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NewsAvocado clonal trees to feed the masses

Avocado clonal trees are expected to hit mass production next year in Australia, one of 22 Australian projects to share $12 million in government funding.

Liv Casben

“We need them”PremiumCalls for new ag visa to extend to grains and shearing

“We’re really disappointed it wasn’t delivered in 2021 and we missed it for the harvest.”

EXCLUSIVE Shannon Verhagen

‘check and recheck’PremiumNow ‘optimum time’ for WA farmers to check for skeleton weed

WA grain growers are being urged to survey their properties for a destructive weed costing the industry millions.

Shannon Verhagen

‘hard to fathom’PremiumIndustry mourns death of WA shearing stalwart Geoff Lawrence

The tight-knit industry was last week rocked by news industry stalwart and grandfather of eight Geoff Lawrence had been in a shearing accident in a shed near Clackline on Thursday.

Shannon Verhagen

moved onlineWASIA general meeting cancelled amid COVID uncertainty

WASIA on Monday announced it had ‘regretfully decided’ to cancel the meeting scheduled for Saturday, after listening to member concerns about coming to Perth.

Shannon Verhagen

carbon captureTen carbon farming projects in progress in the Wheatbelt

Covering more than 7000ha, the six ACCU Plus projects funded in round one are anticipated to remove 140,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next decade.

Shannon Verhagen

WeatherHow regional Australia beats the heat

As heatwaves are expected to become more frequent and more intense, regional Australians and their communities are learning how to adapt.

Stephanie Gardiner

harvest forcePremiumVarley growers grateful for extra harvest help

‘To be able to go and spend a few weeks with a family who feed you and look after you and you’re helping them in their time of need — where’s the negative.’

Shannon Verhagen

Shearing Death Shearing shed worker killed by woolpress in WA Wheatbelt

A shearing shed worker has died after becoming caught in a wool press while working in the Wheatbelt this morning, taking the total number of agriculture industry deaths to six during the past 10 months. 

Cally Dupe

harvest force Premium20+ agribusiness workers take leave to help WA harvest

An “out of the box” industry-led initiative to mobilise staff from some of WA’s biggest agribusinesses to fill critical gaps in harvest labour this summer delivered “really positive” results.

EXCLUSIVE Shannon Verhagen

harvest forceFarm stint proves an eye-opener

While I have been reporting on crop conditions and pretending to be an agronomist for many years, I now have a much better appreciation of the pressures that growers are under.

Alan Meldrum

seroja recoveryRecord harvest a silver lining to Seroja-affected farmers

Cyclone Seroja was a ‘horrific’ shock for growers, however, in a heartening turn, the regions had one of their wettest seasons in decades, producing bumper crops and above-average yields for many.

Shannon Verhagen

Shear delightAWI improver school gets young guns up to 100-a-run

Young shearers have gone from 10-a-run to up to 100-a-run by the end of a training course.

Shannon Verhagen

21 MILLION TONNESWA harvest hits record-breaking 21mt with more to come

In the past week, 580,000 tonnes were delivered across CBH Group’s receival network to reach the record figure, with up to another 400,000 tonnes more still to come.

Shannon Verhagen

tests neededPremiumWA shearing industry hopes to secure rapid antigen tests

The Shearing Contractors’ Association of Australia on Friday afternoon received a shipment of 3500 Rapid Antigen Tests from China to distribute to members trying to secure “as many as they can get”.

EXCLUSIVE Shannon Verhagen

looking aheadExpanding Aussie wool’s reach a key focus for AWI in 2022

Acting chief executive John Roberts said while the COVID-19 pandemic came with uncertainty, global eco-friendly trends played in the luxury fibre’s favour.

Shannon Verhagen

Water reliefDam good decision pays off for Great Southern farmer

“It was just nice to see when the water started running and the drains filled those dams up.”

Shannon Verhagen

“Extremely concerned”PremiumShort-term AdBlue supply concerning WA truckers

Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said truckstops were running out of supply on major freight routes.

Shannon Verhagen

Operation harvest assistPremiumEx-ADF a ‘huge help’ for Goomalling farmers this harvest

Recruits answer the call to help farmers with bin-bursting harvest.

Shannon Verhagen

grower-drivenGRDC spring and summer crop trials to address waterlogging

Three multi-species spring/summer-sown field trials are taking place at sites in Jerramungup, Boyup Brook and Green Range to explore production opportunities for WA farmers grappling with waterlogging.

Shannon Verhagen

increasing pressurePremiumRising transport costs to hit WA’s online shoppers

People should be aware that mounting costs would eventually trickle down to consumers.

Shannon Verhagen

Biosecurity Biosecurity officers seize 37,000 risky mail items

Reindeer meat, rat skewers and freeze-dried quails were some of the weirdest frontline finds Australian biosecurity officers seized in 2021.

Cally Dupe

Labour shortages PremiumFour-legged solution for farm jobs

Most industries are reeling from an acute labour crunch, but there’s no shortage of four-legged workers giving WA’s sheep producers a much-needed hand on their farms.

Jenne Brammer

agritourism boomBig plans for Mingenew crop tour amid agritourism boom

It is set to help those without an agricultural background deepen their understanding of the industry and what farmers do throughout the year to produce the State’s $8 billion crop.

Shannon Verhagen