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Countryman

Fashion trendsPremiumMerino wool well-placed in COVID times

When COVID-19 began to spread in 2020 and ushered people throughout the world indoors, the future of the garment fashion industry and its raw material suppliers looked bleak.

Bob Garnant

MSA AwardsPremiumBeef eating quality awards set to name champions

WA beef producers and feedlotters will have the opportunity to win one of several State awards in Meat Standards Australia Excellence in Eating Quality Series.

Bob Garnant

Bumper year CommentsPremiumWA farmers optimistic as record cattle prices continue

Record cattle prices have put a smile on farmers’ faces but caused angst for abattoirs and exporters, with much of Australia’s beef supply chain bracing for another turbulent year ahead.

Adam Poulsen

Powering upCommentsPremiumMark Creasy’s stake in IGO cracks $1 billion

Australia’s best known prospector is the biggest shareholder in IGO, which has added nearly 50 per cent in value over the past three months.

Sean Smith

LIVE EXPORTAustralian live cattle exports lose steam

Australia’s live cattle export industry is losing ground in South-East Asia as record prices prompt importers to seek more affordable options.

Adam Poulsen

SUCCESSFUL TRIALNew tech to improve live export welfare standards

Australian live exporters will soon be using automated sensors to monitor environmental conditions on ships after the successful trial of a new technology developed in Norway.

Staff reporter

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

Record Harvest CommentsPremiumHow WA’s grain harvest surpassed the magic 20mt figure

It was the magic number some said would never be possible but WA grain farmers and bulk exporter CBH Group are settling into the reality that a 20 million tonne crop could become “the norm” in years to come.

Cally Dupe

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

Paddock-to-plate CommentsPremiumWA branded beef kicking goals

Discerning consumers are increasingly wanting to know the origins of their food, and a WA farmer butcher team is meeting that demand in the beef space.

Jenne Brammer

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

BEYOND THE SALEYARDSBeyond the Saleyards: Lamb and sheep prices still stable

WA sheep and lamb prices were stable for the first full week of the new year, with lambs holding at 800¢ and mutton at 600¢.

Rob Kelly

COST OF FROSTPremiumFrosts wipe $750m off WA’s record harvest

September frosts cost farmers up to $750 million after wiping more than two million tonnes off WA’s record harvest, the Grains Industry Association of WA has revealed.

Adam Poulsen

LANDMARK DEALFTA to boost Australian meat exports to UK

Red meat industry leaders have welcomed the signing of Australia’s free trade agreement with the United Kingdom, with the landmark deal set to facilitate a huge increase in tariff-free Aussie exports.

Adam Poulsen

HEATED DEBATEPremiumCBH price differentials cause concern

WA’s peak farming advocacy body has weighed in on the heated debate over CBH price differentials.

Adam Poulsen

BIG BATPremiumNarrikup Cricket Club unveil new big bat

Their old wooden bat attracted attention from across the nation after it was put up in 2015 but was taken down in October last year because of wear and tear.

Taj Stubber

OpinionA cattle producers’ thoughts on BJD and a way forward

One could argue that the confidence to trade in breeding cattle in WA has been compromised with the discovery of a Bovine Johne’s disease (C strain) infected animal in southern WA.

Jim McGregor

SUPPLY SHORTAGEPremiumGovernments heed warnings of looming meat supply shortage

National Cabinet has moved to prevent a looming domestic meat supply shortage amid warnings from industry leaders, as the rampaging Omicron COVID variant puts pressure on food supply chains.

Adam Poulsen

Minister VisitPremiumWater scheme to flow on as minister commits to SW visit

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan has promised she will meet with South West farmers about water security after a contentious irrigation scheme was all but canned late last year. 

Ben Loughran

OPINIONA reality check on seaweed as a feedstock

Many people will have read about the hype of Asparagopsis, the native Australian seaweed that neutralises the methane emissions from cattle. 

Trevor Whittington

MORE BLACKOUTSPremiumOngoing power outages plague Northampton

Northampton Shire President Liz Sudlow says ongoing power cuts in the Mid West town are having a “profound” impact on local farmers.

Adam Poulsen

OPINIONWhat a year for WA agriculture, with more to come

Who would have thought we would be talking about a 22 million tonne harvest for 2021?

Alannah MacTiernan