Country Today

With farmers gearing up for the new sowing season, there’s a crisis not of their making. It is of course, the oil crisis. Should the Federal Government step in and prioritise and ration fuel? You’ll also hear from the Genetics Australia conference held this week in Geelong. What's happening with genetics in the United States with Dr. Kent Andersen, Director of Global Beef Genetics Zoet...

You’ll hear from the new federal deputy leader of The Nationals. Darren Chester has also been given the portfolio of Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.  As many farmers are discovering, it's nigh on impossible to find urea fertilizer. Travis Hair of Crop Opti services in Horsham is clean out. We’ll take you to the Genetics Australia conference in Geelong wher...

You’ll get an update on the impact the global shipping and fuel crisis due to the war in the Middle East, and what it’s doing to our red meat exports. The sustainable Food and farming festival, ‘GROUNDED 2026’, is being held in Victoria next month, you’ll hear from Matthew Evans, Grounded Festival founder. Indonesia has singed a new wheat trade deal, but not with Aust...

The ongoing fuel crisis, driven by conflict in Middle East, highlights a vulnerability strategic policy analyst and farmer Andrew Henderson has warned us about for years. You’ll also hear form VFF Grains President Ryan Milgate on the scramble for fuel and fertiliser coming into the crop sowing season. Beef producers get strapped in for the ride as the beef engine room shifts south from north...

Today NAB Chief economist Sally Auld with her perspective on the fuel shortage, inflation and if the reserve bank will increase interest rates next week. Australia’s beef exports to China could reach the import quota by the middle of the year. The weekly wool report and the EMI rose again. The Boonaroo Angus stud based at Casterton in the Western District has this week paid $120k for a bull....

Just when the Victorian Farmers Federation was starting to really kick some goals after it was haemorrhaging membership. President Brett Hosking announces he's hanging up his hat. Victorian dairy farmers pleading with the state government plans to not merge commodity focused food safety bodies and dairy food safety Victoria as is. The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal is holding drought re...

In his own words. Nationals leader David Littleproud gave up the leadership because, he’s buggered. He’s been replaced by conservative Queensland Senator Matt Canavan. The war in the Middle East has created a global shipping crisis not seen since the covid pandemic.  The National Farmers Federation had a seat at the fuel supply emergency ministerial roundtable held by the Federal...

The war in the Middle East may only be a week or so old, but the economic reverberations are being felt across the world. You'll hear from Independent Australian economist Saul Eslake. You’ll also hear from Australia’s chief vet with an update on Lumpy Skin Disease which is now just a hop, skip and a jump away from Australia. And nine councils in the Wimmera/Mallee form a coalition to...

As we reported on Country Today yesterday, the Victorian Government went ahead and pushed through legislation that allows energy companies to compulsorily acquire land for transmission lines before an environment assessment has been done. So will the energy companies start buying up land before the State election in November? It’s the season for summer weeds If you’re planning your spr...

The battle between farmers and energy companies seeking land access to build transmission lines has taken a sudden turn for the worse. The State Labor Government has introduced legislation that will allow energy companies to compulsory acquire private land without having to do environment assessments. Livestock losses from wild dog attacks are surging across north east Victoria and farmers are bla...

To the annual mountain weaner cattle sales. Benambra sale saw strong demand for Herefords with the top steer going for $2500. The mood was also buoyant at Omeo after solid rain across Southern Australia driving prices for some steers over $6.00 a kilo. With what looks like an early autumn break, farmers will be deciding what they'll sow this year, and what they're willing to spend on fertilizers....

We’ll take a look at how the conflict with Iran spreading through the Middle East is impacting our red meat exports, with cancelletion of shipping and air freight. Farmers in the Mallee are well and truly calling this latest rain as an early autumn break. The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists is calling on Government to provide farmers with incentives for restoration and conservation o...

Whenever there is a conflict in the Middle East, oil prices go up,. So too do fertilizer prices. You’ll hear from analyst Andrew Whitelaw. Rain glorious rain. Widespread and continuing rain across Victoria and the Riverina have led to flash flood warnings, from the Mallee in the north west, to north east Victoria. So is this the autumn break? As much as we love all this rain, it's not good n...

Australia’s milk production continues to fall as the milking herd decreases, but it’s not all bad news. ANZ Head of Agribusiness, Mark Bennett. Rural property sales fell to a record low in the past 12 months, but values reached a new peak. We’ll take a look at native positive farming, the focus on the annual Wilmot Field Day in the Northern Rivers of NSW next week. Dair...

Australian farmers can give themselves a good pat on the back, with production nearly doubling in the past 20 years. You’ll hear from the head of ABARES, Dr. Jared Greenville. We’re always referring to Australian farmers as resilient. But is its overuse placing unfair pressure on individual farmers and discouraging governments from giving help when it’s needed most. An update on...

The Murray Darling Basin Authority has copped a fair bit of flack about its recently released Basin Plan review from irrigators who claim the review discussion paper doesn’t talk enough about agriculture Chief executive of the Basin Authority Andrew McConville. To our seasonal climate update, and its farewell to La Nina, with El Nino now knocking on the door. Measuring your farm’s carb...

Today, Mudgegonga beef producer Judy Brewer on the welcome rain in the driest season she can remember, but also with a few words of advice from her late husband, former Nationals Leader Tim Fischer about One Nation not being the party for rural voters. Also today Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Michael Crowley on Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs which won’t hit bee...

While the forecast heavy rain yesterday didn't eventuate for most farmers, there aren't too many complaints. Rain at this time of year usually just brings with it summer weeds and false breaks in pasture. You’ll also hear what the rain means for grain growers, having had their first taste of relief for some time in the Wimmera. There's been an increase in the opportunistic buying of merino l...

Dairy farmers in Victoria will soon have one membership organisation again with the United Dairy Farmers of Victoria and Dairy Farmers Victoria agreeing to kiss and make up. The CSIRO is researching the use of artificial intelligence in an abattoir to see if it can accurately monitor animal stress levels. A global perspective on the wheat market with analyst, Ron Storey. Last month's fires in Vict...

Country Today is at the EvokeAg conference at the Melbourne Convention centre.  It’s all about innovation. Victoria’s Agriculture Minister Ros Spence addressed the conference and announced she has approved the first virtual fencing product, it’s called Halter and it’s been trialled at the State Government Ellinbank centre. Brad Fruth is a keynote speaker here and the D...

To our ongoing coverage of the dire state of Australia’s bulk red wine industry, where global oversupply has left wine grape growers with no buyers for their grapes. We’re increasingly seeing growers face a wall of rejections for financial assistance. All eyes are on whether EU President Ursula von der Leyen has booked a flight to Australia to sign the free tra...

A NSW cropping family has won the prestigious Weekly Times Farmer of the Year Award. After starting out in cotton in the Riverina, the Eather's of Bellevue Pastoral now run a sophisticated system farming properties up to eight hours apart, to 'weather-proofed' the business. You’ll also hear from the the Horticulture winners: the Tripod Farmers Group of Bacchus Marsh who are redefining sustai...

Let’s return to the bushfire recovery efforts and today we go to Natimuk which was hit by a grassfire in early January. Volunteers are now looking for more work. And then to the Dairy industry conference in Melbourne. You’ll hear how it’s uniquely positioned to bank on its sustainability credentials due to the fact it tracks more metrics than any other agricultural sector. And an...

Two keynote speakers at the Australian Agriculture and Resource Economics Society Conference underway in Adelaide today. Dr Ken Henry is one of Australia’s leading economists who, amongst numerous influential roles, was Secretary of the Department of Treasury under Prime Ministers John Howard the Kevin Rudd. He has since switched his focus to the environment. We’ll talk about where he...

As Australia and the European Union enter the final stages of free trade agreement negotiations, our agricultural industries are warning the government not to lock farmers into a second-class deal. Later we'll hear from the dairy industry, which says it's a hard no to a deal. First our red meat industry. At least 300 properties between Longwood and Alexandra have now registered with BlazeAid, mark...