STA FM RURAL NEWS
Big decisions lay ahead for wool growers
The ACM Agri WoolPoll survey has closed, and the results are in – most wool growers don’t want to see the Australian Wool Innovation levy raised.
The 2018 WoolPoll vote resulted in the levy dropping to 1.5 per cent from 2pc, with the 1.5pc rate maintained after the 2021 WoolPoll, and many people believe the vote later this year will play a vital role in the future of the wool industry.
This year’s WoolPoll takes place from September 20 to November 1, with Australian Wool innovation to supply eligible wool growers with information on projected revenue at different levy rates and what program spending will look like for those levy rates.
ACM Agri asked wool growers from across the nation their opinions on the levy rate and AWI’s performance with 186 respondents taking part in the survey – 85 from NSW, 46 from South Australia, 32 from Victoria/Tasmania, 12 from Queensland, and 11 from Western Australia.
Asked if they believed the wool levy is providing value for money, 46pc of growers said no, 35pc said yes and 19pc were unsure.
A wool broker says the government’s plan to ban live exports by sea by 2028 is poised to unleash a ripple effect that could devastate numerous regional communities.
Martin Moses says the move threatens to dismantle generations of hard work for some families and is poised to compound the challenges faced by the already struggling economy.
He says the decision proves the government is completely out of touch with its regional constituents and has abandoned us – again. They are using us as a sacrificial lamb to meet their carbon emission targets.
This isn’t about farmers playing the victim; it’s about farmers saying “enough”.
He says we frequently find ourselves having to push back against decisions and opinions from powerful figures who lack real insight.
Mr Moses says – by bowing down to activists and inner-city voters who are completely out of touch with the highly regulated and science-backed industry, we are destroying the very backbone of our country.
Researchers investigating pasture systems that grow in conjunction with commercial timber, find no loss of daily weight gain in cattle, running with the benefits of trees.
In a project title Steak n Wood, five years’ worth of investigations are being co-funded by Meat and Livestock Australia with Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and findings point to profit from the more diverse enterprise.
Leading the research is Dr Nahuel Pachas, Qld Dept of Agriculture and Forestry, who advocates for the practice is known as Silvopastoral systems, where trees, pasture and cattle can coexist in the same unit of land.
He says, together they produce timber and beef and there are co-benefits, such as carbon sequestration, shade for animals, reducing erosion and increasing biodiversity.
Elders will pay its high-profile managing director, Mark Allison, a sum equal to the value of 90,000 shares next month, despite shareholders refusing to endorse a similar deal late last year.
Based on the farm services company’s current share price the bonus could be worth about $750,000.
The payout is set to be followed by another similar bonus in June next yea
A Young Farmer Business Program (YFBP) Conference, held at the University of New England in Armidale aims to build support structures for future generations of farmers.
According to the Director of Education at Tocal College, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Darren Bayley, the conference focused on the young people who are continuing on their family farm business or starting their own business.
Mr Bayley says the Young Farmers Business Program supports those aged 18 to 40 to start up and grow successful farming businesses, as well as embrace resilience, innovation and sustainability to ensure they thrive in the primary industries sector.
Some of the most valuable information in the recently released NSW Department of Primary Industries Winter Crop Variety Sowing Guide booklet is not just new variety details, but how they have performed in independent variety trials.
Mainly new varieties have several years of trial data that supports their release and testifies that breeders are consistently developing varieties that yield higher compared to past generation ones.
A select band of gun livestock agents from the Northern Tablelands and Northern Rivers have united forces under the new privately-held brand of Australian Property and Livestock Group.
Comprising former Ray White agents, the new firm is headed by prior Ray White Rural leader Bruce Birch, with Guyra and Armidale agents Blake O’Reilly and Sam Sewell; Casino and Kyogle agents Andrew Summervillle, Nick Fuller, Josh Sawtell and Isaac Young.
Australia’s largest cattle company has increased its herd size by 5 per cent to about 455,000 head, but the value of the herd has fallen nearly $150 million.
AACo posted a $50.5 million operating profit for FY24, [which is] 25 per cent down but is still AAC’s second largest operating profit.
Inverell Weekly Cattle Sale – Tuesday 21st May – 1279 head
Inverell penned 1279 mixed cattle with not all regular buyers attending.
Trends varied through the sale according to quality. Steer weaners slipped 13c/kg to restockers as did the heifer drafts although a lack of quality forced the issue selling to a 24c/kg deficit 192c to 286c/kg.
Light yearling steers to background sold to 13c/kg dearer however medium feeders were up to 16c/kg cheaper making to 372c/kg.
A negative correction for light feeder heifers resulted in that category losing 15c/kg.
Medium feeders on the other hand sold to 15c/kg better ranging 288c to 344c/kg.
Limited grown steers were firm to slightly dearer and the heifer drafts rose 20c/kg to sell up to 262c/kg.
Cows were firm to marginally dearer heavy drafts 209c to 235c/kg. Medium cows 24c/kg better and cows back to the paddock 210c to 216c/kg.
Stephen Adams MLA
ROMA STORE SALE TUESDAY MAY 21 – CHARLES WEYMAN JONES
8712 HEAD SOLD YESTERDAY. CATTLE WERE SOURCED FROM NT, SA, NSW AND QLD FOR SALE. THE MARKET WAS SOLID AND IMPROVING.
YEARLING STEERS C2 SCORE
UNDER 200 KGS SOLD TO 440 TO AVERAGE 421 200 TO 280 KGS SOLD TO 448 TO AVERAGE 407 OR $1036 280 TO 330 KGS SOLD TO 413 TO AVERAGE 377 330 TO 400 KGS SOLD TO 392 TO AVERAGE 355 OVER 400 KGS SOLD TO 358 TO AVERAGE 323
YEARLING HEIFERS C2 SCORE
200 TO 280 KGS SOLD TO 320 TO AVERAGE 277 280 TO 330 KGS SOLD TO 310 TO AVERAGE 272 330 TO 400 KGS SOLD TO 302 TO AVERAGE 281 OVER 400 KGS SOLD TO 302 TO AVERAGE 277
COWS UNDER 520 KGS
D2 COWS SOLD TO 225 TO AVERAGE 196 D3 COWS SOLD TO 230 TO AVERAGE 222
COWS OVER 520 KGS D3 COWS SOLD TO 240 TO AVERAGE 232 OR $1301
BULLS OVER 600 KGS SOLD TO 276 TO AVERAGE 259 OR $2780
