Yes...Sustainable Rum Production

Let's be a little frivolous today.

Nothing like a shot of rum on a cool or cold evening, especially around a campfire.  Think of outback Australia with a campfire blazing or a sea going sailing ship in the roaring forties.  But did you realise that even rum production is going ........well, sustainable!

While the term sustainable has many connotations, in this case it is about improved water use as well as smart, sustainable biomass energy use.

The Caribbean is well known for rum production, as is Bundberg in Australia.  Two of the biggest rum producers in the Caribbean though, have been embracing much more sustainable options in the rum distilling process from sugarcane.

Rum production produces rather nasty wastewater which needs to be disposed of some how. The Serrallés Rum Distillery in Ponce, Puerto Rico produces DonQ, its main brand of rum, which is the most popular rum in Puerto Rico. It is one of the largest rum distilleries in the Caribbean with an annual output capacity of 15 million proof gallons. The company has spent a decade and $16 million on a new filtration system.

Serrallés used to dump its wastewater into nearby fields, but during rainy season the waste would run off and the distillery would have to shut down when flooding starting which cost the company $200,000 a year. There are claims that Serrallés has turned the "$75 million distillery into one of the cleanest in the world."

The filtration system also saves the company money, as Roberto Serrallés, the VP of business development points out. The wastewater produces biogas which the company uses to run its boilers. Serrallés, who is a sixth generation rum maker with a Ph.D in environmental studies from the University of Oregon, said that the system saves them "as much as nearly 50 percent of annual fuel use."

Serrallés is not the only Puerto Rican rum maker to make its operations more sustainable, with itsmain competitor in Puerto Rico, Bacardi Limited also moving that way.  Bacardi released its 2012 CSR report a few months ago which highlights steps it is taking to reduce energy and water use, reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and source more responsible materials. Bacardi Limited is the largest privately held spirits company in the world.

So next time you have a bacardi and coke........you can claim to be drinking sustainably produced rum!!  Will you remember that after a few rums??  Or care?

Improving FMD Preparedness in Australia

FMD is of enormous importance to Australia, with a need to ensure it is not allowed to enter Australia, and to be thoroughly prepared if it ever does reach Australia [ I hope not!].  While we do not have the disease, we have relatively secure access to overseas markets for animal products.  That would change instantly if the disease was detected in Australia, with import countries likely to "shut the gate" and not allow entry of products.

With the assistance of industry and key stakeholders, DAFF has developed a national policy for vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Assistant Secretary for Animal Health Policy, Bob Biddle said rather than considering vaccination as a ‘measure of last resort’ in controlling an outbreak, Australia will now consider the potential role of vaccination as part of the response strategy as soon as any incursion of FMD is detected.

“Experience overseas and disease modelling studies carried out in Australia show that, in some circumstances, early vaccination is essential to effective disease control,” Mr Biddle said. "The Australian Government and all states and territories recently endorsed the national policy on the use of vaccination during a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak." “The update better aligns Australia’s FMD vaccination policy with advancing vaccine technologies, community perspectives and international standards and practices.”

With the new policy in place, an FMD Vaccination Expert Advisory Group is now developing detailed guidelines indentifying the circumstances under which vaccination could be a useful strategy, and the best strategy to use for different outbreak scenarios.

The new policy acknowledges the need to maintain flexibility so that decision-makers can consider the potential role of vaccination appropriate for each specific outbreak scenario.

Bt Cotton Proves It CAN Reduce Pesticide Use

http://www.salmone.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/biocontrol-bt-cotton.pdf

This article published in mid June 2012 is a landmark study that seems to prove that BTcotton can really reduce pesticide use in the long term as well as in the short term.

The geographical scope of the work is very wide across northern China, and results would seem to have a solid background.

There are other spinoffs too, as other damaging insects have also declined.

Worth reading.  

Australia's Digital Future - Coming Soon

Today saw the release of a significant and world first report on how Australia is and will be equipped for a digital future - for industry.

Yes, agriculture [ in a broad sense] is likely to be part of that digital future.  For many in agriculture the future is now - RFID ear tags, precision agriculture and driverless tractors, digitally equipped spray units, plus the myriad range of digital equipment in sorting, processing and handling of products, logistics.........think about it!

Download from here - http://www-07.ibm.com/ibm/au/digitalfuture/ 

Read about it soon.......your future is now.

The report is somewhat low key about agriculture.  Seems surprising, given what is already happening in the sector.

Foot and Mouth Disease - Australia MUST Be Prepared

FMD is considered a threat of enormous implications for Australia.  Internal quarantine issues, loss of trade in animals and possibly other products, loss of income and national costs in disease management, with very significant ongoing costs and loss of trade and the costs to rebuild rural industry.  Figures of $16 billion are quoted, but it may be higher considering the the UK outbreak cost A$19 billion.

It is everyone's role to be aware, especially if working in the animal industry sector, of what it is and the symptoms and an need to urgently report suspicious appearances in stock.  Starting the process provides a better option in containment, if it is confirmed.

While I can remember a range of workshops and training from quite a few years back, the need to provide updates is now emerging, with recent training and information programs for industry beginning to be provided across Australia.

Victoria has recently held information and training sessions, and more are planned around the country.

There have been a few prosecutions of individuals over detections of breaches of quarantine recently, with items that pose significant threats around FMD.  Many professionals in biosecurity are of a view that this type of problem could be an avenue whereby it would enter Australia.

While I believe most people resident in the NT take quarantine very seriously, vigilance must be maintained, and it is each and everyone who needs to be careful.

The consequences of foot and mouth disease in Australia are awful to contemplate, both for the rural industries of the NT and all of us.

More photos here - http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/fmd/pic-cattle and there is more information on the web site http://www.daff.gov.au/ of it and other important animal and plant diseases.

Rabobank Positive on Live Cattle Trade to Indonesia

There is a lot of negtive sentiment regarding the live cattle trade to Indonesia, now in mid 2012, a year after the trade was suspended premptorily by the Australian Government.

Changes have been and are continuing to be made regarding slaughter and some other issues of animal welfare, but numbers are down, way down.  Indonesia is trying to be self sufficient, and import permits are restricted.  Many in the industry are sure this is not possible, at least in the near future, with additional animals needed, mostly from north Australia.  It is a win-win situation if the trade revives.

There have been demonstrations in Jakarta about rising meat prices, attributed to less cattle in the market, presumably because there is less being imported from Australia.

Last week the agribusiness giant Rabobank released a report that actually indicates that the trade will recover, but not necessarily this year.  That sounds positive, from a well respected agribusiness financier.  The media release from Rabobank is here - http://www.rabobank.com.au/News-and-Events/Media-Releases/2012-News-Archive/Pages/media-release-20120607.aspx 
with a similar one here - http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/livestock/cattle/indonesian-live-ex-outlook-positive-rabo/2586278.aspx?storypage=0 

A quote is: "In the report Australia-Indonesia live cattle trade, agricultural banking specialist Rabobank says despite current uncertainty in the market – following last year's suspension of live exports and a new operating environment since the resumption of trade – the upside of demand from Indonesia remains bright and likely to provide strong future opportunities for live cattle exports from Australia."

I am sure many pastoralists in northern Australia hope this change will be sooner rather than later.

UAVs on Steroids

I blogged a while back about drones / UAVs and their role in modern agriculture and pastoral production, at least of aricraft and helicopters that were low cost and effective.

The article here covers military drone aircraft, remotely piloted uAVs, used by Australian military overseas in Afganistan.  They are leased through an intemediary company from the owners, an Israeli company.

I have no doubt of their capabilities, imaging and related sensing tools and similar technologies.  Well beyond what the average citizen imagines even.

Remember the scene in the movie 'Patriot Games" of IR imaging of bodies in a tent in the desert? That was declassified then, in the late 1980s.

The point is, today's military activities will be tomorrow's civilian capabilities with these technologies, particularly for deployment by firms offering services to industry.  The agriculture and pastoral industries will be among the users, and many will find it cost effective for a range of tasks.

Read the story.......it is quite fascinating, if you are into the use of remotely piloted aerial vehicles.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-08/australias-drone-war-in-afghanistan/4058058?WT.svl=news0

Renewable Energy IS Getting Cheaper

A series of reports published on 6 June 2012 by the International Renewable Energy Association  [IRENA] [See www.irena.org ] shows some detailed figures in the publications about the costs of renewable energy form various sources, and the expected costs over the next few years.

Solar energy in various formats seems to be trending strongly lower in costs, while hydro power is already about the lowest cost around for renewable energy.

Cost of solar has reached very attractive costs for domestic use in a number of countries, with Germany among the lowest cost countries.

The reports are free and easily downloadable from their web site, and provide a fairly non partisan view of renewable energy costs in various forms, covering a rang eof solar types, hydropower, wind energy, biomass and similar.  It is interesting to note that biomass can be an attractive option cost wise in areas where residuals exist and can be converted to energy.  The reports are separate for the various energy forms.

  

Indonesian Beef Price Rises Cause Dissent

Food prices, notably that of beef, are rising in Indonesia, and quite sharply in recent months.

This is not a surprising outcome as Australian live cattle imports have dropped very sharply, with numbers unlikely to exceed around 280000, a sharp drop from two years ago when numbers were more than double that number.  Boxed beef is also down, with 30000 cartons expected to be imported in 2012, a lot less than the 140000 in 2011.

And today, the dissent was registered by Indonesians themselves, in front of Indonesian Agriculture offices in Jakarta.

While the rent a crowd issue is a well known story regarding Indonesian demonstrations, this one is solidly based on consumers annoyance over recent beef price rises impacting on the cost of living.  It is well understood that the presence of adequate numbers of Australian live cattle, fattened and finished locally in Indonesia was contributing to a adequate supply of beef at a reasonable price.

While Indonesia has claimed that local supply could replace imported Australian imported livestock, it might not be doing so as readily as they surmised it might.

No one would support poor animal slaughter practices, but it seems that meat supply is now restricted quite significantly..........and the locals are very unhappy.  And yes, slaughter practices are improving, in general terms, and most if not all in the industry want to see that continue.

BUT........the locals want a cost effective, adequate and decent supply of meat, and Australia was, and can continue to supply, those cattle that are well suited for local finishing and slaughter.  It has been a win - win situation in the past, maybe there is further hope it might be slowly moving back that way.

New Cattle Parasite Concerns Across Australia

Cattle parasite spread further than thought

A parasite linked to dogs and responsible for an estimated $30 million loss to the national cattle industry each year is present throughout Australia, a University of Sydney study has revealed.

Previously this parasite was believed to be active only on the east coast of Australia and passed on mainly by domestic dogs. The new findings, published in the latest edition of Veterinary Parasitology, show other dog populations are infected and have important implications for vaccination development.


“The research also raises crucial questions about which other domestic and native animals could be affected by the parasite,” said Dr Jan Slapeta, the lead author of the study, from the Faculty of Veterinary Science.


The Neospora caninum parasite, passed from dogs to cattle, is carried in a dormant state in cows. When the cow becomes pregnant the parasite becomes active and can cause an abortion.


If instead the cow with the parasite has an apparently healthy female calf the parasite can be silently passed on to that healthy animal and give it a much higher chance of aborting in its first few pregnancies.


Dogs become hosts to the parasite after eating infected meat (from a variety of animals).


“Until now abortions caused by Neospora caninum have been identified along the eastern coast of Australia and associated with domestic dogs known to harbour the parasite,” said Dr Graeme Brown, a senior author of the study, also from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University.


“What we did for the first time was look at two other dog populations from across Australia – wild dogs and remote Aboriginal community dogs (which live in varying degrees of domestication). We found that both populations have a high degree of exposure.”


Two important conclusions come from that result.


The first is that the range of the parasite is not confined to the east coast of Australia but extends across the country, placing more of Australia’s cattle market at risk than previously realised.


Secondly the presence of the parasite in wild dogs means Neospora caninum has a previously unrecognised ability to infect native wildlife. Its possible impact on Australian ecosystems is therefore unknown and likely to have been underestimated.


“Understanding the interactions of native wildlife, the cattle industry and dog populations will help our efforts to fight this infection. Most importantly this new knowledge about its distribution and agents can underpin the development of an effective vaccine,” Dr Brown said.


[sourced from online Qld Country Life]
-----

This development highlights the need for invoking the cliche about eternal vigilance........you never know what might be next.

Whether this is an issue in northern beef herds is unknown, but it seems to be more of an issue of relevance along the east coast where its presence has been known for some time.

It also once again highlights a need to better manage dogs, both domestic and feral, nd wild dogs including potentially dingoes [ and in other countries possibly coyotes and wolves] as all seem to be hosts to the disease.  What is not stated though, is how to effectively protect or treat the issue in dogs......with clindamycin seen as a possible control; the disease may also kill pups.


Wikipedia has more information, including some concerns about birds being implicated in transmision of the disease in cattle as well.  More problems!


The link below goes to a very thorough review of neosporosis in cattle, and is the full article, covering the disease and practical issues around management and control.

http://cmr.asm.org/content/20/2/323.full   - article on neosporosis.

Spraying with Pesticides? Are YOU operating Legally?

The stories of improper pesticide spraying are the stuff of legends.  I am aware of some few cases where those involved,  had made people ill, and in a few cases people have actually died due to poor practices.


More common issues involved wrong areas, wrong product, spray drift causing problems, neighbours affected, or sometimes even worse, properties some distance away being affected,

Thankfully, the last problem is much less common now......but it did happen sometimes if products such as 2,4-D were used poorly.

All this means you must take reasonable care.

If  looking to brush up on knowledge of when and how to record weather data, you now have a new resource.



The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has released a new Spray Equipment fact sheet, Weather Monitoring Equipment for Agricultural Spraying Operations.

The fact sheet answers key questions, including when and where to measure weather conditions and how long to keep records.

Compiled by consultant Bill Gordon, the fact sheet delivers key tips, including:
• There are legal requirements to measure and record the weather parameters at the site of application during spray operations.
• It may be useful to have more than one device to compare accuracy.
• Select equipment that can be easily operated and easily recalibrated.
• On-board weather stations offer ‘on-the-go’ monitoring to allow the operator to make better decisions about the suitability of conditions while spraying.

To download the fact sheet and other information about spray application, visit www.grdc.com.au/GRDC-FS-Spray-Equ ipment-Weather-Monitoring

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!