A Central West NSW man has been refused bail after police allegedly found 39 dead horses, and seized more than 100 animals from his property near Orange, NSW.
Lentil prices are down 49 per cent from their 2022 peak and wheat has not recovered in three seasons, leaving farmers to rewrite the balance sheet with crops already in the ground.
Western Australia has planted a record 9.4 million hectares of winter crop, but farmers say whether that translates into a yield record depends entirely on what spring delivers.
War in the Middle East and seasonal uncertainty are lifting input costs and Australia’s winter crop is forecast to fall 21 per cent to 54.5 million tonnes in 2026-27.
Wheat planting in Australia is set to fall about 10 per cent this season as growers cut nitrogen rates and chase lower-cost crop options including barley.
Western Australian growers are planting a record 2.28 million hectares of canola this season as stronger returns and one of the earliest sowing programs on record.
Canola prices have climbed to $805 a tonne in Melbourne but growers say the crop is becoming harder to justify as high fertiliser costs and dry conditions increase production risk.
Farmers are taking their most conservative approach in decades ahead of the Anzac Day sowing window, with up to 10 per cent of Australia’s winter crop area at risk of being left not planted.
Riverina rice production has fallen by about two-thirds this season, despite excellent yields and grain quality, as low general security allocations cut planted area by about 60 to 65 per cent.
