Sea Temple of Pura Luhur, Uluwatu, south Bali, Indonesia. (CIA.gov)

Indonesia’s foot-and-mouth outbreak prompts international measures

'Viral fragments' detected in meats brought into Australia

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Australia and New Zealand say they’ve stepped up protections against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at their international airports following an outbreak of the disease in Indonesia. Travellers arriving in Australia from Indonesia will now be asked to walk across sanitation foot mats at airports, the latest measure to ramp up Australia’s biosecurity measures, the […] Read more

(Alfio Manciagli/iStock/Getty Images)

Australian canola production heading downward, but still sizeable

New second-biggest harvest expected, USDA predicts

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Despite canola production in Australia being set to drop 26 per cent in 2022-23, the country’s farmers are still projected to harvest the second largest crop, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s attaché in Canberra. In the attaché’s report, released Monday, canola production for the coming crop year was projected to be […] Read more



Lentils. (Seb_ra/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices decline, may shift in spring

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Prices for Canadian lentils, along with other pulses in the country, have slightly declined since the start of 2022. However, one pulse buyer thinks the next few months can recharge the market. Lionel Ector, president of Diefenbaker Spice and Pulse at Elbow, Sask., explained that a good Australian lentil harvest in December has […] Read more


Down under, the overall approach to barley innovation has become more corporate, especially in Western Australia.

Winning the barley battle

Australia’s barley exporters are getting a global reputation for out-hustling Canada

Reading Time: 5 minutes Recently I was eating my breakfast in Sydney, listening to the Australian barley industry make its pitch to potential buyers in Ecuador. The pitch was being made over Zoom, and it was all in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation. Such is the approach of Australia’s barley growers and their representative groups in an environment […] Read more

“My parents are finding it very hard to hand over the business,” says Ryan Galbraith. “It’s like another kid to them.”

Young, and (not) feeling stuck

You’ve gone back to the farm. You’re eager to make real decisions. You feel ready for it too, if only Mom and Dad would let you. 
So how do you convince them?

Reading Time: 8 minutes We begin with a happy story. It was 3 a.m. and 18-year-old Ryan Galbraith was sitting in a seeder in a field in the middle of Western Australia when he realized all he wanted was to be a farmer. “It was one of those moments — you’re just out there enjoying it, you’re tired but […] Read more


Despite real challenges, Australia posted multiple sales wins in major markets around the world.

More competition for Canada from Down Under

Australia has learned how to grow its grain exports. Is Canada paying attention?

Reading Time: 5 minutes I remember one Christmas Eve walking in minus 38, and then a week later saw the mercury hit plus 46 on New Year’s Day. Such are the outcomes of a 14-hour plane journey between Canada and Australia. But despite the different weather, I will tell anyone who will listen that Australia and Canada have much […] Read more

CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat nears two-month low

Corn declines; soy ends firm

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell nearly four per cent on Wednesday and European wheat fell three per cent as a bumper Australian harvest and signs of continued competition from Black Sea supplies added to technical pressure, traders and analysts said. Corn followed wheat lower while soybean futures ended modestly higher after monthly […] Read more


CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat hits one-month low on USDA projections

Corn, soybean futures rise

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat futures slumped to a one-month low on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast larger-than-expected global production and stocks in a monthly report that reinforced a recent spate of bearish news. Corn and soybean futures tracked wheat lower, but promptly rebounded from their lows on speculative and technical […] Read more