NSW Farmers is urging shoppers to choose Australian-grown food this Christmas, as farming families continue to face climate extremes and mounting pressures on land and water.

Agricultural groups and animal welfare organisations are jointly calling on the NSW Government to maintain the state’s cattle tick eradication program, warning that any weakening of the system could jeopardise the state’s tick-free status.

Thirteen new smart road signs are now operating across western and outback New South Wales, in a move the Minns Government said will make travel safer and more reliable. The $1.7 million rollout is part of the Smarter Highways Program, bringing real-time road condition updates to some of the state’s most remote regions.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is urging residents to remain alert for signs of avian influenza in poultry and wildlife. While Australia remains free of the H5N1 strain circulating overseas, authorities warn the disease could enter the country through migrating wild birds, particularly during spring.

A grassroots mental health initiative addressing suicide prevention in Australia’s shearing industry has been recognised nationally, with its founder—registered nurse, shearer, and mental health advocate Carol Mudford—named the 2025 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award national winner.

CSIRO researchers are warning farmers across eastern Australia to stay alert, with signs pointing to an impending mouse population boom. Recent trapping has revealed high numbers of pregnant females in cropping regions of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.  

The Country Women’s Association of New South Wales is inviting women across the state and in the ACT to take part in its Annual Women’s Survey, an initiative designed to strengthen advocacy efforts by collecting real data on the issues affecting women in rural, regional and urban communities.

Farmers attending the Henty Machinery Field Days this week will be able to experience the future of agriculture through a new virtual reality (VR) display from the NSW Government’s Farms of the Future (FotF) program.

Residents in Central Darling Shire have elected councillors for the first time in 12 years, marking a historic return to local democracy under a new rural council model.