CSIRO research, underway in Central Queensland’s cattle country, is investigating whether the integration of trees, pasture and livestock into a single agricultural system will produce greater net returns for producers and the environment. The ’silvopastoralism’ system is gaining worldwide attention as a potentially profitable land-use practice, particularly following the emergence of new market opportunities such as carbon trading. CSIRO Livestock Industries’ (CLI) project... ...Read more »

Wal-Mart has announced that they will source more local produce in their endeavour to keep prices down. The announcement comes at a time when America is readying itself for its’ annual Independence Day celebration and is part of Wal-Mart’s strategy to evoke greater connection to their customers on patriotic grounds. Wal-Mart use hundreds of growers across the United States and already are America’s largest purchaser of local produce. In the summer months about one fifth of produce... ...Read more »

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is calling on the Australian Government to actively petition for new accounting rules under the Kyoto Protocol to ensure agriculture’s sequestration of carbon is acknowledged.”The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties’ examination of the rules under the new Kyoto Protocol, and how they affect Australia, is timely,” NFF President David Crombie said. “A full and sober analysis of how Australia will be impacted is essential.” “Australian... ...Read more »

The high cost of fuel is wreaking havoc with some food and beverage industries worldwide, with demands for government aid increasing by the day. Winemakers in the south of France have vandalized supermarkets and burned two police cars in the southern city of Montpellier. The protest by vintners last week was in response to skyrocketing fuel costs and falling prices for regional wines. The thousands of protesters were seeking to draw the government’s attention to the plight of winemakers in... ...Read more »

The agricultural sector in China’s Sichuan province has suffered enormous damage estimated at around $6 billion caused by last month’s devastating earthquake, the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) said overnight.According to an FAO assessment mission that recently visited Sichuan province, over 30 million people in rural communities have been severely hit, losing most of their assets. Thousands of hectares of farmland were destroyed, millions of farm animals died, houses and... ...Read more »

International and local dairy experts have warned that dairy farmers must be rewarded for developing and implementing sustainability initiatives if the industry is to overcome the challenges of climate change.The advice comes from dairy industry leaders who attended a forum hosted by the NSW Dairy Industry Conference and Milk Marketing NSW earlier this month in Sydney, where a commitment was made to the development of a ‘Climate Change Road Map’, modeled on UK and USA examples. Mr George... ...Read more »

DuPont science will help the world’s farmers increase their productivity and meet the growing global demand for grain, said William Niebur, DuPont vice president - DuPont Crop Genetics Research & Development, at an investors’ conference last week. “This is an extraordinary time in agriculture globally. It is critical that we use our best scientific tools to ensure global food security through sustainable increases in agricultural productivity,” Niebur said at the annual... ...Read more »

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a survey on Salmonella levels detected in slaughtered pigs across the EU in 2006-07 indicating that Salmonella was found in one in ten pigs for human consumption. Salmonella was estimated on average to be present in 10.3 per cent of pigs slaughtered for human consumption, according to the EU-wide report from an EFSA Task Force. Levels for Salmonella detected in pigs varied from 0% to 29% between Member States. Among all Salmonella detected,... ...Read more »

South Korea’s Agriculture Minister, Chung Woon Chun, has told a Korean television audience that the market for US beef will officially open next week. The minister sent a request to the Ministry of Administration to print the final protocol yesterday and this is usually a two to three day process. The issue of US beef imports has caused heated debate in South Korea with protests a common occurrence in the wake of the initial announcement back in April. South Korea banned US beef imports... ...Read more »

Agricultural commodity prices should ease from recent record peaks but over the next 10 years they are expected to average well above their mean levels of the past decade, according to the latest Agricultural Outlook from OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, is pleading for the breaking down of trade barriers with restrictive trade practices likely to cause greater distress. “The way to address rising food prices is not through protectionism... ...Read more »