Bahia Grass - Best Turf for Water Efficiency

In the rush to use new turf species and new varieties sometimes this old stalwart is overlooked.

Bahia grass - Paspalum notatum is one of the very best grasses for water efficiency in the monsoonal tropics.  In areas with an extended dry period, it will stay green for the longest, and quickly rebound after extended dry weather - even as long as 7 or 8 months - to continue to thrive.

In the NT, it is best to avoid using the more readily available variety - Pensacola - as it is not as tough as others, tends to be more clumping, often appearing to have bare areas betwen plants and most importantly, it produces abundant seed heads year round so you are always needing to mow.

The older areas of Darwin often have a locally adapted ecotype, of unknown origin.  It produces seeds, but is usually sown by runners [ the other varieties can be too].  It was the predominant lawn in Darwin from the 1950s to about the 1980s, but less used today.  This line is ok as a turf species, and is very tough, and water efficient, but does tend to have a lot of spicules on the leaves - silica spurs that can irritate skin, especially where kids are rolling around on the lawn.  Argentine has less of these spicules, and so does Pensacola.  Its disadvantage is planting by runners, a time consumimg job.

The preferred seed sown line is Argentine.  We originally organised testing of this variety in the early 1970s in the Top End, importing seed from the USA, and first seeds were sown at Berrimah Farm.  It is still there, looking great. 

From the original evaluation, Argentine was selected and used in a lot of the early development around Palmerston in grassed waterways, and in park and landscape development after Cyclone Tracy in the reconstruction of Darwin.  Seed sowing is relatively low cost and a lawn can be developed in 10 -12 weeks.  No Australian production of seed has occurred and all Bahia grass seed is imported from the USA [ so is all couch, zoysia seed etc too].

The advantages of the Argentine variety of Bahia grass include:

• almost no seed head production, except a small amount around January in the north of Australia
• excellent spread and forming a dense surface cover
• very tough, reasonably resistant to wear
• low water needs
• excellent drought resistance and quick recovery when water is applied
• easily mown at around 30 - 45mm high, although it does grow moderately quickly in warm, wet weather - weekly mowing needed in the wet season for domestic lawns; maybe every three weeks in the dry season
• very little thatch development
• mostly free of pests and diseases

All of the Bahia grass types tend to become invaded by the awful weed grass "red seedy grass" or "Mackey's pest", which is botanically Chrysopogon acicularis.  This spreads by very insidious runners and produces huge numbers of seed heads.  There are herbicide solutions available for the control of this weed in Bahia grass, but products are not easily available for domestic use because of commercial packaging sizes - we can do this work if needed.  Efforts to eradicate it will pay big dividends.  Often seed is carried on legs, clothes, equipment and similar items so a biosecurity approach is needed to keep it out in the first place.

For a large lawn or open space area and especially where there is a need to be prudent with water use in the dry season.......Argentine Bahia grass is a good option.  It is also widely used as a water efficient turf in Florida [which is where the photo was taken].  Do not over water, as this induces ingress by other water loving species, including broad leaved carpet grass in our environment.

Northern Beef - Production: Making Cows Perform

Productivity among beef herds is about cow productivity.  No calves means no productivity!!

In tropical australia low calving and weaning percentages have long been blamed as a key factor for poor production.  Yes, bulls are needed too - but you need to raise calves.

A recent major project has been slowly releasing some of the first data analyses.  While some of it is not necessarily new, it does put hard data out about major influences and how some producers can do things much better - even in the same area.  and it covers nearly 80000 - yes 80000........cows.

That has to be a significant learning experience for others.

The media report is below.


What makes a Cash Cow?


17 May, 2012 04:00 AM


WITH northern Australia home to the majority of the national breeding herd, it's fitting that a research project on an equally epic scale comprising more than 78,000 head is producing some fascinating insights into cattle fertility across Queensland, the Northern Territory and the north-west of Western Australia.

On the eve of Beef Australia 2012 in Rockhampton last week, more than 100 producers, vets and other researchers involved in the Meat and Livestock Australia-funded Cash Cow project met in Rockhampton to discuss the project's ongoing findings.

The project has, over four years from 2008 to 2011, monitored the reproductive performance of 78,256 breeding females located on 75 commercial beef cattle properties between St George in Queensland and the Kimberley in WA.

It's one of the largest projects ever funded by MLA and has been conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland, DEEDI, Northern Territory Department of Resources, and AusVet Animal Health Services, in collaboration with cattle veterinarians, cattle producers, and data capture provider Outcross Performance.

It set out to answer three main questions - how can producers readily and accurately determine how their breeding herd is performing; why do some breeding mobs achieve expected levels of performance while others don't; and why do some breeding females readily become pregnant after calving and wean a calf while others take much longer to become pregnant or fail to wean a calf.

Project leader, Professor Michael McGowan of the School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, said an important finding was that overall half of the breeding mobs monitored achieved weaning rates of less than 70 percent. In the extensive breeding regions of North Queensland, the NT and Kimberley, half of the mobs achieved weaning rates of less than 60pc. However, the top performing 25pc of mobs achieved weaning rates of 80pc.

"Our study has shown that there are herds that are achieving good beef output in what would be considered poorer quality country and they're clearly achieving that through good management," Prof McGowan said.


"The significant thing is that with good management you can achieve good levels of beef output in many of the regions of northern Australia."


Some of the factors which have already been identified from the analysis of the Cash Cow data as having a big impact on the proportion of cows back in calf by four months after calving are:

•Whether a female successfully reared her last pregnancy or not.
•Body condition score at the previous year's pregnancy diagnosis muster.
•The ratio of average faecal phosphorus to metabolisable energy ratio during the first three months of lactation.
•Period of the year of the previous calving.
•Timing of onset and duration of the wet season.

Some of the factors significantly affecting the losses from confirmed pregnancy to weaning which have been identified are:
•Whether a female successfully reared her last pregnancy or not.
•Exposure to hot very hot weather during the month of calving.
•Period of the year when calving occurred.
•The ratio of average crude protein to dry-matter digestibility during the last trimester of pregnancy.
•Body condition score at the time of first annual muster prior to when calving occurred.

Prof McGowan said the Cash Cow analysis team would continue to study the Cash Cow database, which contains more than six million bits of data.

"Technically the research phase of the project will be completed at the end of the year," he said. "We've identified a number of important factors and we will be doing further work over the next couple of months to better understand what is happening with these factors and also identify further factors that may be affecting performance.  "For the first time we have real data, derived from commercial herds, defining the beef output from breeding herds measured as kilos of beef per adult equivalent.  "There is quite a range, but we're also looking at the efficiency with which that beef is produced."

Once complete, the project will among other things, generate an internationally unique database enabling northern Australian beef producers and their advisers to accurately model the potential economic outcome of changing reproductive management.


[ partially sourced Qld Country Life online]

Updated Hybrid Toilet by Gough Plastics

Sanitation is vital for good hygiene.  This is a great design that meets sanitation needs as well as operating effectively, and at low cost, even in remote areas.
Gough Plastics’ Hybrid Toilet System is a ‘stand alone’ toilet facility that is both functional and user friendly. It was designed and created to collect waste, treat and reduce the volume of waste, and deliver a small volume of high quality effluent to ground. The system is widely used on roadsides and recreational sites around Australia, and even overseas.  It can be, and is used, inside houses and tourist accomodation as well, especially where water is restricted or there is a need to better manage environmental impacts.

While a common system around Australia, it has surprisingly not been the favoured system in many NT roadside areas, with our long waterless periods of the year seen as a factor.........yet it is used in many other arid areas around the other states of Australia.  It is a very good system and deserves much wider use. 

It was developed out of a need to protect freshwater underground on small ocean islands, where this water was often the main source of water for the island.

After years of research and refinement, Gough Plastics has found a way to improve the quality of its original award-winning Hybrid Toilet System. And the improvements benefit the users as well as the maintainers of the toilets.

Users of the toilet will be impressed with the new ventilator system. The new innovation sees the addition of an extraction fan combined with an odour filter to neutralise odours, releasing only clean air into the environment. Fresh air is continuously drawn down the toilet opening ensuring that any odour generated is expelled out the vent pipe and through a McBernsOdour Filter. The filters use a specially formulated media to capture sulfide gas and other odours and neutralise them by changing the molecular structure. Replacement cartridges are used when the filter media reaches saturation. The cartridges are safe to handle and easy to install.

Maintainers of this system will be impressed with its cost effectiveness and the ease of access to the ground-level fans. Two Fernco Couplings make it even easier to install and access the fan. The Rule In-Line Fans are available in both 12 and 24 volt, and are fitted with a low voltage cut off switch and a timer to save on power. Prior to installation, the fan’s motor is soaked with CRC Soft Seal to add further corrosion resistance.

Gough Plastics is a family-owned and operated business with an environmental focus that influences every aspect of their profession. They have a proud tradition of being innovators, creating products from the research and design phase all the way through to manufacture and installation.

For more information and photos visit: www.gough.com.au

Northern Beef Production - Struggles Economically

The northern beef industry is on a financial razor's edge as rising debt meets falling land prices.



Consultant, Phil Holmes, told this month's Beef 2012 seminar in Rockhampton that a typical northern beef business is losing $100,000 a year, in Mr Holmes's estimation, at a time when the rangelands are shedding value faster than any other land category, and beef margins continue to tighten.

"At the moment, if the price of beef falls by 10 cents, it will tip the average northern beef herd into the red," Mr Holmes said. "That's how fine the margins are."


Mr Holmes, a vetaran farm consultant renowned for not mincing his words, painted a picture in which wide swathes of the northern beef industry borrowed heavily against rangeland values that rose by orders of magnitude over other land categories.


But for the past five years, rangelands values have been falling with no bottom in sight.


That fall has unmasked the fact many beef operations have been surviving on increasing borrowings, not on cash flow.  Incomes have been savaged by years of poor rainfall and declining beef prices, and increasingly, interest payments.

"In the north, you need to maintain equity at 85 per cent in the long term. "If you let it drop below that, for a family operation interest will consume too much of your working capital and you won't have enough cash left over to fund the business in other areas." "Not everyone took on debt; a lot of people had existing debt that just got worse through that period. But it's just crippling the industry. There is too much debt out there, and not enough production to cover it."

Mr Holmes said in the mid-1970s, the value of rangelands property began to rise a little faster than wheatbelt and high rainfall country.

In 2000, rangelands values cut loose from other land trends and went ballistic, so that by 2007 rangelands had appreciated about 700 per cent in 30 years. Over the same period, high rainfall country had appreciated 330pc, wheatbelt land about 200pc.


In 2007, rangelands property began a sharp correction that has since taken values back about 15 per cent. The other land categories began to correct in 2009, but not with the same severity. While land prices have taken flight, beef prices have done the opposite. In real terms, beef prices haven't changed since 1949.

"The only reason we're still in business is that we've grown more efficient," Mr Holmes said.


However many northern beef operations haven't adopted efficiencies, he said, maintaining out-of-date practices while masking income shortfalls with borrowings.

This was Phil holmes at the recent Beef Conference in Rockhampton.  You can add the 2011 live export disaster to the above issues and it is why beef is a bit of a problem.

I would also like to think that many producers have abandoned any thought of improved pastures, even in smaller areas.  Better pastures do mean better production, especially in wetter regions such as the Top End of the NT and much of coastal and near coastal Queensland.

And remember, it is us as consumers who have an expectation that food prices will continue to go down just like electronics prices.  Maybe we just need to realise that food production while more efficient than previous years, is probably unable to make enormous gains in production, although productivity of labour has risen.  Poorer seasonal conditions cannot be changed.

It would be interesting to compare many of these things over the 2010 - 2012 period when seasonal conditions were better.




partially Sourced from : http://www.theland.com.au

Free Range Eggs in the News

There is a lot of discussion in Australia about the stocking rate for chooks for free range egg production.

The Australian last weekend ran an article on a producer in the Hunter Valley of NSW, and today an article appeared on the Queensland Country Life e-mail news [ http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/opinion/comment/free-range-eggs-need-to-be-affordable/2538852.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter ]

The question is should it be 300, 500, 1500 or 20000 per hectare?

Both articles offer a point of view........but the bottom line is cost.......how much can you afford to pay for your eggs?

Civilian Drones Seem to be the Issue of the Moment

While I blogged about the use of unmanned vehicles, or drones in rural applications recently, it seems the topic has deveoped a life of its own.

Today the national newpsaper in Australia, "The Australian" has a significant article about UAV use in civilian mode. Click on the link and read it:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/civilian-drones-that-can-dust-crops-find-lost-toddlers-and-wash-skyscraper-windows-are-just-years-away/story-fnb64oi6-1226308180656

Much of the story is a bit short of real facts for Australia and a bit skewed in relation to some of the facts, also for Australian use. Australia already has some rules for their use, developed by the air traffic management services nationally. They may get modified as usage develops- but there are some rules already. The newspaper article does not mention any Australian developers of UAV machines, yet there are several who are of world class, and already supply military products world wide.

Ideas abound on use - be imaginative. There must be many many options worth considering for agriculture in the broad sense at reasonable cost.

Definitely keep a watch on developments.

Resilient Agriculture that is Productive and Sustainable

Agriculture in Africa has long been considered as a real basket case. Production unable to meet societal needs, low productivity of crops, ravaged by pests and diseases, constant drought, flood or pestilence.

That can be changed, and is changing for the better in a number of African countries. Ghana has halved hunger in 2011, well before the goal of 2015, through a postive environment within government as well as adoption of innovation and newer technologies.

In Zambia, conservation technology and use of no-till for cropping has reduced crop water use and yields for maize are now five times the sub-saharan average.

Genetic engineering to improve bananas by developing plant disease resistance in Uganda also seems to offer a path towards major yield improvements and longer life of banana plantations, mostly owned by small land holders.

Also importantly, creation of new and effective grain storage and grain trading systems are leading to better grain trading across Africa and reducing food price volatility.

Improvements in the tropics of the world are critical to improving food security, and better food security also reduces tensions and conflicts.

A lot is founded on agricultural science, some on enabling conditions.........but it is happening.

Resilience in agriculture is critical..........and the gains in productivity need to be sustainable. Some of the system enhancements are making a real improvement, and improvement that will slowly translate into better fed, healthier people. Particularly when you also factor in some of the other improvements across other fields eg into malaria management, control and maybe eradication that can greatly improve the health and working productivity of people.

But the agricultural development is real, and a monster driver of better conditions.

The article below covers this in more detail, but the majority of people in the western countries still think agriculture is a dead end in many parts of the developing world. Not so!

Read more - http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/opinions/how-to-create-resilient-agriculture-1.html

Food - Production, Processing and Purchasing - Who Wins?

Australia has been a significant producer of food - for itself, for export and for processing. Whether it be agriculture [ think wheat, sorghum, beef for example] or horticulture [ apples, stone fruits, oranges, mangoes, pineapples, bananas].

Supporting these endeavours have been scientists in agriculture /horticulture, food processing, crop handling and many other areas along with economists, specialised farm management experts, operating in both R and D and support roles such as plant pathologists, and entomologists.

But will the push by the two major food retailers curtail these endeavours in their escalating drive for profit at all costs? A push to use the cheapest food whether imported or processed, irrespective of real quality and with scant regard for local production.

A recent article [ link here http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/finance/prepare-for-escalating-supermarket-war/2488340.aspx?storypage=0 ] with a cold hard look at supermarket practices by a respected economist seems to think that this might be the case.

It is sobering reading.

I am fed up with wondering if the panopoly of frozen food in the supermarket freezer is imported, often Chinese, or local? And more importantly whether for example it was grown using sewerage effluent or some other dodgy practice. You know that Australian [or New Zealand] produced food is safe and wholesome; yet the other stuff is at times dubious.

As an agricultural scientist I have seen and know that some overseas production methods are at best dubious, while some others are ok.

But it is the relentless pursuit of a dumbing down approach to our local food supplies that is a worry. Too many local producers are getting screwed by the supermarkets into prices that are uneconomic, often by a small margin. Where is the fairness and honesty?

We have relatively cheap food produced locally......lets support Australian produced food, and demand that the major supermarkets do too. It will not cost us very much, yet will make a difference to local Australian farmers. While they extol their Australian purchasing, there are many, many more non Australian food goods on their shelves - stuff we produce and process well - think of much of the canned fruit you see, jams, frozen vegetables. It is no longer Australian!

Salt Resistant Wheat - A Big Step Forward by Australian Science

The news has been a few more years in development following the discovery of the actual gene in the 1990s, that can convey salt resistance in wheat.
The news was even on AM this morning, with the interview of people involved, following publication of the article in the journal Nature.
[link to AM story - http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3450926.htm ]

This has been a big step forward by the staff at the Waite Institute [ Uni of Adelaide] and Centre for Plant Functional Genomics in Adelaide with the incorporation of the gene from a wheat ancestor into durum wheat and the material moving into the pre production phase of a new commercial variety, with commercial availability likely to be 4-5 years from now.

While durum wheat is a smaller crop area than the more traditional bread wheats, it is also an important one, as prices can be quite a bit higher. Durum wheats conventionally are used for pasta and related products.

Salt tolerance is a very important trait, as both in Australia and elsewhere the areas suitable for cropping, but damaged by salt ingress are increasing, as well as the possibility of being able to use less than ideal water for irrigation, a major issue in many areas of the world.

The interview is a bit superficial I thought, as the real issues are of world wide relevance for wheat production. No doubt work is already under way to extend this to bread wheats. A better overview is here on a science report - http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/03/12/3451266.htm?WT.svl=news5

The other part of the work is that now the gene hs been identified, it may be feasible to also incorporate it into other major crops - with other grains an obvious first target - think rice, maize, as major ones initially. It also comes soon one of the same groups has been associated with improving iron levels in cereals, a similar outstanding achievement.

Farrer, the grand father of wheat breeding in the Australian context, would be pleased with the wheat breeders of 2012.

E-Learning for Remote and Rural Australia

There has been a recent initiative for more complex and interactive e-learning for primarily beef producers in rural Australia.

This program is to run in Queensland and is based around the use of the NBN which allows high speed two way communications and use of more complex media eg HD video clips. More detailed information is here -
http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/livestock/cattle/beef-growers-trial-elearning-programs/2468837.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

However, while this is a focussed program specificlly for beef producers, and enterprise based, it should not be forgotten that there is a wealth of often free e-learning available right now.

Some examples include:

• the extremely wide range of self paced learning modules available through www.hp.com on a wide variety of topics, including computer programs, business develpment and so on. These are generally excellent and well honed as they have been around for a while, although not specific to rural use


• post graduate diploma and other higher education courses from a wide variety of providors on many aspects of rural work - although many of these are not entirely free


• this site is a collection of about 20 of what are supposed to be some of the best e-learning sites available - and the range of stuff is quite amazing http://khatarnakchokra.tripod.com/learnfree.htm


• the open courseware program of MIT from the USA has some tremendous stuff, but more general, although some good management materials -http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm and a wide range of environment based stuff including soils, air, water.


• the courses by http://alison.com/ are more non rural focused although some are relevant


• And of course, Microsoft has its own e-learning centre for their products - with some extensive courses available - http://learning.microsoft.com/Manager/Default.aspx

It is really up to you, and I am sure there are many other options, although it is true that focussed topics can be attractive, trying something more general can be a start to some positive development.

Compadre Zoysia Grows in Japan

Recently, Japan has been trying to source considerable volumes of Compadre zoysia for use this coming northern spring sowing period.

Compadre zoysia is already of reasonably widespread use in Japan for use on football playing fields, and almost all J- League soccer games are played on zoysia.

Compadre has some real attributes worth considering in cooler regions as it has an extended green period, often much better than other grass species. This means better quality both later into autumn and earlier in spring.

It will be difficult now to obtain larger volumes of seed until new season seed becomes available after the middle of 2012. We have a small amount still available.

Please e-mail or post a comment for more information. The photo is of approx 4 month old Compadre zoysia at Palmerston, near Darwin.

New Abattoirs for North Australia? How Many are Viable?

The need for one or more abattoirs in the north of Australia has been an issue for many years now, following the demise of the older abattoirs that were around in the 1970s and 1980s. They were at Darwin, Katherine, Wyndham and Derby – all gone!

AAco has developed a plan for a new facility about 50kms S of Darwin, and recently there are noises about another abattoir mooted for Cloncurry. This has been developed as the preferred site by a Queensland based task force, and the issue is discussed here - http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/livestock/cattle/northern-abattoirs-make-their-case/2465687.aspx?storypage=0

While AAco is well advanced with the Darwin site, and has done a lot of work on the facility planning and engineering, it is not an absolute goer ......yet. A site close to Darwin has significant advantages in relation to the logistics, both for the animals coming in, staff, and the export of product, as well as a reasonably large sized local market worth developing in future years. So far it is understood all production will be exported as ground beef. At present, almost all NT beef for consumption is imported, so there is a lot of potential for that market itself, at least for prime cuts.

Last year’s debacle over the export of live cattle is a searing memory for northern producers of beef. There are already plans by many to change to a slightly different animal – one that offers possible options – live export, or domestic markets.

These animals are likely to have less % of Brahman genes, while still retaining the advantages the zebu genes confer. Not to mention a few other animal types such as Boran with superior reproduction levels and a few others in the mix.

Producers do not want to get caught again, especially as there are coming changes in the Indonesian market in relation to possible self sufficiency – although many believe this to really be quite a few years away, if at all. But, no one wants to get something sprung upon them like 2011.

Can the northern region support one or two or even three abattoirs? There is also serious talk about some sort of facility in the northwest – Broome is talked about, but so too has Derby.

I think there will be new abattoirs; the question is where and how many? And how will they operate given the still problematical conditions of access across the north for at least 3 months of the year, sometimes longer.

They Are NOW for Real - Will YOUR Farm Have a Drone or UAV?

I wrote a blog back in 2008 [http://abovecapricorn.blogspot.com.au/search/label/unmanned%20aircraft] about the serious potential for using a drone [or unmanned aerial vehicle - UAV] in the rural sector.

I see tremendous potential for both smaller and larger rural properties to be able to deploy these types of vehicles to monitor fences, animal herds, watering points, irrigation canals, monitoring of feral animals eg camels........the potential uses are really only up to the imagination.

The link to the article on the ABC web site provides some real world uses right here in Australia, right now, in 2012.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-21/drone-journalism-takes-off/3840616?WT.svl=news4

And the cost is now approaching or may have decreased already for some operators that the concept is worth testing on their own properties.

A number of Australian companies already have commercially used equipment - real estate, mining and so on. See - http://www.cybertechuav.com.au/ as an example, but there are others. Equipment costs are around the same as a small car, and up in proce for more sophisticated equipment, although these costs are falling as the technology develops.

There are even high school competitions in Australia for UAVs, and have been now for some years!!

In the UK, some commercial farms are aleady using these UAVs to assist with management of precision agriculture and aerial inspections of crop performances, developing maps of individual paddocks during the growing season and combining the data with yield monitoring [for example header yield monitoring] to assist with economic performance improvement.

What ideas and role is seen for their use in the NT pastoral and rural scene?

UPDATE - 24 February

CSIRO are using a drone to complete a project on marine rubbish on beaches around Australia. Reported in the news today.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/eye-in-sky-filming-our-rubbish-shame/story-e6frfro0-1226280052411

Tropical Vegetation Soaks Up More Carbon Than Previous Estimates

The lush vegetation wrapping the center of the globe is one of the most important features for regulating a stable climate in the world.

Much excess CO2 emissions from industrialized regions find their way to the equator to be absorbed by abundant CO2-consuming plant life. However, as large tracts of tropical rainforest are cut down in the Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia, worries have grown that this vital region may turn from a carbon sink to a carbon source. Those worries can be put at ease somewhat thanks to a recent study from the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC).

Their report suggests that carbon storage of forests, shrublands, and savannas in the tropics are 21 percent higher than previously believed.

Larger carbon storage equates to a larger capacity to absorb and retain greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. The loss of carbon storage due to deforestation is still a concern, but has been overestimated. In fact, the net flux of carbon into the atmosphere from tropical vegetation loss is overestimated by up to 12 percent.

Data used excludes any information from Australia, so estimates may be somewhat inaccurate. Even so, it does conclude that the tropical forests are a very major carbon sink.

The full published article is here
http://eorder.sheridan.com/3_0/display/index.php?flashprint=1608

Kenaf Fibre in Cars

While the use of kenaf as a fibre filler in manufacturing has been spoken about for some time, little action has occurred so far.






Ford has just announced that finally, kenaf fibres will be used as part of their sustainability / recycling approach with their new US produced Ford Escape.


They do not indicate if it will be locally grown or imported, however.


Kenaf has had a topsy - turvy production in Australia, with early hopes [ 1970s] failing to develop. Maybe some reasonable use in sound deadening in automotive and manufacturing might mean potential new markets in Australia. It can be grown in many areas of north Australia, with or without irrigation, so there is potential for efficient and profitable Australian production.


More about the US story on kenaf here -


http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/ford-kenaf-plant-materials-new-escape/

Giving Weeds a Nuke - with Microwaves

There have been some applications of microwaves in agriculture with insect control in grain storage, hard seed breakdown [and that was an area we did R and D on as well], product drying and similar issues having been areas of some success.

Recently some funded research by RIRDC has been targeted at weed control, through desiccation as well as aiming to control and kill seeds in the shallow surface layers of soil.

A recent press release has indicated this might be delivering some promising results at least at a modest scale. Getting it upsized to field use will be an issue, as the "device" will need to allow modest travel speeds while delivering adequate rates of energy to kill weeds and soil borne seeds.

But.........it does provide a new option in thinking. While steam is used as a non herbicide option, it is slow to use. And there is some pressure to develop new options because of developing concern over glyphosate resistant annual summer weeds in many cereal growing regions.

Read more here -
http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/grains-and-cropping/general/giving-weeds-a-nuke/2431010.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

US Cattle Identification Systems Seen to Be Poor

While the Australian NLIS system is not perfect, it is in place and generally works ok, and is now part of a solution for export of live cattle to Indonesia.

But cattle identification in the US [a serious meat competitor to Australia] has recently been of some concern to researchers.

And the following brief report sums this up nicely -
Economists at Kansas State University have released a study that examined cattle identification (ID) and traceability systems around the world and found that the US lags behind both major beef exporting nations and beef importers in the development and implementation of cattle ID systems, according to Glynn Tonsor, a Kansas State economist involved in the study.

The implications "are particularly troubling," he said.

US cattle prices last year were record high, in large part due to beef exports, but the comparative disadvantage regarding U.S. cattle ID "puts these and future US beef export gains at risk," he said.

Furthermore, U.S. consumers have largely trusted US beef producers and have not pushed the industry to adopt cattle ID, he said, but this may soon change as consumers become increasingly interested in traceability.

The US beef industry would be well served to give implementations in this study "serious thought," Tonsor said, before a lack of ID and traceability costs business at home and abroad.

Source: http://www.feedstuffs.com

There are a few novels that paint a grim picture of the US animal abattoir system and offer some dubious views of the security and integrity of the system. And there have been a few serious issues in relation to meat quality at consumer outlets, especially fast food venues, in recent years in the USA. And remember, the US had meat exports banned to a number of Asian countries for some years over mad cow disease.

As said, NLIS is not absolute, but it generally now works. It seems that all is not well in the US however!!

Indonesia - Australia Cattle Issues - Should Australia Say "Sorry"?

The tension between the two countries over the cattle trade is still simmering along.

It is stupid to believe that the recent cut to import quotas by Indonesia is not in someway related to the earlier Australian ban on export of cattle, at least if you have much knowledge of dealing with Indonesia. Yes, they want to be self sufficient in meat production......but will they be there so soon? Most do not think so.

A recent article reproduced here does think Australia should be a little apologetic. I also think that Australia has behaved somewhat naively over the whole issue, maybe driven by home politics and 'niceties". What cannot be denied, is that if you produce cattle for meat, then they WILL be slaughtered, somewhere. Doing that well is important though for both animal welfare and better meat quality.

Read the article and wonder.


Australia should say sorry for Indonesia stunt

CLIVE PHILLIPS, PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF ANIMAL WELFARE AND ETHICS, UOQ
03 Jan, 2012 04:00 AM

INDONESIA's decision to cut live cattle imports from Australia is the clearest example yet of the significant and long-lasting damage that June's export ban did to relations with our nearest neighbour.

Rarely in history has there been an example of two neighbouring countries being so diametrically opposed in so many ways culture, geography, socioeconomic status, religion and population density. We may therefore expect some difficulties when dealing with trade between the two countries in such a sensitive commodity as live cattle.

However, the affront to Indonesian pride by Australia's ban on the trade, apparently without consultation with Indonesian authorities (let alone Australian cattle producers), has set back the trust between the two countries a long way. To act in this way with our closest neighbour, one of the world's major trading nations since the seventh century, was disrespectful.

It provided the perfect incentive for Indonesian authorities to reaffirm their intention to become self-sufficient in beef production, an aspiration they have held for at least 30 years.

The only way in which this can happen is by cutting down native forest in less populated islands, such as Sumatra, Irian Jaya and Kalimantan in Borneo, thereby providing jobs to the rural poor, stemming the migration to cities and reducing reliance on imports to maintain food security.

Indonesian authorities have been settling people from highly populated Java to Sumatra for more than four decades, and with United Nations assistance, provided them with cattle from which to make a living. The transition from forest fringe, small-scale agriculture to cattle farming has met many difficulties: disease outbreaks in the cattle, poor productivity, unsuitable ecosystems for livestock farming, soil erosion and lack of forage for the animals.

I was in Borneo recently and listened with concern and dismay as a Malaysian Government minister announced his country's intention to cut down forest and introduce widespread livestock production units throughout its section of the island within 20 years.

The Indonesian Government knows that this is their right, too and not just in Kalimantan, Indonesia's section of Borneo.

They are planning to do the same on the lesser populated outer islands.

After all, western countries cut down most of their forests centuries ago. But there are so many reasons why this should not happen in the current era.

The Indonesian rainforest has major benefit as a carbon dioxide sink, counteracting the damaging effects of global warming.

It is a massive reserve of biodiversity, including endangered species of great value, such as the Sumatran tiger, orang-utans, leopards and pigmy elephants, and it is a potential focus of ecotourism.

Eliminate these for cattle farms and you have demonstrated a major breakdown in modern society's ability to manage the planet's most valuable resources.

Australia can far more efficiently produce the beef that Indonesians desire in the vast savannahs of the north of our country.

There are still concerns about the sustainability of the farming method, the output of pollutants from the cattle and the welfare of the cattle. But if beef has to be produced, let it be produced in the region better suited to the farming system.

If the Australian people insist, and they should, meat can be sent over as carcases rather than live animals. With the development of refrigeration capacity in Indonesia, this will pose few difficulties.

The cattle farmers of northern Australia have had a clear signal to accelerate the reinstatement of abattoirs in their region.

We might also advise Indonesia on the wisdom or otherwise of moving to a Western-style diet, with increased meat consumption per head and the associated health problems. This would require tact and diplomacy when a significant proportion of the population was malnourished.

The Federal Government should approach the Indonesian Government with great humility and respect in negotiating the conditions for the cattle trade between the two countries. Indonesia's rain forests are a treasure that Australia knows the world can ill afford to sacrifice. It also has a long history of confrontation with western colonial powers that Australia has to overcome.

The mishandling of the live export ban should be publicly acknowledged by the Federal Government, and an apology presented to the Indonesian Government.

This, together with a major initiative to place the trading and cultural exchange activities between the two countries on a strong growth trajectory over the next decade, may yet restore relations. "Coveting thy neighbour's ox" is no longer a sin; it may yet prove to be a means of establishing an "entente cordiale" between the two countries.

Clive Phillips sits on the Live Exports Standards Accreditation Group, a federal government subsidiary. Since 2000 he has received funding from: University Federation for Animal Welfare, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Meat and Livestock Australia Livecorp, the Australian Veterinary Association, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Wombat Recovery Program, the RSPCA, ARC Linkage, Morris Animal Foundation. "

from Queensland Country Life online.


Do not forget the recent news in the Australian media about rabies on Bali and potential spread to the east, including Irian Jaya [ West Papua]. We need to be on good terms with Indonesia for our benefit too!

New Australian Windturbine Design

Australia has done something right in the wind energy area.

An Australian company called Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings Ltd. (RESA) has created what it says is a super quiet and efficient wind energy turbine.

Suggestively called Eco Whisper, the wind turbine employs 30 smaller ones capped with a specially designed cowl ring that keeps them silent in most meteorological conditions. A cone shape allows the blades to automatically rotate into the direction of the wind, with no need for a heavy tail structure.

Besides being more silent, the blades are more efficient, too. RESA says the turbines increase efficiency by 30 per cent at average wind speeds, and will keep rotating even when winds are very slow.

Main features:.20kW horizontal axis wind turbine.Virtually silent operation.6.5m blade diameter.21.1m height.30 blades extending outwards.Dynamic slew drive.Solid, lightweight structure.High performance in all wind conditions

The manufacturer says EcoWhisper is suitable for commercial, manufacturing and industrial sites, airports, ports, mining resource facilities, council sites and industrial development sites. It can also be installed on shopping centres, industrial parks, schools, universities and others. Off grid rural communities could also benefit.

It sounds like an exciting new development in wind turbine design!

New World Record Export Shipment from Darwin

Larger shipments of live cattle [similar to the photo] seem to be the trend with Wellard's MV Ocean Shearer, once again setting a new world record for the largest shipment of live cattle on a single vessel. It sailed from Darwin on 3 December 2011 with 25,817 cattle, easily beating the ship's previous record of 24,683 head set in September earlier this year.

The vessel loaded in both Broome and Darwin, and was loaded by three different exporters, including Wellard. Wellard's consignment of cattle was sourced from a range of individual producers and the company's own floodplain blocks east of Darwin. About 9000 steers and heifers were loaded in Broome and 15,500 cattle were loaded in Darwin. The vessel will unload in the Indonesian ports of Jakarta and Panjang.

There is strong demand from Indonesian importers and consumers, as well as the exporters ability to put the shipment together, with appropriate sized animals, although the onset of the northern Australian wet season was starting to restrict supply. Wellard expects to continue to export cattle during the wet season.

Wellard can be flexible whether to use a larger vessel, or switch to one of the newer, smaller vessels. Previously exports have ground to a halt during the wet season, but the production and transport systems have evolved to ensure it is a year-round trade now. Cattle will be supplied to Indonesia and other South East Asian countries, providing an end market and price competition for cattle which are on either side of the Indonesian 350kg weight limit.

The MV Ocean Shearer, which is the largest livestock vessel in the world, was again loaded at about 80 per cent of her capacity when she sailed, allowing the on-board stockmen and crew to allocate each animal significantly more space than the Australian regulatory standards prescribe. Typically, animal losses on a short voyage to Indonesia from Darwin are extremely low, usually well below 0.5%

Climate Change Reprise

Unfortunately the Australian Financial Review newspaper usually has a pay firewall. But they seem to have relented over this article now available here -
http://afr.com/p/lifestyle/review/rethinking_climate_scepticism_2oSrxbSmLf4FhjNRyzAQpN

By Mark Lawson, and in the AFR on Friday November 25 2011 it is an excellent overview of the current state of climate debate and climate science as well as climate change issues, and worth reading.

There has been a lot of editorial comment about the article, mostly positive, over the past few days.

Take the chance and read it......... free.

Real Men Eat Beef

With world beef demand expected to increase over the next 25 years, maybe this is humorous enough to warrant a run on the blog!

Compadre zoysia - Turf in the Darwin CBD

Compadre zoysia used as full sod, has been a preferred option for use by the Darwin City Council on a number of projects within the city area.

One of these has been a significant upgrade to the frontage areas of businesses along one side of Smith Street, the main street of Darwin. This area in the centre of the CBD has many people walk beside, and over, the grass every day.

The Compadre zoysia has been in situ now for well over 12 months and is approaching the second wet season.

It looks great! Does not require frequent mowing , and according to many nearby business owners is a substantial improvement on the previous landscaping.

The turf has maintained a tight sward and has almost no foreign species in the grass areas, with the exception of a just a few small forbs, normally easily removed by hand or an occasional spot spray with an appropriate herbicide. Or by using a long term residual herbicide, to give complete control for many months. That is low cost and easy, even for councils!

Zoysia turf is also finding use in areas such as median strips, roundabouts and similar areas where both modest installation costs plus low maintenance costs are critical, yet it provides an excellent visual amenity, but low growing, so good line of sight vision is maintained , an important issue for road area use.Compadre zoysia..........a great choice for your landscaping!

National Recycling Week

Do you recycle?


Most Australians recycle paper especially newsprint, where about 75% or more is recycled. Office paper is also generally recycled or shredded, mostly, for security reasons, often after reuse for scribbling notepads.


And we do reasonably well with aluminium cans too.



South Australia has container deposit legislation and the NT is about to introduce the same broad system of container deposits. South Australia has very high rates of recycling of a wide range of containers, much higher than other states of Australia. Attributed almost entirely to the legislation, and there is a thriving industry around the system as well. Drum Muster handles recycling of agrochemical containers very well.



Organic or green waste recycling is well established around many areas of Australia with various degrees of success, with South Australia actually having a deficit in supply.......yes there is more demand than supply!! Horticulture is a big user, particularly the vineyard industries of the State, with the same industry in other states also a big user of mulch and composts.





Yet there are poor examples around Australia, with tyres [ see photo of a smart way to recycle tyres] and e-waste notable examples. Additional tyres are now shredded or chopped and exported for further processing, but generally we seem to generate a lot of waste tyres still. E-waste is a growth area, and so far the problem continues to grow, although some progress is being made locally on some modest areas.



November 7 -13 is Australia's National Recycling Week. Do your bit........every bit of recycling counts.

More information is here - http://recyclingweek.planetark.org/fff/ with the Friday File Fling a fun way to get into recycling.

Australia and Now California - Have a Carbon Reduction Plan

It has received almost no media attention in Australia, yet California, which is said to be the world's 8th largest economy, has late last week, passed the final draft of a "cap and trade" program to provide financial incentives for polluters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Some parts of the plan will commence in 2012, major parts including compliance for some of the worst polluters, including power plants, commence in 2013, and others to commence in 2015. The plan will cover 85% of the emissions in California.

The broad thrust of the Californian scheme is generally similar to that proposed for Australia, with the start of the market mechanism, after a few years of the mandated carbon price, planned for mid 2012.

With California's economy being considerably larger than Australia's, this is a big step for them, and some hope the rest of the USA might follow in time.

I am amazed that this move in California continues to receive such little attention from the media and pro carbon adherents in Australia to add weight to their arguments.

More media information from the US here - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/business/energy-environment/california-adopts-cap-and-trade-system-to-limit-emissions.html

and here -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/california-cap-and-trade_n_1022314.html

There are quite a few sceptics, believing it will not work, but many think it might.

Stunning - Rapid Uptake in Indonesian Abattoirs

Pre slaughter stunning is rapidly being introduced into Indonesian abattoirs, with about 70 expected to have the operations in place by the end of the year, whereas only seven were using the technology earlier in the year.

Some delays have been caused by bureaucratic issues in Indonesia, and security requirements /concerns over the equipment, but the stun gun equipment is being deployed quite quickly.

By early next year [remember most of the live export trade to Indonesia slows dramatically between November and February] around 90% of animals will be stunned before slaughter.

Not surprisingly, there has also been a boost in positive responses from local workers involved in the abattoirs citing productivity improvements , superior animal processing speeds, and ease of animal handling.

More detailed information is here - http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/livestock/cattle/stunning-turnaround-in-cattle-welfare/2327943.aspx?storypage=0

While 2011 has been a real problem year for the northern beef industry and live exports, these improvements could see a better year ahead.

Sound common sense and a joint desire between Australian beef producers and Indonesian lot feeders and processors [ of which many involve Australian companies too] to see the trade continue may see this trade grow in 2012, and with superior animal welfare in place.

Totally banning the trade, which is the avowed aim of some, is still possible but is really a bit silly given the minuscule animal transport losses and improved animal welfare in Indonesia. Afterall, the animals are destined to be slaughtered for consumption. We just need to do it as sensibly as one can.

First Stage of Legislation for a Carbon Tax Passes Today.

The lower house of the Australian Federal Parliament has passed the 18 pieces of legislation that will constitute the carbon tax laws in Australia. the current opposition has vowed to rescind the laws if elected to government. It will be interesting, to say the least.

Following that, the legislation was then introduced into the upper house [ Senate] and is expected to pass through there next month.

Lots of media coverage online........and they have the space to have a lot of words too!

For example - here http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/carbon-plan/green-light-for-carbon-tax-red-flag-for-industry/story-fn99tjf2-1226164872713
and also here - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-12/uhlmanns-interview-with-greg-combet/3555570 .

Will it make a difference to carbon emissions worldwide? Absolutely not!

But it places Australia on a path towards lowered carbon intensity, and it is believed it will generate jobs in newer low carbon industries, seen as industries of the future.

Time will tell who is correct.

A US Farmer's View on Biotech

Too often the urban public attack farmers and agriculture - as producing too much, too little, or poor food sources.

A farmer has hit back - quietly and with dignity.

Read more here - http://westernfarmpress.com/print/government/gmos-biotechnology-offer-agricultural-blessings?page=1

pointing out a few fundamental flaws in some of the arguments used to condemn farmers and the crops and livestock they grow.

Well worth a brief read.

Fixing Salvinia Issues at Gunn, Palmerston, NT

Salvinia is a nasty, super spreading – even choking – weed.

Over the past few years an infestation has been developing at the lakes at Gunn, in Palmerston, and is now quite significant, covering the lakes [ see lowest lake below]. The lakes are designed as a stormwater buffer, so water levels can rise and fall quite a lot in the wet season.

Late last year Palmerston City Council instigated using their aquatic weed muncher to remove much of the debris across these lakes. Unfortunately, some salvinia remained.

A program which we ran, was used to spray and mop up the balance. That was the theory...... but then it rained and rained, with last wet season being extraordinarily wet, and consistently wet. Too wet for regular satisfactory spraying.

So the salvinia regrew.......and once again dominated the three lakes.

The weed eater is back in action , and the upper lake is now quite clear of salvinia, with the two lower ones likely to be cleaned up this week.

But there is a new activity........the salvinia weevil, a very potent biocontrol agent has today been released into the bottom lake with additional material to be added over the next few weeks in both the lowest and middle lakes, with some destined for the top lake as needed. Biocontrol of salvinia has been very successful at a number of locations around both Australia and in the Northern Territory.

To aid establishment a small amount of salvinia plants will be left behind during the weed munching, to provide a focus for the spread of the biocontrol agent, and these plants will be held in place with a floating boom. Over time, assuming the biocontrol agent establishes successfully, this plant mat will also disappear, and the weevil will spread out onto any remnant salvinia around the lakes.

The biocontrol agent will not necessarily totally eliminate the salvinia, but it will normally, over some time, reduce the salvinia to a small, almost negligible amount.

A monitoring, spray and clean up / collection program will also continue, but concentrating on the smaller scattered fronds that seem to congregate around the edges, readily blown by wind.

This combined program is hopeful of eliminating the salvinia over the next 12 months, and at worse, at least reducing the salvinia to a very minor issue.

The lakes may then bloom again with the stylish water lilies that are quite common, and salvinia will not be very noticeable.

Food Security Critical for China

A recent post highlights that Australia is selling off resources to China - land resources for agriculture especially.

[see - http://abovecapricorn.blogspot.com/2011/09/should-australia-be-selling-farm.html ]

Not all are happy over this issue.

China, as distinct from Australia has some clear policies around food security and imports of minerals, with a distinct focus on extra-terrritorial acquistion of the means of production - of both.

See more here - http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/finance/china-aims-for-selfsufficiency/2268434.aspx?storypage=0

In this article Prof Mike Berrell, Director WADEmatheson and Executive Dean, Holmes Institute, Australia, an expert on Chinese business practices says Australia’s lack of strategy and vision for a sustainable agricultural industry, was flagging in comparison to China’s global approach.

He said for the Chinese to be purchasing prime agricultural land outright entails risks for Australia due to loss of control in what is emerging as a global strategic industry.

This would be especially the case if the ventures were 100 percent Chinese invested, he said.

Despite China's recent efforts to reduce carbon emissions, China's current commitment to sustainability does not extend to agricultural practices, he said.

“Joint ventures in the area would be preferable to 100 percent Chinese foreign ownership - the latter of course suits China,” he said. “Australia must be absolutely clear about how such ventures are to move ahead and establish strict guidelines for ownership - perhaps make sustainable agriculture a strategic industry is the same way has China has its “strategic industries”, which fall outside normal investment guidelines.”

A significant issue in this is that most players from China are state owned, effectively an arm of the sovereign government of China. While other parts of the world have previously invested in Australian rural properties and industries, and many still do, [think the UK and the USA] they are almost always privately owned companies, or private individuals, and from countries where government intervention in industry is minimal.

This is a serious issue for Australia, a nett food exporter, with other sovereign countries owning our food production resources.

The image also shows that it is not just China - an example of the options that Singapore is pursuing in a similar fashion.

Should Australia be concerned over the whole theme of extra-territorial agriculture?

Using Livestock to Reduce Carbon Emissions - YES!

Cows have been pilloried as the great methane producer, and as the most potent greenhouse gas emitter of all. There are a lot of cows around the world!

Recent thinking now says that it is not cows as the culprit, but rather their management, particularly when fire is included in the system, as it commonly is.

Reduce the use of fire, often used to remove excess forage, while enhancing the consumption of forage by livestock in a way that encourages regrowth eg Savory grazing system option may offer a smart option to actually reduce greenhouse gas production, even if the forage is of poorer quality at times.

It is known that higher digestibility forage does reduce methane production in the livestock gut system, although not all plants have high digestibility, particularly in the tropics. But independent of that, livestock act as the great recyclers of carbon, by consumption and manuring, rather than seeing it lost in a fire.

It is a complex argument, with more detail here -
http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/livestock/cattle/cows-conserving-carbon/2307077.aspx?storypage=0

But the essence of it is that cows might actually be useful in the soil carbon story!

About time there was some enlightened thinking, for livestock is definitely NOT going away anytime soon