Charles Sturt University has operated a commercial herbicide resistance testing service since 1991, following a random survey of the South West Slopes region of New South Wales that identified significant incidence of herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.). Other surveys of cropping regions of southern Australia conducted at that time also found a significant incidence of resistance. In the subsequent 25-year period, the testing service has received samples from the majority of the southern Australian cropping belt. Overall, 80% of samples tested were resistant to acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibiting aryloxyphenoxypropionate and phenylpyrazole herbicides, 56% to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicides, and 24% to ACCase-inhibiting cyclohexanedione herbicides. The incidences of resistance to inhibitors of photosynthesis at PSII, tubulin-formation inhibitors, and 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase inhibiting herbicides have remained 5000 samples, the size and geographical spread of this dataset allows for valuable analyses of the relationships present in herbicide-resistant populations of annual ryegrass.

Agriculture is vital to global food production. Around 550 million smallholding households produce most of the world’s food, and many rely on livestock rearing for a living. Smallholder farms must survive and thrive to maintain and increase food production. Baseline information is vital for further extension service interventions. The goal of this Malawian study was to collect quantitative baseline data on crop and livestock production, agriproduct sales, and other indicators through a household survey, and to compare the efficacy (in terms of income) of using the concept of “Lead and Follow” farmer training programs. The baseline study survey was carried out in 44 sections of 11 extension planning areas from Malawi’s five districts (Dowa, Kasungu, Mchinji, Mzimba, and Rumphi). In total, 1131 smallholder households were interviewed. Crop production, livestock farming, and providing casual labor for others were all identified as significant sources of income for smallholders, implying that all agriproducts (the whole-farm approach) is equally important for improving smallholder livelihoods. On the one hand, the whole-farm approach should improve smallholders’ resilience regarding climate change and poverty. Lower agriproduct sales, on the other hand, indicated that links to the market were frequently poor but an increased market focus should help smallholders sell their produce at a fair margin. In terms of best practices adoption, both Lead and Follow farmers adopted similar farm practices (crops and livestock) to increase income. In general, no significant difference in income was calculated from many farm enterprises for both Lead and Follow farmers. However, the income from pigs and firewood was significantly higher for Follow farmers than for Lead farmers. Lead farmers reported significantly higher off-farm income sources. Significant changes are proposed to the “Lead farmer extension approach”.

At the end of December 2019, an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in Wuhan city, China. Modelling plays a crucial role in developing a strategy to prevent a disease outbreak from spreading around the globe. Models have contributed to the perspicacity of epidemiological variations between and within nations and the planning of desired control strategies. In this paper, a literature review was conducted to summarise knowledge about COVID-19 disease modelling in three countries—China, the UK and Australia—to develop a robust research framework for the regional areas that are urban and rural health districts of New South Wales, Australia. In different aspects of modelling, summarising disease and intervention strategies can help policymakers control the outbreak of COVID-19 and may motivate modelling disease-related research at a finer level of regional geospatial scales in the future.

The study provides comparative risk analyses of Australia’s three Victorian dairy regions. Historical data were used to identify business risk and financial viability. Multivariate distributions were fitted to the historical price, production, and input costs using copula models, capturing non-linear dependence among the variables. Monte Carlo simulation methods were then used to generate cash flows for a decade. Factors that influenced profitability the most were identified using sensitivity analysis. The dairies in the Northern region have faced water reductions, whereas those of Gippsland and South West have more positive indicators. Our analysis summarizes long-term risks and net farm profits by utilizing survey data in a probabilistic manner.