Over the past three years three full-time professional controllers have assisted sheep producers to target and remove problem dogs across the district in conjunction with an extensive aerial baiting program. The program was developed after sheep properties reported an increase in dog attack numbers which had affected confidence in the local industry.

An Israeli company that has created an autonomous pollinating robot has started its first trials in Australia. Arugga AI Farming is hoping its technology can transform Australia's greenhouse farming sector, especially greenhouse tomatoes, which are currently pollinated by hand. Chief executive Iddo Geltner said after successful trials in Israel, the company had targeted Australia because it did not have bumblebees.

Rural families have paid tribute to legendary Kimberley horseman Kevin Fraser, who died last month. Born in Derby in 1946, Kevin Fraser came to be known throughout Western Australia as a talented horse educator. In Northam, riders on horseback paid tribute by leading the cortege through the main street.

Dairy farmers now have access to $10 million in Federal Government grants to help lower their energy bills and reduce emissions, as part of a multi-million-dollar election commitment welcomed by peak dairy farmer group Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF). Funding for this program will be distributed between states in proportion to the number of dairy farms in each jurisdiction.

A new invasive pest to Australia, the fall armyworm, has recently been reported in some northern parts of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. AWI, along with other stakeholders, are monitoring the potential impacts on the sheep industry should the pest spread further south into sheep-producing areas. The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.

Beef Beef producers Deb and Fergus O’Connor are passionate about the stewardship of soil, water, plants and animals on their Gippsland farm. In 2012, a real estate agent told Deb and Fergus O’Connor their new purchase, a 60ha farm in Victoria’s South Gippsland region, had a stocking capacity of 60 head. Fast forward eight years and they’re now running 150 steers year round – despite setting aside 5% of the farm to plant 16,000 trees.

The AHA Strategic Plan 2020-2025 was developed through extensive consultation and feedback with members and stakeholders. It came into effect on 1 July 2020. AHA’s overarching strategic direction is a national biosecurity system that provides every opportunity for Australian agriculture to succeed at home and overseas. The Plan is our blueprint for the future and sets AHA’s direction until 2025.

Three hunters allegedly trespassed onto Tandou Station at Menindee, owned by the Hewitt Cattle Company, early on Sunday morning. The company's general manager of sheep, Paul Martin, said the dogs the hunters used to kill pigs had got away from their owners and had to be shot.

Pain relief use has been on the increase since it became commercially available in 2016, with a report from the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework last month suggesting 21 per cent of the industry is now using it for invasive practices, an increase from 4 per cent in 2018.

But due to COVID-19 restrictions, only half the usual number of students are able to attend the two-week school at the Malahide property in Fingal, established in the 1820 to produce high-quality Tasmanian wool. Instructor Matthew Haney from Australian Wool Innovation said with this year's attendance numbers down, the industry would soon be facing even greater shearer shortages.

At Parliament House, Canberra in 1985, 45,000 farmers marched against crippling interest rates and spiralling taxes. A win over the then Hawke Labor Government and over the unions in a bitter IR dispute just months before, galvanised the impact the bush could have when it stood united in demand of a fair go. Farmers put their hand in their pockets to the tune of millions of dollars to establish the Australian Farmers Fighting Fund.

NSW Farmers is concerned for contract poultry farmers who are struggling to operate in an increasingly consolidated market, with many being forced from the industry. President of NSW Farmers’ James Jackson said most Australians would not be aware of the competition issues plaguing the poultry meat industry and that contract growers, including our chicken, turkey and duck farmers, need greater support.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on the Australian and world economies. Essential to every country is the security of their food supply, and measures put in place to control the spread of the virus are starting to disrupt the supply of agriculture products to markets and consumers in some countries, both within and across borders. The sector is also experiencing a substantial shift in the level of demand across a range of agricultural commodities.

The Sheep Industry Blueprint has successfully fostered greater coordination and collaboration, while attracting investments for research, development and extension. This was one of the key findings from the Blueprint mid-term review which has recently been completed by Livestock SA, five years after the Blueprint was launched. The review of the SA Sheep Industry Blueprint highlights the achievements and growth the industry has accomplished, while providing recommendations for future objectives to further progress the industry.

Many older farmers will remember the days when Australia manufactured tractors and harvesters, some may even have heard of one of our greatest farmer inventors Headlie Taylor, who designed both our first combine harvester in 1914 and our first self-propelled header the Sunshine W model 1924.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is backing calls to support contract poultry farmers who are under extreme price pressures from processors and the supermarkets. VFF President David Jochinke said that although chicken was the most popular protein choice for Australian consumers, the popularity on dinner tables was not benefiting contract growers. “We know Australian’s love a cooked chook but the growers simply aren’t seeing any benefit at all from the increase in demand.”

Dairy Australia is calling for nominations to fill vacancies on its Board of Directors, in preparation for elections that will be held at its Annual General Meeting in November. The Board comprises of eight non-executive directors and the Managing Director. It determines the policies and directions for investing in industry service activities, approves strategic and operating plans and performance targets, and ensures good governance.

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