Country Today

Country Today - May 22nd

Renewable energy versus the right to farm. That was the focus of an emotionally charged forum held in St Arnaud in Victoria’s Wimmera, Defending your right to Farm. It attracted Federal and State politicians including Nationals Leader Matt Canavan, federal shadow agricultural minister Darren Chester, Victorian Nationals leader Danny O’Brien. But the mood amongst farmers was emotional and defiant. You’ll hear from Nationals Leader Matt Canavan who wants to dump net zero emissions. And from two farmers vehemently opposed to renewables coming up. And the weekly wool report with Andrew Partridge.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Country Today - May 21st

China has re-approved 425 US beef plants following a summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping. The Defending Your Right to Farm at the St Arnaud Town Hall in the Wimmera, The race to renewable energy is sweeping through prime agricultural land, with wind and solar farms popping up right where farmers and regional communities don’t want them. We’ll head to  NSW, flood plain harvesting has been heavily regulated and irrigators are doing their best to comply. An 18 year old Victorian pilot has set  a Guinness World Record as the youngest woman to  circumnavigating Australia solo by and also raise funds for rural children's charity Little Wings.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Country Today - May 20th

Severe drought across Northern New South Wales has caused the price of hay to soar. Feed Central is hosting a free webinar tomorrow, 'Feeding Through the Drought 2026.' to help farmers navigate the challenges. The South Australian government plans to lift a fracking ban in the state’s south east. Farmers say it shows very little concern about the impact this will have on prime agricultural land. And GO FARM LAKE BOGA in North West Victoria is set to reduce most of its local workforce after a supply deal ended early. We’ll find out what this means for Victoria's north west. We'll take a look at what's happening in the lamb market. Over in the US trade lambs are going for $600, while Australian producers are receiving roughly half that amount for theirs. The difference in price is helping drive demand for Australian lamb export. Sheep Producers Australia has launched The Green Sheep Project to build confidence across the sheep industry. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Country Today - May 19th

United Dairy Farmers of Victoria will once again be united, with the break-away group Dairy Farmers Victoria agreeing to kiss and make up. If, or when, there's ever an outbreak of food and mouth disease in Australia, livestock producers will go broke. That's the blunt assessment of livestock vet Dr Ross Ainsworth who has had many years of working with the live cattle export trade to Indonesia. Mice plagues have been spreading across Western Australia and South Australia causing major concerns for growers. Grain Producers Australia (GPA) has secured a national emergency permit  for stronger mouse bait. You may have heard of the Dolly's Dream Foundation, established after 14-year-old Dolly Everett took her own life after being cyberbullied. Bairnsdale Horse Centre owner Carly Knight recently celebrated a major milestone in her fundraising efforts for Dolly's Dream, having raised a total of $1 million. To best help farmers deal with the mental impact of drought, a scheme funded by the Federal Drought Innovation Hub is looking at a community based approach with a check in over a coffee, rather than formal clinical appointments with farmers. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Country Today - May 18th

Coles Supermarkets has been found in breach of consumers laws and misleading customers with its “Down Down” campaign and is likely to face very large fines. The latest New South Wales Farmer Business Sentiment Survey is very revealing: 80 per cent of farmers are expecting business conditions to worsen. We'll travel around Victoria to see who got what rain. There were very few falls over 10 millimetres, with some patches east of Bendigo getting more substantial rain. First to the Lake Bolac area had some of the lowest soil moisture readings earlier in the year.   Then to the Wimmera where good, substantial rain has given crops the boost they need for a growth spurt. To the north east of the State and falls weren’t as has high as predicted, but the warmer weather means there has been some plant growth. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.