Livestock

The 25-year-old Pakenham saleyards are the closest of their kind to the city and handle up to 100,000 cattle destined for supermarket shelves each year. But they will close in 2024, in a foreboding sign for saleyards in general.

During the last drought, a family of Queensland beef producers did something radical to survive — they sold their cattle and used the money to buy goats. Lots of goats.

Dry conditions across the state have seen farmers making tough decisions to either sell stock or spend heavily on feed to keep animals alive as they wait for rain.

As the government calls for input on a plan to help the agriculture and land sectors cut emissions, farmers say they're keen to adapt — but not at the expense of food production.

Farmers battling a significant slump in sheep prices say supermarkets are ripping off consumers, as Woolworths announces it will cut its lamb prices by 20 per cent.

La Trobe University research shows Australians would prefer to embrace many other green options to help the environment before giving up meat and becoming vegetarians.

Mrs Mitchell remained positive even when "eight-foot high" flames started rushing across her pastures. She knew that "once it got into the mowed area it would be simple to put out".

Some parts of Queensland have run out of water, and landholders are paying a heavy price as paddocks become parched.

Free trade talks between Australia and the European Union appear as far away as ever after talks break down again, writes Jane Norman. 

When self-taught musician Wade Forster invited one of America's biggest country singers to a rodeo, he didn't expect him to say yes. Now, the station worker has his sights set on touring the US with his idols.

A council in the state's south-east has proposed a local law restricting grass growth to 30 centimetres, but farmers say it's "just not feasible".

Australia's trade minister is set to resume talks with his European Union counterpart, vowing he won't sign a deal for the sake of it.

Cattle prices have collapsed as producers rush to sell stock before the big dry sets in. But at the supermarket, you wouldn't know it.

Big money is being spent at a South Australian deer farm to maximise the growth of antlers, which are a popular part of Chinese traditional medicine.

Sheepskin car seat covers, and wool-lined gloves were once the height of luxury but these days, farmers are lucky if they're not charged a fee to send them to landfill. 

We all have that one thing we cannot live without and for farmer Margaret Graham that thing is goats. It all began when her mum got her a baby doe.

Surging supermarket prices tell the story of why a wide range of dairy industry workers have mounted coordinated strike action this week. So where are these dairy profits going?

After two record years, average Australian farm incomes are expected to shrink significantly as the country dries out and livestock prices decline.

Melbourne restaurants are already crossing items off the menu as Victorian producers struggle to process their animals.

Farmers say modest falls in retail prices over the past 12 months are nothing compared to the collapse in livestock prices, and supermarkets should have discounted meat sooner.

Brian Glendinning moves 700 beef cattle and his camp every day in the search for feed as some parts of the country dry out, despite other regions flooding.

They spend months away from their homes and families moving thousands of animals in the dust of "the long paddock", but these drovers say they're "married to the mob".

Wild-dog controllers will continue to trap and bait animals despite calls by First Nations groups and scientists for greater protection.

The experience and the lessons of the 2019 drought are fresh in the minds of farmers. Now the challenge is to get ahead of the next one.

El Niño is back and drought is on the doorstep. Some farmers have been feeding livestock for months. Here's what it might mean for the economy and food prices.