Last Updated: Thursday 8th of July 2010 06:04:00 AM -0500CDTA South Australian researcher is turning pig poo into fish food for the aquaculture industry.
Biotechnologist Andrew Ward breaks down pig waste, turning it into nutrients to feed water fleas, which then become fish feed.
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Last Updated: Thursday 11th of February 2010 12:33:00 PM -0600CSTSome deft manoeuvring by Australian negotiators in Europe and Russia has substantially broadened export opportunities for the beef industry during 2010 and beyond.
In the European Union (EU) market, Australia now has access to a brand-new 20,000 tonne multi-country quota for high-quality grain-fed beef — reportedly the first new quota category to come out of Europe in about three decades.
In Russia, an important emerging market, Australia seemed likely to be locked into a miserly 10,000t quota until its position was recently re-negotiated into another shared quota allocation of about 448,000 tonnes.
The new EU quota is hedged about with strict criteria: beef must be 100-days grain fed to AUSMEAT standards, and must meet additional age, diet and days on feed requirements over and above existing accreditation schemes here and in Europe.
Australia must also share the quota with, among others, grain-feeding heavyweight the United States, which inspired the quota in the first place.
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Last Updated: Thursday 4th of February 2010 09:35:00 PM -0600CSTThe clean, green image of a steer in lush pasture has a hidden cost, according to a new MLA-funded study: it’s not as greenhouse friendly as the same steer in a less picturesque feedlot.
But the study also showed that Australian red meat production has one of the lowest carbon emission profiles in the world, with a carbon footprint half to a third lower than those often quoted.
The life-cycle analysis compared the greenhouse cost of producing a kilo of grass-fed beef compared to a kilo of grain-fed beef, and found that despite the emissions in producing and transporting grain, grain-feeding is more efficient from a greenhouse perspective.
It is already well known that a grain diet, which is more easily digestible than the cellulose fibres of grass and so calls on less methane-producing microbes, will in itself produce less methane.
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Last Updated: Thursday 4th of February 2010 09:32:00 PM -0600CSTAustralia - prices continue to draw some strength from the lack of grain reaching the market in southeast Australia.
Growers have been hunting higher prices and continue to hold their stock in warehouses and on farm.
Accordingly, prices for general-purpose stockfeed wheat are up $6 a tonne this week to $207 a tonne delivered to Melbourne.
Despite this, many buyers are in no rush.
They see large quantities of grain in storage at prices over those that are internationally competitive.
Buyers believe growers will need to sell soon as cash flow will be important next month.
Our tables this week report changes to grain pools.
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Last Updated: Thursday 21st of January 2010 09:31:00 PM -0600CSTA Methven based stockfeed business has just changed hands, but locals have still retained a stake in the company.
Feed.jpgAdvanced Feed Ltd will now be jointly owned by Australian based Gardner Smith Ltd as well as a group of Ashburton District investors.
General manager Richard Lee said it was exciting to have the opportunity to be part of Advanced Feed.
"We are optimistic about the future of the dairy and grain industries within the Canterbury region and this business is involved in both. We look forward to growing our business with our existing customers and suppliers, particularly in the local community."
The two parties to the joint venture, Nutritional Investments Limited and Gardner Smith NZ Limited, brought different areas of knowledge to Advanced Feed and these skills would be used to bring new feed products to the market, he said.
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