This transition marks a natural progression for the industry, with FGV already representing growers across the apple, pear, and stone fruit sectors.
The inclusion of cherries under the FGV umbrella will strengthen the collective voice of Victorian fruit growers and ensure ongoing advocacy, technical support, and industry development.
“We’re delighted to welcome all Victorian cherry growers to Fruit Growers Victoria. This is a natural transition, as FGV already represents apples, pears, and stone fruit,” FGV chairman Mitchell McNab said.
“We look forward to working closely with Cherry Growers Australia and with Victorian cherry producers to continue supporting and promoting our industry into the future.”
NFF heads to Asia
The National Farmers’ Federation has joined industry colleagues and Federal Government officials on a week-long mission to strengthen ties with key South-East Asian partners.
NFF interim chief executive Su McCluskey said the bilateral relationships with Indonesia and Brunei continued to strengthen.
However, Ms McCluskey said while these issues were important, ultimately, it’s the people-to-people connections that truly underpin the goodwill between our nations.
Recent examples include AgForce and Cattle Australia hosting the Indonesian Ambassador on cattle properties in western Queensland, and the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association continuing its long-running program for Indonesian students to experience the Australian pastoral industry.
MDBA meets in Canberra
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority met on November 6 and 7 in Canberra on the Lands of the Ngunnawal people, with all members present.
The authority granted an extension request from the ACT to have until December 31, 2026 to complete their Long-Term Watering Plan to allow for meaningful consultation with scientific experts, community members and First Nations.
The authority met with the Basin Officials Committee and their alternates to discuss current work programs and relevant activities, with a focus on the Basin Plan Review Discussion paper.
The authority also endorsed the Sustainable Yields and 2025 Murray-Darling Basin Outlook final reports for publication in late November.
Members noted that dry conditions continued for the Murray River, and although basin storage has risen in early spring, it remained slightly below the long-term average for this time of year.
Mental health highlighted
A new Federation University study has revealed farmers and communities are buckling under the mental health strain posed by energy and mining developments in the Wimmera and Southern Mallee regions.
The study was conducted between February and June 2025 and focused on 17 farmers and found:
- Mental health impacts are real
- Rural solidarity is under strain
- Farmers are losing their identity and role
- Family connection to the land is strong
- Farmers are proud stewards of the environment
VFF president Brett Hosking said the findings were a stark reminder of the hidden challenges farmers faced in the face of accelerating land use conflicts.
2026 fertiliser demand
Global fertiliser markets are entering a new phase of contraction, as rising prices begin to weigh on demand, agribusiness specialist Rabobank says in new research.
In its recently released Semi-annual Fertiliser Outlook, the bank’s RaboResearch division said affordability of agricultural fertiliser globally — as reflected in Rabo’s Fertiliser Affordability Index — was clearly beginning to decline.
With agricultural commodity prices having largely remained stable since the start of the year, this decline in affordability is primarily due to an increase in global fertiliser prices, the report said.
While some regions of the world continue to show resilience when it comes to fertiliser demand, the broader trend points to weakening demand in 2025, and a more pronounced downturn in 2026.
Commodity update
Australian cattle exports reached the second-highest monthly volume on record, the third-largest winter grain crop is waiting in the wings.
There’s good news for consumers in the run-up to Christmas, with prices for high-quality fruit and vegetables expected to ease in time for the festive season.
“Australian beef exports continue to increase in leaps and bounds with ongoing high export demand seeing many processing centres keen to lock in supply well in advance to ensure they can meet international requirements,” Bendigo Bank Agribusiness senior insights analyst Sean Hickey said.
“On the grains front, we have lifted Australia’s 2025-26 winter crop production estimate by 1.2 per cent to 61.8Mmt, making this year the third-largest winter crop on record, with a record national barley crop now all but assured.
“On the price front, things are a little less certain.
“With headers set to ramp up, a sharp lift in grain availability could test recent price support once grower selling gathers pace.”
