Consultation on increasing the goat transaction levy begins

National Rural News Thursday July 9

In today's National Rural News: Telstra outages continue, southern fishing ban lifted, and an alarming cattle medication shortage.  Subscribe to the National Rural News podcast: http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcast [http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcast]  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Fishers welcome lift of catching ban in SA

South Australia is lifting fishing restrictions in some areas, as the King George whiting recovers after a clearing of the region's devastating algal bloom. A temporary recreational fishing ban on the popular fish has been lifted in some areas, with most of the spawning finished for the winter. Rural Reporter Jefferson Shaw spoke with SARDI Executive Director Professor Mike Steer about the dissipating algae bloom. Subscribe to the National Rural News podcast: http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcast [http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcast]    See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

An emerging alternative to the reliance on increasingly expensive fertilizer

An alternative to increasingly expensive fertiliser is emerging for farmers in a colourful crop which can add nitrogen to the soil. Sunn hemp is a legume that can be used a cover crop to improve soil health. Rural Reporter Jefferson Shaw spoke with Queensland's Department of Primary Industry Principle Scientist Paul Grundy about the benefits and drawbacks. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

National Rural News Wednesday July 8

In today's National Rural News: Assurances for free-range producers during the H5N1 bird flu outbreak, an emerging alternative for fertilizer, and an optimistic agriculture outlook for the second half of the year See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

A new way being developed to mass weigh sheep

Early prototypes have been developed for a sensor system to analyse sheep body volume, liveweight, and fleece weight. 20 producers are helping to create the design of the system to reflect real world farming conditions. Rural Reporter Jefferson Shaw spoke with CSIRO Principal Research Scientist Doctor Sabrina Greenwood about how it'll allow farmers to better monitoring their sheep: See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.