Dana Bucur ON!
Ag universe, here I am!
Dana Bucur and her first video appearance.
Talking about Romanian agriculture and a slight hint on her business activity. Stay tuned, more coming!
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Is the farmland ‘bubble’ ready to burst?
http://brownfieldagnews.com/2010/10/27/is-the-farmland-bubble-ready-to-burst/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrownfieldAgNews+%28Brownfield+Ag+News%29&utm_content=Twitter...
The Global Food Crisis
The end of the plenty
By Joel K. Bourne Jr
Photograph by John Stanmeyer
It is the simplest, most natural of acts, akin to breathing and walking upright. We sit down at the dinner table, pick up a fork, and take a juicy bite, oblivious to the double helping of global ramifications on our plate. Our beef comes from Iowa, fed by Nebraska corn. Our grapes come from Chile, our bananas from Honduras, our olive oil from Sicily, our apple juice—not from Washington State but all the way from China. Modern society has relieved us of the burden of growing, harvesting, even preparing our daily bread, in exchange for the burden of simply paying for it. Only when prices rise do we take notice. And the consequences of our inattention are profound.
Last year the skyrocketing cost of food was a wake-up call for the planet. Between 2005 and the summer of 2008, the...
Experts forecasts a rerating of ag-related investments
Land may become the world’s biggest asset class, and listed farm operators win an upward rerating, Hardman & Co has said in a report identifying agriculture services groups as the next focus of sector investment.
Farmland prices have, in doubling in the UK and US over the last decade, made shares look “an embarrassingly inept bet”, the London broker said. Stocks have fallen by 10-20% during the same period. Farmland, whose $5,000bn value equates to about 7-10% of the value of world equity markets, could be worth 15-25% of share values by 2020.
“By 2050, it is possible to argue that food producing land might have a superior value to all other asset classes,” Hardman analyst Doug Hawkins said, noting forecasts of rising global populations.
“This land is feeding over 6bn people and is being pressed into feed a further 3bn by 2050.”
The broker noted the growth of funds dedicated to investing in farmland, with Emergent Asset Management proposing to invest some $4bn...
Tyres key to efficiency
BY GRAHAM FULLER
26 Jun, 2010 10:26 AM
TRACTOR drivers may be familiar with the trend towards higher road speeds, but the latest tyre technology continues to take the industry to the next level.In the eyes of Sydney-based Tyres4U national manager, Robert Kovacs, tractor tyres are "very technical pieces of equipment," allowing modern-day farm workhorses "to do what they need to do".
With a wealth of experience under his belt he makes the point that tyres remain one of the most important features on any tractor, requiring attention to detail when optimising the in-paddock performance of any tractor/implement combination.
"Not only do you have to bear in mind ground compaction but also wheel-slip and driver comfort - to name but a few issues," Mr Kovacs said, adding that not every tyre suits every application.
"While a big 500hp 4WD tractor would be equipped with specialist broadacre tyres they would be entirely unsuitable...
Invest in VINEYARDS / WINE Romania!
Excellent opportunity in Niculitel area (Tulcea county) for:
• Vineyard farm
• Grapes collection
• Wine storage (large capacity barrels)
• Warehouse and office building
Niculitel is one of the most famous vineyards areas of Romania. Remember we are in Northern Dobrogea, very old land of mankind (Macin Mountains the oldest in the world). The landscape is beautiful and at every pace you meet nice people, old women dressed in popular costumes and tradition.
The varieties of grapes in this area are for white wines : Aligote, Riesling italian, Feteasca alba etc and for red wines: Feteasca neagra, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir etc.
Have a look at the large capacity barrels, they are in good condition and ready to be used.
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Research into cutting nitrogen bills
June 23 2010
THE production of wheat and barley varieties which can access and use nitrogen more efficiently could cut farmers’ fertiliser bills while reducing environmental damage from fertilisers leaching into the soil, especially in sandy areas.
A recently started five-year Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project has been set up with the goal of developing more nitrogen efficient varieties through a process of assessing genetic variability in nitrogen use efficiency in Australian wheat and barley germplasm, including advanced breeding lines.
The project involves researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA), the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) and the University of Sydney, with contributions from major Australian breeding companies.
UWA researcher Winthrop Professor Zed Rengel said high fertiliser prices were driving the development of new cultivars better able to acquire and use nitrogen.
“Modern grain production relies on relatively large amounts of synthetic fertilisers to...
Silos and transport ‘offer good scope for profits’
Companies have a "good opportunity to make money" building the infrastructure needed to feed a world population growing by some 100m people a year, a top executive at oilseeds giant Bunge has said.
While the need to raise crop production by 1.7bn tonnes in the first half of the century to feed the growing population had been appreciated, the problems of transporting and storing the extra had been largely ignored, Carl Hausmann said.
"The infrastructure needs of the world have been underinvested in over the last several year," said Mr Hausmann, the former chief executive of Bunge in Europe and North America, now head of the agribusiness giant's corporate affairs.
"But if farmers do not get more facilities to store, deliver crops, they cannot increase their production. Infrastructure is a linchpin of the entire agricultural system."
Public vs private sectors
Developing the transport facilities and silos needed to meet this demand looked likely to come down to private companies, given the squeezes on public sector...
Why farmers need a pay rise
By Lucy Knight
FARMERS are in need of a pay rise if they're to be expected to keep producing food for the world, a parliamentary hearing in Canberra was told last week.
Science writer and former head of CSIRO media, Professor Julian Cribb, told a Senate Inquiry on food production last week that major investments in farmers were needed to make it worth their while getting out of bed each day.
What's happening instead, he said, is increasing competition for cheap food supplies by major supermarket chains the world "closing down" or "destroying" local industries and driving more and more people out of agriculture.
Professor Cribb has recently launched a new book, The Coming Famine, where he speaks of the global food challenge and what efforts are needed to avoid it, including an entire chapter on securing a 'fair deal for farmers'.
He told the hearing the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation...
40 Investing Quotes To Lead You Through Any Market
Via: www.investinganswers.com
1. Those with the enterprise lack the money and those with the money lack the enterprise to buy stocks when they are cheap. -Benjamin Graham
2. A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. -Henry Ford
3. Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make. -Donald Trump
4. After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world. -Calvin Coolidge
5. "Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas. -Paul Samuelson
6. If investing is entertaining, if ...