Queensland Country Hour

Explore what it takes to put food on plates around the world with our team of specialist reporters.

20 years ago Smut disease threatened to destroy sugarcane farming, instead it reshaped the industry. A saddle maker explores the leatherwork resurgence, and go behind the scenes with #farmlife creator Mitchell Coombs.  

Australia's cotton industry is preparing for an invasion... of sorts. Beef producer Bryce Camm recognised in the King's Birthday Honours and the technology predicting bruises in strawberries before they head to market. 

Grazier Matthew Peart shares the changes he made to build his composite herd and restore his country. Plus, is Australia nearing its quota for beef exports to China, and a governess reflects on life as an educator. 

In the late 1990s Matthew Peart's Carnarvon Range property, about 600 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, was gripped by pasture rundown.

Farms in Focus report shows despite the difficulty, farmers are increasingly embracing change. Grazier Matthew Peart shares how regenerative grazing gives him hope, and the reality of varroa mite hits beekeepers. 

Minimum wage rise adds to pressure as Farmers try to strike a balance between high costs and keeping workers on. Taking steers for a test run at Farmfest, and funding for biosecurity incursion exercises. 

Queensland winter crop could be down 35 per cent, as farmers navigate the prolonged dry in volatile times. Plus, a flapping drone disguised as a peregrine falcon taking on strawberry thieves, and the crush is on!

Talented stockman and a good bloke, Wilson Sprague's family share the story of the chopper pilot who died in a crash in 2025. Plus, building back after bushfire and cattle on show in Hughenden. 

"An episode of Utopia" the weather bureau's website under scrutiny at Senate Estimates, class is in session for woolclassers, and celebrating international potato day.