In a recent report examining the role of China in global commodity markets published by the Australian Treasury, the authors concluded that China's impact on global agricultural commodity markets has been 'more modest' than its impact on global energy and metals markets. Yet a recent USA Farm Foundation report identified China as one of the two key factors (the other was biofuels) driving global agricultural prices to their current high levels. Has the Australian Treasury report misunderstood the role China now plays in agricultural markets? View the rest of the post here

The latest announcement by the State Grain Authority of Egypt (the worlds largest wheat buyer) of the results of its most recent grain tender are a very harsh reminder of the need for Australian grain supply chains to be acutely efficient if Australian grain is to remain competitive in global markets. View the rest of the post here

Economists are once again predicting the end of the family farm, and suggesting that the future of Australian agriculture belongs firmly with corporate farming. The end of the family farm has been predicted in the past, yet the model prevails. Is there anything different this time? View the rest of the post here

Much has been made about the dominance of the Coles-Woolworths duopoly, their possible anti-competitive behaviour towards suppliers and the reluctance of the ACCC to intervene and protect farmers and small businesses. View the rest of the post here

The report into foreign investment in Australian agriculture that the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation commissioned ABARES to carry out for the Australian Government that was released this morning contained very little in the way of new information, has been subject to some serious 'spinning' by the government, and reveals more about a determination to avoid any additional government agency costs than it does about foreign investment. View the rest of the post here

The start of a calendar year is always a good time to take stock of the prospects for the coming year, and based on forecasts and data it seems there is less certainty and bullishness about agricultural commodity prices in the year ahead than there was twelve months ago. View the rest of the post here

A drive through the Riverina and South-West slopes at the moment is an incredibly uplifting experience, with crops looking great, prime livestock everywhere, and drivers almost needing welding goggles to protect eyes from the glare of Canola crops. On top of the season, price outlook is also pretty good. Perhaps 2011 will see a repeat of the boom returns of 2001? View the rest of the post here

The ABS has released the results of a survey conducted to discover the extent of foreign ownership of farm land and agricultural businesses in Australia. While the data is a useful start, it really highlights the inadequacies of ABS data collection for agriculture in Australia. View the rest of the post here

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released the results of it's inquiry into milk pricing, concluding that there is no evidence that Coles has acted in breach of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA). Exactly what the 'evidence' is that the ACCC relied on to reach this conclusion remains a mystery, however, because none of it will be released, in what is yet another case of government agencies making decisions based on data that is not available to the public. View the rest of the post here

Yesterday, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) released a 10 pages research report, aimed at placing a value on the benefits to the community of having a healthy Murray Darling Basin river system. The report was quickly summarised by the media : ‘Healthy Murray-Darling 'worth $10 billion'.  View the rest of the post here