A revolution in farm management is enabling Australia to produce and export millions of tons more wheat each year than it used to in the 1980s, despite declining rainfall that would otherwise shrink crop yields and put farms out of business.

Merredin

Australian wheat farmers have managed to significantly increase their productivity in recent decades, even as rainfall declines and soil quality remains poor. Through a combination of innovations such as no-till agriculture, soil restructuring, crop rotation, and earlier sowing, farmers have doubled or even tripled their yields compared to previous decades. 

Australia's approach, driven by minimal subsidies and a strong focus on efficiency, has made it a model for dryland agriculture globally. While adaptation has its limits due to rising temperatures and the cost of soil engineering, ongoing research and determination among farmers continue to drive improvements, ensuring Australia's role as a major wheat exporter.

Australian wheat farmers are beating climate doom

Curtis Liebeck is part of an agricultural revolution. Despite declining rainfall and poor soil quality, Australia has maintained its spot as a wheat-producing powerhouse. Thanks to a set of agricultural innovations, farmers have managed to dramatically increase productivity in recent decades. Let's take Liebeck. He works with his father, Ken, on a farm some 190 miles from Perth. 2023 was the fifth driest year since 1900 for us. Rainfall during Western Australia's growing season is declining. That should be pushing Curtis' yield down. But his has doubled since 2015. Australian wheat farmers are growing about 15 million tonnes more wheat each year than they were in the 1980s. Here's how the country has become a model for dryland agriculture across the world. In 2023, Liebeck's farm received its lowest rainfall in half a century. But it produced one metric tonne of wheat per hectare, more than twice the amount expected in those conditions at the turn of the millennium. And I caught up on the tour and asked Dad, I said, what would this have been like 20 years ago? And he replied with effing disaster. Australia isn't the world's biggest wheat producer, and its fields aren't the most fruitful. But it's important for two reasons. One, its modest population means extra production feeds other countries. And two, it's the world's driest inhabited continent. Climate change might have made some agricultural production unviable. But Australia is among the world's top wheat exporters. Since the 1980s, a cluster of innovations has changed the seeds farmers plant, how they plant them, and how they cultivate what is often unproductive soil. The advances have been turbocharged by a relentless quest for efficiency by farmers who receive minimal subsidies. Farmer Robert Sewell has been around to witness the progress. I think you've got to look at crops around the world to see how they are going and producing. And quite frankly, a lot of them are fairly stable. They grow the same tonnage as almost every year. But here in Australia, with our new techniques, we've almost doubled, in some cases tripled, our production. So I think we're actually really making that soil work. We're putting a lot more thought into it. And I only hope that we can go a bit further. Western Australia is the country's top wheat-exporting region. But growing season rainfall across the state's croplands has declined by about one-fifth over three decades. Gauss Azam is an applied soil scientist. If you think why we are engineering the soil, because we all know how poor and how old the soil of Western Australia is. They're poor in nutrition. A lot of them are sand. So they have very poor water-holding capacity. Subsoil is very acidic. So that comes with aluminium toxicity, so plant roots cannot grow into them. Thirst for water sparked many of the changes. In the mid-1980s, scientists began calculating how much wheat it should be possible to grow for every millimeter of rain that falls. The discovery meant producers could see the difference between what they had grown and what they might have grown. That created a new focus, closing the yield gap. Growers and researchers began benchmarking water-use efficiency to extract more crop per drop. A key step was switching to no-till agriculture. Constant ploughing is good for aeration and weed control, but it damages soil and exposes stored water to evaporation. Nick Gillett is a farmer in Bencubbin, about 63 miles northwest of Meriden. By reducing tillage, it means that we can keep more of our soil undisturbed, the organic matter, where it can naturally break down, and we're not disturbing the soil biota. Adoption of no-till methods jumped from 5% in the early 1980s to about 80%, the Grains Research and Development Corps says. But farm equipment driven over untilled fields compacted the deeper levels of the soil, hindering water infiltration and root growth. So farmers began to restructure soils, spreading lime to reduce acidity and using other kinds of heavy machinery to break up compacted layers of earth into a more absorbent and nutritious mix. New crop rotations have helped curb disease, and earlier sowing has helped farmers better match the growing cycle of plants with the changing seasons. Farmers and scientists say Australia's system of applied research and low subsidies has helped set it apart, but that there's room for improvement. Azam's lab is trying to re-engineer soil further, adding ingredients like clay and compost so it can hold more water. A lot of people depend on Australian wheat going overseas because we export a lot of our grain to overseas. Adaptation has its limits though. Wheat doesn't thrive in increasingly hot conditions and engineering soil is expensive, but farmers like Liebeck are determined. I am optimistic for the future, and I think there will be genetic gain and there will be other engineering gains that will put us instead to not only just maintain but improve going forward.

Australia said on Wednesday (July 30) it will add YouTube to sites covered by its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site and potentially setting up a legal challenge.

Canberra

Australia expands teen social media ban to YouTube

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (July 30) the United States will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from India, as well as an unspecified penalty for buying Russian weapons and oil, on Aug. 1.

Washington

Global Tariffs

Trump says U.S. to hit India with 25% tariff starting August 1

Mourners flooded the streets of Birmingham to celebrate the life of rock-and-roll legend Ozzy Osbourne during his funeral procession in the United Kingdom. Mark Savage, a music reporter at the BBC, a CBS News partner, joins with more details.

Birmingham

Ozzy Osbourne fans flood Birmingham streets to mourn late music icon

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters before departing from Scotland that Jeffrey Epstein poached workers from his Mar-a-Lago spa. Trump mentioned Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, in his latest remarks.

Trump says Epstein 'stole' young women from Mar-a-Lago spa

Owdeh Hathaleen, a 31-year‑old Palestinian activist, teacher, and filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was shot dead by an Israeli settler near the village of Umm al‑Khair in the South Hebron Hills.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Palestinian activist killed by Israeli settler in West Bank

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 16 feet nearby, and sparked evacuation orders in Japan, Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday (July 30).

Hawaii

Tsunami reaches Hawaii after huge quake shakes Russia's Far East

The U.N. General Assembly brought high-level officials together to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israel and the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia

New York

Israel and U.S. boycott UN Summit for two-state solution

With numerous countries facing an Aug. 1 trade agreement deadline, officials in the Trump administration say China could get an extension while negotiations continue.

Trump officials suggest potential tariff truce with China

Police say the man who shot and killed four people in a New York City office building before he took his own life had a "documented mental health history." Mayor Eric Adams says he may have been targeting the National Football League (NFL).

Manhattan gunman had 'documented mental health history'

Jeffrey Epstein-associate Ghislaine Maxwell is offering to testify before Congress in exchange for concessions like full immunity. CBS News Department of Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Ghislaine Maxwell offers to testify before Congress

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday (July 29) Britain was prepared to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians.

London

UK to recognize Palestinian state unless Israel takes action

Russia launched overnight air strikes on over 70 Ukrainian cities, killing more than 20 people, according to President Zelenskyy. A pregnant woman died near a hospital in the southeast, while a prison strike killed at least 17.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Deadly Russian air raids hit Ukraine as Trump warns of sanctions

For the first time, human rights groups inside Israel are accusing their own government of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel insists it is targeting Hamas, not civilians—despite nearly 60,000 Palestinian deaths since the war began almost two years ago.

Rights groups in Israel accuse country of genocide

As Gaza’s crisis worsens, France is advocating for a two-state solution at a UN conference co-chaired by the French foreign minister. The meeting follows President Macron’s announcement that France will formally recognize a Palestinian state in September.

France leads UN talks on Israel-Palestine two-state solution

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was found guilty of bribery and witness tampering in an unprecedented trial that has shaken the country.

Bogotá

Ex-Colombian president Uribe convicted of witness tampering, bribery

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev posted on social media that President Trump's deadline push for a ceasefire with Ukraine is "a threat and a step towards war."

Moscow

Russian official calls Trump's ceasefire deadline 'a threat'

Ukraine says Russia's overnight air strikes hit a prison in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, killing at least 17 people. Another 35 were injured. Authorities say the attacks destroyed the jail buildings and damaged several nearby houses.

Zaporizhzhia

Russian air strikes hit a prison in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, 17 killed

Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine overnight, with more than 300 drones and seven missiles. While most of the barrage was intercepted, the attacks prompted President Trump to give his Russian counterpart an ultimatum.

Trump gives Putin new deadline to end Ukraine war

A gunman killed at least one police officer and shot a handful of other people Monday in the heart of New York City. CBS News New York has the latest details.

Gunman kills police officer, wounds others in Midtown Manhattan

The suspect in the Michigan Walmart stabbing attack that injured 11 people over the weekend pleaded not guilty Monday to terrorism and assault charges.

Traverse City

Suspect pleads not guilty in Walmart stabbing attack

The U.S. Department of Justice says it took down child abuse websites that had more than 120,000 members and contained millions of files. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane explains how the arrest of one suspect nicknamed "Boss" was a huge priority for the FBI.

U.S. Justice Dept. shuts down four child abuse websites

Five people, including security guards, were killed by a gunman at Bangkok's Or Tor Kor market on Monday. The shooter, who injured two others, later killed himself, according to authorities.

Bangkok

Gunman kills five at busy Bangkok fresh food market

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an “unconditional” ceasefire starting at midnight, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on July 28, a significant breakthrough to resolve five days of deadly border clashes.

Kuala Lumpur

Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire

Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on July 28 after Israel promised to open secure aid routes, but humanitarian agencies warned vast amounts more were needed to stave off starvation.

Food arrives in Gaza after Israel pauses some fighting

Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials will resume talks in Stockholm to try to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the center of a trade war, aiming to extend a truce by three months and keeping high tariffs at bay.

Stockholm

U.S.-China trade truce extension seen, may ease way for Trump-Xi meet

A train derailment in southern Germany killed at least three people and injured others. The cause is under investigation, with weather possibly a factor.

Riedlingen

German train derails, killing at least three people

Israel has agreed to limit fighting in parts of Gaza and would allow more aid into the region, but both moves are facing criticism for being too little too late.

Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid trickles in

Abnormally high temperatures combined with heat and drought have fuelled destructive wildfires in parts of Europe, forcing thousands to be evacuated.

Athens

Heat fuels destructive wildfires in parts of Europe

Michigan officials say they will file terrorism charges and 11 charges of assault with intent to murder against the man who allegedly carried out a knife attack at a Walmart on Saturday. Lana Zak reports.

Garfield Township

Suspect in Michigan stabbing rampage to face terrorism charges

FAA investigators are in Denver after passengers and crew aboard an American Airlines flight were forced to evacuate when a tire blew during takeoff and the plane's rapid deceleration caused a brake fire, the airline said. Elise Preston reports.

Breakdown