South Australian Country Hour

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

The Prime Minister visits South Australia to an announce an extra $2million for the Rural Financial Counselling Service, farming groups welcome the PM's announcement but call for more immediate drought support for producers, and biosecurity experts concede it is no longer possible to eradicate the tomato brown rugose fruit virus from Australia.

Dairy farmers call for emergency relief as the industry battles with drought and floods across the nation, a campaign launched to get more South Australians buying local citrus after a dry summer impacts crops, and SA producers de-stocking and sending increasing numbers of livestock to sales as far away as Dubbo.

The ACCC announces further investigations into concerns around a proposed merger between agribusiness giant Elders and rival Delta Ag, farmers and ag groups meet with the Federal Agriculture Minister to talk more support for drought-affected SA, and an evaluation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan shows environmental water having positive impacts on biodiversity and habitat quality.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins is touring South Australia today and has announced $800,000 for rural financial counselling services in SA and Victoria, heavy lamb prices hit a national all time high this week -first $400 per head in Ballarat and then $405 in Horsham and the Coalition is officially back together just over a week after they parted ways.

Storms amount to a lot of wind but not much rain to help drought-ravaged South Australia, Streaky Bay farmer Suzie Kenny's save our sheep campaign has been delivered to Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven and there are changes ahead for the beef cattle competition at the Royal Adelaide Show

Dust storms accompanied some rain across South Australia, Livestock SA calls for fodder transport subsidies to be instituted and Elders made $64 million before tax in the first half of the year, up 67 per cent on last year's first half.

SA records its highest quarterly cattle slaughter since 2017 and huge increases in lamb slaughter, most South Australian oyster farms unaffected by a widespread algae bloom along parts of the coast, and Adelaide researchers discover 71 new native bee species found across the country.

Feed Central visits SA clients amid increasing anxiety about hay supply and rising prices nationally, South Australia's Mesonet weather network announces a re-launch and a new membership model, and Victoria becomes the latest state to commit to allowing virtual fencing for cattle by the end of the year.

Rabobank forecasts a record-high winter crop planting for Australia this year, but an overall drop in production, another outbreak of tomato rugose fruit virus in Victoria traced back to NSW, and egg-laying chickens from SA on the move to the NT as demand increases.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

PIRSA's crop report shows SA produced 5.2million tonnes of grain last year, worth about $2.1billion, BOM's long-range forecast for SA shows mixed fortunes for rain heading to the end of August, and hay producers' phones ringing off the hook as prices and demand goes through the roof.

A marine scientist explains the risks to the seafood industry of an algae bloom happening along the SA coast, buyers and agents report lower quality and signs of destocking at South Australian saleyards, and signs of improvement in the retail food sector after some tough years.

Legislation passes to build 61,000 houses on prime agricultural land north of Adelaide, the SA Drought Hub to remove regional node coordinator roles as part of a structural shake up, and an SA dog trainer teaches her dog to detect foot rot in sheep in a world-first.

Urea holds largely at cheaper levels after the spike seen during the Covid years, the USA and China have agreed to a 90-day pause in their implementation of tariffs on each other's imports, and home cooks release an new book paying homage to one of Australia's oldest community cookbooks.

South Australian shearers struggling to find work as drought pushes reduction in wool industry, the apple and pear industry at a cross roads as more orchards to be consolidated in the coming years, and drought-affected Western Victorian farmers look to their state government for more support.

A senior entomologist reports reduced pest pressure for SA farmers this season due to drought, the livestock industry represented at South Australia's second Industry Climate Change Conference, and feral olive trees under consideration as a weed of national significance.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

The NFF calls on the newly re-elected Prime Minister to visit and hold a drought forum in dought-affected SA, calls to do more to protect water levels and quality in South East aquifers and wetlands, and South Australia prepares to host its second Industry Climate Change Conference.

Agricultural advocacy groups react to the Albanese Labor-government's landslide election win on the weekend, challenging times for the SA wool industry as drought and high input costs see forecast wool production plummet, and a Streaky Bay farmer gathering a database of sheep numbers needing feed across the West Coast and Eyre Peninsula.

A transport subsidy scheme expanded to deliver high quality fodder to drought-affected SA dairy farmers, the Australian wool clip forecast to decline in the coming year to its lowest level since 1922, and the Port Lincoln tuna industry celebrates World Tuna Day.

A new major global wine company created through the merger of Accolade Wines and assets formerly owned by Pernod Ricard, a water broker says dry conditions across the southern Basin are leading to higher water demand and temporary prices, and regional businesses report locals spending less in town due to the ongoing lack of rain.

Drought-affected producers able to access emergency water supply for livestock from the Bundaleer Reservoir, Livestock SA urges the state government to get on with implementing virtual fencing after its approval in NSW, and outback farmers explain the challenges of switching to hybrid and electric vehicles.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

The SA Government announces a $3million fund for dairy farmers owed payments following the collapse of Beston Global Food, a South Australian abattoir among 10 Australian facilities granted access to the Chinese market for the first time, and farmers welcome bipartisan funding promises towards farm safety and a national food plan.

An early survey of SA grain producers suggests around a quarter have already started dry seeding, the Bureau of Meteorology's latest long-term rain outlook shows little chance of decent rain for SA into June, and citrus harvest begins in the Riverland with high export demand for the fruit.

Need for Feed loading up for another run of donated hay for drought-affected SA farmers this long weekend, grain producers across SA start dry seeding ahead of the traditional ANZAC Day weekend start, and hardware giant Bunnings agrees to a statement of principles that will govern its relationships with plant suppliers.

Warnings of a looming rabbit plague without further funding to create a new biocontrol measure, the NSW Farmers Association announces its intention to quit the National Farmers Federation, and even more flood waters expected to make their way down the Darling River and into the Menindee Lakes.

The NFF and transport industry campaign for more funding for regional roads during the election, SA researchers patent a new processing method to produce table olives while also reducing water usage, and the Australian olive industry closing monitoring the spread of the plant disease Xylella internationally.

The cattle industry and environmental groups at odds over a nomination to make buffel grass a Weed of National Significance, Elsie Johnson named the overall winner as the highest achieving senior student at the SA Sheep Expo, and a new study finds chickpeas and lentil have higher nutritional value to the human diet than oats and wheat.

Almost $350,000 in funding to keep the Mesonet automatic weather station system going until the end of June, Mid-Murray Council to decide which of its standpipes to keep operational and automate with government funding, and the CFS announces a two week extension to the fire danger season in the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Applications open for a second round of drought infrastructure grants, worth up to $20,000, grain growers raise concerns about requests to transfer ownership of their Mesonet weather stations, and small businesses in the state's mid-north report reduced spending in the community amid the drought.

The independent review into the Wilcannia Weir replacement project delivers its findings to the community, the State Government announces grants of up to $1500 for drought affected farming families and rural small business owners, and the Mid-Murray Council receives over $200,000 to automate existing standpipes across the region.

The Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association celebrates a world-first MSC certification, an SA pastoral company believes it can weather the US 10% trade tariffs announced earlier this month by the USA, and Australian seafood, meat, vegetable dairy and wine featured in a trade delegation to Japan.

Entrepreneur Kelly Johnson has been named South Australia 2025 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award winner, in recognition of her passion for rescuing surplus and second-grade produce.

Locals "blown away" by the volume and speed of Queensland floodwaters now reaching the north-east of South Australia, farmers welcome State Government drought funding for standpipes for critical water needs in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu, and entrepreneur Kelly Johnson named South Australia's 2025 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award winner.

Marine algae blamed as thousands of dead pipis wash up on the beaches near Goolwa, the Australian dollar drops below 60 US cents for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mutton indicator jumps up more than 100 cents in the space of a week.

The State Opposition calls on the government to declare the drought a state of emergency, parliament votes down a Bill seeking to changes laws around access to farming land by mining companies, and Australia's largest winegrape growing region says US tariffs are another breaking point for an industry already in crisis.

The SA Premier meets with farming groups to discuss the current drought and further drought support, the livestock industry reacts to the news of a 10% tariff on exports into the United States from Australia, and a South Australian winemaker describes the US tariffs as another huge blow for industry.

Farmers call for more assistance ahead of a drought roundtable with the SA Premier later today, far-west NSW livestock agents report a 30% increase on stock movements since the start of the year, and consumers warned the price of meat is expected to rise as a result of the QLD floods.

India reinstates tariffs on chickpeas from Australia from today, more than 100,000 head of livestock estimated lost in flooding in outback QLD, and research on the Eyre Peninsula into how canola crops will burn in varying conditions.