News
New appointment to make mungbeans even healthier

The Queensland Government has appointed a dedicated mungbean pathologist to further develop and protect the State’s $100 million a year industry.
Read full storydrumMUSTER collects 35 millionth container for recycling

On Friday 6 March 2020, in the town of Renmark, South Australia, Agsafe’s drumMUSTER program’s 35 millionth agvet chemical container was collected. The milestone container was delivered to the Renmark Refuse Depot which holds a regular collection of agvet containers each month.
Read full storyLong-term view key to $100 billion agriculture target

Reaching the target of $100 billion in agricultural output will require industry to take a long term view, and continue to take hard choices that lift farm productivity and keep Australian exports competitive against rivals, ABARES executive director Dr Steve Hatfield-Dodds told the 2020 ABARES Outlook Conference in Canberra recently.
Read full storyIndependent science based regulation needs defending from activist attacks and community ignorance

In an address to the inaugural international conference on the regulation of agvet chemicals and technologies at the University of New England, Chief Executive Officer of the peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Matthew Cossey, declared that Independent science-based regulation needs defending from activist attacks and community ignorance.
Read full storyGranular legume inoculant revolutionises sowing

Alosca Technologies’ bentonite clay-based granular inoculant, developed for Australian conditions, has revolutionised the way pasture and cropping legumes are sown.
Read full storyFall armyworm found in Torres Strait, prompting biosecurity alert amid fears for Australian crops

A moth that has decimated crops across the world has been detected in Australia for the first time.
Read full storyFMC Corporation Commits AU$150,000 to Support Australian Bushfire Relief Efforts

FMC Corporation has announced a commitment of AU$150,000 to support local farmers, communities, and businesses that have been devastated by recent Australian bushfires.
Read full storyFirst release of genetically engineered moth could herald new era of crop protection

A newly published study reports a successful, first-ever open-field release of a self-limiting, genetically engineered diamondback moth, stating that it paves the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control.
Read full storyHow will the coronavirus affect agriculture in Australia?

The coronavirus outbreak is already having a severe impact on China’s foodservice and on-trade channels and this could become “more serious and longer-lasting” if the virus is not contained in the next six to eight weeks, leading agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank has warned.
Read full storyEmerging market for alternative proteins an opportunity for Australian agriculture

Research into the changing landscape of protein production in Australia estimates that there will be an additional opportunity of $19.9 billion for the sector by 2030, of which $3.1 billion is attributed to alternative protein categories.
Read full storyCrop assessment trials prove drone accuracy

Drones have proven be just as accurate at taking plant measurements as more hands-on traditional methods, paving the way for a range of agricultural applications. A two-year University of Adelaide project funded by the South Australian Grain Industry Trust used drone imagery to measure biomass, growth rate and greenness at trial sites in the wheat belt of South Australia.
Read full story20 Mega Trends for 2020 and Beyond

Following a decade with the introduction of societal shifters such as the smartphone and the adoption of robotic milkers, 2020 could be the starting block for the fastest technological race in farming history. The combination of big data with cutting-edge science, artificial intelligence and cloud-connected technology has the potential to revolutionise our industry. We asked three farm futurists to share 20 of their predictions for the next decade.
Read full storyNew tool for sugarcane farmers

Sugarcane farmers in far north Queensland have a new app by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, that will help them manage fertiliser use and reduce nitrogen runoff onto the Great Barrier Reef.
Read full storyScientists seek landholder help to combat toxic fireweed

Fireweed is one of eastern Australia’s worst invasive species, and scientists are asking landholders for on-the-ground information about where it is growing and how they deal with it.
Read full storyPowdery scab fix for potatoes getting closer through Australian research

Research undertaken by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) is trying to develop new ways to control the pathogen for powdery scab, a potato disease. It wants to get a better understanding of why it survives in the soil, how it wakes up and how it affects the potato.
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