Farmers say nature reserve a ticking time bomb without fire mitigation
By Mark Bennett, Jacqueline Lynch, and Kate Forrester
WA farmer Doug Giles has warned that parts of Lake Magenta Nature Reserve haven't been burned in 25 years, raising fears of a dangerous fire.
#Bushfires #NationalParks #Conservation #RegionalCommunities #MarkBennett #JacquelineLynch # #KateForrester
WA hop growers gear up for harvest as craft beer tastes evolve
By Rachel Boothman and Kate Forrester
Local brewers are experimenting with new flavours, while some farms invest in US-made machinery to modernise and streamline the harvest process.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-15/hop-growers-gear-up-harvest-western-australia/106340116
#CropHarvesting #NurseryandFlowerProduction #RachelBoothman #KateForrester
This pile of 200 blankets tells the story of country WA's only wool mill
By Kate Forrester
Established in 1925, Western Australia's first and only woollen mill transformed raw wool into fabric and blankets, becoming a cornerstone of Albany's industry before closing in 2002.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-13/albany-woollen-mill-in-albany-celebrates-101-years/106322356
#WoolGrowing #RegionalCommunities #History #HumanInterest #KateForrester
WA farmers count cost of strong winds but welcome rain
By Kate Forrester, Joanna Prendergast, Tara de Landgrafft, and Rachel Hagan
The Bureau of Meteorology says a weather system influenced by ex-Tropical Cyclone Mitchell delivered storms to the Great Southern and central Wheatbelt this week.
#Weather #Cyclones #Agriculture #KateForrester #JoannaPrendergast #TaradeLandgrafft # #RachelHagan
'Amazing' WA grain harvest set to break record with 27 million tonnes
By Kate Forrester and Mark Bennett
Western Australia's grain growers are on track to deliver a record harvest this season, breaking the previous 2022 record by almost 2 million tonnes.
'Amazing' WA grain harvest set to break record with 27 million tonnes
By Kate Forrester and Mark Bennett
Western Australia's grain growers are on track to deliver a record harvest this season, breaking the previous 2022 record by almost 2 million tonnes.
Chocolate manufacturers consider alternatives to cocoa bean
By Kate Forrester and Lucy Cooper
Cocoa substitutes are entering the chocolate market as the confectionery industry responds to volatile bean prices and supply.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-21/cocoa-free-chocolate-alternatives-grow-cadbury/106243908
#FoodandBeverageProcessingIndustry #FoodandDrink #Supermarkets #KateForrester #LucyCooper
Rabbit population boom blamed on lack of funding for biological control
By Joanna Prendergast, Kate Forrester, and Rachel Boothman
Landholders across Australia say rabbit numbers in some areas are at levels never seen before.
#Pests #PestsDiseasesandControlMethods #FederalGovernment #GrainGrowing #JoannaPrendergast #KateForrester # #RachelBoothman
Dropping speed limits on unsigned roads 'nonsense', WA senator says
By Andrew Collins, Kate Forrester, and Rosemary Murphy
A Labor senator says it's "stupidity" for the federal government to propose a reduction to the default speed limit for unsigned roads.
#RoadTransportIndustry #RegionalCommunities #Roads #AndrewCollins #KateForrester # #RosemaryMurphy
Hail stones and heavy rain wreak havoc for WA farmers and businesses
By Kate Forrester, Andrew Chounding, and Joanna Prendergast
Severe weather has swept through large parts of the Great Southern and Wheatbelt, causing significant damage to crops during the critical harvest period.
#Storms #WeatherWarnings #Hail #AgriculturalCrops #CropHarvesting #GrainGrowing #KateForrester #AndrewChounding # #JoannaPrendergast
Widow takes prostate cancer fight to federal parliament
By Amelia Searson and Kate Forrester
Liz Heggaton has become an "accidental advocate" for prostate cancer after her husband Craig took his own life while receiving treatment for the disease.
#ProstateCancer #FederalParliament #RuralandRemoteCommunities #MentalHealth #AmeliaSearson #KateForrester
Family of crash survivor who learnt to walk again urges drivers to wear seatbelts
By Kate Forrester and Amelia Searson
After surviving a car crash and a stroke, Laura McKenney was told she may never walk again. Now, she's trekking 50-kilometres to raise money for the service that saved her life.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-22/seatbelt-warning-wa-road-crash-rfds-fundraiser/105915366
#RoadAccidentsandIncidents #EmergencyCare #RegionalCommunities #KateForrester #AmeliaSearson
Lambassador program teaches international chefs about lamb flavours
By Kate Forrester
A delegation of international chefs from 11 countries have landed in Australia to gain a deeper understanding of locally produced Australian lamb.
Close whale and calf encounter renews calls for boats to keep back
By Rhys Jones , Eliza Kavanagh, Peter Barr, and Kate Forrester
The latest close encounter with a protected whale species has renewed calls for the public to give the animals space.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-15/boat-approaches-southern-right-whale-and-calf-wa/105893974
#EndangeredandProtectedSpecies #MarineBiology #RhysJones #ElizaKavanagh #PeterBarr # #KateForrester
Regional teens left lonely as social media goes dark
By Madigan Landry and Kate Forrester
Advocates are concerned rural and remote children will experience compounding challenges with the looming social media ban for people under 16.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-14/regional-teens-left-lonely/105888190
#SocialMedia #DiversityEquityandInclusion #MadiganLandry #KateForrester
Working dog auction with a twist puts sick children at its centre
By Mark Bennett and Kate Forrester
A working dog auction at the Perth Royal Show raises nearly $50,000 for charity Telethon to support sick children.
#Charities #DonationBasedCrowdFunding #Dogs #Animals #ChildrensHealth #Agriculture #MarkBennett #KateForrester
Meet Hayden Eastbury, the 17-year-old visiting every ABC bureau in Australia
By Kate Forrester
Hayden Eastbury lives with fragile X syndrome. He dreams of working for the ABC one day and has made it his mission to visit them all.
#PeopleWithDisability #ABC #DiversityEquityandInclusion #KateForrester
Winemaking music lover to focus on health after blood cancer diagnosis
By Amelia Searson and Kate Forrester
WA vigneron Rob Wignall, who built a legacy of award-winning Great Southern wines and star-studded music festivals, says it is time to move on.
#Viticulture #Agriculture #SmallBusinesses #RegionalCommunities #DiseasesandDisorders #Health #AmeliaSearson #KateForrester
School bus driver fears the worst as untagged cattle roam roads
By Kate Forrester
A Katanning school bus driver and local farmers are calling for urgent action to address a growing danger posed by wandering livestock on rural roads.
#LivestockFarming #LocalGovernment #Laws #Roads #Farmers #RuralandRemoteCommunities #RoadAccidentsandIncidents #KateForrester
Cockchafer worm wreaks havoc WA grain crops
By Kate Forrester
Growers and scientists have teamed up in a bid to combat the rapidly increasing population of the voracious pest, which is devastating crops in WA's south-east.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-21/cockchafer-pest-costing-wa-grain-farmers-thousands/105783068
#PestControl #AgriculturalPestControl #ScientificResearch #AgriculturalandFarmingPractice #KateForrester
