News

Sentinel - a step towards national pest surveillance

Spring horticulture & viticulture Summer horticulture Technology in agriculture March 29, 2020



A new mobile plant pest surveillance unit is a step towards a nationally coordinated approach to plant pest surveillance aimed at informing grower pest management and providing early detection and improved market access.

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Port in shape for first Australian grain exports

Winter cropping March 27, 2020



A project to give South Australian farmers a new way of shipping their grain to global markets is close to commissioning following the delivery of a transhipment vessel.

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Nation’s farm confidence rebounds to highest level in almost five years

Business solutions & technology Rural Business March 26, 2020



Results at a glance: ■ Significant rain prompts major turnaround in farmer sentiment across Australia, despite ongoing effects of drought and bushfire ■ Farmers are confident of return to better seasons and improved farm incomes ■ Strong commodity prices are fuelling farmer optimism ■ Confidence up in all states, with most notable swings in NSW and Queensland ■ Survey finds nearly 70% of farmers expect climate change will impact their business in the next decade, with 20% expecting that impact to be major

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Increase pulse inoculant in dry conditions this season

Biologicals Seed treatments & coatings Winter cropping March 26, 2020



Growers planning to dry sow pulses on soils responsive to inoculation this season are encouraged to double the rate of peat inoculant or use a granular inoculant which delivers a high number of rhizobia at sowing to increase the likelihood of successful nodulation and nitrogen fixation.

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New appointment to make mungbeans even healthier

Summer cropping March 16, 2020



The Queensland Government has appointed a dedicated mungbean pathologist to further develop and protect the State’s $100 million a year industry.

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drumMUSTER collects 35 millionth container for recycling

Business solutions & technology March 10, 2020



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.

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Long-term view key to $100 billion agriculture target

Business solutions & technology March 5, 2020



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.

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Independent science based regulation needs defending from activist attacks and community ignorance

Fungicides Herbicide & fungicide resistance Knockdown & pre-emergent herbicides Post-emergent herbicides Seed treatments & coatings Seeds Feb. 19, 2020



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.

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Granular legume inoculant revolutionises sowing

Seed treatments & coatings Feb. 17, 2020



Alosca Technologies’ bentonite clay-based granular inoculant, developed for Australian conditions, has revolutionised the way pasture and cropping legumes are sown.

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FMC Corporation Commits AU$150,000 to Support Australian Bushfire Relief Efforts

Agribusiness Feb. 14, 2020



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.

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Fall armyworm found in Torres Strait, prompting biosecurity alert amid fears for Australian crops

Agribusiness Feb. 14, 2020



A moth that has decimated crops across the world has been detected in Australia for the first time.

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First release of genetically engineered moth could herald new era of crop protection

Spring horticulture & viticulture Summer horticulture Winter cropping Feb. 13, 2020



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.

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How will the coronavirus affect agriculture in Australia?

Agribusiness Feb. 12, 2020



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.

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Emerging market for alternative proteins an opportunity for Australian agriculture

Rural Business Feb. 10, 2020



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.

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Crop assessment trials prove drone accuracy

Business solutions & technology Feb. 4, 2020



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.

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