The National Arbovirus Monitoring Program has changed its bluetongue virus boundaries, after the detection of infected cattle on a Pilbara station in Western Australia. The discovery will mean an extra 20 stations in the region will no longer be able to sell stock to markets in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

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Cattle supplies across the eastern states were again restricted by heavy rainfall during the past week, with falls of up to 50mm in southern Queensland and northern NSW on Monday and Tuesday preventing the mustering and transport of some stock. As a result, national cattle throughput at MLA's NLRS reported physical markets fell 22% on the previous week.

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THE Red Meat Action Group (RMAG) has voiced major concerns at the WA Meat Industry Authority's (WAMIA) handling of what it (RMAG) claims are design deficiencies at the Muchea Livestock Centre.

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There has been some light rainfall recorded in the northern pastoral regions of WA. The southern Ag districts again saw another week of fine and dry weather with most areas now having failed to reach half their average winter rainfall.

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The spring cattle demand is starting early in southeast Australia, and it's lifting prices as producers compete to restock paddocks after drought-breaking rain.

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IN THE past three years, growing sheep feed and increasing pasture production has helped Eudunda farmers Barry and Marie Hines improve their sheep a hectare ratio from two to five.

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COW numbers have dropped at NSW saleyards in line with the traditional late winter slump. Most producers have already offloaded dry cows and are preparing for calving, and good spring prospects have curbed any last-minute destocking.

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Lamb producer breaks his own record For the second time in a fortnight, a sheep producer near Wagga Wagga in southern NSW has broken the national lamb record.

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The North Australian Pastoral Company says the setbacks in the live export market haven't affected their operations, and instead, business is expanding.

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Cattle supplies across the eastern states were again restricted by heavy rainfall during the past week, with falls of up to 50mm in southern Queensland and northern NSW on Monday and Tuesday preventing the mustering and transport of some stock.

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AUSTRALIA'S reputation for producing quality oaten hay has seen exports surge past the 1 million tonne mark. Five hay oat varieties developed by SARDI are in commercial production around the nation through Australian Exporters Company Pty Ltd and sold into the major market of Japan, and Korea and Taiwan.

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Rainfall across Australia was fairly widespread this week, with a number of cold, blustery systems bringing more rain to large areas of Tasmania, Victoria and SA.

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IN A marathon selling session, Banyenong West Poll Dorset breeders Doug and Robyn Russell farewelled their stud ewes to a record-breaking top-price of $5500 last Friday.

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FORECASTS of strong soybean prices for next summer’s crop, combined with current poor feed grain prices and a late start to sowing opportunities, have eaten into the normal winter cereal plant on the North Coast. Plantings are back 25 per cent on last year, with just 700 hectares of wheat and 2250ha of barley planted, most of it around Casino.

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MEAT & Livestock Australia is attempting to do for lamb in spring what Sam Kekovich has done for sales of the meat around Australia Day. The latest ad in a long-running campaign attempts to more closely align spring with lamb in the minds of Australian shoppers.

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Widespread rainfall across much of the eastern states has severely impacted goat supply, with stock transport routes disrupted. The tighter supply has placed upward pressure on prices, resulting in some contributors lifting rates by 10¢/kg cwt. International enquiry has remained firm despite the A$.

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Although both the lamb and sheep supplies were higher, the actual result is still very much well below other seasonal figures for this time of the year. With young lamb numbers creeping up at both Bendigo and Shepparton which is very seasonal but still mostly later than at other years, the overall lamb supply did increase by some 8%, whilst sheep supplies did an amazing turn around by increasing by 44%.

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There was a slightly smaller yarding at Armidale with most cattle presented in plain condition. Lightweight yearling steers to restockers averaged 249¢ with heifers making around 224¢/kg. Light yearling steers back to the paddock sold between 199¢ and 239¢ as the few heifers to the trade made around 183¢/kg. Very few grown cattle were penned with the few medium cows averaging 134¢/kg.

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GERRY MUCKERT talks to his cattle every day. At the end of a busy day at his shop, the Brassall Meat Mart owner uses slow and soothing tones as he wanders through his small feedlot at the rear of his 25-hectare Ipswich property. And while some producers would reject such behaviour, anyone who has witnessed the calm and friendly temperament of his cattle would find it hard to argue against his unconventional logic.

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The nation's largest cattle producer, Australian Agricultural Co, has promised that a return to profitability is on the horizon as it pushes through the first year of a four-year turnaround plan.

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Over 30 years ago beef producers from across Australia came together to protect their rights and ensure a sustainable beef industry into the future.

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The science behind the world leading Meat Standards Australia (MSA) meat grading system was recognised last night at Australia ’s prestigious science awards – the Australian Museum Eureka Awards. The MSA research team won the category ‘Research by an interdisciplinary team’ against tough competition from finalists iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research and Nanopatch Influenza Vaccination Team.

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The disgraced former minister Ian Macdonald appointed Karl Kazal as his personal envoy to the Middle East despite the cabinet office refusing to endorse an official appointment.

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Judging at the 36th annual Rabobank Dubbo National Merino Show has resulted in the Kopp family’s Towalba stud, Peak Hill, exhibiting the champion sale ram with their medium wool champion.

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The board of Australia's former monopoly wheat exporter AWB is pushing for the agribusiness to become fully foreign owned. It's recommending its shareholders support a full takeover bid by Canadian fertiliser giant Agrium.

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MAJOR southern sheepmeat processor T&R Pastoral has sweetly timed its entry into lamb and mutton processing in Queensland. With growing momentum in flock rebuilding in northern NSW and southern Queensland sheep areas taking place as a result of recent record high livestock prices, T&R last week completed its acquisition of the Wallangarra and Tamworth processing facilities formerly operated by Country Fresh.

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THE largest Australian-owned beef processor in the country, the James Packer-backed Teys Bros, has strengthened its position in the market despite a strong currency and rampant industry rationalisation.

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The Cattle Council of Australia's Rising Champion Initiative offers young cattle producers the chance to share ideas, create networks and contribute positively to the Australian beef industry.

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Just over a week ago, when the desperate weather conditions and fires in northern Eurasia drove Russia into the position of halting grain exports, the Australian industry was overjoyed.

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The world’s largest feral camel population is not to be found roaming the Sahara Desert. It is munching its way, virtually unchecked, through the land of the kangaroo.

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ABOUT 90 per cent of Victoria’s sheep flocks might be infected with Ovine Johne’s Disease within five years if nothing was done about controlling the disease, Wickliffe veterinarian Dr David Hucker said at an OJD seminar in Hamilton this week.

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Classified Santa bulls hit a $15,000 high while purebred bulls topped at $11,000 at Tuesday's annual Cardona Canowindra Santa Gertrudis Sale, Emerald.

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A NEW breed of bull, the Queenslander, was the highlight of this year's annual PGA Kimberley Division bos Indicus bull sale, where the top price of $12,000 was reached for one from the Muan Brahman stud. The Queenslander bull is a combination of Red Brahman and Droughtmaster genetics.

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ABA Chairman Brad Bellinger said today, The most positive comments post election for rural Australia have come from North Queensland Independent Bob Katter. They follow his magnificent speech in the House of Representatives on 24th June when he flayed the major political parties for the policies that they have pursued; - policies that have almost destroyed Australia's agricultural sector.'

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Following a very wet winter across most of the eastern states, the latest three month rainfall outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts average falls during spring, which is already expected to be one of the best for several years.

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FARMERS who are found to be non-compliant with health and safety measures on their farms now face on-the-spot enforcement orders. Inspectors are to adopt a "zero tolerance stance" where basic safety measures have not been implemented, the chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has warned.

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An inquiry into food production in Australia has recommended an audit of foreign-owned agricultural land and water. It's one of four recommendations to come out of the two-year Senate inquiry investigating how Australian can produce food that's affordable, viable for farmers and environmentally sustainable.

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The Victorian Farmers Federation’s (VFF) Livestock Group has called for more action from Victoria Police to address the ongoing issue of livestock theft on Victorian farms, which will potentially cost the industry more than $1 million over the 2009-10 period.

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A MAN has died after falling eight metres from a grain bunker in Geelong.

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If calves are found to be weak and suffering as a result of non-compliance with the bobby calf provisions of the Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Cattle, penalties will be enforced.

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The Tasmanian aquaculture company Tassal has recorded a profit drop of 6.9 per cent in the past financial year. The group made a net profit of $28 million.

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WITH the crops soaking up the much anticipated rain last week, more than 30 farmers shifted their attention to sheep and attended the BreedersBest field day at Bruce Rock.

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COMPETITIVE bidding at the Murray Bridge prime lamb sale on Monday pushed prices up $8 to $10 on the sale a fortnight ago. There were 6000 new season lambs from the Mallee, Murray Bridge, Callington and Mannum areas.

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EARLY-season sucker lambs are making up to a magical $6 a kilogram carcase weight, but with plentiful paddock feed many producers are in no hurry to sell, instead looking to take their lambs to heavier weights.

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ON the rolling hills outside of Henty, Rod James revealed a shift from wool production to prime lambs was a risk the family needed to take.

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QUEENSLAND-bred Texel genetics have dominated the championship prizes at the Royal Queensland Show prime lamb carcase competition. Peter and Pene Hood's Plainview Texel Stud submitted just four pens of three lambs into the competition but won the bulk of prizes, including first places in the heavy trade lamb and restaurant lamb sections and the awards for champion pen of lambs and reserve champion pen of lambs.

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THE GRAINS Industry Association of Western Australia last week released numbers flagging a wheat harvest of 5.5 million tonnes, which would be down between 2.5 and 3 million tonnes on last year’s crop, according to official Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) data.

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Lambs continued their red hot run in the yards today with the national record smashed at $203. The Fowler family, “Kooroogong”, Harefield near Wagga Wagga eclipsed the $200 national record they set a fortnight ago at the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre. Their run of 70 grass-fed heavy export lambs were 11-months-old and weighed an estimated 80kg live weight.

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Conservative NSW MP Fred Nile has denied accessing porn sites from his office and says that members of his staff were simply researching links on certain websites. He denied this morning a report in The Daily Telegraph that he accessed porn sites up to 200,000 times.

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Beef exports from Australia, US, New Zealand and Brazil to South East Asia and Greater China during 2009-10 all reached new records, as booming population, coupled with vibrant economic growth continued to boost demand for red meat.

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DESPITE economic experts predicting a probable return to a global economic crisis - and the uncertainty of who will govern Australia - there appears to be no stopping the relentless desire by sheep producers to procure ewes.

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Numbers at Dalby dropped significantly after good falls of follow up rain in the supply area. Vealer steers to restock made to 227¢ to average 224¢ while heifers to slaughter averaged 206¢/kg. Lightweight yearling steers to feed made around 199¢ with the heavyweights to process at 186¢/kg. Heavyweight yearling heifers made to 190¢ to average 180¢/kg. C4 bullocks gained 8¢ to average 190¢/kg. Heavy D4 cows gained 7¢ to average 155¢/kg.

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Australian mutton production in 2009-10 reached 177,117 tonnes cwt, down 25% on the previous year's total, and the third year in a row that it has declined (Australian Bureau of Statistics). With sheep slaughter slipping 28% to 8.1 million head over the same period, a 5% increase in average carcase weights, to 21.8kg/head, slightly restricted the production fall.

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Poultry producers say increased national demand for eggs and low supply don't necessarily mean better returns for farmers. Jeff Ironside, from Townsville in Queensland, is the chairman of the Australian Egg Corporation.

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One of the world's largest agricultural biotech companies, Monsanto, has bought part of the Western Australian Government's grain breeding company, Intergrain.

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AN innovative Merino wool-based outdoor garment called WoolNet has taken out the Scandinavian Outdoor Award for Summer 2010. The netted base layer garment is part of the latest range from the acclaimed outdoor brand Aclima and showed an “innovative approach in terms of material, form and durability” according to the award judges.

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The board of the NSW Farmers’ Association has appointed Matt Brand as its new chief executive officer.

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Classified Santa Gertrudis bulls topped at $11,000 to average $4790, while purebred counterparts hit $9000 to average $3907 at Wednesday's annual Rockhampton Santa Gertrudis Sale.

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One of Australia's largest exporters is looking to tweak its business and ship live cattle from the country's northern ports to southern and eastern ports, which are closer to meatworks.

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THE Australian wool market has opened at a similar level to where it closed last month.

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