Developing improved supply chains for temperate fruits in transitional Asian economies of Thailand and Vietnam.

Asia's increasing demand for both tropical and temperate fruit is projected to grow significantly. Compared with most developed countries, the production of temperate fruits (peach, nectarine, plum and apple) has expanded rapidly in China over the past 20 years. In contrast, current production of plums and peaches in neighbouring countries (Thailand and Vietnam) is very low but their fruit enters the market earlier. Thailand and Vietnam have enormous potential to satisfy a market window in the northern hemisphere period from March to May inclusive when there is little or no stone fruit on the Asian market. In Vietnam, fruit is harvested in an immature state to avoid disease and fruit fly problems and consequently lacks size and flavour. Approximately 30-40% of locally produced fruit in Vietnam does not reach market due to disease and poor handling during picking and transport. In Thailand, much of the infrastructure needed to transport, store, process and market temperate fruits successfully are now in place. However, there are currently no cool chain management or quality assurance systems to ensure a fresh product reaches the consumer with minimal deterioration. In Vietnam, growing stone fruit under the traditional system with little or minimal inputs, the farmer may receive between AUD3,000-5,000 per ha. In comparison, under higher input systems incorporating fertiliser, irrigation and pest and disease management, net returns can be increased seven-fold. Strengths and weaknesses of the current supply chains in these two countries are discussed.

Environmental regulation in the pork producing industry - bring on the research!

Over the last 20 years, environmental management in Queensland has moved from the policy backwaters of government to the front line of operations by way of regulatory enforcement, industry programs and incentives. When the new Queensland Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EPA) came into effect, the business of environmental management has become a central feature of urban and rural development activity. The concept of environmentally sustainable development (ESD), has given life to the precautionary principle as a way for planners and regulators to place relevant controls on development. The planning, development and operation of pig farming systems has been effected by the new regulatory framework. Ever more definitive standards and approval permits have emerged which endeavour to achieve ESD. With these modern planning instruments in place, rural industry sectors have become, quite legitimately, concerned about future opportunities for research and innovation. This paper asserts that the capacity to engage in research and to achieve innovation in the pork producing industry is not hindered by Queensland environmental regulation frameworks. However, in order for research and innovation to prosper within these frameworks, some protocols need to be followed by the industry. What is at stake is community confidence.

Development of profitable milk production systems for northern Australia: a field assessment of the productivity of five potential farming systems using farmlets.

Farmlets, each of 20 cows, were established to field test five milk production systems and provide a learning platform for farmers and researchers in a subtropical environment. The systems were developed through desktop modelling and industry consultation in response to the need for substantial increases in farm milk production following deregulation of the industry. Four of the systems were based on grazing and the continued use of existing farmland resource bases, whereas the fifth comprised a feedlot and associated forage base developed as a greenfield site. The field evaluation was conducted over 4 years under more adverse environmental conditions than anticipated with below average rainfall and restrictions on irrigation. For the grazed systems, mean annual milk yield per cow ranged from 6330 kg/year (1.9 cows/ha) for a herd based on rain-grown tropical pastures to 7617 kg/year (3.0 cows/ha) where animals were based on temperate and tropical irrigated forages. For the feedlot herd, production of 9460 kg/cow.year (4.3 cows/ha of forage base) was achieved. For all herds, the level of production achieved required annual inputs of concentrates of similar to 3 t DM/animal and purchased conserved fodder from 0.3 to 1.5 t DM/animal. This level of supplementary feeding made a major contribution to total farm nutrient inputs, contributing 50% or more of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium entering the farming system, and presents challenges to the management of manure and urine that results from the higher stocking rates enabled. Mean annual milk production for the five systems ranged from 88 to 105% of that predicted by the desktop modelling. This level of agreement for the grazed systems was achieved with minimal overall change in predicted feed inputs; however, the feedlot system required a substantial increase in inputs over those predicted. Reproductive performance for all systems was poorer than anticipated, particularly over the summer mating period. We conclude that the desktop model, developed as a rapid response to assist farmers modify their current farming systems, provided a reasonable prediction of inputs required and milk production. Further model development would need to consider more closely climate variability, the limitations summer temperatures place on reproductive success and the feed requirements of feedlot herds.

Sugarcane smut after three years: a policy retrospective.

The detection of sugarcane smut disease (Ustilago scitaminea) in the Bundaberg-Childers region of eastern Australia in 2006 triggered a comprehensive and united response from BSES Limited, Queensland Government and CANEGROWERS. The response to sugarcane smut in the Bundaberg-Childers area was the first test for the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed, an agreement between Australian governments and plant industries to facilitate a response to a plant pest incursion. As part of this response and the subsequent inquiry, economic models of the likely pattern of spread and cost of the smut epidemic were prepared. This paper reviews the predictions of those models in the light of the subsequent three years' experience. It examines reasons for divergence from the modelled outcomes, some of which were good approximations of actual experience.

Recirculation prawn farming project

This report provides the results from research undertaken in North Queensland towards recirculation of prawn farm waste waters through bioremediation ponds.

Lobster aquaculture development in Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia

This project will support the sustainable development of lobster farming in Indonesia to meet global demand for tropical lobsters at high prices (>$US60 /kg). It will also address sustainability issues for the lobster farming industry in Vietnam and provide verification of lobster growout at commercial scale in Australia. The project will adapt technologies developed in Vietnam and apply them in Indonesia to establish a village-based industry for impoverished coastal communities. The Australian component will assess land-based growout systems to prepare for the likely availability of hatchery-reared lobster seed. Hatchery technology is currently being commercialised in Queensland through a partnership between DEEDI and Lobster Harvest Pty Ltd.

Spiny lobster aquaculture development in eastern Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia

The project was successful across all objectives, making demonstrable progress in support of establishing tropical lobster farming in Indonesia. The industry remains most active in Lombok where lobster seed resources are most abundant, and impact has been greatest there. Nevertheless, project activities have established activity and interest in lobster farming in other provinces and particularly Aceh and, South and Southeast Sulawesi. The project met all of its 23 milestones with the exception of publishing a production manual, which has been held over until 2017. For several milestone activities, further research will be required to build on the outcomes generated and reach practical commercial outputs. The research was instigated to address the opportunity to establish a significant small-holder based industry in Indonesia that could alleviate poverty in coastal communities. The premise was that such an industry – lobster farming, had been established in Vietnam, with ACIAR involvement, and it could be replicated in Indonesia where the availability of necessary basic requirements had been confirmed through a previous ACIAR project focussed in Vietnam (FIS/2001/058). The broad aim was to assess, develop and expand the resources of naturally settling lobster seed (puerulus), and develop grow out of those seed to meet export market demand. This was to be achieved by adapting and transferring to Indonesia technology from Vietnam, where lobster farming had become a successful industry producing 1,500 tonnes of export quality lobsters valued at $A100 million.

Nitrogen requirements of Burdekin soils to inform Reef Policy legislation

Reef Project 20: Nitrogen fertiliser requirements of representative soils of the Burdekin (BRIA and Delta), and peaty soils of the Wet Tropics to inform the ReefWise farming Nutrient Calculator.

Economic case study of ABCD cane management practices in the Burdekin River Irrigation Area (BRIA) region

A case study was undertaken to determine the economic impact of a change in management class as detailed in the A, B, C and D management class framework. This document focuses on the implications of changing from D to C, C to B and B to A class management in the Burdekin River irrigation area (BRIA) and if the change is worthwhile from an economic perspective. This report provides a guide to the economic impact that may be expected when undertaking a particular change in farming practices and will ultimately lead to more informed decisions being made by key industry stakeholders. It is recognised that these management classes have certain limitations and in many cases the grouping of practices may not be reflective of the real situation. The economic case study is based on the A, B, C and D management class framework for water quality improvement developed in 2007/2008 for the Burdekin natural resource management region. The framework for the Burdekin is currently being updated to clarify some issues and incorporate new knowledge since the earlier version of the framework. However, this updated version is not yet complete and so the Paddock to Reef project has used the most current available version of the framework for the modelling and economics. As part of the project specification, sugarcane crop production data for the BRIA was provided by the APSIM model. The information obtained from the APSIM crop modelling programme included sugarcane yields and legume grain yield (legume grain yield only applies to A class management practice). Because of the complexity involved in the economic calculations, a combination of the FEAT, PiRisk and a custom made spreadsheet was used for the economic analysis. Figures calculated in the FEAT program were transferred to the custom made spreadsheet to develop a discounted cash flow analysis. The marginal cash flow differences for each farming system were simulated over a 5-year and 10-year planning horizon to determine the net present value of changing across different management practices. PiRisk was used to test uncertain parameters in the economic analysis and the potential risk associated with a change in value.

Modelling interactions between farm-level structural adjustment and a regional economy: A case of the Australian rice industry

Climate change and on-going water policy reforms will likely contribute to on-farm and regional structural adjustment in Australia. This paper gathers empirical evidence of farm-level structural adjustments and integrates these with a regional equilibrium model to investigate sectoral and regional impacts of climate change and recent water use policy on rice industry. We find strong evidence of adjustments to the farming system, enabled by existing diversity in on-farm production. A further loss of water with additional pressures to adopt less intensive and larger-scale farming, will however reduce the net number of farm businesses, which may affect regional rice production. The results from a regional CGE model show impacts on the regional economy over and above the direct cost of the environmental water, although a net reduction in real economic output and real income is partially offset by gains in rest of the Australia through the reallocation or resources. There is some interest within the industry and from potential new corporate entrants in the relocation of some rice production to the north. However, strong government support would be crucial to implement such relocation.

Fate of key food-borne pathogens associated with intensive pig and poultry farming environments

Intensive pig and poultry farming in Australia can be a source of pathogens with implications for food-safety and/or human illness. Seven studies were undertaken with the following objectives: · Assess the types of zoonotic pathogens in waste · Assess the transfer of pathogens during re-use both within the shed and externally in the environment · The potential for movement of pathogens via aerosols In the first and second studies the extent of zoonotic pathogens was evaluated in both piggery effluent and chicken litter and Salmonella and Campylobacter were detected in both wastes. In the third study the dynamics of Salmonella during litter re-use was examined and results showed a trend for lower Salmonella levels and serovar diversity in re-used litter compared to new litter. Thus, re-use within the poultry farming system posed no increased risk. The fourth study addressed the direct risks of pathogens to farm workers due to reuse of piggery effluent within the pig shed. Based on air-borne Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels, re-using effluent did not pose a risk. In the fifth study high levels of Arcobacter spp. were detected in effluent ponds and freshly irrigated soils with potential food-safety risks during the irrigation of food-crops and pasture. The sixth and seventh studies addressed the risks from aerosols from mechanically ventilated sheds. Staphylococci were shown to have potential as markers, with airborne levels gradually dropping and reaching background levels at 400 m distance. Salmonella was detected (at low levels) both inside and outside the shed (at 10 m). Campylobacter was detected only once inside the shed during the 3-year period (at low levels). Results showed there was minimal risk to humans living adjacent to poultry farms This is the first comprehensive analysis studying key food-safety pathogens and potential public health risks associated with intensively farmed pigs and poultry in Australia.