Jennifer Nichols

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Jennifer Nichols |Brooke Tindall |Maddelin McCosker

Farmers denied disaster relief due to their off-farm income could now be eligible for recovery grants due to changes to Queensland's definition of primary production. In the past, disaster recovery grants, loans and freight subsidies were only available to producers who earned most of their income from the farm, or would in future. It meant farmers who also earned income off-farm, including from agriculture services like contract harvesting, mustering and milking, were not eligible.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Jennifer Nichols

Two nests of potentially deadly fire ants have been found and destroyed at Palmview on the Sunshine Coast. The search continues for nests in the surrounding area, where there are fears that children living and playing nearby could be bitten. DNA testing is underway as authorities attempt to trace the source of the latest infestation. Potentially deadly fire ants have been discovered in yet another new housing development in Queensland.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Jennifer Nichols

Stopping thousands of bees from starving during drought will become easier for commercial beekeepers after authorities relaxed rules prohibiting live bees from crossing into Queensland from New South Wales. Queensland's borders closed to travelling beekeepers when the world's worst bee parasite, Varroa destructor mite, was detected in Newcastle in June 2022. In dry times Australia's 1,800 commercial apiarists traditionally drive hives hundreds of kilometres to chase flowering plants.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Jennifer Nichols

A chorus of frogs on his chemical-free farm is music to Stuart Andrews' ears. "That sound, that's the sound of a healthy farm," Mr Andrews said. "The two things you lose out of a landscape first are the frogs and the bees." In July, UNESCO warned 90 per cent of the world's land surface could be degraded by 2050, threatening biodiversity and human life.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Jennifer Nichols

In short: The $120 million Wamuran Irrigation Scheme is using Class A recycled water to irrigate horticultural crops. It is rediverting treated water that used to be discharged into the Caboolture River. What's next: The UnityWater project is designed to help farmers through future periods of drought and reduce nutrient discharge into waterways.