Lucinda Jose
Lucinda Jose is a Rural and Resources Reporter who has been based in the Geraldton bureau in various roles for more than a decade. Local to the Mid West she is committed to informing and entertaining regional people and bringing these stories to wider audiences.
Latest by Lucinda Jose
Can agriculture be weaned off diesel? Some farmers are finding it harder than others to decarbonise
Diesel accounts for about 85 per cent of the energy used on Australian farms, but that mix is expected to change as alternative fuels and renewable technology become more affordable.
Water supply concerns on the rise in key food-growing region north of Perth
Declining rainfall and a 34 per cent drop in water flow results in increased management measures put in place around the major food-producing town Gingin north of Perth.
How to find the balance between renewables and food production
Local councils say the growing number of renewable energy projects needs to be balanced against local land use requirements and community interest.
Outback truckers halted for days after deluge destroys road, prompting calls for more investment
The WA opposition says flood damage to the Geraldton-Mount Magnet road shows investment in country roads is being deeply under-resourced.
Five years ago these farmers' salty wells were useless. Now they are a source of pure water when it is needed most
Wheatbelt farmers like Kristin Lefroy are sitting on a secure water supply despite having endured a bone-dry summer and autumn. They say adopting desalination has been the key.
Ladybirds 'ferocious as a shark' used to target invasive insect pest
There are some things that are cute to us like ladybirds — but not if you're a tomato potato psyllid, a wasp-like pest that can halve crop yields.
Fears oil and gas exploration will damage $240m lobster industry in WA
Western Australia's rock lobster industry says a proposal to conduct seismic testing off the WA coast poses a significant threat to the state's $240 million fishery.
Would you opt for a standalone power system on your remote property?
Western Power plans to install up to 4,000 solar and generator-driven standalone power system units in the coming decade to decommission 15,000km of power lines, but some locals say they're being forced into a bad situation.
Brushtail possums have not lived in this part of Australia for almost 100 years, but now they are back
Locally extinct from Western Australia's northern Wheatbelt for almost a century, a brushtail possum has been photographed out and about, signalling a landscape-scale conservation success.
Farmers in WA's Wheatbelt still without power nearly a week after 'tornado'-like storm
A Wheatbelt farmer says a storm that tore through the region last week, leaving thousands without power or communication for days, created damage that will take at least a year to repair.
Friends mix cultures, local ingredients for refreshing gazpacho
Two friends — one from Spain, the other from Mexico — find the perfect ingredients for cold tomato soup in Western Australia's Midwest.
Driest year on record for parts of WA's Gascoyne region, as pastoralists face dire drought conditions
Livestock producers in northern WA are bottle feeding calves and cutting back their herds, as devastating drought and market conditions collide.
Regional brigades say government-supplied fire trucks 'glorified water carters' not fit for purpose
Regional shires are often at the front line of firefighting, but some say WA government-supplied vehicles are not suitable for the state's largely sandy terrain.
Police charge man over Midwest fires that tore through 2,000 hectares
A farmer says it is beyond him how firefighters were able to control a series of fires that police allege were deliberately lit at the weekend.
New jumbo blueberry varieties behind farm's big expansion plans
The biggest blueberries in the world are grown in Western Australia and export markets love them. Demand for the berries is driving one farm to quadruple in size.
Genetically modified biofuel crop sold off as bird seed as developer's finance stalls
Touted as a new-age biofuel by its promoters, a safflower harvest has been sold as birdseed after a lawyer found an alternative market for farmers who had been contracted to grow it.
Steak may still be a luxury, but in WA beef producers are considering shooting cattle as drought prevails
Drought-hit pastoralists say a bottleneck is preventing their beef getting to market at a reasonable price, and must be fixed.
Why a crop heralded as an alternative to petroleum is sitting idle in farm silos
Promoted as an oilseed alternative to petrochemicals, safflower is left sitting uncollected in silos across the country with its exclusive developer unable to pay contracted farmers.
WA abattoir shuts unexpectedly, leaving workers, farmers and animals in limbo
Just over 12 months after a celebrated re-opening, industry sources say Esperance's Shark Lake is unlikely to re-open, shocking farmers and workers.
Why 'Alfie' the crop-spraying robot is the answer to this farm's most tedious job
With a few beeps and a slight rev of the engine, Alfie, the autonomous sprayer, sets off to work. He may be the best new recruit on this farm.
Cheap WA gas a factor in cancellation of green hydrogen project, energy company says
One of the world's largest green hydrogen projects planned for WA has been shelved, partly due to the state's cheap cost of natural gas.
Grain handler CBH spends big on new trains to future-proof supply chain
Western Australia's main grain handler will make its biggest purchase of rail infrastructure in preparation to move big crops in the future.
WA government stands firm on Aboriginal heritage reforms despite growing calls for delay
WA's Aboriginal Affairs Minister says concerns raised by farmers and landholders about the state's post-Juukan Gorge heritage reforms are misplaced.
Eggs are getting pricey and hard to find — here's why
Hard boiled with soldiers, poached, fried, or scrambled, whichever way you have your eggs, you'll be paying more for the privilege.
BP pays $23 million for WA cropping property to pursue green energy, hydrogen plans
The gas and energy giant purchases Daisy Downs in Western Australia's Mid West region, but says existing agricultural operations will be able to coexist with its wind and solar energy generation.