- QFF’s Energy Southern Queensland (EnergySQ) program launched this week to help growers and producers in the Southern Downs and Goondiwindi local government areas identify tangible ways they can achieve increased energy productivity and efficiencies while supporting reduced emissions on farm. Full media release here.
- QFF are pleased to welcome BDO Australia to our Corporate Partners program. BDO works with clients across the entire food and agribusiness value chain, offering services such as market entry and expansion advice, identification of relevant government grants and concessions, succession and ownership transition options, and more. Learn more here.
- QFF member CANEGROWERS are optimistic ahead of Queensland’s 2023 sugarcane crush following a recent spike in the world sugar price and a simultaneous drop in fertiliser prices. Sugar prices have doubled from a low of $400 per tonne just two years ago to a prompt price of $804 in mid-April – a prompt price growers haven’t seen since 1980. Read the full media release here.
- Australian cross-border biosecurity practices are set to be bolstered following a $9.5 million injection into Australian pest and disease risk management measures. This funding will develop a toolkit to improve state-level decision-making about biosecurity risks and will also support international market access negotiations. Read more here.
- QFF is currently hiring for an Industry Recovery and Resilience Officer (IRRO) to support primary producers impacted by the 2021/22 Queensland flood events. To learn more about the role please contact QFF Risk, Recovery and Resilience Project Manager, Kerry Battersby.
- Queensland beekeepers are encouraged to inspect their hives for varroa mite following detections of the pest in New South Wales. Report all hive checks, even if you do not find any suspect mites, using the Bee 123 online form, or by calling the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Customer Service Centre on 13 25 23. Learn more here.
- Agricultural land prices increased by 29% in 2022 and are set to continue to rise this year according to a Rabobank report which also says 22% of land deal sales in Queensland exceeded $10 million. Whilst rising land valuations reflect many positives for the sector, it is also giving rise to challenges including rating spikes, succession planning complications and difficulties for many would-be young farmers entering the market. Read the InQueensland article here.
- The Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) will be conducting an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey of the western Condamine Alluvium, between Dalby and Cecil Plains, in early May 2023. Learn more here.
- Queensland primary school students are being encouraged to crack out their pencils and illustrate a farm safety message as part of a calendar competition. Winning illustrations will feature in a free 2024 farm safety calendar which will be circulated to 30,000+ Queenslanders. Entries close Friday 23 June 2023. More information here.
- The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has welcomed the Net Zero Australia study report, which recognises that achieving net zero cannot come at the expense of agriculture but must instead focus on fair land sharing measures that ensure prime farmland remains productive. Full media release here.
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