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Showing posts with the label farmer

How do you prevent the next big lettuce shortage? Growing plants in disguise could be the answer

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When the price of lettuce jumped to $10 due to extreme weather in New South Wales and Queensland, it caused a shockwave across the country, but some farmers in the flood zone were left relatively unscathed – as they grew in the shade. Key points: Protected crops have seen significant growth in Australia over the last 10 years Two Lockyer Valley farmers say protected plantings reduce flood damage on their property Experts say farming under cover is inevitable with more extreme and varied weather events Now experts say protected plantings could be key to keeping cabbages away from burgers and spring rolls in their place and getting farmers back to planting after extreme weather. What are protected plants? Protected crops are the production of horticultural crops under or within structures. It’s more than just a greenhouse according to Paul Gauthier, who is professor of protected plants with the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. He said there are three types of...

Household budget squeezed as Coles raises the price of home-brand milk

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One of Australia’s largest supermarkets has announced a huge price hike for its branded milk which is sure to put more pressure on family budgets. Key points: The price of Coles home-brand milk will increase by 25 cents per liter for 1L and 2L bottles It said rising procurement, transportation and packaging costs were behind the increase He also said that they pay farmers more for their milk Coles said his own 1-liter fresh milk would jump 25 cents from $1.35 to $1.60 per liter while a 2-liter bottle would increase to $3.10 from $2.60. It was the most substantial one-time increase since supermarkets introduced the controversial $1 per liter milk in 2011, which slashed retail prices of milk by a third. Coles, Woolworths and Aldi all raised their supermarket milk prices by 10c per liter in December last year. The increase was the first increase by a retailer in more than two years after the last three hiked prices by 10 cents in July 2019 after ending dollar milk earlier that year. ...