‘Kick in the guts’ for citrus growers smashed by hail twice this season
Queensland citrus growers are counting the cost after several producers around Gayndah were hit by violent hailstorms twice in one season. ⌘ Read more

Mango disease mystery solved
Researchers have discovered what’s causing mango twig tip dieback, but warn there’s still a lot of work to be done. ⌘ Read more

North Queensland bananas selling at a discount despite flooding
Banana prices look likely to stay low, even if supply is temporarily disrupted by flooding. ⌘ Read more

Fly larvae happy to munch on winery waste to make fertiliser
Two different agricultural enterprises have come together to tackle Australia’s food waste challenge in an unexpected way — using the humble fly. ⌘ Read more

SA vintage kicks off early but shows promise of excellent wine
Drought, heat and frost have cut yields and pushed SA’s wine industry into an early vintage, but a silver lining looms in the promise of high quality wines as a result. ⌘ Read more

‘Wall of water’ smashes north Queensland cane and banana crops
Growers rushed to pick, pack and truck their fruit out before the rain started, but say it will be difficult to restock supermarket shelves after significant flood damage. ⌘ Read more

Time-poor Aussies leave ‘inconvenient’ fruits off the shopping list
Growers fear the time it takes to cut up a pineapple and clean the mess off the chopping board is behind flatlining sales. ⌘ Read more

How TikTok is helping sell Tasmanian cherries to Asian customers
Tasmanian cherries are being sold online in hyped buying markets not unlike TV infomercials. ⌘ Read more

Tomato grower defends unauthorised transport of infected seedling
Tomato seedling trade has once again been halted after seedlings were moved from South Australia to Victoria without a plant health certificate. ⌘ Read more

Bananas the best fuel for Australian Open players chewing through 200kg a day
Professional tennis players have access to the world’s most advanced sports drinks and gels to boost their performance, but dietitians say you can’t beat the humble banana. ⌘ Read more

Application to take more water from Perth Hills for bottling has locals up in arms
The City of Kalamunda has received an application to extract 30 million litres of groundwater a year from a Pickering Brook orchard, and nearby residents are worried. ⌘ Read more

Putricia the stinky corpse flower blooms in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens
The flower has been said to smell like rotting flesh, wet socks or hot cat food, and only stinks for 24 hours after blooming. ⌘ Read more

The hidden cost of cheap asparagus as grower leaves crop to rot
Ed Fagan’s family has been growing asparagus in the NSW central west since the 1950s, but he says supermarket prices and a tight labour market have forced him to abandon the crop. ⌘ Read more

Two million sailors died of scurvy until the discovery of a simple cure
The discovery that scurvy, a debilitating illness caused by vitamin C deficiency, could be treated with citrus fruit transformed 19th century naval exploration around the world. ⌘ Read more

Family honours Maroochydore’s last pioneering farmer with fig harvest
Guided by the scribbles in three small notebooks about the orchard, Peter Wise’s family continue to harvest fruit from hundreds of trees. ⌘ Read more

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus detected in Victoria for first time
Authorities work to eradicate the tomato brown rugose fruit virus, which has already had devastating impacts on South Australian growers. ⌘ Read more

Why don’t Australians source more coffee from our region?
Australia is surrounded by coffee-growing countries like Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, but it imports most of its coffee from the other side of the world. With climate change and coffee bean prices skyrocketing, is it time to look closer to home? ⌘ Read more

Flat white price likely to skyrocket this year, no matter where you live
Industry insiders say coffee lovers — even in regional Australia — are unlikely to escape paying more for their flat whites as cafes are forced to push up prices. ⌘ Read more

Dry weather in South Australia hits native plant sales to farms
Native plant suppliers are reporting a downturn in sales to farms for revegetation projects after historically low rainfall in much of the state last year. ⌘ Read more

Why Lunar New Year has driven up fruit prices
Australian fruit producers are gearing up for Lunar New Year. At the centre of these celebrations are North Queensland lychees and Tasmanian cherries, which serve as symbols of prosperity and good fortune in Asian culture. ⌘ Read more

Teacher turned florist proves it’s never too late for a career change
More than a decade of teaching has taught Natalie Brock a thing or two, but her biggest life lesson has been to “do something you love”. ⌘ Read more

Could high coffee prices trigger a boom for Aussie growers?
Bad weather in key coffee producing countries has sent the price of beans soaring but Australian growers say capitalising on gaps in the market will be difficult. ⌘ Read more

Grapes tainted by smoke from bushfire transformed into brandy
Grapes damaged by a devastating bushfire in the Adelaide Hills in late 2019 have been turned into brandy. The research, led by the University of Adelaide, is part of a wider project aiming to help producers navigate the setbacks of climate change. ⌘ Read more

Fed-up farmer quits industry over supermarket price discrepancy
Ross Marsolino has spent more than 40 years feeding Australian families. But the price discrepancies he has faced recently have driven him to leave the industry completely. ⌘ Read more

Months after devastating frost, grape growers are feeling optimistic
Four months after an unseasonable frost event wiped out vineyards across south-eastern parts of the country, growers in SA say they are feeling better than expected. ⌘ Read more

As Australia’s wine workforce ages, young winemakers are trying to make their mark
The wine industry’s peak body hopes it can attract the next generation of growers and producers, but young, first-generation winemakers say nepotism and historical industry connections are barriers to entry. ⌘ Read more

Australian pistachios crack a record harvest
Australia’s pistachio industry has gradually established itself and now with a record harvest, and a new facility, it is looking for new markets overseas. ⌘ Read more

Small-scale farmers feel forgotten as food regulation changes loom
Australia is implementing stricter regulations on leafy greens, melons and berries, which small-scale growers say will cause unbearable production cost increases. ⌘ Read more

After 70 years, Dick and Pixie share recipe for long life on the land
Dick and Pixie von Hofe have just celebrated 70 years of marriage, and say hard work, determination and, of course, love are the key ingredients. ⌘ Read more

The country with the best wine that (almost) nobody gets to taste
Travel by cable car up to alpine vineyards so beautiful Prince wrote a song about them, in a place that keeps the best wines all to itself. ⌘ Read more

Rain-hit cherries ‘explode’ in several states, slashing Christmas supply
The country’s two largest cherry producing states lose a third of their fruit due to heavy rain, which could see prices rise. ⌘ Read more

Court fines fruit grower after picker dies in fall from moving trailer
A 70-year-old Afghan national died after falling from a moving trailer on his second shift at Cutri Fruit in 2022. The company pleaded guilty to failing to mitigate safety risks. ⌘ Read more

Tasmanian tomato grower hoping for better prices in the new year
Tomatoes look great but prices don’t for one Tasmanian grower ⌘ Read more

Grape growers at breaking point plead for mandatory code of conduct
Wine grape growers have spoken at a senate inquiry to plead for a mandatory code of conduct to ensure they get fair prices for their produce. ⌘ Read more

‘There is certainly a glut’: Truss tomato growers call for shoppers to help combat oversupply
The price of truss tomatoes across Australia is expected to stay down in the lead up to Christmas. That might be good thing for shoppers, but some growers say they’re struggling to break even. ⌘ Read more

Residents urged to destroy homegrown produce as fruit fly detected in Perth
Residents in a swathe of suburbs in Perth’s south are urged to remove all fruit and fruiting vegetables from their gardens following the detection of the Queensland fruit fly, which poses a significant threat to the state’s horticultural industries. ⌘ Read more

Australia faces an oversupply of fresh herbs as demand stagnates
It has been a perfect season for herb growers, with production doubling on some farms, but a wholesaler says consumers are increasingly choosing the dried product. ⌘ Read more

Small flower farm with big plans
Former ram paddock now home to lovely flowers ⌘ Read more

Tasmanian flower farm open for the public to pick their own for the first time
Pick your own, it’s a popular activity to do over summer  especially with fruit ⌘ Read more

Hungry flying foxes cost SA cherry growers $4million to save Christmas
Flying foxes are in abundance in South Australia and their hunger for local fruit is now impacting cherry growers, resulting in an expensive solution to save your Christmas celebration. ⌘ Read more

Cafes and suppliers say matcha demand outpacing supply
Matcha’s vibrant colour and health benefits have made it a new fad food, fuelling a surge in demand that is outpacing supply. ⌘ Read more

Flower lovers answer farmers’ call for help after more than 100 fresh bunches rejected by buyer
Lyn Bayfield’s community came to the rescue when a wholesaler refused more than 100 fresh-cut bunches from her farm, a practice an industry body says is common in the “cutthroat” business. ⌘ Read more

From heels to work boots, mango farming is a dream come true for Thai businesswoman
Saramat “Tou” Ruchkaew had a successful marketing career in Thailand before she moved to Australia and became one of the NT’s biggest mango growers. ⌘ Read more

Viral TikTok cucumber recipes drive up sales as younger Australians smash a salad
Cucumbers are this year’s unlikely viral sensation on social media, spurring a 30 per cent spike in sales among younger Australians and shortages in places like Iceland. ⌘ Read more

Queensland’s tougher tobacco laws enforced for the first time as stores ordered to close for 72 hours
Authorities have used new closure powers to shut down three Bundaberg retailers suspected of selling illegal “chop chop” tobacco and vapes as the laws are enforced in Queensland for the first time. ⌘ Read more

Untimely rain causing problems for SA stone fruit, wine grape growers
Riverland grape and stone fruit growers are feeling the effects of significant rainfall over the region and are already counting the costs of possible disease outbreak and low-quality fruit. ⌘ Read more

WA cherries in low supply this Christmas
South West growers have experienced unseasonable weather conditions throughout 2024 resulting in drastically reduced yields. ⌘ Read more

Frustrated farmers take Silicon Valley approach to launch world-first $60m startup fund
Frustrated with how long it takes for research ideas to become reality, fruit, vegetable and nut growers invest millions in high-risk startups. ⌘ Read more

Glass of Albarino? This vineyard is turning to new grape varieties that could become the reds and whites of the future
At Mount Majura Vineyard on the edge of Canberra, viticulturalist James Hopper is planting new grape varieties that can better cope with the effects of a changing climate. ⌘ Read more

These volunteers care for Tasmania’s largest rose garden. Here’s their tips and tricks
Nestled within the walls of the world heritage-listed Woolmers Estate sits Tasmania’s largest rose collection. The sprawling 1.5 hectare garden is largely maintained by about a dozen volunteers. ⌘ Read more