Andrea Crothers
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Articles by Andrea Crothers
Calls to shake-up school curriculum on financial literacy
There are calls for an overhaul to the school curriculum to tackle declining financial literacy. The latest survey on 'Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia' shows the already dire gap between men and women's financial literacy has widened. It's worse for youth; those aged 15 to 24 are falling even further behind than before. READ MORE: Fans given fresh look at And Just Like That season two Money-saving guru Joel Gibson says it's not a shock.
Caroline Kennedy will arrive in Sydney on July 22 after being sworn in as the new US ambassador to Australia
Sky News can exclusively reveal the new US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy - the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy - will touch down in Sydney July 22 before calling Canberra home. Sky News can exclusively reveal America's new ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy - the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy - will arrive in the country in a fortnight. Ms Kennedy was confirmed to take up the posting by the United States Senate in May.
Young Beef Producers Forum 2015 | Photos
The 2015 Young Beef Producers Forum kicked off this morning at Roma.The forum, hosted by the Future Farmers Network, is in its eleventh year.Day one of the program had delegates go on the RCS Young Farmers 'Heroes of the Future' field trip, where they visited Summerhope, near Muckadilla, and Wetlands, near Augathella, before returning to the Roma Cultural Centre.Related: YBPF 2015 | Photos Tim Rossingol, Dalby, and Lisa Gurnett, Weaner Creek, Charleville.David Hanlon, The Right Mind, chats...
Stanbroke stitches up cotton plans
VERTICALLY integrated beef supplier Stanbroke is planning to diversify its business model with a $200 million irrigated cotton project in Queensland's Gulf country. Queensland’s independent Coordinator-General has declared Stanbroke’s Three Rivers Irrigation Project in the Southern Gulf region, in the Flinders and Gilbert catchments, a coordinated project.
Kilometres of new fences set to be built to protect sheep from wild dogs in central west Queensland
A new wave of wild dog cluster fences is set to rise in central west Queensland, with the announcement of recipients of $2.35 million in state funding. Seven clusters comprising of 31 producers are expected to erect 794 kilometres of fence, as part of the second round in the central west Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) fencing scheme.
Goat processor Western Meat Exporters opens doors to mutton at Charleville meatworks
The company has changed its logo to include a ram's head. Australia's largest goat processor, Western Meat Exporters, has turned to mutton to become Queensland's only operating sheep abattoir. The Charleville-based processing plant began slaughtering sheep one month ago and since then has killed at a rate of 400 to 600 head per week.
Meat and Livestock using aerial mapping to forecast Australian goat supply and market trends
An estimated 90 per cent of the Australian goat industry is comprised of opportunistic harvesters. The goat industry says a new initiative will see numbers and market trends forecasted accurately for the first time. Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has contracted a project with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSWDPI) leading a national program to help establish a forecasting model.
Charleville game meat processor, Barco Queensland, could quadruple kangaroo slaughter within months
Barco Queensland expects kangaroo slaughter numbers could quadruple within a matter of months at the Charleville abattoir. Kangaroo processing is set to ramp up in south west Queensland as a new processor, armed with contracts to supply an Australian independent supermarket chain, opens for business. Barco Queensland, owned by Gold Coast-based pet food manufacturer Millennium Pet Foods, opened an inactive game meat abattoir at Charleville in March, after signing a three-year lease on the facility.
A Big Country: They're racing again at Tower Hill
The NSW Health Department is under fire for handing a milk contract to foreign-owned Dairy Farmers at the expense of local supplier Norco.
Police urge graziers to mark goats as booming prices tempt thieves
The squad is encouraging graziers to protect themselves from thieves. Police are encouraging producers to mark goats on their property after they charged two men at the weekend in relation to 1,200 goats stolen and sold in south-west Queensland. The goats were untagged, with Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad (SARCIS) detectives discovering the perpetrators through false information on waybills and movement advice forms.
Stock route opinions mixed under Queensland Government scrutiny
Parliamentary hearings have found contrasting opinions on how stock routes should be managed. A series of state parliamentary committee hearings have uncovered contrasting opinions about how Queensland's stock route network should be managed. The committee held several hearings across Queensland this week to discuss proposed changes to the management of the 2.6 million hectare network.
Outback horse trainer ditches the ropes in favour of liberty training
Outback horse trainer Margie Elliott with her liberty trained horse, which has been broken in without using ropes and ties. An outback horse trainer has ditched the ropes and ties by training her horses using liberty techniques. Margie Elliott, a trainer from Longreach in western Queensland, has found joy in training by building a bond with the horses and riding without tack.
Outback grazier turns to camels for weed control
Margery and de Burgh Joyce have diversified their cattle operation into camels. An outback grazier has employed the help of 350 camels to increase plant and animal diversity and control weeds on his cattle station. De Burgh Joyce, from Theodore in central Queensland, said he made the decision to invest in the animals after taking a 'grazing for profit' class that looked at diversity.
Charleville kangaroo processor Barco Queensland shuts doors amid Safe Food concerns
Barco Queensland says they'll move operations to the south east if the Safe Food Queensland suspension isn't lifted. Barco Queensland said they shut the doors of their Charleville processing plant after Safe Food Queensland placed a suspension on activity. The company had only opened the abattoir in March, after signing a three-year lease on the facility. Safe Food Queensland told ABC that the matter was not yet listed, only alleged, and so could not clarify what it regarded.
Wild Rivers legislation battle reignites as environmental group tells Qld Government honour election promise
Press play then disable your screen reader. Use space bar to pause or play, and up and down arrows to control volume. Use left arrow to rewind and right arrow to fast forward. The fight over divisive Queensland Wild Rivers laws is being reignited. With speculation mounting of an early poll, US-based environmental group Pew Charitable Trusts has called on the Palaszczuk Labor Government to deliver on its election promise to reinstate the protections over the Channel Country.
Longreach saleyards' new operator has big plans to revive selling centre in western Queensland
AAM Investment Group hopes to hold cattle sales at Longreach from early next year. The ink dried this week on a 30-year lease for the Longreach saleyards, where new operators AAM Investment Group (AAMIG) plans to sell 100,000 head of cattle annually by 2022. The central-west saleyards add to AAMIG's Queensland operations, where they also run the yards at Gracemere and Murgon.
Outback Queensland's only olive grove sees sharp yield drop due to drought
Karen McLennan, Sommariva, 38 kilometres east of Charleville, where she's grown olives since 1996. There may be 15,000 kilometres separating Italy and Charleville, but it was a visit to the European country which inspired the outback Queensland's only commercial olive operation. Karen and Bill McLennan purchased Sommariva, in 1993 — a 10,000-hectare property 38 kilometres east of Charleville, in south west Queensland,.
Outback Queensland's only olive grove sees sharp yield drop due to drought
There may be 15,000 kilometres separating Italy and Charleville, but it was a visit to the European country which inspired the outback Queensland's only commercial olive operation. Karen and Bill McLennan purchased Sommariva, in 1993 — a 10,000-hectare property 38 kilometres east of Charleville, in south west Queensland,. The McLennans were keen to diversify from their beef business when they received a unique suggestion from some well-travelled family members.
Queensland cattle fill live export boats, as Northern Territory enjoys late wet season
One central west agent is helping send 90-odd decks of cattle out of western Queensland to fill live export ships at Darwin. (file image) Live exporters are continuing to look to western Queensland cattle to fill boats out of Darwin, after the strong wet season in the Northern Territory caused a late start to mustering in the Top End.
AuctionsPlus Queensland sheep listings double, due to low rainfall and rising prices
Western graziers have elected to sell stock to take advantage of good prices, but are hoping for another wet winter. The number of Queensland sheep offered in online sales has doubled week-on-week this fortnight, as producers respond to dry times and a stronger market. Almost 12,500 head of Queensland sheep are listed on AuctionsPlus for today's sale — half of which are from the central west. Large numbers of store wether lambs, as well as ewes and lambs, from Longreach are on offer.
Merino sheep genetics on show as Queensland aims to repair wool industry
Junior ram production class judging at the Queensland State Sheep Show in the outback Queensland town of Charleville. Queensland's best Merino sheep genetics are on show in the outback town of Charleville this weekend as the state aims to repair the wool industry. Stud Merino breeders from as far as South Australia made the trip to south-west Queensland for the Queensland State Sheep Show, which runs Friday and Saturday.
Queensland sheep dog trials attract record entries
Barcaldine extended its dog trials from three to four days due to a record number of entries. The sheep dog trial circuit kicked off in Queensland's west with a record high number of entries at Barcaldine this week. The trials mean tough competition for working dogs as they move three sheep around a field, fences and gates, as directed by their owner. Organiser Rhonda O'Connell, from Camara Station near Winton, said there were 20 individual competitors and 95 entries in the Improver Open trial.
From beef to goats: Queensland grazier shifts after 22 years with cattle at Stonehenge
Mike and Sue Pratt have been running sheep and cattle at Stonehenge since 1995. Sheep and beef producer Mike Pratt never thought he would call himself a goat farmer, but the need to move out of cattle has seen him do just that. Mike and wife Sue Pratt operate a three-property aggregation north of Stonehenge in central-west Queensland — Waroona, Bellfield and Ban Ban — totalling almost 41,700 hectares (103,000 acres).
Unique Tower Hill outback horse race meet returns
One of Queensland's few remaining grass-fed horse racing events returned to the outback at the weekend, after a three-year hiatus due to drought. About 200 people flocked to a bush track on Hillview Station, north of Muttaburra, 700 kilometres west of the Queensland coastline, to see the Tower Hill Picnic Amateur Races. The race club was established in 1909 and remains very much a family affair in the local grazing community.
Self-funded wild dog fence rising in Queensland's Bulloo Shire denied government help
Anthony Glasson is erecting the first modern wild dog exclusion fence in the Bulloo Shire. A sheep producer in Queensland's south-west who is fully funding a wild dog exclusion fence around his property says State Government grant money should be available to individuals. Anthony Glasson owns and manages Picarilli Station, near Thargomindah, and has begun erecting a 102-kilometre fence to protect his stock from wild dogs.
Orphaned calf finds unlikely foster mum in old mare
Janica Glasson are her siblings have come up with a range of names for the orphaned calf. An old mare who has never raised a foal has become an unexpected foster mum, after she adopted an orphaned calf in outback Queensland. Cattle grazier Gerda Glasson of Piccarilli Station, near Thargomindah in the state's south-west, said she was checking horses in the paddock when she discovered the less-than-a-week-old calf with Moonshine the horse.
Orphaned calf finds unlikely foster mum in old mare in outback Queensland
An old mare who has never raised a foal has become an unexpected foster mum, after she adopted an orphaned calf in outback Queensland. Cattle grazier Gerda Glasson of Piccarilli Station, near Thargomindah in the state's south-west, said she was checking horses in the paddock when she discovered the less-than-a-week-old calf with Moonshine the horse.
Beef graziers hit sell mode as outback Queensland misses out on Cyclone Debbie rain
One central west agency redirected 500 head of cattle alone to Roma prime sale, as stock overflowed from the Blackall saleyards. Large numbers of cattle are on the move in western Queensland and overflowing from local saleyards, as beef producers shift into sell mode. The Blackall saleyards, in the state's central-west, penned almost 4,000 head on Thursday — their largest prime and store sale in some years.
Beef graziers hit sell mode as outback Queensland misses out on Cyclone Debbie rain
Large numbers of cattle are on the move in western Queensland and overflowing from local saleyards, as beef producers shift into sell mode. The Blackall saleyards, in the state's central-west, penned almost 4,000 head on Thursday — their largest prime and store sale in some years. Such was the push from producers to offload stock that Blackall reached its capacity for fats and hundreds of head had to be redirected to the Roma prime sale in the state's south-west.
Charleville game meat processor, Barco Queensland, could quadruple kangaroo slaughter within months
Kangaroo processing is set to ramp up in south west Queensland as a new processor, armed with contracts to supply an Australian independent supermarket chain, opens for business. Barco Queensland, owned by Gold Coast-based pet food manufacturer Millennium Pet Foods, opened an inactive game meat abattoir at Charleville in March, after signing a three-year lease on the facility.
Endangered bilbies face 'jet lag' and man drought in readiness for outback tourist season at Charleville
Jet lag is not something usually associated with furry friends, but it is exactly what nocturnal marsupials underwent in readiness for the outback tourist season. Three female bilbies returned to the Charleville Bilby Experience centre, in south-west Queensland, three weeks ago in preparation for the tourist season which starts tomorrow. As the stars of the show, their internal body clocks have been adjusted to enable the nocturnal creatures to be active during the daytime to meet tourists.
John Arnold marks 30 years training horses at Longreach Pastoral College
John Arnold was just five years old when he first leapt into the saddle of "an old, worn-out, retired stockhorse" to ride alongside the experienced ringers as they went out mustering. It was the 1960s in outback Queensland and a time when sheep and cattle were mustered exclusively by horses. It was there Mr Arnold fostered his lifelong appreciation for horses, which would see him go on to be internationally respected as a horseman and trainer.
Goat processor Western Meat Exporters opens doors to mutton at Charleville meatworks
Australia's largest goat processor, Western Meat Exporters, has turned to mutton to become Queensland's only operating sheep abattoir. The Charleville-based processing plant began slaughtering sheep one month ago and since then has killed at a rate of 400 to 600 head per week. Managing director Campbell McPhee said Queensland's sheep slaughter had been boosted overnight, with just 60 head processed per week by butchers before the Charleville plant opened its doors to the animals.
Kilometres of new fences set to be built to protect sheep from wild dogs in central west Queensland
A new wave of wild dog cluster fences is set to rise in central west Queensland, with the announcement of recipients of $2.35 million in state funding. Seven clusters comprising of 31 producers are expected to erect 794 kilometres of fence, as part of the second round in the central west Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) fencing scheme.
Meat and Livestock using aerial mapping to forecast Australian goat supply and market trends
The goat industry says a new initiative will see numbers and market trends forecasted accurately for the first time. Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has contracted a project with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSWDPI) leading a national program to help establish a forecasting model.
Cherry orchard of the future nears completion
A four-hectare greenhouse is nearing completion in what is believed to be a world-first trial of growing cherries under controlled conditions. The trial is being run by Reid Fruits with innovation grant assistance from the Federal Government. On the site, near Jericho, the massive greenhouse is already home to young cherry trees, planted in November last year. Reid Fruits Managing Director Tim Reid said the site looks very different from when work began just 14 months ago.
Twenty-year-old seed produces bumper trial crop of Red Centre rockmelons
The Arid Zone Research Centre (AZRI) in Alice Springs is midway through a trial rockmelon harvest, which was grown from 20-year-old seeds found while clearing out a research station in Ti Tree Stuart Smith, manager of the Central Australian Horticulture Development Project said there was half a hectare of melons, which would hopefully produce five of six tonnes. "I wanted to put something in here and melons cover the ground pretty well.
Scientists make discovery that 'shakes up' foundations of wheat genome research
Australian researchers have made a discovery in bread wheat that promises to 'shake the foundations' of wheat gene research and open up big opportunities for wheat breeders across the world. A team of researchers at the University of Western Australia have found 21,000 new genes across 16 common wheat varieties. The researchers also found variations between wheat varieties that were not previously known. The findings are anticipated to have an immediate relevance to wheat breeders in Australia.
Climate change to blame for flatlining wheat yield gains: CSIRO
Australia's wheat productivity has flatlined as a direct result of climate change, according to CSIRO research. While 2016 set a new national wheat harvest record, the national science organisation's findings indicate that result masks a more troubling long-term trend. While Australian wheat yields tripled between 1900 and 1990, growth stagnated over the following 25 years.
Fickle wet season delivers mixed fortunes for farmers in north Queensland
The north Queensland wet season has been hit and miss, with coastal areas experiencing monsoon totals close to average, but many already drought-declared southern and western regions so far missing out on decent rain. Yardings for recent cattle sales have been low as graziers hold on to hopes of last-minute showers and with them, enough feed and water to get through winter.
Royalties for Regions: Other states scrutinise unique WA funding program as its architects go the polls
As Western Australia prepares to go to the polls this weekend, voters living outside of Perth could well be thinking of Royalties for Regions when they cast their vote. But what is it? And why do politicians from across Australia, state and federal, want to replicate the model? The 2008 state election race resulted in a hung parliament with the balance of power delivered to the Nationals WA party.
Women in agriculture debate how to bridge gender gap in the industry
It has been said women hold up half the sky and it is a fair assumption that they also hold up half of Australia's agricultural industry. But the position of women in agriculture is far from equal with men, with women earning 21.8 per cent less than men in the sector and occupying only 14 per cent of management roles in the industry.
Businesswomen's Hall of Fame inducts record number of rural women this year
Rural entrepreneurs inducted into the Businesswomen's Hall of Fame celebrate the leadership skills of women in Australia. Twenty-five per cent of the inductees this year were women involved in rural and agricultural businesses. Running for 19 years, the Hall of Fame now has more than 200 inductees.
Research and development partnership to tackle 'fragmented' plant biosecurity system
Australia's seven plant research agencies have come together to tackle what they have described as fragmentation and a lack of coordination in Australia's biosecurity system. The wine, wood, cotton, grain, rural industry, sugar and horticulture research and development corporations (RDC) are forming a partnership to streamline funding and improve the collaboration of biosecurity programs.
Second shipment of Australian buffalo sent to Indonesia since 2011 live export suspension
Australian buffalo have been exported to Indonesia for the first time in more than three years, a move that has been welcomed by industry. The buffalo trade with Indonesia halted with the suspension of live exports in 2011, and it has struggled to restart due to a lack of an approved halal slaughter process with the use of a stun gun. The most recent shipment of 195 buffalo was sent from Darwin Port in February, destined for an Indonesian feedlot.
Port workers to be included in investigation of re-emergence of black lung disease
The Queensland parliamentary select committee investigating the return of black lung disease is expanding to include coal port workers. The Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CWP) Select committee was in Mackay on Tuesday to hear from coal port workers, where they heard stories of how men spent their shifts covered in coal dust. Black lung disease, formally known as coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP), is caused by breathing in coal dust and was thought to have been eradicated until late 2015.
International Women's Day: The resilience and drive of regional Queensland women
Females the world over are being encouraged to 'Be Bold for Change' as they mark International Women's Day — something women across regional Queensland know all too well. From health care to agriculture, women from remote and rural areas continue to demonstrate their resilience, strength and capability, and are reaching out to help those following in their footsteps.
Stock squad shake up puts sex, drugs and fraud crime in focus
A plan to overhaul Queensland's stock squad will see greater focus placed on tackling rural crime issues such as drugs, child exploitation and fraud. The "renewed focus" comes as the State Crime Command moves towards a taskforce response model, according to Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad (SARCIS) state coordinator Mick Dowie. Detective Inspector Dowie said the change was not a shift away from livestock-related crime, but rather a move to tackle issues most harming regional communities.
Police urge graziers to mark goats as booming prices tempt thieves
Police are encouraging producers to mark goats on their property after they charged two men at the weekend in relation to 1,200 goats stolen and sold in south-west Queensland. The goats were untagged, with Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad (SARCIS) detectives discovering the perpetrators through false information on waybills and movement advice forms. Officer in charge of the Roma division of SARCIS, Scott Jackson, said booming goat prices made the animals more attractive to thieves.
Queensland stock route opinions mixed under Federal Government scrutiny
A series of federal parliamentary committee hearings have uncovered contrasting opinions about how Queensland's stock route network should be managed. The committee held several hearings across Queensland this week to discuss proposed changes to the management of the 2.6 million hectare network. Queensland drover Bill Little said the proposed changes were an opportunity for councils to crack down on the overuse of droving corridors by landholders.
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