Sat, Apr 3, 2004
As Australia's wine industry has grown so too have the plethora of shows and awards for the nation's top wine-makers. But until now, the people who grow the grapes that make the wine haven't been recognised for their important part in the process. At Mudgee in the central ranges of New South Wales, a Viticulturist of the Year Award is providing long overdue recognition for wine grape producers.
Sat, Apr 10, 2004
Federal opposition leader Mark Latham may be a city boy born and bred, but he claims to have a feel for farming from his days studying at the Hurlstone Agricultural High School in western Sydney. Just like the opposition leader though, the majority of graduates from Hurlstone don't choose careers in agriculture. Sean Murphy joined the latest crop from Hurlstone on a tour of the Macquarie Valley in New South Wales designed to steer more of the school's graduates into choosing a career in the bush.
Fri, Apr 16, 2004
Within the beef industry there appears to be more contentious issues than there have been for many years. They include the impact of the free trade deal with America,the snap-back tarrif applied by Japan, the ever-present possibility of an exotic disease in Australia, live exports and some dodgy buffalo meat impacting on sales to Asia. But the most controversial topic around at the moment is the National Livestock Identification Scheme. That is where Kerry Lonergan started his discussion on beef with MLA Chairman David Crombie.
Sat, May 8, 2004
What do organic liquorice, rugby scrum machines and blown glass have in common? They're all produced in country towns and are part of a big export drive from regional Australia. With free support from Austrade and state government agencies, regional exports are now growing three times faster than those from Australia's cities.
Sat, May 15, 2004
It has often been said that if something tastes good, it can't possibly be good for you. Well - that's now not necessarily the case when it comes to chocolate ice cream. A South Australian based company is producing an anti-oxidant powder, which is being added to a well-known ice-cream brand. This healthy additive comes from a most unusual source - waste from the wine industry.
Sat, May 22, 2004
Exotic fruits such as custard apples, Buddha's hand citron, Inga beans and carambolas are unlikely to ever match apples and oranges for mass-market appeal. But if one NSW mid north coast producer has his way, Australians will soon be able to taste up to 120 exotic varieties see how they're grown and learn about where they're from.
Sat, May 29, 2004
The life and times of duck producer Pepe Bonaccordo read like a movie script. From humble beginnings on a subsistence farm in his native Italy, he has become the biggest duck producer in Australia and New Zealand and predicts the Bonaccordo name will be around for generations to come.
Sat, Jun 12, 2004
It's been appreciated for many years that aircraft play a vital role in overcoming Australia's vast spaces. From every day travel through to mustering stock in remote country and emergency medical evacuations, the career path of most aspiring pilots will at some stage require a flight path into rural Australia. The Mallee country of northern Victoria provides a perfect environment for honing the 'bush flying' skills of trainee pilots.
Sat, Jun 19, 2004
There has been considerable controversy in the United Kingdom over whether to allow Genetically Modified crops in the marketplace. But in the US the first genetically modified pet is already on sale, and some scientists and pressure groups argue that the Glo-Fish could open the way for animals to be engineered for food.
Sat, Jul 3, 2004
A series of changes for Australian wool growers is around the corner. They'll be asked to declare whether they carry exotic breeds of sheep alongside their merinos, and testing their wool for dark and medullated - or hollow - fibres will become easier and cheaper. It's all in response to some major and growing criticism from China and Europe, about increasing levels of this kind of contamination in our wool. Many in the industry are saying concern about contamination is threatening Australia's reputation as a source of clean white merino fleece.
Sat, Jul 10, 2004
Aborigines do not have sea rights under Australia�s native title laws but a case being heard in the Narooma Local Court on the New South Wales south coast could really test that law. Eleven south coast Aborigines are challenging state fisheries legislation, claiming it denies them the right to exercise their traditional religious beliefs.
Sat, Jul 17, 2004
An ambitious Tasmanian farmer has been trying to crack the secret of growing wasabi. Most of us would know that wasabi is hot, but few of us could appreciate that wasabi is one of the most difficult plants to cultivate. Our story from the Apple Isle is one of dogged persistence and an unlikely combination of wasabi and cheese, which is proving a big hit in Japan.
Sat, Jul 31, 2004
For centuries the humble potato was a staple of the Western diet. Even in Ireland, long considered the home of the spud, during the past decade, rice and pasta have overtaken it as the main sources of carbohydrates. Australia's potato industry is trying to reverse those trends through consumer education and by breeding better varieties. But that can be a slow and frustrating process.
Sat, Aug 14, 2004
Hugh Victor Mackay had an enormous influence on Australian agriculture, as reported by the ABC's 'Countrywide' program 20 years ago. It is 120 years since Mr Mackay invented and built the world's first stripper harvester, 'The Sunshine'. Together, man and machine would change the face of farming, not just here but all over the world.
Sat, Aug 21, 2004
The constant debate about the merits of forestry can make life for the residents of Australia's timber towns pretty tough. There are demonstrations, protesters, blockades and government inquiries. In the 1980s and early 1990s that was almost everyday life for residents of the southern Tasmanian timber town of Geeveston. They lost their pulp mill - twice - the logging boundaries were redrawn several times, jobs disappeared, the young left town and there was a feeling of hopelessness and pessimism. Few thought Geeveston could recover but it has in quite a remarkable way.
Sat, Oct 9, 2004
In a career spanning three decades, photographer Andrew Chapman has captured some of the biggest moments in Australian history. From portraits of prime ministers to images accompanying front page news, his photographs have won him wide acclaim. Melbourne-based Chapman is a city slicker with a compulsion for the country. As a young art student he became mesmerised by the theatre of shearing and in the years since he has travelled widely documenting life in the woolsheds. Now, the cream of the veteran photographer's thousands of images is touring in a national exhibition.
Sat, Oct 16, 2004
Motor vehicles are Australia's biggest export to the United Arab Emirates, but that could be about to change with a major trade push for high-value food and beverages into Dubai. Food exports to the UAE's tourism capital were worth $130 million last year, and with plans to boost tourism numbers to more than 40 million a year in the next decade, Australian producers are poised to capitalise on one of the world's emerging luxury markets.
Sat, Oct 23, 2004
Farmers throughout the world have a history of accepting and adopting new technology as fast as it becomes available. The massive rise in food production in the last century only came about after the widespread use of new chemicals, including herbicides, pesticides and artificial fertilisers. When GM technology emerged a couple of decades back, once again many farmers saw this scientific advance as the way of the future, a method of producing more food with less chemicals. Well, that was at least partially true but only part of the story. Landline will be looking extensively at the GM experience in America, Canada and of course Australia. Those stories will feature over coming weeks. We begin the GM journey with the BBC�s comprehensive look at the history of this remarkable technology.
Sat, Nov 6, 2004
Michael Meacher, a former environment minister in the Blair Government, says UK consumers are wary of genetically modified (GM) foods due to a series of food scares in the region. He says incidents like the outbreak of 'mad cow disease' have caused consumers to lose confidence in authorities' assurances that foods are safe. Mr Meacher has told the ABC's London reporter Kirsten Aiken, that consumers see no need to take what they perceive as a risk and eat GM foods.
Sat, Nov 13, 2004
Live exports to the Middle East are likely to be down by more than 1 million sheep and lambs this year, and the outlook for 2005 is not much better. Australia's post-drought stock shortage, the rising value of the dollar, and the suspension of trade to Saudi Arabia have all combined for a forecast decline of 22 per cent this year. But the trade faces an even greater threat - the animal rights campaign against the trade has gathered momentum since last year's Cormo Express debacle. Prominent Australians have joined the protests and at least one American retailer has banned Australian wool products.
Sat, Nov 20, 2004
Australia and in particular Western Australia, may be one of the world hotspots for wildflowers, but for decades countries like Israel and the United States have been reaping the financial rewards. In fact, Australia meets less than 10 per cent of global demand for Australian wildflowers. But science and enhanced plant protection rights are leading a fightback by Australian plant breeders who are hoping to set future trends in the exotic end of the world's $10 billion a year cut flower market.
Sat, Nov 27, 2004
It is an extraordinary tale of how a run-of-the-mill sale of wheat has ballooned into an ongoing saga involving two wars, international sanctions and the forgiveness of debt amounting to billions of dollars. Caught in the middle of all this are Australian graingrowers, the bulk of them from Western Australia, and it is from that state that the grains president of the Farmers Federation, Peter Wahlsten, spoke with Kerry Lonergan.