This week's roundup: Smart fertility for forage success, Introducing Crop Input Finance, Greeneye Technology Adds, Labour Softens, Markets Shift and Farmers Stay Sharp, But Pressure Hasn’t Gone Away, Gold Coast canefarmers, and more updates. Plus, fresh listings, auction dates, and more from across Australia's ag sector. Let's get into it

In short: 

South Australian dairy farmer Narelle Zanker has been crowned Australia's AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year at Canberra's Parliament House. She is a former teacher with a passion for farming.

The AgriFutures Rural Women's Award National Runner-Up was Northern Territory pilot and innovator Kelly Shotton.

When South Australian dairy farmer Narelle Zanker sees the recognition in a child's face when they realise milk comes from cows and not a bottle in the fridge, she's reminded of the difference she's making.

Growing up on the family dairy farm on the banks of the Murray River near Mannum, just over an hour's drive east of Adelaide, Ms Zanker always wanted to be a teacher.

But four years into her new career, she experienced a "light-bulb moment" when she realised she could merge her love for teaching with her love for farming. And so, with the support of her husband and family, Dairy Adventures was born in 2024.

"[Dairy Adventures] is a fun, educational, interactive experience for families and school groups to come onto the farm and bottle-feed the calves, milk the cows, tour the farm and learn about where their food comes from, from paddock to plate," Ms Zanker said.

The only agritourism venture of its kind in South Australia, Ms Zanker said Dairy Adventures addressed a massive gap between farmer and consumer.

"People don't know where their food comes from, they don't know where milk comes from, they think it comes from the fridge in their house or from the shops," she said.

Now the former teacher has been recognised as Australia's AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year at Canberra's Parliament House last night and will receive a $20,000 grant to develop Dairy Adventures further and take it nationwide through virtual classrooms.

"Having a love for education and farming is what makes it work," she said.

The AgriFutures Rural Women's Award National Runner-Up was Northern Territory pilot and innovator Kelly Shotton, founder of Stationly, a digital platform that helps remote stations monitor tanks, bores and other water infrastructure across vast properties.

The Rural Women's Award, originally established by ABC Rural in 1994 and now in its 26th year as an AgriFutures initiative, recognises women who are shaping the future of rural and regional Australia through innovation, enterprise and leadership.

The Australian sheep flock has moved into rebuild territory, but the cattle herd is telling a very different story.

The latest female slaughter ratio, or FSR, moved higher again during the June quarter, suggesting that producers are still turning off breeding females at a rate that is inconsistent with a meaningful national herd rebuild. The quarterly FSR increased from 53.1% in Q1 to 55% in Q2, while the annual measure has climbed to around 54%. Both remain comfortably above the 47% level that we use as the broad dividing line between herd liquidation and rebuild.

The logic behind the FSR is relatively simple. When producers are rebuilding, more females are retained on farm to produce the next generation of calves. Female slaughter therefore falls as a proportion of total adult cattle slaughter. When seasonal conditions deteriorate, feed becomes scarce, or producers simply decide that carrying additional breeding cattle is not worthwhile, more females make their way through the processing system. Historically, an Australian FSR below roughly 47% has been associated with an expanding herd, while sustained readings above that level tend to coincide with contraction. At 54% on an annual basis, Australia remains some distance from a rebuild signal.

There is also an interesting story underneath the national number. Victoria has traditionally operated with a relatively high FSR compared with the northern cattle states, partly reflecting the different structure of its cattle industries and a larger dairy influence. What stands out at present is NSW. Female slaughter in NSW has risen to unusually elevated levels compared with its own history and has moved much closer to Victoria than would normally be expected. That is an important signal. Rather than the national figure simply being dragged higher by Victoria's usual slaughter profile, NSW producers have also been sending a large proportion of females through the system.

Queensland presents a less dramatic picture than NSW and Victoria, but the broader east coast pattern still isn't one that screams herd retention. That matters because NSW and Queensland account for a substantial part of the Australian breeding herd. A genuine national rebuild is difficult to achieve while large numbers of females continue to leave these regions. The national FSR can move around from quarter to quarter, but for the herd cycle to properly turn, we would expect to see female slaughter rates falling more consistently across the major cattle-producing states.

Seasonal conditions probably explain part of the reluctance to shift into rebuilding mode. Rainfall deciles for the first half of 2026 show below-average conditions across parts of Queensland and NSW, including some important cattle regions. There have certainly been areas receiving reasonable rainfall, but the picture isn't uniformly favourable. High cattle prices are an incentive to retain breeding stock, but price alone cannot manufacture grass. If producers do not have confidence in pasture availability, water or the coming season, selling females while values are strong can remain a perfectly rational decision.

This is where the cattle and sheep cycles have started to diverge. Across much of the major sheep-producing country in southern Australia, recent seasonal conditions have been considerably more favourable. This is particularly true for much of western NSW, western Victoria and South Australia. At the same time, both sheep and wool prices have provided producers with a much stronger economic incentive to retain breeding animals. The sheep turnoff ratio has consequently moved into territory more consistent with flock rebuilding earlier than the cattle FSR has done for the herd. There is nothing unusual about the two species moving at different speeds. Their geographic footprints, seasonal exposure, and economics are different.

The encouraging part for cattle producers is that the ingredients for a rebuild are not impossible to see. Cattle values remain historically strong, particularly for breeding and restocker animals, and a widespread improvement in seasonal conditions would quickly alter the calculation around retaining females. But the data says that this has not happened yet. Indeed, with the quarterly FSR rising to 55% and the annual ratio around 54%, the female turnoff signal has moved further away from the 47% rebuild threshold rather than towards it.

For now, Australia appears to have two livestock cycles travelling on slightly different tracks. Sheep producers have been given the combination of feed and price required to start a rebuild phase. Across the cattle regions of NSW and Queensland, the seasonal confidence required to do the same has been less convincing. The herd rebuild will come eventually, but on the latest slaughter numbers it remains something we are waiting for rather than something that has begun

1980 John Deere 4440 tractor sells for $155,000, nearly double the previous record auction price, as tight supply and farmer optimism fuel aggressive bidding through year-end.

The used equipment market has gained momentum since the middle of June and auction prices continue to climb as the end of the year draws near. Tightening supply and improved farmer sentiment are key drivers behind the surge.

For example, multiple records were broken at a retirement auction hosted by by Schrader Real Estate and Auction in Cambridge City, Ind., on Sept. 1:

This week has delivered a more serious finance signal for Australian farmers.

The cash rate remains at 4.35%, but fresh economic data has kept the chance of another rate rise firmly on the table. Australia’s economy grew faster than expected in the June quarter, which tells the Reserve Bank that demand is still holding up. For farmers, that means borrowing costs may stay higher for longer, and any major decision around machinery, vehicles, land or working capital needs to be structured carefully.

Fuel has improved slightly, with average petrol and diesel prices easing across most locations over the past week. That is welcome, but it is not enough to change the bigger picture. Diesel remains a major cost across spraying, freight, irrigation, livestock transport, and grain movement, so margins still need protection.

On the seasonal side, Western Australian cropping regions received useful rainfall, with further falls expected across parts of southern Australia. That supports winter crop and pasture growth, while northern New South Wales and Queensland remain drier and more exposed.

Grain markets also strengthened this week, with Asian buyers turning more heavily to Australian wheat as Black Sea export disruptions created uncertainty. That is a positive demand signal for local growers.

Livestock markets were also stronger, with cattle and lamb indicators lifting despite mixed seasonal conditions.

At Pay In Time Finance, we’re seeing why farmers are acting early — refinancing existing debt, reducing repayment pressure, unlocking equity and structuring equipment finance around seasonal income.

This week’s message is clear: opportunity is there, but the smartest operators are protecting cash flow before pressure builds.

In short:

Varroa destructor mite has been confirmed in two Far North Queensland beehives. The new incursions mark the northernmost detection in the country.

Authorities say the new detections in two hives and a suspected third are about 1,000 kilometres north of the state's previous northernmost incursion.

The devastating honey bee parasite Varroa destructor mite has been found in Far North Queensland, the northernmost detection of the destructive pest in Australia.

Biosecurity Queensland confirmed two detections at El Arish and Cardwell, about 120 kilometres south of Cairns, on September 7, with a third suspected near Innisfail.

The new detections are about 1,000km north of the previous northernmost incursion.

Manager of Biosecurity Queensland's varroa mite innovation and resilience initiative Rob Stephens said the jump in distance was likely the result of human-assisted movement of hives from south-east Queensland.

"The identified hives have been successfully destroyed at the discretion of the beekeeper," he said.

"The threat is still there that there could have been further spread.

"Subsequent surveillance has also confirmed a third suspect detection in Innisfail, which is not thought to be linked to either of those two previous detections."

Varroa mite was first detected in Queensland in March 2025, and Mr Stephens said it had since spread across 26 local government areas across the state.

"We had our first detection in Gladstone in central Queensland in August, and just yesterday we confirmed a detection in Blackwater in the Central Highlands region," he said.

"Naturally, we would only really be expecting the varroa to probably move about 10 kilometres a year, maybe a little bit more.

"But with that human-assisted spread, it could move anywhere."

He said there was a risk it had spread further and urged beekeepers to be vigilant and test their hives monthly.

"We do expect you're going to get that natural spread, but you also are expecting human-assisted spread again because beekeepers are migratory by nature," Mr Stephens said.

"Pollination-reliant industries require commercial beekeepers to move their hives around.

"Unfortunately, it is a matter of time before we expect to see varroa mite endemic throughout Queensland."

The Department of Primary Industries has a varroa mite surveillance map available online demonstrating where the pest has been detected within the state.

(RGA26016) (REALM Group Australia Pty Ltd) The Original Australia-wide Multi Vendor Auction Group

A smaller budget still needs to protect the work that keeps the business operating, earning, and ready to recover. 

I said something to a client this week that I think is worth sharing: when money gets tight, don’t just ask what you can cut. Ask what happens after you cut it.

Their industry is going through a difficult season. Dry conditions have softened demand, supply constraints have added pressure, and cash flow has become harder to predict.

When that happens, everything goes on the table: staffing, suppliers, subscriptions, projects, and smaller expenses that barely warranted a second thought before. And, to be perfectly honest, that includes us. We are an expense too.

But once everything is reduced to a line in a budget, it can be tempting to treat every line the same. That’s where cost-cutting becomes more complicated: the numbers may need to change quickly, but each cut leaves a different consequence behind.

Suppose the business needs to reduce its overall spending by 20%. One seemingly fair solution is to take 20% from marketing, operations, software, contractors, and everywhere else.

It is simple, quick, and easy to explain. But the reductions may be equal on the spreadsheet while costing the business very different things.

One expense might support future growth. Another keeps existing customers informed. Another saves the team hours of repeated work.

Does it disappear?
The business genuinely no longer needs it, so both the expense and the work can go.

Does it transfer?
The invoice disappears, but the work moves to the owner or an already busy employee.

Does it compound?
The saving creates a higher cost later through lost customers, neglected systems or work that must eventually be rebuilt.

Can it reduce safely?
A smaller scope, lower frequency, or temporary pause preserves the useful part without carrying the full cost.

The cleanest saving removes work the business no longer needs. The most deceptive one simply turns paid work into somebody’s extra responsibility. And the most expensive may be the thing the business has to rebuild six months later.

The goal is not to preserve every expense. It is to understand the consequence before deciding what goes.

If you need a clearer view of what to keep, reduce, or rethink, let’s talk.

If there's something in your business taking more time than it should, that's the kind of problem we like looking at. Let’s connect.
[email protected]

G’day REALM Readers,

There’s nothing quite like the Australian art of taking the mickey.

We’re not talking about anything cruel or genuinely offensive. This is classic Aussie banter, delivered with a grin, a raised eyebrow and just enough cheek to bring someone back down to earth…

We recently asked the Ringers From The Top End community for some cheeky quips, funny sayings and classic one-liners they still hear today. As usual, you did not disappoint.

These are the good old Aussie battler expressions still heard around kitchen tables, workshops, cattle yards, machinery sheds and campfires. They’re rarely meant to cause genuine offence. It’s about taking the mickey out of a mate, keeping egos in check and making a long, hot day a little more entertaining.

Righto, champions. Let’s get into them…

The Fine Art of Taking the Mickey: https://rfttejobs.com/blog/taking-the-mickey-aussie-put-downs-one-liners/

Hooroo for now,

Hooroo for now,
Simon Cheatham
Founder, RFTTE - The Online Campfire
0417 277 488 | [email protected]

Robbie is definitely 'that guy!' He's even got his own cartoon character.