Country Today

A year ago, we spoke to Willaura mixed farmer Andrew Byron about livestock water shortages that could have been solved if the Victorian and Federal Governments had delivered on the promise to complete the East Grampians Pipeline. Today, the situation is even worse. To the North East of Victoria now, and concerns have been raised after recent fire fighting efforts drained dams. Nationals membe...

To the summer bushfires and the State Opposition is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the fires, including why there was an apparent lack of aircraft firefighters. You'll hear from CFA strike team leader, John Crozier Bulla Dairy Foods will expand its production  in Colac with the opening of its new Hearn Street Factory. One of Australia's largest meat processors has ado...

The annual Weekly Times Farmer of the Year Awards will be announced at the next week. One of the finalists is regenerative farmer Lachie Barclay. As we’ve discussed on Country Today in our recent bushfire coverage, there can be lingering impacts on surviving livestock including loss of disease immunity. So how do farmers manage their animals post fires? Rabbit numbers are surging in Australi...

Livestock producers are facing water shortages as the extended dry period lasts into February and often is the hottest month of the year. Some have already started carting water. You’ll hear from VFF livestock group president, Scott Young. The high country mountain cattle sales are iconic amongst the various weaner sales held ever summer. But it could be the end of an era with the historic E...

We continue our extensive coverage of the bushfires. Matthew Plunkett farms at Longford in Victoria’s north east. He estimates he’s at least 8 000 sheep many of which had to euthanized. A convoy 54 trucks laden with hay made it from South West Victoria to the fire zone around yea in the north east with desperately needed livestock feed. Australian cattle slaughter has soared to the thi...

Bushfires are still burning out of control in Victoria’s north east. The area stretches from the Tallangatta Valley to Cudgewa in the east and as far south as Tom Groggin Station. You’ll hear from Mayor of the Towong Shire, Peter Tolsher. With water being our most precious resource, how do we maximise each megalitre of water for both agricultural production and nature conservation? Wha...

First up Dairy Farmers Victoria President Mark Billing farms at Gellibrand, right in the thick of the Otway fires. He's evacuated some of his stud cattle to a safer location. Federal Nationals MP Colin Boyce. He's confirmed a leadership spill trying to roll David Littleproud so the Coalition can be reformed. Farmers in New South Wales are being hit with massive land tax bills after diversifying in...

We'll head to Colac in south west Victoria, caught in the midst of raging bushfires. People who have evacuated have headed to the Colac Showgrounds which is being used as the emergency relief centre. You’ll hear from Colac Shire Mayor, Jason Schram. Also Gellibrand farmer Chris Smith has chosen to stay and defend his properties. And livestock agent Peter McConachy who has been coordinating a...

These scorching temperatures are putting us all on edge as fires still rage in parts of Victoria. So what sort of government assistance is available for farmers hit by bushfires?  You’ll also hear from VFF president Brett Hosking. It’s currently estimated 38 thousand head of livestock have perished and there are fears that number will only climb. To federal politics, and&nbsp...

The Australian cattle industry is on alert, as Lumpy Skin Disease has been detected in Bali, Indonesia. While Australia is currently free of the disease, if it were to reach us it would cost the cattle industry billions of dollars.  Today marks two weeks since a devastating grass fire swept through Skipton, Streatham, and Carranballac in western Victoria, destroying homes and livestock. You&r...

The Nationals have once again split from the Coalition. Following Federal Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley’s acceptance of the resignations of three senators who opposed the shadow cabinet’s position on the hate speech laws. Today, Brazil's beef market has been given greater access into China through an exemption the rest of the world is yet to be granted. So is Australia really being t...

Country Today is travelling around Victoria to speak with farmers who have just completed harvest. And for many, they've had surprisingly strong results. This afternoon we're in the North East with Rutherglen farmer Andrew Russell. Blaze Aid volunteers are hard at work assisting with bushfire recovery across regional Victoria. Joining us from a base at the Goomalibee Fire Station, near Benalla in...

Now to our series of profile interviews we've been running on Country Today. Su McCluskey shares lessons learned from her former role as Special Representative for Australian Agriculture and her passion as the new chair of the Crawford Fund For Food Security.  Friday’s store sheep sale at Deniliquin was the smallest January sale on record, with scanned-in-lamb crossbred ewes topping the...

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan joins us on Country Today to discuss the 2024-25 CFA annual report which will be tabled and made publicly available on Tuesday, providing transparency over funding allocation for all Victorians.  Australia’s dairy cows are staying longer in the herd and genetics research is enabling longer and more productive lives. The Federal Government is building on...

Mounting scrutiny is on the Victorian government over its failure to release the CFA's 2024-25 annual report, despite the Auditor-General signing off on its part in November of last year. Country Today went to a Best Wool/Best Lamb forum at Baddaginnie in North East Victoria. Sheep consultant Chris Mirams says the record lamb prices and revival of wool prices has been a great confidence boost to s...

Water allocation prices across the Murray-Darling Basin have increased by $50 per megalitre in just one week.  It was a grim start to 2026 for the Australian beef industry with China announcing quotas and tariffs of up to 55 per cent on all beef imports. So what does it mean for Australia? 2025 was an exceptionally dry year in what is considered a high rainfall zone of north east Victoria. It...

To the Western District, where around 20,000 hectares of prime cropping country has been destroyed by the ferocious fire which travelled between Streatham and Skipton, you’ll hear from one of the first CFA volunteers at the scene. The current bushfire emergency in Victoria has sparked the conversation about the condition of Victoria’s firefighting vehicles, and many are calling on furt...

A 1400 acre merino stud farm, commonly known as Fowles winery just outside Avenel in central Victoria, has been burnt to the ground by the Longwood Bushfire. Today, Matt Fowles, who has lost his home, one thousand sheep and 100 per cent of his crops, has to help his young daughters make sense of the unimaginable reality of losing everything you own.  And Meat and Livestock Australia has relea...

To the devastating bushfires sweeping across Victoria and Southern New South Wales. First we’ll hear from Victorian Farmers Federation President, Brett Hosking. He’ll provide an update on the biggest challenges farmers are facing, he says a coordinated community and fodder support efforts are underway to get help to those who need it most. We'll head to North East Victoria, where fodde...

Australia’s wool clip for the year has been revised down again by nearly 13 per cent.  Record beef production and strong exports are anticipated yet again as we head into the new year. A Deniliquin businessman has taken it upon himself to closely study the Murray Darling Basin Plan and calculates it will continue to cost taxpayers $2 billion a year for the foreseeable future. At the las...

The spring flush of lambs hitting the market might have been delayed, but it's now well and truly underway. Farmer confidence in Victoria is at a four year high. In fact, Victoria was the only state to buck the national, with farmers in all other states reporting a decline in confidence. Dairy processors offer incentives to farmers to produce milk outside of the peak spring season, to maintain a c...

To the dairy industry, and global milk production has increased at the fastest rate in nearly a decade. So, will that mean a fall in Australian milk prices for dairy farmers. There are now hybrid and electric utes available in Australia, but do they have the guts to be much use to farmers. Farm theft  increase by around 40 per cent over the Christmas holiday period, with January traditionally...

Australia’s live cattle export trade has to face up to the ticking time bomb … that there is a small and ageing fleet of vessels to ship the cattle overseas and something’s got to give. After more than two years of drought, some farmers in Victoria’s South West have more pasture than they know what to do with. To troubles on our waterfront, and the organisation GrainGrower...

We will preview the annual premier weaner calf sales are only weeks away and buyers and sellers are contemplating what prices might do. Year 12 students received their ATAR results last week and will be contemplating their future. For many regional students, tertiary study will seem financially out of reach. Bendigo Bank has a scholarship program with more more than 70 Community Bank. A new drough...

While the current grain harvest in this south east corner of the country is delivering mixed results due to a dry spring, in Western Australia farmers are harvesting a bumper crop. Global wheat supply is on the rise, which doesn’t auger well for wheat prices this harvest.  The almond plantation industry has seen massive growth in the past three decades to now put Australia as one of the...