Eliza Berlage

Eliza Berlage reports on how economic pressures, environmental change and policy decisions play out for farmers and regional industries for ABC Riverland and ABC Rural.

Farm business under pressure from pests and regulation

Berlage’s recent coverage focuses on how pests and biosecurity rules translate into financial strain and changed work patterns for growers in South Australia’s Riverland region.

She has reported on fruit fly restrictions that leave growers counting losses, entering early retirement or taking off-farm jobs to stabilise household income while waiting for controls to ease. In these pieces she tracks both the on-the-ground choices of growers and the performance of government funding programs, noting when allocated support for fruit fly management goes unspent and what that means for local businesses. Her reporting on trials to control gazanias, an invasive weed that chokes paddocks and outcompetes crops, blends farm-level economic stakes with detailed agronomy, explaining how combinations of deep cultivation, herbicide mixes and sensor technology affect both productivity and cost.

Across these stories she anchors the science and policy in the cash flow realities of producers, treating pests not only as environmental threats but as drivers of business risk.

Weather, drought and risk for cropping and livestock

Berlage repeatedly returns to how rainfall, drought and climate variability reshape planting decisions, stocking rates and debt exposure for farm businesses.

In her work on drought-hit regions receiving “meaningful rain,” she follows farmers in the Riverland and Mallee as they weigh whether early, record-breaking rainfall justifies planting winter crops weeks ahead of usual schedules after years of cutting back inputs. These pieces detail the shift from bare, wind-eroded paddocks to green shoots, while underlining that short pasture growth does little for livestock nutrition and therefore offers limited immediate economic relief. She highlights the cost of managing sand drift and soil repair during prolonged dry periods, framing it as an ongoing overhead that bites into margins even when commodity prices are favourable.

Her reporting on wetter seasons in traditionally low-rainfall districts tracks changes in sowing strategies, with agronomists describing how additional millimetres of rain revive confidence in higher-risk crops and change the balance of production. The tone in these stories is cautious: rainfall is treated as a temporary improvement within an environment of long-term volatility and financial vulnerability.

Wine and horticulture industry restructuring

Berlage covers the restructuring of South Australia’s wine sector with an emphasis on capital flows, government support and grower decision-making. In coverage of a major support package for the state’s struggling wine industry, she reports on a multimillion-dollar commitment designed to give grape growers greater certainty in the face of low prices and market imbalance.

Her work follows growers as they weigh staying in the industry against exiting, including how grants and transition programs influence those choices and the future shape of regional economies.

She also reports on the broader horticulture economy, including how restrictions and pests affect fruit growers’ ability to access markets and maintain profitable orchards. The focus is consistently on the financial levers - subsidies, compensation schemes, and investment in pest management - and how they intersect with long-term planning on individual farms.

Regional ecosystems, fisheries and rural innovation

Alongside business reporting, Berlage regularly covers how environmental management and ecological change influence regional industries. Her work on wetlands recovering from carp infestations presents these sites as case studies of what a carp-free river system could look like, linking habitat restoration with prospects for tourism and recreation economies.

In collaborative pieces on lampreys in the Murray River, she reports scientific concerns that algal blooms and river conditions may have driven the blood-sucking fish out of parts of the system, with implications for biodiversity and fisheries. She also follows on-farm trials and technology adoption, such as farmers using video-sensor equipment in weed control trials, showing how innovation is tested at paddock level before becoming part of standard practice. Her regular contributions to the Riverland and South East SA Rural Report program extend this coverage into audio, delivering daily updates on issues ranging from live sheep export policy to packaging changes and unconventional agricultural products.

Across these formats she treats environmental change, research and innovation as integral to how rural businesses adapt and survive.

Cross-platform rural reporting and human-centred stories

Berlage works as the rural reporter for ABC Riverland, presenting the Riverland and South East SA Rural Report and filing for ABC Rural and ABC News digital platforms.

Her background spans radio, parliamentary reporting and regional newspapers and online outlets across multiple states, reflected in a style that combines broadcast immediacy with detailed written explainers. She describes herself as an award-winning journalist with a sociology background who favours human-centred stories, and her work consistently foregrounds individual farmers, growers and researchers rather than abstract policy debate. This approach is visible in pieces that explore teen drinking culture through the lens of zero-alcohol beverages, where community voices drive the narrative on health and social norms in regional towns.

Across her body of work, she uses case studies and interviews to show how national decisions on trade, regulation and climate are felt by specific businesses and families, making rural and agricultural business stories accessible without sacrificing detail.