Under Pressure: New South Wales Threatens to Quit Murray Darling Plan
The New South Wales Government is threatening to pull out of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, saying it will control water management alone if a list of demands are not met. Among the demands, New South Wales’ Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey has requested that the state be excused from contributing any more […]
Trouble in the Fields: US Agricultural Profitability a Sign of the Trump Times
In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the US government is rallying to protect the support of farmers and farming states in the wake of the economic destruction born from Trump’s volatile approach to foreign policy. The world’s largest exporter of agricultural products is in trouble. Amid falling commodity prices and a number […]
Cough Up: Coles Agrees to Honour Pledge to Australian Dairy Farmers after ACCC Flexes Muscle
Australian supermarket giant Coles has agreed to pay dairy cooperative Norco $5.2 million amid the threat of legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The payment comes after the ACCC launched an investigation after it was alleged that the retailer had failed to pass on the levies that it announced in March […]
Gin Demand is ‘Just Bonkers’: Farmers Seek Sustainability as Distillers
While the search for sustainability has lead many farmers to consider new and unique enterprises, the development of a gin distillery is a long way from the origins of Tom Warner’s family UK cattle farm. This year, Warner’s Gin was crowned the largest selling independent gin label in the United Kingdom, with a turn over […]
Money for Jam: Australian Farmer Named on Australia’s Richest List
While agriculture has long been an industry associated with a volatile financial outlook, one Australian farmer has bucked the trend to be named in the Australian Financial Review’s Richest Under 40 list. In 2011, Peter Greensill, a watermelon farmer from Bundaberg, traded equity in his farm for a stake in his brother Lex’ UK-based finance […]
On-Farm Slaughter to Improve Animal Welfare and Sustainability in Victoria
Victorian farmers will soon be able to have livestock slaughtered on-farm for commercial use after new legislation passed the Upper House last month. The new laws allow farmers to use mobile abattoirs to kill and process livestock on farm, forgoing the need to have animals trucked to static facilities. The demand for meat killed on-farm […]
Drought Forces Lowest Australian Grain Harvest in More than Ten Years
Severe and ongoing drought conditions will likely lead to the lowest Australian grain harvest in more than ten years, according to a report released last month by agricultural financier Rabobank. The bank has predicted a national winter crop of just 27.7 million tonnes, the smallest since 2007/08 – a 9% decline on last year’s drought-affected […]