News
Is bee broking the toughest job in agriculture?

There are only a handful of bee brokers in Australia. Each year, they coordinate millions of bees and hundreds of beekeepers across states to pollinate Australia's booming almond orchards in northern Victoria.
Read full storyVictorian cherry producer looking forward to promising season ahead

A Victorian cherry producer is expecting slightly higher volumes and better-quality fruit in the 2019 season, thanks to favourable weather conditions compared to last year.
Read full storyManaging climate risks

Climate risks to pomefruit crops come in many forms. The main ones are frost, hail, wind, flooding, drought and high temperatures. These are the obvious ones.
Read full storyMango association chairman recognised

Ben Martin, chairman of the Australian Mango Industry Association, has received the Australian Young Farmer of the Year award
Read full storyTaiwan lychee varieties grow future of Queensland exports

A significant step has been taken to facilitate export of Queensland grown varieties of Taiwanese lychees to Asian markets.
Read full storyAustralian pears show promise in Indonesia

Marketing a mix of pear varieties under a broad Australian Pears brand has the potential to boost sales in the rapidly-expanding market in Indonesia, a levy-funded export marketing pilot has shown.
Read full storyGetting to the root of Macadamias

It’s being dubbed the Ancestry.com project for macadamias, as researchers build up the family tree of Australia’s most famous native exporter.
Read full storyBig buzz about bees: More young people turn to backyard beekeeping

More young people are turning to beekeeping and in parts of Victoria there are even waitlists to own a hive.
Read full storyRecord Macadamia orchard sale hits Belgian sweet spot

Belgian sugar producer Finasucre has acquired Australia’s largest portfolio of macadamia orchards in a deal worth almost $60 million.
Read full storyFirst Aussie Mangoes for the Season Reach US

NT mangoes have made the lengthy but successful journey from Katherine to Los Angeles.
Read full storyCider expansion supported by new supply

The burgeoning local cider industry is set to benefit from a new cider apple supply block at the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Orange Agricultural Institute.
Read full storyBlue Light From LEDs Can Rot The Brains Of Fruit Flies, Study Finds

The blue light that emanates from every smartphone and fluorescent bulb isn’t thought to be great for our health, particularly the health of our eyes. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that blue light can even be harmful to brains and speed up ageing — again, in fruit flies. There’s a very long way to go before we could assume the same is true for people.
Read full storyWater Infrastructure Rebate extended

Permanent plantings will be included in the On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate in Qld, NSW, SA, Tasmania, and the ACT, and can be retroactively applied to new bores and dam de-silting installations from 30 June 2019. Eligible farmers can claim 25 per cent of expenses up to $25,000 as part of a $13.2 million injection from the federal government.
Read full storyCustomer-centric approach proving successful for growing fresh produce retailer

As the peak Australian mango season gets closer, a leading produce retailer is looking to build on its growing popularity with consumers. Earlier this year, Harris Farm Markets finished well ahead of the major chains in a supermarket satisfaction survey conducted by CHOICE, finishing only marginally behind South Australian-based Foodland in second place. Harris Farm Markets, produce buyer Carlo Ceravolo told mango industry members that competitiveness between the retailers benefits the whole fresh produce sector.
Read full storyAustralian horticulture exports perform strongly

A prosperous 2018/19 season for Australia’s horticulture industry sees an increase in nut, fruit and vegetable exports.
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