Medium-sized farms stand to benefit from a return to collective bargaining, new RIRDC research reveals
New research released today in Canberra by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) reveals how a return to collective bargaining can offer significant value for medium-sized farm businesses. Released as part of a series of reports from RIRDC’s National Rural Issues program, the collective bargaining research will help drive a pilot program identified […]
Seven of the best in the running for national RIRDC Rural Women’s Award
Seven women who embody the Aussie can-do attitude and have a commitment to the rural industries and communities in which they work are now in the running to take out the 2015 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award. Women play a vital role in rural businesses, industries and communities and the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award aims to […]
Grass roots campaign giving regional farmers voice
NSW Farmers’ campaign ‘StandUpForFarmers’ launched just 7 days ago has already attracted more than 15,000 online visits with all MPs rated by more than 1500 users. The campaign’s ‘rate the pollie’ tool, which gives a voice to regional and rural voters across NSW ahead of the upcoming state election, has generated the most visits with […]
Funding for Country Roads
NSW Farmers’ welcomes the announcement by the NSW Government to allocate $42.85 million to improving council-owned freight infrastructure. This funding falls under the Fixing Country Roads Program and provides the majority of funding available for local government road upgrades under the Coalition Governments Infrastructure Package. NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant and Minister for Roads and […]
Researchers predict farm robots will be common within 5 years
GROUND robots will be operating on Australian farms within five years, a senior robotics researcher has predicted. Speaking at the Henty Machinery Field Days, Australian Centre for Field Robotics senior research fellow Robert Fitch said agricultural robots would increase land and labour productivity. Dr Fitch was a keynote speaker at the field day’s new Agri-Centre, […]
ACCC warns about quad bike dangers for kids
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned parents and carers to keep children away from quad bikes. A recent Medical Journal of Australia study indicated that children do not have the physical and cognitive capacity to operate quad bikes safely. The study found that children under 14 years of age made up a third […]
US Government shutdown warning to New Zealand farmers
The budgetary deadlock, which has sections of the United States Government shutting down, should serve as a warning to New Zealand farmers to run conservative farm budgets. “Following record milk price forecasts and increases in the ANZ Commodity Index across the primary industries, farmers may be very bullish about the current 2013/14 season,” says Dr […]
Agriview says machinery dealer numbers to decline
The number of single-outlet machinery dealers across Australia will continue to decline but not disappear completely – while there will be an ongoing rise in the number of large group outlets, according to Agriview managing director Alan Kirsten. Discussing industry trends at the Tractor and Machinery Association (TMA) annual conference on the Gold Coast, Mr Kirsten said the […]
Extra Australian agricultural voices deployed across the globe
Australian food producers and exporters will benefit from new strong Australian voices to be deployed to Vietnam, Malaysia and China, with extra agricultural specialists being sent to gain more market access. Under the National Food Plan, $5.6 million has been allocated to fund a new Australian Agricultural Counsellor and locally engaged support officers in new […]
NFF responds to government Farm Finance package
Australia’s farming community has welcomed, in principle, an announcement by the Federal Government aimed at supporting farmers in the grips of rural debt and at risk of returning to drought. Vice-President of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), Brent Finlay acknowledged the ‘Farm Finance’ package announcement, saying that it was good to see the Government listening […]