Tag: australia

THE ability of microscopic plants to increase soil carbon and nitrogen levels may hold the secret for land managers in Australia's arid landscape to benefit from bio-sequestration, according to rangeland ecologist Wendy Williams of the University of Queensland. It is good news for producers who graze livestock on the arid or semi arid rangelands - regions with less than 500mm of rainfall - which form more than 70 percent of Australia's landscape. "Simple, microscopic plants grow on the soil surface of these areas, generally forming large masses or colonies which are visible on bare soil between plants or on rocks," Ms Williams said. "These single-celled micro-organisms were once called 'terrestrial blue green algae' and are now more correctly known as cyanobacteria, and well-managed grazing practices can encourage cyanobacterial soil crusts to thrive within their natural environment." Ms Williams explained that through the process of photosynthesis, cyanobacteria utilises carbon dioxide and converts it into biomass while replacing oxygen back into the atmosphere. They thrive in harsh...

A FOOD guide revealing which companies are believed to be using undeclared genetically engineered (GM) ingredients will step into a breach left by the Government's failure to reform inadequate food labelling laws, the guide's publishers say. Greenpeace released its Truefood Guide yesterday, with Cadbury, Western Star, Kraft and Woolworths, along with the baby food producers Karicare and Nutricia, among the dozens of companies named because they either do not have a clear non-GM policy or have refused to reveal whether they use GM ingredients in their products. Nestle, Foster's and Schweppes are among the hundreds of companies listed which have instituted a ban on the use of GM ingredients. The guide comes as locally grown GM canola oil is about to enter the human food supply for the first time, making its way into a wide range of products from margarines and dairy products to breads and confectionery. Consumers will have no way of knowing whether they are eating food made from GM ingredients,...

ONE of the world’s largest grain traders, Louis Dreyfus, has slowly started with a small team of regional representatives to acquire grain direct from the farmer, and this year will be active in a range of markets across Australia. Despite trading here since 1913, the company has been content to keep a low profile, mainly filling its needs through purchasing from the trade in the days of the single wheat export desk, rather than direct from the farmer. Today, Louis Dreyfus is an active buyer of wheat, barley, sorghum and canola, and has an accumulation network with offices in the Riverina, WA and Goondiwindi, Qld, with the head office in Melbourne. The focus will be on grain and oilseed accumulation, with the company looking at the export market. With this in mind, it has raised its profile in a bid to accumulate the grain for its customers. Speaking at a farmers' grain marketing meeting at Tungamah, Victoria, Louis Dreyfus' southern NSW/Victoria regional manager Bill Dudley,...

GRAINCORP is ready and waiting for what looms as a potentially monstrous southern zone harvest. Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) production estimates have flagged a harvest as high as nine million tonnes. But the east coast bulk handler network has said it is ready and waiting. Manager of storage and logistics Bruce Griffin said that after its round of pre-harvest meetings, GrainCorp was confident it had sufficient storage in place. "We're spending dollars at key Victorian storages to expand our receival capacity," Mr Griffin said. Nor is the company perturbed about executing logistics for a range of exporters. Corporate affairs manager David Ginns said deregulation had nothing to do with the logistical nature of the business. "The tonnes were there no matter who was buying," Mr Ginns said. "Our tasks in receiving, storing and handling the grain will remain the same – the matter of dealing with an increased number of exporters is a different matter; at an operational level it won't make it any more difficult." Mr...

AUSTRALIA'S food and grocery industry turns over more each year than our automotive or housing sectors, and combined with pre-farm gate agriculture would outstrip mining too, according to a new report launched in Canberra tonight. The Australian Food and Grocery Council's 'State of the Industry 2009' report, launched by Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, revealed the food sector's turnover was worth $100 billion and responsible for more than 38,000 businesses in Australia. It said in the five years to June 2007, the sector's turnover had increased by 5.9 per cent, with the fresh produce sector incredibly recording growth of 32pc. It says dairy and meat manufacturing are the food and beverage sector's two largest industries. The combined value-add for food, grocery and fresh produce is around $27 billion, and the combined sectors account for 9.1pc of Australia's total international trade, or valued at $49 billion in the past 12 months. The report was prepared by KPMG and is the first time the industry has released...

THE Department of Agriculture and Food has warned farmers to start checking their livestock and paddocks for signs of annual ryegrass toxicity as the organism which causes the disease is spreading. DAFWA scientists have warned most areas in the Wheatbelt were now known to contain ARGT organisms and that the Lakes District and surrounding areas north to Hyden could be ‘hot spots’ for ARGT this year. The disease costs Western Australian farmers an estimated $40 million each year in lost production and livestock deaths, and economist David Kessell said a new map of ARGT affected areas showed the potential for the disease was spreading. “The organisms that cause the disease are now present from Northampton, throughout the agricultural areas and the coastal plain through to Esperance,” he said. Mr Kessell said pasture paddocks that were in crop last season were particularly at risk. “It is important that farmers in at-risk areas look for deformed ryegrass heads and maybe yellow slime,” he said. “If they have any...