Solar energy use for energy savings in dairy processing plants

New Zealand is one of the world’s largest producers of dairy products and has a climate with high levels of solar radiation; however, the use of solar energy in the dairy processing industry has received limited attention. An examination of historical records found that the annual peak in New Zealand milk production and processing occurs at a time when solar radiation levels are increasing markedly. An F-Chart analysis was used to simulate the performance of large-area arrays of solar collectors and to determine their suitability for heating and cooling in a dairy processing environment. For the study four types of solar collectors were analysed: glazed flat plates, evacuated tubes, evacuated tubes with CPC reflectors and a building-integrated solar collector under development at the University of Waikato (UoW). It was found that of these echnologies, both flat plate and evacuated tubes with CPC reflectors could make useful heating and cooling contributions. Furthermore, the solar fraction was determined mainly by the collector area to storage volume ratio. Finally, it was found that the UoW building-integrated solar collector could make a significant contribution to energy use in dairies and may be an attractive future technology for the industry.

Working with farmers for better agriculture in Timor Leste

Agricultural production in Tirnor Leste is of vital importance, both for the majority of the population who rely primarily on agricultural production for their livelihoods, but also in the broader development agenda of this new nation. The post independence lack of public agricultural extension and the destruction of much the resource base led to the current situation whereby the NGO sector is the primary provider of advice, extension and access to resources for agricultural production. The very recent move to invest once more in public agricultural extension services provides a timely point to assess the role, approach, issues and opportunities faced by NGOs. This research is based on discussions with a number of NGO personnel, both local, national and international and raises a number of questions regarding how the wide variety of organisations engage with communities, their objectives, inputs, coverage, and impacts. The discussion is framed by an analysis of the changing practices in agricultural extension and the associated role of NGOs, and questions how best the agricultural sector rnight move forward in providing appropriate support to the farmers of Timor Leste..

The Sustainable Farm Families Project : changing attittudes to health

Introduction: Farm health and safety has historically focussed on strategies such as injury prevention, safety audits and fulfilling legislative responsibilities. However, farmer injuries mask deeper health issues including higher rates of cancer, suicides, cardiovascular disease and stress. The relationship between occupational health and safety and farm family health has not been fully investigated. The Sustainable Farm Families (SFF) project attempts to make this connection in order to address premature death, morbidity and injury on Australian farms. The SFF project illustrates how increasing health literacy through education and physical assessment can lead to improved health and knowledge outcomes for farm families.

Methods: The SFF project focuses on the human resource in the triple bottom line and is working with farmers, families, industry and universities to collaboratively assess and promote improvement in the health and wellbeing of farm families. Based on a model of extension that engages farm families as active learners where they commit to healthy living and safe working practices, the SFF project is proving to be an effective model for engaging communities in learning and change. Health education and information is delivered to farm men and women aged 18 to 75 years using a workshop format. Pre- and post-knowledge surveys, annual physical assessments and focus group discussions form the methodological context for the research over a three-year intervention.

Results: This article discusses the progress of the research outlining the design of the SFF project, the delivery and extension processes used to engage 321 farm families from within a broadacre and dairy-farming family sample. The article presents key learnings on intersectoral collaboration, engaging farmers and families in health, and the future for this project extending into agricultural industries across the nation. Key results reveal that health issues do exist in farming families and are often underreported by family members. Health indicators were at a level where referral and intervention was required in over 60% of men and 70% of women in both broad acre and dairy industries. Farm men and women verbalised health concerns relating to access, support and control mechanisms of the health system. Participants also revealed how they put into practice their new knowledge and how this has influenced their health.

Conclusions: The key learning is that farm men and women who are at high risk of premature morbidity and mortality will participate in health education and assessment programs based on industry collaboration with high levels of individual participation. This program provides evidence that farmers will engage with health professionals if programs are presented to them in personally engaging and relevant ways. The SFF program is a definite tool for interventional health promotion that supports attitudinal change to health and farming practices.

Attitudes and knowledge of shade-coffee farmers towards vertebrates and their ecological functions.

The purpose of this study was to assess farmers’ attitudes, as well as perceptions and knowledge that shape those attitudes, toward the ecological role of vertebrates inhabiting shaded-coffee farms. We also aimed to determine whether differences existed among two groups of farmers: one that had attended environmental education workshops, and one that had not. We conducted 36 oral interviews of farmers in the region of Cuetzalan, Mexico. All farmers were members of an important regional cooperative, Tosepan Titataniske. In general, farmers’ attitudes towards birds were positive. Snakes were perceived as useful but dangerous animals. Attitudes towards nonflying mammals were mostly indifferent. Bats were poorly understood and badly perceived. Seed dispersal was perceived as an important ecological function performed by animals. Pollination was also perceived as important, but to a lesser degree. Knowledge about ecological functions was high for seed dispersal, and low for pollination. We found a positive correlation between attendance of educational workshops and the presence of “environmentally-friendly” attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge. However, a cause-effect relationship could not be clearly established. We suggest that environmental education programs include the objective of increasing the knowledge of people about the ecological functions played by different groups of animals that live in agroecosystems. Particular efforts should be directed toward improving the way in which certain non-charismatic groups of animals, such as bats, are perceived.

Measuring dairy farm performance

To fully consider production impacts, this thesis adopts a systems perspective and uses a biophysical model, DairyMod, to measure the interactions between system components and gauge the environmental impact of dairy farming arising from nitrogen use. Performance from the perspective of both the individual farmer and society is examined.

Evaluation of novel dairy fatty acids in inflammatory muscle-wasting conditions

This work examined the effects of a novel dairy fatty acid conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and its effects on muscle wasting in advanced cancer. Results showed a positive anti-inflammatory role of CLA on the supression of tumour growth and established a model for studying the action of CLA in human muscle-wasting conditions.

Australian farmers' and food processors' values

Purpose – The aim of this exploratory study was to examine and compare a range of business values held by farmers and food processors.

Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires with a section on business values were posted to 200 farmers and 200 food processing businesses in Victoria, Australia, with response rates of 44 per cent (n=69) and 31 per cent (n=48), respectively, achieved.

Findings – The most important of the 28 value items for farmers were high quality produce, honesty, and caring for employees. For processors, the most important values were quality products, customer value, and caring for employees. Between group differences reached statistical significance for one-third of the items. In particular, processor businesses valued innovation and convenience products more highly and had a stronger process orientation than did farming businesses. Environmental sustainability, caring for the community, and providing healthy products were more integral to farming than processing businesses.

Research limitations/implications – The main limitation was the small sample sizes, although it is likely that response bias was not high. Future research could survey a larger sample of food industry representatives and examine the values held by other food industry sectors.

Practical implications – This information could increase the effectiveness of communications with industry groups on a range of issues and in the formulation of appropriate health and environmental policies.

Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to compare the values of farmers and food processors. This information is particularly important for those in the food industry and health and environmental policy makers.

Reducing psychological distress and obesity in Australian farmers by promoting physical activity

Background: Studies have confirmed that the rate of mental illness is no higher in rural Australians than that of urban Australians. However, the rate of poor mental health outcomes, and in particular suicide, is significantly raised in rural populations. This is thought to be due to lack of early diagnosis, health service access, the distance-decay effect, poor physical health determinants and access to firearms. Research conducted by the National Centre for Farmer Health between 2004 and 2009 reveals that there is a correlation between obesity and psychological distress among the farming community where suicide rates are recognised as high. Chronic stress overstimulates the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that is associated with abdominal obesity. Increasing physical activity may block negative thoughts, increase social contact, positively influence brain chemistry and improve both physical and mental health. This paper describes the design of the Farming Fit study that aims to identify the effect of physical activity on psychological distress, obesity and health behaviours such as diet patterns and smoking in farm men and women.
Methods/Design: For this quasi-experimental (convenience sample) control-intervention study, overweight (Body Mass Index ≥25 kg/m2) farm men and women will be recruited from Sustainable Farm Families™ (SFF) programs held across Victoria, Australia. Baseline demographic data, health data, depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) scores, dietary information, physical activity data, anthropometric data, blood pressure and biochemical analysis of plasma and salivary cortisol levels will be collected. The intervention group will receive an exercise program and regular phone coaching in order to increase their physical activity. Analysis will evaluate the impact of the intervention by longitudinal data (baseline and post intervention) comparison of intervention and control groups.
Discussion: This study is designed to examine the effect of physical activity on psychological health and other comorbidities such as obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension and dyslipidaemia within a high-risk cohort. The outcomes of this research will be relevant to further research and service delivery programs, in particular those tailored to rural communities.

Closed vs open corporate social networking communities : a case study of the Victoria Police and Dairy Australia.

The availability of affordable, user-friendly audio-visual equipment, software and the Internet, allows anyone to become a content creator or media outlet. This exploratory case study examines the adoption of social networking by Victoria Police and Diary Australia, a non-media and non-profit organization respectively, in corporate communication, public infmmation and community relations. The paper initiates discussions on the implications for traditional media and audiences of this phenomenon. It content analyzed the two websites during a two-week period and conducted interviews with their moderators about the sites' content, functions and efficacy. The purpose, role and community acceptance of these sites are examined, along with organizational motivations for establishing these channels to reach audiences, bypassing traditional media's gatekeeping function. It highlights how these organizations may set both media and public agendas when traditional media use this web content in their news gathering and reporting, similar to using press releases in the past.

Invasive plants – Do they devastate or diversify rural livelihoods? Rural farmers' perception of three invasive plants in Nepal

In this paper, we examine how rural people in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park in Nepal perceive the effects of accidently transported invasive plant species, such as Mikania micrantha, Lantana camara and Chromolaena odorata, on their livelihoods. We found that their perception of the impact of each species on their livelihood varies with factors such as the duration of the presence of invasive plants in the landscape, and household characteristics. Results of a household survey indicate that farm households close to the forests have responded to the invasive species both as a victim and a beneficiary. Farm households are likely to adapt to the invaded environment as they have a history of interacting with invasive plants and can commoditise them through appropriate intervention. Additionally, the findings indicate that rural people are willing to invest in the control and management of invasive plants if appropriate technical assistance is available. Without assistance, they consider mitigating the infestation an unattainable mission and consider acceptance of the invasive species as a part of the rural ecosystem an inevitable outcome.

Biotechnology in U.S. agriculture: Trade consequences for dairy products

The emergence of synthetic bovine Somatotropin (bST) is one of the most widely discussed advances in biotechnology. Its potential impacts on milk production around the world could be significant. However, the exact economic impacts of bST in any one region depends on a number of factors, some of which are still highly controversial.

This article sets out to estimate the economic impacts of the adoption of bST in the United States, the single largest milk producer in the Western world. A quarterly econometric model of the U.S. dairy sector is used to forecast the total production, consumption, and excess supply of milk to 1995. The preliminary results indicate that under the assumption of a gradual rate of adoption and a 15 percent milk production response, the United States could be exporting as much milk as New Zealand by 1995. Should the production response rate or the adoption rate be higher, the United States could indeed become a major competitor in the world dairy market by 1995.

Although such a development could adversely impact on other dairy exporters, such as New Zealand, the precise economic impacts on world prices and trade would depend crucially on the position that other major dairy producers, especially the EC, adopt with respect to the use of bST.