The Gymnasium program is a leadership program for young farmers involved in advocacy and brings together young farmers from all over the world.

The World Food Forum was a great experience as it gave me an opportunity to represent Australian agriculture on a global scale. We were able to share issues and solutions while working on policy to develop outcomes for all.

It was a chance for us to discuss and learn from the challenges faced by other young farmers.
A great example was a grain producer called Noel Banville, from Ireland. Both of us are heavily involved in our respective grains industries and discussions with him painted a stark picture of our future if overbearing regulation takes hold.

Noel said there was growing herbicide resistance in Ireland due to the limited amount of chemistry Irish farmers were allowed to use to manage their crops.

In addition to this there was fertiliser caps, including on the amount of nitrogen that could be applied to a field, limiting the potential yield. Both policies would be devastating to the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Australian farming if they were to be implemented here.

We are already seeing influences of European policy on Australian production through programs like the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification.

Given these forums are where policy is discussed and developed, it is important farmers are present to share their perspectives and experiences.

This includes to explain why we produce food the way we do and how we manage our land in a way that is productive, profitable and sustainable. This includes aspects such as how we manage our paddocks to convert moisture into produce.

In grazing scenarios this means managing stocking densities and paddock rotation, while in cropping we need access to a broad range of chemistry to effectively manage weeds and maintain our stubble cover.

Without being present at these events, we can’t explain and demonstrate why we produce food the way that we do and how enforcing European Union-style restrictions would actually increase the risk to the landscape.

If growers aren’t allowed a range of appropriate tools for weed control, there may be an increase in ploughing.

This would not only exacerbate moisture loss and reduce yield potential, but would also expose the soil to more erosion, further degrading our soils. The same applies to fertiliser restrictions. If we do not apply enough fertiliser to replace the nutrients we are exporting with produce, then we are mining our soils of nutrients and degrading them.

These are the stories I shared during my time at the World Food Forum. I had the opportunity to share them through being involved with NSW Farmers, National Farmers Federation and the WFO. If we want to protect our industry, then as growers we need to be involved.

The post Why young farmers need to get involved appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

Plenty of this promising young talent was on display at the 2024 Young Judges Championships hosted by Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA) at the Melbourne Royal Show this spring, with three competitors from NSW taking out titles in the beef cattle, grain and meat sheep judging.

Quipolly’s Mitchell Taylor took out the honor of champion young beef judge at this year’s show following several wins at state-level judging competitions.  

Already operating his own poll hereford and shorthorn stud at just 18 years of age, ASA Executive Officer Katie Stanley said Mitchell’s commitment to the beef industry had made him a standout among judges in this year’s competition. 

Mitchell’s sister Emily also secured success in the 2024 Young Judges Championships, taking out the title of Champion Young Grains Judges at the show this year.  

Currently a second-year Bachelor of Rural Science student at the University of New England, 20-year-old Emily operates her own stud, Eclipse Poll Herefords, as well as serving as the chief beef cattle steward at the Quirindi Show.  

The Taylor family’s success at the championships was joined by that of Cobbitty’s Christine Sutton, who was sashed winner of the Meat Breed Sheep Young Judge Competition at the Melbourne Royal Show.  

At just 15 years of age, Christine was the youngest competitor in her category and takes the crown in her very first year of competing in the Young Judges Championships.  

NSW also saw a strong performance from its team in the Australian Young Farmer Challenge National Finals held alongside the Championships at the Melbourne Royal this year.  

Drawing in 20 competitors across five states, the relay-style event included a short quiz on agriculture-related topics as well as a practical challenge where participants navigated a course and completed a series of simulated on-farm tasks, such as weather patterning.  

This year, NSW’s team consisted of 24-year old Wingello farm manager, Chloe Sawell; 27-year-old Goulburn farmer, Cooper Mooney; 25-year-old businesswoman and Goulburn Young Woman of the Year 2023, Katie Beresford; and 25-year-old Merino wool grower and Elders Sales Support Officer, Claire Liversidge.  

While team Western Australia took the crown in this year’s Young Farmer Challenge, there’s no doubt Chloe, Cooper, Katie and Claire did NSW proud. 

Amid an incredibly impressive lineup of finalists and champions, NSW’s next generation has continued to shine on the national stage, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve at next year’s agricultural shows. Our industry is certainly in safe hands.  

The post Young guns winning the game appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

As a prime example, Nuffield drought resilience scholar Caitlin Herbert is using her background on her family’s farm to examine the ways feedlots can help the beef supply chain through building drought resilience.

Ms Herbert has been working on Gundamain for five years. The family farm more than 16,000 acres at Eugowra, Central West NSW. They operate a feedlot, a breeding cattle herd, sheep, hay production, and dryland cropping.

The property has been in the family for six generations and celebrated 150 years of family farming last year, but Caitlin is the first daughter to come back home and work on the farm.

“I’ve been very fortunate, and I’ve had a great 12 months – I’ve been able to travel to North and South America and visit feeding facilities across five countries,” Ms Herbert said.

“This learning opportunity has allowed me to be able to see other people doing what we do, but in a different way.

“It’s been really good for me to bring knowledge back to Gundamain so we’re better prepared for future drought, but it’s also been good for the wider Australian feed lotting and cattle industry.”

Ms Herbert’s scholarship has allowed her to investigate how feedlots can help the cattle industry prepare for and manage through drought, allowing for alternate feed sources, increased animal welfare, and creating contingency plans.

“I think one of the main reasons the feedlot industry took off in Australia was because of our weather extremes, particularly the droughts we experience.

“They are a little longer and harder than what our ancestors experienced, and we are experiencing them more often. It forces an intensification of the extensive beef industry.

“We’ve taken a lot of our knowledge on food storage, for example, and applied it to our cattle breeding production.”

Building drought resilience

Caitlin’s scholarship was made possible through the Future Drought Fund (FDF), which aims to build drought resilience into Australia’s agriculture sector.

First Assistant Secretary of Farm Resilience, Mel Brown, said the scholarships gave promising farmers the opportunity to get an international perspective on agriculture and building drought resilience.

“The support of the FDF means our farmers can learn from the best and bring that knowledge back home,” Ms Brown said.

“I’m glad to see Caitlin making the most of the opportunity to not only improve operations on her own farm, but to create a bank of data that other farmers can learn from.”

International Rural Women’s Day also provides an opportunity to reflect on the work that has been done to support gender diversity on agricultural boards. The department recently hosted the inaugural ‘Women on Agricultural Boards’ event at the Australian Parliament House. This event provided a platform for vital conversations on supporting, connecting and empowering more women to leadership positions on government boards.

The department also maintains an Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Portfolio Boards Register (PBR), which allows people with diverse skills and backgrounds to be informed of board member opportunities being advertised, and to be considered for board and committee positions relating to their interests, experience and skills.

Read more:

• Have your say on the future of Drought Hubs
• How you can always be drought ready

The post Building drought resilience from the feedlot appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

The event, a collaboration with local conservation initiatives and agriculture organisations, focused on
building community resilience in the face of challenges like drought.

Agriculture Teacher Brett Woods and Primary Industries Teacher Chris Wilson from Crookwell High School
along with Clare McCabe of K2W Link Inc, Eaton Gorge Theatre Company (EGTC), Upper Lachlan Landcare (ULL), NSW Farmers Poultry Meat Manager David Banham, and Kristen Frost, Industry Relations Officer at Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) all came together to help young people learn about agriculture and environmental science.

Mr Wilson emphasised the importance of providing students with information about drought resilience and encouraging them to pursue diverse opportunities within the agricultural sector.

“This event brought together students and industry experts to discuss topics to help students to consider a career in agriculture, understanding of land management and the challenges presented by our changing climate,” Mr Wilson said.

Clare McCabe of K2W Link, along with directors Juliet Scrine and Ian McColm from EGTC,
held an improvisation workshop to engage students in learning about resilient communities.

The Theatre Company’s role was to provide a creative platform for students to express their
understanding of resilience in the face of challenges like drought.

The workshop titled “Thrive Through Drought”, aimed to prepare them for the challenges of
drought and help them understand the economic pressure faced by the community and their
direct families or friends’ families to help them build resilience and be prepared for difficult
circumstances and conversations that will inevitably occur.

Thrive through drought

With Australia’s variable climate bringing drought and flood to rural communities, it was important to prepare the students for future challenges.

The school’s Agriculture Day marked the beginning of the K2W Thrive Through Drought initiative, a
partnership supported by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. Future events were planned to help the local community be better prepared for future droughts.

AWI and NSW Farmers aimed to help young people successfully transition from school into
further education and employment in agriculture-related industries. They presented students
with information about collaboration between industry and NSW Farmers and promoted
agribusiness career opportunities.

The Paddock to Plate lunch was sponsored by ULL, where the students used produce from
their school farm for the plate.

“It was a chance for the students to use what they produce at the farm. They were extremely
proud to produce a delicious lunch from the produce they have grown themselves,” Mr
Woods said.

A screening of Rachel’s Farm also supported by ULL provided information about sustainable
farming practices.

The post Teachers bring farm to school appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

This month, Aldi joined Coles and Woolworths in dropping the price of their one litre, generic brand milk from $1.60 to $1.55, with two-litre and three-litre milk bottles also experiencing price reductions of five cents across the board.

NSW Farmers Dairy Committee Chair Malcolm Holm said while the price cuts would bring a welcome reprieve to households in a cost-of-living crisis, it was critical Australian dairy farmers did not bear the brunt of discounted prices on supermarket shelves.

“The cost of producing fresh Aussie milk is only going up and up for our industry, and yet the supermarkets are putting their milk prices down,” Mr Holm said. 

“While cheaper milk is good news for consumers, it’s important that farmers do not foot the bill for these price drops, especially as input costs keep climbing higher and higher in their businesses.

“Consumers are in a cost-of-living crisis – but so are our farmers, and we can’t let the dairy farmers bear the cost of these discounts when they’re already under such pressure.” 

As the nation’s competition watchdog continues to investigate the behaviour of the major supermarkets, Mr Holm said keeping a close eye on the pricing practices of the grocery sector would remain essential.

“We want checkout prices to come down because inflation is reducing and supermarkets are pricing their products fairly, not because farmers are paying the price,” Mr Holm said. 

“Milk prices that don’t cover the costs of production are forcing many farmers out of the industry, and as a result, milk production in Australia has hit a 30-year low.

“Our dairy farmers are incredibly tough, but the reality is they need fair prices to keep farming, and to keep putting that fresh Aussie milk in fridges day in, day out.

“We don’t want a future where milk prices for consumers skyrockets again because farmers have gone out of business and our milk supply has dried up.”

Read more:

• CHOICE releases first quarterly report on supermarket prices
• FLASHBACK: Woolworths increase milk prices | 2021

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The federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry revealed United Airlines twice failed to report it had brought dogs to Australia – in December 2022 and in March 2024 – and failed to provide biosecurity officers with information when requested or meet prescribed disinfection measures, including procedures to control or kill the insect vectors of human diseases and agricultural pests or other insects, both in August 2023.

But despite the potential seriousness of these multiple breaches, which could have introduced rabies or other exotic pests and diseases that threaten food production, United Airlines was given a “slap on the wrist” according to NSW Farmers Biosecurity Committee chair Tony Hegarty.

“It is unbelievable that our response to an international airline not only repeatedly breaching biosecurity rules, but also refusing to hand over information to authorities, is an enforceable undertaking,” Mr Hegarty said.

“This is the equivalent of promising not to do it again after doing it again and again.

“The federal government needs to take breaches seriously and ensure companies like United Airlines also take it seriously, not just give them a slap on the wrist.”

According to DAFF, the airline voluntarily agreed to meet a number of requirements over the next 15 months which would be monitored by the department, including “revising their internal processes, systems, and training”.

Mr Hegarty said while this arrangement could be enforceable in a court, it was a far lighter response than many Australians would accept as appropriate to protect our food supply.

“Aussies cop a bigger penalty for jaywalking or littering than United Airlines has been dealt, and that’s just not good enough,” he said.

“You cannot tell me a pilot wouldn’t know they had a dog on the plane or what the rules are at their destination, and if they don’t know, we need to make sure they do!

“The continued protection of Australia’s biosecurity is paramount, and that means a heavier hand when multiple breaches occur.”

Read more:

• Biosecurity threats concern NSW Farmers
• On the frontline of biosecurity

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NSW Farmers Business Economics and Trade Committee chair John Lowe said the changes to the Treasury Laws were set to impose new taxes on unrealised gains in superannuation holdings, including family farms – meaning farmers could be taxed for income they will never see.

“This law is not going to affect the people with hundreds of millions of dollars in their superannuation accounts, but rather the hard-working Australians who own their businesses or farm assets in structures such as self-managed superannuation funds,” Mr Lowe said.

“Self-managed superannuation funds are a common tool farmers use to manage their farms and aid business succession, and now, their farms are at risk because the government wants to rush through new tax laws without considering how agriculture operates.”

As several accounting bodies and financial associations also raised their concerns around the bill, Mr Lowe said it was critical that any changes made to tax laws did not place unfair financial pressure on family farms among other small, family-owned businesses. 

“These proposed changes could well force many farmers to sell the farm they operate or lease to their children, unless they’re able to take out even more loans to try and meet new tax obligations,” Mr Lowe said. 

“NSW Farmers supports sensible amendments to super – not taxes that will enable the super-rich to continue unaffected, while the small businesses and farm family businesses suffer.

“Aussie families and young Aussie farmers all deserve to be able to run their own businesses without crippling bureaucracy and taxes and there’s no doubt we need our family farms to stay if we want to have our own, homegrown food and fibre.”

Read more:

• National Farmer Rally in Canberra
• NSW Farmers secures win on property tax

The post Super tax to hurt family farmers appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

On Friday , media reports incorrectly claimed NSW was “a global hotspot for deforestation”, citing NSW Government figures claiming “landowners cleared land equivalent to almost twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory over the five years to 2023”.

But NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said these “cherry-picked” numbers had been weaponised to falsely paint farmers as environmental vandals.

“It’s very sad to see these baseless attacks on the farmers that feed and clothe our nation continue, this time from activists within the NSW Government itself,” Mr Martin said.

“The amount of land cleared stated as facts is wrong, alarmist and irresponsible, and it’s clear they are designed to demonise farmers rather than continue a productive conversation on protecting the environment.

“Australian farming practices are world-leading – and we have made significant progress on this issue, but that is being undermined by the people pushing an activist agenda.”

Clearing figures made no reference to the amount of land set aside for conservation, which was roughly four times as large, Mr Martin said. While the NSW Government claimed 420,000ha had been cleared of native vegetation from 2018 to 2022, it miscalculated the environmentally beneficial clearing of invasive native species.

Mr Martin said the NSW Government knew the actual amounts of land cleared were dwarfed by plantings and environmental gains, including on-farm conservation efforts and setting aside of farmers’ land for the environment, but this had been wilfully ignored or distorted.

“The activist strategy of using incorrect deforestation figures may have far-reaching consequences for all Australians,” Mr Martin said.

“This will impact our international markets and undermine the genuine environmental and sustainability credentials of Australian farmers.

“There is clear evidence that partnering with farmers improves conservation outcomes – such as the fact that forest cover in NSW has increased every year since 2007 – but this has been deliberately distorted by those who simply want to sell a message.

“I am deeply disappointed the NSW Government has taken this approach, and I call on NSW Premier Chris Minns to recommit to a constructive dialogue with agriculture.”

The post NSW Farmers calls out activists in state government appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

More than one third of commercial vegetable growers were considering walking away from the sector in the next 12 months according to the AUSVEG Vegetable Industry Sentiment Report.

Rising input costs, poor farmgate returns, workforce shortages, industrial relations changes, lack of funds to invest in innovation, and an overwhelming compliance burden were again identified as the key factors leading growers to reconsider their future.

AUSVEG conducted twice-yearly sentiment surveys, drawing responses from large, medium and small commercial vegetable growers from all Australian states and the Northern Territory to provide a current and cumulative picture of sentiment across the national industry.

Highlighting the intense pressure being felt by commercial vegetable growing businesses, half of respondents to the most recent survey indicated they were financially worse off compared to mid-2023, and almost 30 per cent indicated they expected to be financially worse off in a further 12 months.

Challenging business conditions led to almost 50 per cent seeing their future business outlook as either very poor, or poor, and a further 37 per cent ranking their outlook as average.

Workforce shortages and labour costs have continued to feature among growers’ biggest challenges, with 46 per cent indicating they were struggling to source enough staff in full-time, part-time and casual positions, and a range of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled roles.

Labour costs remained another major issue, averaging 38 per cent of a grower’s overall cost of production, and reaching as high as 71 per cent.

Visa changes threaten food security

Successive surveys also reflected changes in the workforce mix. Following adjustments to workforce schemes relied upon by growers, engagement with the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme reduced, and reliance on backpackers increased.  

More than 62 per cent of grower respondents to the survey also indicated the removal of the 88-day specified work requirement for working holiday visa extensions would have a severe or critical impact on their business.

The impact of some of these challenges on Australia’s food security were somewhat masked by recent favourable weather conditions and fewer supply chain disruptions. However, ongoing margin squeeze and difficult conditions, combined with any further set-back, could easily trigger a cascade effect that resulted in reduced production, higher consumer prices, and increased reliance on imported product.

Read the Vegetable Industry Sentiment Report

Specialist advice on workplace changes 

Rural businesses were encouraged to get in touch with a workplace relations specialist for an update on major changes to workplace laws and how they would affect farm businesses into the future. 

NSW Farmers Head of Workplace Relations Gracia Kusuma said new workplace laws that came into effect in July could have serious repercussions for farmers. 

“From the right to disconnect to changes in the definition of a casual employee and contractor, this new legislation introduces a number of changes to workplace regulations in place across Australia,” Ms Kusuma said.

“These changes will have a significant impact on farm businesses, and so now has never been a more critical time to get across what the latest workplace laws and regulations are, as well as how they could affect the way your farm workforce operates.”

Ms Kusuma said there were concerns not only about potential visa changes but also the whole suite of recent reforms to workplace laws, which would be covered in workshops hosted across rural communities.

“By breaking down these changes and how they affect day-to-day operations on-farm, these workshops aim to demystify our complex industrial relations landscape, and ensure your farm business can stay compliant and resilient well into the future,” Ms Kusuma said. 

“Staying informed is key in the current environment, and we have built these sessions around what farmers need to know and do to stay abreast of these changes as they come into play at an increasingly rapid pace.

“Each session is short, sharp and practical, lasting around two hours in total, and we’ve gone to great lengths to make it well worth the trip into town for anyone interested in coming along.”

The post Costs and poor returns threaten food security appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

With salt estimated to affect up to 30 per cent of arable land worldwide – jeopardising the survival of crops – the salinity crisis is a costly burden on agricultural productivity.

Led by the University of Newcastle’s Dr Vanessa Melino, the research team has studied plants of the genus Salicornia to better understand its salt-resistant properties.

“Our research reveals how salt-tolerant plants function on a molecular level to cope in extreme environments.

“We can use this information to breed crops that can be cultivated with saline groundwater or even sea water,” plant physiologist and molecular biologist Dr Melino said.

Uncovering the secrets of salt-loving plants

Dr Melino has spent years developing pure breeding lines of Salicornia while working at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia – where the plant is native. Salicornia thrives is saline areas across the globe including central Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa.

In a study recently published in Nature Journal, Dr Melino and her team reveal new insights into the molecular mechanisms behind the high salinity tolerance of Salicornia.

“Unlike most other plants, Salicornia can accumulate high concentrations of sodium in photosynthetically active succulent shoots while avoiding ion toxicity.

“This suggests that Salicornia has highly efficient processes to store sodium in compartments within cells through the action of specialised transporters,” she said.

Understanding this process provides hope for the development of salt tolerant crops and for the future of seawater-based agriculture.

While most plants die in a salty environment, Salicornia thrives.

“Salicornia actually depends on saltwater to grow and reach maturity,” Dr Melino said.

A vegetable oil alternative?

Described as crispy, juicy and salty, Salicornia is comparable to asparagus which is how it coined its nickname, ‘sea asparagus’. It’s already enjoyed as a delicacy in some countries, yet Dr Melino sees fresh potential to grow the plant to produce both a vegetable oil and high- protein ingredient.

“By focusing on fats (oil) and protein, we are trying to develop products that can be transported easily and are more sustainable than other sources — using seawater for irrigation instead of relying on limited freshwater resources,” Dr Melino said.

The meal could also be an excellent source of protein for humans, as there is a growing demand for alternative proteins, or else, it can be used in fish feed formulations.

Dr Melino said it was crucial to consider profitability for farmers or growers.

“The goal of our research is to help farmers cultivate a food crop in their saline soils using seawater, or brackish water, where they have no other options due to increasing salinisation,” Dr Melino said.

“No other existing crop can grow in these extreme conditions.”

Taming a wild species

Salicornia is a wild plant though, Dr Melino explained.

“You can’t take a wild plant, cultivate it, and expect to get a good yield and production from that plant,” Dr Melino said.

“Traditional breeding to domesticate wild plants is slow, tedious and costly.”

Dr Melino and her team are turning to modern breeding tools to speed up the domestication process.

“With modern genomic and genetic tools, we can select and introduce traits that are desirable for cropping,” Dr Melino said.

While researching in the Middle East at KAUST, Dr Melino and her team were the first to apply genetics and genomics to domesticate Salicornia.

“Our goal is to turn this wild plant into a profitable oilseed crop for farmers. We are using tools and techniques to do that as quickly as possible,” Dr Melino said.

Australia’s sea asparagus – the cousin of Salicornia

Now based in Australia and lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Dr Melino is turning her attention to native salt-tolerant plants like Samphire – also known as ‘sea asparagus’.

Dr Melino said the use of Samphire as an edible plant was not new.

“There is some evidence that Indigenous people in Western Australia discovered the seeds of this plant were edible long ago. I would like to now connect with Elders locally who may be able to share Indigenous knowledge about their traditional uses of Samphire,” Dr Melino said.

“Samphire is a relative of Salicornia. It grows in wetland areas of Australia, and in inland salt lakes.

“It thrives in areas that are very salt-affected. Few plants are able to cope in these environments because of extreme levels of salinity.”

Giving new life to salt-affected land

With more than two million hectares of Australian farmland affected by salt, Dr Melino sees an opportunity to explore domestication of Samphire into a high-value oilseed and alternative protein source.

Dr Melino hopes to partner with Australian growers and producers, particularly in Western and Southern Australia where the scale of the salinity issue is more severe.

“If we can produce oilseed crops using saltwater, farmers can reserve their limited freshwater supply for use on other types of food crops,” Dr Melino said.

“Fresh water scarcity is a major limitation for agriculture in Australia.”

Dr Melino hopes to give farmers in both Australia and in the Middle East and North Africa, options to grow novel crops without using freshwater resources.

The post New research plants the seed to grow food crops with sea water appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.