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Soft commodities

Today

Queensland farmer David Robb is cautious optimistic after a spike in the wheat price.

Farmers welcome wheat price spike after Iran conflict

Wheat farmers are hopeful about the year ahead after turmoil in the Middle East triggered a long-awaited upswing in the price of the key Australian export.

This Month

eforestation on a property in the Southern NSW Mallee Key Biodiversity Area, in the Murray Darling Depression bioregion of south west NSW. National Australia Bank has a mortgage on the property.

Environmentalists accuse major banks of financing deforestation

The Australian Conservation Foundation said it used satellite imagery and land titles to connect properties where loans had been made and suspected clearing had occurred.

DIT AgTech customers include producers AACo., Stanbroke, Kidman ande Hancock.

This cattle supplements supplier wants to go global; launches raise

Bandera Capital has put its hand up for $1 million of DIT AgTech’s raising at a $77 million pre-money valuation.

Kilter Rural, an asset manager half-owned by Regal Funds Management, has put a 7210-hectare cropping and grazing asset in the Southern Riverina region of NSW up for sale with a $60 million price tag. 

Kilter Rural puts Oomabah Riverina site up for sale with $60m hopes

After a year-long process to assemble the 7210-hectare property, the fund manager is offering it for sale with further scope for water-related investment.

Phil Ryan, Dairy Farmer in Bega.

Inside the great decline of Australia’s dairy industry

Local dairy farmers are facing another season of low milk prices, leaving many farms unprofitable as they also grapple with extreme weather and surging costs.

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Ross Anderson is the chief executive of Murray Cod Australia, which supplies Aquna-branded fish.

Can the Murray cod finally hook Australia an aquaculture giant?

It’s a fish that can be found on the menu of white tablecloth diners. But shrinking supply of premium species is a big opportunity for this ASX-listed company.

Warakirri’s diversified agriculture fund manager Steve Jarrott has made big acquisitions in the wine, citrus, berry, and nut sectors.

Here’s how this fundie is making money from the land

Warakirri’s Steve Jarrott is looking to buy up more agricultural land just as farmers enjoy the fruits from the US-China trade wars.

May

Neale Bennett and other almond farmers have been making the most of the spike in Californian prices by charging a hefty premium of their own.

Australian farmers go nuts as almond prices hit 10-year high

Local growers are making the most of Donald Trump’s trade war by charging China huge premiums for the tree nut. A weak Australian dollar is also helping.

Oyster farmer Brandon Armstrong inspects damage to his stock in Camden Haven following NSW floods.

Flooding devastates oyster harvest, dairy industry

Oyster farmers are bracing for millions of dollars in damage after this week’s flooding in northern NSW wiped out stock nearing a years-long harvest.

Top Shelf International’s growing agave farm near the Whitsunday Coast.

Top Shelf lender Longreach sidesteps $30m approach for its debt

Street Talk understands the alternative asset manager received the non-binding offer for its debt in early May.

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Why ice-cream prices are soaring

The price of a key ingredient of the sweet treat has gone parabolic in the wholesale market, setting fresh record highs every month so far in 2025.

Victorian dairy farmer Bernie Free says this year’s drought is the worst he’s faced in his life.

‘Worst I’ve seen in my life’: Farmers rocked by drought in SA, Victoria

The only silver lining for South Australian and Victorian farmers forced to sell off livestock is that Chinese demand for Australian grain-fed beef is surging.

Traders have ramped up their short positions in wheat to the largest level in two years.

How agriculture traders are making money from Trump’s trade war

Investors are broadly bullish on soft commodities under Trump’s trade agenda, but they are building a huge short position in wheat.

Robert Mackenzie, right, of Macka’s Pastoral is shipping his first beef container to China since 2019.

Why cattle prices just hit a two-year high

This week a cattle price benchmark climbed to the highest level since March 2023 partly thanks to Chinese buyers looking elsewhere for beef.

 Westpac CEO Anthony Miller visiting a sheep and cotton farming customer in Moree, northern NSW, in April. 

Westpac boss bets on farms in renewed agriculture push

A visit to the northern NSW town of Moree last month made it clear to Westpac chief executive Anthony Miller he should continue to reopen branches in regional areas.

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The Anchor brand of milk in New Zealand. It is one of the products that could be spun off with the Mainland Group business.

Forrests’ Tattarang backs Bega Cheese bid for $4b Fonterra spin-off

The billionaire family’s investment vehicle says it supported the ASX-listed dairy company’s growth ambitions and interest in the NZ-based business.

April

Fonterra is one of the world’s largest dairy co-operatives and wants to spin off its consumer products division.

Fonterra warns uncertainty over Bega brand ‘could kill’ $4b spin-off

The New Zealand co-operative has failed in its push to have the divestment of its consumer products division declared not to be a change of control transaction.

Fonterra is the dairy giant behind Western Star butter and Mainland cheese.

Fonterra’s $4b Mainland spin-off leaves Bega with a sour taste

The New Zealand farmers co-operative has high hopes for its consumer business auction. But a legal stoush has made it hard for an obvious suitor.

Top Shelf director Adem Karafili has presided over a 98 per cent decline in the company’s share price since listing.

Bids fly for Top Shelf International assets

Street Talk understands Longreach Credit Investors has fielded a $20 million bid for a collection of Top Shelf’s assets.

March

ProTen is among Australia’s top chicken producers.

Canadian suitor clucks at Aware’s $1b-plus chicken producer, ProTen

ProTen is being courted by Canada’s Northleaf, US private equity giant KKR and Sydney’s Roc Partners.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/soft-commodities-huh