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Livestock

'Here we are': science teacher finds passion for pig farming

After decades of teaching high school science, Mr Cox decided to drop a couple of days at his local school and instead turn his hand to free-range pig farming.
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Pigs feast on grain in troughs on the muddy ground whilst a smiling, bearded man squats behind them.

How these brothers turned a modest family farm into an agricultural empire, changing the future for rural families

Mick and Ben Hewitt often do business in boardrooms, but it is clear the brothers are truly content in the dust and dirt.
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Two men wearing cowboy hats stand near horses at sunrise.

Cattle auctions back on in beef capital of NSW after bitter seven-month saleyard dispute

The Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange in Casino is back in business following a lengthy closure sparked by a stand-off between agents and Richmond Valley Council over selling agreements.
Auctioneer selling cattle on a walkway above cattle and buyers and vendors.

Agriculture department forbids 16,000 livestock stranded in Perth being re-exported to Israel

About 16,000 livestock will stay stranded on a ship in Perth after the federal agriculture department forbid them from being re-exported.
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A livestock vessel docked off the coast

'There was this giant cow's head staring at me': Mining town's solution for big, bovine problem

A small town council in Western Australia's Goldfields is considering building a boundary fence to curb an influx of wayward cattle, with one charging cow having knocked a council worker unconscious.
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A cow grazing on a sporting oval in an outback town.

'Low number' of animals confirmed dead on live export ship MV Bahijah, off WA's coast

The agriculture department says the number of deaths is below the reportable mortality rate, as authorities are continue deciding what will happen to the remaining stock.
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A sheep sticks its head through the bars of a window of the ship.

Calls for agriculture minister to resign over returned sheep ship, as department blames exporter for delay

The Australian government says the exporter responsible for a shipment of more than 15,000 Australian sheep and cattle that have been stranded off the WA coast delayed its application to re-export the animals.
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A jetski passes the MV Bahijah

Farmers double their money as rain washes away dire forecast of hot, dry summer

Livestock prices crashed last year due in part to dire warnings of a hot, dry summer, but rain across the east coast, feedlot demand, and strong export markets have turned things around for many farmers.
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A man in a cowboy hat points at a woman in a white shirt and both are smiling at the camera

As heatwave grips Perth, plan hatched to remove some livestock from stranded ship and re-export the rest

Some of the animals on board the controversy-plagued live export ship MV Bahijah will be offloaded in Western Australia and the rest sent back to the Middle East, under a plan put forward by the export company.
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A sheep sticks its head through the bars of a window of the ship.

'It's going to smell pretty bad': 15,000 animals stranded at sea during heatwave amid biosecurity risks

The animals have been at sea for 25 days on board the MV Bahijah after it was ordered by the federal government to turn back from its voyage to the Middle East due to security concerns in the strife-torn Red Sea.
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A livestock export ship on the ocean

More than three weeks after leaving Fremantle, thousands of livestock remain stuck on ship off WA coast

Questions are being asked about what will happen to thousands of sheep and cattle on the live export ship MV Bahijah, which was turned around due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East. 
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Sheep aboard a livestock vessel

'Excellent life skills' helps makes these kids 'better people', says junior cattle handlers' mum

Many young agricultural enthusiasts are lucky to get to two or three stock handling competitions in a year, but for one south-east South Australian family they are an essential activity.
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Yong handlers with cattle and ribbons.

Weather-obsessed farmers now have a dedicated agriculture decision support team at BOM

Talking about the weather is a farming pastime, and it's dominating conversations after summer storms hit. A new Bureau of Meteorology team dedicated to agricultural decision-making will give farmers even more to talk about.
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Damian and Angela Stock stand arm-in-arm in front of debris and flood water in their paddock

Cold water, shade sails and sprinklers keeping cows cool as heatwave builds

Dairy cows are one of the animals most susceptible to heat stress, which can result in reduced milk production and fertility. As temperatures soar, farmers look to keep their cows cool.
a kelpie ina water tank with its paws over the edge and tongie as cows in teh backgroudn looking on

Farmers frustrated after BOM's El Niño forecast proves costly

Livestock producers say unreliable long-term weather forecasts have played havoc with sheep and cattle prices, after farmers made business decisions based on media reports.
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Hundreds of sheep are penned at the Bendigo Livestock Exchange

Stranded live export ship forced to return to Australia amid deteriorating Middle East security

The federal government orders a live export ship carrying thousands of Australian sheep and cattle to turn back after it was diverted due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.
A photo of sheep  inside a pen

January rain a 'game changer' for outback Queensland graziers with more to come as monsoons develop in the north

It is usually fireworks that ring in the new year — but for farmers and graziers across Queensland, 2024 has been welcomed in with lightning, thunder and much-needed rain. 
Dark storm clouds swallow blue sunlit skies

Aussie lamb prices expected to rise in coming weeks following spike in saleyard sheep prices

After Australia's two largest supermarket chains were accused of delaying price reductions for lamb despite a plummet in saleyard prices, questions now turn to how long it will take for them to increase prices as the market improves.
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Lamb meat on supermarket shelf

French shearer facing deportation amid worker shortage says visa regulations need to change

Nicolas Hardy arrived in Australia at the peak of a shearer shortage and "went to the sheds" to back up the wool industry. Three years later, his employer wants to keep him but his visa options are running out.
A man standing in a shearing shed.

As a child Jacob dressed up as a cowboy. Now he has ditched his engineering degree to be a bull rider in the US

From riding a 44-gallon drum in his backyard to riding 800-kilogram beasts, this young Queenslander is grabbing life by the horns and making a name for himself in one of the world's most dangerous sports.
A young cowboy wearing a straw cowboy hat, blue shirt and jeans and brown vest.

How a 79-year-old cowboy and a $250 steed claimed glory in a contest where horses can cost half a million dollars

Casino horseman Neil Flynn has a knack for finding diamonds in the rough and turning them into performance horse champions. 
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A man rides a horse, cutting cattle in an arena.

Rain gives SA farmers confidence boost as they head into new year

The improvement in the results is mostly due to increased livestock prices and solid grain yields across the state, Rabobank says.
Farmer's hand feels ripe yellow barley

'Distressing' footage reveals alleged animal cruelty at Tasmanian abattoir

Tasmanian Primary Industries Minister Jo Palmer has labelled the footage as 'distressing' and vowed a strong government response.
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ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 54 seconds

'Nothing off the table': Minister warns abattoir industry after 'distressing' slaughter video released

Tasmania's primary industries minister says "nothing is off the table" as the government acts to ensure what she has called distressing images of animal cruelty in a leaked animal rights video does not happen again.
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A woman with black hair wears a grey blazer and looks to the left

'Never seen anything like this': Abattoir facing export suspension after footage released

The federal government issues a Tasmanian abattoir with a draft notice to suspend its export licence for a year after confronting footage obtained by animal rights activists raises questions about slaughter practices. WARNING: This story contains depictions of animals in distress.
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Calf looks at the camera.