Agribusiness

Grain handler CBH Group has called for more information on the $1 billion-plus offer from Graincorp-backed Australian Grains Champion to corporatise and list the cooperative, highlighting concerns around long term cost increases, the proportion of grower ownership and board representation.

Sydney-based GrainCorp has emerged as a cornerstone investor in a bid to corporatise and list CBH Group, through a complex deal that would deliver up to $1 billion in cash plus share

PHOTO ESSAY and MULTIMEDIA: A focus on sustainability and environmentally friendly fishing is proving a boon for WA seafood producers.

The state government has completed the first in a series of planned asset sales, announcing that it has concluded negotiations with an industry consortium to purchase the Perth Market Authority's Market City.

Shares in recently-listed seafoods business Mareterram lifted today on news it has purchased the business that owns the 'Famous Australian Seafoods' brand for $1.3 million.

One industry to benefit from reduced mining activity is agriculture, particularly sheep meat production.

Grain handler CBH Group has revealed an $82.7 million net profit for the 2014-15 year, although its storage and handling business performed much better than the larger trading arm.

Shares in Perth-based Carbon Conscious have surged on news it commenced milk production at a Chinese-owned dairy farm in the South West, with the company planning to expand its cow herd by nearly 500 per cent by 2017.

A local seafoods business led by Peter Hutchinson and David Lock has had a positive debut on the ASX, after raising over $18 million from investors and completing a major corporate restructure.

The state's largest agricultural lobby group has reported its first operating surplus since 2010, which was largely attributable to a reduction in costs.

A Perth man who cheated Indonesian farmers out of more than $600,000 by falsely claiming to sell Australian cattle "greatly tarnished" business relations between the countries, a judge says.

The Spud King's battle with potato regulators is a flagship fight for those who want to cut red tape.

An industry consortium led by members of the Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries in WA has been selected as the preferred bidder for Market City, putting the state government a step closer to its first major asset sale.

Publicly-listed almond grower and health food retailer Select Harvests has sold its Western Australian orchard project for $9.5 million, following $60 million of write-downs over the past three years.

Wellard chief executive Mauro Balzarini rung the bell at the ASX's Perth office this morning as the company's shares began trading for the first time.

Carbon Conscious plans to expand its business into the dairy sector, announcing plans to purchase a South West dairy property and link up with a Chinese trading group.

Seafood producer and one of Western Australia's largest private companies, Kailis Bros, has been fined $10,800 by the consumer watchdog for misleading conduct.

CBH Group has confirmed half a tonne of canola grain was spilt into Cockburn Sound last month, as Fisheries experts continue to probe why more than 1,500 dead fish have washed up in Perth's south.

SPECIAL REPORT: Newly appointed chief executives in Western Australia are mostly receiving lower salaries than their predecessors, but retaining plenty of upside through incentive schemes, a survey of nearly 40 new CEO pay packages has found.

Farmers in Pemberton are hoping to add a new ingredient to the South West town's successful business recipe, pinning their hopes on growing the market for finger limes.

CBH Group has cut its estimate of Western Australia's grain harvest for the second time in five weeks, with the farmers' cooperative now tipping it will handle 12.5 million tonnes in the current se

Potato growers have poured cold water over reports earlier today that they'll support deregulation of the industry, with the Potato Marketing Corporation saying it did not make any such recommendations and one senior grower representative labeling it a media stunt.

Commercial fishing company Austral Fisheries has taken the top prize in the agribusiness category at this year's Australian Export Awards.

Live cattle exporter Wellard is set to list at $1.39 per share, launching a prospectus to raise close to $300 million to give the business a market capitalisation of almost $560 million.

Treasurer Scott Morrison is willing to consider any new applications to buy Australia's largest private landowner after knocking back the foreign acquisition of S Kidman and Co Ltd on national interest grounds.

Agribusiness Elders is focusing on growth, having completed a significant turnaround with a $38.3 million full-year profit.

The upcoming float of livestock exporter Wellard is set to be the fifth biggest in Western Australia's history, and will also stretch the market lead of investment bank UBS, according to research by Business News.

Tony Galati's battle with the Potato Marketing Corporation has been dealt a setback, after the regulator won an injunction from the Supreme Court to prevent him producing more than his allocated quota, until at least January 2.

Wellard managing director Mauro Balzarini is planning to sell a 60 per cent stake in the livestock export business through an initial public offering (IPO) that will be one of Western Australia's largest.

Western Australian farmers are the most likely in the nation to hire new employees in the year ahead, according to the annual Commonwealth Bank of Australia Agri Insights survey.

Commodity prices are expected to rebound in the next two years, according to forecasts by the Economist Intelligence Unit, led by a sharp rise in the crude oil price and a lift in base metals.

South African fishing company Sea Harvest Group has committed to take its maximum possible entitlement under a planned $16 million-plus capital raising by Perth company Style.