Luke Radford
Bendigo, VIC
One of the ABC's freshest rural reporters, Luke Radford was born in pristine fruit laden surrounds of the Adelaide Hills.
He began his career with the ABC in Port Pirie before being lured to join team rural in Tasmania.
It was there he discovered an unexpected love of wool, cropping rotations, and field trials... and he's never looked back!
After his time at ABC Northern Tasmania came to an end, Luke made the jump to the powerhouse Victorian rural team, looking after central Victoria.
Latest by Luke Radford
'Science communicators' replace BOM forecasters on radio weather updates
Farmers are furious the Bureau of Meteorology is quietly replacing expert forecasters on local radio, employing community information officers to instead provide the service.
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Hang-glider narrowly misses rough landing during harvest in canola paddock
Long days in the header during harvest can lead you to think you're seeing things that aren't there, but that wasn't the case this time — and the farmer has video proof to back his story.
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Quad bike safety compliance improves as manufacturers and dealers take 'obligations seriously'
Ninety-four per cent of all new quad bikes sold in Australia comply with increased safety standards, Australia's consumer watchdog says.
'Almost impossible to detect': Huge sums of money lost to invoice email scam
Farmer Rebecca Hamilton received an invoice that appeared to be from a regular supplier. Paying it would have been a $24,000 mistake.
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Agricultural researcher says 'no such thing as an average year', as farmers urged to rethink extreme weather events
An agronomist and agricultural researcher says it's time to recalibrate how farmers think of extreme weather events.
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Thousands of animals dead, at least 120,000 hectares of crops lost in Victorian floods
The state government estimates about 12,000 farming properties have been affected and there is still a flood threat from the Murray River.
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Temporary 'village' planned for Rochester residents displaced by floods
The site of the Elmore Field Days will house hundreds of Rochester residents unable to return to their own homes.
Higher prices for groceries predicted in the lead-up to Christmas
Flood timing has been terrible for farmers with milk being poured down the drain, crops flattened and livestock stranded. And the impact will be felt by consumers across the country Luke Radford reports.
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Duration: 1 minute 38 seconds
Despite a cracking season for producers, wool prices are sliding. Is this a sign of things to come?
The market has fallen for the fifth week in a row and observers say the trend looks set to continue.
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Grain prices remain low as growers eye third bumper harvest in a row
All signs show Australia is on track for its third bumper harvest in a row, but the price for our grain is among the lowest in the world.
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Farmers and landowners on alert as Loddon River rises
Farmers are moving stock to higher ground and pulling pumps from the Loddon River as 9,000 megalitres of water a day spills over the Laanecoorie Weir.
Pigs banned from Melbourne Royal Show due to biosecurity fears
Organisers of the Melbourne Royal Show are going a step further than others by enacting a complete ban on pigs this year due to the species having a higher risk of harbouring and spreading disease.
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From a date at the Ekka to speaking at the United Nations, Sarah's journey has been all about community
Meet the 2022 Rural Community Leader of the Year, Sarah Parker, who is passionate about fostering the next generation of volunteers.
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Plan to open river campsites to public 'flies in the face' of biosecurity, farmers say
Farmers in Central Victoria fear allowing more campers to access land bordering their properties could undermine weed control efforts and place their stock at risk of disease.
Fresh produce prices may be soaring but if you think farmers are rolling in dough, think again
Iceberg lettuce costing $10 a head recently hit the headlines, but why are fresh food prices so high, and how much is actually making it back to the farmer?
Queensland over-represented in farm deaths following safety program funding cuts
Advocates are calling for safety funding to be reinstated after alarming statistics showed 19 farmers died at work in Queensland last year, almost twice as many as any other state.
A large part of Oliver's farm could be turned into a storage dam — but he worries he doesn't get a say in it
By Luke Radford and Jessica Moran
Farmers in Tasmania's north facing the compulsory acquisition of their land say the consultation process is hollow and law changes are needed to make sure forcibly acquiring land is a "last resort".
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Think buying car fuel is expensive? Imagine if you had to fill up a plane
Sharp Airlines has been forced to temporarily cut its Saturday services from mainland Tasmania King and Flinders islands due to rising fuel costs.
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Press stops in Launceston for first time in 180 years — not for breaking news, but a machinery breakdown
The press stopped in northern Tasmania overnight, but not for the kind of reason that newspaper editors relish in.
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Council calls on government to sack Fairbrother as flashing councillor refuses to go
By Cassandra Power, Luke Radford, and Monte Bovill
The Waratah-Wynyard Council is calling on the Tasmanian government to intervene and sack convicted councillor Darren Fairbrother, who was sentenced this year for flashing a crown prosecutor and her son, because they are powerless to do so.
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Global food supplies 'on the cusp of something fairly serious' as grain prices soar during war and India bans exports
Rabobank warns that the Russia-Ukraine war will push grain and food prices up for at least a year, a situation compounded by India's ban on wheat exports, and dry conditions in the grain powerhouses of France and Germany.
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If you think steak is pricey right now, how about paying $400,000 for a single cow?
In what could herald a changing of the guard, a 13-month-old Wagyu heifer becomes the most expensive beef animal ever sold in Australia, earning $75,000 more than its expensive bull.
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The busiest container port in the world is closed. Here's what it means for Australia
With Shanghai in a full lockdown, already long shipping backlogs are now blowing out even further. Experts say the full effects are yet to hit Australia.
Robots have shown scientists the deep shelf reefs off Tasmania — and what was found has disturbed experts
By Isabella Podwinski and Luke Radford
A study by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies has found bleaching in sea sponges for the first time in Tasmanian waters — and scientists fear it could be another sign we are reaching a "tipping point" in the warming of the Earth.
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'It’s a behemoth': Historic Tasmanian property hits market with eye-watering $100m price tag
Vaucluse Estate is a massive mixed enterprise property with an equally huge history, and it is tipped to sell for more than $100 million.