For people in the city, it’s come to be expected that when you pick up your smart phone you will connect to the internet and make phone calls with the touch of a button. For those in the bush, it’s often a very different story. Patchy phone coverage and unreliable internet can be frustrating and detrimental to rural businesses and livelihoods. This is why it is vitally important Cotton Australia continues to advocate for improved telecommunications connectivity in our cotton valleys.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/5810379/advocate-for-connectivity/" target="_blank"><span>For the full story click through to the Queensland Country Life website.</span></a>

AUSTRALIAN agriculture is set for a bumper year with forecasts predicting cattle prices to strengthen, farmgate milk prices to push upwards and lamb and mutton to set new annual average records.<br /><br />That’s according to Rural Bank’s Australian Agriculture Outlook 2019 released today.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.ruralbank.com.au/for-farmers/ag-answers/ag-outlook" target="_blank"><span>Download the report from the Rural Bank website</span></a>

The draft mandatory dairy code of conduct has been released for public comment, following a series of consultations in all eight dairy regions last year.<br /><br />A Regulation Impact Statement has also been released for comment to refine assessment of the cost the code would have on farmers and processors.<br /><br />Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud said the mandatory code will be an industry-defining moment.<br /><br />"I want all dairy farmers, processors and stakeholders to stay involved in shaping it," Minister Littleproud said.<br /><br />"Milk levies come and go but the mandatory code would help balance the market power between dairy farmers and processors and improve farmers' bargaining power," he said.<br /><br />"As it stands the code will require processors to publicly release their standard form agreement on a set date each year."<br /><br /><a href="https://www.farmingahead.com.au/farm-business/news/1354389/draft-dairy-code-of-conduct-released" target="_blank">Read the full story online at the Farming Ahead Website</a>