Helping to develop valuable skills, creating strong and healthy minds and bodies, and teaching valuable lessons about patience, dedication and responsibility, time in the garden is great for children of all ages.

Australia is calling for increased education about cotton in schools, after a student survey revealed more could be done to inform young people about Australian agricultural production.

The Food, Fibre and Our Future Report 2020, commissioned by the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia, found students lacked basic knowledge of many agricultural industries, including cotton production.

After years of delays, the NSW state government has approved the expansion of the controversial Narrabri gas project, despite opposition from many in the local community. 

The project, which was opposed by the vast majority of submissions during the consultation process, could involve up to 850 new coal seam gas wells being drilled on 1,000 hectares of a 95,000 hectare site covering the Pilliga forest and nearby farm land.

If you've never seen a gas drilling site up close, they're not pretty. 

Towers being raised across the countryside, orange flames from gas flares, glaring floodlights, constant noise from the grind of the drill - and that's not even touching on the potential for land and water pollution from fugitive emissions during the drilling process.

It has been an encouraging start to the season across much of New South Wales, with most areas receiving reasonable falls, but across Queensland the majority of growers are still anxiously waiting for rain to assure emerging crops or commence planting.

So if you are back in the office after planting or you’re waiting to start in the paddock you might have time to tune into the GRDC 2020 Farm Business Updates, which will be delivered online from June 22-26.

In a forced break from tradition, the annual Updates will be beamed directly into the homes and offices of growers and advisers, ensuring they have access to expert advice and insights to guide their business through this year and beyond.