Abbey Halter
Mount Isa, QLD
Abbey Halter is the rural reporter for North West Queensland, based in Mount Isa. Before trekking to the outback, she was a reporter for the ABC in Bundaberg and Mackay.
Latest by Abbey Halter
Judged for being a vegetarian on a cattle station, this backpacker says it's changed her view
Cattle producers encourage others to open their gates to urban communities to see how life works on remote properties.
'Digital detox' and a life in the saddle is a dream come true for these backpackers-turned-cowgirls
Working on a cattle station in one of the most remote parts of Australia, these backpackers say outback life is an opportunity that more young Australians should be taking up.
Rats eating car wiring, causing thousands of dollars in damage to landholders in Outback Queensland
Scurrying down highways and chewing through machinery, rats are already running rampant in outback Queensland — and locals say numbers have already soared past last year's infestation.
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Prawn fishermen focusing on quality over quantity in Gulf as suspension of support services hits bottom line
Prawns off Queensland's northern coast will be tasty and fresh in supermarkets this season, but fishermen are still reeling from Sea Swift's mothership suspension, forcing fuel and supply costs to rise.
Has COVID-19 forever changed the Australian beef industry for better or worse?
Despite the sour political ties, beef trade tensions appear to be easing between Australia and China in 2024, as more export restrictions lift for Australian meat abattoirs.
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Seedless mangoes could be around the corner, but are shoppers willing to pay for them?
Demand for seedless fruit is growing and the technology needed to create new varieties is improving rapidly, but some in the industry say "the price point just hasn't been there" to convince farmers to grow them.
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Scientific breakthrough on sugar cane genome maps out green fuel future
Scientists have mapped the genome of sugar cane and the hope is that farmers will be able to grow the versatile crop to make biofuel.
Devastating pasture dieback gallops west costing billions, but there is new hope for worried graziers
There is new hope for graziers despite devastating pasture dieback, which costs graziers billions, spreading west to previously unaffected Queensland cattle country.
Hemp industry's $200 million plan to supercharge production has failed to secure funding. Where to next?
The hemp industry's 10-year vision to expand, study, and promote Australia's hemp production has attracted considerable funding but it has been unsuccessful in the latest round of the national Cooperative Research Centres grants.
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Why shoppers may never learn the whole truth about how supermarkets treat farmers
As a parliamentary committee investigates supermarket prices, farmer groups are begging growers to share their stories. But, fearing potential retribution from retailers, few are speaking out.
Why young couples are ditching the city for 'the middle of nowhere'
There are no traffic lights in this rural Queensland town and with just three stop signs and one main street, it's well off the beaten track. But to these young couples from different cities and continents, it has become home.
Like a pub with no beer, a Queensland hospital was without a permanent doctor for six years, until Dr Tim arrived
Securing a permanent doctor in the bush is a difficult task, and this doctor has just ended a rural town's six-year wait for a permanent hospital GP.
Only one in 10 bananas is deemed good enough to sell. Could supermarkets dial back demands?
Bright yellow with blemish-free skin, bananas at major supermarkets tend to look "perfect", but will a push to sell produce affected by recent tropical cyclones in North Queensland shatter this widespread consumer ideology?
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Fed-up Aussie farmers shun supermarket giants and sell direct to consumers
Some Australian producers turn their backs on the major supermarkets because of what they say are unfair prices at the farm gate.
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Updated Pacific labour hire scheme prompts concerns from industry and advocates
Pacific Islander advocates say seasonal workers could be left vulnerable without government subsidies for both employees and farmers under changes to the PALM scheme.
With meat on the menu, is it the end of the fish-and-chip shop as we know it?
Eating fresh fish and chips beside the sea is an Australian tradition. But dwindling supply and rising industry costs mean other meats are now being sold at many seafood shops.
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Do you have giant hailstones at your place? Don't just take photos, put them in your freezer for science
Massive storms across Australia have left giant hailstones in people's backyards. Scientists hope you won't let them melt and will instead preserve the icy lumps for weather research.
These unique island-dwelling goats need saving, so advocates hope you'll eat them
Once the saviour of stranded sailors on the Great Barrier Reef, Percy Island's goats are facing eradication by officials. But advocates hope that promoting the heritage breed for food will help protect them.
North Queensland woman charged with murder over four-year-old son's death
A woman has been arrested after allegedly murdering her four-year-old child two years ago in North Queensland.
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These women aren't kidding around — they're changing the landscape of goat farming
It's no secret that agriculture in Queensland is still dominated by men, but in the goat industry women are bucking the trend by doing the majority of animal husbandry with the smaller, "more loving" livestock.
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Excessive red tape and 'unmanaged' national parks blamed for Queensland bushfire devastation
Sid Godwin says back-burning may have prevented a bushfire on his property where he lost 10,000 hectares of grazing land.
Could a new fishing ban scale back your Christmas spread?
Whatever your seafood preference, new commercial fishing regulations proposed for Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria mean your options could be limited this year.
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Queensland rodeo prodigy takes on world's best at mini-bull riding championships in Texas
Twelve-year-old mini-bull rider Ronan Miosge is one tough hombre. He has been bucked off mini bulls since he was eight and keeps coming back for more.
Sweet reward for sugar industry breakthrough helping to power renewable energy transition
Already powering 27 per cent of the state's renewable energy grid, the Queensland sugar industry's research into improved crop yields for biofuel production using genetic selection beats out major rivals Brazil and India.
Worried you won't find cheap mangoes this summer? Here's some other tropical fruit you can buy
The much-loved Bowen mangoes won't be overflowing on supermarket shelves this summer due to a warmer than average winter. So, without as many mangoes on the market, what else will be in store?