After a year of drought, flooding and limited summer rainfall, New South Wales farmers are entering 2026 facing continued seasonal pressure and policy uncertainty.

Almost $100 million in additional recovery funding has been committed by the Victorian and Federal Governments to support communities and businesses affected by recent bushfires.

The Australian wool market has opened 2026 with one of its strongest starts in years, as prices surged at the first sale back after the Christmas break.

Rural communities across Australia are set to benefit from a strengthened network of health and wellbeing programs, with Active Farmers and the Fat Farmers Rural Health Initiative joining forces to expand their reach and impact.

The New South Wales Government has announced an additional $2 million rebate to support the rollout of mandatory electronic identification for sheep and goats, however, NSW Farmers has criticised the package, arguing it does not include ongoing discounts on eID tags themselves, leaving producers to shoulder rising compliance costs.

Migratory data Australians continue to favour regional living, with the latest Regional Movers Index showing moves from capital cities to regional areas outpacing the reverse by more than one third.  

Grain Producers SA is urging growers and industry members to act quickly, with tickets for the 2025 South Australian Grain Industry Awards close to selling out ahead of the February event at Adelaide Oval.

The New South Wales Government is progressing a major reform of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, proposing the most significant update to the state’s animal welfare laws in years.

Agriculture Victoria has issued a strong warning to livestock producers following a Gippsland court case involving the unauthorised tail docking of 192 dairy cows on a property near Tinamba in south-east Victoria.

With increased travel expected during the Tour Down Under, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions is reminding people heading into South Australia and the Riverland not to bring restricted fruit and vegetables across quarantine boundaries.

Rural and remote Australians are being encouraged to make preventative health care a priority as the new year gets underway. The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine said the start of the year presents a natural opportunity to check in on long-term health and follow up on any lingering concerns.

A new four-million-dollar round of agricultural traceability grants has opened, aimed at strengthening Australia’s export supply chains and biosecurity systems.

AgriFutures Australia, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, has launched a new project aimed at strengthening Australia’s regional agricultural workforce.

Agriculture Victoria teams have been on the ground this week supporting farmers affected by recent bushfires, with a focus on urgent animal welfare and assessing agricultural impacts.  

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine says increasingly severe weather events are placing growing strain on health services in rural, remote and First Nations communities.

 The National Farmers’ Federation has expressed support for farmers and regional communities affected by a series of natural disasters across the country, including bushfires, flooding and Cyclone Koji.

In the midst of Victoria’s ongoing fire emergency, the Country Fire Authority has rejected claims that its funding has been reduced and that volunteers and brigades were not aptly prepared for this year’s fire season.

Australian avocado growers and exporters will soon gain access to new tools designed to protect fruit quality as exports continue to expand.

As catastrophic bushfires continue across Victoria, the Victorian Farmers Federation has activated its Disaster Relief Fund to provide immediate, farmer-led assistance to producers impacted by the fires.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has outlined a Coalition energy approach centered on affordable power, expanded gas supply and technology neutrality, as households face rising electricity prices and cost-of-living pressures.