Agricultural Science is a Resurgent Career Path for a Graduate

It seems as if the landscape is changing for agricultural science graduates.  A few years back, the available courses were shrinking as fewer wanted to do this course.  Some ag science courses, notably at Uni of Western Sydney, the former Hawkesbury College, were quietly abandoned.

Times change and now enrolments are up and the near future at least is quite positive for agriculture and for agricultural science graduates.

Ag Science is hardly a dull area to work in, with lots of science as well as a decent dose of technology. Everything from use of UAVs in agriculture and weed management, to driverless tractors, precision farming in crops and vegetable production, modern genetics in both plant and animal development and new equipment showcase the technology around agriculture today.  Add to that use of computers in the science area alone makes for a vibrant, modern area of work.  And then there are the post production systems [maybe less so with a lot of noise about less crop and vegetable processing] as well as the business driven parts of agriculture including international trade, agricultural policy development and so on......Not to mention opportunities for work overseas.
 
The changing landscape of Australian agriculture is creating a raft of opportunities across the sector, according to NAB’s General Manager of Agribusiness, Khan Horne.

Following the conclusion of the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program in Geelong last week, Mr Horne said a number of factors are colliding to create a boom for agricultural careers. “We’ve seen strong growth in corporate agriculture, increasing by around 40 percent in the five years to 2011,” and for the first time in years, agricultural student enrolments are up, and quite significantly. 

According to the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture, enrolments have increased across the board by around 15 per cent.  “Agriculture in Australia has an exciting future. In the coming decades food production will need to increase by an estimated 70 percent to feed the growing global population, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.  “This challenge will need to be met by innovative and educated minds, and I’m encouraged by the shift we’re starting to see and the quality of the leadership being shown across the industry.”

Larger operations require a range of employees to support the business – from farm managers, agronomists and veterinarians to the full range of business functions including business managers, human resources, finance and communications.
 

modern agriculture at work

This in turn will result in an even greater need for agricultural graduates and those with experience in the sector, as well as for graduates who want to work in related areas.  “What’s interesting and quite unique about the agriculture sector is the level of passion it inspires in those involved,” Mr Horne said.  “There’s something innately appealing about working in an industry that feeds and clothes Australians and millions of people around the world. And for many the professionalism of running a farm enterprise is only improved by the lifestyle factors and benefits of living in a regional or rural location.  “For those who aspire to running a farm business and businesses along the value chain, there are significant barriers to entry. The capital required to take on a property can be prohibitive, especially if you’re going out on your own or starting out in the industry.  “The corporate sector offers the experience and lifestyle, without the high cost of entry or financial risk.”

Today approximately 29 percent of farm managers are women. Further training and tertiary qualifications amongst farmers have increased significantly since the mid-1980s. In 1986, one in ten farmers had some form of further education. At the most recent Census in 2011, this had jumped to one in three.

Mr Horne said that farmers across the board are recognising the need to increase their skills, and are relying more on consultants and other specialists in all areas of their business. “These factors place the industry in a strong position to drive future growth and make inroads with the severe shortage of skilled staff.  “It’s well established that there are not enough graduates to fill the available jobs in agriculture.

The latest findings show that there are now five jobs to each graduate.  “Given the skills shortage, the average starting wage for an agricultural graduate is more than that of a veterinarian. It’s certainly appealing to school students deciding on a career path and to those already working but who are interested in a career change.”

2013 marks the 20th year NAB Agribusiness has sponsored the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program, which to date has produced more than 700 graduates.

And yes.......I am an agricultural science graduate too.......but definitely not a new one!!

Is there a feel good factor at work too.......an ability to be part of modern food production systems?


[ part of this is from a media release by the NAB]
 

Plants CAN Do Maths -YES.

Humans do math or at least some humans can do so.  

New research shows that to prevent starvation at night, plants perform accurate arithmetic division.  The calculation allows them to use up their starch reserves at a constant rate so that they run out almost precisely at dawn.  Plants feed themselves during the day by using energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide into sugars and starch. Once the sun has set, they must depend on a store of starch to prevent starvation.

In research to be published shortly in the open access journal eLife, Professors Martin Howard and Alison Smith, scientists at the John Innes Centre show that plants make precise adjustments to their rate of starch consumption.  These adjustments ensure that the starch store lasts until dawn even if the night comes unexpectedly early or the size of the starch store varies.

Starch is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store. It is the most common carbohydrate in the human diet and is contained in large amounts in such staple foods as potatoes, wheat, maize (corn), rice, and cassava.

In photosynthesis, plants use light energy to produce glucose from carbon dioxide.  The glucose is stored mainly in the form of starch granules, in plastids such as chloroplasts and especially amyloplasts. Toward the end of the growing season, starch accumulates in twigs of trees near the buds.  Fruit, seeds, rhizomes, and tubers store starch to prepare for the next growing season.

The John Innes Centre scientists show that to adjust their starch consumption so precisely they must be performing a mathematical calculation — arithmetic division.

"The capacity to perform arithmetic calculation is vital for plant growth and productivity," said metabolic biologist Professor Alison Smith. "Understanding how plants continue to grow in the dark could help unlock new ways to boost crop yield."

During the night, mechanisms inside the leaf measure the size of the starch store and estimate the length of time until dawn. Information about time comes from an internal clock, similar to our own body clock. The size of the starch store is then divided by the length of time until dawn to set the correct rate of starch consumption, so that, by dawn, around 95% of starch is used up.

"If the starch store is used too fast, plants will starve and stop growing during the night. If the store is used too slowly, some of it will be wasted," according to Prof Smith.

The scientists used mathematical modelling to investigate how such a division calculation can be carried out inside a plant. They proposed that information about the size of the starch store and the time until dawn is encoded in the concentrations of two kinds of molecules (called S for starch and T for time).

 If the S molecules stimulate starch consumption, while the T molecules prevent this from happening, then the rate of starch consumption is set by the ratio of S molecules to T molecules, in other words S divided by T - so the plants are doing maths!!

plants growing and doing maths

 

 

Brazil - Compatriot of North Australia?

A recent article on the ABC web site about Brazil opens up some ideas about synergies between northern Australia and Brazil.


products of Brazil

The article is here - http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4768336.html .

Climatically, much of Northern Australia and Brazil are similar, especially the northern parts of Brazil, and the more southern area are maybe more similar to SE Queensland, as broad generalisations. 

Brazil agriculture

It is not without some strong parallels, that the Embraer aircraft of Brazil are well represented in commercial RPT fleets across north Australia, with Air North a significant operator of the aircraft - they are operationally designed to better suit tropical operational areas, and operate in remote and less technologically able areas; they are good aircraft.

The Brazilian mining giants including Vale are rapidly digging iron ore holes in Brazil, along with some in Australia, and looking at other mineral operations as well.  They are major competitors to Australian companies such as BHP Billiton and Rio, as well as Xstrata [ now Glencore] in international markets as well as emerging mining countries, eg Africa.

Both Australia and Brazil, are sized similarly, with large parts of the areas in the tropics.  Brazil is certainly a major cattle producer, even if less proportionally is exported than Australia, and disease issues also restrict options for export.  It would be a worry for Australian beef exports, boxed or live, if Brazil [as well as Argentina] ever got their act together and that region emerged as a serious, long term competitor.  They might in relation to China, still.

Australia's abattoirs have significant involvement by JBS, the Brazilian company that is probably the wold's biggest meat processing business.

There is a huge agribusiness system operating in Brazil, and Nufarm [ Australia's home grown agrochemical and seed company] is operating widely in Brazil.  It is likely that the r and D coming from Brazil in relation to variety development [ peanut,soybean, corn, sorghum etc],  seed technology may be applicable in Australia, or at least adaptable, and home grown technology including precision agriculture and controlled traffic systems are certainly of widening interest in Brazil and Argentina.

Socially the Brazilian economy is less endowed with support systems such as operate in Australia - with our social support, welfare and medical [ Medicare system] good examples where the Australian people are much better supported.

Should Australia, and north Australia especially, be seeking to improve and develop major interaction with Brazil?  Surely knowing much more about a competitor is useful.  It is true some activity is occurring, but increasing the tempo of those interactions might be considered a very smart option.

Recycling Coffee Pods??

This topic has developed a bit of heat recently, as consumers beat up the place about how terrible it is not to recycle those pesky coffee pods that are now proliferating across many countries.

This appeared recently and is a reasonable summary of the US story.

http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/06/coffee-pods-waste-recycling/

But wait.........our house has several of the machines, and it has never been an issue.  Yes, we use aluminium ones from a major supplier.  But they get recycled as per normal, even with the grounds in them.  They do not weigh much and recyclers do not worry.  Why you ask?

used coffee pods

Aluminium is heated to melt as part of recycling..................so guess what?  The coffee pod item is crushed, some coffee spills out, some does not, and the aluminium mass is then heated ......the organic residual that is the coffee grounds burns off in that process.  Hey presto ...........clean aluminium that can be poured for another ingot of aluminium - ready for reuse.

Sure, slightly simplified, but surely with an aluminium pod, where the metal is recyclable many times, almost indefinitely ........It Is NOT An Issue!

Maybe with plastic it might be, but there are systems you can refill yourself, with your own selection of coffee.  Been around for a number of years, and Di Bella sells them.  See www.mydibellacoffee.com.au .

Storm in  a coffee cup?

New Australian Mung Bean Variety:- Jade - AU

Mung beans were once a reasonably profitable crop in the NT in the 1970s and 1980s.  But growers used older and less than suitable fairly traditional varieties, and eventually the variety King was developed by the NT Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries as one variety better suited to the NT conditions.  It grew reasonably well, with better yields.

It was also used in Queensland and further variety development was also done there.  Over the past 20 years or so, there have been a few varieties released, but then industry still remains relatively small and fragmented, and varieties are still less than ideal for many conditions. 

But work has been done to try and develop a better variety with some disease resistance, and that larger bean size, of greater interest to users.

near mature mung bean crop [ not Jade-AU].
 

From the work, a new mungbean variety bred by Queensland’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) will be planted commercially this year after its official launch recently at the Australian Summer Grains Conference on the Gold Coast.

The new variety, Jade-AU, will be available in limited quantities for planting this spring season. Full details of the variety which has PBR accreditation, is on the PBR website.

Queensland Agriculture Minister John McVeigh said the new mungbean variety was the result of research investment led by DAFF and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). “It is expected to give growers long-term benefits in production and profitability.

In fact, an independent economic analysis has shown that this collaborative breeding project is delivering an 18:1 return on investment,” Mr McVeigh said in a statement.  “Jade-AU is a large green shiny mungbean that fits Australia’s main export market.  “It is expected to deliver up to $100 extra per hectare for growers compared to the current variety Crystal.   “This is due to an average 12 per cent higher grain yield and its better tolerance of leaf diseases such as powdery mildew. “Jade-AU has proven performance across the existing mungbean growing regions from central Queensland to northern New South Wales.

While Jade -AU has had limited testing, it does seem suitable for production in the Burdekin Irrigation Area. Further evaluation in the Burdekin is planned for next season. 

Maybe it is worth testing even further north in the NT. 

Jade-AU is co-owned by DAFF and GRDC and protected by Plant Breeders Rights.

The Australian Mungbean Association is the exclusive agent for its commercialisation, seed increase, and distribution to growers.

 

[in part from a press release by  Qld DAFF]

Live Cattle Export to Indonesia - Moving Again

Indonesian authorities have moved forward by just two weeks the quota for live export cattle from Australia for the 3rd quarter of 2013.

A boat of around 8000 head left Darwin this week, for Indonesia.  More shipments are planned in the near future.

But exporters are reputed to be cautious.  It seems that so far no increase in numbers has occurred but rather a bringing forward of the permits for the next quarter.  Which is helpful, but not a game changing event.

Most of the players it seems are likely to go quiet, and allow the issue to play out slowly.  And that is on both sides.

Australian exporters certainly would like the numbers to go up - considerably, but there are some political issues at play here on the Indonesian side and "quietly, quietly" seems to be the catchcry right now.  Both sides seem to know it is a valuable trade and offers benefits for both sides, but it is a bit tricky to balance various competing, often political, interests.

Could this situation change soon?  Some think it might, but do not hold your breath seems to be the message.

Coles to Back Off Due to Farm Lobby Pressure

Coles retreats at bush boycott

• by:SUE NEALES, Rural reporter
• From:The Australian  June 05, 2013 12:00AM

 

COLES is expected today to deliver farmers their first victory in their battle with the supermarket giants, pulling from sale shopping bags supporting Animals Australia.

Angry beef and fat lamb producers yesterday called for a mass boycott of Coles supermarkets because of their partnership with the animal rights group, saying the retail giant was deeply "anti-farming".

A spokesman for Wesfarmers -- Coles's parent company -- said last night it had taken notice of the "deep and genuine" level of interest in the issue from both sides of the debate.

Wesfarmers is expected to announce this morning it is withdrawing all bags from sale.

The spokesperson would not confirm the move, but said the company had great regard for its roots as a farmer-owned co-operative and wanted to avoid "further polarisation" of its stakeholders.

The National Farmers Federation had called on Coles and Wesfarmers, to reconsider their partnership with the animal rights group and to stop selling the shopping bags.

It is the first time the peak lobby group has so stridently attacked Coles -- which last year sponsored the NFF annual congress in Canberra -- accusing it of endorsing a "radical" organisation that wanted to shut down farms and rural jobs.

Coles and competitor Woolworths have also been at the centre of a growing row with struggling dairy farmers over the damage caused by continued sales of cheap $1-a-litre milk.

Sheep producers who supply Coles with thousands of lambs a year yesterday announced a blackban on sales to the chain. The moves follow outrage within farming circles at the decision to sell the Animals Australia bags at 500 of its stores this month.

Queensland cattleman Stuart Ogg said he was appalled at Coles's misjudgment and would make sure none of his Brahman-cross cattle ended up as prime beef steaks in its stores.  "Coles always seem to be looking for a point of difference or a cheap publicity stunt and don't care who they hurt in the process," the Carnarvon Gorge grazier said. "We have a very solid and sustainable industry; Coles siding with Animals Australia is a slap in the face for industry -- it's like them saying they don't think we are producing our meat properly."

One of NSW's biggest prime-lamb producers, Andrew Freshwater, announced he would be halting the supply of thousands of lambs a year to Coles until it reversed its stance.

Mr Freshwater said five other suppliers -- all the major producers in the eastern states -- were backing his stance, while other farmers intended to stop buying fertiliser and insurance from Wesfarmers. "I've had a gutful; (it's time) to make Coles sit up and take notice," he said.

Coles yesterday began selling more than 15,000 of the bags at checkouts in its metropolitan supermarkets, with 30c from each $1 sale going towards Animals Australia's campaigns.

NFF chief executive Matt Linnegar said Coles could not have it both ways -- it could not claim to be the best friend of farmers and a strong supporter of homegrown produce while supporting Animals Australia and its extremist anti-farming campaigns.

Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White yesterday wrote to supporters calling for them to write, email or tweet Coles affirming their support for the campaign and the anti-factory farming bag sales.

Copyright acknowledged  - The Australian newspaper. Reprinted in its full online version.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/coles-retreats-at-bush-boycott/story-e6frg8zx-1226657343212?utm_source=The%20Australian&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&net_sub_uid=17809288

Probably a good outcome - if true.  But this is but a battle - the war is still on!

Coles Supermarkets now Supports Animals Australia - Forgets Farmers

Supermarket dominance is probably not a good thing.

But when your major marketplace decides to support the opposition, by becoming a supporter for a major group that  advocates against livestock slaughter would you as a grower and producer of livestock continue to sell them produce, that is, your livestock?

This is effectively what Coles [ one of two dominant supermarket chains] has done in Australia this week by selling shopping bags labelled with Animals Australia signage, effectively supporting the pressure group.  Remember this is the group that has been opposed to live cattle export, and supports no livestock use for human consumption and was the prime agency in providing film footage that shut down the live export trade in 2011.

It is being dressed up as Coles supporting "ëthical" treatment and slaughter of stock.  But many see it as Coles outright support of phasing out livestock use.

Some farmers are now boycotting Coles, farmers who have been previously selling stock direct to Coles for sale in their meat section of the supermarket.

Woolworths is very quiet......no doubt hoping that Coles will deliver a signifcant gunshot wound to their own foot.  Many think that Coles have definitely fully put their feet in their mouth.

The material online is amazing on this subject - see http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/agribusiness/general-news/coles-fundraising-plan-bagged/2659322.aspx?storypage=0 

While the article is rational, do not forget to read the comments.  Many of those are not.  About 8-10 pages when I last checked- probably more than almost anything else over the past year or so.

The Australian farm community is up in arms over this issue.  Much of Coles marketing claims relating to meat products over the past several years, since the UK mafia.....sorry management arrived, has been mostly window dressing, or should that be spin, delivered to an ill informed public.

Will they now embrace grass fed livestock, a current marketing push by industry, as there are strong claims that grass fed stock are better flavoured, and could deliver a better return to growers, and would Coles pay more as beef buyers?  That might deliver some small, but real gains in cents per kg of carcass, to producers.


Update - midnight 4 June  It seems that the MD and chairman of Wesfarmers may be getting involved, they were not happy!! - this small bit of info was on the radio news.

New Melbourne Produce Markets - What a Fiasco!!

Of little relevance to the NT?  One would not think so, with mangoes, flowers, Asian vegetables, melons and other dry season produce all potentially sold or at least partially sold through one or more southern produce markets.

The Victorian government has been orchestrating a  move to a new market site at Epping, with planning and development occurring over the past few years.

But guess what? - the new market is smaller than the existing one at Footscray, the existing wholesalers will not fit, space is more cramped than the current site, the trading floor is significantly reduced and there is to be a ballot for locations.  This effectively reduces the number of wholesalers, and the group are very unhappy over the whole issue.  Some are expected to have to completely close.

The whole thing seems to be a bit of a shambles, according to some media reports.

Many wholesalers and the producers organisations are saying the job losses could exceed those recently announced at Ford.  Interestingly, the media seem to be ignoring this issue, with most of the noise in the specialist agricultural press and radio areas.

existing Melbourne Markets, Footscray

 

Greenhouse Emissions Decline in the EU

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- The EU's environmental agency says the 27-nation bloc's greenhouse emissions in 2011 were the lowest since it began monitoring them in 1990.

The European Environment Agency says greenhouse gas emissions dropped 3.3 percent compared to 2010, and were 18.4 percent below 1990 levels. It cited a milder winter in 2011 as the main reason for the drop.

Agency director Jacqueline McGlade said Wednesday the European Union was 'making clear progress towards its emission targets.'

The agency said nearly two-thirds of the emission reductions came from Britain, France and Germany, while the largest increases were in Romania, Bulgaria and Spain.
Press release from EU environment Agency


Some might question the statement that the European Union was 'making clear progress towards its emission targets.' and put up the thesis that declines in manufacturing due to economic turmoil and a less ardous winter were really the major factors in the decline in major economies emission.  That said, the overall declines over 20 odd years is the key metric, and that is very significant.

This data is for 2011.  Will 2012 also show further declines?  You might think so, if the factors highlighted are major issues, as Europe continues to be mired in low economic activity.

This region is one that has invested in less carbon intensive energy production, and major efforts to improve the energy management of its citizens.  Think solar panels, energy efficiency, better use of public transport and many, many more tweaks, both larger and smaller, and this is paying off.

For that congratulations are in order.  But do not stop now...........

More Money Coming For Agriculture

Slowly but surely money is commencing to flow back into agricultural research.

Even in Australia several large amounts have gone to both the universities of Sydney and Adelaide, yet government funds generally are still being restricted.

The EC is slowly moving funds into agriculture in its own countries.  See the following article -


The European Commission has earmarked a fund of €4.5bn to spend on agricultural research between 2014-2020 to boost innovation and crop science.

A new European partnership for research and innovation has already been put in place, bringing together representatives from the scientific and farming communities and forming the basis of a true strategy for sustainable increase in agricultural production.

According to Georg Hausler, senior civil servant in Commissioner Dacian Ciolos's cabinet, the link between science and farming was broken, partly due to consumers' fear of genetic modification.

"Farmers are asking for innovation and are unable to get it. It's investment in seeds and innovation that's needed."

Farmers in eastern European countries in particular had tremendous opportunities to increase productivity, simply through improved knowledge transfer on best practice and farming methods, added Mr Hausler. "There is huge potential to increase production through better techniques and crop science."


Will we see a corresponding move of more $$$ into R and D for agriculture in Australia?

Indonesia To Allow More Boxed Beef and Live Cattle

Well, yes, they have made the announcement, with some restrictions.

Boxed beef must be flown in to Jakarta, Bali or Medan - not shipped, but it appears that there will be no restrictions on the amounts of higher quality beef cuts that can be brought in this way.  No mention of other beef cuts though.  And the third quarter live cattle numbers have been brought forward to the month of June. 

This might seem a good start, but industry players are being very cautious.

Some say the issues with boxed beef involve organisation and access to the volumes needed [which I mentioned yesterday], and right now, a lack of clarity about the operation of the process.  This latter issue may well improve over the next few weeks.

The live cattle trade will be harder to organise and supply, as mobilising the required vessels and cattle will be much more difficult.  It also seems to ignore the fact that once shipped and after arrival in Indonesia, the animals will need to grow to a reasonable size before slaughter. Peak demand period is for post Ramadan Idul Fitri holidays, with day 1 on 8 August, and the Public Holiday on Friday the 9th.  National Day is 17 August.  It will be difficult to get animals shipped and grown before then. 

In reality, 30 -45 days growth in feedlots in Indonesia is a realistic consideration.  Some will remain longer, obviously, but the beef gap is now, and will be ongoing until numbers build up again, if that is possible.  Will they remove the current live weight maximum of 350kg or even increase it a little?

Nothing has been indicated by Indonesian authorities so far about ongoing live cattle exports in the latter part of the year.

Yes, there is some cautious optimism, but this is but a very small step forward.

More information is expected over the next few days and weeks.

Some news articles are around as well - see http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-28/indonesia-to-increase-live-cattle-imports/4716384 and here

http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/agriculture/livestock/cattle-beef/indonesia-increases-australian-beef-imports/2659173.aspx?storypage=0 

Both articles are very short of any detail.
 

More Live Cattle or More Boxed Beef for Indonesia - Confusion??

The more things change, the more they remain the same in the ongoing beef availability saga in Indonesia.

While some speak about a 35% gap between supply and demand [ as reported in the Jakarta Post over the weekend] many official positions are saying is is much less, maybe 10%.

However you adjust the data to suit the needs of various players, the nitty gtitty is that beef prices are up a massive 50- 60% over the past year, pretty well since live cattle imports from Australia were heavily restricted by Indonesian authorities from 2012.

There have been media leaks that there will be an increase in live cattle imports, but the reality is that this cannot allow adequate time for the animals to grow to a respectable market size and weight in the period up to Idul Fitri the post Ramadan holiday period - even if they were shipped now.  Shipping will not happen that quickly, even thouh adequate supply is believed to be available.  It takes time to organise the logistics of the exercise.

cattle loading on the wharf

More likely is that extra boxed beef import licences will be issued.  Maybe with live cattle to come as well.  But the boxed beef will allow quick supply if available from either Australia, or elsewhere.

Indonesians buyers might find this a bit tough as well, given the major increases seen in boxed beef supply to China over the past 5 months from Australia. 

Indonesia - do not expect cheap beef as an easy way out of the suppy and cost dilema that is emerging rapidly in the country.

As far as is known, there are no decisions YET.  There is in-fighting between Trade and Agriculture ministeries in Indonesia over the issue, and hopefully a face saving solution will appear soon.

As a suggestion - check out the Jakarta Post online, in English.  It is possible the news may be there first! - www.thejakartapost.com is the web site.

A decsion has to happen soon or there might be a lot more rabble rousing in Jakarta, especially, over beef prices.  It has happened already in 2012 and 2013.

Heirloom Seeds Now Big Business

http://live.wsj.com/video/homestead-sprouts-multimillion-dollar-seed-empire/E28023BC-CC5A-4081-A1E3-F6BB2BCB85FB.html?mod=WSJ_article_outbrain&obref=obnetwork&goback=%2Egde_1895585_member_244229795#!E28023BC-CC5A-4081-A1E3-F6BB2BCB85FB

This link takes you to a brief video link story from the USA about how a heirloom seed business grew to be a million dollar enterprise with markets selling the seeds world wide.

There is a market for heirloom garden varieties........we all recall those especially great tomato varieties grown many years ago by your grandparents.  Today, they have been replaced in the ordinary market.  however, there are a few who now want to grow these varieties, mostly in the home garden.  Often the older varieties are not as disease resistant, nor maybe as good at storing fresh.  But hey, if grown at home is that a big issue when in most cases it is the taste that is cherished.  Sometimes that is a real issue, other times less so.  But most are suitable for use fresh off the plant.

There are some who have continued to produce the seeds of these heirloom vegetables and flowers, and now they are often seen in speciality shops.  Most are in the US and Europe, but there are few operating in Australia also.  As demand has grown for these seeds, so have they.

This video showcases a quite successful US operation.  Lots of hard work and some independent marketing has helped build the business, and it is a real business.

Is this an opportunity as well?

Food Quality and Safety - Luck or Vigilance in Australia?

Australians like to believe we have excellent food quality and safety standards.  That is probably so, although there have been a few incidents in the past, say ten years, over some processed smallgoods in which some people died, and an occassional salmonella issue, particularly with poultry.

Overall mark - a tick.

Yet issues about Chinese food quality and safety continue to make headlines - not only in China but around the world.

Most recent - the issue of cadmium contamination in rice in southern China, which is making headlines this week.  Yesterday, Government officials in southern China sought to calm public ire about toxic substances menacing the region's main food staple, rice, after the city of Guangzhou said that nearly half the rice tested [44%] at restaurants this year had excessive cadmium, a heavy metal that can cause cancer and other illnesses.  Cadmium contamination in the body is one of the reasons why there is a major international recall and removal / replacement issues with a particular hip joint prothesis, so cadmium can be nasty, and high levels potentially fatal. 

Food is an obvious source of all heavy metals in the body, with a lot of historical precedents, as the cause of heavy metal problems in people.  Cadmium is one of those heavy metals, which just continue to accumulate in the body. 

Whie there is heavy industrialisation in China, and air pollution, the source of the cadmium is so far unidentified.

In Australia cadmium in foods is partially regulated through restrictions on the cadmium levels in fertilisers, especially superphosate and related phosphorus fertilisers, which can add cadmium to soils, ultimately reaching the products grown on that soil.

We do take our food for granted, not always realising the long chain of regulatory procedures prior to the consumer using the food products.

There has been a vigorous discussion this week on an Australian agribusiness forum about consumer views on use of Chinese food products imported into Australia.  Think major supermarket chains, frozen vegetables, fresh garlic, and other products.  Consumers in Australia are concerned over the intrinsic quality of imported Chinese food, and according to some views are worried that price which dominates supermarket chain thinking, might be compromising food safety.  It is NOT a xenophobic reaction........but one based on quality as well as a fair go for Australian producers.

Maybe we need to boost testing of imported Chinese food products.

And remember, Chinese consumers are buying Australian food products - think milk, among others, and paying more because we are seen as having clean safe food products.

 

applying superphosate fertiliser to pastures

Are All Green Roofs Effective?

Quite a common question and one where there is probably no definitive answer.

It depends.......why is it there, what is it expected to do, what species are present, where is the site [ location /climate] and how it was built.

A recent article in Scientific American online has had a huge response in comments, many debunking the assertion the green roofs don't work, as claimed by the author.

Truly, there is no real evidence presented - either way, in the many words delivered on the topic.

But how can a successful green roof be assessed?

While not an exclusive list consider the following claims that are made.

• Reduces roof temperatures and thus air conditioning and /or heating loads for the building
• Produces more oxygen in a city environment
• Absorbs CO2 and other gases by the plants and even some particulates or metals into the soils
• Uses rainwater and so reduces stormwater loads in the neighbourhood as well as absorbing materials in the rainwater [gases and particulates]
• Improves roof aesthetics
• Costs more to install and maintain
• May require an additional water source to meet plant needs in periods of water drought
• May allow food production on the site as a small food garden
• Must be maintained at some additional cost

This is far from a full list, but indicates that a green roof is not for all.

Careful design can do a lot to improve the situation and allow a green roof to function effectively at minimal costs.  While some push for native species on green roofs, that is not an essential feature by my views.  It has to function at modest cost and inputs, once established.

In the warmer regions, grass can be a useful species.  Yes, it may have to be mown sometimes, but many are tough species, and you can select those with minimal nutrition and mowing needs.

In Darwin there is a great green roof, which many do not even think about - the Speakers Green at Parliament House.  That is built over the roof of the basement car park, and uses zoysia grass - it generally looks fantastic!  This area is highly maintained and used intensively for functions, while being decorative.

In Singapore, the new water facility at Marina Barrage has a  very large green roof - again it is grass!

Some types of green roofs can be identified as intensive or extensive. [ Both examples above are extensive types, although the former could be argued over and is used frequently]. The intensive type often has garden beds, small trees, formal paths and grassed or untended areas with mass plantings as a mixed development and may be used intensively, while extensive green roofs are ones that are sometimes just grassed, or with mostly less tended scrambling plants, less if any in the way of paths and garden beds, and often not greatly used.

The article is worth reading but many comments are very critical of the author, often for failing to really understand the subject.  So yes, there are a range of views.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-manhattans-green-roofs-dont-work-how-to-fix-them&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_SP_20130520

In my view the green roof can be a great asset, but need a degree of planning involving several different professional inputs is needed for successful development.

 
  

Better Tasting Tomatoes

Do you think tomatoes are tasteless?   Many do.

They hanker back to fresh vine ripened tomatoes where both smell and taste were terrific.  If you grew up in a summer tomato production area like I did you can probably still smell that great odour from ripe tomatoes and taste the ripe flesh.

Today, even growing the same varieties, they are never quite the same.  Produced too far from fresh markets, they are picked too green to allow travel time and prevent damage.  When working in a tomato field, picking was made to be about getting what were called semi ripe tomatoes - thosse expecte to be at their peak in just a few days.  With major markets 50 -80km away, you knew they would be used at their peak flavour.

While modern plant breeding and production has delivered varieties that retain "taste"and ripeness over extended periods, so that production is often several thousand kilometres from the user, and they arrive in a good condition in the shops.........they are just not quite the same.  Many say taste less!

Fear not, the same plant breeding processes are on the trail and may have discovered some genes that are linked to six specific volatile compounds that enhance the perception of sweetness - the single most critical factor in any person's rating of a tomato.  These volatiles can fool the brain, with tomatoes having high levels being preferred to those varieties naturally sweeter [ based on sugar compounds].

The work is now underway to incorporate these genes into tomatoes to combine better taste and smell, while retaining keeping quality and extended ripeness.

This issue has been around for over 25 years - ever since tomatoes became a mass production crop grown a long way from consumers, but hopefully we may see some change soon.

fresh tomatoes on the vine
 

More here - http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1038/scientificamerican0513-84

UAVs Already Operational in Agriculture in Australia

Like I said a few weeks back - UAVs , or drones, are coming soon to a place near you.  And agriculture is the lead area where they will be used.

Read this article [ ABC today, 10 May 2013] - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-10/yamaha-uav/4681552

With a great shot of the helicopter - an unmanned Yamaha 4m long fitted with controlled droplet low volume spray rig for weed spraying serious woody weeds, in remote parts of Western Queensland.

The most interesting part is the expected usage rate of their equipment - and they are not the only supplier remember - in coming years.

They really do fill a niche in agriculture and land management.
[photo from ABC web site]

near Camooweal, near NT / Qld border spraying prickly acacia

 

Zoysia - Ideal for Low Maintenance Areas, Median Strips

The low maintenace or awkward to access areas such as median strips, within the road areas are well suited to low growing grasses such as zoysia.

Not the super puffy japanese type - Z.tenuifolia, but the more common z.matrella or Z.japonica forms.

While these varieties are also very widely used on golf and sporting areas in a higher maintenance mode, they can also be left with very low maintenance and used to provide excellent cover on median strips.

More common in Asia than north Australia, the short, dense, tough, low nutrient requiring grass which is zoysia, is tough enough to withstand some pretty rugged street conditions across some of the big cities in Asia, with widespread use in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, a few areas in Vientiane [ most main streets are less ordered than some other areas], although less so surprisngly, in Singapore, although more comon nearby in Johore Bahru.

It deserves more widespread adoption in north Australia where it should quickly reduce mowing frequency in areas where it is used.  That alone should significantly reduce maintenance costs.  While not as water efficient as Bahia grass, it is among the top two or three for water efficiency, and with lower mowing frequency, it will still be offering reduced overall maintenance costs.

Zoysia on median strip - Kuala Lumpur city centre
 

Turf Institute in North Korea

One would hope that turf research was not getting precedence over other more important food and agriculture priorities but it has been on centre stage today in North Korea.

Media reports show Kim Jong Un visiting a new North Korean turf institute near Pyongyang.

http://www.news.com.au/world-news/north-korea-dismantles-missiles-and-reigns-in-provocative-talk/story-fndir2ev-1226636420839

Will zoysia be a new weapon for peace?  Certainly appears in some of the photos.

Green Walls Grow in Singapore and Malaysia

Policy changes and enhancements are driving more green walls and roofs in SE Asia.

Becoming very common in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and now in many new developments.

A good example is the new Park Royal on Pickering Hotel in Singapore which is Singapore's first Platinum Green Mark hotel.  Quite an achievement...........and a lot of green walls help to reach this achievement.

In the foyer of Park Royal on Pickering

Green Roof and shading