Fiona Breen

With the ABC's Country Hour celebrating eight decades on air, a 91-year-old Tasmanian farmer and his successor reflect on why they've been tuning in most days.

A bale of super fine Tasmanian wool has sold for top dollar at the Melbourne markets.

The English Leicester makes no sense or cents on the farm's profit and loss sheet, but some farmers are passionate about the breed and its long, lustrous fleece.

John Kelly says the options for Rheban Farm on Tasmania's east coast "are incredible". His purchase of the property comes at a time when Tasmanians are leading rural investment, but interest in farms from interstate buyers is increasing. 

Chinese-farmed abalone is flooding the Chinese market, and it is bad news for the Tasmanian industry as its premium product gets crowded out of a lucrative market. 

So dry in the south of the country , wet in NSW, and weather all over the place

Dahlias to the fore at this northern Tasmania flower farm

Today we're diving into the wonderful world of garlic growing,  a topic that sparks the interest of many hobby gardeners.

Battling cancer in the bush can be isolating, but a handful of rural women have connected online and in person to support each other through their health scares.

A ban on the importation of queen bees from interstate means that more and more Tasmanian beekeepers will use artificial insemination in their apiaries.

A mystery illness has wiped out millions of dollars of Pacific oysters from one of Tasmania's largest oyster-growing areas, leading to veteran growers leaving the industry.

Tasmanian cherries are being sold online in hyped buying markets not unlike TV infomercials.

Sending barrels on boats, foraging salty peat, and smoking the grain with sheep dung are just some of the lengths Tassie distillers will go to to make themselves stand out.

Sam Elsom's company is farming the red seaweed and ramping up supply to the industry, but he says the federal government could do more to encourage farmers to adopt the seaweed additive.

Thor's hammer, the tomahawk, picanha and flat iron are some of the trending meat cuts fuelling the evolution of butchery.

Choosing to walk away was the hardest decision, but for these farming couples, there's a new life beyond the family property.

The Island State's industry is hoping this year's bumper season in the vineyard might help them fill unmet demand for Tassie's wines.

More chardonnay grapes were crushed across Australia in the past year than any other variety, pushing the country's white grape crush ahead of red for the first time in a decade.

Drought threatens the future of food and wine production in Tasmania's south-east as a major new water project is knocked back.

A Tasmanian dairy farmer says while the pay cut was expected, it has put pressure on her to scan the ledger for savings.

A deadly strain of avian influenza wreaking havoc in Victoria is yet to make its way to Tasmania, keeping the state bird flu free. But Biosecurity Tasmania warns it won't stay this way forever, and is urging the state's agricultural industry to be extra vigilant.

King Island farmers urgently need feed for their livestock, but 500 tonnes of donated hay sits at Swan Hill in Victoria with a tussle over which port it will be freighted out of. 

It's been the driest February and March on record for King Island and parts of south-east Tasmania. Some areas have received welcome April rain, but farmers elsewhere are struggling.

A mystery illness is wiping out millions of Pacific oysters south-east of Hobart, and commercial growers don't know what's causing it.

Tasmania's only hemp stalk processing factory is producing "hempcrete" — an uncommon, but highly sustainable building product. The industry says regulation is blocking access to a multi-billion-dollar market.