South Australian Country Hour

The National Farmers' Federation calls for the Food and Grocery Code to be made mandatory for the major supermarkets, a new report suggests while global production is up, Aussie consumption of veggies is down, and Elders trials a state-wide online clearing sale for the for the first time in its 185 year history.

Beston Global Food Company splits its payments to its milk suppliers amid challenging conditions facing the dairy industry, the Federal Government decides that the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority will stay in Armidale, and Australian wool producers get a revamped scheme to set certified sustainable wool standards.

South Australian irrigators that rely on the River Murray likely to get their full water entitlements in the coming financial year, a two year old heifer from the state's South East sells for $130,000 to top this year's Elite Wagyu Sale, and a Senate inquiry looks at supermarket price transparency and the codes governing the relationships between fresh food suppliers and retailers.

The Almond Board of Australia expects the industry to be worth $2billion in the next five years, a number of cases of Bovine Ephemeral Fever found in cattle in the south west region of NSW, and the feral goat population almost eradicated in the Montacute area of the Adelaide Hills.

SA producers shown how to use EID ear tag technology to make some production gains in sheep, recent heavy rains in parts of the outback, and the floodwaters arriving from the north take their toll on the state's most remote roads, and research continues on the potential impacts of releasing a carp herpes virus on both pest and native fish.

Studies investigate the impact and potenital benefits of invertebrates such as lady beetles, lacewings and spiders, in canola, the lobster industry renews calls for bans on their seafood to also be dropped by China following wine's re-entry, and lab-grown meat alternative producer Vow becomes the first Australian company to receive approval to sell to consumers.

SA's final crop production for the financial year estimated at 8.7 million tonnes, with an estimated farmgate value of $3.3 billion, Croplife says delays by Australia's pesticide authority are stopping farmers from tackling pests and diseases, and Citrus SA says issues with retailer margins have long plagued growers.

Riverland Wine calls for removal of 13% of the region's vines and an exit package for growers, Australia's Chief Veterinary officer says the government is closely watching bird flu developments around the world, and Australia to get an Olive Oil Quality Monitoring Program to tackle counterfeit products and keep quality high.

A pilot program launched to help South Australia's primary industries prepare for natural disasters, grants available for Riverland wine grape growers for routine costs amid the red wine oversupply crisis, and South Australian researchers funded to develop a fully autonomous agriculture system for Low Earth Orbit.

The Federal Ag Minister asked to step in to allow farmers to gain access again to a stronger mouse bait, snail data collection cameras trialled in SA and WA, alongside biocontrol measures, and a former South East cattle property purchased for restoration into a conservation site for threatened species.

Pastoralists remain wary over recent changes to legislation to encourage renewable energy projects on South Australian pastoral land, drone technology trialled as a way to detect bushfires at much earlier stages, and Ngarrindjeri Elder and Kuti Co CEO Uncle Derek Walker named a Sustainable Fishing Hero by the Marine Stewardship Council.

New modelling suggests Australian farmers be prepared for future mega-droughts that could last decades, the National Farmers Federation calls for a mandatory code of conduct for the chicken meat industry following an 18-month investigation, and snail and slug numbers not expected to be as high as last year, but farmers warned to stay vigilant.

Farmers across Australia grapple with the imminent closure of a widely-used record keeping and decision making tool, outback families at the 2024 Isolated Children and Parents Association of SA meeting pursue options for better access to services, and citizen scientists asked to spot and report any signs of the plant fungus Myrtle Rust in South Australia.

The removal of hefty tariffs on Australian wine by China brings hope for a return of what was once the industry's largest export market, long-awaited rains fall over parts of NSW's corner country and into north east SA over the Easter weekend, and the community of Wudinna comes together to formally celebrate being named the 2023 Ag Town of the Year.

Farmers targeted with a new safety campaign to reduce the number of incidents of farm machinery coming into contact with power lines, fishing restrictions ease along a section of the South East coast where a lethal abalone virus was detected, and a community consultation in Wilcannia in Far West NSW hears concerns over the towns' weir project.

The Federal Department of Agriculture investigates the deaths of more than 100 Australian cattle on board an export ship, Darling River residents angered by the State Government's decision to change the plans for the proposed rebuild of Wilcannia's weir, and Nikki Atkinson from the Flinders Ranges named SA's 2024 Agrifutures Rural Women Award winner for promoting the use of sustainable merino wool.

Blue gum plantation logging to resume on Kangaroo Island with a plan now in place to manage the koala population there, a newly formed Grain Sustainability Council to provide a framework for the grain industry to achieve sustainability, and grower groups call for greater scrutiny of how big data is used by Coles and Wooloworths.

Elevated levels of a type of blue green algae found in Lake Alexandrina and the Goolwa channel of the River Murray, a new SA study shows heat stress is causing the loss of millions of lambs during the breeding cycle each year, and Agriculture Minister Murray Watt to bring forward the review the national dairy industry code.

A dingo researcher calls for the law around culling of wild dogs to change in South Australia, saying many of them are dingoes, Livestock SA considers impact on local producers after Victoria bans wild dog control in the north-west of that state, and more farmers urged to give durum crops a go.

Recovery in milk production, rising retail sales and rebounding export prices drive optimism in the dairy sector, struggling farmers to benefit from a Federal Government funding boost for rural financial counselling, and flood waters from Queensland start to reach Lake Eyre, which may increase the number of foxes and rabbits.