Our Journalists

Nicola Bell is the business editor for The Weekly Times. She has more than 10 years’ experience as an agribusiness and agriculture journalist and has worked at The Weekly Times since 2012. Nicola was also the co-host of The Ag Show, which aired on Sky News Business in 2018. She has experience covering many agribusiness issues including droughts, floods, commodity prices, water reform, politics, trade and livestock.

@NicolaBell_

Nicola Bell

Latest

Agribusiness

Rob and Kirsty Starling with children Annie and Jack, of Maroona Pastoral at Kingston SE, South Australia.

Yearly lamb sale a ‘massive driver of business’ at Maroona Station

Purchasing four properties in the space of a decade and continuing to sell their lambs at their on-property sale, are measures of the Starling family’s success.

UpdatedLivestock

Major buyer from Bathurst at the Wangaratta weaner sale.

Cattle indicators: Closing in on 700c/kg

The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator has continued rising, up 54c/kg for the month. See the latest figures.

UpdatedLivestock

LIVESTOCK: Bendigo Sheep and Lamb SaleBendigo Sheep and Lamb SalePICTURED: Generic Bendigo Sheep and Lamb SalePICTURE: ZOE PHILLIPS

Trade lamb prices rise higher

The National Trade Lamb Indicator is up almost 100c/kg for the month. See our rolling coverage of regional selling centres.

Agribusiness

Who’s behind some of Australia’s best tasting food?

From milk, to steak, to chocolate, lamb and butter. We find out from the people behind some of Australia’s best tasting food what it takes to produce it.

Livestock

FOCUS: McIntosh FarmFOCUS: McIntosh Farm Wiltipoll Neva Courts and her partner Matt run a grass fed ethical prime lamb operation in South Gippsland. Boxed meat products are sold direct to consumers. PICTURED: Generic farm. Wiltipoll sheep. Wiltipolls. Meat sheep. Shedding sheep. Stock photo.Picture: Zoe Phillips

Breakthrough in measuring lamb IMF

Being able to easily measure intramuscular fat in lambs is now a step closer, after a new device was recently accredited.

Agribusiness

DAIRY: Stuart and Belinda Griffin at WestburyPICTURED: Stuart and Belinda Griffin on farm at WestburyPicture: Zoe Phillips

Maintaining profitability the key for this Gippsland dairy family

Dairy farmers Stuart and Belinda Griffin aren’t afraid to make changes on farm, and as a result have improved their milk production by 13 per cent.

Livestock

Lamb marking technique needs ‘revisit’

Short docked tails and different mulesing styles have been flagged as an issue at major sheep sales this spring, with different industry voices agreeing it needs to be addressed.

Livestock

NEWS: Ben Duxson at KanyaVNI West are set to carve up Bens land within close proximity to his shearing shed and house .PICTURED: Generic Farm. Sheep. Wool. Shearing shed. Stock Photo.Picture: Zoe Phillips

Australian sheep flocks have a fertility problem

The average sheep pregnancy scanning rate is much lower than anticipated, a study with “surprising” results has found.

News

AGRICULTURAL - Farmer Mark Schilling on his property. Story is about the growth in Agricultural jobs. Picture Sarah Reed

APVMA racing through chemical reviews

Australia’s chemical regulator has ticked off a number of longstanding chemical reviews, including a controversial herbicide and pesticide.

Cropping

‘You can see the season is starting to close in’

Harvest could be weeks early at the Lewis family’s farm at Werneth, as the season starts to ‘close in’.

Original URL: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/journalists/nicola-bell