One of the major problems facing farmers hit by the Grampians Fires is the lack of feed for livestock. And it’s a problem that lasts for months to come.  The Echuca and District Livestock Exchange is moving from fortnightly cattle sales to weekly sales.   Mobile phone coverage has only got worse, not better, since the shutdown of the 3G network and the...

The Victorian Farmers Federation has a new president, Quambatook mixed farmer Brett Hosking who is committed to restoring member confidence in the organisation, after the tumultuous and divisive leadership of former president Emma Germano.  We’ll also hear from him about the aftermath of the Grampians fires burned more than 76,000 hectares.  Also Lynden Brewis from Willaura who tra...

In this final episode of Courty Today for 2024 There has been a  detection of tomato potato psyllid... in a glasshouse at a tomato production facility on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria. Tomato growers are being encouraged to monitor their crops closely. An annual scholarship encouraging the next generation of young leaders who want to pursue a career in rural industries, has opened for a...

Global beef supplies are tightening, with herds shrinking in major exporting countries. And it’s good news for Australian beef producers who might see demand grow in international markets.  Victoria’s dairy industry is raising serious concerns over proposed reforms merging Dairy Food Safety Victoria with other regulatory bodies. Battery cages for hens… they’re conside...

Global wheat stocks are at their lowest since 2012, with Russia, a key exporter, possibly facing a poor winter wheat season … if there's a further drop in production it could send prices soaring in 2025 The latest Australian Wool production Forecast has been released and has seen a 12 percent reduction in the shorn wool production forecast for 2024/25 The Australian wine industry is in a st...

How to create the ultimate genotypes in plants and livestock …  we’ll be joined by professor ben hays of the university of queensland Recent heavy rainfalls and high temperatures in the Southern Riverina have created tough conditions for harvest, with farmers left to assess the damage. Avonbank is the rare earths and minerals mining project, which has been given environmental app...

The Australian Dairy industry is in a very different position to last season, with a rise in domestic sales and stronger export conditions things are looking optimistic globally. The Victorian Farmers Federation have partnered with leading Australian farm safety software developer AirAgri, in an effort to reduce the over representation of farm related injuries and deaths. Australia's most comprehe...

Truck drivers keep the economy running, transporting $220 billion worth of commodities every year. But more than half are obese, and many suffer from psychological distress. So what about having purpose built exercise equipment installed at truck stops. You’ll get an update on the grain harvest across the eastern seaboard from GrainCorp Wool marketing and research organisation, Aus...