Updated China-Australia trade list welcomed by citrus industry
Australia’s citrus industry welcomes an administrative milestone, the publication of a new list of orchards, packhouses and treatment facilities allowed to export to China. ⌘ Read more

Leafy greens, melons and berries face tighter food safety rules, but can small-scale growers afford them?
There’s concern new regulations could potentially price some small-scale growers out of business, but the peak industry group says growers — irrespective of their size — need to commit to food safety. ⌘ Read more

Does the ‘honour system’ still work? These farm stall operators say it most certainly does
Country drivers are familiar with increasingly common roadside produce stalls with bargain prices and farmers are grateful that people almost universally do the right thing. ⌘ Read more

Pink is the new orange with consumers hungry for photo-worthy new citrus varieties
New varieties of citrus like cara cara navels and blood oranges are growing in popularity, but farmers say supermarkets need to stock more to grow demand. ⌘ Read more

Tobacco industry to face tougher restrictions by 2025 under planned laws
Health warnings on individual cigarettes and new graphic images on cigarette packets are among changes the federal government plans to introduce. ⌘ Read more

When first grown in Australia, this exotic tropical fruit was little-known. Now farmers can’t keep up with demand
In the depths of South America’s Amazon Basin, the achachairú, a highly prized tropical fruit, has been cultivated for generations. But it’s on the side of the world, in North Queensland, that the fruit is grown on the greatest scale. ⌘ Read more

Australia’s first plastic credits scheme targets banana industry waste
The banana industry has welcomed a scheme that sees farmers earn credits for responsible waste disposal. ⌘ Read more

Saturday Gardening 27 May
Gardening guru Graham ‘Willow’ Williams answers your questions from 8.30am — 10am every Saturday on ABC Radio Canberra Saturday Breakfast. ⌘ Read more

World-beating winemaker’s ‘classic style’ puts region on global stage
A Coonawarra winemaker says while the recognition is nice, his product’s job is “just to be delicious” rather than win awards. ⌘ Read more

Tasmanian poppy farmers receive an increase in pay and hectares grown
Tasmania’s poppy processors have released details of their contracts for the coming season. ⌘ Read more

Producing and harvesting wine grapes means everything to me
Riley is from Irymple, Victoria, Latji Latji Country. ⌘ Read more

Fewer tea drinkers, rising costs force nation’s largest producer to put farm into ‘hibernation’
Demand for black tea on supermarket shelves is dropping each year, and a major producer is now shuttering its plantation. ⌘ Read more

GM banana could save $20b industry from devastating fungus, researcher says
Australian researchers have developed the world’s first genetically modified (GM) banana, but don’t expect it in a fruit bowl near you anytime soon. ⌘ Read more

What’s the most popular drink in the world after water? Hint: It’s not alcohol or coffee.
This is the story behind the drink that started wars and shaped the modern world. ⌘ Read more

Victorian flower farmer invents award-winning app encouraging people to buy local
In a bid to encourage Australians to buy locally grown flowers, a young entrepreneur in western Victoria designs a digital marketplace to connect producers with the local market. ⌘ Read more

$250k loans for farmers after devastating hailstorms too small, advocate says
Fruit growers in regional Victoria are being offered concessional loans to recover after hailstorms destroyed crops, but industry advocates say it will only touch the surface for medium and large-scale producers. ⌘ Read more

Custard apple growers marketing to next generation
Once common in backyards and suburban streets, the super-sweet fruit has almost disappeared from the landscape — but growers are hoping to change that. ⌘ Read more

Hectic time for chrysanthemum growers as harvesting for Mother’s Day ramps up
Tasmanian chrysanthemum grower Vaughn Kemsley is working around the clock to deliver flowers for mums. ⌘ Read more

Fruit and veg is driving northern Australia’s largest rural population to grow even bigger
Tucked into the lush highlands west of Cairns is northern Australia’s largest rural population, and it’s booming again with agriculture seemly the primary catalyst. ⌘ Read more

HelloFresh apologises to farmers market over false claims
HelloFresh sales representatives told customers their kits contained fresh produce from Bunbury Farmers Market. ⌘ Read more

Fiji is a tropical fruit paradise for tourists while locals lack nutrition — but protected cropping could help
Many people think of Fiji as a wonderland of tropical fruit and vegetable — but in reality, premium produce on offer at resorts comes from Australia and New Zealand, while many locals suffer from a lack of wholesome food. ⌘ Read more

Macadamia growers face financial disaster as glut drives prices down
The majority of Australian macadamia processors will pay their suppliers some of the lowest prices on record, with concerns they could drop further. ⌘ Read more

Why these grape growers are fermenting their wines to music
In Australia’s largest wine-producing region, wine growers like Andrew Duncan do things differently. But does it produce a better bottle? ⌘ Read more

Grower happy to take the shine off gassed mandarins, but needs supermarkets to get onboard
Citrus growers are trying to popularise mandarins with green tinges, but say shoppers have come to expect a perfect glossy orange colour created by gas treatments. ⌘ Read more

Australia’s largest kiwi grower invests millions in little known fruit
While they’re a mystery to many, jujubes have been around for thousands of years and are a common part of diets and traditional medicine in many Asian cultures. ⌘ Read more

Love a juicy mandarin? This season has the goods
Consumers can expect high quality mandarins in supermarkets thanks to a booming citrus season in Australia’s unofficial mandarin capital. ⌘ Read more

Eat our native nut and help growers survive a global macadamia glut
Macadamias, and products with chocolate, confectionary, in health foods and cooking oils, will be cheaper as a global glut caused by lockdowns and increased plantings send farmgate prices tumbling. ⌘ Read more

At an average of $6 each, soaring pineapple prices are here to stay
Pineapples are selling for record high prices and those in the industry say consumers need to get used to paying more for the Australian-grown product. ⌘ Read more

Katharine quit a career in opera to grow heirloom seeds — and she has no regrets
A tiny farm in rural Tasmania is a long way from the jet-setting lifestyle of an international opera singer and a business executive. But it’s where Katharine Tier and her partner have ended up. ⌘ Read more

Grape growers harvesting vintage directly back onto the ground after difficult year
Australia’s wine industry is limping to the end of one of its most difficult vintages, with widespread disease dramatically cutting yields and a glut of red wine leaving many growers unable to find buyers. ⌘ Read more

Country of origin labelling for Australian-grown flowers will set them apart from imports
Next time you buy flowers, check the rubber band holding the bunch together. Green and gold elastic bands will signify the blooms are locally grown. ⌘ Read more

Climate change pushes emerging Tasmanian wine region into spotlight
Step aside Yarra Valley and Coonawarra, Tassie’s traditional dairy and potato heartland is muscling in on the wine scene — with a little help from climate change. ⌘ Read more

Riverland families selling off land and diversifying after generations of growing winegrapes
Vineyard owners in South Australia’s Riverland are hitting the market as the wine industry feels the crush of a difficult vintage and China’s tariffs on red wine. ⌘ Read more

Queensland farmer helps boost budding Samoan dragon fruit industry
A Samoan farmer has turned to a Rockhampton dragon fruit producer for rare expert knowledge in growing the “beautiful” variety that can fetch up to $10 a piece. ⌘ Read more

New Kissabel apple with its red-hued flesh enters Australian market
Ten years in the making, the Insta-worthy Kissabel apple is a cross between a crabapple and a traditional eating apple. ⌘ Read more

Saturday Gardening 22 April
Saturday Gardening 22 April ⌘ Read more

How the battle for prosecco is heating up for Australian wine producers
An effort by the European Union to restrict the use of the name prosecco has been labelled as the “dodgiest claim” to a geographical indicator. ⌘ Read more

Consumers could pay more for strawberries as half a million young plants die mysteriously
Strawberry farmers count the cost of losing half a million young strawberry plants soon after they were purchased and planted. ⌘ Read more

Cooler season puts Gippsland winemakers ‘under pressure’ despite overall warming trend
A Victorian winery owner says cooler weather has delayed harvest and exposed grapes to more risks but, until this season, the conditions had been growing noticeably hotter. ⌘ Read more

Historic family winery signs up all of its grape growers to sustainability program
Grape growers contracted by Australia’s oldest family owned winery have found signing up to a sustainability program has had financial, environmental and emotional benefits. ⌘ Read more

Mum whose love of ‘colour was her signature’ remembered with unique flower
Sisters of woman lost to brain cancer have honoured their sibling by naming a dahlia variety after her, with the flower’s grower saying the family is among 70 who have used his varieties as tributes. ⌘ Read more

They’re hard to wash and extremely easy to break, but could these clay pots be the secret to making top-quality wine?
People have been making wine this way for at least 8,000 years in Europe, and a Tasmanian vineyard is now giving it a shot. ⌘ Read more

Riverland fruit grower crushing it as he keeps up family tradition
For some in the Greek community, making must is a tradition associated with Orthodox Easter. When Yianni Koutouzis  saw he had too many grapes, he knew what he had to do. ⌘ Read more

Dr Nigel Gray was determined to fight tobacco ads. Years later, his efforts are still paying off
The powerful anti-tobacco ads that shifted public opinion in Australia are featured in a new exhibition at Melbourne’s ACMI museum. ⌘ Read more

Australian wine growers hearing ‘positive noise’ from China as rumours of end to trade freeze swirl
A wine grower from Victoria says she’s been contacted by Chinese importers over the past three months who are confident the two countries’ wine trade will soon resume. ⌘ Read more

Poor cousin of the Hass: Why the humble Shepard avocado is so overlooked
Every avocado season a battle arises between Australia’s two most popular varieties — Hass and Shepard. The Hass always prevails … but why? ⌘ Read more

TestArticle_11Apr23
security patching  going on ⌘ Read more

Embracing local manufacturing has helped boost the fortunes of Australia’s dried fruit producers
Dried fruit growers can now order a specialised harvester, but it hasn’t always been the case. ⌘ Read more

$20 million tobacco crop ploughed into the ground after raid
A joint investigation between police and the tax office has led to the destruction of an illegal tobacco plantation which was found near Parkes. ⌘ Read more

Changes restricting international students’ working hours have farmers worried as workforce crisis continues
Workforce uncertainty in the face of the cap has left farmers grappling to secure farm hands, with one Tasmanian strawberry farmer halting a $10 million expansion plan. ⌘ Read more