Eliza Spencer

That's what I'm hoping to understand! It's some spots bordering state forests so I'm not sure whether this would be a feral/wild dog that's gotten out, or dingoes that are settling back into safe harbour in Central West NSW - any chance you'd know folks to speak to about it? 🙏🏼

Pinging @euanritchie.bsky.social and the #AgSky / Dingo researchers. Does anyone know any researchers who specialise in the spread of dingoes/wild dogs in Central West NSW?

Speaking to some farmers about new populations popping up 👀

Faith, fleece and a 40pc cull rate: Golspie woolgrowers rise to the challenge How one family farm has pushed the limits of Merino genetics.

In the time it took for me to get back to Golspie, Amy Croker grew a whole human being! Lil' George was a very helpful model, for one of my favourite stories to write this year on why there are no atheists in foxholes... or farming.

Read more 👉 www.theland.com.au/story/9121673

#AusAg #AgSky

There's also a block between Forbes and Parkes at Trundle which if I had kids, would genuinely consider! It's across from the K-12 school, near the local pool, 37min from Parkes, 45min from Forbes, not a bad trade off to get a block of land for $60k 👀

Ten budget bush blocks under $75,000 where you can build your dream home Agents say the Aussie dream isn't out of reach for savvy buyers.

🏘️'Tis the season for bush block stories 🎶

The annual bargain block list has arrived, with some genuinely decent spots on the market this year. Sadly, I did have to push the list up from $50k to $75k because, well, house prices 🤷‍♀️

www.theland.com.au/story/9126546/

#AusAg #AgSky #Housing

Actually cried listening to Millie Bernasconi with her national radio pkg on The Country Hour's 80th birthday, we are so lucky to have so many wonderful rural journos and even more folks in ag willing to share their stories. 🧡 HBD COUNTRY HOUR 🎉

Rescue dog Max tilts his head to grab a treat out of Eliza's hand. He has brown eyes and is sitting next to a kennel which has the words M A X hammered in.

Everybody say GOOD BOY MAXI because today Max not only didn't react to off leash dogs chasing him but he even cuddled with new people at the dog park.

Old dogs can learn new tricks 🥹

One of those 'you know you've made it in journalism when...' moments but the extra spicy version. wild!!

Charlie and Richard Buckmaster, Roseville, Mullion (near Yass), smile for the camera with their crossbred lambs while to the bottom left, a big shadow showing Eliza's arms stretching is spotted in the shot.

BIIIIIG stretch spotted in a pic from the cutting room floor today.
📍Roseville, Mullion, Yass XB circuit sale

#AusAg #AgSky

Eliza is holding a copy of The Land newspaper which reads "Eliza young Journalist winner"

We all know that when a story's made the paper, it's finally real! 🗞️

This week's edition is a little special, a chance to share the very exciting news that I've been awarded the National Rural Press Club's Young Journalist of the Year for 2025. 🎊

While no one was watching: Tenuous status of CDC prion unit, risk of CWD to people worry scientists

The way 2025 is going, we're going to end up with an outbreak of kuru like in that X-Files episode.
"While no one was watching: Tenuous status of CDC prion unit, risk of CWD to people worry scientists"
www.cidrap.umn.edu/chronic-wast...

New direction: Gurmesh Singh elected as NSW Nationals Leader in historic vote The Coffs Harbour MP was elected unopposed in a snap election.

The NSW Nationals have made history this morning, electing Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh as their new leader in a unanimous vote.

👇

www.theland.com.au/story/9113875/

Nationals MPs make room for 'more energy' after shock resignation in Parliament Federal and state Nats respond to Dugald Saunders' resignation.

Nats colleagues have responded to the sudden departure, in what one pollie described as one of the toughest jobs in the NSW Parliament.

www.theland.com.au/story/9113205/

Dugald Saunders quits as NSW Nationals Leader in shock resignation The Dubbo MP said now was the 'right time' for new leadership.

#BREAKING - Dugald Saunders has quit as NSW Nationals Leader, after promising to modernise the party of the bush back in 2023.

Full coverage coming later today 👇

www.theland.com.au/story/9113205

But unfortunately, it is a pretty isolated media landscape out here sometimes. The hyperlocal papers are working their hardest usually with a single journo putting it together in some of the smaller outfits (like back home in Cowra) - it's hard to compete with a facebook feed sometimes.

I'd say no.1 is social media (for good and for ill), lots of YouTube for Young Aggies, followed by those industry-specific publications like The Land - our audience is pretty mighty, someone described it as 'their bible' at the saleyards two weeks ago 😆

PS. If you're in regional NSW and don't mind Dr Ian Wright and his team stopping by for a visit to sample your tanks, get in touch! I can pass your details on.

Heavy metals 100 times higher than safe levels found in water tank sediment High lead levels were found in 90pc of water tanks sampled in NSW.

You know that gross sludge on the bottom of the water tank that makes your clothes smell whenever it rains? Just me?

That sediment has been tested and uncovered alarmingly high levels of heavy metals in rainwater harvest drinking water tanks.

www.theland.com.au/story/9111151/

#AgSky

Chefs kiss, love a cracking front page 🤌🤌🤌🤌

Minister calls 'bunkum' on Nats roads policies, slams brakes on speed reduction Speed limit cuts are officially off the table on unmarked NSW roads.

NSW Labor has come out swinging against feds on both sides of the aisle as the fight of speed limits on country roads continues.

www.theland.com.au/story/9111769

Big roads story and my first (lofi) piece to camera coming up in 10min pls be hyped

Some 200c/kg marvels at Braidwood today - not quite your usual prime sale offering but very sweet all the same.

I would've LOVED to have a local urgent clinic to pop into sheepishly and mention that my finger hurt at the bone, was on a slightly weird angle, and I had resorted to strapping it to another finger. But between moving house and the busy work season, there wasn't time for a 3hr round trip.

In all the numbness of the anaesthetic, I didn't realise my finger had bent the wrong way.

Three months later, it still is on a slightly wonky angle and it hurts to write sometimes, but I didn't end up going back to ED because it seemed like a 'minor' fracture, the bone hurt, but I could work.

Now Orange has an Urgent Care Clinic, but at this point it was too painful to drive much, and I didn't want to be yet another patient taking up space, so I forked out $80 to join the queue at the mixed billing practice in Cowra. Four doses of local anaesthetic later, the splinter was still there.

The receptionist at Katoomba suggested popping into Lithgow ED to see if they could help, espescially since I needed a Tetanus shot. Lithgow ED was chockers, so we kept driving back to Cowra and I slept with my hand slowly feeling like it was burning.

Three months ago I managed to catch a nasty splinter most of the way down my left middle finger. Downside, I'm left-handed and I was 3hrs from home (at Katoomba.)

There was no GP available at Katoomba, Lithgow, or Orange and it was getting late, my finger was swollen and it hurt to drive..

PS. If you're a city journo and you ever need some switched-on 'young' farmers to talk to, my DMs are open! 📩
Really happy to connect you with these folks who are passionate about agriculture, woolgrowing, cropping, and generally bringing goods to your shelves.

#AusAg

'What do they expect us to do, not feed the world?': young farmers on net zero Seven farmers under forty respond to the Nationals policy change.

The Nats have officially scrapped net zero as of Sunday, so I figured, why not call seven farmers under 40 to ask them what they think about the policy shift?

Their considered and interesting answers below 👇

www.theland.com.au/story/9105049/

#AgSky #AusAg

My son was stillborn in 2020. By allowing working parents time to grieve, Baby Priya’s bill will change lives | Gemma Killen I can hardly imagine how hard it would have been to return to a workplace that had declared that I was not a parent – and that my baby didn’t really count This week I became somewhat of a vigilante keyboard warrior, trawling posts about the passing of baby Priya’s bill to correct every commenter that wilfully misunderstood the bill or used it as an excuse to pick a fight about women’s rights. No, the bill will not put small business owners out of business by forcing them to offer unlimited paid leave. No, the bill won’t mean women’s employment numbers go down. And very importantly, no, the bill does not incentivise late-term terminations. The Australian federal parliament passed baby Priya’s bill – an amendment to the Fair Work Act – to ensure employers cannot cancel paid parental leave in the event of stillbirth or because a baby dies after birth. The change brings employer paid parental leave in line with government-funded parental leave and unpaid parental leave. Continue reading...

My son was stillborn in 2020. By allowing working parents time to grieve, Baby Priya’s bill will change lives | Gemma Killen