Norm is the fourth generation of the Smith family to run Glenwood, a farm which dates back to 1898. His Great Grandfather (and namesake) Norman Smith, was loaned 2,000 pounds by his father, Henry Smith – a leasehold farmer on nearby Geurie Station – to buy part of the property.

Neighbouring properties were bought, and farm management practices evolved to grow Glenwood into what it is today – a lush, green, sustainably and ethically-run merino farm and stud which is a haven for the 1,100 stud ewes and over 3,500 stock ewes which roam the hills producing some of the finest and softest merino wool going.

Just about every inch of Glenwood is carpeted in perennial native ground cover, providing quality feed for the stock and crucially a protective forcefield against drought and flood.

When Norm, the eldest of three brothers, took over the farm aged 28 from his father Brian, he and his childhood sweetheart, Pip, had just been married.

Norm had some ideas about how the farm should be managed to ensure its sustained success, but implementing change always has its challenges. After all, resistance from the previous generation happens out of concern it may backfire, and then there are the decisions and actions needed to forge the new path.

Holistic farm management was the first change Norm wanted to introduce and this meant taking the whole picture into account – the people, the financials, the animals, and the land.

It also meant shifting to time-controlled grazing with all 3,000 ewes (instead of the usual 300) kept in one paddock but for a shorter period before being moved on to rest the land and give the plantings a chance to naturally regenerate.

“Holistic management was quite a big change for Dad and for us it meant we made mistakes. There were plenty of mistakes early on about the way you manage larger mobs of sheep and cattle.”

Norm Smith.

The other was adopting SRS genetics – pioneered by ex-CSIRO veterinary scientist Dr Jim Watts over decades. SRS genetics are famed for producing a plain-bodied wrinkle-free merino which eliminates the need for the controversial practice of mulesing and decreases fly strike. The result – happier more fertile sheep which can produce the highest quality super soft merino wool.

Norm says whilst his father did have reservations, he did not stand in the way of change. Brian passed away 10 years ago but saw how the changes further transformed Glenwood into what it is today – a thriving example of regenerative farming and ethical, humane herd management.

“I’ve always said there is an innovation in each of the generations. My father’s innovation was spreading pasture out of a plane and my grandfather was one of the first to fly super phosphates out of a plane. Both of these activities have greatly improved Glenwood,” Norm says. “For our generation, we feel that holistic management, time control grazing, and the adoption of SRS genetics are our innovations.

“I am very thankful to Dad that he gave us the opportunity to manage Glenwood and to make our own mistakes. He didn’t necessarily agree with holistic management or SRS merinos, but he gave us the opportunity to make our own decisions about breeding and the way we wanted to manage Glenwood.”

With time-controlled short-term grazing down pat, Norm says the benefits are substantial.

“We no longer re-sow pastures because we’re regenerating them via the grazing. We went from a high input/high output farming situation with significant chemical and fertiliser inputs, to a very low input system.”

Norm Smith

“Our productivity hasn’t changed over that time, but the profit margin is a lot more stable and resilient during good times and drought times.”

Meet the next generation

Norm and Pip also brought five fabulous children into the world – Chloe, 24, Amber, 23, 22-year-old twins Maggie and William, and Daisy, 14.

Chloe the creative

First born, Chloe, is a fashion and photography graduate and is making her mark on the creative scene in Sydney, while working part-time as a disability support worker. Having lived in the city for six years, Chloe has great appreciation for Glenwood.

“I love the stillness of the land and I have gained a whole new appreciation for the peace Glenwood has to offer. I’m so grateful to have grown up there and to be able to go back whenever I want.”

Chloe Smith.

Chloe’s creative prowess and photography skills have come in handy when taking photos and editing them for the family’s Love Merino luxury clothing brand’s website and Instagram page.

“It’s special because this is what I studied at university, and I get to be a part of Love Merino through that,” she says.

Chloe also acknowledges the work her father has done with Glenwood. “I think following in his footsteps will be hard, but I know my siblings have learnt so much from him and I know they will continue to progress Glenwood more and more,” she says. 

Amber in Alice

A graduate of animal science from Armidale’s University of New England, Amber is now working north of Alice Springs and can only see herself living on the land and, if possible, being a part of Glenwood going forward.

“At Glenwood we will continue to produce the most beautiful merino wool, while also looking after the land, the people and the animals. We are the custodians of the land as our ancestors, grandparents, and parents have been, for future generations of the Smith families,” she says.

When she’s not working in far flung locations, Amber loves going home.

“I have a deep love and compassion of all animals big and small, so I help Dad with anything that needs doing on Glenwood whenever I am at home. I also help Mum with Love Merino by doing social media posts, ironing, packing, offering advice on designs and colours and any other help I can give,” she says.

“Growing up on the land is a wonderful way to live. It is not always easy with the ever-changing rainfall, floods, droughts, mouse plagues and bushfires, but if you love what you do then it’s easy to get up and go to work.”

Amber Smith.

Maggie the carer

Maggie is a fourth-year nursing student at Notre Dame University in Sydney and has plans to head back to the country once she’s got a few years of nursing experience under her belt.

“Growing up on a farm meant there was always something to do, whether it be helping Dad in the paddocks, feeding the work dogs, or adventuring with my friends or siblings. I’ve learnt so many life skills from living on a farm and I’m very grateful for my parents having raised me on Glenwood,” Maggie says.

“It also taught me about being a hard worker and having a strong work ethic. Nothing in life comes easy and you have to work hard if you want something.

“Both my parents work extremely hard for the things they love, including their family, and this has played a massive role in how I view life.”

Maggie Smith

Will the future farmer

When William Smith is not slogging it out for the Robb rugby team, he is studying a Bachelor of Agriculture at University of New England, Armidale or working at Glenwood. The art of patience and knowing that if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right are key learnings he has gained growing up.

“I’d love to follow in my father’s footsteps and keep moving forward with his values and genetics,” Will says.

“Ever since I can remember my grandfather, my uncle and especially my father said that you need to take the time to do things properly. So, for my part, I try to work to those words and work my hardest whilst doing the job right. I most commonly find myself helping Dad wherever he needs me and just getting things done. I also help Mum when she needs me to with Love Merino.

“In the next generation, I’d like to see the farm striving for the values, goals and genetics my father and his father have been working hard to reach. I’d like to see Love Merino grow to a much bigger size with maybe a small store.”

Will Smith.

Daisy the student

Currently in Year 9 at Kinross Wollaroi School in Orange, Daisy says what she most loves about Glenwood is the open space and fresh air – and her favourite poddy lamb, Jenny.

“I especially love all the animals we get to have and look after. I love it when we have poddy lambs. My Mum and I have one right now from lambing last year and her name is Jenny,” Daisy says.

“When I am at home, I help my Dad with what he wants me to do, which is usually things like helping move sheep and cattle into the yards, lamb marking, I look after the poddy lambs, get rid of bad weeds around the paddocks and when we have our field days or ram sales, I help cook lots of food for it.”

For such a young girl, Daisy has already learnt so much – how to be resilient, handle responsibility, follow instructions,  and nurture a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for the land and all animals.

The other business: Love Merino

In 2015, Pip Smith launched luxury fashion brand, Love Merino. All of Love Merino’s products – scarves, pashminas, wraps and baby blankets – are made using 100 per cent merino wool from Glenwood and are knitted, hand-dyed and finished in Australia with each of the Smith children having a role to play in this business.

“The process is challenging, to be able to have everything processed and manufactured here in Australia, but our aim is to maintain quality and traceability,” Pip says. “We remain committed to the cause and work with a number of highly talented craftsmen, artisans and designers to produce our quality Love Merino garments.”

The first Love Merino range in 2016 was designed by Manuela Strano, a designer based in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The garments are dyed using traditional Japanese methods by Stanmore-based, Shibori, a creative partnership belonging to Pepa Martin and Karen Davis.

After the initial release, the designs have continued to be made in a collaboration between Pepa and Karen at Shibori, along with Pip and her daughters.

Love Merino was borne out of an idea to create clothing products which could be traced back to a specific flock. The brand is also a great vehicle for promoting the sustainable practices and ethical flock management that is taking place at Glenwood.

“We decided to branch out from straight up and down wool production into the design, manufacturing and marketing of fine merino wool garments,” says Pip.

“It was a leap of faith, in our fibre, in the future of the wool industry and in our ability to gauge what the market wants and how to best supply and sell into that market.”

Pip Smith.

Juggling being a mum, helping Norm on the farm and Love Merino means Pip’s days are full to the brim. But she says her family always come first.

“I always put my family first and helping Norm on the farm second. Unfortunately, Love Merino has to come third. Life is short and I have learnt that whatever will be will be. I am very driven to have Love Merino succeed, and I know it will,” Pip says.

If you enjoyed this feature on Love Merino, you might like our story on how farmers can value-add and why it is so important.

The post Meet the Smiths, and Love Merino appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

But with the world facing the challenge of feeding 10 billion people by 2050, cultivated cell-based meat production is set to grow as technology progresses, pricing decreases and consumer awareness grows.

To help future-proof global food supply, alternative protein producers are popping up everywhere with a growing number of cell-based cultivators among them. 

In Australia there are nine cell-based agriculture start-ups growing meat, milk, cell media – a concoction of proteins, electrolytes, sugars and lipids which feed the cells, so they divide and multiply – plus scaffolds which turn mince-like products into three-dimensional pieces of meat. Even human breast milk is being grown using cellular technology in Victoria from mammary cells from mums who have given birth prematurely.

Overseas an abundance of cell-based production is happening. San Francisco-based Eat Just – an alternative protein producer – is selling cell-grown chicken nuggets in Singapore. In Israel, Aleph Farms, is perfecting a 3D constructed steak, while Singapore-based Shiok Meats has set its sights on shrimp paste.

Cultivated meat being grown in Australia

Australia has two cell-based meat producers. One of them is Vow, a Sydney-based bio-tech start-up which has attracted nearly $20 million in venture capital. It is looking beyond recreating commodified meats which are already produced on huge scale and at premium quality in Australia.

Vow co-founder George Peppou says cell-based agriculture has huge potential as it’s not limited to the three-dimensional structure of farmed meat and can be creatively tailored.

“I am not for one second trying to make Australian beef or chicken breast or anything that exists today because frankly it is a fool’s errand,” George says.

“We all know every meat eater, including myself, is an expert in what a chicken breast tastes like. When you set the expectation by trying to match something that is well known, there is always nit-picking with all the problems with it.”

The other reason is this type of production is already well in hand.

“Australian farmers, particularly when you talk about beef and lamb and the extensive grazing process, are hands down the best from a sustainability and product quality perspective,” George says.

“I would say lean into the quality and sustainability of the products you already produce, not waste your energy worrying about us because this is going to happen. This is going to have a much more disruptive impact on global commodities coming from factory farms across the world, not on Australian cattle and sheep roaming around on Aussie fields.

“Don’t be afraid of cultured meat and plant-based meat that is happening in Australia because we have the potential to become huge customers of agricultural 

commodities. On the plant-based side there are things like yellow peas and on the cell-based side amino acids and sugar. We can become very premium paying customers of the Australian agriculture sector. We can do this and be one protein industry and one agriculture industry using both new and traditional technology.”

There are many reasons why George is passionate about Vow.

Number one is the environmental and economic benefits of Vow’s compressed supply chain between commodity inputs (think sugar, salts, amino acids) and the value-added outputs – think crocodile nuggets and other exotic delights.

The other is the culinary wizardry it avails itself to – particularly exciting for George, a former chef who trained as a biochemist and later worked in the meat industry and ran ag-tech accelerator programs at Cicada Innovations.

“We are working across about 15 or 16 different species at any one time so we find elements of growing those cells and then we can explore how these elements can manifest into a new product and how that can serve markets and value propositions that isn’t a replica of what already exists,” he says.

“Alpaca muscle is fantastic. Crocodile connective tissue is amazing, and you can grow them and mix them together and they start to become ingredients. In meat today everything is locked in a three-dimensional structure, and you can’t break it apart and access individual parts but because we have this exclusive control of what we are growing we can start to see these as ingredients.”

Converting the carnivores to cultivated meat

Replicating the taste of real meat has long dogged the alternative protein sector with the absence of fat being a continuous bugbear.

This is a problem that caught the attention of scientist James Petrie while he was working at CSIRO on projects that included building a canola variety with algal genes to create fish-free fish oil for Nuseed.

He launched Nourish Ingredients two years ago to create other animal-free fats by fermentation which would help fill this gap.

Nourish Ingredients has raised over $14 million in venture capital funding with more to come. It uses a similar process to beer fermentation, but instead of the yeast turning into alcohol it becomes fat.

The fats are still in development but are being tested by companies like Vow.

“Taste is always the number one priority. When carnivores put these foods into their mouths, it has to be, in my view, over 100 per cent when compared with traditional meat products. When I bite into a steak, I want that taste and experience and you need to get that same sort of result if you are going to convert the carnivores,” James said.

“I think companies have done a good job trying to get people like vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians to eat plant protein foods, but I don’t think they are reaching through to the carnivores and that is what we need to do.”

The price for cell-based meat is currently around $100 per kilogram, but this is expected to dramatically decrease by 2030 when the products are tipped to hit Australian supermarkets.

Vow will commercially release its first product this year in Singapore, a popular launch pad for cell-based producers as it has a clear pathway to market. 

That said there are no roadblocks to launching in Australia with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) confirming cell-based meats will be covered by existing guidelines when an application is received.

“To date, FSANZ has not received any applications to amend the Code to permit genetically grown or cell-cultured meat. Under Australian and New Zealand food law, all food businesses must ensure food for retail sale is safe and suitable for human consumption. This includes complying with regulatory requirements,” a statement to The Farmer said.

Challenges faced

Bianca Le, the founder of Cellular Agriculture Australia – a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and accelerating the research of cellular agriculture in Australia – says the sector can benefit from Australia’s strength in stem cell research, regenerative medicine and agriculture but government investment, education and career development and infrastructure are required.

“The majority of the investment that goes into it is from private investors so this means there is a lot of innovation happening but there is a lack of public knowledge of all of the research and innovation which makes it harder for such a new industry to grow,” Bianca says. 

What do the farmers say?

NSW Farmers’ Cattle Committee member and owner of Gundamain Pastoral Co., Tess Herbert, acknowledges the growing need for protein and understands that in a free market many types – cell-based, plant-based or manufactured – will be sold.

She is concerned about how these proteins will be labelled and marketed – an issue currently being examined in the Senate Inquiry into Definitions of Meat and Other Animal Products. 

“It is really all about truth in labelling,” Tess says. “These products are new and emerging, and we don’t really know what they will look like. How the red meat industry reacts depends on how these emerging protein industries will describe, market and label
their products. 

“Many of the submissions to the Senate Inquiry specifically mentioned the current FSANZ definition of meat – to call a product beef, lamb or even crocodile it has to be the flesh off a carcass of a slaughtered animal, so they can’t really make claims to be meat. It may be cell-based or plant-based or entirely manufactured but it is certainly not beef or lamb under this definition, and currently companies are labelling it as such. 

“The red meat industry is by no means saying that cell-based proteins should not be part of the protein industry. We are just saying don’t call it meat – beef, goat, lamb etc.” 

The other concern is any potential denigration of the red meat industry on environmental and animal welfare grounds that could result from this marketing. Tess added the red meat industry has done and continues to do a great deal of work on emission reductions (feed additives, genetics etc), welfare and product life cycle analyses.

“The discussions about cell-based, plant-based and manufactured proteins always miss the story about the role of ruminants in the landscape and its part in the natural carbon cycle.  Less than eight per cent of the Australian land mass is suited to cropping but over half is used for running livestock, largely on native vegetation, or to a lesser extent on modified pastures.

This land is ideally suited to livestock and red meat production. Ruminants have this amazing ability to convert low quality protein, like grasses, into high quality nutrient rich food. Nearly 90 per cent of livestock feed globally is made up of plant material that is not human edible,” she said. 

“Ruminants are part of a natural carbon cycle; it is not like a fossil fuel or a manufactured meat where an emission is made and just remains. Cattle and sheep emit methane, which oxidises into carbon dioxide, through photosynthesis this is taken up by plants as carbohydrates, which are then consumed by ruminants, so completing the natural cycle. With a reasonably stable herd there are no more new emissions being made.”

If you enjoyed this feature on cultivated meat, you might like our story on other ag innovations.

The post Celling meat – is cultivated meat really here to stay? appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

The economics of supply and demand are favouring dairy farmers, the Australian dollar has settled and a mandatory Dairy Code of Conduct which was introduced in January 2020 is giving farmers a stronger voice in processor contract negotiations. 

Long-term minimum price contracts are increasing the appetite for investment.

Favourable seasonal conditions are boosting production. Dairy Australia figures show New South Wales dairy farmers bucked a national trend with milk production up around three per cent in the first three months of the 2021/22 financial year.

If this continues, NSW will outstrip the national average which Dairy Australia predicts will rise by up to two per cent, with 8.8 to 9 billion litres forecast for the national milk pool.

Global and domestic demand is strong and farmgate prices are up.

Stock feed is plentiful and cheap, although higher grain and fertiliser costs are offsetting these gains. Labour shortages continue to be an issue, as is concern about mice and disease impacting crop yields.

Whilst times are good, the spectre of the hard times hover and that is why NSW Farmers is overhauling its Dairy Committee and recruiting a dedicated Dairy Manager who will ensure the issues of dairy farmers are prosecuted at a state and national level.

A good change for us

Malcolm Holm is a multi-generational dairy farmer at Finley in the Riverina region. He’s also the Vice Chairman of the NSW Farmers Dairy Committee and sits on the Australian Dairy Farmers National Council.

He witnessed firsthand the difficulties dairy farmers faced as the compound effect of years of low prices meant they didn’t have the financial strength to survive the drought.

Thankfully this is changing. 

“We are still seeing people exiting the industry, but we are seeing existing farmers who are wanting to grow and expand,” Malcolm says.

“In this area we’ve had two or three large sheds go up and farmers are continuing to expand their herd. This is probably reflected by the strong market for dairy cattle but even though the cow prices are high, there is also an equally strong demand for dairy cattle.”

Labour shortages exacerbated by COVID-19 remain a key issue, along with higher input costs and delays in receiving machinery and other supplies. But conversely Malcolm’s farm and others in his region have received a full water allocation which helps offset these costs.

“In real terms dairy farmers in the southern milk pool are now seeing a 33 per cent increase in the price of milk. We’ve gone from 2016 where every litre of milk was being produced at a loss to now actually having some reasonable margins,” Malcolm says.

“It is challenging as those inputs are now starting to bite, but there is positive cash coming through our businesses now. I think the mandatory code has half stopped all the pricing games that used to happen. There is still a bit of that going on, but there is a lot less of it.

Malcolm Holm, multi-generational dairy farmer at Finley in the Riverina region.

“Dairy farmers know on the first of July how much they are going to get, whereas previously they might not have known the minimum price their processor was going to pay until the end of July which made it very difficult for them.” 

Malcolm says the turnaround is a welcome change after some tough years.

“We’ve got full allocations of water so that sets a good base for us and there has also been good quality silage, the cows are producing well, and milk prices are pretty reasonable,” he says.

“Labour continues to be a worry and I think some of the input prices around fertilisers and chemicals have increased, but this is being offset by lower water prices, so the cost of growing summer crops is similar to last year.

“Having said all of that, this is still one of the better times in the last 10 years so things are looking pretty good which is a good change for us.”

NSW Farmers Dairy Committee chair Colin Thompson acknowledges there are positives in the industry but says there’s no time to rest in supporting farmers to ensure the right operating settings are in place.

“Seasonal conditions have played a big role in the turnaround, and we are seeing reasonable and good milk prices, but we still have the impacts of $1 milk and unfair competition in terms of supermarket monopolies,” he says.

“These issues tend to subside, and other areas improve, but they are still there, and they are still very real. They are still things we have to do deal with.”

Australian Dairy Farmers CEO David Inall notes a lift in optimism, but adds this doesn’t mean hard times will not return.

“We do get a sense that most farmers are feeling quite upbeat about the season and about prices and this is all very good for confidence which provides some impetus for investment and growth,” he says.

“But there are still pressures out there, particularly fertiliser out of China is becoming very expensive. Labour is also a big concern. We would be looking for government support to stimulate labour back into the dairy industry. There is always work to be done and we never want to lose sight of that.”

Bega Cheese triumph

ASX-listed dairy processor, Bega Cheese, has triumphed through the hard times.

In February 2021 it acquired Lion Dairy and Drinks from Kirin Holdings for $534 million and added Farmers Union and Dairy Farmers branded milk, chilled juice, and yoghurt to its stable while also expanding its very own manufacturing and distribution footprint. 

It was yet another high-profile win for Bega  Cheese which earlier returned all time favourites – Vegemite and Peanut Butter into Australian hands after a period of foreign ownership.

Bega Cheese chairman Barry Irvin says it has been a fantastic year for the company, which started as a farmers’ co-op in 1899, and he is also pleased to see cheerier times for farmers.

A dairy farmer himself, Barry agrees the situation is positive, adding the serious on-farm dairy infrastructure investment taking place in the Bega Valley is proof.

Beyond traditional milk revenue streams, Barry sees huge potential in sustainability initiatives like carbon sequestration, adding technology will play an increasing role in boosting productivity.

But he admits increasing productivity is a long game to play.

“I’ve been a dairy farmer for a long time, and it takes a long-term strategy to significantly lift your own farm’s supply, and out of that will come confidence. I think we are beginning to see the first shoots of optimism,” Barry said.

“It is not just about one thing. I think it is about a number of things, but it starts with how upbeat farmers are feeling about their industry and how confident they feel about the future.”

Whilst Bega Cheese wasn’t among the processors to implement price clawbacks, Barry says that he supports anything that promotes confidence in the dairy industry.

“From a Bega Cheese point of view, we are very happy with the mandatory code. We had no problem in complying with it because it reflects our behaviour.
Bega never initiated a clawback that created the need for the code, and we weren’t the only one,” he said.

“It was a couple of unfortunately very large companies that did this, and the sad truth is the processing sector got tarred with the same brush over something that we disagreed with as strongly as the farmers did.”

Looking ahead, Barry points to strong competition for milk with genuine growth in milk-based beverages, yoghurt and cheese.

“At the moment global supply and demand is in pretty good balance. If anything, demand looks a bit stronger than supply and this has its inevitable outcome as it improves the return you get for milk, so this is a good story for farmers,” he says.

“There will still inevitably be some volatility as it occurs around the world with good seasons in the northern or southern hemisphere, but supply and demand are balanced. 

“I’m not an economist, but you could say that some of the market indicators are good domestically and they are good internationally, but circumstances can change.”

Times are changing

A fresh approach to the dairy industry will ensure Aussie consumers can enjoy the milk, cheese and yoghurt they love long into the future, with NSW Farmers playing a leading role in advocating for farmers.

 NSW Farmers was crucial in ensuring calls for price fairness were heard in kitchens and breakfast tables right around the country, and the association is now adding a new Dairy Manager role to deliver specialised policy advice and advocacy, coinciding with the release of the state government’s NSW Dairy Industry Action Plan. The Action Plan, developed by NSW Fresh Milk & Dairy Advocate Ian Zandstra with input from NSW Farmers, was aimed at creating a fairer system while also investing in the future of the sector.

 NSW Farmers Dairy Chair Colin Thompson said the association was a key part of reshaping the leadership of the dairy industry at state and federal levels, and this new Dairy Manager role would ensure farmers would continue to be involved in the implementation of those plans.

 “The dairy industry has had a number of challenges and setbacks over recent decades, from drought to absurdly low milk retail prices,” Mr Thompson said.

 “The dairy industry needs coordinated advocacy as it faces old and new challenges, from processor and retailer relationships to competition from plant-based alternatives, high energy prices and environmental changes.

 “It’s time for meaningful action and NSW Farmers looks forward to the chapter ahead.”

 Mr Thompson welcomed the emphasis on research, development, extension and adoption programs aimed at unlocking higher productivity and profitability, de-risking the dairy industry, and developing new markets.

 “NSW Farmers has been a key player in the development of this Action Plan, primarily through our advocacy and our role on a state industry advisory panel,” Mr Thompson said.

 “We pushed for the installation of a NSW Dairy Advocate, and we were successful in seeing that come to fruition in 2019, and now NSW Farmers will be one of the handful of stakeholders on the Dairy Action Implementation Panel, established to oversee the implementation of the Action Plan.”

If you enjoyed this feature on the dairy industry, you might like to read our story on our lettuce industry.

The post The future is bright for our dairy industry appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

But five years of deep drought, which was compounded by the devastating ‘Black Summer’ bushfires that started in northern NSW in late 2019  and then widespread flooding in NSW this year, significantly raised the bar.

The drought hit everyone and every farm to varying degrees. Farmers de-stocked and hand-fed their livestock at great financial, physical and mental cost, while some grain growers didn’t even get the header out of the shed. 

Many experienced the trifecta – drought, fire and flood – while others endured the drought and flood combo, which brings huge challenges as drenching rain has nowhere to go when it hits bone-dry ground.

Throw in a mouse plague and a COVID-induced worker shortage and the challenges deepen. But, like much in life, when there is a down there is also an up.

Cattle and lamb prices have gone through the roof, which is great if you are selling – although not so good if you’re buying – and good weather is creating a positive outlook.

Farmers may have a few more lines etched in their faces, but they are pushing on and preparing for what comes next.

A trifecta of challenges 

Rob Miller from Milton on the NSW South Coast suffered the trifecta – drought, bushfire and flood – and he says it’s taken 18 months to recover both mentally and physically.

He runs dairy cattle on 2,000 acres at Milton and lost about 150 cows, plus fencing and water infrastructure, when a series of bushfires decimated his property in January 2019.

He says the fires just kept returning as winds changed and temperatures soared beyond 40 degrees. 

The drought also left him with no stockfeed and with the fires closing highways it was difficult to have it trucked in, creating another headache.

“The fire hit us four times, and I guess we were too good at firefighting,” Rob says. “We kept holding it back, but because there was still something to burn it just kept setting off again. It’s taken 18 months to really get my mental and physical strength back, and during that time we had three or four floods as well.”

Rob is grateful for the community assistance and the $75,000 NSW Government disaster grant he received.

“BlazeAid were just brilliant, we were the first farm they came to in Milton and they did a great job helping re-build fencing,” he says.

“We also had a group of farmers come up from Deniliquin who helped me pull up all the burnt fencing. I was physically exhausted and quite traumatised, but they just came in and stayed on the farm in our tourist cottages and did the clean-up. There was great help for us.

“A lot of people talk about resilience, but what these disasters tell us is just how fragile we are. Life is fragile, farming is fragile, and under the cost pressures we face today it is nearly enough to break people. We may be resilient and bounce back, but a lot don’t.” 

As part of his bounce back, Rob has rebuilt his herd back to 1,000. “The farm is so picture perfect now. We are probably having our best season in 20 years, so it’s a nice change,” he says.

Rob’s other focus is trees. Before the bushfires he had planted thousands of eucalypts and wattles, but after watching them combust in minutes, he is replanting deciduous maples and oaks. “It is a bit against the trend, but it’s what we’re doing,” he says.

Rob and his partner, Carey-Anne Jackson, also supplement their income with an online store called ‘Hunter and Pumpkin’ – named after their two ginger farm cats. 

After ferocious floods

If Helen Carrigan, a sheep farmer on the Welbon Plains in northern NSW, could choose she would take drought over floods.

Neither are great options, but Helen says it is easier to proactively de-stock or hand feed where you have some control.

“A flood is different – you can’t control a flood,” Helen said.

When floodwaters transformed their property into an inland ocean in March, Helen and her husband, Chris, had done all they could to save their stock.

“All we can really do is keep our eye on the weather prediction and move stock far away from the creeks to higher ground. Our paddocks are big and the stock have time to move. We just hope not to receive eight or 12 inches of rain in one night. If the wind changes the sheep may walk, ending up boxed up against a fence and trapped,” she said.

Despite their efforts stock losses were high, although they haven’t been able to do a proper headcount as some paddocks have been too wet to access.

In a further blow, the Carrigans’ maiden ewes were lambing as the flood hit.

“We normally join in late November or December and are lambing at the end of May or June, but Chris decided to join our maiden ewes earlier, and so they were lambing in March. This meant they were starting to lamb the night the flood hit,” Helen said.

“Some were heavily pregnant so that was pretty devastating.”

But recovery is happening. “The sun is shining now, surface water has finally dried up, the farm is looking great, and we can move sheep around,” she said.

“We’ve sold wethers at a good price, the sheep and meat market is strong, there is an abundance of pastures, we have lambs on the ground, so there are a lot of positive things happening.

“We appreciate the support available with the NSW Government Flood Recovery Grant, this has made a huge difference in recovery with flood damage as compared to previous years after flooding.”

Things are looking good

At 71 years of age, grazier Kevin Tongue from Loomberah is no stranger to drought.

But he says this drought was “longer and harder” because there was no stockfeed to be found. “In 1964 when I left school, we were in drought, but we were able to get our own feed whereas a couple of years ago we never got the header out of the shed as we had nothing to harvest,” he says.

Kevin runs his farm with his wife Janelle, sons Paul and Ben, and their families. To keep operating during the drought they bought hay and paid $400 a tonne for grain.

“We bought 15 road trains of hay from South Australia, and we had to pay for it before we got it, so we wrote out a cheque for $120,000 and hoped the hay was good,” Kevin says.

“It was a gamble, but it paid off. The people we bought the hay off and the transporters stuck to their word with the price, which was a blessing to us.”

Kevin says that keeping the animals fed was gruelling, but all hands were on deck. “It was constant, we did it every day, for two years. The grandkids were great – they got in and helped, they knew what was going on and what had to be done.” 

Now as the recovery and rebuild continues, they are preparing for the next big dry. They’ve built a new 1,000-tonne grain storage shed, cleaned out the dams and are testing a new bore.

So, are things on the up, then? “The canola is in flower and looks a picture. We’ve got barley starting to break head which could be a little bit early with some of these frosts that are about, but we’ve got to run that risk, so it is looking really good,” Kevin says.

Not taking things for granted in Bega

Cattle drifting down flooded rivers was a common sight on TV screens earlier this year, and this was the reality for Raymond Grant when 24 of his 36 Black Angus cows were swept away.

Knowing the flood was coming Raymond had moved his herd to a neighbouring property, but when the Bega River rose five metres in one and a half hours, his plan unravelled.

“By the time I got over there the water was up to their bellies and it was moving so fast. They started to go down and I was following them in water up to my armpits trying to get them to cross over,” he says.

“Then I dropped under a couple of times, and I thought ‘I think I’d better get out of here’. It was about 8pm and pitch dark.”

The next day 16 of Raymond’s cows were found loitering in town. Two days later four more showed up three kilometres downstream, and then after that two more were recovered nine kilometres away after a very long swim. 

Two were never found and are presumed to have been washed out to sea. “I hadn’t seen a flood like that before, but I’ve only been doing this for five years,” Raymond says. We’ve been in drought since I started, then we had horrendous fires and then the flood.” 

Getting back on track hasn’t been easy with kilometres of fencing down and still needing repair. “There was also a lot of debris scattered everywhere. Everything gets washed down the river, and when it comes up that high it takes everything – pieces of tin, board, whatever is in its way.”

NSW Farmers supports oyster industry 

To help the oyster industry recover from bushfires, flooding and COVID-19, NSW Farmers is rolling out three NSW Government-funded projects.

Professionalising the oyster industry

Through the ‘Responsible Oyster Farming Program’ oyster farmers can up-skill by completing a series of short online or face-to-face modules which are aligned with industry code of practice. After each module is completed, farmers can then apply for funds to implement the recommendations they have learned about.

Marketing NSW oysters

This consumer marketing campaign is about boosting oyster sales after drought, fires, floods and COVID-19, which meant many farmers missed the peak summer and Easter sales periods. It dovetails with a Seafood Industry Australia campaign and involves NSW Farmers, OceanWatch and Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters working together to produce posters, recipe cards, tray labels and social media posts to promote oysters over the next 18 months.

Real-time water monitoring

Environmental monitoring in 13 NSW estuaries by the Food Agility CRC and its partners is already showing that real-time data may increase the number of harvest days for oyster farmers.

If you enjoyed this feature on farmers recovering from disasters, you might want to read our feature on farmers on the frontline of crime.

The post Road to recovery after drought, fires and floods appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

A recent study of 1,500 people by Australian Pork Limited found a staggering 76 per cent of consumers thought they were buying Australian ham and bacon, when really the products were made using imported meat.

Often the only Australian-grown ingredient in a packet of bacon or ham is the water and brine used for curing. But despite this the packaging includes the iconic kangaroo logo, which for many automatically tells us the product is made in Australia.

Whilst this is correct – as bacon and ham made using imported pig meat is cured, smoked, and finished in Australia – it is often the case that the amount of Australian ingredients is marginal, around the 10 per cent mark.

Many, including Australian Pork Limited CEO Margo Andrae and NSW Farmers Pork Committee chair and pig farmer Ean Pollard, say the appearance of the kangaroo logo could be confusing for consumers even though it has every right to be there. 

New research from Australian Pork Limited backs this sentiment, with three in five Australian consumers, or 61 per cent of respondents, reporting they find current labelling confusing.

Whilst all fresh pork sold in Australia is 100 per cent Australian, it is not the same when it comes to smallgoods.

To make sure you are buying Australian-grown bacon and ham, shoppers need to check the bar chart that appears under the kangaroo logo. This shows the portion of ingredients that are grown in Australia. The less shaded in the bar chart is, the less the amount of Australian ingredients used.

This number fluctuates between 10 and 30 per cent. But to be assured you are buying Australian grown bacon and ham, it needs to be 90 per cent or higher.

The other way to be sure that what you are buying is Australian grown is if the packaging carries the pink square Australian Pork logo.

Another way to check – especially if you are looking for a nice ham for your Christmas lunch table – is one favoured by Ean. 

“If you buy a ham and it comes off the bone or it is on the bone, it will be Australian,” Ean says. “We like to say, ‘if it is on the bone, it is one of our own’. We feel that is a nice and simple way to help consumers understand.

“Importers of pig meat from Denmark and North America cannot import bone. They can only import the meat, not the bone, so that means any ham that was connected to a bone must be Australian because that bone could not have been imported.”

Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) came into force in 2016. Last year, NSW Farmers recommended to a review of the scheme that the bar chart be made more prominent on packaging to help consumers. It also called for the chart to be shown in a larger, easier-to-read format and that products with no Australian ingredients should be banned from displaying the Australian Made standard logo at all.

Looking into the stats

Australia produces 450,000 tonnes of pork each year, with the majority of this consumed domestically as fresh pork bought from butchers and supermarkets. Around 10 per cent is exported, with Singapore and Hong Kong our biggest markets. Demand for Australian pork is on the rise, as African Swine Fever wipes out herds around the world.

On the flipside, around 250,000 tonnes of pig meat are imported each year by smallgoods manufacturers. On average, each week this equates to $13.8 million-worth of imported pork arriving on our shores.

It is this imported meat that ends up as bacon and ham. While this number is high, the good news is that it is decreasing – slowly but surely. 

Margo says there has been a slight uptick in the number of smallgoods processors using Australian pig meat for their bacon and ham production, which is great news for the industry.

“Volume wise we have definitely seen a small percentage growth in manufacturers of smallgoods using Australian pork. We believe we have gone from 20 per cent of your ham, bacon and smallgoods being Australian to about 24 per cent,” Margo says.

“If the bacon you are buying is produced in Australia, you can be sure the pork has met our incredibly high standards, and it tastes pretty amazing too.”

Ean adds, “Australia has the cleanest pig herd health in the world. There are diseases in North America and the pig producers there either have to vaccinate their pigs or do certain things to avoid those diseases.”

“As those diseases aren’t present in Australia, we don’t have to do that. This means we don’t have to vaccinate as the diseases are not in Australia.”

In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, Australian Pork hired several chefs to produce a series of easy-to-follow cooking videos to teach everyday consumers how to cook pork. Margo said this really helped lift pork’s profile as a standard ‘go-to’ meal.

“The nutritional value of pork is amazing when it comes to being a great source of protein, iron, minerals and vitamins, so we wanted to show people how to cook it,” she says.

Margo adds that an increasing number of smallgoods manufacturers are seeking supply deals with Australian pig farmers so they can market ridgy-didge Australian made bacon and ham. 

“I think most people don’t realise where their ingredients come from. They are just put together in Australia – so that is why we are working on a campaign to promote Country of Origin labelling to help consumers understand how to read that label,” she says.

“I think the green and gold kangaroo logo is confusing for consumers. Our research told us that 76 per cent of consumers thought they were buying bacon made with Australian pork, so it is confusing for a label that is meant to clarify things.”

Margo thinks it will take time to see more Australian grown ham and bacon on our supermarket shelves.

“We can’t just turn the tap on and suddenly be able to supply 100 per cent of our ham and bacon. It’s going to be a collaboration with the smallgoods manufacturers on becoming a reliable supply partner. We lost it over a couple of decades, but it is now a case of how quickly can we reclaim a fair share of the market given that we are slightly more expensive,” she says.

Australian pig producers have capacity for greater volumes over time. Ean says it is vital to take advantage of this given the disruption bacon and ham supply could suffer if there was a supply chain breakdown, or further disease outbreaks overseas.

“It becomes a delicate situation when we start relying on our food source from overseas. If we can secure more of our food source inside of Australia, then surely that has got to be a safer option for consumers moving forward,” Ean says.

“It is a big growth area for Australian pork producers, but if all imports stop coming in tomorrow, we will have a national shortage of ham and bacon.”

How to spot Australian ham and bacon and support our local pork industry

Look for the pink square Australian Pork logo 

Make sure the bar chart shows 90 per cent or more Australian ingredients

If ham has come off a bone or is on a bone, then it is 100 per cent Australian

Remember the kangaroo logo doesn’t prove it is fully Australian grown

For more information, please visit pork.com.au

And if you enjoyed this story on the pork industry, you might like our feature on the lettuce industry in NSW.

The post Educating consumers to support pork producers appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

What these new types have in common is their size, as consumers increasingly look for a smaller delicate leaf that doesn’t take up the whole plate, require as much cutting and has a longer shelf life than more compacted varieties. 

Enter the hugely popular red and green gems, baby cos, coral, oak and butter lettuce varieties, which are now a common feature at farmers’ markets, fruit and vegetable shops and supermarkets, and a staple on the weekly shopping list.

Lettuce is predominately grown in the Sydney Basin, but there are also production pockets on the north coast of New South Wales, as well as in the central and far west regions, with 7 per cent of national production coming from the state. 

According to figures from the 2019/2020 Hort Innovation Statistics Handbook in total, Australian farmers grew 135,000 tonnes of lettuce in 2020, at a value of $241 million. 

Of this, 116,000 tonnes, valued at $208 million was sold at retail level, with $34 million or 19,000 tonnes sold into the food service sector. On the export front, 427 tonnes of lettuce were sent offshore, valued at $1 million.

Prices are also looking good with year-on-year value growing 19 per cent to $1.53 per kilogram, despite volumes dropping by 1.32 per cent in 2020.

Stand aside iceberg

Frances Tolson is the Account Manager, Retail & Trade, with seed breeding company Rijk Zwaan Australia, which is a family-owned business that originated in Holland in 1924. It focuses purely on vegetables and has 25 different crops and over 1,000 commercial varieties which have been bred for four climatic zones.

Frances says lettuce has been on quite a journey since iceberg had to share the lettuce limelight with more fancy alternatives.

To keep up with this shift and diversify the types of lettuce that are available for farmers to grow, Rijk Zwaan is constantly researching new seed types that it can offer to growers in all climatic zones and for all seasons.

This involves cross-pollinating existing lettuce types with naturally reoccurring seeds, grasses and thistles that have been found in the wild overseas and in Australia. The eventual result is a new lettuce variety with its own individual set of characteristics.

“Over 20 years is required for the breeding program behind new types of lettuce,” Frances says, adding each new variety also goes through a validation process plus a series of on-farm trials before a decision can be made about whether it will be commercialised or not.

“Breeding is quite fast now because we are constantly breeding for stronger resistances, better yield and improved taste, so there is something for the consumer as well.”

Leafy success

One success story has been the development of the Salanova range of lettuces, with the new Salanova Butter now available in supermarkets around Australia, as well as on the menus of top restaurants.

“It used to be the iceberg, and then came fancy leaves that were the size of your hand, and now the leaves have changed to crispy, oaky and buttery types,” Frances says. “Now they are increasingly becoming bite-sized, and that is where the Salanova range is a cut above the rest.”

Frances Tolson – Account Manager, Retail & Trade, with seed breeding company Rijk Zwaan Australia.

Salanova Butter is grown predominantly for pillow pack salads and whole head Salanova Butter is currently grown for the food service sector. 

A similar process was undertaken to refine, or shrink, cos lettuce, which not that long ago was quite sizeable and would take up most of a crisper.

“Cos started quite large and then we started breeding the baby cos, which reduced it down to a medium size,” explains Frances. “From there we started breeding the twin-pack baby cos which reduced it even further. Then we started on the red and green gems as well, and soon a new crunchy cos will be available so that is also very exciting.”

Hydroponic lettuce from the Sydney Basin

Peter Muscat grows about 70,000 lettuces, including Salanova Butter, iceberg, cos, coral and oak varieties, on his one-hectare all-lettuce hydroponic farm at South Windsor in the Sydney Basin.

The seedlings are planted in raised plastic pipes which are perfect for drainage and also very useful for preventing weed growth. This means he doesn’t need to use any herbicides on his crops, which are also protected from the elements by hail nets.

The speed at which the lettuces grow means caterpillars also don’t have time to get in and munch their way through his crop.

“The growing times differ for each type, and caterpillars are not a problem because the lettuce just grows too quick. In summer we are about 40 days from seedling to harvest in the exotic green and red oak and coral varieties, whereas an iceberg will be around 60 days,” Peter says.

“The biggest seller is green oak leaf, which I sell a lot of to Asian supermarkets. The Korean markets tend to like coral, and growing wise they are very similar, around the 40-day growth period, which is good for us. We grow all year round and it can take an extra 10 days in the middle of winter to get them to the right size.”

Peter also conducts summer and winter farm trials for new Rijk Zwaan varieties, and enjoys seeing the new types of lettuce that are coming through.

“What is popular certainly does change. Thirty years ago it was all about traditional butter and red mignonettes, but today people want an open lettuce – one that is all leaves like oak or coral varieties. And these new red and green Salanova Butter varieties have very forkable leaves that are perfect for salads.

Lettuce grower Peter Muscat.

“These types also have a great shelf life, and seed companies are working tirelessly to bring out products that will last for up to 10 days.”

One tip Peter offers is to keep the roots on your lettuce for as long as you can. “We sell our lettuce with the roots on and that helps with shelf life. We tell our customers: don’t cut the stems off until you need to.” 

Field producer from Camden

The Vella family have spent 50 years growing vegetables, and in 2017 opened a substantial commercial market garden specialising in field lettuce production at Razorback and Elderslie near Camden in Western Sydney.

The farm business has direct supply lines into national supermarkets through a wholesale network, and also supplies food service processors as well as fast food chain McDonald’s.

John Vella runs the farm, with his father Joe and brother Matthew. Together they grow red and green gems, baby cos, large cos and iceberg lettuce types.

John says that each type requires a different farming methodology, but all the beds are raised for draining purposes and planting widths vary from between 150mm to 240mm depending on the type.

“There’s a lot more per acre of the gems compared to the baby cos, and a lot more again of the baby gems. The large cos and the iceberg are planted on three rows instead of four,” he says.

“We used to grow a lot more iceberg and large cos, but we swung over to baby cos about eight years ago and that has gone really well for us. In the last year we started the new little gem cos and that is also going very well.

“We find the old traditional lines of iceberg and cos now tend to be more for food processing, and the baby cos is more for restaurants and domestic use. They are just that little bit sweeter and they also last longer in the household.”

A fair amount of John’s produce is sold to food service companies and ends up in convenient and increasingly popular ready-to-eat meals.

Given his supply is predominantly to supermarkets, chain restaurants and food service companies, he hasn’t noticed a drop due to COVID.

“The chain stores are going gang busters, and the processors aren’t too bad, but if you were growing for the restaurants, it has been harder,” he says.

If you enjoyed this feature on the lettuce industry, you might like our story on the almond industry in NSW.

The post Gems of goodness in the lettuce industry appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

The NSW sugar industry is steeped in history – the first sugar mill in Australia was built on the banks of the expansive Clarence River at Harwood in 1894 and still operates today, as do the state’s other two mills at Condong and Broadwater.

On the face of it, the NSW sugar industry is small, but it packs a punch with direct supply lines into 35 per cent of the domestic market at the retail and industrial food manufacturing level. NSW grown and refined sugar is what you will find bagged up as the private label sugar brand for some major retailers, and it also produces the only low GI sugar offering on the market.

Sugar contributes $200 million a year into the Northern Rivers economy and is based around three river systems – the Tweed in the far north, the Richmond, and the Clarence the furthest south. 

Farming methodology differs depending on the variety of cane grown and the location. Cane from the Tweed is typically grown for one year due to the warmer temperatures. Further south the cycle is two years.

But the innovations in the NSW industry do not stop there.

Think botanical water (yes, you can grow water), mushroom production growbags, extended life cane juice, egg carton packaging and a ground-breaking development which will see the green, lush tops of fully grown cane – known as the trash – used as stockfeed. This would end the contentious, but highly romanticised practice of burning cane, which is something the industry desperately wants.

It’s never looked sweeter

The industry’s 34,000-hectares of cane are reasonably spread out, and the cohesion between growers, milling operations and Sunshine Sugar – the industry’s corporate face which is half owned by farmers and Australian family-owned flour miller, Manildra Group – has ensured its sustained success.

“We are the only Australian owned operation if you are talking about the total operation from the farmer through to the refinery,” Sunshine Sugar CEO Chris Connors says.

“There are a couple of smaller mills in Queensland that are still owned by the growers but when you go beyond the mills, the refineries are all overseas owned. I think 85 per cent of the Australian industry is owned by overseas companies.”

Sunshine Sugar CEO Chris Connors

And right now, things have never looked sweeter for NSW sugar growers.

This year, the global price has been bumping around the 17 to 18 US cent a pound range (it usually hovers at the 12 US cent mark), and NSW growers are expecting between $37 to $38 a tonne for their cane, depending on sugar content, this year.

Sunshine Sugar sells the sugar to a mix of industrial and retail customers. It also sets the price NSW growers receive.

“We set ourselves the benchmark against QSL (Queensland Sugar Limited) and we have beaten that benchmark every year and some years pretty substantially, so we do that pretty well,” Chris says.

Diversification streams 

Since Chris took up the CEO role in 2008, inroads have been made into innovative diversifications with each venture tipped to add $1 million to Sunshine Sugar’s bottom line.

“Our strategic business plan very clearly says we can’t just keep producing crystal sugar,” he says. “You can see from the Queensland industry the difficulty that brings. A number of sugar mills have closed up there and there is no doubt that over the years the sustainability of the industry has become quite questionable. 

“We have had that view for quite a long time – you can’t just make sugar; you have to make other products out of any part of the cane that you possibly can.”

So far, the low GI sugar is proving the most successful. It is produced at Condong and packed at Murwillumbah.

“The low GI has been in production now for three years and it is going very well. It is a very profitable project, and it is also delivering on the bottom line,” Chris says.

The Aqua Botanical Water diversification involves extracting the water from the cane, also at Condong. Plans are underway to build similar plants at the other mills and scale up.

“Our theme is we grow water. There is a huge amount of water inside the cane so instead of sending it back into the streams, we take that and put it through a plant and then bottle it and it is probably the best water you could get as it has no impurities in it,” Chris explains, adding that much research has been going into the stockfeed innovation and the project is almost there.

“This is about stopping the burning all together as we would cut the cane with the green leaf still on it,” he says. “It’s called trash, but it is not really trash. It’s actually a good product if you can utilise it in the right way.”

An optimistic view of the sugarcane industry

Third-generation Tweed grower and NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative director Kevin Twohill says there is plenty to be excited about after some lean years.

“We’ve got a couple of really good years ahead of us now. For the crop we are harvesting at the moment, the global price is up so we are looking at a substantial increase on what we received last year.”

Tweed grower and NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative director Kevin Twohill

“This is the most optimistic that things have looked for a long time and people have every reason to be positive in our industry in NSW.”

Kevin remembers his father rattling off the old ‘three for the cup and one for the floor’ joke but says so much has changed since then. Farming methods have modernised but with that has come the need for growers to farm more land to remain viable.

“In real terms our returns haven’t increased much at all over the years, so we really had to look at ways of producing a good crop and increasing the amount of area that one person can work,” he says.

Share-farming is a common practice among canegrowers and Kevin currently share-farms 100 hectares in addition to the 100 hectares he owns. “These days you have less individuals growing cane, but those individuals are growing cane off larger areas of land,” he says.

Unity is the secret of our success

Ross Farlow’s pride in the NSW sugar industry is impossible to miss. This fourth-generation farmer remembers when the work – which is now carried out by GPS controlled tractors and mechanical harvesters – was done by hand. Now the NSW Canegrowers Council and Clarence Canegrowers Chairman, Ross says cohesion and a willingness to change has set the industry up for the future.

“One of our strengths in NSW is that all of our growers – almost 500 of them – are members of Canegrowers, and that is something we are very proud of,” Ross says.

“We also have a strong link to Sunshine Sugar so there is a clear and ongoing communication link between the cane growing sector and the milling sector.”

Sharing equipment, like harvesters, is also a feature of the NSW sugarcane industry, with a number of formal and informal co-ops and contractor groups operating in the area. Farmers are also happy to help each other out with tips to boost productivity.

“The more cane my neighbour grows means the more cane will go through the mill and the more sugar we have to sell. It all comes back to us, so it is in our interests to help each other to grow more and be a stronger business overall,” Ross says.

He points to pivotal moments in history that led the industry to where it is today, starting with growers forming the NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative in 1978 to buy the three mills off CSR.

Next was in 1989 when the growers signed a joint venture with Manildra Group to build the refinery with this relationship extending to Manildra Group taking a 50 per cent share of the entire business in 2015.

“Some members were not in favour of it but overall, it has worked out,” Ross says. “We have had to embrace change to stay strong.”

If you enjoyed this story on the sugarcane industry, you might like our feature on the hemp industry.

The post Sugarcane – the smell of sweet success appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

NSW Farmers is hosting the one-hour webinar at 6pm tonight and registrations can be made here. Attendees are also urged to submit their questions for Minister Kean through the same link.

Minister Kean has actively campaigned for greater action on climate change, arguing it is not only good for the environment but also good for the economy.

The webinar will delve into topics including:

• the burgeoning renewable energy sector;
• conservation and farming;
• the on-farm diversification options offered by the emerging carbon and natural capital markets.

NSW Farmers encourages all those interested in learning more about how to propel the sector to its $30 billion target to register.

Registrations for the webinar can be made here.

To learn about the role biofuels can play in farm carbon neutrality, please click here.

The post 30 by 30 webinar: energy & environment appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

The sustainability framework was created in consultation with over 600 industry participants through surveys, interviews and workshops and aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals, as well as existing initiatives already underway in the sector.

It is broken up into four core areas: Nourish and Nurture; People and Enterprise; Planet and Resources and Less Waste.

Limiting food waste, food safety and energy use were consistently raised as the most important issues during the extensive consultation process which was undertaken to form the framework.

Hort Innovation CEO Matt Brand said the framework has been developed for the Australian horticulture industry as consumers and investors are increasingly asking for evidence of ethical and sustainable practices from food producers.

“The aim of this Sustainability Framework is to acknowledge the significant contribution Aussie fresh produce growers make to the nation’s families and environment through the provision of fresh and nutritious food,” Mr Brand said.

“It also promotes sustainable and responsible care for our natural environment and provides a vital roadmap for a stronger Australian farming future.”

The framework also aligns with research currently being delivered by Hort Innovation, in line with the target to grow agriculture to $100 billion by 2030.

Useful resource for industry

Shane Quinn, from vegetable producer Mulgowie Farming Company, said the framework is a useful resource for industry.

“The Mulgowie Farming team is proud to use ethical sustainable practices when producing nutritious produce from our healthy soils,” he said.

“We look forward to the Sustainability Framework providing the means to demonstrate positive environmental impacts and industry issues of concern to a wide range of stakeholders.”

Almond Board of Australia, Market Development Manager, Joseph Ebbage said sustainability is important to customers both domestically and internationally.

“Our trade partners in Europe and in the UK are looking for suppliers that can meet sustainability metrics. Our ability to communicate sustainability credentials is vital to maintaining and growing these relationships,” Mr Ebbage said.

“The framework provides an invaluable foundation document for our industry. The Australian almond industry is looking to leverage this rich body of insights to create a program specific to growing and processing almonds in Australia.”

Sustainability framework: next steps

“The next step is to measure the sectors current performance against each indicator identified in the Framework,” Mr Brand said.

The Horticulture Sustainability Framework was developed over more than 12 months and involved input from producers, employees, industry peak bodies, service and input suppliers, and researchers. Financers and investors, marketers and exporters, retailers, governments and consumers also had input.

To read the Horticulture Sustainability Framework in full, please click here.

If you enjoyed this story, you may also like our story on fruit and vegie prices and why farmers are not seeing an increase in their payments despite an increase in retail pricing.  

The post Hort Innovation launches sustainability framework appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

In another notable win, technology developed by Sydney scientist Dr David Kannar and used exclusively to refine Low GI Sugar at Sunshine Sugar’s food-grade Condong sugar mill in northern NSW has also won a United Nations Food Systems Summit award.  

delicious. Producer of the Year Award

Tathra Oysters owners and NSW Farmers members, Gary and Jo Rodely, started oyster farming at Mimosa Rocks National Park with no experience in 1988 and are now recognised as a ‘go-to’ for restaurants that value quality.

Gary Rodely said he and Jo were “very humbled” to be this year’s winners.

“It is a great recognition of a lifetime’s work,” Gary told delicious.

Chef, restaurateur and delicious. Produce Awards judge Neil Perry said: “I’ve been using Gary Rodely’s amazing Tathra Oysters for years.

“They are consistently incredible, both in texture and flavour. They are without doubt one of the greatest oysters in the world and grown in one of the most beautiful places as well.”

2021 Rice Industry Awards

Darrell Fiddler, broadacre farm manager at DeBortoli Wines, was named the 2021 SunRice C21 Grower of the Year Award.

Rice Extension, on behalf of the rice industry, made the announcement saying Darrell was chosen for his “innovative approach to farming and a commitment to sustainability”.

“He grows rice as a part of a rotation with other irrigated summer crops and winter cereals and has demonstrated a strong focus on improving his water productivity through management having successfully automated the irrigation for a Viand crop in C21,” Rice Extension Officer Harriett Brickhill said.

Darrell said he is motivated by the phrase “always strive to do better”.

“Winning this award is a humbling experience because it is industry recognition of all the hard work myself and the team have put into the farming operations over the last 12 years,” Darrell said.

Syngenta Growth Awards

NSW also scooped the pool in the Syngenta Growth Awards which includes Innovator, Sustainability, Productivity and Judges’ Choice categories.

Grace Brennan, Dubbo’s Buy from the Bush founder, won the Judges’ Choice category.

Grace’s Buy from the Bush campaign has given rural businesses access to a much larger customer base, and she attributes its success as her proudest career moment yet.

“What I am passionate about is using the profile of buyfromthebush to engage partners that might be able to do capacity building exercises with bush businesses,” Grace said.

“Anything I can take from the Syngenta experience could potentially be developed into community workshops. Even capacity building or training to help small business owners leverage the opportunity from the buyfromthebush campaign whether that is technology or social media or something else.”

Sarah Nolet, a Sydney-based agritech advocate, took out the Innovator category for her work as the CEO of AgThentic, Farmers2Founders and partner at Tenacious Ventures.

Sarah is focused on ensuring more technology is commercialised to help farmers be more profitable and sustainable and has so far raised over $20 million in venture capital for agri-food tech startups.

“I am really proud of raising the money, but even more proud to make our first four investments and put that money to work. We have and will continue to back companies that help agriculture transition to a carbon neutral, climate change resilient future,” Sarah said.

Chris Toohey, an Albury-based advisor at Elders, took out the Productivity category.

Chris says his most significant career achievement has been the establishment of replicated trials to test out varieties and nutrition on crops.

“Initially I started out with demonstration sites six years ago to showcase new varieties and new products but then I stepped it up and made sure the trials were done properly with reportable independent data,” Chris said.

“I am proud of the journey I’ve been on and to produce information which is equivalent to that which is reported in scientific journals.

“That has flowed on to being asked to be a guest speaker at grower forums and GRDC discussion groups and the like. It is nice to be awarded the Elders agronomist of the year, which I have been several times, but I am more proud of the fact that I am producing data through trials that delivers information and it has helped with my integrity and standing with growers.”

Simon Doolin, a broadacre farmer at North Star in NSW, was named the national winner in the Sustainability category.

Simon says achieving a successful succession plan within the family is something that he is most proud of.

“It is probably a farmer’s biggest issue and one that everyone must face twice in their career – once when they enter and once your kids go through it. Completing it successfully, is the most important thing to get right to keep your business alive,” Simon said.

“It’s taken a long time, but we have done it and are now successfully running two operations – my father and brother in one, and myself and my wife in the other.

“It was hard for my parents – emotionally and financially. The key to getting it right was for both parties to have their own solicitors, who could talk to each other and keep things fair for both sides. We told them what we both wanted, and they made it happen.”

Low GI Sugar technology United Nations win

Low Gi Sugar production technology developed by Sydney scientist Dr David Kannar of Nutrition Innovation, which is exclusively licenced in Australia and New Zealand by NSW’s Sunshine Sugar, also has won a United Nations Food Systems Summit prize.

The technology has been used at Sunshine Sugar’s Condong mill for the last three years and the Low GI brand is stocked at IGA stores and bought by a number of commercial customers, including Bakers Delight.

“David did the research on what you needed to do to deliver the Low GI Sugar and the Glycemic Index Foundation approved the process and the end product and then we stepped in and started making it,” Chris said.

“The process means you are not taking the good polyphenol off the sugar. This means it stays intact as part of the sugar crystal and that means it metabolises more slowly when consumed.

“We’ve had a tremendous number of inquiries about the sugar and now we have to encourage the other major retailers to put it on the shelves. It is already stocked by IGAs, and Bakers Delight buy it. But people are asking questions – where can I get it? And they also want to know about the production process so there is just so much positive inquiry out there.”

If you enjoyed this story, you might like our feature on the oyster industry.

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