Western Australia Country Hour

The formal resumption of Australia's canola trade to China would be an incredible market gain for Australian farmers. 

Wild weather, over the past few days, has caused widespread damage across the state's agricultural region, with everything from extensive crop damage, to some sheep being struck by lightning.

A Great Southern farmer is heading to Parliament House in Canberra today to urge the federal government to start taking prostate cancer more seriously.

Andrew Forrest has launched a fresh legal bid to build an irrigation system along part of the Ashburton River, which flows through his Minderoo Station, in WA's Pilbara.

The $55 million sale of Yeeda Pastoral Company and its subsidiaries, including the Kimberley Meat Company, near Broome, is now complete.

Victorian flower farmer Caitie O'Grady has watched her black bearded irises bloom just in time for Halloween.

The owners of the biggest cattle station in the world - Anna Creek Station - have been charged over allegedly building illegal dams on inland rivers and waterholes.

Carol Mudford has been named the AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year.

The Bureau of Meteorology has defended its new $4 million website. 

Premium wine producers say the export door to China may be open again but it's proving to be very challenging to get a real foothold in the market.

Mount Gibson Iron has decided to pull up stumps on its mining operation on Koolan island in the Buccaneer Archipelago, off the northern Kimberley coast

The Kimberley Agriculture and Pastoral Company has struck an agreement with a Northern Territory abattoir and has started producing its own branded beef.

A South West shire says a new critical minerals deal, which supports Alcoa's development of a gallium refinery, could strengthen the company's case to keep mining in WA's jarrah forests.

A critical minerals specialist is convinced the new multi-billion dollar deal between Australia and the US is an opportunity for Australia, particularly when it comes to processing the minerals.

A small town in Western Australia's Great Southern was recently transformed into a culinary tasting ground, as part of an international push to get more Australian lamb on plates around the world.

Western Australia is on track for a 'cracker' grain harvest, potentially delivering a record crop to rival the 25 million tonne crop in 2022.

The Firearms Inquiry Committee has concluded there was little wrong with Western Australia's new firearms act and regulations or the subsequent implementation of them. 

Victorian farmers are cutting their crops for hay as the drought continues to bite across south-east Australia.

Hot on the heels of Australia's largest sheep station, Rawlinna, getting the green light from government to sell, another massive sheep station, in the same region, has hit the market, this time Madura Plains, 700 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie.

Wool Producers says there's been a complete lack of transparency around the development and funding of the Future Flock Strategy and the DAFF should consider putting it on hold until there's a better understanding and acceptance of the concept.

Elders managing director and CEO Mark Allison says it's great to finally have the green light from the ACCC, a year after the deal to merge with rival Delta Ag was first announced.

The process and fairness of awarding grants, under the Federal Government's $139.7 million package, to support the phase out of the live sheep trade by sea, was questioned in Senate Estimates this week.

Australian taxpayers will fund a $600 million rescue package for mining giant Glencore to keep copper processing facilities operational in North Queensland until the end of 2028.

The Ord Valley's northern food bowl 'pipe dream' struggles amid changing climate.

Two amateur prospector mates, who found a centuries-old, rare Buddha statue in the Shark Bay region, are calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to diplomatically return the figurine 'home' to China.

Kojonup wool grower and director on the board of Australian Wool Innovation, Neil Jackson, is quietly confident the wool market will hold, if not rise, between now and Christmas.

State agriculture and food minister Jackie Jarvis says the new $55.7 million primary industries research and development facility at Jandakot is a short term fix, until a location is identified for a new $320 million metro facility.

Australia's obesity crisis is worsening, and experts say an over consumption of ultra processed foods is to blame.

Australia's peak body for truck drivers is launching a national campaign to try to stamp out an illegal courtesy signal used by the haulage industry for decades.

The wool market has surged again this week, with the benchmark Eastern Market Indicator up 109 cents to close at 1453 cents a kilogram clean, its highest level in more than three years.

A school bus driver in the state's Great Southern has called for urgent action over wandering livestock saying it's only a matter of time before a tragedy occurs.

DAFF is continuing its efforts to recover all the imported nappy pants that could contain the khapra beetle or larvae, that was found in a box of Little One's Ultra Dry Nappy Pants in walker size five earlier this month.

Consolidated Pastoral Company is officially the new owner of Rawlinna Station with the WA government signing-off on the pastoral lease and finalising the sale, almost seven months after the deal was struck.

A farmer in the Lakes district, in the state's south east, has a trial site on his property to try and find a control method for a small beetle called the cockchafer.

DPIRD's latest stock assessments show species like pink snapper, red emperor, and the iconic dhufish are under serious threat, even at risk of collapse.

The live sheep trading season has started this week in unprecedented circumstances, with not one livestock vessel confirmed to return to Australia between now and the end of the year.

WA's three main grain grower lobby groups have written to federal agriculture minister Julie Collins calling for an immediate 50 per cent reduction in the grower levy paid to the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Nationals Senator for Queensland Matt Canavan doesn't believe net zero is working for Australia.

Agriculture, outdoor workers and critical infrastructure, such as telecommunications, will all be negatively affected by climate change. That's some of the key findings in Australia's first national climate risk assessment.

The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner says WA is in a good position to learn from the mistakes made in the eastern states and ensure the energy transition to wind and solar has benefits for the whole community.

Across parts of Western Australia during springtime, there's a flower that blooms so bright you can see it from space. Canola was first introduced to WA back in the 1960s.