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# nick        = ABC_horticulture
# url         = https://feeds.twtxt.net/ABC_horticulture/twtxt.txt
# type        = rss
# source      = https://www.abc.net.au/news/feed/4570058/rss.xml
# avatar      = https://feeds.twtxt.net/ABC_horticulture/avatar.png#4n2bulbw5mrxarp4pezgwdz4joeoazz6bk64uqsa6t4awxrbjtaa
# description = 
# updated_at  = 2024-04-15T19:52:36Z
#
2023-02-28T22:00:21Z	**Farmers stripped of 12 months' income by freak hailstorm want changes to disaster recovery arrangements**
Some Queensland farmers lost 100 per cent of their crops during vicious weather last year but didn't receive government support as no disaster was declared. As climate change gets worse, they fear for their futures. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-01/calls-for-disaster-arrangement-changes-climate-change-hailstorm/102032954)
2023-03-01T19:13:43Z	**Move over Hass, new avocado varieties are being planted in Australia**
Three new avocado varieties have landed on Australian shores in a bid to provide consumers with more options. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-02/new-avocado-varieties-more-options-for-consumers/102032760)
2023-03-02T03:23:23Z	**Well-known Tasmanian wine brand to be bottled interstate**
Josef Chromy wines have been bottled in their home state for years. Now a multi-million-dollar expansion plan will see it move to South Australia. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-02/tas-wine-josef-chromy-moves-bottling-to-sa-expansion-plan/102043920)
2023-03-03T00:34:01Z	**Laura Wishart working hard 'to prove them wrong' after taking over family's vineyard**
One sure way to make Laura Wishart commit to something is to tell her she cannot do it, and after throwing herself into the management of a vineyard north of Albany she is proving her detractors wrong. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-03/shepherd-hut-manager-laura-wishart-takes-on-wa-vineyard-alone/102043760)
2023-03-05T19:11:54Z	**Bringing the bugs back to this winery has saved time, money — and insects**
The global population of insects has declined by 41 per cent in the past 40 years, with researchers saying the overuse of chemicals in agriculture is a key reason. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-06/winery-brings-back-bugs-to-repair-environment-save-money/102050918)
2023-03-07T04:00:03Z	**Lucy has barely bought fruit in 12 years. As rate hikes hit hard, here's how she keeps her pantry full**
As the cost of living soars, some people are growing their own fruit and vegetables as a community to help keep grocery bills down. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-07/rba-raises-cash-rate-community-agriculture-helps-cost-of-living/102057384)
2023-03-07T04:17:19Z	**Wineries eye further opportunities in US as producers continue to feel the squeeze from China tariffs**
More than two years after China placed tariffs on Australian wine, SA producers are still looking for alternative markets for their product. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-07/sa-wine-growers-united-states-exports-china-tariffs-trade/102061534)
2023-03-07T19:14:55Z	**Peter's business relies on water, but too much of it has left him with no income**
River Murray floodwaters wiped out Peter Singh's Renmark vineyard late last year — and now he is faced with the difficult question of what to do next: rebuild or sell? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-08/long-term-economic-efforts-of-river-murray-flooding/102062846)
2023-03-07T20:58:58Z	**Billionaire Andrew Forrest doubles mango footprint in WA's Gascoyne**
Andrew Forrest's Harvest Road Group will double its mango footprint in northern WA ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-08/andrew-forrest-brickhouse-station-mango-expansion-carnarvon/102059362)
2023-03-10T19:00:00Z	**Gardening Talkback March 11 2023**
Gardening Talkback March 11 2023 ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/canberra/programs/saturdaybreakfast/gardening-talkback-march-11-2023/102084160)
2023-03-12T19:27:37Z	**Wineries 'rapt' as infield grape sorting makes processing quicker and easier**
As the grape harvest draws to a close, trucks are delivering fruit to wineries — but their loads carry more than just grapes, which is why infield sorters are growing in popularity. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-13/infield-grape-sorting-ups-processing-speed-murray-valley-winery/102075298)
2023-03-13T19:37:13Z	**Shifts in weather are causing Italian families to rethink an inter-generational tradition**
Italian-Australian communities are facing uncertainty over whether they'll be able to keep their annual sauce-making tradition this year due to a tomato shortage. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-14/sauce-day-italian-australian-tradition-tomato-shortage-passata/102086350)
2023-03-14T01:04:53Z	**'Game-changer' deal sees Australian avocados to set sail for India**
A free-trade agreement and access to the Indian market of 1.5 billion people is being hailed as "the light at the end of the tunnel" for avocado growers following a recent avo "glut". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-14/australian-hass-avocado-growers-india-trade-agreement/102091568)
2023-03-14T19:15:59Z	**Humble $26 bottle of Clare Valley chardonnay wins world's best at prestigious wine awards**
Taylors Wines took home the top prize at Germany's prestigious Mundus Vini Grand International Wine Awards, beating more than 7,500 wines from around the world. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-15/taylors-wines-chardonnay-wins-mundus-vini-wine-award/102092924)
2023-03-15T02:30:00Z	**Is the potato the best vegetable?**
Waxy or floury. Duck fat or oil. What is the best all round potato and should you keep them in the fridge? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/melbourne/programs/afternoons/potato/102098110)
2023-03-18T23:21:05Z	**Dahlias go viral as social media makes these classic blooms cool again**
From their humble origins as a cottage garden staple, dahlias are experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to the power of social media — and James Bond. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-19/dahlias-are-so-hot-right-now/102111610)
2023-03-19T18:49:53Z	**Hot chips back on the menu as potato shortage eases, but for how long?**
Wet weather and fewer potato imports are creating trying times for fish and chips shops, but growers say the start of the potato harvest across Tasmania and Victoria should ease demand. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-20/hot-chips-shortage-ends-as-potato-harvest-starts/102096716)
2023-03-21T03:00:54Z	**Farmers say crop losses from floods could have been avoided with better road drainage**
Victorian farmers are calling for better management of culverts along the Murray Valley Highway, or the addition of more, to help stop paddocks flooding in the future. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-21/flood-damage-victoria-farmers-want-culverts-managed/102109698)
2023-03-24T03:16:46Z	**Morale among fruit growers 'as low as it's ever been' as wild hailstorm wreaks havoc in Victoria**
The third major storm of the season, described as a "mini-cyclone", has "wiped out" what was left of apple crops in the region and robbed some growers of a year's worth of income. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-24/goulburn-valley-orchards-wiped-out-by-wild-hailstorm/102140680)
2023-03-26T23:25:27Z	**Would you try quandong-flavoured coffee?**
A small WA business is using the native Australian fruit quandong as a key ingredient in its products, including a coffee blend created as a tribute to the owner's late daughter. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-27/quandong-flavoured-coffee-dedicated-to-daughter/102126308)
2023-03-27T01:28:19Z	**First Fleet cuttings from the Hill of Hermitage created these vineyards. Now they're under threat**
When a pest epidemic destroyed most vineyards across Europe in the late 1800s, Australia's untouched syrah, or shiraz, vines became the oldest remaining vine rootstock. Now something new threatens them again. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-27/hunter-valley-vineyard-owners-rally-for-unesco-heritage-listing/102141554)
2023-03-28T22:22:13Z	**How farmers use sunbeds, sunscreen to give their apples the perfect hue**
These apples get a beauty treatment to make them more appealing to customers who "buy with their eyes". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-29/apple-farmers-using-sunscreen-reflectors-to-protect-pink-lady/102154264)
2023-03-29T19:17:05Z	**Expect to see less canned tomatoes on supermarket shelves this year**
SPC-branded canned tomato products will not be produced again until next year as Victorian tomato growers are struggling to recover after flooding and hail. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-30/spc-canned-tomato-supply-halved-vic-tomato-growers-weather/102142440)
2023-03-29T22:34:07Z	**Why this native fly could help Australia's biggest blueberry-growing region**
A native fly species could be key to pollinating crops across Australia's biggest blueberry-growing region, which is affected by an outbreak of bee-killing parasite, the varroa mite. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-30/pollinator-fly-trialled-varroa-mite-zone-coffs-coast/102158020)
2023-03-30T21:19:18Z	**Tassie apple variety Southern Bliss about to enter market as national harvest numbers drop**
Tasmanian apples could fetch top prices this season, with its apple season escaping the bad weather that plagued interstate orchards. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-31/tassie-apple-variety-southern-bliss-to-enter-reduced-market/102155476)
2023-03-31T00:06:08Z	**Producer warns 'fussy' consumers could jeopardise local fruit and vegetable industry**
With flavour the number one priority for this local grower, Rick Scoones says he's not willing to change his farming practices for buyers focused on cosmetic appearance. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-31/shoppers-fruit-vegetable-appearance-focus-hurts-local-farmers/102155996)
2023-04-02T01:35:09Z	**Farmers of wild Fijian coffee embrace agritourism with 'paddock-to-plate' cafe**
One of Fiji's first agritourism ventures is introducing tourists to the taste of the country's wild coffee and it's supporting Fijian women to become financially independent in the process. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-02/ethical-coffee-plantation-fiji-agritourism-venture/102124374)
2023-04-03T22:01:37Z	**Grape growers eye off diverse new markets for export**
Wine exporters across regional Victoria are building stronger ties with overseas countries to offload a glut of red wine, in what is being described as one of the most challenging harvests the sector has ever seen. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-04/grape-exports-red-wine-glut-china-shiraz-cabernet-wineries-vines/102165970)
2023-04-06T03:59:14Z	**Grower calls for compulsory fruit fly traps on farms in South Australia amid new outbreaks**
After three years and almost 40 outbreaks, a fruit grower is calling for the government to mandate traps in commercial orchards. It comes as backyard fruit growers call for more education on the pest. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-06/grower-calls-for-compulsory-fruit-fly-traps-commercial-farms-sa/102154288)
2023-04-07T05:52:29Z	**How being crowned a 'queen' helped propel these women into the agriculture spotlight**
Like many farming areas, women's roles in the apple orchards of Donnybrook went relatively unrecognised in the 1950s. But the region's Apple Queen competition helped to change that. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-07/donnybrook-apple-queens-remembered-for-agriculture-role/102186596)
2023-04-10T06:27:35Z	**Could the Big Orange be about to make a big comeback?**
One of Australia's iconic "big things" looks set to be revived as a tourist attraction after sitting dormant in South Australia's Riverland region for almost 20 years. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-10/plans-for-distillery-restaurant-at-big-orange-in-sa-riverland/102204718)
2023-04-10T20:16:40Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-11/working-hours-cap-on-international-students-worries-farmers/102192548)
2023-04-11T04:24:05Z	**$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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-11/police-destroy-illegal-tobacco-plantation-murga-nsw/102207798)
2023-04-11T05:09:48Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-11/australian-manufactured-harvesters-for-dried-fruit-industry/102205414)
2023-04-11T12:34:10Z	**TestArticle_11Apr23**
security patching  going on ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/testarticle-11apr23/102210988)
2023-04-12T20:38:46Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-13/hass-avocados-more-popular-variety-shepard/102154678)
2023-04-13T20:15:01Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-14/china-wine-importers-look-to-buy-rumours-trade-freeze-to-end/102219466)
2023-04-14T20:00:00Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-15/anti-smoking-tobacco-dr-nigel-gray-acmi-melbourne/102166884)
2023-04-14T21:38:42Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-15/grape-must-makes-most-of-grape-glut/102223612)
2023-04-14T22:56:52Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-15/ancient-european-winemaking-tradition-qvevri-revived-in-tasmania/102223822)
2023-04-16T01:17:56Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-16/dahlia-variety-named-marielle-soni-brain-cancer-death/102206202)
2023-04-19T02:03:33Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-19/south-australian-grape-growers-yalumba-sustainability-program/102230612)
2023-04-19T22:18:22Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-20/gippsland-winemakers-late-grape-harvest-cold-weather-climate/102230998)
2023-04-20T23:00:33Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-21/mass-strawberry-plant-deaths-unexplained-queensland/102242616)
2023-04-21T04:36:48Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-21/prosecco-european-union-geographic-indication-italy-champagne-/102250984)
2023-04-21T20:00:00Z	**Saturday Gardening 22 April**
Saturday Gardening 22 April ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/canberra/programs/saturdaybreakfast/saturday-gardening-22-april/102255700)
2023-04-25T19:51:42Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-26/new-kissabel-apple-grown-in-australia/102251378)
2023-04-25T23:03:13Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-26/dragon-fruit-grower-queensland-samoa-industry/102259054)
2023-04-27T20:25:09Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-28/riverland-vineyards-up-for-sale-china-tariffs-red-wine/102240328)
2023-04-28T21:55:37Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-29/wine-region-emerges-north-west-tasmania-climate-change/102269458)
2023-04-29T21:40:09Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-30/australian-flowers-florists-country-of-origin-labelling-bands/102278658)
2023-04-29T23:41:56Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-30/wine-industry-glut-vintage-poor-yield-downy-mildew-china-tariff/102273938)
2023-05-01T20:19:46Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-02/seed-freaks-heritage-seed-producers-trade-opera-business-for-tas/102188940)
2023-05-02T04:49:55Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-02/high-pineapple-prices-set-to-stay-/102292266)
2023-05-02T20:56:17Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-03/macadamia-nut-prices-tumble/102292440)
2023-05-03T00:47:02Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-03/citrus-season-boom-gayndah-qld-mandarins/102291150)
2023-05-06T22:36:51Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-07/kiwi-fruit-grower-seeka-expands-into-jujube-production/102309116)
2023-05-09T20:49:21Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-10/ethylene-gas-mandarins-appeal-consumers-reducing-shelf-life/102320506)
2023-05-09T22:22:46Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-10/riverland-grape-growers-fermenting-wine-to-music/102296004)
2023-05-10T20:08:00Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-11/macadamia-farmers-face-financial-crisis-due-to-oversupply/102292520)
2023-05-11T00:58:52Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-11/protected-cropping-creating-generational-change-in-fiji-pacific/102303128)
2023-05-11T02:58:49Z	**HelloFresh apologises to farmers market over false claims**
HelloFresh sales representatives told customers their kits contained fresh produce from Bunbury Farmers Market. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-11/hellofresh-apology-bunbury-farmers-market-false-claim/102332010)
2023-05-12T01:29:00Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-12/horticulture-creating-population-boom-in-queenslands-north/102307688)
2023-05-12T21:49:16Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-13/chrysanthemum-growers-harvesting-mothers-day-blooms/102317678)
2023-05-16T20:41:07Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-17/custard-apple-growers-work-to-find-new-generation/102351802)
2023-05-16T22:30:57Z	**$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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-17/hail-flood-damage-farmer-relief-payments-goulburn-valley/102353086)
2023-05-17T23:18:25Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-18/rural-vic-woman-of-the-year-buy-local-app/102356038)
2023-05-20T19:04:59Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-21/tea-most-popular-beverage-after-water/102260704)
2023-05-21T20:53:15Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-22/first-gm-genetically-modified-banana-australian-research/102367282)
2023-05-22T01:47:42Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-22/nerada-tea-pause-production-far-north-queensland/102375644)
2023-05-22T02:50:22Z	**Producing and harvesting wine grapes means everything to me**
Riley is from Irymple, Victoria, Latji Latji Country. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/takeover/programs/takeover-mildura/takeover-mildura-winner-riley/102323864)
2023-05-24T02:00:00Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/tas-country-hour/poppy-prices/102385288)
2023-05-25T23:58:37Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-26/coonawarra-wine-wins-best-cabernet-sauvignon-in-world/102392800)
2023-05-26T20:00:00Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/canberra/programs/saturdaybreakfast/saturday-gardening/102401554)
2023-05-29T22:09:11Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-30/plastic-credits-scheme-targets-banana-industry-waste/102355104)
2023-05-30T00:21:36Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-05-30/achacha-bolivian-fruit-largest-commercial-orchard-australia/102362668)
2023-05-31T06:12:41Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-31/tobacco-industry-faces-tougher-restrictions-under-planned-laws/102416734)
2023-06-01T04:00:38Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-01/colourful-citrus-grows-in-popularity/102413962)
2023-06-03T00:39:09Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-03/honesty-system-works-or-farm-stall-holders/102426448)
2023-06-04T21:41:36Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-05/new-food-safety-standards-for-leafy-greens-berries-melons/102418018)
2023-06-05T22:59:35Z	**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](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-06/updated-china-australia-trade-list-welcomed-by-citrus-industry/102443792)
2023-06-06T23:45:34Z	**Influx of foreign workers helps growers and towns 'starting to really feel alive'**
More fruit and vegetables are expected to hit supermarket shelves soon as backpackers and holidaymakers return to north Queensland. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-07/vegetable-production-boost-influx-international-workers-bowen/102406792)
2023-06-07T19:00:00Z	**Why this expert says we'll always drink, even when we know it's harmful for us**
Australians aren't drinking like we used to. Yet, despite parallels to tobacco use, some experts say alcohol's history and place in society mean it'll remain indefinitely. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-08/alcohol-consumption-predicted-continue-harms-tobacco/102425882)
2023-06-08T23:12:13Z	**Australian wines are going through a 'golden period' — now there's awards to prove it**
Australian wines have been labelled 'the best in the world' after dominating a prestigious international wine awards, taking home more 'Best in Show' awards than any other country ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-09/australian-wine-wins-decanter-world-wine-awards/102454142)
2023-06-09T07:53:44Z	**Decades-old winemaker pushed into voluntary administration**
A winemaker says he has a heavy heart about his business's latest step after it buckled under the pressure of natural disasters, COVID restrictions and trade tariffs. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-09/cassiegrain-wines-enters-voluntary-administration-nsw/102460184)
2023-06-09T21:00:00Z	**'Gone are the days of boiling the life out of them': Why we've changed our minds about brussels sprouts**
Ever wondered how to make those green vegetables you mother boiled to oblivion taste good? Find out how this up-and-coming young chef does it. Meanwhile a couple of young farmers are using the formerly despised veggie to pay off their first farm. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-cook-brussels-sprouts-in-minutes/102441576)
2023-06-09T23:39:11Z	**'It made me proud to be Australian': The fence that saved a family home from flood**
When the River Murray began to rise, the Schultz family built a fence from vineyard posts, bits of tin and shade cloth to save their home — and it worked. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-10/fence-saves-riverland-home-from-river-murray-flooding/102457024)
2023-06-10T01:31:58Z	**It's sweet and crunchy like an apple. So why aren't more Australians eating persimmons?**
A Queensland orchard is celebrating a record persimmon crop, but few Australians have ever tasted the fruit. Growers like Rod and Jeanette Dalton are trying to change that. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-10/queensland-orchard-celebrating-a-record-persimmon-crop/102454798)
2023-06-11T19:00:00Z	**Coffee is consumed everywhere — even in space. How did it win over the world?**
Discover what role curious goats, and religious figures trying to stay awake, have to play in the centuries' long evolution of coffee. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-12/history-of-coffee-the-global-beverage-with-chequered-past/102445782)
2023-06-11T20:38:55Z	**Farmers call for rethink on Pacific worker scheme as union warns against 'hysteria'**
Fruit and vegetable growers say they'll be forced to employ fewer workers from the Pacific when the Australian government introduces changes to its foreign labour scheme. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-12/pacific-worker-scheme-farmers-urge-rethink-harvest/102462596)
2023-06-13T22:13:58Z	**Jan is the only macadamia grower in the Riverland, but she has no desire to turn a profit**
People love the macadamias Jan Cousins grows on her Paringa property, but she has no plan to capitalise on the market she has cornered. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-14/paringa-macadamia-grower-keeps-crop-as-hobby/102408762)
2023-06-15T07:18:46Z	**Devastating banana disease spreads with new case on Queensland farm**
The fungal disease Panama TR4, which has no known cure or treatment, is confirmed on an eighth property in the Tully Valley. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-15/banana-fungal-disease-panama-tr4-spreads-queensland/102484062)
2023-06-16T08:27:44Z	**Wine grape growers out of pocket as vintage price negotiations stall**
Australia's largest member-owned wine grape co-operative is considering legal action against Accolade Wines as growers await a final price for cabernet sauvignon and shiraz grapes. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-16/ccw-legal-push-for-accolade-grape-prices/102487356)
2023-06-17T01:59:10Z	**Packing a gram-for-gram protein punch equal to a T-bone steak, demand for this tiny legume is booming**
Mung beans are one of the world's smallest vegetables. But there is a huge global market for this tiny — and valuable — crop. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-17/australian-farmers-look-to-meet-rising-demand-for-mung-beans/102482810)
2023-06-18T00:59:59Z	**A country town solution for feeding the needy gets these kids outdoors and high marks**
Getting their hands dirty while helping hungry people, these Hands On Learning students see how an abundant harvest ends up being delivered free to local residents experiencing food insecurity. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-18/volcano-produce-farmer-helps-hands-on-learning-and-food-share/102473418)
2023-06-18T19:46:28Z	**Record number of Pacific Islanders now work in Australia helping supply your next meal**
This fruit picker is supporting his family in Vanuatu to recover from cyclones. He hopes changes to the Pacific worker program will help him send more money home. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-19/pacific-workers-welcome-scheme-reform/102477350)
2023-06-20T03:03:15Z	**Robots, high-density planting just some of Young Farmer of the Year's fresh ideas**
Fifth generation apple, pear and stone fruit grower Mitchell McNab says robotics will play a major role in the future to keep production costs down. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-20/mitchell-mcnab-young-farmer-of-the-year-ardmona/102485260)
2023-06-21T21:32:58Z	**Are Australian consumers ready for imported 'Manila mangoes'?**
Australia's first consignments of famously sweet carabao mangoes imported from the Philippines are reportedly due within weeks. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-22/australia-starts-importing-mangoes-from-philippines/102506422)
2023-06-22T00:38:36Z	**3,000kg of avocados rejected by supermarkets saved from landfill by caring Queenslanders**
Far North Queenslanders have rallied in support of an avocado producer facing the prospect of having to dump three tonnes of fruit. The avocado oversupply is expected to cause more pain for growers in the years to come. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-22/queensland-avocados-saved-from-landfill/102507928)
2023-06-22T02:00:00Z	**Research on many insects which can be used for pollination**
Insect pests often get a bad rap for the damage they can cause to food crops. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/tas-country-hour/alternate-pollinators/102512056)
2023-06-22T23:19:20Z	**Queensland's oldest winery Romavilla destroyed in fire**
Emergency crews battled flames 25 metres high at the site of the abandoned, heritage-listed Romavilla Winery in Roma last night, with firefighters only able to save the back part of its main building. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-23/queensland-oldest-winery-destroyed-in-fire/102514664)
2023-06-23T05:16:04Z	**It takes a machine to dig up 35,000 roses. But when the ground is soggy, it's all down to the farmhands**
Farmhands are digging up tens of thousands of rose plants by hand at a South Australian nursery after heavy rain has made it impossible for a machine to do the job. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-23/heavy-rain-causes-muddy-rose-harvest-kalangadoo-rose-nursery/102516678)
2023-06-23T06:06:51Z	**Varroa mite outbreak reaches 'grim milestone' as eradication fight continues**
It has been 12 months since the bee-killing parasite was detected in Australia, but eradication efforts will continue for at least another three years. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-23/fight-to-eradicate-varroa-mite-in-nsw-far-from-over/102505068)
2023-06-23T21:12:02Z	**From Vietnam to Sydney to Darwin: The Nguyens came for a holiday and stayed 10 years**
Buying a mango farm while on holiday has brought its fair share of challenges, but the Nguyen family haven't looked back. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-24/from-vietnam-to-sydney-to-darwin-tropical-fruit-farm/101824484)
2023-06-25T21:43:21Z	**A year into the varroa mite response, farmers report crop losses — but also giant vegetables**
There are calls for compensation for farmers whose beehives have been destroyed in the effort to stop the parasitic varroa mite. Without enough bees to pollinate produce there are reports of crop losses and conversely huge fruit and veggies. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-26/varroa-mite-loss-of-beehives-hits-hunter-valley-farmers-hard/102406102)
2023-06-27T07:13:51Z	**Punjabi citrus growers access information in own language for the first time**
Translating agricultural information into different languages is a game changer for people like Navjot Singh's parents who never hear it directly from the source. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-27/punjabi-growers-access-information-in-their-own-language/102520136)
2023-06-29T03:18:41Z	**Veggie 'oversupply' sees 70pc price drop on some produce, farmers struggle to recoup costs**
Due to an unusually warm winter in northern Australia, an oversupply of fresh produce like capsicums and tomatoes is leading to fears that farmers' costs for growing vegetables will soon outweigh their return. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-29/veggie-prices-plummet-as-oversupply-hits-the-market/102539802)
2023-07-04T20:56:48Z	**Once only for 'pavlova lovers', Aussie passionfruit has come a long way. But the industry is under threat**
Australia's passionfruit farmers have a problem — no matter how well they care for their vines, yields of the delicious fruit are declining. But a solution could be on the horizon. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-05/australian-passionfruit-breeding-research-new-varieties-needed/102555906)
2023-07-04T23:33:00Z	**The Wheatbelt isn't known for wine, but one vineyard is thriving against the odds**
WA is famous for wines produced in the Margaret River and Great Southern regions but hidden within the canola fields of the Wheatbelt is an unusual vineyard. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-05/wheatbelt-winery-produces-shiraz-and-chardonnay/102554796)
2023-07-05T02:00:00Z	**One of Tasmania's newest vineyards**
A desire for a tree change, prompted lawyer and teacher James and Karen Stewart to set up a vineyard in the Coal Valley near Richmond. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/tas-country-hour/richmond-vineyard/102563404)
2023-07-05T02:00:00Z	**American company set to takeover Costa Group**
The Costa Group, Australia's largest fresh fruit and vegetable grower, could be in American hands within months following a takeover bid by Paine Schwartz Partners. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/tas-country-hour/costa-takeover/102563398)
2023-07-06T05:21:29Z	**Australia's largest wine grape growing region diversifies to deal with one of the hardest years yet**
South Australian wine grape growers are switching crops or walking away amid the global red wine oversupply as key local stakeholders call for more support. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-06/riverland-wine-struggle-spills-over/102566270)
2023-07-08T02:05:42Z	**Prominent NSW winery to be sold after 40 years in business**
Prominent winemaker, John Cassegrain says significant financial struggles have forced him to put the winery on the market, but he hopes the family can retain ties to the business. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-08/cassegrain-wines-to-be-sold-after-entering-administration/102569524)
2023-07-11T01:04:02Z	**Cutting onions may no longer be a crying matter as 'tearless' variety hits shelves**
A new variety of onion that promises not to cause tears is now on sale in a major supermarket, after decades of development. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-11/tearless-onions-variety-available-in-woolworths/102582826)
2023-07-11T09:27:02Z	**Australia's wine grape vintage plummets to 23-year low**
Australia's vintage is well down on the 10-year average thanks to challenging weather and economic factors — but the industry hopes higher quality fruit will mean better prices for what's sold. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-11/smallest-australian-wine-grape-vintage-since-2000/102588770)
2023-07-12T02:00:00Z	**How much is a Tasmanian wine grape worth compared to a mainland grape?**
The latest vintage report for Tasmania reveals a record price per tonne for grapes grown in the cool climate region, after a drop in production of 1 per cent. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/tas-country-hour/vintage-report/102592838)
2023-07-13T04:48:20Z	**Waste-busting businesses save delicious fruit not up to supermarket specifications**
An increasing number of businesses are using fruit that would otherwise be dumped, with one retailer attaching EFTPOS facilities to his honesty boxes. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-13/my-berries-waste-busters-frozen-freeze-dried-fruit-australian/102591380)
2023-07-14T05:12:57Z	**Wine grape growers hit by worst disease pressures in decades raise concerns about unmanaged vineyards**
Riverland wine grape growers are experiencing higher crop losses this year due to disease, possibly worsened by neglected vineyards nearby. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-14/wine-grapes-biosecurity-concerns-riverland/102582384)
2023-07-15T04:57:08Z	**Cheap imports 'decimated' Australia's flower industry. Could micro farms save it?**
Twenty years after cheap flower imports flooded the Australian market, the focus is back on locally grown blooms as shoppers "push towards sustainability". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-15/micro-flower-farms-could-regrow-australias-flower-industry/102583116)
2023-07-16T23:06:34Z	**Cut food waste and save money with five tips from a famous foodie**
Australians each throw out a whopping 300 kilograms of food every year. But these tricks from award-winning author and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky can help reduce your waste — and put money back into your wallet. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-17/five-ways-to-reduce-food-waste-save-money-alice-zaslavsky/102592604)
2023-07-18T06:58:59Z	**Almond growers await green light to allow NSW beehives into SA amid varroa mite concerns**
The pollination season is just starting in South Australia and almond growers need more bees, but the state government is cautious about allowing hives from New South Wales, which remains under varroa mite restrictions. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-18/varroa-mite-restrictions-almond-pollination-bee-hives-nsw-sa/102610788)
2023-07-18T20:15:00Z	**Why dragonfruit plants go rogue, and how to tame it**
Juicy dragonfruits have become a popular snack and garden plant, but beware — they can go rogue before you know it. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/programs/breakfast/how-to-tame-the-dragonfruit/102621378)
2023-07-26T05:44:18Z	**Largest winery solar panel system in Australia switches on in the Barossa Valley**
Almost 6,000 solar panels have been installed by Treasury Wine Estates, with the ability to generate more than 5,000 megawatt-hours of energy per year — the equivalent of powering around 900 homes. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-26/treasury-wine-estates-6000-solar-panels-net-zero-by-2030/102645200)
2023-07-27T04:54:07Z	**Mango-picking robot snaps up $1 million in venture capital**
A robot designed to pick mangoes and hopefully ease worker shortage issues, expected to "create ripples through the supply chain", has landed $1 million in venture capital. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-27/mango-robot-snaps-up-1-million-in-venture-capital/102654896)
2023-07-27T05:44:24Z	**Small-time fruit growers facing 'death by paperwork' amid expensive fruit fly protocols**
Produce from small-time Riverland growers is disappearing from supermarket shelves as soaring treatment costs for the ongoing fruit fly outbreak risks allowing bigger businesses to muscle them out. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-27/riverland-fruit-fly-outbreak-extra-protocols-high-costs-growers/102639604)
2023-07-30T01:56:54Z	**Tigers, gunfights and rare rambutans are part of life for the Indiana Jones of exotic fruits**
Alan Carle was hunting otherworldly fruit with fluorescent tentacles and bubbly flesh that folks back home had never even heard about, much less tasted — and he was willing to risk his life to find it. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-30/alan-carle-indiana-jones-of-exotic-fruit-in-far-north-queensland/102659584)
2023-07-30T20:53:39Z	**Tonnes of 'beautiful' oranges, mandarins dropped in paddocks as stockfeed**
Citrus growers are struggling to produce fruit that meets market specifications and truckloads of rejected but "quality" oranges, tangelos and mandarins are being sent to feed cattle and sheep. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-31/rejected-citrus-crops-dumped-in-paddocks-cattlefeed/102652020)
2023-08-01T21:30:26Z	**European heatwave, poor growing conditions set to drive olive oil price even higher**
Domestic olive oil yields have been on the conservative side this year, which could result in a further rise to the record prices for consumers. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-02/record-olive-oil-price-set-to-increase-again/102675452)
2023-08-02T02:30:00Z	**How to brew the perfect cup of tea**
While Melbourne might be considered the coffee capital of the world, there's still a lot of debate about how to make the perfect cup of tea. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/melbourne/programs/afternoons/tea/102679094)
2023-08-03T01:39:53Z	**'We just take the good with the bad': Farmers and rural communities optimistic as dry El Niño weather looms**
Queensland farmer "Sno" Harm has seen many El Niño weather patterns in his 50 years of growing cotton. He says he "can't really prepare" for the next drought and remains hopeful for rain. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-03/qld-cotton-farmers-st-george-el-nino-weather-rain-drought/102679398)
2023-08-05T03:14:43Z	**Leading chef calls on Aussies to buy locally grown olives as a 'fresher and better' option**
Chef Mark Best says Australian table olives offer better quality for consumers, truth in labelling and help reduce the impact of food miles on the environment. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-05/mark-best-celebrity-chef-australian-olives-food-miles/102677716)
2023-08-07T00:06:30Z	**Are you missing out on the best bit of a broccoli?**
Fruit Nerd Thanh Truong gives you his tips on how to choose, store and eat the most humble of winter vegetables – the broccoli. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-choose-store-and-eat-broccoli/102650990)
2023-08-07T19:50:27Z	**Spinach industry rebuilds reputation for producing 'very safe food' after contamination event**
Dino Borrato lost close to $1 million and continues to plough some of his crop into the ground as the spinach industry recovers from last year's contamination event. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-08/spinach-producers-recovering-from-contamination-event/102697292)
2023-08-07T21:21:16Z	**Could tax perks for donating 'ugly' or excess produce help solve Australia's food waste woes?**
Australia's largest food relief charity wants the federal government to change its tax arrangements to make donating unwanted produce less costly for businesses. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-08/foodbank-tax-incentives-businesses-surplace-produce-donations/102688594)
2023-08-08T22:36:50Z	**How Cameron Wilson is growing vines in a district better known for grazing and spuds**
During a stint as a rural reporter for the ABC, Cameron Wilson became interested in grape growing. Fast-forward 15 years, he's now a winemaker tending vines in two states. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-09/cameron-wilson-swaps-media-for-winemaking-vines-scottsdale/102698716)
2023-08-10T06:38:20Z	**Border Force seizes 3 million illegal cigarettes in Queensland raids**
Authorities say they have dismantled a large-scale illicit tobacco syndicate operating in south-east Queensland, seizing nearly 3 million illegal cigarettes and 380 kilograms of the drug. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-10/border-force-illegal-cigarette-raids-queensland-730/102711896)
2023-08-10T21:15:36Z	**Growers warn 'unworkable' Pacific Islander worker changes lack critical flexibility required for horticulture**
Changes to the Pacific Islander labour scheme mean workers must be guaranteed a minimum of 30 hours of work each week, but the horticulture industry says the seasonal nature of the work and weather events make that unworkable. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-11/growers-criticise-pacific-islander-labour-mobility-changes-palm/102713312)
2023-08-11T07:57:39Z	**Could this native pollinator be an alternative solution to the under-threat European honey bee?**
Australia's agricultural industry is heavily reliant on European honey bees, but scientists say native species have shown promise as alternative pollinators. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-11/sciencists-trial-native-pollinators-honey-bee-varroa-mite/102707324)
2023-08-14T20:09:51Z	**Chinese tariffs, changing palates see Australian wine stockpile grow to 2.8m bottles**
Australian grape growers have produced a stockpile of over 2 billion litres of wine that will take years to bring back into balance. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-15/chinese-tariffs-cut-value-australian-wine-stockpile/102728080)
2023-08-15T03:00:00Z	**The NT's mango harvest has begun**
The mango harvest is underway in the Northern Territory ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nt-country-hour/first-mangoes-of-2023-season-darwin/102732290)
2023-08-17T20:19:06Z	**Rosa's been selling produce at the Queen Victoria Market for decades, but now she fears for its future**
Traders at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne say they feel "blindsided" by management's decision to raise licence fees and hand back the cost of utilities, waste disposal and utilities to stallholders. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-18/queen-victoria-market-traders-fee-increase-produce/102743626)
2023-08-18T20:00:00Z	**Gardening 19 August 2023**
Gardening 19 August 2023 ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-saturdaybreakfast/gardening-19-august-2023/102751060)
2023-08-19T05:33:41Z	**Meet an Australian helping Afghan farmers find an alternative to opium poppies**
With the Taliban banning poppy production, this agriculture consultant from Darwin helps farmers in Afghanistan find viable and legal alternative crops. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-19/australian-helping-afghan-farmers-find-opium-poppy-alternatives/102264258)
2023-08-19T22:44:46Z	**Tropical flower supply looking tight as rain dampens the north's dry season**
Lovers of Australian-grown tropical flowers could have trouble finding them as an usually rainy dry season has put Queensland growers two months behind schedule. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-20/wet-weather-dampens-tropical-flower-supply/102737910)
2023-08-21T20:10:02Z	**The Aussie dollar could slump below 60 US cents, bringing with it pain and gain**
For foreign tourists? Great. For travellers? Terrible. For the economy? A mix. The fall in the Australian dollar has created winners and losers across the economy. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-22/aussie-dollar-slump-brings-pain-to-travellers/102757420)
2023-08-21T21:53:01Z	**Queensland farmers have grown too many vegetables, but who's to blame?**
Ideal growing conditions this year have seen the volume of vegetables in one of Australia's largest winter production regions skyrocket, leading to oversupply and low farmgate prices. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-22/winter-vegetable-oversupply-whitsunday-region-low-farmgate/102731592)
2023-08-22T03:00:00Z	**APVMA talks about dimethoate suspension**
Farmers have used dimethoate for decades. So why is the APVMA looking to suspend its use now? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nt-country-hour/apvma-dimethoate-suspension/102760998)
2023-08-22T22:30:00Z	**Coffee grounds to make stronger concrete**
As if Melburnians needed another excuse to enjoy a cuppa joe. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-mornings/rmit-engineering-coffee-grounds-make-stronger-concrete/102764460)
2023-08-23T03:39:59Z	**Beekeeper says eradication 'impossible' as varroa mite spreads through coastal region**
The number of varroa mite detections in the Kempsey area of the NSW Mid North Coast has grown to 13 in just over a week. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-23/kempsey-varroa-mite-cluster-expands-detection-crescent-head/102764214)
2023-08-23T21:22:35Z	**Brett Lee, avocados, and India: Could this trade deal prevent a future 'avoglut'?**
It's not the first time Aussies have put all their hopes on Brett Lee, but this time it's avocado growers hoping to get a taste of his consistency in India. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-24/india-avocado-trade-deal-on-track/102755984)
2023-08-24T22:19:25Z	**Darwin mango season kicks off, with 2.3 million trays expected to be picked**
The Darwin region is forecast to produce about 2.3 million trays this year, according to the Australian Mango Industry Association, down from about 2.6 million last season. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-25/darwin-first-mangoes-of-the-season-harvest/102767886)
2023-08-28T05:02:00Z	**Deadly varroa mite parasite found in more beehives near Vic-NSW border**
The varroa mite is detected in beehives in another almond orchard at Balranald in southern New South Wales, taking the current outbreak in the Sunraysia and Riverina to four properties. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-28/more-varroa-mite-beehives-near-vict-nsw-border-sunraysia/102783852)
2023-08-28T07:28:35Z	**Others pin their hopes on trends, but Renee wants to boost supply to meet local demand for vegetables**
Farmer focuses on diversity as agriculture economist says food trends contribute towards waste. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-08-28/riverland-farmers-diverse-crop-as-food-trends-create-waste/102754032)
2023-08-29T06:00:00Z	**'That ground is full of bacteria and not all of them are nice to you': How to avoid consuming parasites from your fresh fruit and vege**
An expert in food microbiology says washing with water may be enough to dislodge any harmful bacteria, but it's all in the process ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/hobart-drive/how-to-clean-fresh-fruit-and-vegetables/102792960)
2023-08-31T02:16:34Z	**More winemakers opting out of animal-based purifiers to meet small but growing vegan market**
It would be fair to expect wine to be vegan given it's mostly fruit, but the majority of drops are not. WA winemaker Alexi Christides says it comes down to how impurities are removed. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-31/wa-winemaker-alexi-christides-fining-agents-vegan-wines/102788634)
2023-09-01T05:34:52Z	**Queensland beehives allowed across the border from NSW amid varroa mite concerns**
Queensland beekeepers are cleared to bring their hives back home but face 12 months of increased surveillance to ensure their bees are varroa mite free. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-01/varroa-mite-queensland-beehives-allowed-back-home-survelliance/102803042)
2023-09-01T23:15:19Z	**Millions of bees are dead as governments continue to scramble to contain varroa mite, so why is the parasite still such a threat?**
With bees responsible for pollinating much of the food we find at the supermarket and green grocer, authorities remain committed to trying to eradicate the recently introduced varroa mite before it gains too much of a foothold. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-02/why-is-varroa-mite-still-such-a-threat/102793056)
2023-09-03T20:29:09Z	**Hold the pav. North Queensland mangoes set to be in short supply at Christmas after warm winter**
A warmer-than-average winter will see fewer Queensland mangoes on supermarket shelves this Christmas, with producers warning a lower yield will lead to a reduced supply of the tropical fruit. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-04/mango-crops-produce-fewer-fruit-due-to-warm-winter/102802144)
2023-09-04T04:27:36Z	**Murray's 100 million bees are finally on the move after an 'anxious' week stuck in a varroa mite surveillance zone**
After playing a crucial role in pollinating Victorian almond orchards and a week caught in a varroa mite surveillance zone, Queensland's Murray Arkadieff and his 1,000 beehives are finally heading home. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-04/beekeeper-moves-hives-amid-varroa-mite-outbreak/102804792)
2023-09-06T02:00:00Z	**Food processor Simplot on top of potatoes**
For some, it was tough to get your hands on certain veggies last year. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/tas-country-hour/simplot-update/102821398)
2023-09-06T20:09:01Z	**Orange industry in Australia shrinking to the point of collapse as short-term contracts, lower prices hit growers**
There are fears that short-term contracts and low prices for Valencia oranges could force some growers out of the industry. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-07/citrus-growers-concerned-about-juicing-orange-prices/102755864)
2023-09-06T21:35:45Z	**With no crop or pasture, Allie wondered if flowers were the blooming solution**
Planting flowers in the middle of a drought doesn't seem like the obvious choice to diversify but this family has said goodbye to sheep and hello to hundreds of Geraldton wax plants. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-07/nindigully-sheep-farm-becomes-geraldton-wax-oasis/102787600)
2023-09-09T02:08:23Z	**Some winemakers are putting their best wines in casks. They say it is better than glass**
Winemakers want consumers to stop the snobbery towards cask wine and embrace it as a climate-friendly and cost-effective alternative to glass bottles. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-09/riverland-winemaker-pushes-cask-wine-over-glass-carbon-footprint/102804526)
2023-09-11T22:03:53Z	**Australia's earliest garlic harvest has barely finished, but Joe is sowing seeds for the next generation**
An Indigenous community harvesting Australia's earliest commercial garlic crop is hoping to pass on farming skills to improve the lives of future generations. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-12/centrefarm-picks-21-tonnes-of-garlic-in-second-harvest/102830524)
2023-09-12T22:30:00Z	**Australia's plan for 'world-leading' tobacco control**
What does the legislation involve, and will it work? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-mornings/tobacco-control-legislation-quit-smoking/102849410)
2023-09-13T02:00:38Z	**Rather than fundraiser choccies some schools rely on mango sales, but this year's small harvest could hamper efforts**
The Mango Fundraiser initiative from North Queensland sends mangoes straight from the farm to schools and community organisations that need an extra boost of financial support. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-13/mango-fundraiser-raffling-mango-trays-to-be-hit-by-small-harvest/102826678)
2023-09-14T20:15:00Z	**Vapes: health risk and 'environmental disaster'**
NSW Health has seen a 500% increase in the number vapes seized over the past three years. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-breakfast/vapes-health-risk-and-environmental-disaster-/102860066)
2023-09-15T00:35:39Z	**As sweet Philippine mangoes touch down in Australia, who is buying them?**
The carabao mango, also known as the "Manila mango", is being imported fresh to Australia for the first time in about two decades. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-15/philppine-mangoes-touch-down-in-australia/102854570)
2023-09-16T22:04:44Z	**Leaving city crowds behind, this couple has found contentment by flower farming in country Queensland**
After swapping their demanding jobs and cosmopolitan life in inner Melbourne for a bush block in Queensland, Jennifer Nini and Ben McGuire haven't looked back. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-17/moving-from-city-to-country-and-new-flower-farm-leads-to-content/102838836)
2023-09-20T01:17:03Z	**Australia abandons efforts to eradicate deadly parasite varroa mite after 15 months**
Australia has decided it is no longer technically feasible to eradicate varroa mite and will move to management of the pest. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-20/varroa-mite-eradication-efforts-abandoned-australia/102876418)
2023-09-20T03:59:41Z	**Worried you won't find cheap mangoes this summer? Here's some other tropical fruit you can buy**
The much-loved Bowen mangoes won't be overflowing on supermarket shelves this summer due to a warmer than average winter. So, without as many mangoes on the market, what else will be in store? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-20/bowen-mango-shortage-other-tropical-summer-fruit-to-buy/102861978)
2023-09-20T20:48:21Z	**Will living with varroa mite make Australian honey and food more expensive?**
Research into varroa mite is expected to surge after Australia waved the white flag in its fight to eradicate the pest from New South Wales, a decision that is also expected to increase beekeeping costs. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-21/varroa-mite-management-strategy-beekeeper-cost-food-prices/102880084)
2023-09-22T21:16:41Z	**This neurotoxin is now suspended from use on mangoes and avocados after harvest, so why not oranges?**
Dimethoate is already banned in Europe, and now Australia's chemical regulator has suspended its post-harvest use on the popular fruits, so what's the risk if you've been eating them for years? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-23/dimethoate-use-suspended-on-mangoes-avocados-post-harvest/102758696)
2023-09-25T06:54:55Z	**How do we stay healthy during the high cost of living? Embrace the onion, this nutritionist says**
A nutritionist is encouraging more people to eat onions to boost good gut bacteria and increase their daily vegetable intake, with the added benefit that prices have remained stable despite inflation. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-25/onions-budget-friendly-healthy-high-cost-of-living-option/102890020)
2023-09-30T01:25:25Z	**Herb grower Damien Manno has one of the best-smelling farms in the country**
A basil farmer has teamed up with former AFL players to grow native herbs, bridging the gap between traditional and Indigenous farming. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-09-30/damian-manno-marlon-motlop-indigenous-herb-growing/102913602)
2023-10-04T14:40:52Z	**British PM announces plan to ban cigarettes for younger generations**
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the smoking age would be raised by one year every year beginning in 2027, meaning the younger generation would grow up "smoke free". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-05/uk-government-set-to-ban-cigarettes-for-younger-generations/102936224)
2023-10-05T04:54:46Z	**Australia watching England smoking ban 'with interest', as government reforms tobacco laws**
Australia will closely monitor a UK plan to ban cigarette sales for future generations, as the government progresses plans to prevent young people from picking up a smoking habit. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-05/australia-watching-england-smoking-ban-with-interest/102938846)
2023-10-09T02:56:03Z	**Varroa mite outbreak and response sparks backyard beekeeper exodus**
Australia's decision to abandon efforts to eradicate varroa mite is triggering an exodus of backyard and hobby beekeepers, with thousands already selling their bee smokers and hanging up their bee suits. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-09/prediction-varroa-mite-could-lead-to-exodus-of-amateur-beekeeper/102905442)
2023-10-09T05:30:00Z	**The surprising crop of the Moreton Bay region – the Collins family spill the tea**
When you think of Moreton Bay agriculture, you might think of strawberries, pineapples and bananas. But do you think of tea? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/brisbane-drive/surprising-tea-crop-of-moreton-bay-region/102956650)
2023-10-12T03:19:50Z	**How Aussie extra-virgin olive oil is bucking an international trend**
The largest producer of olive oil in Australia says it is delighted by the support it is getting from Australian consumers as prices for international competitors rise. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-12/australian-extra-virgin-olive-oil-high-demand/102943410)
2023-10-12T20:17:20Z	**Apple farmers exit industry after pocketing a rise of just 50c a kilo in 20 years**
Retail fruit prices have barely changed in two decades, exports have dropped to around two per cent of the nation's crop and producers are fleeing the industry, new data from a NSW Farmers Association survey reveals. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-13/apple-prices-up-50c-in-20-years-nsw-farmers-association-survey/102911276)
2023-10-13T01:30:00Z	**Jane Ferrari named Legend of the Vine for selling South Australia's wine story to the world**
For someone who fell into the wine industry almost by accident, Jane Ferrari has been instrumental in selling the success story of South Australia's wines overseas. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sa-country-hour/jane-ferrari-legend-of-the-vine/102973558)
2023-10-13T03:19:24Z	**Yess! AhHa! Now! New names, new varieties of mango in supermarkets after years of development**
It has taken decades of work and a number of setbacks, but three mango varieties are being commercially rolled out — and finally have names. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-13/yess-ahha-now-mangoes-reach-supermarkets-after-years-of-setbacks/102970662)
2023-10-14T23:01:25Z	**Together the Thomsons were a team. Now Jimmy is keeping he and his wife's floral bouquet tradition alive**
When Jimmy Thomson's wife Roslyn died last year, he was distraught. Her love of native flowers was something he couldn't shake, so he continued her weekly tradition of making and donating native floral bouquets. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-15/jimmy-thomson-flowers-allansford-warrnambool-foodshare/102669046)
2023-10-15T05:39:42Z	**Can coffee help you avoid putting on weight as you age?**
Most people gain small amounts of weight each year as they age. But can coffee help prevent this gradual weight gain? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-15/can-coffee-help-you-avoid-weight-gain-heres-what-science-says/102972612)
2023-10-17T08:35:33Z	**No profit in a pear tree as shoppers opt for other fruit instead**
Shoppers have stopped buying pears in favour of other ready-to-eat alternatives, and now some farmers can't make a living growing the "forgotten fruit". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-17/pears-out-of-favour-with-shoppers/102961848)
2023-10-20T22:00:05Z	**Mango prices on rise in WA as harvest yields fall by more than half across Australia's Top End**
With supply down by more than 50 per cent, WA supermarkets are struggling to fill shelves with the popular fragrant fruit amid an unusually light national harvest. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-21/mango-shortage-leads-to-price-hikes/102991078)
2023-10-23T00:51:09Z	**China wine tariff review 'no silver bullet', but Australian producers hold hope for the future**
Wine exports to China have dropped to a low of $10 million a year, but China's announcement it will review tariffs on imports has given a glimmer of hope to the industry. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-23/australia-wine-industry-tariff-review-optimism-and-caution/103007048)
2023-10-25T01:46:58Z	**How the winemakers of Champagne and Barossa are joining forces to protect their place names**
Drinkers expect certain things based on where their wine comes from, so France's prestigious Champagne district is teaming up with Australia's winegrowing regions in the fight to better protect their unique name and identity. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-25/champagne-barossa-region-wine-place-names-sa/103018128)
2023-10-25T20:06:39Z	**How a boy from the outback became an Australian olive oil baron**
Chances are you don't know Rob McGavin. But he's made it his life's work to win a place on your kitchen table — and he's been very successful at it. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-26/rob-mcgavin-from-cobram-estate-outback-boy-to-olive-oil-baron/103002476)
2023-10-27T00:46:26Z	**Why Australian grape growers are ditching shiraz and cab sav for 'trendier' varieties**
In response to the global red wine oversupply, grape growers embrace lesser-known varietals to appeal to adventurous consumers. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-27/wine-grape-growers-move-way-from-shiraz-cabernet-sauvignon/103024076)
2023-10-27T20:05:55Z	**Under the counter deals, 'chop-chop' and arson attacks: Inside Victoria's illegal tobacco market**
Police are stepping up their efforts to tackle the illegal tobacco market, after a string of arson attacks against shops in Victoria. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-28/victoria-illegal-tobacco-market-arson-attacks/103027552)
2023-10-27T20:46:49Z	**Among the grain crops of northern NSW, there's a boom of farming mums planting fields of flowers**
Tamworth mum Shona Robilliard started with a few seeds in her veggie patch, but in search of a better work-life balance she's ditched the vegetables and is now a fully fledged cut-flower farmer. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-28/northern-nsw-flower-farm-boom-as-farmer-mums-plant-seeds/103018346)
2023-10-29T20:43:52Z	**'Absolutely disgraceful': NT politician speaks at global tobacco and nicotine conference**
The involvement of Kezia Purick at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum has been labelled "shameful" by the president of the Australian Medical Association. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-30/nt-politician-speaks-at-tobacco-conference/103035514)
2023-10-29T23:46:23Z	**Fancy fungi business takes off for tradie still learning the secrets of edible mushrooms**
A Pemberton electrician is supplying up to 20 kilograms of fungi a week to shops and restaurants in a mushroom-growing side hustle that has been a process of trial and error. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-10-30/pemberton-electrician-reece-villier-launches-dead-wood-mushrooms/103031548)
2023-11-01T18:31:01Z	**Alcohol health warnings for bottles has some winemakers worried**
A recent health survey has reignited the push for health warnings to be introduced on alcohol packaging, but boutique wine producers say their products aren't the problem when it comes to problem drinking. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-02/wine-industry-concern-over-potential-new-health-labelling/103046076)
2023-11-02T04:47:57Z	**Farmers on edge as orchards 'hammered' by rise of European earwigs**
First detected in Australia in the 1930s, European earwigs can affect citrus, cherries and canola – and farmers are being warned to check carefully and early for signs of infestation. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-02/earwigs-plague-crops/103048284)
2023-11-02T20:02:55Z	**This farmer never planned to grow asparagus — now he's putting it into ice cream**
While he grew up on an asparagus farm, it took a pandemic-era career shift to turn Markum Boston into his home town's first grower of white asparagus. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-03/white-asparagus-grown-carnarvon-food-bowl/103020856)
2023-11-03T20:17:15Z	**Why funky young wines are a winner for Aussie producers looking for fresh export markets**
It's out with the heavy old-world styles and in with bright, natural drops as young consumers around the globe seek wines with more Australian sunshine and fewer additives. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-04/changing-palate-offers-aussie-wine-optimism/103059438)
2023-11-04T06:26:50Z	**How is decaf coffee made? And is it really caffeine-free?**
Here's what you need to know about decaf coffee: how it's made, the flavour, the benefits — and whether it's actually caffeine-free. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-04/how-make-decaf-coffee-is-it-caffeine-free/103044306)
2023-11-06T00:07:14Z	**How a 'wrestle' with the rough end of a pineapple inspired a classic Aussie invention**
In the 1970s, the pineapple peeler was a staple in many Australian kitchens. But the story behind this Aussie invention shows why life's little pleasures are often the sweetest. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-06/pineapple-peeler-inventor-ray-ashdown-in-qld-museum-collection/103060722)
2023-11-07T06:23:57Z	**Capers looks effortless and appetising on a plate — but harvesting them is a brutal labour of love**
Australian-grown capers are a sought-after ingredient for high-end restaurants, selling for up to $50 per 250 grams. And with each tiny bud picked by hand, it's not hard to see why. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-07/australian-caper-farmers-selling-valuable-hard-to-pick-harvest/103067232)
2023-11-08T21:30:00Z	**Footscray pensioners told to shut down street stalls**
Sueanne Nguyen's mother is one of the traders, and she hopes to work with Maribyrnong City Council to find a compromise. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-mornings/footscray-street-traders-fines-legal-action-shut-down/103083662)
2023-11-10T22:04:19Z	**How one woman turned farm waste into a sustainable food business**
A South Australian woman is turning farm waste into a sustainable food business by making meals out of second-grade fruit and veggies. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-11/farm-waste-into-food-business/103079552)
2023-11-10T23:56:49Z	**Red wine glut and industry setbacks no barrier for the next generation of winemakers**
When 28-year-old Mick Elliott left his office job for the wine industry he picked up a palate for the perfect drop and left behind a sense of dread. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-11/next-generation-young-winemakers-red-wine-glut-trade-challenges/103068106)
2023-11-11T23:27:50Z	**New jumbo blueberry varieties behind farm's big expansion plans**
The biggest blueberries in the world are grown in Western Australia and export markets love them. Demand for the berries is driving one farm to quadruple in size. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-12/jumbo-blueberries-key-to-western-berry-expansion-plan/103078166)
2023-11-12T00:26:41Z	**Cockatoos develop taste for world's stinkiest fruit on Top End farm**
The first durians of the season are fetching more than $30 a kilogram wholesale, meaning the cockatoos are "picking the most expensive fruit in town", grower Han Shiong Siah says. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-12/white-cockatoos-get-a-taste-for-smelly-durian/103078058)
2023-11-12T01:20:09Z	**Wine lovers thirsty for 'genuinely good' no or low alcohol option, as search continues for perfect drop**
Alcohol products for those keen to stay sober have gone from niche to mainstream in a short span of time. But connoisseurs say finding such a drop replicating the mouth feel of real wine is like searching for "the holy grail". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-12/no-or-low-alcohol-wine-more-popular-but-research-needed-on-taste/103087954)
2023-11-13T20:41:35Z	**Queensland farmer specialises in melons that you're unlikely to see on supermarket shelves**
Shaun Jackson grows niche varieties of melons and, just as Australians are cutting back on fruit, an expanding Japanese market can't get enough of them. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-14/queensland-melon-export-japan-market-growth/103080398)
2023-11-16T07:41:31Z	**Popular winemaker saved from closure by new investors and old hands**
Cassegrain Wines on the NSW Mid North Coast is purchased by a syndicate of investors including the son of its former managing director, after going into voluntary administration earlier this year. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-16/port-macquarie-cassegrain-wines-bought-by-avenir-vigneron/103114394)
2023-11-18T22:30:36Z	**At $14 each, price is 'no barrier' for Aussie mangoes in the US**
It takes two weeks for these Aussie mangoes to go from a farm to a US supermarket shelf. But for Manbulloo Mangoes it's been worth it. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-19/aussie-mangoes-selling-in-america-for-14-dollars-each/103117344)
2023-11-22T01:47:12Z	**Winery deploys ducks to help reduce vineyard snails and cut input costs**
After introducing the birds last growing season as a trial, Castle Rock Estate is using them again this year with hopes to grow the flock. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-22/ducks-for-snail-pest-management-at-wa-vineyard/103130558)
2023-11-23T05:49:09Z	**Wondering how much your Christmas cherries will cost this year? The news isn't great**
People hoping to spend less this Christmas may need to look to areas other than the dinner table, with favourites like cherries and lobster not expected drop much in price from last year. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-23/christmas-2023-food-lobster-cherries-prices-australia-sa/103140300)
2023-11-24T21:57:28Z	**'Sweeter, nuttier, fruitier' locally-grown bean gives coffee lovers a taste of Australia**
Coffee drinkers may tell you an Australian brew tastes different. And they'd be right, with research finding local beans have a distinct taste of place, or "terroir". ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-25/australian-coffee-research-taste-of-place/103145296)
2023-11-26T02:52:01Z	**Tea harvesting on two wheels pays off for father-son farming duo**
Nestled in a rainforest timber plantation is a unique tea producer. Queensland father and son Brendon and Darryl Collins are creating a unique legacy as they move away from timber farming. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-26/producing-australian-made-tea-father-son-queensland/103142006)
2023-11-27T13:32:09Z	**Health groups angered after New Zealand scraps world-first smoking ban**
The generational ban, which would have stopped anyone born after 2009 buying tobacco, has been ditched by New Zealand's new government. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-28/new-zealand-scraps-world-first-smoking-ban/103157484)
2023-11-27T21:59:45Z	**Food charity 'distressed' by dumped fruit, vegetables after Aldi launches new supermarket**
The manager of a charity that organises food donations for people in need says she is "distressed" by the amount of produce a new Townsville supermarket has sent to landfill. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-28/food-charity-distressed-by-aldi-food-waste/103156964)
2023-11-28T23:59:34Z	**Queensland school program a 'game changer' for encouraging kids to eat more fruit and vegetables**
Shelly struggled to get her six-year-old to eat more vegies, but a Queensland school program teaching children about growing fruit and vegetables is helping to turn that around. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-29/pick-of-the-crop-school-program-fruit-and-vegetables-success/103155592)
2023-11-30T20:17:25Z	**Remote community strives to improve health by growing their own fruit and veg in APY Lands**
A Central Australian Aboriginal community hopes to improve the health of residents and increase food security by re-establishing a once plentiful orchard that has fallen into disrepair. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-01/kenmore-park-community-aims-to-re-establish-apy-lands-orchard/103068734)
2023-12-03T22:17:39Z	**Once home to a pair of the world's largest pears, this fruit dynasty houses 160 years of orchard innovation**
The longevity of Greenhill Orchards comes down to the dedication of the Yeomans family, innovation, and their love of all things fruit. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-04/yeomans-family-greenhill-orchards-fruit-innovation-armidale/103154028)
2023-12-06T19:03:09Z	**Should we remove best-before dates on produce?**
Advocates say a simple change would stop Australian households from unwittingly throwing out perfectly edible food, and they are banding together to get the regulator on board. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-07/food-waste-fight-to-remove-use-by-dates/103170030)
2023-12-07T19:10:01Z	**Australia's largest canned vegetable producer to sell Thai corn in supermarkets**
Simplot Australia, which owns brands including Edgell, says natural disasters have led to a shortage of Australian-grown vegetables, forcing it to look outside the country for supply. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-08/simplot-restarts-thai-corn-imports-vegetable-shortage/103199590)
2023-12-07T19:10:01Z	**Food charity 'distressed' by dumped fruit, vegetables after Aldi launches new supermarket**
The manager of a charity that organises food donations for people in need says she is "distressed" by the amount of produce a new Townsville supermarket has sent to landfill. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-08/food-charity-distressed-by-aldi-food-waste/103160146)
2023-12-08T02:11:47Z	**Access to affordable food needs government intervention, report finds**
A year-long parliamentary inquiry focused on the future of Australia's food security recommends introducing a minister for food among its 35 recommendations to the federal government. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-08/food-security-report-government-pests-biosecurity-climate-abares/103201798)
2023-12-08T21:59:27Z	**An ambitious quest to supply Australians with locally grown garlic year-round is paying off**
Garlic lovers can now buy Australian-grown all year round, thanks to decades of work by persistent farmers who refused to give up on the difficult crop. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-09/locally-grown-garlic-can-now-be-bought-all-year-round/103159594)
2023-12-10T22:30:45Z	**Farmer startups backing themselves to bring chocolate capsicum and other 'new fruit' to markets**
From pink custard apples and sweeter capsicums that resemble the colour of chocolate, these Queensland farmers are working to bring innovative new varieties to supermarket shelves. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-11/farmer-startups-queensland-chocolate-capsicum-new-fruits/103194888)
2023-12-13T02:09:24Z	**These watermelons are taking a little longer to grow due to fires, with heat still on for harvest workers**
While Central Australia’s largest melon farm's yields have been affected by bushfire ash this year, these workers from Timor-Leste still have plenty of harvesting, and singing, ahead of them. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-13/northern-territory-fires-slow-maturation-of-watermelons-on-farm-/103218288)
2023-12-13T20:14:02Z	**Could solar panels improve Australian wine?**
Australian researchers are testing solar panels in a vineyard to see if they can help protect the fruit from extreme weather, but that is not the only potential benefit. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-14/how-solar-panels-could-improve-australian-wine/103222202)
2023-12-14T20:01:06Z	**Why this year's bumper berry crop is benefitting buyers but not necessarily growers**
Several wet years and this month's cooler, spring-type temperatures have been ideal for raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, but as prices drop at the supermarket there's a real fear expenses will overtake profits for growers. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-15/berry-prices-are-a-win-for-bargain-shoppers-but-not-growers/103227436)
2023-12-19T20:53:03Z	**Cherry trees go from bonfire pile to celebrated chef's high-end restaurants**
A meeting at a Melbourne restaurant 10 years ago has helped open revenue streams for a north-east Victorian cherry grower as he diversifies to lessen the blow of consecutive rough seasons. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-20/farmer-mark-foletta-supplies-cherry-wood-stephen-nairn-cooking/103244926)
2023-12-20T00:36:59Z	**Fruit growers plead for help from consumers, prime minister as flooding cleanup begins**
Far North Queensland growers are reporting major losses to Cyclone Jasper and torrential rain as the tropical fruit season peaks for Christmas, including sweeping damage across mango orchards. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-20/flooding-north-qld-cyclone-jasper-mangoes-fruit-prices/103249324)
2023-12-22T02:00:00Z	**Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour**
Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour for December 22nd ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/qld-country-hour/country-hour-listen-back/103260020)
2023-12-23T01:29:40Z	**After losing crops to floods, banana famers now face an even greater risk**
Queensland growers are on high alert this week with devastating floods increasing the possible spread of Panama TR4 fungal disease — the greatest threat to banana production worldwide. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-23/banana-farming-industry-alert-massive-flood-disease-risk/103259670)
2023-12-23T21:08:46Z	**Heartbreak for family farmers as rain devastates cherry crop ahead of season peak**
Farming can be tough and normally the sound of rain is welcome, but for Tasmanian cherry farmers Gene and Laura, recent downpours had them "swearing and cursing", knowing their crop was unlikely to survive. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-24/tas-north-motton-cherries-rain-split/103252532)
2023-12-28T04:02:22Z	**It has world-class wines and scenery galore, but a lack of tourist beds could be holding this region back**
Tourism leaders say South Australia's Limestone Coast needs more accommodation to suit a range of budgets to reach its full potential as a holiday destination. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-28/limestone-coast-sa-tourism-accommodation-needs-development/103240724)
2024-01-07T19:05:25Z	**'I'm trying to push mothering ewes through': Flood plain farmers reflect on emotional and financial impact of floods**
A year on from flooding that devastated communities along the River Murray, farmers like Meiqing Lin and Alexandra Westlake are still feeling the impact. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-08/future-of-farming-on-a-flood-plain-after-river-murray-inundation/103240740)
2024-01-08T08:06:23Z	**Pressure mounts for ACCC inquiry into alleged supermarket price gouging amid claim farmers being paid 1978 prices**
Grocery prices rose and major supermarkets made billion-dollar profits last year, but Bundaberg farmer Trevor Cross fears rock-bottom produce prices will force him to leave the industry he loves — and there are many others like him. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-01-08/accc-supermarket-pricing-inquiry-calls-pricing-gouging-claims/103293344)
2024-01-10T20:48:04Z	**Made infamous by former links to the mafia, one of NSW's biggest wineries is changing hands**
Warburn Estate winery, established in 1968 by a man known as the "don of dons", is sold to a family business best known for processing orange juice. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-11/sergi-family-sell-warburn-estate-winery-to-taliano-family/103304996)
2024-01-11T19:53:39Z	**Supply in doubt for summer favourites like plums, peaches and nectarines as storms ravage stone fruit season**
Wild weather in Victoria could mean less stone fruit on the shelves after hail and heavy rain smash Australia's main production regions. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-01-12/storms-ravage-victorias-stone-fruit-season-as-swan-hill-goulburn/103309162)
2024-01-14T01:40:01Z	**Government launches illegal tobacco crackdown, as bikie 'turf war' on tobacco shops rages on**
As another tobacco shop burns in Melbourne, the federal government announces a $188 million crackdown on the tobacco black market, hoping to stop imports before they reach the Australian border. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-14/illegal-tobacco-crackdown-border-force-vaping-ban/103318288)
2024-01-14T18:30:00Z	**Retailers say illicit tobacco trade 'needs to be stopped'**
After a string of firebombing attacks at tobacco stores across Melbourne, the Federal Government have stepped in to tackle illicit tobacco trade on the black market. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-breakfast/up-in-smoke/103319614)
2024-01-16T01:19:15Z	**It's a job with overseas travel and regular pay, so why are there so few cut flower growers in the Top End?**
Darwin's once numerous flower farmers have shrunk from 40 in the 1980s to five, with those left inching closer to retirement. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-01-16/farmers-and-florists-fear-nt-cut-flower-industry-is-dying/103315282)
2024-01-16T06:16:25Z	**Wet summer threatens to create a shortage of Australian-grown dried fruit**
Lovers of dried fruit could face shortages of some Australian-grown products this year as unfavourable weather conditions create a global decline in production. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-16/wet-summer-australian-dried-fruit-products-shortage/103308590)
2024-01-19T20:57:51Z	**Consumers may face more hot-chip potato shortages as heatwaves become more widespread**
The humble vegetables are susceptible to storms, heavy rainfall and high temperatures. Frequent extreme weather events make the crop vulnerable. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-01-20/potato-crops-in-australia-are-still-susceptible-to-shortages/103368238)
2024-01-23T19:14:54Z	**Another business falls prey to an Apple Maps wipeout. This time the entire street's missing**
Laura Ridout hoped her blueberry farm would put Scotsburn on the map. Instead, Apple took her farm off it, and it turns out she's not alone. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-24/apple-maps-removes-farm-business-and-street-from-app-victoria/103375288)
2024-01-26T19:00:00Z	**Another tea party: how a US chemist's salty theory sparked a diplomatic row between the US and UK**
Professor Michelle Francl stirred the pot this week when she asserted that, scientifically, tea should have salt in it. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-saturdaybreakfast/how-a-us-chemists-tea-theory-sparked-a-diplomatic-row/103396322)
2024-01-28T19:24:23Z	**Fed-up Aussie farmers shun supermarket giants and sell direct to consumers**
Some Australian producers turn their backs on the major supermarkets because of what they say are unfair prices at the farm gate. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-29/farmers-shun-coles-woolworths-over-farm-gate-prices/103393250)
2024-01-29T23:11:45Z	**Why is an Australian tomato more expensive than a can flown around the world?**
Shoppers have seen the price of local fruit and veg skyrocket, but canned produce remains relatively cheap. One expert says there's several worrying reasons for this. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-30/why-aussie-produce-is-more-expensive-than-canned/103401334)
2024-01-31T07:33:05Z	**Wine grape growers drive tractors through Riverland streets in protest against below-cost prices**
Growers in Australia's largest wine grape producing region are calling for more government support, along with a mandatory code of conduct to ensure the sustainability of their industry, with many letting their fruit rot due to below cost prices. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-01-31/wine-grape-grower-protest-riverland-renmark-low-prices-harvest/103409686)
2024-02-01T19:45:18Z	**Bitter news for wine exporters as more people choose not to drink to save money — and health**
Australian wine exports have been hit by a global trend in people drinking less alcohol and cutting costs, but hope remains for the re-opening of a major market. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-02/australian-wine-exports-down-consumers-drinking-less/103412738)
2024-02-01T21:58:44Z	**Could farmers get a fairer deal with the supermarkets if there was a mandatory code of conduct?**
The ACCC is investigating the disparity between supermarket check-out prices and farmgate prices and one thing it could recommend is a mandatory code of conduct. But would it make the market fairer for growers? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-02/mandatory-code-of-conduct-farmers-and-supermarkets-accc/103414650)
2024-02-03T22:02:32Z	**Sunflower patch provides pocket money and life lessons for 7yo Charlie**
Charlie Smith spent his school holidays growing sunflowers with his dad on their Manjimup farm in WA's South West and has big aspirations for his little business. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-04/growing-sunflowers-for-pocket-money-in-manjimup/103393926)
2024-02-07T01:51:56Z	**Rise in extreme weather events putting huge strain on food charities helping struggling families**
Food charities helping struggling families put food on the table can no longer rely on excess produce being available as farmers count their own cost of extreme weather events. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-07/weather-flood-shortage-charities-foodbank-security-farmers-sa/103436160)
2024-02-07T03:00:00Z	**NT banana farm expansion**
The NT's largest banana farm is expanding, with an aim of producing 100 per cent of the Top End's banana needs. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nt-country-hour/nt-banana-farm-expanding-to-meet-demand/103438284)
2024-02-09T03:04:01Z	**Police allegedly seize more than 1,100 illegal cigarette packets from Mansfield store**
Victoria Police allege investigators also found drug paraphernalia and $10,000 in cash when they executed a search warrant. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-09/mansfield-tobacco-store-warrant/103448084)
2024-02-13T01:18:24Z	**Banana-infused vodka? How imperfect fruit is leaving the waste stream to make boutique edibles**
Tonnes of West Australian bananas that would end up as waste or mulch are being made into freeze-dried snacks and used to make products like vodka as Carnarvon growers look to reduce wastage. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-13/carnarvon-banana-growers-finding-new-way-to-reduce-food-waste/103159688)
2024-02-13T04:30:00Z	**Sabrina Hahn's simple guide to growing chillies**
Growing chillies is not only practical but the can also brighten up your garden ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/wa-afternoons/sabrina-hahn-on-growing-chillies/103462268)
2024-02-13T20:21:40Z	**Family calls time on 'gangbusters' berry haven loved by top chef Matt Golinski**
About three tonnes of spray-free blueberries are being enjoyed by wild birds as one of Queensland's most popular agritourism destinations closes 17 years after opening. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-14/cooloola-berries-closes-farm-agritourism-farming/103459326)
2024-02-14T23:46:44Z	**Peach trial starts to bear fruit in WA's iron ore heartland as future beyond mining beckons**
While Newman is best known for its central role in WA's mining industry, locals hope a developing stone fruit orchard will help the town to diversify. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/stone-fruit-newman-potential-away-from-mining/103464768)
2024-02-16T02:00:00Z	**Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour**
Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour for February 16th 2024 ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/qld-country-hour/country-hour-listen-back/103477280)
2024-02-16T06:21:55Z	**World-first genetically modified banana given approval as 'safety-net' variety in Panama disease battle**
Genetically modified cavendish bananas that are nearly immune to a devastating fungal disease have been given approval for commercial production and human consumption in Australia. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-16/australia-approves-first-genetically-modified-banana-panama-tr4/103476986)
2024-02-16T22:02:32Z	**How robots and AI can change the way Australia's favourite fruit gets harvested**
It takes effort to get bananas from the farm to the fruit bowl, with growers relying on a significant workforce to pick and pack. Now scientists are working on technology to make it easier and safer. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-17/robotic-arm-under-development-to-separate-bananas-from-stem/103461494)
2024-02-17T19:30:00Z	**The humble spud is now a $1 billion industry but a potato farmer says not all growers are benefitting**
Australia consistently produces about 1.4 million tonnes of spuds each year and their value is on the rise. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-18/potato-industry-now-worth-over-one-billion-dollars/103461744)
2024-02-17T20:59:59Z	**Have you heard of tayberries and jostaberries? Some of the least-known berries are the best, according to this Tassie farmer**
There are lots of berries to discover beyond blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, Tasmanian farmer Olivia Rundall tells her visitors. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-18/unusual-berries-grown-on-tasmanian-farm/103459338)
2024-02-18T20:46:32Z	**With a bumper harvest underway, wine growers pin their hopes on an end to Chinese tariffs**
Producers say ideal conditions have led to a 50 per cent increase in yields this season amid hopes the tariffs on Australian wine to China could be lifted as early as March. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-19/wine-producers-report-bumper-harvest-ahead-of-china-trade-talks/103464188)
2024-02-20T19:26:16Z	**Hundreds of grape growers being paid 1970s rates at breaking point in Australia's largest wine region**
Growers in South Australia's Riverland will gather at a crisis meeting as warm inland wine regions are pushed to breaking point by 1970s prices for their grapes. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-21/grape-growers-at-breaking-point-in-riverland-wine-region/103471608)
2024-02-22T02:00:00Z	**Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour**
Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour for February 22nd 2024 ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/qld-country-hour/country-hour-listen-back-/103500718)
2024-02-22T18:52:43Z	**Red meat industry questions sustainability 'remit' of Australian Dietary Guideline review**
Sustainability is on the menu for the official review of the national dietary guidelines, but the red meat industry is concerned it will not recognise its work to reduce greenhouse emissions. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-23/dietary-guideline-review-sustainability-questions-meat-industry/103497578)
2024-02-23T01:49:30Z	**Tourist crops providing selfie solution for famed Queensland sunflower fields**
Specially grown sunflower crops are springing up around Southern Queensland to help meet demand from crowds of visitors keen for a photo. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-23/sunflower-tourist-crops-to-protect-commercial-fields-queensland/103489100)
2024-02-24T05:10:17Z	**Farmers still toiling to fix infrastructure months after Cyclone Jasper flooded the Far North**
Daintree farmers have been working for two months to fix infrastructure damaged by Tropical Cyclone Jasper floods, but say there are many more months to go before they will get on top of the repairs. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-24/cyclone-jasper-affected-daintree-farmers-fixing-flood-damage/103507598)
2024-02-26T21:00:00Z	**How a clever craft distillery used grapes and rocks to win World's Best Botanical Vodka**
Forget potatoes or the Russians, Australian "underdogs" have taken out the 2024 title of World's Best Botanical Vodka using grapes and ancient volcanic rocks. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-02-27/sunshine-and-sons-worlds-best-vodka-sunshine-coast-distillery/103513426)
2024-02-27T03:14:11Z	**China wine tariffs expected to be gone by end of March after trade minister meets with Chinese counterpart**
The ABC understands that China will lift wine tariffs it had placed on Australian at the end of March, after Trade Minister Don Farrell met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao overnight. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-27/china-indicates-wine-tariffs-will-go-by-end-of-march/103515790)
2024-02-29T04:17:06Z	**'A lot of contentious issues on the agenda': Australia and China preparing for high-level talks**
Details and dates are still to be determined and announced, but experts say a range of thorny issues could be on the table. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-29/china-foreign-minister-visit-australia-penny-wong-wine-tarrifs/103525832)
2024-03-01T20:30:24Z	**What are the rules around wine labelling?**
If you've picked up a bottle of wine because the label looked fun and seemed to originate from a wine region you trust, it may be time to take a closer look. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-02/what-are-australias-wine-labelling-rules/103505754)
2024-03-05T18:59:27Z	**Nothing to cheer, as two-billion-litre glut of red wine sparks calls for halt on new vine plantings**
With the equivalent of more than 860 Olympic swimming pools worth of wine in storage and growers being paid 1970s prices for grapes, the industry is in a crisis bordering on catastrophe. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-06/vine-planting-moratorium-grape-farmers-riverland-crisis-sa/103512534)
2024-03-07T05:40:03Z	**Fruit fly outbreak worries SA growers as restrictions imposed**
Producers say the detection of the pest could lead to an increase in costs for consumers and impact supply. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-07/sa-fruit-fly-outbreak-worries-growers-as-restrictions-imposed/103558102)
2024-03-08T00:54:23Z	**Sunburnt fruit getting 'cooked' on the tree as dry spell continues in WA**
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts below average autumn rainfall across the South West, with drought conditions across parts of the North West also set to stretch on. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-08/wa-dry-continues-low-autumn-rainfall-predicted/103560286)
2024-03-11T06:53:43Z	**Newly announced wine taskforce to spotlight glut as industry reaches crisis point**
Very low prices for wine grapes and low demand is putting excessive pressure on the wine industry, leading to the formation of a taskforce to report on the challenges faced by Australian growers and winemakers. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-11/government-taskforce-to-investigate-wine-industry/103573074)
2024-03-12T04:47:34Z	**Fruit collector's favourite time of year arrives as obscure figs come into season**
A South Australian farmer wants to see more of the thousands of fig varieties become more widely available to consumers. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-12/figs-season-australia-riverland-farmers-south-australia/103541276)
2024-03-12T11:56:52Z	**Beijing on cusp of removing crippling tariffs from Aussie wine**
Beijing appears to be just weeks away from removing tariffs that have crippled Australia's wine industry since 2020, with an interim decision by China's authorities reporting that the duties are no longer necessary. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-12/beijing-on-cusp-of-removing-crippling-tariffs-from-aussie-wine/103579408)
2024-03-12T20:03:35Z	**Fruit, veg growers say biggest customer 'is the rubbish bin', as millions of tonnes of food is wasted**
Fresh produce growers scramble to meet "forecast" supply deals with supermarkets, but every year millions of dollars of surplus food goes to waste. So what's going on? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-13/does-a-supermarket-duopoly-mean-more-food-waste/103559734)
2024-03-13T06:50:00Z	**Tank farms show stark reality of Australia's wine industry crisis even if China drops tariffs**
Chinese authorities have announced an interim decision that tariffs of 220 per cent on Australian wine are not longer necessary, but the industry doesn't see a return to the market fixing its crisis. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-13/china-wine-tariff-interim-decision-riverland-riverina-grapes/103580590)
2024-03-14T22:35:36Z	**Growing watermelons in outback NSW is 'all about water' access, young family says**
Growing watermelons in NSW's Far West to the scale the Gebert family planned had never been done before, but where there is a will, there is a way. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-15/young-family-creates-watermelon-farm-outback-far-west-nsw/103581794)
2024-03-15T20:45:00Z	**The history of winemaking in Australia**
Over three lavishly illustrated volumes Andrew Caillard, renowned in Australian and international wine circles for his work as a wine auctioneer, expert, and writer, tells the stories of the people and events that have shaped the wine industry in Australia. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/the-history-of-winemaking-in-australia/103594500)
2024-03-19T19:08:01Z	**Wong set to press China's foreign minister over Yang Hengjun death sentence during high-profile meeting**
The first official meeting between Penny Wong and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi since 2022 comes at a sensitive time in relations between the two countries. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-20/foreign-ministers-penny-wong-wang-yi-to-meet-in-canberra/103607602)
2024-03-20T07:33:18Z	**Fruit growers facing difficult future as key WA dam dries up**
Water in Glen Mervyn Dam, 200km south of Perth, has dropped by 80 per cent in a year, prompting calls for growers to future-proof their orchards. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-20/glen-mervyn-dam-low-water-levels-fruit-growers/103605076)
2024-03-21T19:28:55Z	**Developer looking to merging homes, farming into 'agrihoods' to ease food, housing pressures**
Ever wanted to quit the city and run away to start a farm? Welcome to the agrihood, where you can have town living in a rural setting. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-03-22/agrihood-merge-of-farming-housing-far-north-queensland-planning/103609644)
2024-03-23T02:51:35Z	**Grape grower by day, DJ by night: The 'blockie' who's played the same festivals as The Prodigy**
With the wine industry in crisis, Andrew Sarakinis is glad his career in music allows him to provide for his family financially and still honour his" blockie" roots. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-23/dj-grape-grower-keeps-family-farming-alive-with-second-income/103605954)
2024-03-24T06:06:47Z	**Tens of thousands of vapes seized in Queensland**
Queensland Health has issued hundreds of fines in its attempt to rid the state of illegal vapes and tobacco products, as the government calls for even tougher laws. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-24/qld-vaping-seizures-illegal-tobacco/103626004)
2024-03-25T03:00:00Z	**Adelaide Hills' garlic farm's honour-system shut down after thieves steal cash**
Haaesford Farms Garlic in the Adelaide Hills is temporarily closing it's 'honour system' garlic shed after thieves stole hundreds of dollars in cash. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/adelaide-afternoons/garlic-farm-robbery/103630674)
2024-03-27T23:22:57Z	**Victorian Premier says tobacco shop licensing will roll out by end of year**
Victoria will finally set up a tobacco licensing scheme, more than two years after it was recommended, as part of a crackdown on the illegal tobacco trade that has sparked a spate of fire bombings. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-28/victorian-premier-jacinta-allan-tobacco-licensing/103643714)
2024-03-28T02:00:00Z	**Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour**
Listen back to the Queensland Country Hour for March 28. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/qld-country-hour/country-hour-listen-back/103646654)
2024-03-28T18:56:23Z	**The town that chocolate built: How a global cocoa crisis poured money into these remote PNG villages**
Over the last few years, a peculiar change has taken place in Papua New Guinea's north-west, with remote, traditional villages modernising at a rapid pace. Here's how the price of cocoa is fuelling development. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-29/cocoa-crisis-poured-money-into-png-villages/103601514)
2024-03-29T06:27:56Z	**'Great Friday' for winemakers ready to 'instantly' resume shipments of China-bound drops**
While wine authorities say getting Australian exports to China back to pre-tariff levels could be "a matter of years", many in the industry are not only rejoicing, but getting set to resume shipments. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-29/winemakers-prepare-to-exports-to-china-after-tariffs-abolished/103649308)
2024-03-29T23:22:51Z	**Wine grape growers rip out vineyards after historic low prices blamed on oversupply**
Prices have been below the cost of production with estimates of losses of up to $2,000 per hectare on some grape varieties. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-30/vineyards-removed-nsw-riverina-wine-grape-prices-historic-low/103628108)
2024-03-30T02:59:44Z	**Think $5.50 is too much for a flat white? Actually it's too cheap, and our world-famous cafes are paying the price**
Our recent survey of Australian capital cities found the average price of a small takeaway flat white at speciality venues is $4.78. But in some international capitals, it's almost double this, even after adjusting for local purchasing power parity. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-30/think-your-5-flat-white-costs-too-much-it-s-actually-too-cheap/103649298)
2024-03-30T20:53:02Z	**Is ditching the city for a country vineyard as romantic as it sounds?**
Leaving the city and buying a vineyard in the country sounds romantic – the fresh air, drinking wine from the grapes you've cultivated, working your own hours, and raising a family in wide open spaces. But does the reality live up to the narrative? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-31/these-couples-ditched-the-city-to-buy-a-granite-belt-vineyard/103638118)
2024-04-02T19:45:00Z	**It's now loved all over the world, but who really invented the flat white?**
This is the little-known story of how Italian sugar growers in the Sunshine State are said to have inspired the "invention" of the flat white — a drink that would go on to become a global sensation. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-03/who-invented-the-flat-white-queensland/103659040)
2024-04-05T19:45:00Z	**Frangipani trees in Darwin 'hammered' by exotic pest. Can ladybirds stop it from spreading south?**
Since its discovery last year, the papaya mealybug has spread across Darwin, impacting a range of host plants such as papaya, hibiscus and frangipanis. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-06/darwin-frangipanis-under-attack-from-exotic-mealybug/103670052)
2024-04-10T03:54:30Z	**How do you know if extra-virgin olive oil is really extra-virgin?**
Australia relaunches an olive oil monitoring program amid concerns consumers are purchasing inferior or fraudulent products. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-04-10/australian-extra-virgin-olive-oil-monitoring-program-starts/103688916)
2024-04-11T00:26:12Z	**'Geez, that's a bit heavy!' Jumbo jackfruit stuns farmer in Far North Queensland**
Jackfruit usually weigh between 5 and 15 kilograms, but a grower south of Cairns has just harvested this "impressive" 45-kilogram monster fruit. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-11/large-jackfruit-harvested-feluga-farm-vegan-meat-alternative/103692674)
2024-04-12T06:58:44Z	**Australians are consuming less fruit, vegetables and milk — here's what that looks like**
Australians are eating less of all major food groups, with fresh produce leading the decline, says a new report. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/food-consumption-abs-report/103700492)
2024-04-13T23:30:00Z	**Bhavik's Top End tropical fruit wonderland**
Who wouldn't want 200 varieties of tropical fruit at their place? ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/darwin-sundays/bhaviks-tropical-fruit-wonderland/103706146)
2024-04-15T19:48:37Z	**Man turns mammoth 400kg prize-winning pumpkin into a canoe, paddles it down river**
A fan of shenanigans and the unnecessary, the former commodore of the Tumut Canoe Club donned a captain's hat and pipe to paddle the biggest pumpkin grown in Australia this year down a river, Popeye style. ⌘ [Read more](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-16/man-turns-mammoth-400kg-pumpkin-into-a-canoe/103708438)