National Farmers’ Federation says expectations on peak bodies are changing but rejects suggestions it prioritises agribusiness over grassroots concerns
Last September, a leaked email revealed the National Farmers’ Federation had directed members to stay silent about the putative health risks from paraquat, a widely used herbicide. Some farmers rebelled. Among them was Mirboo North grower and grazier Emma Germano, who was then the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation.
Germano broke ranks with the NFF to support the farmers who’d been vilified for speaking out about clusters of Parkinson’s disease, which they believed to be linked to paraquat use on farms. (Manufacturer Syngenta, which has partnerships with NFF, denies any link.)
“These people are suffering,” Germano told the ABC’s AM program. “They’re asking a question. For that to be shut down, when these are people who have been diligently part of our industry, salt-of-the-earth farmers – that, to me, is inexcusable.”
Germano’s stance revealed a growing discontent with peak bodies in Australia’s fragmented agriculture sector.
Key Takeaways:
- New tool offers repair, maintenance, and diagnostic features for connected and non-connected John Deere machines
- Replaces Customer Service ADVISOR and introduces digital software reprogramming
- Available for agriculture, turf, construction, and forestry equipment
- Supports owner and third-party repairs with secure, machine-specific access
- U.S. and Canadian customers can access the platform for $195 per machine annually
Brazil is emerging as a global leader in sustainable agriculture. However, recent trade tensions and economic uncertainty may slow its progress. At the World Agri-Tech South America Summit 2025, experts discussed the country’s challenges and breakthroughs, highlighting innovation, investment potential, and environmental goals.
Ukraine and Egypt are working to boost shipments of Ukrainian agricultural products, specifically grain and sunflower oil, to the Egyptian market. These issues were the main topic of a meeting between Ukraine’s ambassador to Egypt, Mykola Nahornyi, and the leadership of the agency Future of Egypt for Sustainable Development, which has been responsible for Egypt’s main import operations since December 2024, the press service of the Ukrainian embassy reported.
During the detailed discussion, both sides reviewed the current state and future prospects of cooperation between the two countries. In particular, Nahornyi noted that Egypt remains Ukraine’s largest trading partner in the MENA region. In the first half of 2025, bilateral trade turnover reached $947.9 million, of which Ukrainian exports accounted for $776.5 million - mainly wheat (1.31 million tons), corn (1.06 million tons), and soybeans (0.36 million tons).
Following the meeting, a “set of concrete steps for implementation in the near future to achieve shared ambitious goals” was approved.
“The agreed measures are aimed not only at expanding trade volumes but also at ensuring the efficiency, timeliness, and transparency of logistics processes,” the statement emphasizes.
No further details on the matter were provided by the embassy.
The Agricultural Trade Early-Warning and Remedy Expert Committee of the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs (MARA) published the Report of Global Agricultural Market and Trade 2025 on July 28th 2025 in Beijing. The report reviews the first half of the year 2025 and looks forward to the second half.
The general economic situation and prediction
- Economic slowdown weakens trade demand: according to the World Bank, global trade growth is projected to go from 3.4% in 2024 to just 1.8% in 2025 — its slowest pace in nearly a decade.
- Geopolitical and U.S. tariff disruptions.
- Ample crop supplies: the FAO and other agencies forecast rising global output of major crops (excluding sugar) and record harvests of rice, maize, sorghum, and oilseeds. The total grain production in 2025 is expected to reach 2.925 billion tonnes, up by 2.3% year-on-year, with trade volumes climbing to 487 million tonnes, up by 1.2% YoY. The global grain stock-to-use ratio will stand at 30.3%, reflecting a well-supplied market. In 2025, China secured a bumper summer grain harvest of 149.74 million tons, marking the second-largest on record after the previous year. The output of pork, beef, lamb and poultry reached 48.43 million tons, up 2.8% year on year, and milk production stood at 18.64 million tons, a 0.5% increase.
- Mixed price signals: FAO’s Food Price Index climbed modestly in H1 2025 — up by 2.6% (3.3 percentage points). However, price performance varied among commodity groups: ailments in grains and sugar prices were offset by bigger increases in dairy, meat, and vegetable oils. Rice, wheat, maize, sugar, and palm oil fell, while prices for soybeans, cotton, soybean and rapeseed oils, pork, beef, lamb, dairy, poultry, and eggs trended upward.
Ludhiana: Scientists have unveiled a solar-powered insect trap designed to reduce pesticide use and protect farmer health, potentially reshaping pest control across the country's agricultural landscape.
Developed by researchers at the ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (ICAR-CIPHET), the Day-Night Solar Insect Trap offers round-the-clock pest control using blue light instead of ultraviolet (UV), which is known to harm human eyesight and health. "This trap is an improvement over existing technologies," said Guru P N, one of the lead developers. "The specific wavelength of blue light is safer for humans while remaining highly effective in attracting insects.
Meticulous Research®-a leading global market research company, published a research report titled 'Lecithin Market Size, Share, Forecast, & Trends Analysis by Type (Unrefined, Refined, Modified), Source (Soy, Sunflower, Canola), Form (Liquid, Granular), Application (Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Animal Feed, Personal Care) - Global Forecast to 2032.'
According to this latest publication, the lecithin market is projected to reach $2.91 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2025 to 2032. The growing demand for natural and functional ingredients, the rising prevalence of lifestyle-based health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes, the growing demand for processed food and beverage products, and the rising awareness about phospholipids contribute to the growth of the lecithin market. However, the high presence of synthetic alternatives and allergic reactions to soy products are expected to hinder market growth to some extent. Moreover, the increasing demand for lecithin from the personal care industry and the increasing use of lecithin in developing countries are expected to provide growth opportunities for the stakeholders operating in this market.
Growers and researchers in the driest inhabited continent have dramatically increased crop yields through new agricultural techniques, despite intensifying environmental challenges. Innovations in water-use efficiency, soil re-engineering and seed technology have helped feed a rising global population.
MERREDIN, Australia - In a newly sown wheat field, Curtis Liebeck scoops up a fistful of sandy soil and lets it pour through his fingers. The light-brown dirt bears little resemblance to the dark, clumpy earth of rainier nations.
The Liebeck farm, 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Perth in Western Australia, gets half the rain of the wheatbelts of central Kansas or northern France. Growing-season rainfall across the state's crop lands has declined by about one-fifth over three decades.
That should make farming harder. But Liebeck’s wheat yield has doubled since 2015.