The New Zealand government confirmed Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is a citizen of New Zealand just hours after the Minister addressed Parliament to say he had referred the question of his citizenship to the High Court

The latest report conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture has found there will be a surprisingly large volume of wheat in the world market this year, which consultant Mae Connolly says has seen prices drop

But analyst Brett Stevenson says although the latest USDA report had some nasty surprises he thinks there were some silver linings, particularly for those producing decent high protein wheat

The Grain Industry Association of WA has just released its latest report which predicts about 10 million tonnes of grain will be harvested this season

Researchers in Western Australia have started working on a project to develop a sterile form of the plant known as leucaena

A new Australian joint venture, with none of its own infrastructure, is attempting to break the mould in its bid to tap into Chinese demand for cheaper supermarket beef

Beacon farmer John Dunne says he was touched when he was contacted by a mate who wanted to donate him 30 bales of hay to help him feed sheep during the dry season

Marilyn Dunne has written a history of Beacon to highlight the plight of early pioneers to the region

The ABC understands that the Shark Lake abattoir north of Esperance is likely to reopened after securing refinancing alongside three other sites, two abattoirs at Darwin and Trafalgar in Victoria, and another site to be developed in Cataby, north of Perth

International buyers and traders have attended the Gascoyne Food Festival for the first time this year, creating opportunities for local farmers in the region

Alex Chung from Good View Fruits, Hong Kong's largest fresh produce supplier says he is conducting a trial with Carnarvon banana growers to see if the produce will be able to be sent from Perth to Asia

A consignment of 90,000 granny smith apples from two farms in Manjimup will be shipped from Fremantle tonight headed for Hong Kong, in a major export deal for WA marketing cooperative, the Southern Forest Food Council

A campaign led by dairy farmers is seeking public support over a push to stop plant-based alternatives being called 'milk'

Major cattle producer Australian Agricultural Company has announced the resignation of its managing director Jason Strong in a statement to the ASX today

Thirty-five regional communities across Australia have received grants from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal to address the big issues affecting rural youth

A new barley variety is performing well in very wet conditions in preliminary trials currently underway in Western Australia, lead researcher Chengdao Li says the new variety is yielding 20 to 50 per cent better than existing varieties

Department of Primary Industries and Research Development officer Dr Dusty Severton is exploring ways in which new technologies can be incorporated into broad acre farming

More than a hundred horses have now died from the Hendra virus in Australia, but some equine vets believe that number could be much higher

New Country Women's Association groups in South Australia are seeking to modernise to attract new members and have found if meetings are held in the evening, and tea is swapped for wine, attendance skyrockets

A Meat and Livestock Australia study of 16 meat markets shows customers are becoming increasingly aware of animal welfare issues with the proportion of meat buyers concerned about animal welfare trebling in just seven years

Embattled West Australian potato growers have received a $60,000 State Government grant to go towards building trade relations with Egypt, which could be a significant potential new market for seed potatoes

Carnarvon tomato grower Duc Nguyen says he is still dealing with the damaging effects that a trade halt had on his business after the discovery of the tomato potato psyllid in Western Australia in February

Milling company Interflour, which is part-owned by West Australian grains handler CBH Group, has built a $38 million flour mill in the Philippines due to the growing appetite for Australian wheat in the south east Asian island

As thousands of mining industry heavyweights gathered in Kalgoorlie-Boulder for the Diggers and Dealers gala dinner last night, news broke that First Quantum Minerals would place the Ravensthorpe Nickel mine into care and maintenance

A farming family in Pithara in the West Australian Wheatbelt are in the process of filling up a shipping container with medical equipment, school supplies, shoes and school uniforms, rescued from landfill to be sent to Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world

Federal Member for Mallee Andrew Broad says Coles supermarket has "black banned" him and refuses to buy his lambs because of complaints he made about the actions of the supermarket in 2014

Italian wool traders are warning Australian woolgrowers they could lose markets, unless they do something about mulesing because consumers are increasingly demanding unmulesed wool

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has issued its largest ever fine to an Australian herbicide manufacturer. Accensi has been fined one hundred thousand dollars for supplying herbicide that contained chemicals other than those listed.

The CBH Group has announced it's new Chief Executive Officer. The former head of BHP's iron ore division Jimmy Wilson will take over the executive role from Andy Crane in October.

A few years ago Australia was responsible for only about thirty seven percent of the barley China imported from other countries, but last year that figure jumped to about eight per cent.

The 26th annual Diggers and Dealers mining forum wraps up in Kalgoorlie Boulder in just a few hours time. And despite concerns over possible protests, it's been described as a 'buoyant' conference

Have you met your Perfect Match yet? If not maybe you'd consider giving 'speed dating' a go. That's what some of the two thousand delegates at the Diggers and Dealers conference did this week - mining style.

Western Australia's Agriculture Minister believes the current live export system is not working and needs to be changed. Alannah MacTiernan is appalled at the death of up to three-thousand sheep on a voyage arranged by Perth based live export company, Emanuel, last year and thinks stiffer penalties are required.

Sixteen teams, representing five cattle stations travelled to Yarrie Station near Marble Bar on the weekend to compete for the Pilbara Livestock Handling Cup. With a focus on low-stress stock handling, this event, in just its second year, is thought to be the only competition of its type in the world.

Senators investigating collusion and anti-competitive behaviour in livestock saleyards say they seen no sign the red meat industry is willing to regulate itself. The long-running inquiry grilled the ACCC on progress made since the competition watchdog handed down wide-ranging findings on the red meat industry in March.

A group of farmers in NSW have set up their own local beef co-operative. The group from around Bega is, like many others around the country, considering building a small abattoir as a different way of getting their beef directly from farm to consumers. Michelle Lally from the Clare Valley in South Australia has built an abattoir on her property and says it's been a big learning curve.

People from farming communities in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern have voiced their concerns over the dry spell to government officials. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are using the feedback to tailor programs to those who are most in need.

Its hoped a project researching the impacts of feeding canola meal to steers could help provide a more consistent supply of grass fed beef.

Western Australian seafood company Mareterram is investing $10 million over three years to upgrade its trawlers that operate in the Shark Bay prawn fishery with the aim to improve the safety and reliability of the vessels.

As well as upgrading their vessels, Mareterram wants to catch less prawns but target bigger produce that are worth more. The company realise it might take a while to make this change because they're going to have to convince other prawn fishing companies and government departments that its the way to go.

Mung beans are being commercially harvested in the Kimberley's Ord Valley at the moment for the first time in decades. After some promising trial results last year a handful of growers have planted around five hundred hectares of the crop.

One of the state's biggest mining recruitment agencies says there has been a big increase in demand for jobs in resources. Over the last three months, Hays recruitment has seen an upswing in demand for contract employees - mainly in the exploration sector.

Western Australian scientists are trialling what they believe is a world-first method to reduce wild horse numbers in the Pilbara. Called the Judas program, its hoped the method will preserve one of Australia's most significant wetlands - the Fortescue Marsh.

Strong coal and steel prices over the last twelve months has helped the value of WA listed companies rise by over thirteen per cent this past financial year. That's according to business services firm Deloitte who each year collates a list of the 100 top Western Australian listed companies and launches an index on the first day of the Diggers and Dealers conference.

Rick Yeates from Middle Island has been part of the annual mining forum for the last 25 years and shared his thoughts on the mood ahead of the 2017 conference.

The keynote address at this year's Diggers and Dealers conference was given by Robert Zoellick - former president of the world bank - who says there are a number of geopolitical shocks which could impact commodity prices around the world and at the top of the list is the instability in North Korea.

China's insatiable hunger for Australian minerals goes beyond coal and iron ore with demand for gold more than doubling in the last six years. And the Perth Mint is reaping the benefit.

A trial to grow the native plum Gubinge - with the hope to expand to commercial export - is underway in a community south east of Fitzroy Crossing.

Many farms in the north east wheatbelt have had their worst growing season on record. Agronomist, Bernie Quade paints a picture of what the area around Wyalkatchem looks like at the moment.

In contrast, some farms in WA's Great Southern region have gone from being extremely dry to totally waterlogged. So wet in fact that some farmers between Collie and Narrogin have resorted to spreading urea from the air. And one Wandering farmer is using a chopper for the first time in 35 years as a farmer.

Helicopter pilot, Brian Goodwin from Goodwin McCarthy helicopters says while they are getting calls from farmers in part of the Great Southern, its no busier than usual.

But for plane pilot, Dennis Repacholi from Repacholi Aviation its a case of being inundated by requests from farmers to help spread and spray on waterlogged paddocks.

For any budding Romeo's looking to impress that special someone, forget a bunch of roses - how about broccoli? Vlada Kazimirchuk is creating edible arrangements using just about anything - mushrooms, chillies and even avocados.

The program is being broadcast from Kununurra so Matt Brann popped into the nearby Legune Station to see how things are shaping up for the big rodeo and campdraft on this weekend.

Leonie Noble and Brad Adams amongst those honoured in the 2017 WA Seafood Industry awards.

The Isolated Childrens Parents Association uses its annual federal conference (held in Alice Springs this year) to renew calls for financial assistance for governesses.

Knackeries around Australia may be under increased pressure to find stock after Racing NSW announced a plan to ban thoroughbreds being sent for processing.

The maker of a Pilbara-based documentary hopes his film will encourage all Australians to think about their own connection to country.

A post on Facebook of what appears to be a bullet lodged in a piece of cooked kangaroo meat is doing the rounds on social media. The company that sourced and supplied the meat defends the industry saying its highly regulated and processors only accept dead kangaroos killed by a head shot.

Last week a Pilbara pastoralist stumbled upon a 35 year old 'message in a bottle'.

Small abattoirs in Western Australia claim they're being squeezed out of business, by meat processors in the eastern states dumping large volumes of meat into WA.

Australia is facing an increasingly competitive grains market. The challenges associated with that have dominated discussion at one of the industry's biggest annual events - the annual Australian Grains Industry Conference.

The CBH Group is dipping its toe into the world of blockchain technology by selling a few loads of oats out of Blue Lake Milling in South Australia. So what is blockchain technology?

A Melbourne start-up company is tapping into the growing paddock to plate movement and setting up an "eBay for farmers".

Does the Australian Institute's scathing report on the Ord Irrigation scheme add up?

Environmental approval for a 3000 hectare aquaculture zone at the Abrolhos Islands off the Geraldton coast has just been approved by the State Government.

Only 336 head of mixed quality cattle sold at Mt Barker today, dominated by young cattle and lightweight weaner steers topped at 382 cents/kg.

There have been recent complaints that the strength of mobile phone towers has been turned down and after visiting a recent telecommunications event, Nigel Metz from grower group SEPWA wants to know why signal strength had dropped

Power prices are soaring and it is pushing power hungry farming operations to look to solutions other than buying their power from the grid, one of which is the construction of small local generators that feed power into the grid

A 19 year old woman has died in hospital after she was crushed by a bull at a Dalyup property yesterday, police believe she was herding the bull when she was struck into a fence railing by the animal

Pumpkin prices are double what they were last year, and Ord Valley grower Darryl Smith says he thinks prices have risen as winter temperatures have dropped

The latest data on Western Australia's sheep flock has found that total flock numbers, turn off and slaughter rates have all risen, but an agricultural consultant says the current dry year needs to be taken into account

More than 70 years after the ABC started the Country Hour, a new book has been published that captures the history behind the ABC Rural department, historian Rob Linn interviewed past and present staff for the book, called Voice of the Bush

Farmers and regional business owners in Western Australia's Great Southern region say they were left feeling frustrated at a recent forum into telecommunications because it is being left up to them to prove to government how desperately they need internet connectivity to be able to operate software technology vital for their businesses

A New South Wales farmer has questioned the rhetoric about the grains market being "awash" with stock and says global supply needs to be better estimated, but a Rabobank analyst says stocks are at high levels, which has led to fluctuating prices

Irrigators in the Murray Darling Basin have welcomed an announcement the Federal Government will make sure states are prosecuting those who steal water after a Four Corners program that aired allegations of water theft and misuse of environmental water

The ABC youth storytelling competition Heywire turns 20 this year and the public broadcaster is calling for the latest group of young people who want to tell their stories from rural and regional Australia

A dairy farming community in Tasmania has figured out a way to give their young aspiring farmers a leg up, by setting up a unit trust to purchase land to allow the young person to share farm, in what is believed to be an Australian first

A Senates Estimates hearing has found that a South Australian farm has been found with accidental "volunteer" GM plants, which could lead to fines for the farmer but the Premier is sticking to his guns that GM will not be allowed to be grown in the state