Northern Territory Country Hour

Are NT biosecurity officials winning the fight against monosporascus cannonballus? A mango farmer near Darwin says corellas are in "plague proportions" this year.

The NT Road Transport Association has written to the government, outlining concerns about an apparent lack of enforcement when it comes to heavy vehicle restrictions. Rain falling across parts of Central Australia again today.

The NAFI website has received some good news. Emus on the loose in WA destroying crops.

The National Road Transport Association estimates the trucking industry is short 28,000 drivers. How are Red Wagyu's performing in the Red Centre?

Mark Harvey-Sutton reflects on eight years as the chief executive of the Australian Live Exporters Council. Workers at the Darwin Port are planning to strike tonight.

An early Christmas present is on its way for Territory fishos but instead of going under the tree, these gifts are going underwater.

Should Australia play a role in conserving feral animals if they are endangered overseas? An aviation engineer says the northern helicopter industry has a "cowboy" attitude to safety.

Should Territorians be concerned about changes to the NT Water Act? Meet the Australian company growing blue corn.

An Outback helicopter company has had its entire fleet grounded and its air operator's certificate suspended immediately. Vale Bill Passey and Jan Heaslip OAM.

The Territory's largest passionfruit farm is expanding and the new vines are now producing fruit. Have you seen any Texas Longhorns in the NT?

A group of Malaysian government officials and agricultural experts, have been touring the NT's mango industry this week. Meet the Territorian who consumed 10 mangoes in 2 minutes.

The Country Hour got a sneak peek of sea cucumber grown and harvested by Groote's traditional owners.

Old Man Plains field day for 2026, moved into town because of widespread rain. The Country Hour gets a sneak peak at Groote Aqua's sea cucumber boxes.

The NT Farmers Association has become a member of Grain Producers Australia. More details have emerged on why Australia has banned imports of pomelo from Vietnam.

There is strong demand right now for NT buffalo. Indigenous rangers in West Arnhem Land say they've had some success this year reducing feral pig numbers.

The NT's buffalo industry is enjoying strong demand from Indonesia, with regular consignments of animals being shipped out of Darwin Port.

The Country Hour today was broadcast from a mango packing shed.

Heavy rain across parts of Queensland and northern NSW has lifted the cattle market "to a new gear". The Berry Springs Mango Festival returns this weekend.

South32 plans to spend $100 million to pump water from its Groote Eylandt mine. The Wyndham radar has returned. And which cattle station has applied to clear more than 7,300 hectares?

Melon exports from the NT have been increasing. NextDC's share price crashed today. Why?

Beef businesses are making more money from selling land, rather than cattle. The Indonesian government has been dropping dry ice from planes to try and disperse smoke haze from wildfires, but does it actually work?

A bushfire that started last month in the Roper Gulf region is still going, and has now burnt through more than 1 million hectares. The Rare Breeds Trust of Australia is celebrating 25 years of operation.

The NT's sea cucumber fishery has been given an international tick for its sustainability. Humpty Doo Barra produced 162 tonnes of fish in the lead up to National Barramundi Day.

Brazil has overtaken the United States as the world's largest beef producer. What does this mean for Australia's cattle industry?

KGL Resources has made a final investment decision on its Jervois copper project in central Australia. Brazil has overtaken the US as the world's largest beef producer.

KGL Resources says its Jervois copper project is fully funded and ready to be developed.

The NT is forecast to produce about 3.7 million trays of mangoes this year, which is well down on previous seasons.

Another wild storm hit Alice Springs yesterday, bringing down trees, damaging cars, as well as homes and businesses. Hundreds of cattle have been mustered at Kidman Springs using virtual fencing.

The new Tiger Brennan Drive overpass in Darwin has been named the Luke Bowen Bridge. Redundancies are likely at South 32's manganese mine on Groote Eylandt as the cost of production skyrockets.

In honour of one of Australia's finest leaders in agriculture, the Tiger Brennan Drive and Berrimah Road Overpass in Darwin has been officially named the ‘Luke Bowen Bridge'.

First sod turned on $1.6 billion rare earths project in Central Australia. Gary Frost has sold the Dunmarra Roadhouse after 23 years of ownership.

A network fault is impacting all online systems and services within the NT government. Brahman bulls heading to the NT after a successful 49th annual Brahman Week Sale in Rockhampton.

Nationals MP David Littleproud joins the Country Hour to discuss the Coalition's plan to introduce an agriculture visa from 2030. Happy National Banana Day and World Cotton Day.

A new town has been proposed for Dunmarra to service the gas industry in the Beetaloo basin. Cattle Australia has recommended the cattle transaction levy be increased from $5 to $6 per animal sold.

The 49th annual Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale started today. The NT opposition and the Invasive Species Council have called for a federal inquiry into the environmental impact of buffel grass.

How did commercial fishing crews fare in this year's barramundi season? The NT campdraft circuit is finishing up this weekend, with the Tennant Creek draft kicking off on Friday.

An exotic plant pest called Monosporascus cannonballus has been detected in Australia for the first time, on two properties in the NT. It is October 1, the official start of the wet season in northern Australia, how is this season shaping up?

Eight large fires are burning across the NT, including Judbarra/Gregory National Park where a quarter of the area has burned this year. Territory icon Tom Curtain is on tour, but his border collies have stolen the show.

NT mine worker shares how he survived a life threatening medical episode at work in Nhulunbuy. Australia is considering a deal with Uruguay that could increase Australia's beef quota into China.

Rising fuel prices have put a dent in outback tourism businesses, as the end of the dry season approaches. Have you heard of college rodeo? Young Australians are travelling to the USA to compete while they study.

What do backpackers think of the changes to Australia's working holiday visa system? A country butcher is making hundreds of purple sausages in honour of the Fremantle Dockers' second AFL grand final appearance.

The National Farmers Federation has cut a deal with the federal government for faster processing of backpacker visas. Federal Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt joins the Country Hour to discuss the water usage of data centres.

The NT government will build a $22 million flood levee in Katherine's south, to protect the town from "one in 20-year" disasters. Mango growers in the Territory are enduring a difficult period due to high input costs, less-than-ideal growing conditions, and changes to the working holiday visa system.

Members of the Kakadu plum industry have travelled from across the NT to meet with the federal government, as they try to get a planned processing plant in Darwin off the ground.

The Country Hour visits the NT's largest date farm, as work continues to restore the plantation after it was severely damaged in the wet season. An organic farmer near Darwin has decided to prioritise hiring local people for their workforce, rather than relaying on backpackers and the PALM scheme.

NT melon growers are getting super high prices, with seedless watermelons fetching $3/kg. There is a new player in the Top Ends cut flower industry.

Katherine mayor "surprised" by NT government decision to use flood recovery funds on an evacuation centre in Batchelor. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has announced a shake-up of Australia's migration policy

Australia has suspended imports of fresh pomelo from Vietnam because of biosecurity concerns. The Country Hour checks out a new "Pig Receiver" built near Berry Springs.

In just a few months, water from Manton Dam will be flowing into people's homes across the Greater Darwin region.

Working holiday visa slowdown a concern for remote NT roadhouses. Country Hour visits the Battery Hill Information Centre.

The Country Hour takes a tour of the new Strauss Water Treatment Plant in Darwin's rural area. Meet some of the winners from the Alice Springs rodeo.

About 160 staff from Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) have gathered in Daly Waters this week for its annual station challenge.

Tank farm expansion plans near Darwin Port thanks to $55m investment. Happy 90th birthday to the CWA in Tennant Creek.

North Australian SeaCulture a seaweed innovation company from Darwin, has won Croc Pitch 2026. The Country Hour broadcasts from day two of the Nuffield Australia National Conference in Darwin.

The Darwin based company would grow and process seaweed across remote parts of Australia.

The Country Hour broadcasts from the Nuffield Australia National Conference in Darwin.

Consolidated Pastoral Company CEO Troy Setter shares the company's plans for Vermelha Station. Have you heard of buffalo racing?

Australia's bush food industry is concerned some Kakadu plum products being sold online do not actually contain any of the native plant.

Gas from the Beetaloo Basin has started flowing up to Darwin this week to help power Territory homes and businesses.

Top End hunters are getting ready for the waterfowl hunting season, which begins tomorrow against the backdrop of the H5 bird flu outbreaks. An Angus bull called Wyatt has sold at auction for $420,000.

Mango industry concerned about slow-down in working holiday visa approvals. Jemena's managing director David Gillespie speaks to ABC Rural about plans to pipe Beetaloo gas to the eastern states.

Beetaloo gas is heading towards the Channel Island power station. Plans to reopen a major abattoir in northern Australia have been delayed, because of visa issues.

Gas from the Beetaloo Basin has started flowing to Darwin. The NT's mango crop is looking a bit patchy.

A new processing plant is about to be built on Seven Emu Station, as the Shadforth family scale up production of kulbanyi tea. What are NT butchers noticing about chicken sales in 2026?

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has granted an exemption for NT blacklip rock oysters from rules on cadmium levels, opening the door for commercial sales. It's been a bumper year for bush tomatoes in central Australia.

Professor Bell spoke to ABC Rural about the award, the future of agronomy, and how his career started in the Kimberley's Ord Irrigation Scheme in 1979.

The NT Cattlemen's Association says it has serious concerns about a report into the economic impacts of buffel grass. A bush foods company, started by former AFL player Shannon Motlop, is celebrating 10 years in business.

The Country Hour celebrates the life of Dolly Parton. NT Labor wants an independent inquiry into data centres.

Agronomy Australia has awarded Ian Baker the prestigious 2026 Neil Fettell Award at the 22nd Australian Agronomy Conference in Darwin.

A horse called 'Danny' has saved the day at Pine Hill Station, after a worker became lost in a severe storm. Ian Baker has been honoured at the Australian Society of Agronomy's national conference in Darwin.

It was a wet weekend for parts of central Australia. Geoscience Australia has been on the hunt for high grade silica deposits.

Today marks 60 years since Vincent Lingiari led the Wave Hill Station walk-off. Meet a farmer who powers his chainsaw with a V8 car engine.

The Country Hour was broadcast live from the Kidman Springs field day in the Northern Territory.

The Country Hour broadcasts live from the Kidman Springs Field Day, at Victoria River Research Station.

Rural news and events from the Northern Territory and the nation.

The Country Hour visited the Katherine cotton gin this week, where processing of the 2026 crop is underway.

The Country Hour visits the Katherine cotton gin, where processing of the 2026 crop is underway. The federal government say it's slowing down the processing of new working holiday visa applications, and the agriculture sector is not happy.

Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) has been granted four water extraction licences in the NT, totalling 15,568ML per year. The US is going to lift its year-long ban on Mexican cattle imports.

Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) has been granted four water extraction licences in the Northern Territory, totalling 15,568 megalitres per year.

The 59th Borroloola Bushmans Carnival is underway in the Gulf country. Federal, state, and territory water ministers are gathering to discuss proposed new national standards for data centres.

The NT government has formed a "Barramundi Fishery Adjustment Committee". Exploration companies are lining up to find gold in the hills around Pine Creek.

The Chinese-owned company Primary Gold, has today kick-started a $500 million project to build a new gold processing plant and restart the Mount Bundy Gold mine. Tips on how to get more mulla mulla for your cattle and country.

Rockmelons on the Stuart Highway after road train accident. The NT government has today released the new Katherine Water Allocation Plan.

'Mates of the Murranji' travel to Newcastle Waters for special centenary event. Indonesia sovereign fund invests $US2.5 billion in joint venture with JBS.

The Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation says it wants to start its own mining company in north east Arnhem Land. The famous Pussy Cat Bore Campdraft is underway in the Victoria River District.

NT Minister for Water Resources and Environment Joshua Burgoyne joins the NT Country Hour to answer questions from the audience. An independent review of BOM has been launched.

High Court rules in favour of native title holders fighting Singleton Station water licence. Demand is growing for camel meat in the pet food industry.

Zerella Holdings is ready to start harvesting its first crop of Northern Territory potatoes. What are prices like for fresh mangoes in August?

The Country Hour heads to the Darwin Cup and also the famous Harts Range races. Bruce Davey has won a national seafood industry ambassador award.

ABC Rural heads to the 'Duckpond' in Darwin to learn about the tiger prawn season and why so many trawlers are not fishing this year.

Tipperary Station has been busy harvesting cotton this week. The Country Hour visits the Moline Golf Club ahead of its biggest weekend of the year.

A 350 kilometre stretch of the Sandover Highway has been closed for months due to flood damage. The H5 strain of bird flu has been detected in Victoria, and is spreading locally in Australian birds.

The Sandover Highway in the Northern Territory is still closed across hundreds of kilometres due to flood damage earlier this year. Meanwhile Elkedra Station's main access road has only just been opened to handle its first fuel truck of the year.

When the tiger prawn season starts this weekend, it's understood 27 prawn trawlers will be operating in the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) — which will be the smallest fleet in the NPF's history. Does Australia need a food fraud unit?

The Nobles Nob gold mine near Tennant Creek has partnered with traditional owners to do mine rehabilitation work. The Barkly Regional Council wants laws changed, to allow local governments to set mining rates.

The Country Hour broadcasts from the 75th Royal Darwin Show.

It's been a busy week at the Darwin Port for live cattle exports, plus some interesting imports coming in for Exercise Pitch Black. A new national emergency warning system called AusAlert will be tested around the nation on Monday.

The company behind plans to build a hyperscale data centre campus on a remote NT cattle station has spoken to ABC Rural.

The NT government has set aside 185 hectares at Weddell in Darwin's rural area, for a proposed $40 billion data centre and energy generation project. It's International Mango Day and the Country Hour has a special guest in the studio.