Women have been involved in Australian agriculture from the beginning, but it wasn’t until 1994 that they could legally call themselves farmers in the Australian census. Even today agriculture is often perceived as being a man’s world. Kirsty White is typical of the many rural ladies quietly changing that perception. Kirsty grew up on a beef property at Kingstown west of Armidale in NSW, and her first female agricultural role model was her mother. “When Dad went away contracting it was Mum who ran the farm and raised myself and my two siblings.” “Women are an integral part of the farming lan ..read more

If you’ve ever met a cattle producer, you’ll know just how passionate they are about what they do. But sometimes the misinformation about cattle gets in the way of people learning just how modern, sustainable and exciting it is to raise cattle in Australia. A small group of young producers have created a film to show people why they love cattle and how a career in beef is full of exciting and unexpected opportunities. Lucy Moore is part of this small group and is excited to launch the “Believe in Beef” film next month. Lucy shares with Australian Farmers more about this exciting project. For t ..read more

Life on a million-acre cattle station in South Australia is a pretty unique place to call home. While day-to-day life is incredibly remote, Gillian Fennell makes it her business to stay connected. A true ‘agvocate’, she is on a mission to promote agriculture, and sometimes that means uncomfortable conversations. She takes on tough issues publicly, dispelling misconceptions on social media. Voice from the bush Gillian is a Livestock South Australia board member, Cattle Australia – Sustainable Resilient Beef Systems working group member and National Farmers’ Federation telecommunications and so ..read more

There’s nothing more enjoyable than fresh juicy fruit smoothie to perk you up in the morning and get you ready for the day! In this My Market Kitchen’s latest episode, Queensland pineapple grower Gavin Scurr talks about how he grows pineapples and how tight knit the pineapple industry is. Inspired by Gavin’s fresh product, My Market Kitchen host and dietitian and nutritionist Jemma O’Hanlon creates the ‘Morning Mood Booster’, a delicious smoothie packed full of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants! Ingredients 4 ice cubes 2 cups Australian watermelon 1 cup Australian pineapple 1 Australian or ..read more

It’s no secret that kids raised in the Australian bush are a unique breed. If you’re a farm kid yourself, we’ve compiled just some of the reasons you’re part of a special bunch. 1. You’ll be skeptical about the concept of indoor pets Never let it be said that you don’t like animals, they’re great. But they exist in the following (descending) hierarchy: humans; working animals; edible animals; others. An animal’s place in that hierarchy dictates its proximity to the house, but only humans should make it past the verandah. To disrupt this order would be a sin against nature – upending the separa ..read more

On any road trip from Grafton in NSW to Mossman in northern QLD, you will pass fields of rippling green sugarcane, growing tall with the sunlight and abundant water that comes with coastal living. Among the canes, from May to December, you will find small trains carting the harvested product to mills. This is Australia’s sugarcane industry, comprised of over 4000 farms, and in its heart you will find Proserpine and 32-year-old Justin Blair. Sugarcane farming Justin is a fourth-generation farmer, working alongside his father and younger brother, and manager of the family’s 300ha property and, e ..read more

Where do all those marked, undersized, scratched and cracked pieces of fruit and vegetables end up? Most shops and consumers won’t even look at them. But one woman is turning second-grade produce into top-notch snacks, meals and garnishes. It’s amazing how with a dehydrator, aesthetics suddenly aren’t all that important. The magic of turning fresh rejects into prized dried all happens in a factory at Monarto, east of Adelaide. The founder of Woodlane Orchard, Kelly Johnson is full of wisdom when it comes to preserving food. Kelly Johnson is a magician with a dehydrator.One door closes another ..read more

While the spotlight has been squarely on supermarkets lately, with no less than six inquiries looking into their pricing practices and conduct with suppliers and farmers, there’s a farm sector that says it’s going under the radar. Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) is the national peak body representing commercial growers of plants (known as nursery products) across Australia. This sector employs over 25,000 people. If you have ever bought a plant for your garden or vegetable patch at Bunnings, it is highly likely it was grown by someone in this sector. Horizontal photo of groups of tropical p ..read more

Mention ultrafine wool and thoughts generally run to Merino sheep but on the far south coast of New South Wales Julie and Peter McClen are on the leading edge of breeding ultrafine alpacas. The Oak Grove Alpaca stud is situated near Candelo on a portion of what was the historic Kameruka Estate. Settled in 1834 Kameruka was famous for its dairies and cheese but in 1850 moves were made to import alpacas from Peru to produce the fine, luxurious fibre for which they were famous. The idea did not eventuate but fast forward 150 years to 2001 and the McClens began to fulfil the prophecy. Today, in li ..read more

Not all farm animals are soft like woolly sheep or docile like grazing cows. Some in fact, would eat you, if given the chance. Crocodile farming is not for the faint-hearted and Australian Farmers podcast host, Angie Asimus, caught up with the family who established Queensland’s first commercial crocodile farm in 1981. Croc leather, meat and tours are growing in popularity. But this niche enterprise certainly has its challenges, from feeding 3000 reptiles to housing them. To learn more about the croc business, Lauren Lever of Koorana Crocodile Farm gives us a rare insight. The Lever family es ..read more