Queensland Country Hour

Varroa mite has been detected for the first time in a Townsville bee hive, a review of Central Queensland's water plans prompts a call for a dam on the Fitzroy River, and Brahman Week kicks off in Gracemere. 

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

An early finish for the Burdekin sugarcane crush, shark-spotting along Queensland beaches, and the Country Hour remembers Blue Hills, fifty years after the theme played out for the last time.

A dairy farmer gets their milk back on Queensland shelves. A mining inquiry investigates whether regional towns are getting their fair share from critical minerals. A Charbray bull from Chinchilla sells for top dollars.

An agriculture investor attempts to bring regular cattle sales back to the Longreach saleyards. Also, saddle sisters from Mackay complete the Brisbane Valley railway circuit on horseback, and Australia considers buying Uruguay's beef quota into China.

The cattle industry in Australia is on track to produce more than 3 million tonnes of beef this year, it's harvest time for grain growers in the Central Highlands and flowering begins for avocado producers in the Wide Bay.

Prices for regional flights are in the spotlight, negotiations continue to get a national standard for water as the as the AI and data centre industry continues to grow but Queensland is yet to agree and meet the unlikely entrepreneurs behind a new variety of giant avocado.

The National Farmers Federation has cut a deal with the federal government for faster processing of backpacker visas. Two mines in Far North Queensland have struck multiple deals to export tin and tungsten to the United States. A new Rabobank report says Australia may want to consider using part of its agricultural production to build a more resilient and secure domestic fuel supply.

A former Bowen farm worker is turning his experience in North Queensland horticulture into a career developing the next generation of agricultural technology. A Muster Dogs fan-favourite now has his sights on training-the-trainers of the next generation of working dogs. The Machine of the Year has been awarded to an auto-fill system aimed at keeping autonomous robots spraying weeds into the night.

Agricultural producers across Central Queensland have lost livestock, infrastructure, and grazing country as bushfires have burned through the region since the beginning of September. Australia's last grower-owned sugar mill is at risk of closing and is calling for a government bailout to survive. Water pressure in the Great Artesian Basin has slowly been recovering following the capping of hundreds of free-flowing bores or watering points often used by graziers in Queensland, but there's still more to go.