30 Sep 05 | A bumper grain harvest would test the ageing rail infrustructure across Victoria, according to the Australasian Railways Association (ARA), the political voice for the rail sector. ARA chief executive Bryan Nye said there would be a "major pro
30 Sep 05 | FARMERS have been presented with another unwelcome side-effect of high international fuel prices - fertiliser prices have increased by up to 12.5pc over the past six months. And there is no relief in sight, with market experts suggesting the f
30 Sep 05 | A TEST marketing campaign for Merino wool - scaled back from a proposal put forward earlier this year - will go ahead in a cheaper and smaller format. In March, Australian Wool Innovation put $US5 million on the table towards the campaign, to
30 Sep 05 | PEOPLE for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has resumed its campaign against Australian wool after peak industry bodies refused to negotiate. But while the Australian Wool Growers Association is blaming Australian Wool Innovation and Wo
30 Sep 05 | and Leanne Savage HEREFORDS have always been renowned for their "do-ability" but now it is official - they were the most feed-efficient British breed in a recent study. Results of the Cattle and Meat Quality Cooperative Research Centre (CRC
30 Sep 05 | RURAL Victorian drivers are this week paying more than double the retail margin on unleaded petrol paid by their city counterparts as regional fuel retailers go slow on passing on falling fuel prices. And while petrol prices appear to have pea
23 Sep 05 | THE AUSTRALIAN Beef Association is continuing its push for reform within Meat and Livestock Australia, with four controversial resolutions to be voted on at MLA's annual meeting in November. The resolutions call for: * the removal from offi
23 Sep 05 | A CRUCIAL Australian Wool Innovation board meeting today is expected to give the green light for the new $6.6 million wool marketing campaign. Today is the extended deadline for the International Wool Textile Organisation to have delivered mat
23 Sep 05 | FARMERS faced with depressed grain prices across almost all commodities have found something to smile about, with buoyant outlooks in several legume markets. David Matthews, of pulse exporter Wimmera Grain Company, Rupanyup, said prices for re
23 Sep 05 | WITH large companies abandoning Australian vegetable growers in favour of cheaper imports, one organisation is trying to garner support for a logo that will promote Australian-grown produce. About 30 growers turned up in Melbourne last week to
23 Sep 05 | YOUNG cattle are still trading at near-record levels, with the end of September and the traditional spring flush period in sight. But there remains no immediate sign of a flush, with significant numbers not expected on the market until at leas
16 Sep 05 | THE FEDERAL Government's decision to increase the cattle transaction levy has angered the Australian Beef Association, which claims the majority of producers were against the increase. ABA chair Linda Hewitt said Federal Agriculture Minister P
16 Sep 05 | AWB Ltd has categorically denied it acted improperly in providing wheat for Iraq as part of the war-torn nation's oil-for-food program. Reports in the mainstream media suggested Australia's bulk wheat exporter may have breached international sanct
16 Sep 05 | AUSTRALIA'S leading bulk handlers are working feverishly to ensure they are ready for the first harvest under the new Federal Government Chain of Responsibility (COR) legislation. A series of grower meetings are taking place, as bulk handlers
16 Sep 05 | HEAVY rain across some of Victoria's key catchment areas this week boosted dam storage levels and raised hopes that today's irrigation allocation updates would deliver a jump in water availability. Good inflows into the state's three biggest r
16 Sep 05 | A CONCEPT to sell certified Australian Merino wool through a single selling agency has raised eyebrows at The Woolmark Company. The idea was raised in Stock & Land last week and has triggered some discussion through industry groups looking for a n
16 Sep 05 | THE GLOBAL campaign against major wool retailer Benetton is over. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has halted its nine-month campaign against Benetton after the company supported an agreement between animal rights activists and
16 Sep 05 | THE LATEST national offensive by RSPCA Australia has in its sights live exports, sow stalls and battery hen farming. The campaign, titled Fair Go For Farm Animals, will involve postcards, print and online advertising and an on-line petition.
16 Sep 05 | NEW MOUNTAIN Cattlemen's Association of Victoria (MCAV) president Doug Treasure, pictured, will lead the group through a very different period to his last presidency in the early 1990s. He has taken over the role from Simon Turner, who ended h
16 Sep 05 | the already flat wool market could fall another 12 per cent - 80 cents a kilogram - by the end of the year before things get better, according to industry watchers. This is the dire forecast of a number of close market observers, including Cal
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