Abbey Halter
Mackay, QLD
Abbey Halter is the rural reporter for ABC Tropical North based in Mackay. She was previously a journalist in Canberra but has returned home to Queensland with a passion for sharing regional yarns.
Latest by Abbey Halter
Fed-up Aussie farmers shun supermarket giants and sell direct to consumers
Some Australian producers turn their backs on the major supermarkets because of what they say are unfair prices at the farm gate.
Updated Pacific labour hire scheme prompts concerns from industry and advocates
Pacific Islander advocates say seasonal workers could be left vulnerable without government subsidies for both employees and farmers under changes to the PALM scheme.
With meat on the menu, is it the end of the fish-and-chip shop as we know it?
Eating fresh fish and chips beside the sea is an Australian tradition. But dwindling supply and rising industry costs mean other meats are now being sold at many seafood shops.
Do you have giant hailstones at your place? Don't just take photos, put them in your freezer for science
Massive storms across Australia have left giant hailstones in people's backyards. Scientists hope you won't let them melt and will instead preserve the icy lumps for weather research.
These unique island-dwelling goats need saving, so advocates hope you'll eat them
Once the saviour of stranded sailors on the Great Barrier Reef, Percy Island's goats are facing eradication by officials. But advocates hope that promoting the heritage breed for food will help protect them.
North Queensland woman charged with murder over four-year-old son's death
A woman has been arrested after allegedly murdering her four-year-old child two years ago in North Queensland.
These women aren't kidding around — they're changing the landscape of goat farming
It's no secret that agriculture in Queensland is still dominated by men, but in the goat industry women are bucking the trend by doing the majority of animal husbandry with the smaller, "more loving" livestock.
Excessive red tape and 'unmanaged' national parks blamed for Queensland bushfire devastation
Sid Godwin says back-burning may have prevented a bushfire on his property where he lost 10,000 hectares of grazing land.
Could a new fishing ban scale back your Christmas spread?
Whatever your seafood preference, new commercial fishing regulations proposed for Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria mean your options could be limited this year.
Queensland rodeo prodigy takes on world's best at mini-bull riding championships in Texas
Twelve-year-old mini-bull rider Ronan Miosge is one tough hombre. He has been bucked off mini bulls since he was eight and keeps coming back for more.
Sweet reward for sugar industry breakthrough helping to power renewable energy transition
Already powering 27 per cent of the state's renewable energy grid, the Queensland sugar industry's research into improved crop yields for biofuel production using genetic selection beats out major rivals Brazil and India.
Worried you won't find cheap mangoes this summer? Here's some other tropical fruit you can buy
The much-loved Bowen mangoes won't be overflowing on supermarket shelves this summer due to a warmer than average winter. So, without as many mangoes on the market, what else will be in store?
Mangoes replace fundraiser choccies at some schools — but this year's harvest has parents worried
The Mango Fundraiser initiative from North Queensland sends mangoes straight from the farm to schools and community organisations that need extra financial support, but the fruit is in short supply.
Sugar cane milk may be the next plant-based milk to hit the market. And it might even be good for you
Consumers looking for plant-based options already have an abundance of choices, from oat, almond, soy, and rice, to even macadamia milk. So, what does sugar cane milk have to offer?
Queensland farmers have grown too many vegetables, but who's to blame?
Ideal growing conditions this year have seen the volume of vegetables in one of Australia's largest winter production regions skyrocket, leading to oversupply and low farmgate prices.
Forget the saddle, these horse riders are making an art form out of nearly falling off
Normally, seeing an 11-year-old child hanging upside down on a moving horse would be cause for alarm, but Sophie Millar's parents aren't worried.
Growers warn 'unworkable' Pacific Islander worker changes lack critical flexibility required for horticulture
Changes to the Pacific Islander labour scheme mean workers must be guaranteed a minimum of 30 hours of work each week, but the horticulture industry says the seasonal nature of the work and weather events make that unworkable.
Owner of some of Australia's biggest dairy brands fined $950k over treatment of farmers
It is the first time the ACCC has fought a dairy company in court over bargaining power imbalances.
Pacific workers in Tasmania, Queensland in limbo as large employer quits PALM scheme
More than 200 Pacific workers have been left in limbo after their employer Linx Employment agreed to end its participation in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme amid worker treatment investigations.
Labour hire company under investigation for alleged 'bullying', mistreatment of Pacific workers
Linx Employment is under investigation as seasonal workers in Queensland allege they have not been given adequate hours and have been left homeless, without enough money to return home.
Hydro project poses potential agricultural risks, growers say
Growers and graziers in one of Queensland's food bowls fear a pumped hydro project may threaten food security and livelihoods across the region.
Jeff grows pineapples and cane, but five years ago he also became a coastal cotton pioneer
Cotton is known as a desert crop, but farms are appearing in unexpected regions across Queensland — even in traditional cane country.
Growers to benefit from updated China-Australia citrus and stone fruit trade list
Australia's citrus industry welcomes an administrative milestone, the publication of a new list of orchards, packhouses and treatment facilities allowed to export to China.
Pink is the new orange with consumers hungry for photo-worthy new citrus varieties
New varieties of citrus like cara cara navels and blood oranges are growing in popularity, but farmers say supermarkets need to stock more to grow demand.
A Queensland lime could save the world's citrus fruits — and make orange juice cheaper
Researchers say native limes from Gympie could hold the cure for a devastating citrus disease that has killed crops and sent orange juice prices soaring worldwide.