Sarina Locke
Canberra, ACT
Sarina Locke is a National Rural Reporter for the ABC.
Sarina was born into the land at Holbrook and grew up around cattle, sheep and horses. She's been with the ABC since 1991 as roving rural/environment reporter. The roving took her to Scotland and England with the BBC.
Latest by Sarina Locke
Elders share price slumps amid harvest washout forecast
Fears of a flooded summer harvest have depressed shares in Elders despite the agribusiness today announcing a 42 per cent jump in profits before tax.
Can shoppers keep buying local in a season of product shortages and price hikes?
Empty shop freezers and price hikes challenge shoppers but they are not blaming farmers, who have lost critical growing windows due to a rolling sequence of natural disasters.
NSW backs plan to tag millions of sheep to prepare for foot-and-mouth disease
The NSW government backs mandatory electronic ID tags for millions of sheep and goats to ensure any outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease can be traced.
Chinese trade war tariffs drive wine exports off a cliff, but new markets emerge
Hong Kong's demand for Australian wine lifted by 135 per cent and South-East Asia by 43 per cent in the 12 months to September, showing Australian winemakers are diversifying away from their former key market.
Brazil's beef scare over, investigations rule no further mad cow disease
The world's biggest beef exporter, Brazil, is slated to resume international trade after an investigation found no further cases of atypical mad cow disease.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Agriculture to sell northern cattle stations with herd
Nearly 2 million hectares of northern cattle country is up for sale with Gina Rinehart's Hancock Agriculture offering a portfolio of seven stations, 100,000 head of cattle, and a feedlot to the market.
Beekeepers eye off national parks, as foraging areas succumb to fires
Beekeepers mount a campaign for greater access to flowering gums in national parks, to keep their starving bees fed after the fires.
Drought, fires dry up chocolate milk, yoghurt supplies as farmers pushed to the brink
Consumers could see a shortage of flavoured milks, yoghurt and custards, as a direct result of the drought and fires, the NSW Farmers Association says.
Chicken rescue: Community effort saves livestock from bushfires raging near Kangaroo Valley
Quick action by Kangaroo Valley locals saw a convoy of utes pulling thousands of hens to safety before a firestorm raced through the forested escarpment.
Government throws $66m at biosecurity, but plans for the worst if deadly pig disease hits
The disease that's wiped out a quarter of the world's pigs is only an hour's journey from Australian shores. The Government is spending a further $66m on quarantine, but says it will protect exporters if security measures fail.
Poor mobile phone coverage put lives at risk in weekend's bushfires
Poor mobile phone coverage in rural areas potentially put people's lives at risk during the devastating bushfires in NSW and Victoria, the Country Fire Authority says.
'Everyone was so excited': From Africa to western Victoria to work on the land
Migrants and refugees are stemming a decline in 151 regional areas across Australia, keeping schools open and businesses operating.
Salmonella poisoning rates in WA spike
Raw and undercooked eggs are the strongest link to an increase in salmonella cases in Western Australia, health authorities say.
Cages are better for chickens than intensive free-range, farmers say
As opposition to cages mounts, caged egg farmers say they see lower mortality than with free-range hens.
Why desal plants are regarded as insurance by some and folly by others
Perth's desalination plant has been a lifesaver but debate rages around the value of Sydney's plant which sits broken and idle.
John Lloyd to retire as head of Australian horticulture peak research, marketing body
A change in horticulture leadership brings out the critics as grower groups complain of lack of transparency.
New rules for telcos aim for better service for consumers when moving to the NBN
Telecommunication companies will have to follow new rules when consumers are moving to the National Broadband Network.
Biodiesel made from Australian canola a lower greenhouse gas emitter than diesel
Australia secures access to a billion-dollar market as the CSIRO proves Australian canola biodiesel produced in Europe generates less than 50 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel.
Fire danger system being reviewed to cope with new extremes
They may be an Aussie icon, but the science behind roadside fire danger signs is under review after some big misses, with a new rating system to be trialled this summer.
Report into white spot prawn disease finds major biosecurity failure
A new report finds a major biosecurity failure likely led to the import of infected raw prawns and an outbreak of white spot disease that cost Queensland prawn farmers more than $40 million.
Avocado 20 ways at a month-long pop-up cafe in Sydney
The avocado industry celebrates a doubling in consumption by encouraging 20 more ways to enjoy the fruit, at a pop-up cafe in Sydney.
Duration: 1 minute 15 seconds
Avocado ice cream and deep fried avocado chips on the menu
A pop-up cafe in Sydney shows there's so much more to avocados than smashed avo on toast.
Stamping out modern slavery through new Australian laws tabled in Parliament
Australia needs a comprehensive suite of new laws to stamp out modern slavery, a Federal committee finds.
Russian wheat sells into Asia cheaper than Australian grain
Australia's position as supplier of premium milling wheat for noodles is at risk with Russian exports undermining a long-standing relationship between Australian wheat farms and Indonesian flour mills.
Rain hits wheat harvest in southern NSW and parts of north-east Victoria
Torrential rain in a band from central NSW to eastern Victoria hits the grain harvest, with high quality milling wheat likely to be downgraded to feed.