Sat, Mar 19, 2005
No commodity has suffered more because of the rising Australian dollar than wool. And that's because we export such a massive proportion of the clip - well over 90 per cent. So where is wool heading and how can it recover? Kerry Lonergan put those questions, and others, to Woolmark's chief economist Chris Wilcox.
Sat, Mar 26, 2005
The Australian Farm Institute's Farm Dependent Economy (FDE) report shows the sector contributed an average of 12.1 per cent of GDP for the six years to 2003/04. This equates to $72 billion of GDP and accounts for more than 17 per cent of national employment. Institute executive director Mike Keogh has told Kerry Lonergan that the result highlights the impact that agriculture policy changes have on the whole economy.
Sat, Apr 2, 2005
As the outlook for the sugar industry remains gloomy, the pressure on cane farmers to diversify grows. The Federal Government is offering growers financial assistance to quit the industry and move into other fields. Landline talks to two farmers who have made a change - one now grows tea while the other farms crocodiles.
Sat, Apr 9, 2005
The beef industry's Funding Steering Committee is calling for the cattle levy by be lifted by $1.50. Through June and July producers will vote whether to accept the increase but in the meantime, Meat and Livestock Australia is mounting a strong campaign for a 'yes' vote. Heading up their case is committee chairman Don McDonald who told Landline he was confident producers would accept the increase. The Australian Beef Association�s Linda Hewitt outlines why the group is opposing the increase.
Sat, Apr 16, 2005
This week on Landline, a professor in the department of animal science at Colorado State University talks to Kerry Lonergan about a number of issues, including mad cow disease, American access to the Japanese market and the controversial question of traceability. Dr Gary Smith is said to be one of the top 40 experts in the American beef industry.
Sat, Apr 23, 2005
Farmers know all too well about the cruelties of nature, and the suddenness with which disaster can strike. To survive and enjoy life on the land, farmers have to be resilient, optimistic and dogged. When they take a knock, they have to get up, dust off and keep on going. All those qualities came in handy for Queensland avocado grower Stan Haman four years ago, when he woke up in hospital paralysed.
Sat, Apr 30, 2005
The honey industry is facing increasing threats to its resource from land clearing, urban encroachment, drought and salinity. In the latest blow, Queensland will evict beekeepers from more than a million hectares of state forest and there are more closures to come. The industry says the move puts at risk not just the relatively small $10 million honeybee industry but two thirds of the state's horticultural crops, which rely on honeybee pollination.
Sat, May 7, 2005
While much of the focus in the national action plan on salinity and water quality is likely to be on the Murray Darling system, the West Australian wheatbelt is slowly turning to salt. By the year 2050 a third of WA's bread basket or six million hectares, is likely to be affected by salinity. It's a desperate situation and in the past decade many farmers have taken desperate measures to solve it including deep drainage channels. But some drainage systems have caused as much trouble as they've fixed.
Sat, May 14, 2005
Australia is responsible for about 40 per cent of the world's mineral sands mining. But with the traditional mining areas of Western Australia and Queensland beginning to reach maturity, the hunt is on for new sources of rutile, zircon and ilmenite. The new boom area is the Murray Basin, where mining companies are offering some communities affected by the drought a financial lifeline.
Sat, May 28, 2005
A bleak assessment of wool's global prospects was delivered at an international conference last month. Wool growers, processors, marketers and retailers were told they would have to make changes to stop the crisis in confidence from deepening even further. Several Queensland growers have already made a change that they think will give them an edge over their fellow producers - they are targeting the organic end of the market.
Sat, Jun 11, 2005
Few sports are so steeped in tradition and ritual as the game of cricket. So when the Australian test team yesterday played the first match of a hectic four-month schedule in England it did so with bats made from the customary English cricket willow. The laws of the game state bats must be made of wood.
Sat, Jun 25, 2005
With wild fish stocks fast running out aquaculture looms as one of Australia's biggest growth industries and you'd think governments would be keen to support new players. But a south coast mussel farmer who is leading a push to develop shellfish production in the Jervis Bay Marine Park, claims he's being swamped by red tape.
Sat, Jul 30, 2005
As passionate as the Kiwis are about getting access to Australia for their apples, their Australian counterparts are equally passionate about keeping them out. Darral Ashton is chairman of Apple and Pear Australia Limited and he's been riding point in the campaign to exclude the Kiwis. He spoke to Kerry Lonergan from the ABC's Canberra studio.
Sat, Aug 6, 2005
Much has been made of nation's shortage of skilled labour. But many primary producers claim there's an even greater shortage of unskilled labour across all of rural Australia. They say many Australians are no longer willing to undertake the more menial, labour intensive jobs our forebears once performed. Most horticultural regions rely on itinerant labour in the form of foreign backpackers and in one region seasonal labour shortages have become so severe that it has devised a radical solution to bring guest labour from China. The Sunraysia Mallee Economic Development Board wants federal government approval for its scheme in time for the coming summer harvest. Its plan has the support of peak farmer bodies. But this is an emotive issue, dividing opinions on both sides of the political fence.
Sat, Sep 24, 2005
Joanne Shoebridge talks with Gunnar Rundgren, president of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. An organic farmer since 1977, Mr Rundgren will discuss issues surrounding Australian organic accreditations and standards, and if organic foods are better for you.
Sat, Oct 8, 2005
What's a man to do when he decides he's tired of making a living fishing the cold, dangerous seas of the Southern Ocean? For Dave Williams, it meant moving into aquaculture. His main criteria was that the business be profitable, and that he be warm and safe. After considering several options, he decided to go pearl farming in Queensland. Landline caught up with him as he harvested his first crop.
Sat, Oct 15, 2005
It is harvest time for Australia's wheat crop. There has been a lot written and said recently about wheat - the size of the harvest, the quality of the wheat and its price. To discuss these issues Kerry Lonergan spoke with the general manager of AWB (International) Ltd, Sarah Scales.
Sat, Oct 22, 2005
There is something appropriate about buffalo being one of the enduring symbols of the top end. They're often as wild and untamed as their natural habitat and some of the territory's more colourful characters. Yet there's a soft side to these animals. Over the past few weeks an animal wrangler from the Gold Coast has committed himself to bringing out the best in buffalo taming and training them for an important overseas goodwill mission.
Sat, Oct 29, 2005
Shearers are often portrayed as hard men engaged in a physically tough occupation but West Australian gun Dwayne Black is smashing that image and smashing world records. Last weekend, Dwayne decided to attempt one of the toughest shearing records in the book and Landline's Tim Lee was there to provide us with this blow-by-blow account.
Sat, Nov 5, 2005
At a time when the citrus industry should be riding high with a bumper crop of premium navels, as much as 50,000 tonnes of fruit is being left to rot on trees or fed to cattle while Australian processors are using cheap Brazilian concentrate in juices. The industry faces a massive shakeout in coming years as heavily indebted growers and packers face receivership. But an eleventh hour trade deal with China signed just over a week ago may yet prove a saviour for many in the industry.
Sat, Nov 19, 2005
Opinions are divided over the merits or otherwise of Australia negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with China. But when it comes to agriculture, we still enjoy a number of important comparative advantages over the Chinese in both goods and services, particularly in sustainable natural resource management. Landline checked on an Australian agricultural aid project that has been making a difference on the ground in northern China.
Sat, Nov 26, 2005
Sunday November 20 was the last program in the regular schedule for Landline 2005. Over the summer break, from November 27, 2005 through to February 5, 2006, we'll be featuring many of the most popular Landline stories from the past year in the regular Landline timeslot. On behalf of the Landline crew we wish our viewers a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2006. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to bringing you the 16th year of Landline, starting February 12, 2006.