South Australian Country Hour

Winter rain lifts PIRSA's crop outlook for SA to 8.5 million tonnes, GPA asks growers if they would like to pay a lower levy to fund R&D, and Ceduna on track on to be declared free of Mediterranean fruit fly.

DNA proves feral pigs released in SA came from NSW, Australian wool producers welcome a lift in prices, and a new report finds systemic market failure in the chicken meat industry.

The wool market surges as the EMI hit its highest level in more than 3 years, Kangaroo Island puts out a biosecurity bee alert for travelers during the school holidays, and the sale finalised for Australia's biggest sheep station.

Agriculture Victoria confirms a suspected case of potato mop top virus on the mainland, forestry residue from the South East of SA to be used to create biofuels, and PIRSA seeks to gain further access to properties in the Riverland for fruit fly surveillance.

We broadcast live from the State Pest and Weeds Conference in Adelaide, Riverland wine grape growers again urge the government to implement compulsory indicative prices, and a company contracted to provide testing for seafood brevetoxin levels within Australia.

Authorities confident they can stop any further spread of khapra beetle, the gross production value of Australia's horticultural sector overtakes the cattle industry, and the National Irrigators Council wants more information on how irrigated agriculture will be affected by climate change.

Sheep Producers Australia to develop a national strategy covering both the sheepmeat and wool sectors, authorities agree it's not technically feasible to eradicate potato mop-top virus from Australia, and the Federal Government releases draft legislation for the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

The Federal Government announces more than a billion dollars towards the bioenergy industry, Australia's processor cow indicator reaches a record high price, and the South Australian wine industry launches its first industry brand and website.

Concerns as khapra beetle larvae discovered in nappy pants imported into Australia, authorities say South Australia is getting closer to eradicating feral deer, and an oyster grower welcomes early signs of sea life returning to the Spencer Gulf.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

Safework SA launches a farm safety campaign on the back of a number of workplace deaths and serious injuries, the wool market records its longest weekly rally in six and a half years, and Australia's first national climate risk assessment outlines the negative impact on agriculture.

Fishermen call for more government support for the industry at the algae bloom inquiry in Victor Harbor, renewed calls to establish an animal welfare office following an investigation into an SA piggery, and a significant increase in livestock transactions reported across Australian saleyards.

The algae bloom inquiry moves to Ardrossan to hear from local fishermen about the impact, the value of SA's agricultural exports takes a dive as a result of the drought, and the state's chief vet outlines the work ongoing to manage SA's first varroa mite outbreak.

SA oyster growers outline how much income they've lost due to the algae bloom, Nationals leader David Littleproud calls for no-interest loans for drought affected farmers, and the Minnipa Agricultural Centre celebrates 110 years of agricultural research.

The Country Hour broadcasts live from the Nuffield Australia National Conference in Adelaide, and the state and federal governments announce a further $30million in drought funding.

The NFF and SA drought commissioner speak as we broadcast live from the National Drought Forum at Gawler, SA among three states placing import restrictions on Tasmanian potatoes due to mop top virus, and an SA beekeeper criticises the decision to allow interstate hives into the state amid the varroa outbreak.

Apiarists worry the discovery of varroa in SA could destroy countless family businesses, Bunge expecting an average SA grain crop as it launches its harvest recruitment drive, and Coles to pause its phase out of cage eggs for 5 years as a result of bird flu outbreaks.

Beekeepers, citrus and almond growers react to the news that SA has recorded its first outbreak of varroa mite, the QLD Government confirms the SA varroa detection came from hives that originated in a previously free of the pest, and a new report finds Australia's wine industry contributes $51.3billion to Australia's economy.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

Cassie Hough broadcasts live from the Royal Adelaide Show, celebrating 100 years of the event at the Wayville Showgrounds, the first ever schools' wheat competition, our Rural Ambassador finalists and the first showing of blacknose valais sheep at the Adelaide Show.

The Federal Government announces an extra billion dollars for the Regional Investment Corporation, wool-growing property Telopea Downs, on the SA-Vic border, listed for sale with a potential $100 million price tag, and the BOM's long-term forecast for spring trends towards a wetter than average spring for parts of SA.

An independent MP calls for the creation of an Independent Office of Animal Welfare for SA, room for cattle processing in southern Australia outstrips the north for the first time in two decades, and the national spring outlook show an elevated risk of bushfires in parts of WA, Victoria and South Australia's Mallee.

The potato industry calls for stricter measures as Tasmania works to control an outbreak of potato mop-top virus, South Australia's net rural confidence level falls 25% for the previous quarter, to just 3%, and 24 new varieties of wheat added to the national master list.

The SA Government announces another $1million in drought support through fodder deliveries and technical advice for farmers, canola disease experts warn growers against using fungicides by default, as resistance to blackleg grows, and the number of cattle in feedlots across Australia reaches record levels.

Australian wool production for the 25/26 season forecast to drop a further 10%, small-scale livestock producers advocate for greater access to community or micro-abattoirs, and a new study puts a billion dollar price tag on the contribution of working dogs to the Australian economy.

The Premier flags the potential for more drought relief for South Australian farmers, dairy giant Fonterra to sell its brands to French company Lactalis for nearly $3.5billion, and conservationists concerned about the decision to halt environmental water flows in NSW.

The farm chemical regulator bans a popular insecticide for the majority of uses, Riverland Wine surveying the area of winegrape vines being removed or rested ahead of the 2026 vintage, and the CSIRO opens a new South Australian-based lab to better measure groundwater recharge.

Wheat prices take a dive as a record corn crop is forecast for the USA, work continuing to try and slow the global spread of foot and mouth and lumpy skin disease, and beneficial insect numbers take a hit after months of drought in southern Australia.

Irrigators suing the Murray Darling Basin Authority over its water and river management from 2017 to 2019 have given evidence in the NSW Supreme Court, a South Australian invention that helps test wool microns on property is picking up in popularity and the almond pollination season across three states is underway, but the low rainfall has made it a tricky year for multiple industries including the beekeepers.

Small businesses call for an expansion of eligibility for algae bloom government support, GPA wants a review of the rules around foreign investment in Australian farm land, and Australian onion exports drop to their lowest level since 2017.

Calls for supermarket milk price increases to be passed on to dairy farmers, NZ potato growers explain how they've been managing the mop top virus that's now turned up in Australia, and submissions now open into a government inquiry into the algae bloom.

Potato mop top virus detected for the first time in Australia, on a potato farm in North-West Tasmania, opportunities for Australian growers as China announces a 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola seed, and SA producer Gavin Schuster elected chair of the national fodder association AFIA.

SA's record lamb price falls again as a pen of crossbred lambs sells for $450 a head at Dublin, the southern bluefin tuna harvest winds up a bit later than usual due to recent weather conditions, and Australia's farming sector welcomes the Reserve Bank's latest interest rate cut.

A class action launched by irrigators against the MDBA begins in the Supreme Court, farmers report cautious optimism for the season after significant rainfall across July for parts of SA, and the latest round of aerial sterile fruit fly releases begins across the Riverland.

Work on the remaining 290 kilometre section of the cross-border wild dog fence expected to start next year, BOM records show parts of SA recorded their wettest July on record, and this year's Murray-Darling Basin outlook forecasts health flows for South Australia.

The seafood industry welcomes the re-opening of the Boston Bay marine harvesting area, concerns for international collaboration as global fire seasons grow longer and overlap, and Australia exports a record amount of beef as cattle prices remain high.

An Adelaide butcher becomes the first to sell beef coming from cattle fed with SA-developed asparagopsis, producers across SA continue to struggle to access reasonably-priced fodder, and water entitlement values across the southern Murray Darling Basin rise for the first time in three years.

The charity AFL game between the Adelaide Crows and Gold Coast Suns at Adelaide Oval has raised $115,000 to support drought-affected farmers, beekeepers say a national bee shortage and a sharp decline in colony health is threatening the 2025 almond pollination season, which is currently underway and the annual food price inflation is slowing down according to the latest data from the ABS consumer price index but is still above the long term average.

Rural news and events from South Australia and the nation.

Positive signs for an Australian livestock industry developed MRNA vaccine for cattle against foot and mouth disease, the national dairy cow indicator reaches a record of 354 cents per kilogram, and a new study finds that safety protection on quad bikes has driven down farm deaths.

Barossa water users warned to prepare for allocation cuts as water resources reach critical thresholds, South Australia's winter crop revised back down by around half a million tonnes, and a new public information campaign promotes SA seafood as the algae bloom impacts consumer demand.