November
John Kahlbetzer, from oil rigs to the Rich List, dies
German-born Kahlbetzer worked in the fossil fuel industry after arriving in Australia in his early 20s before his entrepreneurial flair built a vast fortune.
- Updated
- Brad Thompson
July
What Robert Costa thinks of $1.6b takeover offer
The co-founder of Costa Group sees spinning off part of Australia’s biggest horticulture business as a smart option, amid a $1.6 billion private equity approach.
- Brad Thompson
May
Labor offers $215m to end decade-old live export legal stoush
Cattle farmers have been offered the money to end the court battle over Labor’s 2011 temporary ban, well below the industry’s $2 billion demand.
- Ronald Mizen
March
Banker warns super tax may force ‘a hell of a lot’ of farmers to sell
AMP director Mike Hirst, who owns a cattle farm near Geelong, says Labor’s proposal could force farmers who “eke out a living” on the land to sell their properties.
- Gus McCubbing and Hannah Wootton
January
- Explainer
- Rural property
Billionaire cattle barons cash in on booming beef prices
Gina Rinehart and Brett Blundy offloading up to $1 billion worth of property, in a once in a generation change.
- Larry Schlesinger and Ingrid Fuary-Wagner
October 2022
- Opinion
- Agriculture
A farmer lobbyist pushes the panic button
Policymakers should ignore the Victorian Farmers Federation’s warning that Australia could be heading into a famine because of poor planning.
- Aaron Patrick
July 2022
Fish and Impossible Foods make Singapore an unlikely farm powerhouse
The city-state’s $417 billion investment fund has thrown its weight behind agriculture, putting it in a prime place to cope with the worsening global food crisis.
- David Ramli
March 2022
- Opinion
- Opinion
Farms have never been so lucrative – and lobbyists want more subsidies
A compliant rural media helps the National Farners’ Federation, which this week sought funding for a bureaucracy to lobby for itself.
- Aaron Patrick
Farm gate output to hit record $81b in 2022
Almost perfect growing conditions and booming prices will help Australian farmers produce a record $81 billion in produce – $3 billion more than previously expected.
- Ronald Mizen
October 2021
- Opinion
- Climate policy
Privileged farmers seek special treatment in climate deal
The case for a rural slush fund in return for farmers’ support for a net-zero-by-2050 climate target is dubious.
- Aaron Patrick
September 2021
Sheep farm sells $720k over reserve as Sir Michael Hintze lists again
Moonbah in Condobolin attracted bids from across the country as farmers look to expand their businesses amid record prices for beef and other commodities.
- Larry Schlesinger
July 2021
Actons’ run at Croydon Station ends in $80m exit
The 60,000-hectare Croydon Station, which once formed a key piece of the Acton Land & Cattle empire, has been sold to local interests.
- Nick Lenaghan
May 2021
- Exclusive
- Rural property
Farmland sales this year to hit record $5b as yields tighten
Total farmland sales above $5 million reached $4.4 billion in 2020, almost matching what was achieved in 2019 when there was no pandemic.
- Larry Schlesinger
March 2021
Kidder Williams boss beefs up in wagyu
David Williams added another 470 hectares to his rural holding north of Melbourne, which is leased to renowned Wagyu producer David Blackmore.
- Larry Schlesinger
February 2021
Southern Tablelands Alpaca farm finds new owner
Bellwood, in the Southern Tablelands, was run as part of Millpaca, one of the country’s largest alpaca operations. It is expected to return to sheep and cattle grazing.
- Nick Lenaghan
- Analysis
- Agriculture
While cities are shut down, farmers are making hay
Australia’s greatest ever wheat crop has made history, and offers lessons for policymakers grappling with natural crises, such as droughts and the pandemic.
- Updated
- Aaron Patrick
December 2020
Cashed-up farmers help fuel online shopping boom
FedEx has taken on 400 extra staff to cope with record demand for home deliveries, including from farmers and rural communities flush with cash.
- Jenny Wiggins
November 2020
Farmers buy back Riverina holding from US fund
All seven properties in the Southern Riverina aggregation offered by TIAA's fund manager Westchester were acquired by local farming families.
- Larry Schlesinger
- Exclusive
- Rural property
Rich Lister Tony Haggarty offloads $26m of prime grazing country
Tony Haggarty sold some of his rural investments in northern NSW while adding to his Goonoo Goonoo Station near Tamworth.
- Larry Schlesinger
September 2020
Billionaire lists bolthole in landmark Sydney building for $6.5m
Pastoralist John Kahlbetzer, widely billed as one of the world’s largest landowners, is selling his two-storey apartment in Elizabeth Bay's Deepdene tower.
- Lucy Macken
