- LA Judge winner
Victorian baker Ben Werner has been named the 2016 LA Judge Baking Apprentice of the Year.
The 23-year-old from Rushworth, northern Victoria, who works in nearby Tatura, was presented his award in Sydney earlier in the month.
Mr Werner won the prize ahead of five other contestants from across the nation following three days of competition and assessment.
The LA Judge Award was established in 1967 and is named in honour of Australian baking industry legend Les Judge.
- South Africa drought
THE SEVERE drought in South Africa has seen that nation become a net importer of corn for the first time since 2004.
South African government forecasters predict South Africa will import 2.7 million tonnes of yellow maize and 1.1 million tonnes of white maize.
In an average year, the country exports over 10 million tonnes of maize.
Analysts believe corn production within South Africa will fall over 25pc year on year.
- El Niño over
THE BUREAU of Meteorology (BOM) has reported the 2015-16 El Niño event is officially over, with the tropical Pacific Ocean returning to a neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) state.
Sea surface temperatures across the tropical Pacific have cooled to neutral levels over the past fortnight, supported by much cooler-than-average waters beneath the surface.
In the atmosphere, indicators such as the trade winds, cloudiness near the date line, and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) have also returned to neutral levels.
* Russian record
RUSSIAN officials say they have become the world’s leading exporter of wheat, surpassing traditional export heavyweights in the US and Canada for the first time.
Russia exported around 25 million tonnes of wheat for its 2016 marketing year.
It has become an increasingly big player on world wheat markets as its average yields lift in line with improved technology.