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Soft commodities

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Australian beef sales to the US surged last year.

Why 2025 could be a bumper year for these Australian farmers

The agriculture sector may be in for a stellar 2025 but much still depends on the weather, Trump’s tariffs, and the war in Ukraine.

  • Cecile Lefort

December 2024

Fiona Yue is the CEO of Merino & Co, a Perth-based wool company newly listed on the ASX.

Can a looming trade war revive this niche Australian industry?

Firms such as newly listed Merino & Co are positioning themselves between China and Donald Trump, who threatens to impose tariffs on Chinese products.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier
Farmland with permanent crops like macadamia trees has fallen sharply in value this year.

Orchard and vineyard values down 15pc as livestock farms rally

Farmland planted with permanent crops such as wine grapes and nuts has fallen 15pc on average over the past 12 months, according to a key index.

  • Larry Schlesinger
Coffee prices are at record highs.

Coffee prices hit record as Brazil supply crisis intensifies

A supply crunch in the country has rocked global markets, lifting bean prices to an all-time high which could spell bad news for consumers.

  • Updated
  • Alex Gluyas
Arabica prices jumped more than 30 per cent in November.

The ASX stock set to benefit from coffee prices at 47-year highs

Analysts warns that coffee is about to get even more expensive, forcing consumers to make their brews at home in a boon for appliance makers and their share prices.

  • Updated
  • Alex Gluyas
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The ASX-listed distiller behind Ned whisky puts itself up for sale

Top Shelf has brought in EY as it considers its options; several interested parties are conducting due diligence on all or part of the business.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Wilkatana Station has been bought by renewable energy boss Andrew Doman and his family.

Trophy farms worth $120m change hands in year-end deals bonanza

Among the five properties sold was the 1900-hectare wool aggregation Avington – and its 16,000 Merino sheep – in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges.

  • Updated
  • Larry Schlesinger
Barley farmer Tony York in Tammin, Western Australia.

Australian farmers caught in Trump’s $16b trade war crosshairs

Barley and other farmers face being squeezed out of the market as the incoming president seeks an agriculture deal with China.

  • Jessica Sier

November 2024

A 2022 study of tropical cash crops that included arabica, as well as avocado and cashew, found that the bean was most vulnerable to climate change, with regions suitable for its production shrinking globally primarily due to increased heat.

Why your coffee is about to get even more expensive

Arabica bean prices have already rocketed more than 60 per cent this year, causing Nestlé to warn it will keep raising prices to protect its bottom line.

  • Alex Gluyas
Hort Innovation is trialling the use of microdrones to pollinate plants.

Aussie VC Artesian, horticulture R&D group partner to launch $60m fund

The new fund, dubbed Hort Innovation Venture Fund, will target up to 30 local and international startups for pre-seed or early series A funding.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Australian Agricultural Company first half profit fell by one-third

Consumers lose taste for Australian beef giant’s wagyu

Global competition and a reluctance to buy pricey wagyu has sliced into Australian Agricultural Company’s profit.

  • Mark Wembridge
GrainCorp handled less grain in 2024 than the previous year

GrainCorp profit dries up as weather and competition bite

Chief executive Robert Spurway says that crop variability in Australia and strong overseas production have dented earnings.

  • Mark Wembridge
Victorian dairy farmer Celia Hobbs has never looked back since switching to Fonterra.

Why Fonterra puts its dairy farmers before profit

Fonterra’s relationship with its dairy farmers is paramount to its success, making it a leader in the Established Business to Business category.

  • Larry Schlesinger

October 2024

Crower and Fellwood includes a heritage-listed homestead built in 1865.

SA livestock farm with historic homestead fetches $28m

Ian and Louise Johnson have acquired a slice of South Australian farming history after emerging as the buyers of the Crower and Fellwood grazing aggregation.

  • Larry Schlesinger
Chris Ellison and Tim Roberts were both on the Mineral Resources board when they purchased a big property in New Zealand together.

MinRes sold Chris Ellison farm equipment at steep discount

The company’s managing director and another director, Tim Roberts, bought the machinery for their New Zealand property at a bargain price, documents show.

  • Mark Di Stefano and Neil Chenoweth
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Cobram Estate co-founder Rob McGavin is in the sights of powerful proxy firm CGI Glass Lewis.

Cobram Estate shows AGM season proxy advice can be a slippery slope

Annual shareholder meetings often bring out the nitpickers. A push against the founder and chairman of the ASX-listed olive oil producer is a prime example.

  • Anthony Macdonald
Flock of sheep in WA.

Farmland buyers are back after sales slump

LAWD’s Danny Thomas says confidence is back and everyone is rushing to get deals done by Christmas – after sales volumes hit new lows in the first half of 2024.

  • Larry Schlesinger

Why chocolate bars are about to get pricier before Christmas

The prices of chocolate, sugar and orange juice are on the rise, creating an even bigger inflation headache for the RBA.

  • Cecile Lefort
Ellerston Capital's Ashok Jacob.

Project Crescent: Ellerston taps into WA’s wheat belt with agri bet

The deal terms mean it can force an IPO of the leading John Deere agricultural equipment distributor after three years.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
The ASX scrapped about $800,000 in Namoi Cotton trades on Tuesday after failing to release a document to the market.

ASX cancels trades after fumbling Namoi Cotton takeover bid

The exchange operator was forced to scrap more than $800,000 in trades which were allowed despite a new takeover offer not being put to the market.

  • Joshua Peach

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