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Agriculture Northern Territory is the lead Northern Territory Government channel for agricultural information, scientific research, best practice biosecurity practices and alerts, compliance updates and important animal welfare information.

๐ŸŒฑ Darwin takes centre stage for Australian agronomy What a week for agriculture in the Northern Territory!Darwin has hos...
27/08/2026

๐ŸŒฑ Darwin takes centre stage for Australian agronomy

What a week for agriculture in the Northern Territory!

Darwin has hosted the 2026 Agronomy Australia Conference, bringing hundreds of agronomists, researchers, growers, advisers and industry professionals together from Australia, New Zealand, United States, Timor-Leste, China and India!

Held under the theme โ€˜Agronomy for a Diverse Futureโ€™, the conference has put the spotlight on the opportunities, challenges and innovations shaping the future of agriculture.

And for the NT, itโ€™s been a fantastic opportunity to showcase our unique agricultural systems, research capability and the work being done to grow a sustainable and productive agricultural sector.

The conference will be heading into the field tomorrow, with delegates visiting agricultural enterprises and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries research farms across the Top End.

๐ŸŒพ From research to paddock, the NT is showcasing agriculture in Australiaโ€™s Northern Territroy.

Some people think ants are just a nuisance at your BBQ, but one small ant has the potential to change life across the No...
26/08/2026

Some people think ants are just a nuisance at your BBQ, but one small ant has the potential to change life across the Northern Territory. ๐Ÿœ

This ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค we're shining a spotlight on the people working behind the scenes to keep invasive pests out of the Northern Territory.

Dr Stan Bellgard is the Deputy Chief Plant Health Officer with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. For Stan, biosecurity is about protecting the Territory's environment, industries and the outdoor lifestyle that Territorians value.

One of the biggest biosecurity threats he is helping prepare for is the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA). RIFA are not present in the Northern Territory, but large infestations occur in south-east Queensland and are being fought through a nationally coordinated eradication program.

Dr Bellgard said โ€œRIFA infest grassy areas like yards and parks and are extremely aggressive. If disturbed, ants swarm onto nearby people and animals, stinging repeatedlyโ€. Stings are painful โ€œlike fireโ€ and erupt into severe blistering.

Fire ants don't spread long distances on their own. Instead, they hitchhike. ๐Ÿš™ ๐Ÿšœ ๐Ÿšš

They can be accidentally moved in soil, mulch, hay, machinery, potted plants and other materials transported by people.

Dr Bellgard has spent decades working in plant health and biosecurity across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. His career has taken him from plant pathology and forest health to strategic biosecurity planning, working alongside industry, researchers and First Nations communities. ๐Ÿชด

For Stan, the goal is clear: protecting the industries, landscapes and communities that make the Northern Territory unique โ€œsustaining productivity through protectionโ€.

Protecting the Territory relies on everyone doing their part, whether that's checking equipment before moving it interstate, understanding movement restrictions, or reporting unusual pests when they are found.

Our way of life is worth protecting. RIFA identification requires a specialist identifier, so itโ€™s important to report any suspicious ants. Donโ€™t risk getting stung by trying to collect specimens yourself. ๐Ÿœ

If you suspect Red Imported Fire Ants in the Northern Territory, call the exotic plant pest hotline on 1800 084 881.

The last fortnight has been one of the busiest periods for the Next Generation W**d Management team! ๐ŸŒฑWe recently welcom...
25/08/2026

The last fortnight has been one of the busiest periods for the Next Generation W**d Management team! ๐ŸŒฑ

We recently welcomed a visiting technician from the USA, who spent a week with our team providing valuable assistance to set up our latest pot trial.

As part of the trial, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries project team has established 80 microcosms with different treatments to assess the efficacy of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD).

This exciting research will help us understand whether ASD could provide an effective, non-chemical w**d management option for vegetable and melon growers in the Northern Territory.

Establishing a trial of this scale was a significant undertaking, and its successful setup was made possible through the hard work and collaboration of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries team and our project partners.

We look forward to seeing the results and delivering insights that can benefit the NT horticulture industry. ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ‰

The 2026 Agronomy Australia Conference is underway in Darwin! Under the theme โ€œAgronomy for a Diverse Future,โ€ the confe...
24/08/2026

The 2026 Agronomy Australia Conference is underway in Darwin!

Under the theme โ€œAgronomy for a Diverse Future,โ€ the conference brings together researchers, agronomists, producers and industry representatives from across Australia to share knowledge, explore innovation and discuss the future of agriculture.

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is proud to be part of the program.

๐ŸŒฑ Monday 24
โ–ช๏ธWelcome Reception, NT Parliament House
๐ŸŒฑ Tuesday 25
โ–ช๏ธSession 1.2 - Horticulture
โ–ช๏ธโ€˜Industrial H**p Pests in the Northern Territory Contextโ€™
โ–ช๏ธโ€˜Unlocking the Potential of Industrial H**p in Northern Australian Farming Systems: A High-Value, Low-Input Fibre and Grain Cropโ€™
๐ŸŒฑ Wednesday 26
โ–ช๏ธโ€˜Value Chain Economics for Leucaena in the Northern Territoryโ€™
โ–ช๏ธโ€˜Application and Management of Major Nutrients in Northern Territory Grown Cottonโ€™
โ–ช๏ธโ€˜Impact of Different Row Spacing on Cotton Yield in The Northern Territory of Australiaโ€™

Delegates will also visit the Departmentโ€™s Coastal Plains and Douglas Daly Research Farms, seeing firsthand the cropping and horticultural research helping shape farming systems for the Territoryโ€™s tropical and semi-arid environments.

๐ŸŒฟ Connect with our team at our sessions and exhibition booth to learn more about the opportunities, challenges and innovation driving agriculture in northern Australia.

**p

Darwin is set to welcome the 2026 Agronomy Australia Conference from 24โ€“28 August!Under the theme โ€œAgronomy for a Divers...
23/08/2026

Darwin is set to welcome the 2026 Agronomy Australia Conference from 24โ€“28 August!

Under the theme โ€œAgronomy for a Diverse Future,โ€ the conference will bring together researchers, agronomists, industry representatives and policymakers to explore diversity across crops, farming systems, landscapes, technologies and agricultural knowledge.

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is proud to support this national event. Our Cropping Team will present research on:
๐ŸŒฑ Nutrient management and row spacing in NT-grown cotton
๐ŸŒฟ Industrial h**p production and pest management
๐Ÿ„ Value-chain economics for leucaena in the NT

Delegates will also visit the Departmentโ€™s Douglas Daly and Coastal Plains Research Farms, where current cropping and horticultural research will be showcased.

Registered attendees can explore the program at https://2026agronomy.eventsairsite.com/program .

Proceedings will be available from Agronomy Australia Proceedings after the conference.

We look forward to welcoming delegates to Darwin and showcasing the innovation, opportunities and challenges shaping agriculture in northern Australia!

**p

๐–๐ž'๐ซ๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค, ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ...
21/08/2026

๐–๐ž'๐ซ๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค, ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ'๐ฌ ๐š๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ.

Introducing Caleb Schwartz, our Livestock Extension Officer who joined the Department earlier this year after completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at the University of Adelaide.

Growing up on a farm was his biggest inspiration to study sciences.

โ€œI think that sort of an upbringing fed a natural curiosity.โ€

Science in livestock extension is all about connecting research to real-world outcomes.๐Ÿ‚

Calebโ€™s role includes working with pastoral producers, collecting research data through pasture monitoring and cattle projects, delivering Rangeland Management Courses, and helping communicate the latest research findings to industry.๐ŸŒฑ

Caleb says, "It's pretty varied! โ€ฆ Our focus is on engaging with industry in productive ways, communicating our research and listening to the needs on the ground to help guide future research priorities."

A highlight of the job is getting to tour around beautiful properties speaking with experienced producer about their challenges, and how new research can help to make production easier.

โ€œThereโ€™s always plenty that we know we donโ€™t knowโ€ฆ and I think research does a lot to help us continue to get more positive results.โ€

For this young scientist, one lesson stands out above the rest: "Science is important because it allows us to be curious."

From monitoring pastures to supporting producers across the Territory, Calebโ€™s work shows how science helps inform decisions on the ground and supports the future of our Territory rangelands. ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐ŸŒพ

โœˆ๏ธ ๐“๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐‡๐Ÿ“ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐…๐ฅ๐ฎAs part of the Northern Territoryโ€™s H5 Bird Flu surv...
21/08/2026

โœˆ๏ธ ๐“๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐‡๐Ÿ“ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐…๐ฅ๐ฎ

As part of the Northern Territoryโ€™s H5 Bird Flu surveillance plan, aerial surveys are underway across remote areas of the Top End coastline and Barkly Tablelands to monitor important shorebird, seabird and waterbird populations.

Between 21 to 26 August, the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (DLPE) is conducting rapid surveys to gather information on bird populations and help detect any unusual mortality events. Follow-up surveys may be carried out over the coming months.

The information collected will help guide future surveillance activities, including targeted ground-based surveys in high-priority locations. DLPE is also working closely with landowners to ensure they are informed about the activity and, where possible, involved in the surveys.

โš ๏ธ If you see multiple sick or dead birds remember: ๐€๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐. ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ซ๐. ๐‘๐ž๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ to the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ“ ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ–

๐Ÿ“Backyard chicken owners โ€“ now is the time to prepare for H5 Bird Flu.If youโ€™ve got chooks in your backyard, thereโ€™s one...
21/08/2026

๐Ÿ“Backyard chicken owners โ€“ now is the time to prepare for H5 Bird Flu.

If youโ€™ve got chooks in your backyard, thereโ€™s one important step you canโ€™t skip: getting a Property Identification Code (PIC).

๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐žโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ž๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐Ÿ‘‡
โœ… Itโ€™s required by law โ€“ If you keep chickens (or any livestock) on your property, you must have a PIC, even for small backyard flocks.
โœ…Itโ€™s free and easy โ€“ Registration is quick and can be done online. No cost, no hassle.
โœ…It protects your birds (and everyone elseโ€™s) โ€“ A PIC helps authorities trace and control disease outbreaks, and contact you quickly if thereโ€™s an animal health emergency.
โœ…Keep it up to date โ€“ Moved house? Changed details? Make sure your PIC info is current.

๐Ÿ’ก๐–๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ:
Biosecurity is a shared responsibility. Registering your flock helps protect your chickens, your neighboursโ€™ birds, and the wider industry.

๐“๐จ ๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ˆ๐‚ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ: nt.gov.au/pic
You can find your lot number here: https://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/land/info/app/planningdetails
Just zoom in and click on your property and your lot number will be displayed.

๐ˆ๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐žโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ! ๐Ÿ”ฌMeet Principal Molecular Scientist Dr Sonu Yadav.Part ...
20/08/2026

๐ˆ๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐žโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ! ๐Ÿ”ฌMeet Principal Molecular Scientist Dr Sonu Yadav.

Part scientist, part detective, part educator, her work uses DNA and genetic tools to identify plant pests and pathogens, protect our industries, and unlock new insights about the natural world. ๐Ÿ”

Sonu's work includes scientific research, laboratory diagnostics, biodiversity monitoring, data analysis and science outreach. A key focus is helping protect our agriculture sector from biosecurity threats.

While many scientists study things they can see, molecular scientists often work with organisms that are microscopic, too tiny to see or identify by sight alone. DNA helps reveal exactly what they are and whether they pose a risk to our industries or environment. ๐Ÿงฌ

One of the most exciting developments for Sonu in this scientific area is the rapid advancement of DNA sequencing technologies that can be used out in the field. Sonu explains:

"Scientists are now able to perform DNA sequencing closer to where events are happening, helping us identify species and better understand ecosystems in real time."

But what does she enjoy most about being a scientist?

"The curiosity and excitement that comes with exploring the unknown. I love asking questions and solving problems."
Beyond the lab, she also shares the wonder of science with future generations through school visits, workshops and hands-on learning experiences. ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ”ฌ

โ€œI think science is everywhere in our everyday lives, often without us even realising it. We use science when we check the weather, take medicine, use the internet, and even when we scroll through Instagram Reels.โ€

The NT DAF Livestock Industries team recently fitted some GPS collars onto heifers as part of a commercial demonstration...
13/08/2026

The NT DAF Livestock Industries team recently fitted some GPS collars onto heifers as part of a commercial demonstration site in the Victoria River District.

The Northern Hub funded trial is looking into the potential weight gains and improved diet quality that augmenting native pastures with introduced legumes may offer โ˜˜๏ธ

To learn more visit: https://futurebeef.com.au/resources/vrdlegumeestablishmentdemonstration/

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