Latest news with #Tamworth
BBC News
an hour ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Walsall midfielder Maher agrees new two-year deal
Walsall midfielder Ronan Maher has signed a new two-year deal with the League Two 20-year-old is a graduate of the Saddlers academy and has made 29 first-team appearances since making his debut on the opening day of the 2022-23 played twice in League Two at the start of last term before spending two separate loan spells in the National League with said the temporary moves were "really beneficial" to his development and added: "Definitely this season I am ready to make my mark in the first team and make a real impact".Maher's new deal follows the permanent signings of defenders Harrison Burke and Mason Hancock and wing-back Courtney Clarke so far this summer.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tamworth train incident as all lines blocked with emergency services at scene
An incident at Tamworth train station has prompted all lines into it to be blocked. Emergency services are at the scene at Tamworth Low Level this morning, Friday, June 20. Train services are being diverted. READ MORE: Asda thief sat on man and kissed him in car park before stealing gold chain READ MORE: Birmingham bin strike update as negotiations expected to resume next week READ MORE: Travel chiefs give passengers four recommendations during scorching heatwave The nature of the incident is unclear. BirminghamLive has asked the British Transport Police and West Midlands Ambulance Service for more information. The incident remains ongoing. Avanti West Coast posted on X: "Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident at Tamworth Low Level all lines are blocked. "Train services running through this station may be delayed by up to 60 minutes, or diverted between Stafford and Rugby. Lichfield Trent Valley Ll, Tamworth Low Level and Nuneaton will not be served." Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join West Coast Main Line posted: "Due to the emergency services responding to an incident at Tamworth the railway between Nuneaton & Stafford is currently closed. "Please check @nationalrailenq for the latest journey info. We're sorry for the disruption to your journey. Be safe. Be patient. Be kind." While CrossCountry Trains said: "Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident, services will not be calling at Tamworth in either direction until further notice."
Daily Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
Meet our NSW farming blue bloods
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. They are our salt of the earth, like so many before them - multi-generational farmers continuing the family tradition of working on the land. It's in their blood, but it takes true grit to keep their livelihoods afloat and agriculture a strong cornerstone of the national economy, with challenges around every corner. The Saturday Telegraph sat down with five farming families across NSW to hear their challenges and concerns, the pride they take in acting as custodians of the land, and why, man or woman, there's nothing else they'd rather do to make a living, with the soils of this state in their very DNA. TONGUE FAMILY Their connection to the Tamworth region stretches back almost 150 years. Kevin Tongue, 76, and the family patriarch, is New England pastoral royalty. Proud of his ancestry – his great grandfather came to the district in the late 1800s – he also shows no signs of slowing down. 'No intention of retiring mate, not while I can still do things here,' Kevin says from a sprawling property where with adult sons Paul and Ben, they run beef, prime lambs and pigs, grow barley, lucerne and canola, and operate a grain haulage business via a half dozen semi-trailers housed on the farm. The Tongue family marking lambs in the late 1950s on their property outside Tamworth. Picture: Supplied 'All I want to do is benefit the boys and our family, and the agricultural community around us, because there will be a time when I won't be able to do that. 'That's the aim of the exercise mate. To keep improving the country, so we can increase the production of food and fibre for generations to come. I want to leave this farming country we own and work in better condition than when we got it.' Tongue backs words with actions. He speaks regularly to National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce, who was born in Tamworth, and to the local State MP Kevin Anderson, to keep farmers' issues on their radars. 'That's important to me,' he said. 'We've got to advocate to all parts of government for the benefit of agriculture. It's a huge money making venture for the country and the state. Look at what we produce and export and what comes back to State and Federal governments. Three generations of the Tongue family on their NSW property. Picture: Rohan Kelly 'We've got to keep pushing too, because during the last federal election there was not a word come out from the Labor government about agriculture. That really concerns me. 'We've got these city centric representatives down there in Canberra and Sydney who don't really know too much about agriculture, and that's frightening.' His hot topic at present is energy. 'We've got a challenge at the moment with this renewable energy push,' Mr Tongue added. 'Putting these solar factories and wind farms on prime agricultural land, they're taking away from us that ability to produce food. And it's not going to be the ants' pants to our energy needs. I've spoken with environment Ministers and they don't seem to get it. 'But you get the sense the bureaucrats are running the show and telling them what to do. The Ministers virtually have no bloody control.' Tongue and wife Janelle, their two sons and seven grandchildren, live in three houses spread across five adjoining properties the family have aggregated some 25km out of Tamworth. Ken, George and Nelson Tongue with the wool clip leaving their farm more than half a century ago. Picture: Supplied They own another property 4km 'up the road'. A total landholding of almost 2000 hectares. A third son, 44-year-old Alan, left the farm when he was 17 to pursue a rugby league career in Canberra, and still lives in the nation's capital. Alan played 220 games for the Raiders and was Dally M Lock and Captain of the Year in 2008. Two years earlier he had on display the work ethic that characterises his dad – Alan set an NRL record of 1087 tackles in a season. MURRAY FAMILY Martin Murray just wants a 'fair go' for young farmers. For those on the land to have access to the same life-shaping opportunities currently reserved for their city cousins. 'Stamp duty exemptions,' says the Chair of the NSW Young Farmer Council. 'With most people, their first farm is also their first home. But you only escape stamp duty if you're inheriting the family property. If you're buying an outside farm, it doesn't apply. 'We're only asking for the same concessions as first home buyers receive. Our farms are more than our businesses. Inverell farmer Martin Murray with his wife Rachel, their son John, 5, and daughter Evie, 2. Picture: Supplied 'They're also our places of residence. Farms are more than an asset, they can be linked to people's identities. We should be helping people to buy them.' Mr Murray, who has just sold his 340-hectare mixed cropping farm at Inverell to focus on cattle, is married to Rachel. The couple have a son John, 5, and daughter Evie, 2. A fourth generational farmer, he is keen to see more young families enter the world of agriculture, but says it won't happen unless incentives make it more affordable. 'Couples buying these farms will have kids going to local schools, they'll be supporting the community from small businesses to footy clubs and everything in between,' Mr Murray said. 'Making their first farm more attainable will certainly help make that happen.' Mr Murray grew up in a farming family with its roots running deep in the rich soil of Griffith in the NSW Riverina. A property near Inverell in NSW. His great grandfather purchased land initially as part of a soldier settlement scheme. Post World War II, his grandfather bought a neighbouring property. 'My father and his brother got a place of their own in the late 1980s,' Mr Murray added. 'Dad has bought and sold farms since and we bought here in 2020.' After five years, with properties on his borders being snapped up by corporate interests and killing prospects of expansion, Mr Murray is changing tack. He is swapping crops for live beasts. 'We've always had a few cattle on the side of the cropping operations and my wife ran a cattle stud before she met me. I brought her over to the dark side of diesel and machinery,' he laughed. 'For me there was always this immense satisfaction in watching a crop grow. It's hard to describe and articulate. Just knowing you've managed it, managed the systems, and been able to make it happen. 'Then you're out at night sitting in your tractor, seeing all the headlights flickering in the distance and knowing everyone's out there doing the same thing as you are. It's hard to put into words. 'I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't farming.' SHOKER FAMILY The agricultural sector is a victim of its own evolution, according to a farmer based in banana heartland at Coffs Harbour. Paul Shoker, whose family's farming history goes back to the Punjab region of India, says: 'Technology and equipment advancements mean we've got less people growing more food – the problem is that gives us far fewer votes. 'So when it comes to governments, they take us for granted. When you need policy changes or assistance, we're just not their priority. 'Evidence of that is the slow support for the farmers affected by the recent floods on the NSW north coast.' Coffs Harbour banana grower Paul Shoker. Picture: Nathan Edwards Based 2km west of the Big Banana, Shoker works 25 hectares of bananas and avocadoes. Back in the 1970s, he says, there were 1000 banana growers between the Clarence and Macleay Rivers in northern NSW. 'Nowadays there are probably 15 to 18,' he said. 'And in the 1980s, around 50 per cent of Australian bananas came out of NSW. These days NSW produces about 3 per cent of the market, with 95 per cent from Queensland. 'Basically they had access to cheaper land, had lesser regulatory burdens and they don't have the winters we have. It really helped grow their industry up north.' But Shoker is determined to keep embracing tradition. 'We've had three to four major floods since Covid and over the years a lot of older producers might have said 'that will do us' and be forced off the land,' he said. 'I'm 37, that's not an option, but regardless of the challenges I just want to grow bananas and feed people. The attraction for me is that we can make a real difference to people's lives. The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour. Picture: Getty Images 'There's something really rewarding in knowing that something you're growing is a healthy product, that we look after the environment, and we're leaving behind a good legacy.' Shoker's parents bought an 8 hectare section of the farm in 1991, with the family expanding the landholding with a 2008 purchase after Paul graduated from university. A business degree, with majors in accounting and finance, lead the father of four children under the age of six to approach farming from an efficiency perspective. 'We saw the need to diversify,' he added. 'So we harvest all year round with avocadoes making up for the lesser demand and production of bananas over winter. 'The unique thing about bananas is that they're a wholly domestic market. All the bananas grown in Australia are also consumed here. It's pretty special.' CHESWORTH FAMILY When a millennial drought threatened their business, opportunity emerged from adversity on the Chesworth dairy farm near Dubbo. Industry tradition had rarely been challenged. Dawn and dusk milking, twice a day, cups on, cows were happy, job done. But in 2007 as grazing grasses continued to wilt and hand feeding was needed to keep the herd nourished, Erika and Steven Chesworth brainstormed ways to reverse declining profits. 'We started milking three times a day,' said Erika. 'Cows are like women. The more you take, the more they make. Erika and Steven Chesworth on their dairy farm in Rawsonville, near Dubbo. Picture: Clancy Paine 'So we were actually able to increase production by about 18 per cent in that first year. 'The cost input was a little more electricity to run the dairy and a few more kilograms of grain a day. But not only did we save our business we were able to turn things around really quickly. 'You get more out of your investment milking your cows more often. Back in the day mum and dad milked just morning and night. It's just what the industry did. 'But we needed to try something fast and it worked.' According to Erika, it makes for more contented cows. Given the couple are both sixth generation dairy farmers, her opinion is based on experience. 'We know more about them now in terms of feeding, nutrition, and we know it actually improves their health when they're getting milked more regularly,' she said. The Chesworths have 1000 milking cows on 970 hectares after moving to Dubbo from the Hunter Valley more than 20 years ago. Steven Chesworth, Erika Chesworth, Campbell Chesworth, Emma Elliot and Grace Duncan at Little Big Dairy. Picture: Clancy Paine They produce 11 million litres of milk a year, with half of it processed for their own line Little Big Dairy – created in 2012 – and the rest distributed to a major Australian dairy retailer. 'We control the Little Big Dairy product from start to finish, from milking through to processing and into the bottle,' said Erika. 'It is single source milk and each of our cows are tagged, so we can trace their health and their production, it's a really intimate process. 'One of the lovely things about the dairy industry is that we have lots of contact with the animals. 'Our large herd of Holsteins were born and raised on our farm. Each of them has a name. We know them all by sight.' Steven and Erika can trace their family trees back to the 19th Century, to farm holdings in the UK. 'We're pretty tragic – because it's all dairy heritage,' Erika says. 'But Steven and I feel privileged to be able to help feed the nation. We take that really seriously.' It's also a tradition set to continue. Two of the Chesworths adult children, Emma and Campbell, work in the business while a third, Duncan, has bought his own dairy farm in Victoria. BRIGHENTI-BARNARD FAMILY Jo Brighenti-Barnard is a warrior for the citrus industry. As NSW Farmers' Horticulture Committee chair, she frequently agitates on behalf of growers, waging battle with governments and major supermarkets. Earlier this year as inflation numbers started to drop, Brighenti-Barnard demanded to know why fruit and vegetable prices had been going the other way. 'Data shows that consumers are still paying through the nose to put food on the table while most farmers aren't receiving any greater returns for what they're growing,' she told media. 'Without price transparency, the major supermarkets are still likely to … extract huge profits from farmers and families alike.' The defiance is driven by her love for the land and the fruit her family has been growing just outside Griffith in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, since her great-grandfather planted the first trees in 1913. Together with her parents, husband Philip, and brother Bart, Ms Brighenti-Barnard works a 450 hectares landholding that delivers an annual citrus production – primarily naval and juicing oranges – of around 5000 tonnes. Eighty per cent is exported to South-East Asia and the USA. 'I've grown up on the farms we're still running and there's a real feeling of pride in doing what we do,' the mother of three says. 'I laugh and tell friends that most of us can't keep pot plants alive, but I'll give credit to my brother, he manages to keep all these trees alive and in good health through heatwaves and floods. 'It's in your DNA, there's a real intuition you develop. It comes from experiencing it season after season, building on that every year as you put a little more of the pieces together. 'I do love it…especially this time of year where all the fruit is fully coloured and on the trees. 'You go out there and just see this sea of bright orange and gold amongst this forest of green … and you see the bins full of fruit … it gives you a real sense of achievement.' But off the farm there is also work to do as the committee chair warrior persona returns. 'Availability of irrigation water has been reduced, productivity levels are going backwards because our prices have been squeezed as costs rise, and levels of debt are an issue,' Ms Brighenti-Barnard added. 'We need governments to listen.' Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@
Press and Journal
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Ross County sign versatile ex-Sunderland defender as Steven Ferguson delivers update on Ronan Hale's future
Ross County's summer recruitment continues with the signing of versatile defender Ben Crompton. After leaving Premier League newcomers Sunderland, the 21-year-old has agreed to head to County on a pre-contract agreement, two-year deal. Crompton, who has experience playing right-back and centre back, never made a first-team appearance for the Black Cats but played 25 times for English National League side Tamworth last term. County manager Don Cowie explained why Crompton, who joins the club on July 1, fits the bill. He said: 'We are really happy Ben has chosen to join us. He had a really productive loan spell with Tamworth last season. He offers strong ability on the ball, as well as an imposing physical presence.' Crompton will join fellow defender Declan Gallacher, midfielder Ross Docherty and winger Gary Mackay-Steven as the new arrivals in Dingwall following the club's relegation from the Premiership last month. County, meanwhile, expect striker Ronan Hale to lead the line and fire the club back to the Premiership next season. The 26-year-old joined County on a three-year contract last summer when he moved to the Dingwall club from part-time NIFL Premiership side Cliftonville. Hale, who made his full Northern Ireland debut last week, has been linked to clubs around the country on the back of scoring 18 goals in all competitions in his debut term with the Highlanders. When asked about his club future last week, Hale said: 'I'm not sure at the moment. 'Obviously, we had a disappointing end to the season by being relegated, but it's one we need to look at and see what's best for my career.' County were relegated to the Championship after losing to the Premiership play-off final to Livingston last month. However, there is no question in County chief executive Steven Ferguson's mind that Hale will be checking into the Global Energy Stadium with the rest of his team-mates on Monday. He said: 'We encourage players wanting to improve themselves, but Ronan is under contract, and he will be reporting for pre-season training as part of the group that is going to try and win the Championship. 'The challenge for last season was that we lost Jack Baldwin, Yan Dhanda and Simon Murray and, with 10 games to go we thought we had achieved a good season, despite that. 'We are consistently the youngest team in the Premiership, and a lot of that is down to who we can recruit to the Highlands. 'We identified that, after another discussion between the chairman and I, we needed experienced knowledge alongside these talented youngsters. 'Noah Chilvers is 24 and Ronan Hale is 26, so we are getting guys that we believe are in their prime. 'That was part of the reason we brought these guys in on longer-term contracts, because we have seen them as part of the longer journey. 'That's still there, but there has been another path added which is this one year where we are fully focused on winning the Championship. 'I wouldn't be surprised if there is interest in more of our players, but the way that we do our business is that these players are under contract with us, and we look after our players. 'We'll give these players the opportunity to perform on a Saturday.' Ferguson explained that losing Simon Murray to Dundee last summer led to Hale becoming their number one target. County are going all out to win the Championship within one year and the feeling is it will take plenty of cash for any move to even be entertained, as Hale is too important within the team. He said: 'We invested in Ronan as a replacement for Simon Murray, and this is one of the things I was speaking about before where a lot of good things happened last year. 'Simon left having scored 20 (league) goals, and we got a good return on investment for the gamble we took two years ago. 'To get that was acceptable, and we wished Simon well when he went, but we had to replace him. 'Ronan Hale was earmarked as that person, and if you were to tell me that he would end up with 17 goals in his first season in the Premiership, I would have bitten both of your hands off. 'That was a good piece of business. (Chief scout) Greg Strong was involved in that, the manager was involved, and the chairman and I were both involved, so that was a real plus. 'Getting 17 goals in a team that was struggling to score was huge. He's just had a cap for Northern Ireland, so that raises his profile, but he's on a long-term contract to be a Ross County player.' Ferguson, who along with Stuart Kettlewell took County back to the Premiership in 2018-19 as co-managers, detailed how the squad is in healthy shape after eight players, excluding loanees, had moved on. He added: 'It's not just Ronan Hale who is still in contract – Akil Wright, Noah Chilvers, our two goalkeepers (Ross Laidlaw and Jordan Amissah) are too. 'I think we've got two Premiership goalkeepers, so that position is well and truly nailed down. 'George Harmon has played 100 Premiership games, Connor Randall has played over 250 career league games, we've got Eamonn Brophy coming back, Jordan White, Kieran Phillips who we chased for a long time – all of these guys are still under contract and hungry to play. 'Jay Henderson was nominated for player of the year in the Championship last season. We believed that him going and playing 40 games in the Championship would mean we had a more complete player next year. 'We thought we would be in the Premiership, and we're not, but the way his contract was structured he's still here and he will be with us in the Championship. 'We were after six signings, and we've got three over the line quickly, and we're hoping another three will follow to complement the players we have. 'That's not forgetting Andrew MacLeod and George Robesten, as academy graduates, who made inroads last year and played in Premiership games.'
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Funding boost sees NSW biosecurity budget swell to more than $1b
For cattle breeder Tim Vincent the news of more than $140 million in new funding for biosecurity across New South Wales could not have come at a better time. WARNING: Readers are advised this article includes an image some may find distressing. The owner of four properties, including an Angus stud near Tamworth, said the feral pig population in the area was as bad as he had seen. "They are in areas we have never seen them before," Mr Vincent said. "You can hear them of a night-time near the house, arguing and fighting. Feral pigs cause damage to crops, pastures and waterways and have be known to kill livestock and charge humans. An extra $141.2m was announced last week ahead of next week's budget, bringing total biosecurity funding to a record $1.05 billion. The NSW government has allocated $100m of the new money to improving biosecurity, with $42.1 million to be spent on modernising research and development infrastructure. The Invasive Species Council said the additional funding was welcome, but CEO Jack Gough said spending must be strategic. "I'm hopeful we're not … getting silly press releases of 100,000 animals killed," he said. Mr Gough said hunting was still used for managing some invasive species but the bounties under consideration would make no difference over an extended period. "They don't increase the level of feral animal management and they tend to lead to fraud," he said. "[We should be] empowering our departments to focus on areas of strategic need where we can get some really important wins to stop those pigs or deer from spreading into new areas." The NSW Farmers Association president Xavier Martin said farmers needed all the support they could get to deal with weeds, diseases, and invasive species. "If fire ants are allowed to spread … they'll change our way of life, change our landscape, our flora and fauna," he said. "These are all unmanageable risks for the individual farmer. "But as a nation and certainly as a state … we can deal with these and prevention is far better than a cure." Premier Chris Minns said the extra funding was "absolutely crucial if we want to keep our agriculture sector healthy". "We want to see it grow, expand into new markets — but first things first, that is, protecting agriculture right here in NSW," he said. Minister Tara Moriarty said she hoped updating facilities would also attract more young people to the industry. "Some of the workforce is getting towards the end of their working lives and they want to pass on their knowledge," she said.
