Cara Jeffery
Wagga Wagga, NSW
Cara Jeffery is the Rural Reporter for ABC Riverina. Cara has more than 10 years' experience covering rural and regional affairs at a local and national level. Cara is based at Wagga Wagga, where she has also worked as a print and online journalist for agricultural mastheads, prior to joining the ABC.
Latest by Cara Jeffery
Australia's junior rodeo champions dream of big bucks and buckles in the United States
Teenage cowboys and cowgirls are working hard to achieve their goals of competing on the bigger US rodeo circuit.
Water woes from prolonged buyback talks tempts top grower to cash in and head to the coast
Farmers who fed 22 million people from their one rice crop are unsure they will stick with industry that's plagued with water woes.
Australian goat meat exports to China surge by 4,000 per cent in a year
Meat and Livestock Australia says the number of goats slaughtered in Australia has risen by almost 50 per cent since 2022 as China's appetite for the product continues to grow.
Farmers splash cash on new headers, but park tractors on their wish list for now
Farmers restock their sheds with headers this year, while many park plans for a new tractor — a big change from last year when farmers splashed a record spend on new tractors.
China hungry for cheap Australian goat meat, but oversupply leaves sour taste for farmers
China is stocking up on Australian goat meat, which is now selling for less than $3 a kilogram — down from $9 a year ago. But that's not all farmers are frustrated about.
Lochie is helping solve Australia's shearer shortage with staff from all walks of life
While most 26-year-old shearers are keen to clock up big tallies on the board each day, Lochie Robertson is taking a broader approach to the job.
Wool dumped in landfill as cost of living drives demand and price down
The luxury fibre has fallen out of favour amid a global slowdown, with some producers choosing to dump lower-grade fleece instead of paying to store it.
Sick of having lamb prices dictated to him by supermarkets, this farmer went direct to the customer
Farmer Colin Harper was fed up with being a price taker — and not a price maker — when it came to selling his lambs. To solve the problem, the Riverina farmer decided to step away from the saleyards.
Farmer wants a worker but potential partners need not apply
A husband-and-wife farming team from southern New South Wales are using social media and their sense of humour in their quest to find a worker.
Cattle prices take a dive, and the meat price for shoppers is finally starting to fall
Cattle prices have dropped 40 per cent in the saleyards, and it's slowly being passed onto consumers.
Riverina irrigator fined $156k after more than $1m of water unlawfully taken during drought
Dean Troy Salvestro has been convicted of unlawfully taking $1.1 million worth of water in the NSW Land and Environment Court.
Why farmers hate the new tax on 'unrealised gains' on super funds over $3m
Part of the federal government's changes to rules around superannuation involves a new tax on "unrealised gains", and it has farmers especially worried.
Australians avoid this meat, but export markets are hungry for more as prices fall
For the first time since 2016, mutton prices to producers have dropped below $3 a kilogram, but demand from China and the United States is strong.
Gloomy outlook for Riverina winegrape growers facing soggy vineyards and diseased grapes
Winegrape growers are preparing for a delayed and diluted vintage due to heavy rains and flooding, which has destroyed some crops and left others infected with downy mildew.
Why this student sees untapped potential in feral camels
A stint running camel tours at Uluru during her gap year has changed the way Marieke Hoelscher approaches agriculture.
Corporates out, family farmers in as rural property bucks downturn
New South Wales farmland prices have risen despite an interest rate hike causing pain in the residential market.
Goat meat prices slip $5 a kilogram as supply surges
A western NSW goat musterer has halted operations until he can get a bit more certainty on prices that have plunged more than 60 per cent.
Sheep, cattle prices fall as farmers 'woken up' in run to Christmas
Livestock prices are sliding, prompting some farmers to make the unusual call to pass their cattle in as the market correction from last year's peak hits home.
Cherries are synonymous with Christmas in Australia. But they could be short supply this year
Australian cherry supplies are expected to be tight this Christmas, thanks to wet weather on the east coast delaying and damaging crops — and experts say they could be more expensive too.
Hundreds evacuate as Wagga floods, with residents resigned again to 'a house full of mud'
More than 700 residents of the largest inland city in NSW have spent the night away from their homes as the Murrumbidgee River invades Wagga Wagga for the first time in a decade.
SES to evacuate flood village as sewerage fails, while 500 more homes at risk in Forbes
With 1,000 Forbes residents already inundated, the SES scrambles to alert more residents to impending risk as a river peak looms.
Flooding rains delay planting of summer crops
With more rain on the radar for southern NSW this weekend, frustrated growers are unsure if they will be able to plant their summer crops.
Three for the price of one as twin-bearing ewes sell for new Australian record price
A draft of 26 Australian White commercial ewes that are pregnant with twin lambs sells for a massive $1,210 a head — which is understood to be a new Australian record price for commercial ewes.
Water savings a winner for rice grower of the year
A company best known for its wine production now lays claim to being the best rice grower in the country.
Henty Machinery Field Days cancelled for second year running
The massive agricultural event, which has an estimated value of $92 million, usually attracts about 60,000 people.