Queensland Country Hour

There's a lot more to being a good cattle auctioneer than just being able to talk really fast. Just ask Matt Pearce, who has been named the best in the state at the EKKA. And meet the Texan tween taking on Mount Isa's Rodeo scene. 

Reliant on exports and foreign manufacturers, like many Australian industries, Cotton is looking for a way to grow without putting all its eggs in the China basket. 

Farming in the Murrumbidgee Valley hasn't been easy the past few years, but Jenna Bell and her family have pushed through, and just like the cotton and popcorn they grow, she's bouncing back. 

They may be prized for their milk, meat, fleece and skins, but goats also bring something unique to the farm - pure mischief.  

The Lake Eyre Basin covers one-sixth of Australia and is one of the world's largest internally draining river systems. The move to ban new oil and gas exploration has been welcomed by traditional owners and farmers, but the energy industry said it threatens future supply.

Australia's biggest cotton processor, Namoi Cotton, is currently at the centre of a takeover bidding war between French agricultural giant Louis Dreyfus Company  and Singapore-based Olam. It's a major consolidation of owners in an already small industry, and the ACCC is watching closely. 

While the collapse of Rex Airlines is worrying for tourism and business, what many Australians may not realise is for isolated families, it's a lot more than an airline. It's a lifeline. 

The farmer lobby group says the parties reached an agreement not to pursue their court case over carbon capture and storage in the Great Artesian Basin. 

On the outside, they look like the quintessential Aussie cowgirl - tough, resourceful, and used to pushing through. But inside they are fighting a war with their own bodies, one they've turned to each other to survive. 

The federal court has ruled there's insufficient evidence to say glyphosate, the main ingredient in herbicide Round Up causes non-hodgkins lymphoma, but for some scientists, the evidence is conclusive.