Rural

We're paying more for our food than ever, and experts say that's reason enough to be fussy about the quality.

A group including major agribusinesses Elders and Nutrien Ag Solutions has failed to meet a deadline for major improvements at the aged Boyanup saleyards in WA's South West.

Hass avocados are out of season for the next few months, meaning those craving an avo fix may have to turn to the often-maligned Shepard variety. But despite the bad rap, Shepard avocados have their own strengths.

One farmer in Victoria's west has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of broccoli, during a dry spell described by another as the worst since the millennium drought.

After pioneering tuna fishing in Port Lincoln more than 70 years ago, the Tacoma has just delivered water to a parched sheep farm on an island off the Eyre Peninsula.

Smoke from a hazard reduction burn in the NSW Southern Highlands allegedly destroys millions of dollars worth of wine grapes, leaving any wine produced tasting "like an ashtray".