Today on the Country Hour: State Government legislation stopping 100 per cent FIFO on large resources projects welcomed by local communities; Trade Minister seeking resolution to China beef ban; organic cattle producers finding it hard to finish cattle in dry conditions; Swickers close to full operation after $100 million fire; goat prices fall; MDB buys out Pacific reef Fisheries; bush tucker restaurant named Gourmet Travellers 'Best Restaurant' for 2017; art and the bush.

Today on the Country Hour: AACo annual meeting in Darwin told the company is still pursuing the goal to be a world leading luxury beef brand; cattle prices have fallen 10 to 15 per cent in recent months but a red meat analyst suggests demand for Aussie beef in Asia will pick up; scientists are working on a vaccine to protect stock from St George's disease caused by the toxic native weed pimelea; how safe is the carp virus, there are plans to release it into the Murray Darling to reduce populations of the feral fish; banana growers want to develop a co-ordinated plan of attack on feral pigs to reduce the chances of spreading the soil borne banana disease panama TR4;

Today on the Country Hour; a memorial service will be held in Home Hill tonight for two young backers murdered 12 months ago and we find neither the murder nor backpacker tax have deterred travellers; crowd funding to save a mobile mental health service in FNQ; the Qld Governor visits areas devastated by Cyclone Debbie and catches up with youngsters at the ICPA sports day; new propagation techniques for avocadoes will massively increase the rate new planting material is developed at a time when demand for the fruit continues to grow and third world farmers who benefit from Fair Trade coffee agreements.

Today on the Country Hour: the Blair Athol coal mine has reopened after it was bought last year for $1 by junior miner Terracom from global giant Rio Tinto; on World Plant Milk day the debate over the definition of milk ramps up; scientists battle the war on waste using 3D technology to synthesise multicellular organism which can detect and clean up toxic spills; truckies are also looking to science to design the trucks of the future animal scientists are improving productivity using advances in animal genetics; do you go to the butcher, why ore why not?; we meet the women who saved the wool industry when prices collapsed in the 70's and the life of a bull fighter, no, we aren't talking about Spain, but the young blokes who work the bull ring to assist the riders when they fall.

Today on the Country Hour: The biggest automated meat chilling and distribution centre in the southern hemisphere has been opened in Gympie; experts narrow in on the cause of Yellow Canopy Syndrome; the August weather plays havoc with pulse crops in southern Queensland; wool prices continue to rise after surging into unchartered territory last week; the world's first physical sale of Poll Wagyu genetics attracted widespread interest at the weekend; early indications point to an extended Queensland avocado season next year; racing clydesdales on the beach near Mackay.

Today on the Country Hour: a Senate investigation into the dairy industry's woes has slammed major milk processors for "betraying" its farmer suppliers, but made few recommendations to address the problems; it's been a rollercoaster few months for grain growers across the country, with price volatility and unseasonal weather creating real uncertainty for farmers; canegrowers condemn a proposal to axe the sugar code of conduct, millers support the change and they have the support of Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm; first poll wagyu sale drawing plenty of interest; end of an era as the Ekka dairy pavilion hosts its last Dairy Competition before demolition; A rare native night bird, the Marbled frogmouth is making a remarkable comeback in the Sunshine Coast hinterland; food labelling plays an increasing role in consumer choice, here is a new one-Humane meat.

Today on the Country Hour: The federal government defends decision 'rightly of wrongly' to keep investigation prawn importers secret but concedes the impact of white spot outbreak was catastrophic; Queenslanders win awards: ABC/Kondinin Community Leader, BIRRR founder Kristy Sparrow and Innovation award goes to Rob Cook; feasibility study into Hell's Gate dam on the Burdekin; Copper prices are booming which is good for Mt Isa; farm direct veggie boxes increasingly popular for those interested in the origin of their food and are after after seasonal, often organic, local produce; from construction to edible flower production

Today on the Country Hour: ABC/ Kondinin Farmer of the Year Awards announced; prawn farmers welcome $20 million financial assistance package but are critical of revised biosecurity protocols; the Federal Government has made a strategic water acquisition in the Condamine-Balonne, that it hopes will eliminate the need for further water buybacks in the hard hit communities of Dirranbandi and St George; state government overturns milk supply contract with Parmalat in favour of local dairy suppliers Lion

Today on the Country Hour: with the Future of the Deputy Prime minister Barnaby Joyce in limbo, questions have been asked about how agriculture and northern Australia could potentially be affected; water metering hit the headlines with a bang when Four Corners recently raised allegations of water theft in the Murray Darling Basin, now the Queensland Government is set to review into water metering in this state; a new study will find out if damming the Cloncurry River would be a profitable exercise; "it's given me back my social life" - that's the claim from an irrigation cane grower in the Burdekin, who's just automated his pumping system; MLA launches a 360 degree virtual reality experience of the beef industry-from paddock to plate; do 'buy local' campaigns really work; $80million dollars in State Government funding for Natural Resource Management is set to run out next year, it is set to become an election issue

Today on the Country Hour; wool prices soar, at the start of the new selling season the AWEX indicator hits a new high; Interbreed Champion bull at the RNA is Yarrawonga Fixer a Santa Gertrudus exhibited by A and AD Bassingthwaighte; the pork industry fails to meet its 2017 target to remove sow stalls from commercial pig farms; backpackers allegedly using Tablelands strawberry grower Bob Sheely's brand name to sell fruit on the streets of Atherton; mango growers predicting an early harvest; Vietnamese agronomist teaching local Vietnamese market gardeners and meet Cliff 'Hollywood' Harris an American rodeo legend who's been slapping on the face paint and putting on a show for more than 30 years.