Farming
Finally, we are on the brink of calling for a halt to factory farming
Brian Sherman It's been a landmark year for the animals. Public and media concern for the 500 million sentient beings that are mass-produced for food each year in Australia has never been higher and is now backed...
Farming may contribute a third of emissions, study finds
Food production accounts for up to 29% of man-made greenhouse gases, twice the amount the United Nations has estimated comes from farming, a study published on Wednesday said.
Nothing biblical in factory farming
J.M. Coetzee Something has gone badly wrong in relations between human beings and other animals, and it is not just animal welfare and animal rights organisations that say so.
Grazing and farming land taken over to offset carbon
Paddy Manning Farmers fear a new rush of environmental plantings for biodiversity and carbon offsets will accelerate the loss of land for food production.
The dark side of puppy farming
Stephanie Gardiner Among 42 dogs found in a dark, dank maggot-filled shed was Gidget, a miniature poodle with fur so matted and dirty it caused painful eye and ear infections.
Scientists question carbon farming plan
Scientists and agricultural experts say Labor's plan to pay farmers to store carbon in their soil won't do much to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Farm incomes face drought
Damien Murphy With rainfall at record low levels, farmers across Australia are facing some of the toughest drought conditions in years.
Summer of record heat extends into May
Peter Hannam Australia's run of exceptionally warm weather has extended into May, giving the country its second-hottest start to the year on record.
Plan to open up Cape York 'grabbing at the sky'
Traditional owners wary of plans by the Queensland government to open Cape York to more farming.
River to ruin: farmers fear for Lake Eyre basin over irrigation scheme
Saffron Howden FARMERS are warning that the Lake Eyre basin could be the next Murray-Darling fiasco if plans to open its network of creeks and rivers to irrigators go ahead.
Wing and a prayer
As you read this, the first intrepid invaders are fluttering northward across the Rio Grande that separates Mexico from the US.
I spy with my little fly ... animal cruelty
Ben Cubby An environment group is about to become the first in Australia to deploy surveillance drones to hunt for evidence of animal abuse on private property.
State to snub federal backing over fish farm
Nicole Hasham The state government is refusing to seek federal approval for a controversial fish farm proposal off the mid-north coast, despite fears it will affect threatened sharks.
Who are you eating: that is the question
Marc Bekoff Food is central to our existence yet our choices have serious ramifications and greatly influence the quality of ecosystems, human health and the lives of billions of factory farmed animals who...
Dust Bowl memories stir across the US Great Plains
The long US drought has brought storms reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl, with climate change partly to blame, experts say.
Blaze near Ballarat destroys homes
Nino Bucci, Bridie Smith and Adrian Lowe Homes near Ballarat were destroyed and seven people treated in hospital after an out-of-control grass fire swept through Snake Valley on Tuesday night
Man feared dead, at least 80 properties lost in Tasmanian bushfires
Andrew Darby, Nick Ralston AT LEAST 80 homes have been lost and one man is feared killed by a bushfire that swept down onto the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, less than 60 kilometres from Hobart, in catastrophic conditions.
Experts debate 'peak farmland'
While some experts think the amount of land needed to grow crops worldwide is at a peak but other analysts aren't so sure.
In the clucky country a city's food basket can be filled out the back
Brittany Ruppert ROBERT MAYER beams as he describes the image of his young daughters scuttling down to the chicken coop first thing in the morning to collect the day's eggs.
Dead in the water: O'Farrell buries coal seam gas plans
Sean Nicholls THE NSW government has caved in to community and political pressure over coal seam gas, announcing a ban on all activity within two kilometres of residential areas and industry clusters, such as...
