R[0]="148"; T[0]="Online tool to help producers predict rainfall and pasture growth"; A[0]="By ... Editor"; Dn[0]="20060222"; Dt[0]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[0]="a02a07a27a46a72a92"; B1[0]="      Meat & Livestock Australia today unveiled a ground-breaking tool to help Australia s southern livestock producers more reliably predict rainfall and pasture "; B2[0]="growth... "; B3[0]=" "; B4[0]=" "; B5[0]=" "; S1[0]="      Meat & Livestock Australia today unveiled a ground-breaking tool to help Australia's southern livestock producers more reliably predict rainfall and pasture growth.
"; S2[0]="       The MLA Rainfall and Pasture Growth Outlook Tool is now available online and was developed by the Australian Government's Bureau of Regional "; S3[0]=" Sciences (BRS) on behalf of MLA.
      MLA Manager, Strategic Science Dr Hutton Oddy said the tool is a key resource for Australia's "; S4[0]=" livestock producers which will enable them to assess rainfall patterns, climatic conditions and potential pasture growth for the coming season.
      'This tool "; S5[0]=" is the first of its kind in Australia and has been designed with Australia's livestock producers in mind.
      Throughout the whole development "; S6[0]=" process we have worked closely with producers to ensure the tool is not only easy to use, but also contains the information they need,' Dr "; S7[0]=" Oddy said.
      'The tool collects rainfall information from over 3,000 weather stations throughout southern Australia and combines this with weather forecasts up "; S8[0]=" to 13 weeks in advance from the Bureau of Meteorology.
      'This means that livestock producers can combine what has happened in the "; S9[0]=" past with predictions of future rainfall to make more informed decisions about such things as calving, weaning and the number and type of stock to "; S10[0]=" be running on the property at a particular time.' The tool has been developed as part of the MLA More Beef from Pastures program, which "; S11[0]=" encourages best practise pasture management in order to produce the optimal amount of beef in the most productive and sustainable way.
      'The "; S12[0]=" key to animal productivity and better beef production is pasture growth, and the things that drive pasture growth are soil moisture and temperature.
    "; S13[0]="   This tool will enable producers to put all of these pieces together, which will ultimately lead to better decisions being made,' Dr Oddy said.
"; S14[0]="       The MLA Rainfall to Pasture Growth Outlook Tool can be accessed online via both the BRS and MLA websites at: ' http://www.brs.gov.au/mlatool/ "; S15[0]=" ' http://www.mla.com.au/growthoutlooktool/.. "; R[1]="145"; T[1]="MLA and states come together on R&D"; A[1]="By ... Editor"; Dn[1]="20060222"; Dt[1]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[1]="a02a09a26a27a93"; B1[1]="      In an industry-first meeting, Meat & Livestock Australia and all Australian state departments of primary industries came together late last week to "; B2[1]="discuss the way forward for research and extension in the red meat industry... "; B3[1]=" "; B4[1]=" "; B5[1]=" "; S1[1]="      In an industry-first meeting, Meat & Livestock Australia and all Australian state departments of primary industries came together late last week to "; S2[1]=" discuss the way forward for research and extension in the red meat industry.
      The Sydney forum was convened by MLA with the "; S3[1]=" purpose of identifying the best approaches to collaborating on research and development and ensuring the outcomes of this R&D are utilised by as many of "; S4[1]=" Australia's livestock producers as possible.
      MLA Managing Director Mark Spurr said that with increasing emphasis being placed on producing more cost effective "; S5[1]=" R&D outcomes, the meeting was an important step in a better coordinated approach to on-farm R&D in Australia.
      'We have to ensure "; S6[1]=" that the resources we allocate to our R&D and extension work are optimised,' Mr Spurr said.
      'The most efficient and productive way "; S7[1]=" to do this is to get all of the involved parties working more collaboratively and working to a common plan with shared goals.
    "; S8[1]="   This meeting between MLA and state DPI's was a key part in ensuring this happens.
      'We can produce the best R&D "; S9[1]=" in the world, but most importantly we must focus on outcomes which can be adopted by Australia's livestock producers on-farm to make their enterprises more "; S10[1]=" productive and sustainable.' MLA general manager Livestock Production Innovation Dr Reuben Rose, who chaired the forum, said a key outcome of the meeting was an "; S11[1]=" agreement by all state DPI's that MLA's strategic R&D investment priorities for the next five years were targeted at the right areas.
      "; S12[1]=" 'Having the states agree that our strategic plan for R&D is on the right track is vitally important because that means everyone involved is reading "; S13[1]=" from the same road map, which enables better planning and means everyone's resources are directed towards the same goals,' Dr Rose said.
      "; S14[1]=" 'This forum with the state departments was one of several industry consultations where MLA has sought feedback on our on-farm R&D strategic plan - producer "; S15[1]=" peak councils are also amongst the key industry groups we are working with.
      'Everyone benefits from this type of collaboration - MLA, "; S16[1]=" the state departments and most importantly Australia's livestock producers.
      'It simply makes sense for us to pool our resources in this way "; S17[1]=" and MLA looks forward to further strengthening the ties we have with our R&D and extension partners.'.. "; R[2]="143"; T[2]="Alternative Meats - Novel flavours, products and safe delivery"; A[2]="By ... RIRDC 05/140"; Dn[2]="20060222"; Dt[2]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[2]="a01a09a10a93"; B1[2]="      Successful communication of issues and new technology opportunities to industry users of food products remains a critical factor in the successful uptake "; B2[2]="and utilisation of novel products... "; B3[2]=" "; B4[2]=" "; B5[2]=" "; S1[2]="      Successful communication of issues and new technology opportunities to industry users of food products remains a critical factor in the successful uptake "; S2[2]=" and utilisation of novel products.
      It is important that chefs and food purchasers have a good understanding of the unique characteristics of "; S3[2]=" the alternative (exotic and game) meat products, the commercial cuts that are available, sources of supply on a year-round basis and value-adding potential for these "; S4[2]=" meats.
      This knowledge is the basis upon which regular sourcing of product may become part of a food service/restaurant's business.The aim of "; S5[2]=" this project was to provide a pilot workshop that will communicate critical information about the use of and value-adding opportunities for alternative meats to users "; S6[2]=" of those meat products in the food service, wholesale and processing industries.
      Two previous RIRDC/DPI projects led by Joanne Bobbitt explored the "; S7[2]=" value-adding potential of these exotic meats.
      The projects tested products for spoilage and pathogenic organisms in order to determine shelf-life and ensure "; S8[2]=" safe meat products.
      This workshop builds on the outcomes of the previous research projects and enables communication of the findings to industry "; S9[2]=" and the public.
      The workshop was held at Primary Industries Research Victoria, Attwood Centre Victoria on 10th August 2004.
      "; S10[2]=" The workshop was attended by 85 participants including chefs, butchers, teachers and students from hospitality courses, processors and producers.
      The workshop communicated "; S11[2]=" the benefits of a range of new value adding opportunities for alternative meat products cuts and supply options for the industry and strategies for maximising "; S12[2]=" food safety and product quality through correct supply chain practice relevant to the alternative meat industries.The workshop included a series of seminars covering: o Strategies "; S13[2]=" for maximising food safety through supply chain management o Management of eating quality issues to ensure a high quality product.
      o How "; S14[2]=" to use these products in your business : cuts and supply options o A range of new value adding opportunities for alternative meats.
    "; S15[2]="   o Shelf life and food safety of value-added meat products.. "; R[3]="142"; T[3]="Producing Capers in Australia Viability Study"; A[3]="By ... RIRDC 05/132"; Dn[3]="20060222"; Dt[3]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[3]="a01a08a09a17a93"; B1[3]="      The value of an Australian Caper Industry to regional Australia has been examined in this study..... "; B2[3]=" "; B3[3]=" "; B4[3]=" "; B5[3]=" "; S1[3]="      The value of an Australian Caper Industry to regional Australia has been examined in this study.
      The issues examined "; S2[3]=" include: the introduction of an alternative crop for areas (including arid, low rainfall areas) that may be unsuited to conventional crops, significant new opportunities for "; S3[3]=" employment in regional areas, potential to farm in an environmentally sound manner, export potential, import replacement in a market that is currently entirely supplied from "; S4[3]=" overseas and consequently increased consumer choice to purchase healthier, tastier alternatives.
      Capers have an established and growing market both locally and overseas "; S5[3]=" and are integral to the Australian trend towards Mediterranean diets.
      As well as giving consumers an alternative to imported products, fresher, firmer, "; S6[3]=" high quality, locally produced capers provide an opportunity for product innovation and further value adding by the food manufacturing industry.
      Australian capers "; S7[3]=" are attractive to a niche 'foodie' market supportive of regional produce and seeking quality and flavour but will not have a mass market until the "; S8[3]=" price can be reduced to compete with cheaper imports.
      An overseas export market may exist and recently Asia has been increasing olive "; S9[3]=" oil imports assuming by extension that there may be a market for other Mediterranean produce.
      Capers can be farmed in an environmentally "; S10[3]=" sustainable system drawing on its unique qualities.
      Typical of a desert plant, capers love heat, grow in poor nutrient soils, require few "; S11[3]=" inputs (water, fertilizer, chemicals), handle high salinity and they appear quite resistant to pests and disease.
      Initial marketing initiatives have produced a "; S12[3]=" great response.
      The website is generating many enquiries.
      Feedback from food personalities and well known chefs sampling Australian caper "; S13[3]=" products has been excellent and most have demonstrated their support, expressing an interest in purchasing, using and/or selling Australian Capers.
      A "; S14[3]=" database of people who are interested in investing, growing and buying produce has been maintained.
      Various media (television, print and radio) have "; S15[3]=" indicated their interest in featuring the capers and this will contribute to the dissemination of information regarding potential opportunities in this industry.
      "; S16[3]=" The Australian Caper Company has successfully trialled an initial 300 caper plants and subsequently a commercial crop of 1000 plants at Mannum in South Australia.
"; S17[3]="       Successes include the propagation of the caper plants using seed and cuttings, a growing understanding of water and fertilizer requirements, pests and "; S18[3]=" diseases, different pruning, processing and trellising techniques, farming techniques appropriate to organic production methods, product processing techniques and the market for caper products as well "; S19[3]=" as the establishment of a web-site (www.australiancapers.com.au), and the completion of a financial model to represent commercial caper farming.
      For the "; S20[3]=" medium term it is recommended that Research and Development focus on the main areas of risk that need to.. "; R[4]="136"; T[4]="$24 wine crowned champion"; A[4]="By ... Editor"; Dn[4]="20060222"; Dt[4]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[4]="a01a13"; B1[4]="      A Barossa Valley winemaker has upstaged the world s established brands with a $24 drop..... "; B2[4]=" "; B3[4]=" "; B4[4]=" "; B5[4]=" "; S1[4]="      A Barossa Valley winemaker has upstaged the world's established brands with a $24 drop.
      Derek Fitzgerald of Thorn Clarke "; S2[4]=" wines won a swag of awards at the nation's top wine show in Adelaide yesterday.
      The 2004 Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Quartage was crowned "; S3[4]=" champion wine, winning the prestigious Adelaide Trophy, donated by The Advertiser.
      The Quartage also won the Max Schubert Trophy for best red "; S4[4]=" wine and the Radoux Australia Trophy for best red blend, while Mr Fitzgerald won the Malaysia Airlines Prize for winemaker of the best wine.
  "; S5[4]="     'I knew it was a good wine, but didn't expect this, it was only bottled a couple of months ago,' Mr Fitzgerald said.
"; S6[4]="       Chairman of judges Michael Hill Smith said it was a juicy, generous, complete wine with lovely fruit flavours.
      "; S7[4]=" The Thorn-Clarke brand was launched in July, 2002, by geologist David Clarke and family.
      'A secret to the wine is it includes "; S8[4]=" petit verdot,' Mr Clarke said.
      The other winners were led by the nation's big three producers, with the new Foster's Wine Estates "; S9[4]=" winning six trophies.
      Orlando Wyndham won two trophies and the Hardy Wine Company three trophies... "; R[5]="134"; T[5]="Genetic progress comes at a cost"; A[5]="By ... Editor"; Dn[5]="20060222"; Dt[5]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[5]="a02a27"; B1[5]="      New cattle breeding genetic selection technology can identify DNA gene markers that indicate which bulls carry superior traits such as beef tenderness "; B2[5]="but the technology comes at a cost... "; B3[5]=" "; B4[5]=" "; B5[5]=" "; S1[5]="      New cattle breeding genetic selection technology can identify DNA gene markers that indicate which bulls carry superior traits such as beef tenderness "; S2[5]=" but the technology comes at a cost.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries principal research scientist at Rockhampton, Dr Brian Burns, said "; S3[5]=" that while the DNA marker technology certainly has merit, commercial adoption will not be a viable reality until producers can be remunerated through an equitable "; S4[5]=" value-based marketing system.
      Dr Burns said that was the underlying message being delivered at three genetic technology satellite seminars held at Rockhampton, "; S5[5]=" Longreach and Toowoomba.
      These country seminars, a followup to the 16th Biennial Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding "; S6[5]=" and Genetics (AAABG) held at Noosa on September 25-28, attracted 150 participants representing a mix of seed stock and commercial cattle producers, feedlot operators, processors "; S7[5]=" and retailers.
      Dr Burns said the extended time lapse of anything up to 12 to 15 years before new genetic improvement technology "; S8[5]=" was actually commercially adopted by cattle producers was an internationally acknowledged industry issue.
      Leading international geneticist and invited keynote speaker at the "; S9[5]=" AAABG seminar series Dr John Pollak, a professor of animal breeding at Cornell University (US), said there was scope to incorporate leading edge DNA testing "; S10[5]=" with systems such as BREEDPLAN EBVs (Estimated Breeding Values).
      Dr Burns said Cornell University had taken their genetic improvement DNA technology to "; S11[5]=" Bell Ranch, a 4500 cow breeding operation in New Mexico .
      The enterprise included a 400-cow composite seed stock replacement bull breeding "; S12[5]=" cow herd joined to identify and select genetically superior replacement sires.
      'They DNA tested the male progeny from this seed stock herd "; S13[5]=" by taking hair follicle samples of the male progeny during the branding process to identify the individual sires,' Dr Burns said.
      'DNA "; S14[5]=" markers in the progeny immediately identify the sires carrying the in-demand characteristics to fast track the genetic selection process.' Dr Burns said the DNA test "; S15[5]=" currently cost producers about $18 a head.
      While this test will not replace EBVs, the technology increases the accuracy of securing the "; S16[5]=" genetically superior bull at an early age.
      Dr Burns said the newly approved seven year Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Technologies program "; S17[5]=" (CRC3) for North Australia's cattle industry was targeting improved bull and female reproductive performance and seeking additional genetic markers to select for both carcase and "; S18[5]=" reproductive traits.
      'CRC3 researchers intend to package their interim trial outcomes on a regional basis to accelerate adoption practices across the cattle "; S19[5]=" industry through the DPI&F extension team,' Dr Burns said.
      Dr Burns reaffirmed that use of DNA technology would need to be pushed "; S20[5]=" by consumer demand for a consistently tender beef product that would then pressure the processing sector to pay top value to producers... "; R[6]="131"; T[6]="TVY Series tractors helps farmers battle increasing fuel costs."; A[6]="By ... New Holland"; Dn[6]="20060222"; Dt[6]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[6]="a01"; B1[6]="      With a powerful six-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled direct injection engine ranging from 137 to 192 Hp and Auto CommandTM variable transmission technology, "; B2[6]="New Holland s TVT series tractors are designed to combine fuel efficiency with productivity and longevity of operation... "; B3[6]=" "; B4[6]=" "; B5[6]=" "; S1[6]="      With a powerful six-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled direct injection engine ranging from 137 to 192 Hp and Auto CommandTM variable transmission technology, "; S2[6]=" New Holland's TVT series tractors are designed to combine fuel efficiency with productivity and longevity of operation.'The TVT series has gained fast popularity since its "; S3[6]=" release last year.
      The AutoController™ multi-task lever takes just minutes to master and allows operators to control all of the tractors' primary "; S4[6]=" functions and travel speed - up to 50 kph - with the simple push of a conveniently located button,' explained New Holland Product Manager, Don "; S5[6]=" Forrester.
      'In addition, the TVT Series delivers outstanding fuel economy, so important in the current climate of rising fuel costs.' At rated "; S6[6]=" speed, the TVT engine runs at an economical 2,100rpm, reducing noise, vibration and wear.
      Control of the engine and the Auto Command "; S7[6]=" transmission are taken care of automatically, delivering optimum performance in both PTO and trailed implement applications.Operators can pre-program several Cruise Control speeds in both forward "; S8[6]=" and reverse and then select between these speed values on-the-go.
      The Auto Command transmission and engine control will deliver the best possible "; S9[6]=" fuel economy at the selected speed and if required, maintain PTO speed as well.
      'For applications that require the PTO and ground "; S10[6]=" speed to be linked, operators can select a Manual Mode, which allows the engine and transmission to operate independently, similar to a conventional tractor,' Don "; S11[6]=" explained.
      'With high torque levels, full rated power at just 2100rpm and PTO operation from engine speeds as low as 1600rpm, the "; S12[6]=" advanced engines will not only reduce fuel costs - but whole-of-life operating costs as well,' Don explained.
      Hay and seeding contractor, John "; S13[6]=" Spackman, from Tumut, NSW said the TVT's fuel savings are vital in the current climate.
      John bales around 14,000 big square bales "; S14[6]=" a season for farmers within an 80 kilometre radius.
      'I've only been in business for the past two years and I never "; S15[6]=" dreamed that fuel would rise to its current level of around $1.30 a litre.
      Two years ago, I was only paying between "; S16[6]=" 80 to 90 cents per litre,' he said.
      'I trialed the TVT155 with my BB940 baler in February and tracked its "; S17[6]=" fuel efficiency closely.
      I worked out the machine averages 11 litres an hour.
      My current tractor works at about "; S18[6]=" 15 litres an hour.
      With the cost of fuel up around $1.30 a litre, I save about $5.20 an hour using the "; S19[6]=" TVT.
      Over the course of a season, this would be close to a $4,000 fuel saving which is significant in my game "; S20[6]=" with its tight margins.' John was so impressed with the machines.. "; R[7]="130"; T[7]="High quality hay in good time"; A[7]="By ... Case IH"; Dn[7]="20060222"; Dt[7]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[7]="a01a02a24"; B1[7]="      Contractors keen to deliver high quality hay in good time can rely on the Case IH range of fast cutting, high quality "; B2[7]="conditioning, rotary disc and sicklebar mower conditioners... "; B3[7]=" "; B4[7]=" "; B5[7]=" "; S1[7]="      Contractors keen to deliver high quality hay in good time can rely on the Case IH range of fast cutting, high quality "; S2[7]=" conditioning, rotary disc and sicklebar mower conditioners.
      The range is easily adaptable to varying conditions and crops and contractors can make changes "; S3[7]=" in-field fast without tools - further boosting productivity and performance.
      'Both the rotary disc and sicklebar models are designed to help contractors "; S4[7]=" make the most of their time which is important in the contracting game where time is money,' said Geoff Rendell Case IH product manager for "; S5[7]=" hay and silage products.
      'A range of cutting widths is available to match acreage needs, including wide centre pivot models which give "; S6[7]=" contractors the maneuverability and capacity of a self propelled machine.' Versatility is a key feature of both the rotary disc and sicklebar range, which deliver "; S7[7]=" optimum drydown time in a range of crop and weather conditions.
      'The Case IH conditioning system applies equal force to the upper "; S8[7]=" conditioning roll arms for uniform conditioning regardless of crop thickness giving contractors the ability to take on a broad range of jobs,' Geoff said.
  "; S9[7]="     'Roll pressure is easily changed without tools through a simple crank adjustment and heavy slugs of material can easily pass through without plugging "; S10[7]=" or stopping as the system releases pressure when the upper roll reaches its maximum opening.' Contractors can custom build the windrow or swath they need.
"; S11[7]="       'They can spread the crop out in a wide, fast drying swath or form it into a narrow, fluffy windrow ready for "; S12[7]=" baling or chopping depending on what the customer requires.' Adjustments to the swathboards, windrow shields and fluffing baffle can be made quickly without tools.
  "; S13[7]="     The three models in the DCX rotary disc range will perform in a wide range of crops - from lush alfalfa to tough "; S14[7]=" cane.
      Intermeshing spiral rubber-on-rubber or long life steel-on-steel conditioning rolls are available in 2.6m cuts to deliver superior crimping and crushing action "; S15[7]=" - resulting in faster drydown.
      Minimum maintenance is guaranteed with independent disc modules making service, repair or replacement easy.
      "; S16[7]=" 'The bearings, gears and lubricant for each disc are sealed, so that damage to one disc doesn't spread to another,' explained Geoff.
      "; S17[7]=" With standard hydraulic header tilt, the DCX range allows contractors to use the maximum cutting angle for lodged crops.
      The minimum angle "; S18[7]=" can be changed in rocky areas and the no tools adjustment of the swathboard and windrow allows contractors to lay down a swath as wide "; S19[7]=" as 2.4m or a windrow as narrow as 0.9m.
      The two models in the SCX sicklebar range feature rugged, 5-bat all-steel reels "; S20[7]=" that feed crops smoothly into the knives and provide uniform crop flow across the conditioning rolls.
      'With full lateral flotation,.. "; R[8]="125"; T[8]="Pigs at your finger tips"; A[8]="By ... Editor"; Dn[8]="20060222"; Dt[8]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[8]="a02a29"; B1[8]="      The 2005 edition of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries popular PigTech notes is now available on CD..... "; B2[8]=" "; B3[8]=" "; B4[8]=" "; B5[8]=" "; S1[8]="      The 2005 edition of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries popular PigTech notes is now available on CD.
      "; S2[8]=" DPI&F principal extension officer Alison Spencer said the CD was a national collection of fact sheets on pig production, with authors from government, private and "; S3[8]=" commercial sectors in most Australian states.
      Australian Pork Limited has provided a financial contribution to the production of the PigTech notes CD.
"; S4[8]="       'The CD has 149 notes providing an easily accessible information resource, especially for areas with limited internet access,' Ms Spencer said.
  "; S5[8]="     'Most notes are also available on or via links on the DPI&F website.
      'The contributors' contact details and their website "; S6[8]=" links are given to enable easy access to additional information.' Ms Spencer said the CD included high quality and relevant information ranging from basic to "; S7[8]=" very technical, and was written in an easily understandable way.
      'The PigTech notes are regarded as a valuable first point of reference "; S8[8]=" by those involved in pig husbandry and performance, piggery management and training, consultants and extension providers, suppliers of goods and services, as well as agricultural "; S9[8]=" students and lecturers,' she said.
      'Topics include breeding and genetics, care and husbandry, environmental management, feeds and feeding, health, housing, management, reproduction, "; S10[8]=" soils and water, and workplace health and safety.' Ms Spencer said the latest edition included 23 new fact sheets.
      'New notes include "; S11[8]=" topics on estimated breeding values, genetic evaluation systems for pigs in Australia, stomach tubing, grain aeration, phase feeding, biosecurity, free-range production and eating quality' she "; S12[8]=" said.
      There have also been some major updates in existing notes on registered chemicals, nutrition, some disease topics and alliances.
    "; S13[8]="   The notes can be located by search, topic area such as feeding, or by unit of competency, and links within the notes take users "; S14[8]=" directly to other relevant fact sheets.
      Ms Spencer said CDs were being distributed to Australian Pork Limited members and were also available "; S15[8]=" directly from APL (phone 02 6285 2200) or from the DPI&F Call Centre on 13 25 23 within Queensland, 07 3404 6999 elsewhere in Australian, "; S16[8]=" or fax 07 3404 6900... "; R[9]="122"; T[9]="Improved productivity with the new WDX1902"; A[9]="By ... Case IH"; Dn[9]="20060222"; Dt[9]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[9]="a01"; B1[9]="      Improved productivity is what every farmer wants from new machinery, and with the new WDX1902 self propelled windrower from Case IH, that "; B2[9]="s what they will get... "; B3[9]=" "; B4[9]=" "; B5[9]=" "; S1[9]="      Improved productivity is what every farmer wants from new machinery, and with the new WDX1902 self propelled windrower from Case IH, that's "; S2[9]=" what they will get.
      The WDX makes it easy to adjust flotation, cutting angle, conditioning, or windrow width to suit varying field "; S3[9]=" and crop conditions.
      The new windrower, which replaces the WDX1701 model, is packed with new features, according to Hay and Harvest Product "; S4[9]=" Manager, Geoff Rendell.
      'These new windrowers feature all new deluxe cabs, electronic engines and new headers as well as industry-leading features including "; S5[9]=" new cab suspension and new rear axle suspension.
      'Our new design makes for simplified harvest.
      Standard independent hydraulic header "; S6[9]=" flotation, including the ability to adjust the header from the seat of the cab, offers increased convenience, control and time savings.
      If "; S7[9]=" you do work on borders and hillsides, the new independent header flotation feature will be a welcome addition thanks to two separate systems with accumulators "; S8[9]=" to allow separate adjustment of left and right flotation.' The WDX1902's six-cylinder, 7.5 litre engine is from the same engine family as Case's popular MXM "; S9[9]=" tractors.
      It features wastegate turbochargers, air-to-air intercooling and electronic fuel control.
      'The engine offers the power needed to handle "; S10[9]=" heavy loads, wet conditions and hillsides without slowing down.
      This lets you get through more work in a day, and that improves "; S11[9]=" the bottom line,' Geoff says.
      'One of the really great features of the WDX 1902 is the ground level fuel fill.
  "; S12[9]="     There's easier access and no worries about spilling fuel on the hood or shielding, and of course, it means no one has to "; S13[9]=" drag a hose up a ladder to fill the tank.
      The large capacity 454-litre tank means less refill trips, too.' Case IH "; S14[9]=" has also introduced cab refinements to ensure the operator is as comfortable as possible.
      'Long harvest days on rough fields really take "; S15[9]=" a toll and interfere with productivity.
      The industry's first spring-mounted cab suspension system, as well as an independent rear axle suspension system, "; S16[9]=" improve ride and reduce operator fatigue at faster cutting speeds.
      'The new Case IH deluxe cab features an updated look with curved, "; S17[9]=" tinted glass panels for unobstructed visibility, especially on sunny days.
      Operators will also enjoy an air suspension seat with a special ride "; S18[9]=" dampening feature a floating control console that moves with the seat a tilt and telescoping steering wheel and a standard instructor seat.
      "; S19[9]=" 'These features result in unrivalled ride quality with improved comfort and productivity.
      A moveable performance monitor offers a four-line custom display, including "; S20[9]=" prompts to make for easier machine startup.' The WDX1902, which offers the DHX draper head attachment and adjustable wind guard built in as standard,.. "; R[10]="120"; T[10]="Export trial signals potential profits for cane growers"; A[10]="By ... Editor"; Dn[10]="20060222"; Dt[10]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[10]="a02a19a20a72a81"; B1[10]="      A trial shipment of Burdekin-grown soybeans to Indonesia could signal a lucrative complementary crop for Queensland cane growers..... "; B2[10]=" "; B3[10]=" "; B4[10]=" "; B5[10]=" "; S1[10]="      A trial shipment of Burdekin-grown soybeans to Indonesia could signal a lucrative complementary crop for Queensland cane growers.
      The "; S2[10]=" 22-tonne trial soybean shipment leaves from the Port of Townsville this Friday (October 14) bound for the Indonesian food market.
      The Department "; S3[10]=" of Primary Industries and Fisheries' FutureCane project encourages cane growers to use a fallow legume crop, such as soybeans, as part of an integrated farming "; S4[10]=" system.
      Up until now, the benefits of growing soybeans have been realised through supply of organic matter and nitrogen following cane crops, "; S5[10]=" enhanced soil health and the breaking of monoculture disease cycles.
      In addition, grain crops have been, up until now, marketed to the "; S6[10]=" domestic market.
      With domestic transport costs rising, securing an export market for the soybean crop could mean a diversified income stream for "; S7[10]=" growers.
      'Having an export option for a fallow crop illustrates an ability to value add to implementation of a complementary farm enterprise "; S8[10]=" with cane that diversifies income streams and manages business risks for growers,' Burdekin cane grower Tom Lashmar, who has grown the trial shipment, said.
  "; S9[10]="     Mr Lashmar said the export of the trial shipment of a container of the soybeans, all loaded into separate one tonne bags, marked "; S10[10]=" the end of five months of negotiations with an export agent that included input from shipping agents John Swire and Sons, the Townsville Port Authority, "; S11[10]=" the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and the regional DPI&F FutureCane team.
      'The process from initial contact with an export agent to "; S12[10]=" where we are today, has been a process of give and take on both sides, but the end result has been rewarding.
      "; S13[10]=" I have realised the importance of negotiation and supply chain relationships, but also the reward in achieving another soybean trading option to manage my business "; S14[10]=" risk.' DPI&F FutureCane trade and business officer Stephen Sinclair said cane growers in the Burdekin are capable of growing commercial soybean grain crops, and the "; S15[10]=" FutureCane team were keen to build on the trial shipment.
      'This trial export shipment has created much interest that can only be "; S16[10]=" seen as positive for cane growers looking at income diversification,' Mr Sinclair said.
      'Ultimately an ideal mix of domestic and export market "; S17[10]=" options for soybean grain from the Burdekin is our aim, so as to ensure that cane growers are making use of their fallow legume cropping "; S18[10]=" systems to optimise financial returns.' Ron McLean, chairman of the Townsville Port Authority, said: 'The Townsville Port Authority is committed to ensuring our port continues "; S19[10]=" to nurture and expand the local exporting community by providing an efficient and effective avenue for exports.
      I believe the region has "; S20[10]=" immense economic potential, and support all initiatives that foster this potential.' Growers interested in finding out more about the export chain initiative for soybeans.. "; R[11]="119"; T[11]="Natural controls for capsicum disease kind to environment and Reef"; A[11]="By ... Editor"; Dn[11]="20060222"; Dt[11]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[11]="a03a08a17a33a37a40a42a86a88"; B1[11]="      New research shows the strategic use of natural fungicides has the potential to effectively reduce or prevent powdery mildew in capsicums and "; B2[11]="chillis in tropical regions... "; B3[11]=" "; B4[11]=" "; B5[11]=" "; S1[11]="      New research shows the strategic use of natural fungicides has the potential to effectively reduce or prevent powdery mildew in capsicums and "; S2[11]=" chillis in tropical regions.
      At the same time it will cut costs for farmers and reduce the need for chemical-based fungicides, which "; S3[11]=" is good news for the environment and, ultimately, theGreat Barrier Reef.
      Ayr-based Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries senior plant pathologist Dr "; S4[11]=" Chrys Akem said the research could have more widespread benefits for other major production areas.
      'Bundaberg and the Lockyer Valley districts are "; S5[11]=" seeking solutions to the disease on capsicums and tomato,' Dr Akem said.
      'First we need to evaluate more effective natural products and "; S6[11]=" in different combinations with soft chemicals to address the powdery mildew scourge on these vegetable crops,' Dr Akem said.
      'Powdery mildew has "; S7[11]=" a wide host range within field and horticultural crops, including capsicums, tomatoes and chillis.
      'The same fungal organism attacks these crops in "; S8[11]=" the wet and dry tropics.
      Therefore control strategies developed for one crop can work effectively on the others.' The characteristic whitish symptoms "; S9[11]=" of the disease are more obvious on the underside of leaves where the spores develop and can easily disperse.
      'Warm and more "; S10[11]=" humid environmental conditions are suitable for its development and spread,' Dr Akem said.
      'In the tropics, powdery mildew epidemics on capsicums are "; S11[11]=" more likely to occur towards the end of the cropping season.
      'The disease largely affects fruit quality not yield because it occurs "; S12[11]=" late in the season when crops have had enough time to produce flowers and fruit.
      'Extensive defoliation caused by the disease exposes "; S13[11]=" the fruit to severe sunburn under tropical conditions.' Until recently, products that are both effective and environmental-friendly have not been available to farmers.
    "; S14[11]="   'The use of sulphur is starting to raise some environmental concerns, but less toxic products have not been available,' Dr Akem said.
    "; S15[11]="   'Organic growers, in particular, have had limited options to control powdery mildew under organic production systems.' Horticulture Australia Limited is funding the DPI&F project "; S16[11]=" to look for sustainable methods to manage powdery mildew on capsicums.
      Dr Akem and his team from Ayr and Bowen DPI&F research "; S17[11]=" stations have been screening a range of natural fungicides - including silicon, cow's milk, petroleum oil and some foliar organic fertilisers - to identify which "; S18[11]=" were the most effective.
      'We are getting positive results from cow's milk and silicon as alternative products that can be used in "; S19[11]=" combination with synthetic or softer fungicides,' he said.
      'These combinations can cut back on the many toxic and expensive fungicide sprays needed "; S20[11]=" to control powdery mildew on capsicums.
      'They have the potential to reduce growers' production costs and, as a bonus, protect the Great.. "; R[12]="107"; T[12]="New breeding facility for Wongan Hills"; A[12]="By ... Editor"; Dn[12]="20060222"; Dt[12]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[12]="a02a07a08a09a22a79a82a93"; B1[12]="      Western Australia s crop breeding effort has been bolstered with the completion of new state-of-the-art seed handling and storage facilities at the "; B2[12]="Department of Agriculture s Wongan Hills Research Station... "; B3[12]=" "; B4[12]=" "; B5[12]=" "; S1[12]="      Western Australia's crop breeding effort has been bolstered with the completion of new state-of-the-art seed handling and storage facilities at the Department "; S2[12]=" of Agriculture's Wongan Hills Research Station.
      Local grain growers were invited to examine the new $1.5 million facilities, officially opened today at "; S3[12]=" the Research Station's 80th annual field day.
      Acting Director General Rob Delane said the Wongan Hills Research Station formed an integral part "; S4[12]=" of the Department's overall crop breeding program which had developed 80 per cent of wheat varieties currently grown in WA.
      Mr Delane "; S5[12]=" said the breeding programs co-funded by grain growers through the Grains Research and Development Corporation and royalties underpinned the success of the State's grain industry "; S6[12]=" exports.
      'Wongan Hills is the operational base for much of the Department's crop breeding field research, pure seed production activities and related "; S7[12]=" research support,' he said.
      'The new seed handling and storage capacity incorporates facilities such as new cool room storage, processing and work "; S8[12]=" areas to improve operational efficiencies and research capability.
      'Further investment has also been made in the development of new sheep handling areas, "; S9[12]=" the construction of a fertiliser storage shed and machinery shed, modifications to existing sheds and road and earth works.' Mr Delane said crop breeding was "; S10[12]=" a vital part of the Department's extensive research and development program, which aimed to improve the marketability, productivity and sustainability of the State's grains industry.
"; S11[12]="       Field testing on the research station and the storage, assessment, preparation and distribution of new crop breeding lines forms a critically important "; S12[12]=" component of the breeding effort.
      The Wongan Hills Research Station has about 1000 hectares of land under crop rotations each year, with "; S13[12]=" approximately 500 hectares used for crop breeding, crop seed production and crop agronomy experimentation.
      The field day provided industry with an opportunity "; S14[12]=" to view the new and improved facilities and to discuss the latest research and development activities, including the performance of new crop varieties... "; R[13]="99"; T[13]="Case IH technicians gain world class training in harvesting technology."; A[13]="By ... Editor"; Dn[13]="20060222"; Dt[13]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[13]="a01"; B1[13]="      Twenty-two of Case IH s highest skilled technicians recently traveled to North America for an intensive two-week training course on the latest "; B2[13]="in harvesting technology... "; B3[13]=" "; B4[13]=" "; B5[13]=" "; S1[13]="      Twenty-two of Case IH's highest skilled technicians recently traveled to North America for an intensive two-week training course on the latest in "; S2[13]=" harvesting technology.
      Initially the training started in Winnipeg, Canada at MacDon's state-of-the-art training facility.
      The second phase of the "; S3[13]=" training was held at the Grand Island 'Centre of Rotary Excellence', Nebraska.
      The technicians qualified for the trip based on their experience.
"; S4[13]="       They were also selected on the basis of their dealer location, with a preference for technicians working in key grain growing areas.
"; S5[13]="       The program was aimed at extending the skills of this elite set of technicians and covered all aspects of repair and maintenance "; S6[13]=" of combines, particularly the new AFX8010 model.
      The majority of technicians who were selected to attend were under 35.
      "; S7[13]=" 'With the current skills shortage facing the industry, Case IH is committed to promoting and supporting young employees and providing training opportunities such as this,' "; S8[13]=" said Case IH dealer support manager for Western Victoria, Patrick McVeigh.
      'Our technicians really impressed the trainers who work with mechanics from "; S9[13]=" all around the world.
      The lead trainer, Kevin Breneman, said that never before has he come across such an enthusiastic and highly "; S10[13]=" skilled bunch of people.' He also commented on their expertise saying that in some cases he had allowed two to three hours for fault diagnosis "; S11[13]=" and repair in the program, but our technicians were able to tackle the problem in just half-an-hour.
      'I felt a personal sense "; S12[13]=" of pride to hear this and know we offer our customers access to such world-class technicians,' said Patrick.
      Service Technician, Aaron Wright, "; S13[13]=" from Ballarat Ag, Victoria, attended the overseas program.
      Aaron has worked as a technician on a range of farm machinery for the "; S14[13]=" past 11 years, and currently specialises in the repair and maintenance of the Case IH range of combine harvesters.
      'We're in "; S15[13]=" a pretty big grain growing area so it's important for our dealership to be able to offer local farmers the best in servicing and repairs.
"; S16[13]="       The trip was really a fantastic experience - but it was also pretty full on.
      The training included everything "; S17[13]=" from set up and hydraulics, to the diagnosis and repair of faults.
      The engineers had developed a series of issues which we "; S18[13]=" would diagnose and repair, working in groups of three.
      It was also great to be able to impress them like we did!' "; S19[13]=" The opportunity to share ideas and experience with other technicians from across the country was also a benefit, Aaron added.
      'For instance, "; S20[13]=" up north, a lot of customers harvest at high speeds due to lighter crops as a result of the ongoing.. "; R[14]="97"; T[14]="Dynamic new line of Speedrower released"; A[14]="By ... New Holland"; Dn[14]="20060222"; Dt[14]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[14]="a01"; B1[14]="      Continuing the New Holland tradition of leadership in haytools technology, the dynamic new line of Speedrower™ self-propelled windrowers features a number of "; B2[14]="industry firsts that boost haymaking productivity and provide greater operator comfort and convenience... "; B3[14]=" "; B4[14]=" "; B5[14]=" "; S1[14]="      Continuing the New Holland tradition of leadership in haytools technology, the dynamic new line of Speedrower™ self-propelled windrowers features a number of "; S2[14]=" industry firsts that boost haymaking productivity and provide greater operator comfort and convenience.
      New Holland Marketing Manager, Simon Vigour, says the choice "; S3[14]=" of three models and a broad range of attachments mean it is easy to create the right combination for any need.
      'New "; S4[14]=" Holland is renowned for its detailed understanding of the hay and forage industry, and these new windrowers reflect that, with a range of on-board solutions "; S5[14]=" and configurations to ensure operators get the most from their machines.
      'No matter the crop - lucerne, oaten hay, grass, wheat, canola, "; S6[14]=" lentils or peas - HW Speedrowers deliver industry-leading cutting capacity.
      They offer increased power and a new level of control that leads "; S7[14]=" to increased productivity.
      The models offer up to 225 horsepower - the highest on the market and a selection of sickle, disc "; S8[14]=" and draper headers to match capacity and performance needs,' Simon explained.
      Among the features new to the market with the HW range "; S9[14]=" is a 5.6 metre (18ft) DiscBine header.
      'That's the widest disc out there,' Simon noted.
      With independent hydraulic header "; S10[14]=" flotation, adjustments can be made to the left or right side from the cab, so hillsides and irrigation borders can be easily negotiated.
    "; S11[14]="   'We've also introduced independent rear axle suspension as standard equipment on the HW345 and 365 models, providing improved efficiency on uneven ground.
    "; S12[14]="   Optional electric windrow shield adjustment gives constant control of windrow formation.' As always, New Holland has matched improved functionality with improved operator comfort.
  "; S13[14]="     The cab provides the operator with unrivalled visibility, comfort and convenience.
      'The HW SpeedRower offers an industry-first - Comfort Ride™ "; S14[14]=" cab suspension as standard across the range.
      Utilising technology from our TS-A and TM tractor ranges, this design smoothes out bumps and "; S15[14]=" vibrations from rough fields and results in far less of the bounce and jostling seen in other machines.
      The operator rides in "; S16[14]=" greater comfort and is less tired at the end of the day.
      'In addition, the flotation springs and towers which were previously "; S17[14]=" located on the platform have been removed, enabling us to greatly enlarge the cab entry and allowing the door to open more fully and provide "; S18[14]=" the operator with wider access.
      The outside platform doubles as a tool storage area and an expansive toolbox is now built into "; S19[14]=" the platform.
      This toolbox can be accessed from ground level and is lockable.
      'This series really demonstrates why New "; S20[14]=" Holland is the leader in this field.
      The machines are robust, efficient, innovative and comfortable.' The HW SpeedrowerTM.. "; R[15]="96"; T[15]="Expert Takes aim on Effective Spraying"; A[15]="By ... Editor"; Dn[15]="20060222"; Dt[15]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[15]="a03a85a86"; B1[15]="      Spraying systems like Case IH s AIM Command, which maintains constant droplet size and pressure regardless of speed, are the way of "; B2[15]="the future, according to agricultural spraying consultant Bill Gordon... "; B3[15]=" "; B4[15]=" "; B5[15]=" "; S1[15]="      Spraying systems like Case IH's AIM Command, which maintains constant droplet size and pressure regardless of speed, are the way of the "; S2[15]=" future, according to agricultural spraying consultant Bill Gordon.
      Bill has a background in research on application technology and worked as an agronomist "; S3[15]=" and in product development before starting his consultancy in 2002.
      He recently completed a series of workshops in Western Australia, where he "; S4[15]=" helped about 180 farmers get a better understanding of the chemical spray application process.
      'The workshops were about helping people get a "; S5[15]=" better understanding of the process so they could make informed decisions.
      Farmers are concerned with minimising drift and getting the right amount "; S6[15]=" of product onto the target crops.
      We talked about how differing conditions affect the behaviour and survival of droplets, and the way "; S7[15]=" various products interact with their targets.
      With all these skills in hand, we then looked at choosing the right set up to "; S8[15]=" achieve the desired outcome.' Bill says understanding the basics is the key to good application.
      'It is critical to manage the issues "; S9[15]=" affecting the application.
      Over the past 10 years there has been a big transition to automatic rate control, and this has taken "; S10[15]=" some thought out of the process, with a tendency to treat it as a cure-all, which it is not.
      Changing speed can "; S11[15]=" considerably change the droplet size.
      Using automatic rate control, over an 8km speed range pressure can vary by up to two bar, "; S12[15]=" which may lead to between 10 and 40 per cent product loss due to the production of fine droplets.' Case IH's AIM Command uses cutting "; S13[15]=" edge pulse width modulation technology to allow operators to control spray pressure independently of ground speed and application rates.
      'AIM Command has "; S14[15]=" great potential.
      Because it maintains constant pressure at the nozzle regardless of speed, it overcomes a lot of the problems of other "; S15[15]=" systems.
      It's still vital to get the basics right, but AIM Command makes that easier to do,' Bill says.
      "; S16[15]=" 'If you understand how to select the most appropriate droplets, a system like AIM Command is the next step.
      It offers operators "; S17[15]=" a lot more flexibility because you get a set droplet spectrum out of it.
      Any system that gives a constant droplet spectrum "; S18[15]=" has got to be a big step in the right direction.' AIM Command does not physically change the nozzles.
      Rather, it changes "; S19[15]=" the liquid flow into the nozzles and the operator can switch between conventional spraying and AIM Command spraying as required.
      This results "; S20[15]=" in savings in time and money with greater control over spray droplet size, better drift control and less chemical wastage.
      The system's.. "; R[16]="95"; T[16]="MLA AGM resolutions announced"; A[16]="By ... Editor"; Dn[16]="20060222"; Dt[16]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[16]="a02a07a08a22a24a25a27a79a82"; B1[16]="      Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) today announced the 11 resolutions to be voted on by MLA members at the upcoming Annual General "; B2[16]="Meeting (AGM) in Melbourne on 16 November... "; B3[16]=" "; B4[16]=" "; B5[16]=" "; S1[16]="      Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) today announced the 11 resolutions to be voted on by MLA members at the upcoming Annual General "; S2[16]=" Meeting (AGM) in Melbourne on 16 November.
      Among the resolutions to be voted on will be the selection of three nominated Board "; S3[16]=" directors.
      Current MLA Board director and company deputy chairman Don Heatley will be seeking re-selection along with first-time nominees Peter Boyden and "; S4[16]=" Jay Simms.
      Don Heatley has served on the MLA Board since 1998 and owns and operates two north Queensland properties that carry "; S5[16]=" 9,000 head of cattle which supply the Japanese, US and live export markets.
      Mr Heatley has served on the Queensland Government's Livestock "; S6[16]=" Export Advisory Committee, as well as having held positions with the Cattle Council of Australia and the North Queensland Beef Research Committee.
      "; S7[16]=" Peter Boyden has more than 30 years marketing experience in both the domestic and international food industries, having served locally as Marketing Director of Unifoods "; S8[16]=" Australasia and Managing Director of Foods, Unilever Australasia.
      Mr Boyden is currently a director of Food Standards Australia New Zealand and previously "; S9[16]=" was a director of the Australian Food and Grocery Council and Unilever Australasia.
      Jay Simms is a Queensland cattle producer with over "; S10[16]=" 37 years experience in livestock production across northern Australia.
      Mr Simms has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from New Mexico State University, "; S11[16]=" specialising in livestock production.
      Mr Simms has owned and operated properties in northern Western Australia and Queensland and has held positions with "; S12[16]=" the Kimberley Pastoral Industry Advisory Committee and the Northern Beef Production Industry Committee.
      Four additional resolutions have been put forward by MLA: "; S13[16]=" - Changes to the definition of 'producer' in MLA's constitution to broaden the eligibility for MLA membership along with a change to the timing provisions "; S14[16]=" in MLA's constitution to enable the return date for members' levies notices to occur after the date on which members' resolutions are due.
    "; S15[16]="   - Three resolutions for the selection of cattle, sheep and feedlot producer representatives to the MLA Board selection committee.
      The remaining "; S16[16]=" four resolutions to be voted on were put forward by MLA members and include: - The removal from office of MLA Board director, Don Heatley.
"; S17[16]="       - An amendment to the MLA constitution to remove the peak council class of membership.
      - An amendment to "; S18[16]=" the MLA constitution that will allow a change to the level of livestock transaction levies to be proposed by 200 members of a livestock class "; S19[16]=" (grassfed cattle, grainfed cattle, sheep or goat) or 20 per cent of that class - whichever is the lesser number.
      - A "; S20[16]=" change to the MLA constitution that would enable the direct election of up to six MLA directors, with four MLA Board member positions.. "; R[17]="94"; T[17]="Live export forum to welcome global meat marketing expert"; A[17]="By ... Editor"; Dn[17]="20060222"; Dt[17]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[17]="a02a03a25a27a31"; B1[17]="      If the Australian red meat and livestock industry is to maintain the current level of global consumer confidence, it has to be "; B2[17]="in a position to meet the growing demands of its customers, particularly in South East Asia... "; B3[17]=" "; B4[17]=" "; B5[17]=" "; S1[17]="      If the Australian red meat and livestock industry is to maintain the current level of global consumer confidence, it has to be "; S2[17]=" in a position to meet the growing demands of its customers, particularly in South East Asia.
      This is the advice of international "; S3[17]=" food marketing expert Dr David Hughes who is the keynote speaker at the MLA/LiveCorp Livestock Export Forum being held in Darwin on Wednesday 12 October.
"; S4[17]="       Dr Hughes, who is a Professor of Food Marketing at the Imperial College in London, will be presenting on the positive outlook "; S5[17]=" for meat demand, especially in South East Asia, and what this means for the Australian red meat and livestock export industry.
      'The "; S6[17]=" consumer is king - ignore them at your peril.
      Everyone in the live export trade must realise they are producing food, and "; S7[17]=" not just trading cattle,' Dr Hughes said.
      Dr Hughes will also provide invaluable research findings into current global consumer trends and the "; S8[17]=" growing demand for red meat internationally.
      The Livestock Export Forum is a key event on the calendar for those working in the "; S9[17]=" live export industry and for livestock producers supplying the live trade.
      The forum will also feature other keynote speakers who will provide "; S10[17]=" perspectives on the future of the live cattle trade, including a focus on the Indonesian market and the opportunities available to producers who supply livestock "; S11[17]=" for the South East Asian region.
      MLA Managing Director Mark Spurr said that the opportunity to listen to Dr Hughes was one "; S12[17]=" that shouldn't be missed.
      'This is a rare opportunity for Australia's livestock producers and live exporters to hear from one of the "; S13[17]=" world's most respected marketing experts,' Mr Spurr said.
      'A lot can be learnt from what's currently happening in the rest of the "; S14[17]=" world, as well as looking at what's around the corner.
      I urge live exporters and livestock producers to attend this forum.' Registration "; S15[17]=" for the forum can be made calling MLA on (02) 9463 9254.
      The forum is being held at the Crowne Plaza Darwin "; S16[17]=" between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
      The LiveCorp AGM will follow the forum, beginning at 1.30pm... "; R[18]="91"; T[18]="Macadamia nut industry grows at cracking pace"; A[18]="By ... Editor"; Dn[18]="20060222"; Dt[18]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[18]="a01a18"; B1[18]="      Australia s macadamia industry continues to grow with much of the major new industry expansion now centred on the Wide Bay region..... "; B2[18]=" "; B3[18]=" "; B4[18]=" "; B5[18]=" "; S1[18]="      Australia's macadamia industry continues to grow with much of the major new industry expansion now centred on the Wide Bay region.
  "; S2[18]="     Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries senior principal horticulturist Dr Russ Stephenson said the unprecedented growth of the macadamia industry was proceeding with "; S3[18]=" an average of 200 000 new trees being planted each year.
      He said that major industry growers, some with over one hundred "; S4[18]=" thousand trees in their operations, were centred around Bundaberg.
      Some operators were developing plant nurseries which are breeding up to 400 000 "; S5[18]=" new trees each per year.
      'When grafted trees are well developed in the nursery, they are then planted in commercial orchards, taking "; S6[18]=" four to five years before producing their first nuts.
      However this still represents a continuing huge expansion of the industry,' Dr Stephenson "; S7[18]=" said.
      He said that Bundaberg has become a major player in the industry with some cane farmers planting macadamia trees in large "; S8[18]=" numbers.
      As well local macadamia industry efforts have focused on expanding macadamia processing and storage facilities at Bundaberg.
      Dr "; S9[18]=" Stephenson said the future of the macadamia industry remains bright with growers continuing to receive relatively high prices.
      There is a major "; S10[18]=" push to further expand export market development.
      Overseas sales account for around 75 per cent of the total harvest.
      "; S11[18]=" He said that new macadamia varieties were to be trialled in breeding programs conducted over the next few years at Bundaberg, Mackay and in northern "; S12[18]=" New South Wales.
      Macadamias are grown from the Atherton tablelands to Nambucca and Coffs Harbour... "; R[19]="90"; T[19]="NLIS has successful track record in South East Queensland"; A[19]="By ... Editor"; Dn[19]="20060222"; Dt[19]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[19]="a02a06a25a27a66"; B1[19]="      The new livestock tracing scheme, National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is achieving very high compliance rates and few teething problems according to "; B2[19]="the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F)... "; B3[19]=" "; B4[19]=" "; B5[19]=" "; S1[19]="      The new livestock tracing scheme, National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is achieving very high compliance rates and few teething problems according to "; S2[19]=" the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F).
      DPI&F Burnett-based senior stock inspector Phil Day said there had been very few problems "; S3[19]=" recorded throughout the region following the introduction of NLIS on 1 July this year.
      'Most saleyards operators have reported that reading and "; S4[19]=" scanning of electronic NLIS tags is working very well with near 100 percent data capture and upload of the animal's identification numbers,' Mr Day said.
"; S5[19]="       'Most cattle producers were also doing a good job in tagging their livestock.
      'There had been less than a "; S6[19]=" handful of faulty or non-reading tags over the eight sales held in the South Burnett area since the system was introduced.' Mr Day said that "; S7[19]=" producers should adopt a management plan to ensure that their sale-cattle are tagged well before they are sent to the yards.
      'This "; S8[19]=" will ensure that the producer has the NLIS tags needed well in advance of stock moving to sale.
      High demand on tags "; S9[19]=" continues to placing pressures on time of supply from tag manufacturers.
      'From a management perspective, tagging cattle early will also mean that "; S10[19]=" the cattle are in the best condition at time of sale to capitalise on high markets.
      DPI&F QUICKTAGS are available for emergencies "; S11[19]=" only, but strict conditions apply.
      QUICKTAGS will only be supplied to producers that have placed an order for NLIS devices over 2 "; S12[19]=" weeks previously.
      The message is simple, order normal NLIS tags early or risk missing out on selling or moving cattle at the "; S13[19]=" best times to suit buoyant markets or other management requirements.' Mr Day said that producers should ensure that all approved NLIS devices are only placed "; S14[19]=" in the animal's right ear (the off-side ear).
      'The reason that the off-side ear is a legal requirement is because all saleyards "; S15[19]=" across Australia have adopted the national practice so their permanent reading panels are set up for off-side ear reading.
      'The odd animal "; S16[19]=" with the NLIS tag in the wrong ear slows down saleyard operations and should be avoided,' Mr Day said... "; R[20]="88"; T[20]="GLA announces latest decisions"; A[20]="By ... Editor"; Dn[20]="20060222"; Dt[20]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[20]="a02a07a08a22a24a74a79a82"; B1[20]="      Chairman of the Grain Licensing Authority Colin Mann today announced approval of 125,000 tonnes of feed barley to the Middle East..... "; B2[20]=" "; B3[20]=" "; B4[20]=" "; B5[20]=" "; S1[20]="      Chairman of the Grain Licensing Authority Colin Mann today announced decisions which included approval of 125,000 tonnes of feed barley to the "; S2[20]=" Middle East and the declining of a applications to export a further 125,000 tonnes of feed barley to the Middle East.
      An "; S3[20]=" application for 60,000 tonnes of malting barley to China and 38,000 tonnes of canola toJapan were also declined.
      Mr Mann said licences "; S4[20]=" issued to date will ensure wide competition and marketing options to producers for prescribed grains.
      However, volumes granted to 'core markets' of "; S5[20]=" the main licence holder Grain Pool Pty Ltd are now reaching a level that could begin to impact on their marketing strategies and or the "; S6[20]=" State's reputation as a reliable grain exporter.
      'All applications to 'core markets' or clearly established customers of the main licence holder will "; S7[20]=" continue to be subjected to very rigorous scrutiny and assessment and new market opportunities will receive priority,' said Mr Mann.
      'However, exporters "; S8[20]=" are not denied access to any market because they can also still buy grain for their customers through the Grain Pool Pty Ltd and if "; S9[20]=" it is in the best interests of producers I am sure negotiations can prove positive,' Mr Mann said.
      Effectively this provides a "; S10[20]=" power of veto over increased quantities to 'core markets' unless grain exporters can substantiate benefit to producers and the State.
      The Grain "; S11[20]=" Licensing Authority will continue to operate within the parameters of the Legislation and base its decisions on the merits of each application and the evidence "; S12[20]=" presented about each market or market segment... "; R[21]="82"; T[21]="New NLIS on-line training package"; A[21]="By ... Editor"; Dn[21]="20060222"; Dt[21]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[21]="a02a25a26a27"; B1[21]="      On-line training is now available to those in the cattle industry who wish to hone their skills on the practical and legal "; B2[21]="requirements of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS)... "; B3[21]=" "; B4[21]=" "; B5[21]=" "; S1[21]="      On-line training is now available to those in the cattle industry who wish to hone their skills on the practical and legal "; S2[21]=" requirements of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS).
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) animal biosecurity general manager Ron Glanville said "; S3[21]=" that the on-line training package will appeal to all people, no matter what their role is in beef production, livestock selling or meat processing.
  "; S4[21]="     'Agents, saleyards operators, small country processors and producers wishing to move cattle from one property to another will definitely benefit from taking the "; S5[21]=" time to do this on-line course,' Mr Glanville said.
      'It is also a valuable refresher for those working as fee-for-service NLIS service "; S6[21]=" providers who have already attended the training courses held around the state.' DPI&F is also having discussions with agricultural colleges, universities and agricultural high school "; S7[21]=" teachers to make the NLIS training resources available for educational use.
      'It is ideal for formal education use as it contains interactive "; S8[21]=" multimedia activities, multi-choice questions, examples and scenarios to help guide the user through the learning process.
      'The package contains nine topics that "; S9[21]=" cover such things as who has the responsibility for tagging cattle for NLIS, obtaining devices, applying devices, who is responsible for notifying the NLIS database "; S10[21]=" and how to interact with it,' Mr Glanville said.
      The NLIS online training package is free to use and can be accessed "; S11[21]=" at www.dpi.qld.gov.au/NLIS on the DPI&F NLIS website... "; R[22]="80"; T[22]="Agents praise NLIS QuickTag s $43m success"; A[22]="By ... Editor"; Dn[22]="20060222"; Dt[22]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[22]="a02a25a26a27"; B1[22]="      NLIS QuickTags have helped Queensland s saleyards capture a $43 million dollar share of cattle transactions since the introduction of the National "; B2[22]="Livestock Identification System on 1 July this year... "; B3[22]=" "; B4[22]=" "; B5[22]=" "; S1[22]="      NLIS QuickTags have helped Queensland's saleyards capture a $43 million dollar share of cattle transactions since the introduction of the National Livestock "; S2[22]=" Identification System on 1 July this year.
      Chairman of the northern region of the Australian Livestock & Property Agents Association Noel Grant, "; S3[22]=" reported that the QuickTag system introduced by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) has been a phenomenal success.
      'The DPI&F "; S4[22]=" NLIS QuickTag system has allowed 63,000 cattle valued at $43 million to be sold in saleyards across the state during the last three months and "; S5[22]=" a further 10,000 tags supplied for property-to-property movements,' Mr Grant said.
      'Without QuickTags, the numbers of cattle going through saleyards would have "; S6[22]=" been reduced as producers would have opted for either direct consignment to abattoirs or waiting for their own orders of NLIS tags to be delivered,' "; S7[22]=" he said.
      DPI&F NLIS QuickTags were introduced as an emergency measure because many producers failed to place orders for tags early enough "; S8[22]=" and this resulted in high demand that could not be met by tag manufacturers.
      Mr Grant said that NLIS QuickTags system has "; S9[22]=" allowed producers to capitalise on the present buoyant cattle market fuelled by unprecedented levels of competition in saleyards over the past 3 months.
    "; S10[22]="   'I acknowledge the tremendous cooperation that the DPI&F has provided in the development and on-going management of the QuickTag system.
      'DPI&F "; S11[22]=" director-general Jim Varghese and animal biosecurity general manager Ron Glanville realised that tag supply was going to be a major bottleneck and would limit the "; S12[22]=" supply of cattle through saleyards.
      'Both Jim and Ron met with a delegation of agents and saleyard operators and within 24 hours "; S13[22]=" managed to get the QuickTag system operational.' 'The Queensland NLIS QuickTag system is far better than the emergency tail tags used in others states in "; S14[22]=" my opinion,' Mr Grant said.
      'It means that tags are supplied to the livestock owner and cattle are presented to the saleyards "; S15[22]=" ready for reading ID numbers.
      'For agents there is less work and it makes data handling easier for saleyard operators while ensuring "; S16[22]=" that electronic traceability of stock is not compromised.
      'Saleyards operators and agents are indebted to the DPI&F for this quality solution to "; S17[22]=" a difficult problem.' Mr Grant said that both QuickTags and NLIS as a whole, are working extremely well in Queensland and the DPI&F, saleyard operators "; S18[22]=" and agents should be congratulated on the way that they have all worked together to make NLIS a success in Queensland... "; R[23]="79"; T[23]="The last big push against fire ants"; A[23]="By ... Editor"; Dn[23]="20060222"; Dt[23]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[23]="a03a42a66a86"; B1[23]="      Australia is winning the war against red imported fire ants but the campaign is far from over.
      However the "; B2[23]="easier part of the task - wide-scale treatment - is almost over for most of Brisbane.
      Now we are down to finding "; B3[23]="every last, isolated fire ant nest - wherever it may be hiding - and killing the queen... "; B4[23]=" "; B5[23]=" "; S1[23]="      Australia is winning the war against red imported fire ants but the campaign is far from over.
      However the "; S2[23]=" easier part of the task - wide-scale treatment - is almost over for most of Brisbane.
      Now we are down to finding "; S3[23]=" every last, isolated fire ant nest - wherever it may be hiding - and killing the queen.
      The good news is that "; S4[23]=" just 1 000 hectares out of 49 000 hectares in the initial restricted area remains nominally infested and only 37 infested properties (totalling just 56 "; S5[23]=" colonies) remain within that 1 000 hectare infested area.
      All of the remaining colonies have now been destroyed, and one extra season "; S6[23]=" of bait treatment in 2005/6 on all properties within the remaining infested area will kill the residual infestations.
      Now the challenge for "; S7[23]=" the Program and South East Queenslanders is to work together to locate every remaining infestation.
      One missed viable nest carries within it "; S8[23]=" the potential to undo all the work of the Program to date.
      To achieve eradication we are more and more reliant on "; S9[23]=" the general public's sustained vigilance.
      Members of the public have located around two thirds (45 out of 66 nests) of all the "; S10[23]=" fire ant detections made in Australia during the last year - and that includes every single discovery outside the Core Restricted Area.
      "; S11[23]=" As a result of recent finds by the FACC and the community in the area surrounding Rochedale (to the south east of central Brisbane) the "; S12[23]=" FACC has determined that a comparatively large new area (2 400 ha) is to be declared a Restricted Area for Fire Ants under section 49 "; S13[23]=" (Declaration of Restricted Area) of the Plant Protection Regulation 2002.
      This significantly extends the previous Rochedale Restricted Area which will now be "; S14[23]=" known as the Rochedale Extension.
      Affected suburbs include Rochedale, Priestdale, Burbank and Sheldon.
      The new Restricted Area boundary will "; S15[23]=" take effect from Wednesday, September 21, 2005.
      This does not mean that the FACC expects to find fire ants all through the "; S16[23]=" Extension or that fire ants are getting out of control.
      General Manager of the Eradication Program Keith McCubbin says: 'We are hopeful "; S17[23]=" this is the last significant concentration of fire ants left in Australia and that the treatment and surveillance regime that has worked so well in "; S18[23]=" Brisbane and Ipswich will work just as well in the Extension.' 'It is crucial that we throw a big enough cordon around the last few "; S19[23]=" nests to ensure we bait and kill any undiscovered recent natural spread events as soon as possible.' 'The Rochdale Extension allows us to establish a "; S20[23]=" generous buffer of active on-the-ground activity around all the nests we have found so far to be sure the entire area is fire ant free,.. "; R[24]="74"; T[24]="SA biodynamic producers to share their skills"; A[24]="By ... Editor"; Dn[24]="20060222"; Dt[24]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[24]="a02a11"; B1[24]="      South Australian primary producers will be sharing their biodynamic farming techniques during the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) World Congress "; B2[24]="in Adelaide September 20-23 to encourage more growers to take up this unique form of sustainable farming... "; B3[24]=" "; B4[24]=" "; B5[24]=" "; S1[24]="      South Australian primary producers will be sharing their biodynamic farming techniques during the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) World Congress "; S2[24]=" in Adelaide September 20-23 to encourage more growers to take up this unique form of sustainable farming.
      Based on Austrian Rudolf Steiner's "; S3[24]=" approach to farming, biodynamics is a method of agriculture which seeks to actively work with nature.
      Predating organic agriculture, biodynamics is the "; S4[24]=" oldest non-chemical agricultural movement.
      Adelaide Hills producers are keen to share their biodynamic skills and experiences, having attended a series of biodynamic "; S5[24]=" agriculture workshops, funded by FarmBis.
      Providing a basic introduction into biodynamics, the on-farm workshops have been very popular with producers wanting to "; S6[24]=" take a holistic approach to farming.
      The workshops are conducted by Education Officer, Cheryl Kemp and Course Facilitator, Hamish Mackay of Biodynamic "; S7[24]=" Agriculture Australia, but would not have the attendance they achieve without FarmBis support.
      According to Cheryl, the workshop teaches farmers interested in "; S8[24]=" converting to a sustainable land management system how to develop natural soil fertility, improve water use, biodiversity, biodynamic sprays and planting programs.Learning outcomes of the "; S9[24]=" course includes increased water holding capacity, tilth and humus of soils, risk management assessment plans for insects and crop diseases and the implementation of sustainable "; S10[24]=" horticultural practices.
      'People are seeing things go wrong on their properties such as a drop in yield or out of control weeds "; S11[24]=" and often come to the biodynamic agriculture workshop to learn about a different method of tackling these problems,' Cheryl said.
      During a "; S12[24]=" tour of a local farm, participants of the workshop get to enjoy a hands-on approach to learning by creating their own compost.
      "; S13[24]=" 'Compost is important for soil fertility and there are many simple ways in which compost can be made from materials on farms and we encourage "; S14[24]=" everyone to own cows on their property for the recycling of nutrients,' Cheryl said.
      A planting calendar using the movements of the "; S15[24]=" planets and the stars may sound more akin to astronomy than agriculture, but Cheryl said a planting calendar is vital for climate risk assessment and "; S16[24]=" management.
      'We teach farmers how to use precautionary measures to determine times to spray or plant and this results in much healthier "; S17[24]=" crops,' she said.
      Anton van Klopper employs biodynamic agricultural techniques on his Basket Range farm and also works on Ngeringa Vineyards, owned "; S18[24]=" by close friend Erinn Klein at Mount Barker, which was the site of the last biodynamics agriculture workshop in May this year.
      "; S19[24]=" 'Decades of experience with biodynamic methods using homeopathic remedies, have shown that soil qualities can be promoted and degradation reversed by the correct application of "; S20[24]=" biodynamic techniques,' Anton said.
      'Biodynamic agriculture gives the earth a face-lift by building humus in.. "; R[25]="73"; T[25]="Move to require folate in flour"; A[25]="By ... Editor"; Dn[25]="20060222"; Dt[25]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[25]="a02a22"; B1[25]="      The Federal Government is considering making flour fortified with folic acid mandatory to prevent hundreds of babies being born each year with "; B2[25]="spina bifida and to reduce the number of late-term abortions... "; B3[25]=" "; B4[25]=" "; B5[25]=" "; S1[25]="      The Federal Government is considering making flour fortified with folic acid mandatory to prevent hundreds of babies being born each year with "; S2[25]=" spina bifida and to reduce the number of late-term abortions.
      Former Australian of the Year Fiona Stanley says adding folic acid to "; S3[25]=" flour could have prevented up to 70 per cent of the 5000 cases of spina bifida that occurred in Australia in the past decade.
  "; S4[25]="     The worst of the defect is when babies are born with water in their brain, which can lead to severe cognitive dysfunction and "; S5[25]=" require surgery to drain the fluid.
      Others have a severely deformed spine that leaves them paralysed.
      Screening can pick "; S6[25]=" up the condition 18 weeks into pregnancy and parents may choose to have a late termination.
      The Government has asked Food Standards "; S7[25]=" Australia New Zealand to investigate whether folate fortification can be done.
      Parliamentary secretary for health Christopher Pyne said the industry was happy "; S8[25]=" to pursue it voluntarily.
      'I think anything we can do to assist women to have healthy babies is overall positive,' he said.
"; S9[25]="       Professor Stanley, director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia, said spina bifida accounted for "; S10[25]=" more late terminations than Down syndrome.
      'If we could prevent spina bifida by getting women to eat folate at the right time, "; S11[25]=" we would get rid of the need for most of the late terminations of pregnancy in Australia,' she said.
      'The challenge is "; S12[25]=" we have to make sure that all the fertile population have adequate levels of folic acid before they conceive.'.. "; R[26]="71"; T[26]="New research data will help producers select better bulls"; A[26]="By ... Editor"; Dn[26]="20060222"; Dt[26]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[26]="a02a26a27a93"; B1[26]="      Buying the right bull for your herd production systems is important because reproduction rate is the biggest profit driver in our northern "; B2[26]="beef breeding properties... "; B3[26]=" "; B4[26]=" "; B5[26]=" "; S1[26]="      Buying the right bull for your herd production systems is important because reproduction rate is the biggest profit driver in our northern "; S2[26]=" beef breeding properties.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries officers will conduct two bull selection workshops in Georgetown and Mareeba next month "; S3[26]=" to provide information to help beef producers select bulls which produce more and better quality calves.
      The Georgetown workshop on Wednesday, October "; S4[26]=" 12, will start at the Town Hall for theory and discussion with the practical session to be carried out at the local rodeo grounds.
  "; S5[26]="     The Mareeba workshop on October 13 will be held at Mareeba DPI&F in Peters Street and later at the local saleyards.
    "; S6[26]="   DPI&F beef extension officer Bernie English said bull selection workshops had been conducted throughout the State for some 15 years, but new information and "; S7[26]=" research data would interest beef producers.
      The workshop will cover the following subjects:
      * Selecting bulls for structural soundness.
"; S8[26]="       * Selection for fertility.
      * Bull prices impact on calf cost.
      * Selection for growth and "; S9[26]=" carcass attributes
      * Interpreting a veterinary breeding soundness certificate
      * Practical session in the yard with bulls.
    "; S10[26]="  
      * Results of latest genetic research.
      'Workshop participants will learn to use fertility, growth and carcase trait "; S11[26]=" information to choose bulls with the genetic makeup to meet breeding objectives and market requirements,' Mr English said.
      'The workshops will provide "; S12[26]=" information on new technologies resulting from CRC research and other research.' 'Sound bull selection combines all available objective and visual information into a breeding program "; S13[26]=" that meets breeding objectives, and satisfies the on-property herd performance and market specifications.
      'Making the right bull selection decisions will improve the "; S14[26]=" herd's ability to remain profitable.' The workshop will cover disease issues that affect bull fertility and calving rates.
      The workshop on each "; S15[26]=" day will run from 8.30am to 4.30pm.
      The cost to attend a workshop is $330 (including GST) for up to two people "; S16[26]=" per business.
      Participants must have Farmbis approval before the workshop to be eligible for the 50 per cent subsidy.
      "; S17[26]=" Registrations are essential.
      Please contact Bernie English at Mareeba DPI&F on 4048 4627 or Jane Tincknell of Northern Gulf Resource Management Group "; S18[26]=" on 4062 1330... "; R[27]="70"; T[27]="Harvesting Kaspa different to trailing peas"; A[27]="By ... Editor"; Dn[27]="20060222"; Dt[27]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[27]="a01a08a19a81"; B1[27]="      WA grain growers have been quick to realise the potential of semi-leafless field pea varieties like Kaspa in overcoming the harvesting problems "; B2[27]="of trailing field peas... "; B3[27]=" "; B4[27]=" "; B5[27]=" "; S1[27]="      WA grain growers have been quick to realise the potential of semi-leafless field pea varieties like Kaspa in overcoming the harvesting problems "; S2[27]=" of trailing field peas.
      The Department of Agriculture has visited growers harvesting Kaspa to record the successes and failures as a guide "; S3[27]=" to new growers.
      The results are available in Farmnote 14/2005 'Successfully harvesting semi-leafless field peas'.
      Department pulse researcher Mark "; S4[27]=" Seymour said the harvesting requirements for semi-leafless varieties were slightly different than the requirements for trailing varieties.
      'Semi-leafless lines tend to be "; S5[27]=" fluffy at maturity, having a large volume-to-weight ratio which could lead to a build-up of material on the front of the header,' Mr Seymour said.
"; S6[27]="       'This is common on draper-belt fronts, but has also been observed when Kaspa is harvested with a conventional header with a plucker "; S7[27]=" front.
      'Conventional open front harvesters with a table auger (tin front) are well suited to both trailing and semi-leafless peas including Kaspa, "; S8[27]=" but drapers and pluckers need modification to harvest Kaspa easily and efficiently.' The major harvesting benefits of Kaspa include:
      * "; S9[27]=" Kaspa can be swathed, and provided the swaths are rolled immediately, will be stable in windy conditions.
      Modifications to swathers which help "; S10[27]=" move material out of the exit hole will assist.
      * Kaspa can be direct-headed in hot weather.
      * As "; S11[27]=" a result of Kaspa's sugar pod trait, losses due to inclement weather or rough handling will be significantly lower.
      * Harvest samples "; S12[27]=" of Kaspa are significantly cleaner (less dust and dirt).
      Issues to consider when harvesting Kaspa include:
      * Harvested material "; S13[27]=" moves poorly across draper fronts and may block the header.
      Fitting a cross auger with paddles is the best known modification.
  "; S14[27]="    
      * Similar issues with barrel pluckers can be dealt with in two ways - fit lupin breakers to "; S15[27]=" table auger and harvest at speeds up to 6km/hr or fit a cross auger which allows for harvest speeds up to 10km/hr.
      "; S16[27]="
      * In cool conditions, Kaspa is more difficult to thresh and many choppers and spreaders may perform poorly.
      "; S17[27]=" The Department of Agriculture has produced a CD-video which allows growers to view different harvester set-ups working in Kaspa.
      This video was "; S18[27]=" available at the Dowerin and Newdegate Field Days, and will soon be available at key district offices... "; R[28]="68"; T[28]="Western Oat Alliance"; A[28]="By ... Editor"; Dn[28]="20060222"; Dt[28]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[28]="a02a24"; B1[28]="      A huge amount of interest has been shown by growers for Kojonup since its release at Dowerin Field Days..... "; B2[28]=" "; B3[28]=" "; B4[28]=" "; B5[28]=" "; S1[28]="      A huge amount of interest has been shown by growers for Kojonup since its release at Dowerin Field Days.
      "; S2[28]=" Western Oat Alliance Chairman Ray Marshall said that it has been almost seven years since the last WA variety (Wandering) was released.
      "; S3[28]=" 'With the potential to become the first dwarf milling variety in WA, the WOA sees great potential for Kojonup for WA farmers,' said Mr Marshall.
"; S4[28]="       'Kojonup is likely to be the last line bred by Robyn McLean and the Department's oat breeding team, as new work has "; S5[28]=" been coordinated through the national Oat Breeding Program.' Mr Marshall said the WOA strongly supports the national Oat Breeding Program and is working closely to "; S6[28]=" ensure varieties are developed to meet the requirements of the milling, feed and export hay markets as well as growers in WA.
      "; S7[28]=" 'The WOA has received GRDC funding for growers to visit the Oat Breeding Program in South Australia and attend the Hart Field Day.
    "; S8[28]="   This will enable growers to gain a better understanding of the program and identify areas the WOA can further support the program,' Mr Marshall "; S9[28]=" said.
      The Western Oat Alliance with AgraCorp will officially launch Kojonup to the WA oat industry at the first inaugural WOA Field "; S10[28]=" Day.
      The Field Day, to be opened by Mr Terry Enright, GRDC Chairman, will be held at Ashley and Jo Wiese's property "; S11[28]=" at Highbury from 1:00pm on Wednesday 28 September.
      'This will be a good opportunity for oat growers (hay and grain) to see "; S12[28]=" the progress of new initiatives formulated by the advent of an entire value chain concept,' Mr Marshall said.
      'Growers will also be "; S13[28]=" able to inspect Kojonup in Department of Agriculture oat grain and hay agronomy trials.' Whilst the oat industry is small by comparison to other crops "; S14[28]=" such as wheat, it is an important part of most farming enterprises.
      The WOA has many initiatives planned to enhance the sustainability "; S15[28]=" and profitability of Western Australian farmers growing oat crops.
      To get to the field day follow the signs on Great Southern Highway, "; S16[28]=" 1.5 km south of Highbury... "; R[29]="66"; T[29]="Maximum Versatility and Easy Baling."; A[29]="By ... Case IH"; Dn[29]="20060222"; Dt[29]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[29]="a01a72"; B1[29]="      Hay and silage farmers and contractors can boost their productivity and increase their competitiveness in a wide range of cropping conditions with "; B2[29]="the Case IH 528 and 628 round balers, designed for maximum versatility... "; B3[29]=" "; B4[29]=" "; B5[29]=" "; S1[29]="      Hay and silage farmers and contractors can boost their productivity and increase their competitiveness in a wide range of cropping conditions with "; S2[29]=" the Case IH 528 and 628 round balers, designed for maximum versatility.
      The 528 and 628 model balers can bale cereal, hay, "; S3[29]=" grass or silage and offer bale diameters from 0.6m up to 1.6m and 1.9m - an increase of 10cm in bale size compared to previous "; S4[29]=" models.
      'Hay and silage contractors will find the 528 and 628 round balers good news for business, with these models delivering a "; S5[29]=" high quality bale every time,' said Geoff Rendell, Case IH product manager for hay and silage products.
      'These balers can guarantee the "; S6[29]=" delivery of a firm bale with a moderate core - not too soft or too hard.
      The development of a progressive density "; S7[29]=" bale formation system, gives hay contractors the versatility to deliver either a tight or soft core bale depending on the customer's needs.
      "; S8[29]=" The system has benefits for both straw and silage bales, resulting in straw bales with a tough outer shell which improves their tolerance to poor "; S9[29]=" weather conditions, while silage bales will maintain their shape for improved stacking and easier handling.' An 'open throat' pre-chamber refines the bale rotation and forms "; S10[29]=" a moderate or soft core which guarantees bale start.
      As the bale diameter grows, so does its density thanks to a belt-tensioning "; S11[29]=" arm which is subjected to steadily increasing resistance from a hydraulic cylinder and a spring tensioner.
      The 'open throat' pre-chamber design ensures "; S12[29]=" there is no restriction in feeding the crop into the baler, contributing to high infield performance.
      An in-cab control system, Autoform, when "; S13[29]=" fitted with the Optional Proportional Valve allows hay contractors to determine diameter and density of the bales core and outer layers - all without leaving "; S14[29]=" the comfort of the cab.
      'The Autoform system can help contractors save time, as they can make the necessary adjustments to the "; S15[29]=" bale without leaving the tractor,' said Geoff.
      'It also allows the operator to select net or twine tying and adjust the wrap "; S16[29]=" pattern of the net or twine applied.' Both the 528 and 628 models are equipped with a wide 2.1m pickup allowing for easy handling of "; S17[29]=" the heaviest of swaths.
      High intake capacity is guaranteed for heavy crops or lumpy matted swaths thanks to Case IH's integral auger "; S18[29]=" technology.
      'The large diameter augers, combined with tynes arranged in a helix pattern, improve the way that dense, wet grass or heavy "; S19[29]=" tangled straw is cleared from the pickup ensuring no blocking, even in the toughest of conditions,' explained Geoff.
      An integral feed rotor "; S20[29]=" or Opticut crop chopping system can be added to ensure that 100% of the crop is cut as it enters the baler... "; R[30]="62"; T[30]="Opening of Major Expansion at Ruston s Roses"; A[30]="By ... Editor"; Dn[30]="20060222"; Dt[30]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[30]="a02a24"; B1[30]="      Ruston s Roses at Renmark, one of the biggest, most diverse and important collections of roses in the world, has undergone a "; B2[30]="major upgrade of its facilities and attractions... "; B3[30]=" "; B4[30]=" "; B5[30]=" "; S1[30]="      Ruston's Roses at Renmark, one of the biggest, most diverse and important collections of roses in the world, has undergone a major "; S2[30]=" upgrade of its facilities and attractions.
      It is one of the Riverland's premier tourist destinations, attracting thousands of visitors from around the "; S3[30]=" world each year.
      That number is expected to increase dramatically with the opening at 2.00 pm on Sunday, October 16, of a "; S4[30]=" new 600 square meter tourist and rose information centre and historic car museum on the property.
      Established nearly 80 years ago as "; S5[30]=" a display garden, the property has evolved into a commercial enterprise and is now the largest outdoor cut rose garden in Australia.
      "; S6[30]=" Each year the property supplies more than 40,000 dozen roses (480,000 stems) to florists in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth as well as some "; S7[30]=" 400,000 buds of grafting wood to Australia's nursery industry.
      The Riverland's unique climate is a major contributor to the prolific production of "; S8[30]=" strong, full-headed blooms harvested from the garden... "; R[31]="59"; T[31]="Study backs Mildura waste dump"; A[31]="By ... Editor"; Dn[31]="20060222"; Dt[31]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[31]="a03a04a36a42"; B1[31]="      Victoria s controversial toxic waste dump has moved a step closer to reality with the State Government release of its environment effects "; B2[31]="study showing the dump would have no significant impact on the Mildura area... "; B3[31]=" "; B4[31]=" "; B5[31]=" "; S1[31]="      Victoria's controversial toxic waste dump has moved a step closer to reality with the State Government release of its environment effects study "; S2[31]=" showing the dump would have no significant impact on the Mildura area.
      The proposal, under consideration for 18 months, has drawn impassioned "; S3[31]=" opposition from locals, who are concerned the dump could damage the environment and ruin the economy and image of Victoria's 'clean, green food bowl'.
  "; S4[31]="     Major Projects Minister John Lenders said yesterday the study indicated the proposed site at Nowingi, 50 kilometres south of Mildura, was safe.
  "; S5[31]="     'If I thought it was unsafe to proceed, we would not be proceeding to the (next) stage,' he said.
      The "; S6[31]=" statement will be available for viewing for six weeks, followed by public hearings before an independent panel.
      It will make a recommendation "; S7[31]=" to the Government - not expected until well into next year.
      Mr Lenders said EPA Victoria and the Federal Government also had "; S8[31]=" to approve the plan But Opposition Leader Robert Doyle said the Government had already made up its mind.
      'It's all over Red "; S9[31]=" Rover the fix was in from the start,' he said.
      Mr Doyle said the Opposition would not build the dump if it "; S10[31]=" was elected next year.
      Instead, it would consider improving existing facilities at Lyndhurst or finding a site closer to Melbourne.
    "; S11[31]="   Russell Savage, the independent MP for Mildura, said the Government should abandon the proposal unless it could guarantee there would be no adverse effects.
"; S12[31]="       Peter Crisp, a local citrus grower and chairman of opposition group Save the Food Bowl Alliance, said the community would keep fighting "; S13[31]=" the plans.
      The study acknowledged there might be some local, possibly short-term, impacts from building the waste 'containment facility'.
      "; S14[31]=" These included negative perceptions reducing wellbeing and property values.
      But overall, it found the dump could operate 'in an environmentally, socially and "; S15[31]=" economically acceptable manner'.
      It said there was a negligible risk of food contamination from the dump.
      Mr Lenders said "; S16[31]=" he understood the community's concerns.
      'It is a very difficult issue for a local community, particularly when it is being portrayed as "; S17[31]=" a toxic dump,' he said... "; R[32]="57"; T[32]="Gunns pulp mill given controlled action status"; A[32]="By ... Editor"; Dn[32]="20060222"; Dt[32]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[32]="a03a04a39a42"; B1[32]="      Gunns Limited s proposed Bell Bay pulp mill has been declared a controlled action under powerful Commonwealth environment laws..... "; B2[32]=" "; B3[32]=" "; B4[32]=" "; B5[32]=" "; S1[32]="      Gunns Limited's proposed Bell Bay pulp mill has been declared a controlled action under powerful Commonwealth environment laws.
      The "; S2[32]=" Federal Government has been considering the company's revised pulp mill plans for the past eight weeks, which has stalled the approval process.
      "; S3[32]=" The Federal Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, has announced the company needs to assess the mill's impact on threatened and migratory species, and the marine environment.
"; S4[32]="       But the Wilderness Society's Vica Bailey is disappointed there will be no assessment of wood supply, given the Regional Forests Agreement will "; S5[32]=" run out in the first 10 years of the mill's life.
      'This pulp mill has requested 30-year access to Tasmania's native forests, "; S6[32]=" so that brings the impact on the forests potentially up to 2038,' he said.
      'So we can see almost 20 years' ongoing "; S7[32]=" destruction of Tasmanian native forests.' The Wilderness Society is considering new legal action to force the Commonwealth to consider native forests as part of the "; S8[32]=" assessment.
      'The way is now open for another legal challenge, so we're taking advice and exploring all options,' Mr Bailey said.
  "; S9[32]="     'But as I say, the disappointing thing is that there has been some good work done by the Federal Government.
      "; S10[32]=" 'It has been undone by not looking at the destruction of Tasmania's forests that will be derived from this pulp mill.' The Federal Government is "; S11[32]=" expected to give Tasmania's Resource Planning and Development Commission accreditation to assess the project on behalf of the Commonwealth next week, allowing the stalled approval "; S12[32]=" process to resume... "; R[33]="56"; T[33]="New yards for CRC Beef researchers"; A[33]="By ... Editor"; Dn[33]="20060222"; Dt[33]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[33]="a02a09a27a93"; B1[33]="      Attention to detail has been a priority for the design and construction of a new 500-head capacity steel cattle yard complex at "; B2[33]="Theodore district s Brigalow Research Station... "; B3[33]=" "; B4[33]=" "; B5[33]=" "; S1[33]="      Attention to detail has been a priority for the design and construction of a new 500-head capacity steel cattle yard complex at "; S2[33]=" Theodore district's Brigalow Research Station.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries cattle researchers will again play a significant role in the renewed "; S3[33]=" Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Beef Genetic Technologies with Brigalow Research Station ear-marked to carry 600 trial cattle annually for the seven-year period (2005-2012).
  "; S4[33]="     Research Station manager Tony Barnes took on the task of designing a practical yard complex that would meet the long-term intensive stock handling "; S5[33]=" demands of beef researchers with minimum stress on personnel and animals.
      Mr Barnes said the existing wooden yard system that had served "; S6[33]=" the 3500 hectare research station for three decades had reached its use-by date and was becoming unsafe for both the cattle and livestock handlers.
  "; S7[33]="     'The focus of the CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies at Brigalow relates to identifying traits in bulls that could be used as indicator "; S8[33]=" traits for early life fertility in both males and females,' Mr Barnes said.
      'This work will involve a considerable amount of semen "; S9[33]=" collection and blood sampling for gene mapping of bulls.
      'Providing operators with safe stock handling facilities and meeting stringent animal welfare requirements "; S10[33]=" are a major yard design considerations, particularly when working with bulls.' The 20-week construction project costed at $140,000 is in the capable hands of Gracemere "; S11[33]=" yard building contractor Geoff Fraser, principal of Onsite Fabrications.
      Mr Fraser said he was on target to finish the task by late "; S12[33]=" October.
      Mr Barnes said the yards were based on 65mm diameter NB galvanised steel piping with 8mm cattle cable used around the "; S13[33]=" perimeter fencing.
      Steel posts were set in elevated cement footings.
      Mr Barnes said he opted for the round piping "; S14[33]=" to reduce the noise factor.
      'The yard design is a bugle system where the cattle move out of the holding yard into "; S15[33]=" a circular raceway to double back to a forcing pen entering a 6-way compressed air-operated drafting pound,' Mr Barnes said.
      'There is "; S16[33]=" an adjoining 5-way crush drafting system linked to two Warwick vet crushes all located under a 15m by 7m roof to provide shade and shelter.' "; S17[33]=" Mr Barnes said the existing plunge dip in the centre of the new yards had been retained as all newly introduced cattle were dipped and "; S18[33]=" vaccinated against tick fever as a precautionary management procedure... "; R[34]="53"; T[34]="Promising CQ cereal harvest underway"; A[34]="By ... Editor"; Dn[34]="20060222"; Dt[34]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[34]="a02a24a66"; B1[34]="      Central Queensland s winter crop cereal grain harvest is well underway and despite a dry seasonal finish, overall yield and quality are "; B2[34]="generally quite good... "; B3[34]=" "; B4[34]=" "; B5[34]=" "; S1[34]="      Central Queensland's winter crop cereal grain harvest is well underway and despite a dry seasonal finish, overall yield and quality are generally "; S2[34]=" quite good.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries principal technical officer Peter Keys said Central Highlands and Dawson-Callide growers were expected to "; S3[34]=" harvest in excess of 300,000 tonnes of wheat this year.
      Mr Keys said crops in the southern Central Highlands region across to "; S4[34]=" Bauhinia Downs were averaging 2.5 tonnes per hectare whereas those north of Emerald and in the Callide Valley were yielding around 1 tonne/ha.
    "; S5[34]="   'Up to 60 per cent of this wheat is grading Prime Hard and to date screenings have been quite low,' Mr Keys said.
  "; S6[34]="     'We would expect the percentage of screenings to increase as the harvesting of the later planted crops gets underway as the 2005 crop "; S7[34]=" was subjected to an extremely dry finish,' he said.
      Theodore district cereal crops were favoured with one of the best winter seasons "; S8[34]=" on record and the yield from a 100ha Mackay variety barley stand at DPI&F's Brigalow Research Station has reflected the excellent growing conditions.
    "; S9[34]="   DPI&F Brigalow Research Station manager Tony Barnes said the barley crop was planted in early May immediately following a summer grain sorghum crop harvested "; S10[34]=" in late March.
      'We had a full soil moisture profile so the cultivation was fertilised with 90kg/ha of urea and 20kg/ha of "; S11[34]=" Starter Z and the barley was planted at 55kg/ha on 50cm row spacings,' Mr Barnes said.
      'The barley received a record 100mm "; S12[34]=" of June in-crop rain and has performed well,' he said.
      Theodore district harvesting contractor Fred Lister said the barley crop was one "; S13[34]=" of his first contracts for the 2005 winter season.
      Mr Lister will work the Dawson Valley cereal harvest before heading south with "; S14[34]=" his John Deere 9500 harvester equipped with a 9.15m front.
      Mr Barnes said that when harvesting got underway on September 29, the "; S15[34]=" research station's barley yield was averaging close to 3t/ha.
      'Our intention is to retain about 150 tonnes in our-on-farm silos for a "; S16[34]=" planned Meat and Livestock Australia funded feedlot trial and sell the balance.' Mr Barnes said the heavy barley stubble would also be baled for use "; S17[34]=" in the feedlot ration mix.
      A local baling contractor would make the 350kg large square bales that were ideal for the feedlot "; S18[34]=" operation.
      Mr Barnes said he had also planted a winter cereal crop of Wollaroi variety durum wheat.
      This grain "; S19[34]=" was destined for the feedlot or would be marketed direct to Moura grain depot which was Central region's designated durum wheat receival point... "; R[35]="52"; T[35]="Patch-grazing seminar wins award for Charters Towers DPI&F officer"; A[35]="By ... Editor"; Dn[35]="20060222"; Dt[35]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[35]="a02a07a27a72"; B1[35]="      The search for clues on why cattle overgraze their favourite patches was the subject of an award-winning seminar delivered by a Department "; B2[35]="of Primary Industries and Fisheries officer from Charters Towers... "; B3[35]=" "; B4[35]=" "; B5[35]=" "; S1[35]="      The search for clues on why cattle overgraze their favourite patches was the subject of an award-winning seminar delivered by a Department "; S2[35]=" of Primary Industries and Fisheries officer from Charters Towers.
      Technical officer Chris Holloway recently delivered what was judged the best seminar at "; S3[35]=" the CSIRO's Davies Laboratory PhD Student Seminar Day.
      His talk on ' Hierarchy, distribution and spatial utilisation of patches by cattle in "; S4[35]=" a semi-arid tropical savanna' centred on a quirk of beef cattle to graze on certain patches.
      'Cattle tend to graze more heavily "; S5[35]=" on some areas than others, but what we don't know is why,' Mr Holloway said.
      'We are not sure if it is "; S6[35]=" habit, grass species, palatability, nutritional value or the soil type.
      'This is a real problem in northern Australia because patch grazing often "; S7[35]=" leads to the creation of bare areas.
      This reduces the productive potential of some of the best areas in a paddock and "; S8[35]=" can lead to serious soil erosion and a decline in water quality ' Mr Holloway said CSIRO had recognised this as a problem in the "; S9[35]=" 1980s and carried out some small experiments.
      Both DPI&F and CSIRO are continuing experiments today, this time using computer and satellite technology "; S10[35]=" unavailable 20 years ago.
      As part of his project Mr Holloway is using high-resolution satellite imagery to map areas at Wambiana station "; S11[35]=" south of Charters Towers to determine if a pattern is occurring.
      Wambiana station is the site of a major long-term DPI&F grazing "; S12[35]=" trial where different grazing strategies are being compared.
      Mr Holloway is a PhD student at James Cook University and has been based "; S13[35]=" at DPI&F in Charters Towers for more than three years.
      His DPI&F supervisor, principal scientist Dr Peter O'Reagain, is pleased with Mr "; S14[35]=" Holloway's success at the CSIRO seminar day.
      'Chris's project is an important part of the Wambiana trial because it seeks to understand "; S15[35]=" the key processes that determine why animals select or avoid certain areas,' Dr O'Reagain said.
      'The information from his trial will be "; S16[35]=" of great assistance in developing guidelines for sustainable pasture management in the north.'.. "; R[36]="44"; T[36]="Protein Plus to boost Atherton dairy viability"; A[36]="By ... Editor"; Dn[36]="20060222"; Dt[36]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[36]="a02a06a26a66"; B1[36]="      Protein Plus, a successful dairy industry project designed to lift milk protein concentration is working with Grow Malanda - Profit through Protein "; B2[36]="to help rebuild Atherton Tablelands dairy business viability... "; B3[36]=" "; B4[36]=" "; B5[36]=" "; S1[36]="      Protein Plus, a successful dairy industry project designed to lift milk protein concentration is working with 'Grow Malanda - Profit through Protein' "; S2[36]=" to help rebuild Atherton Tablelands' dairy business viability.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Protein Plus national project leader Glen Chopping said "; S3[36]=" Grow Malanda was a business plan initiative of the farmer-owned dairy processing cooperative Dairy Farmers Cooperative working in partnership with the Atherton Tablelands Sustainable Regions "; S4[36]=" Program.
      Dairy farmers were contributing through their milk levy to Dairy Australia and DPI&F was providing much of the technological support for "; S5[36]=" the project.
      Mr Chopping said Protein Plus was launched two years ago to provide some 1400 milk suppliers within the sub-tropical dairy "; S6[36]=" region from Kempsey (NSW) to North Queensland and dairy farmers from Western Australia with the management skills to boost milk protein composition and then collect "; S7[36]=" factory bonus payment benefits.
      Dairying has been regarded as a cornerstone of the social and economic fabric of the Atherton Tablelands but "; S8[36]=" since industry deregulation, dairy suppliers have fallen from 183 farms in June 2000 to just 104 farms today.
      Milk production has declined "; S9[36]=" by more than 20 per cent to just 94 million litres a year placing increased pressure on industry viability based on critical mass and economies "; S10[36]=" of scale.
      Mr Chopping said Grow Malanda would incorporate the DPI&F led Protein Plus workshop presentations into the farm development stream of "; S11[36]=" the project that will provide higher quality milk proteins to the new Malanda milk protein extraction facilities.
      The project aims to significantly "; S12[36]=" increase Tableland farm income from new milk payment incentives connected to improved protein and from increased milk production.
      Mr Chopping said the "; S13[36]=" first of the planned two-day Protein Plus workshop courses would be held at Malanda on November 2-3 with a goal to lift milk protein from "; S14[36]=" 3.1 per cent to 3.25 per cent by 2008-09.
      'Milk protein levels in dairy herds reliant on tropical pastures are historically lower "; S15[36]=" than those in southern climates,' Mr Chopping said.
      'Reduced pasture fertiliser inputs and lower concentrate supplementation aimed at farm survival post-deregulation have "; S16[36]=" impacted negatively on milk protein.
      'The time is right to reassess such management strategies in view of changed processor pricing incentives.
  "; S17[36]="     'It is proposed that when the national Protein Plus project concludes in 2006, it will be rolled into a Nutrition Plus project for "; S18[36]=" the ensuing three years,' Mr Chopping said.
      'Nutrition Plus will continue to target higher milk protein and fat composition by promoting improved "; S19[36]=" herd nutrition at the farm and dairy adviser level.' Mr Chopping said Grow Malanda through Dairy Farmers Cooperative and collaborating partners would invest $9.82 million "; S20[36]=" over a two year period with a federal government commitment through the Sustainable Regions Program of $1.5 million as co-investment funding for the next.. "; R[37]="43"; T[37]="Routine surveillance finds Brassica disease in Queensland"; A[37]="By ... Editor"; Dn[37]="20060222"; Dt[37]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[37]="a03a17a33a66"; B1[37]="      Routine surveillance by Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Biosecurity staff has found the plant disease white blister of Brassica on a "; B2[37]="farm at Gatton in the Lockyer Valley... "; B3[37]=" "; B4[37]=" "; B5[37]=" "; S1[37]="      Routine surveillance by Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Biosecurity staff has found the plant disease white blister of Brassica on a "; S2[37]=" farm at Gatton in the Lockyer Valley.
      DPI&F Assistant Director General Biosecurity Kevin Dunn said white blister of Brassica, or Albugo candida "; S3[37]=" occurs mostly in cauliflower and broccoli and has been found in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales in the last few years.
      "; S4[37]=" 'The DPI&F found the disease on Thursday and notified the farmer who has since ploughed the crop into the ground', he said.
      "; S5[37]=" 'We will be undertaking trace back to establish where the disease may have come from and trace forward to help contain any further spread of "; S6[37]=" the disease.
      'Further extensive surveillance will also be undertaken in the Lockyer Valley if further cases of the disease are found on "; S7[37]=" the property,' Mr Dunn said.
      Symptoms of white blister of Brassica appear on leaves as yellow brown spots with small raised white "; S8[37]=" blisters or pustules underneath.
      Swelling may also be found on roots, stems and flowers.
      The seedlings contain masses of "; S9[37]=" white dusty spores.
      The disease causes the plant to distort and reduces the marketability of flower heads and the production of seeds.
"; S10[37]="       Mr Dunn said that it was not known at this stage if the disease had spread further, however another seven properties in "; S11[37]=" the Lockyer Valley had been surveyed recently and no evidence was found of the disease.
      More widespread surveys as well as quarantine, "; S12[37]=" eradication and chemical control measures will be considered depending on the early results of delimiting surveillance... "; R[38]="41"; T[38]="New soft wheat beats rust"; A[38]="By ... Editor"; Dn[38]="20060222"; Dt[38]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[38]="a02a22a55a81a93"; B1[38]="      Western Australia s soft wheat growers have access to a new high-yielding, rust resistant variety following the release today of the Department "; B2[38]="of Agriculture s latest Australian Soft club wheat - Bullaring.. "; B3[38]=" "; B4[38]=" "; B5[38]=" "; S1[38]="      Western Australia's soft wheat growers have access to a new high-yielding, rust resistant variety following the release today of the Department of "; S2[38]=" Agriculture's latest Australian Soft club wheat - Bullaring Department Director General Ian Longson unveiled the new soft wheat at an industry launch at the Dowerin "; S3[38]=" Field Days.
      Mr Longson said Bullaring together with EGA 2248 last year and EGA Jitarning were expected to boost the State's soft "; S4[38]=" wheat industry by offering varieties with competitive yields.
      He said Bullaring was a high yielding soft wheat, suitable for all traditional soft "; S5[38]=" wheat growing areas.
      It out-yielded Tincurrin and Datatine and is slightly lower yielding than EGA 2248.
      'A key feature "; S6[38]=" of Bullaring is its resistance to the three rusts and septoria tritici blotch.
      It has the best combination of disease resistances among "; S7[38]=" Australian soft varieties,' Mr Longson said.
      'Bullaring has resistance to stem rust and WA races of leaf rust which is similar to "; S8[38]=" Datatine, EGA Jitarning and Harrismith .
      Bullaring also has moderate resistance to septoria tritici blotch and an intermediate reaction to stripe rust,'Mr "; S9[38]=" Longson said.
      'This disease resistance profile will allow the variety to be grown for the soft wheat grade without any restrictions.' Mr "; S10[38]=" Longson said Bullaring was a white-chaffed, awned, mid-season, semi-dwarf club wheat.
      The new variety has better grain size and lower screenings than "; S11[38]=" other club wheats Datatine and Tincurrin, but smaller grain size and higher screening than the non club varieties EGA 2248 A and EGA Jitarning.
  "; S12[38]="     Grain protein content is similar to Datatine.
      'Bullaring is eligible for receival into the AWB Australian Soft class.
    "; S13[38]="   It has superior flour yield and colour pigment to Datatine and Tincurrin, and has performed well in end product testing,' he said.
    "; S14[38]="   Bullaring was bred by Department of Agriculture plant breeder Robyn McLean and the WA wheat breeding team.
      The variety is protected "; S15[38]=" by Plant Breeders Rights and is subject to a Crop Improvement Royalty... "; R[39]="39"; T[39]="Biosecurity warning for horticulturists"; A[39]="By ... Editor"; Dn[39]="20060222"; Dt[39]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[39]="a03a18a19a33a85a86"; B1[39]="      Horticulturists have been urged to upgrade biosecurity measures after the discovery of Lettuce leaf blight (Pythium tracheiphilum) on two properties..... "; B2[39]=" "; B3[39]=" "; B4[39]=" "; B5[39]=" "; S1[39]="      Horticulturists have been urged to upgrade biosecurity measures after the discovery of Lettuce leaf blight (Pythium tracheiphilum) on two properties.
    "; S2[39]="   Lettuce leaf blight is widely distributed on field and glasshouse lettuce crops in Europe and America but this is the first time it has "; S3[39]=" been found in Australia.
      Its impact on lettuce production in other parts of the world is reported to range from 0.7 per "; S4[39]=" cent to 50 per cent, with symptoms and crop losses greatly influenced by the environmental conditions.
      Disease symptoms on the affected properties "; S5[39]=" in Western Australia have only been noted on Cos lettuce.
      Department of Agriculture Quarantine Plant Pathologist Dr Satendra Kumar said the two "; S6[39]=" properties affected by the problem would not be identified and praised the owner of the first property for quickly reporting his suspicions.
      "; S7[39]=" 'Because of his sensible approach and the cooperation of others in the industry we are confident the outbreak can be contained,' said Dr Kumar.
  "; S8[39]="     The outbreak has underlined the vital importance for farmers of maintaining high standards of farm biosecurity.
      'It is the responsibility "; S9[39]=" of the owner of each property to ensure biosecurity standards are undertaken on the property to reduce individual property risk,' said Dr Kumar.
    "; S10[39]="   'A series of detailed measures have been agreed with the affected properties and these will be strictly adhered to.
      There is "; S11[39]=" a message here for the whole industry to make sure biosecurity is a priority, especially with a view to cleaning vehicles before and after they "; S12[39]=" visit a property.' More information on biosecurity measures is available from local Department of Agriculture offices and from the Department's website www.agric.wa.gov.au.. "; R[40]="31"; T[40]="Tips on how to Bee smart this September"; A[40]="By ... Editor"; Dn[40]="20060222"; Dt[40]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[40]="a03a09a31"; B1[40]="      With bee-swarming season approaching fast the Department of Agriculture is warning people to bee smart and avoid being stung..... "; B2[40]=" "; B3[40]=" "; B4[40]=" "; B5[40]=" "; S1[40]="      With bee-swarming season approaching fast the Department of Agriculture is warning people to 'bee' smart and avoid being stung.
      "; S2[40]=" 'Early to mid September is the time when colonies of bees reproduce and bee swarms are usually seen as a cluster about the size of "; S3[40]=" a football, hanging from a bush,' said Department Senior Apiculturist Bill Trend.
      'If a bee swarm comes into your garden, keep out "; S4[40]=" of its way by going inside with children and pets.
      The bees will usually swarm for about half an hour until they "; S5[40]=" settle on a bush or shrub, or they will pass on.
      'Do not spray bees with an insecticide, throw water or stones "; S6[40]=" at them or try to smoke them out,' warned Bill.
      'This will cause the bees to become aggressive and increases the likelihood "; S7[40]=" of being stung.' Swarms may also take up residence in cavity walls or other cavities on residential properties, where they will be more difficult and "; S8[40]=" more expensive to remove than had they remained in the open.
      The Department of Agriculture recommends not to attempt to remove the "; S9[40]=" swarm yourself but to contact a licensed pest controller listed in the Yellow Pages of the telephone directory.
      Swarming is a natural "; S10[40]=" part of the lifecycle of a bee.
      When a colony becomes over-crowded the queen will fly off with a group of field "; S11[40]=" bees to establish a new hive.
      The queen is usually prompted to do this when there is an abundance of flowers and "; S12[40]=" pollen available.
      For more information about bees, residents are invited to contact the Department of Agriculture's Pest and Disease Information Service on "; S13[40]=" the Free call Pest and Disease Information Service number 1800 084 881 or visit the DAWA website www.agric.wa.gov.au... "; R[41]="30"; T[41]="Western Australian growers keen for new milling oat"; A[41]="By ... Editor"; Dn[41]="20060222"; Dt[41]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[41]="a02a08a24a81"; B1[41]="      The Department of Agriculture has released the first provisional milling quality dwarf oat for Western Australian growers..... "; B2[41]=" "; B3[41]=" "; B4[41]=" "; B5[41]=" "; S1[41]="      The Department of Agriculture has released the first provisional milling quality dwarf oat for Western Australian growers.
      Department Director "; S2[41]=" General Ian Longson said the new Kojonup oat would be widely sought after by growers if it achieved milling grade or as a high quality "; S3[41]=" on-farm feed variety.
      Kojonup is expected to perform best in Agzones 2, 3 and 6 taking in all the major oat production "; S4[41]=" areas.
      'Kojonup delivers a similar overall yield to dwarf oat varieties Dalyup and Wandering , but has significantly better milling quality.
  "; S5[41]="     It out-yields current tall milling oat varieties by 15-20 per cent,' Mr Longson said.
      'Compared to other milling varieties tested "; S6[41]=" in the quality evaluation program, Kojonup has an excellent milling performance as it is easily dehulled and has a lower groat breakage than current milling "; S7[41]=" varieties including Carrolup , Mortlock, Coomallo , Hotham and Pallinup .' Mr Longson said based on its performance in laboratory milling tests, Kojonup was being "; S8[41]=" released as a provisional milling oat variety.
      Milling tests would be conducted on Kojonup in late 2005/early 2006 to determine a final "; S9[41]=" classification.
      Kojonup is of similar height to Dalyup with excellent straw strength and shedding resistance.
      On average Kojonup flowers "; S10[41]=" five days earlier than Dalyup, with similar maturity to Carrolup.
      Kojonup also has a large seed size, high groat percentage, good hectolitre "; S11[41]=" weight, good grain brightness and low screenings.
      It is resistant to leaf rust in Western Australia.
      Mr Longson said "; S12[41]=" Kojonup's high grain quality would also make it an excellent feed oat variety.
      He said the high groat percentage, high digestibility and "; S13[41]=" metabolisable energy, lower Beta-Glucan and lower hull lignin made Kojonup a better feed option compared with other dwarf varieties including Dalyup and Wandering.
    "; S14[41]="   Mr Longson said Kojonup was likely to be the last line bred by Robyn McLean and the Department's oat breeding team, as new work "; S15[41]=" was coordinated through the national Oat Breeding Program.
      He commended Dr McLean on behalf of WA growers for her leadership in this "; S16[41]=" area over many years.
      The variety is protected by Plant Breeders Rights and is subject to a Crop Improvement Royalty... "; R[42]="29"; T[42]="MLA lamb survey shows fewer lambs in 2005-06"; A[42]="By ... Editor"; Dn[42]="20060222"; Dt[42]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[42]="a02a25"; B1[42]="      Lamb supply is set to decline slightly over the coming year as producers continue to rebuild their flocks while still confronting the "; B2[42]="drought, according to the 2005 MLA Lamb Survey released today... "; B3[42]=" "; B4[42]=" "; B5[42]=" "; S1[42]="      Lamb supply is set to decline slightly over the coming year as producers continue to rebuild their flocks while still confronting the "; S2[42]=" drought, according to the 2005 MLA Lamb Survey released today.
      MLA market analyst Garry McAlister said the expected 4 per cent fall "; S3[42]=" in new season lamb production is a result of lower ewe joinings and declines in marking rates, most notably for first and second cross lambs.
"; S4[42]="       'The estimated number of lambs on hand at 30 June 2005 increased slightly on the previous year to be up 1 per "; S5[42]=" cent to 29.1 million, however approximately 1 million of these lambs were carried over this year as producers chased the expected high winter prices,' Mr "; S6[42]=" McAlister said.
      The survey also showed that the number of ewes joined to produce lambs was estimated to have dropped by 2 "; S7[42]=" per cent to 45.7 million head in the year to autumn 2005.
      Victoria was the only state to post a significant increase "; S8[42]=" in joined ewes - up 8 per cent, from 9.8 million to 10.6 million.
      Lamb markings are expected to fall by 1.6 "; S9[42]=" million to 38.3 million this year, with the implied national marking percentage expected to decline significantly to 83.8 per cent, down from 85.7 per cent "; S10[42]=" last season.
      The supply of new season lambs is expected to decline by 4 per cent, to 17.2 million, due to a "; S11[42]=" further decline in second cross turnoff, and despite another increase in Merino lamb turnoff.
      'This is the first year we asked lamb "; S12[42]=" producers to provide an indication of their supplementary feeding systems for lamb and respondents indicated that 32 per cent of all lambs expected to be "; S13[42]=" sold between autumn 2005 and autumn 2006 are likely to be fed hay or grain supplements, while lambs finished in feedlots are estimated to account "; S14[42]=" for 9 per cent of all lambs sold,' Mr McAlister said.
      'The ongoing structural changes in the industry mean that ewes now "; S15[42]=" account for more of the flock than ever before.
      Further expansion of the prime lamb industry is now dependant on an end "; S16[42]=" to the prolonged drought and producer mating decisions for the predominately Merino-based breeding flock.' Copies of the 2005 MLA Lamb Survey are available from Meat "; S17[42]=" & Livestock Australia by calling (02) 9463 9163... "; R[43]="24"; T[43]="Durum draws accolades but uptake slow"; A[43]="By ... Editor"; Dn[43]="20060222"; Dt[43]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[43]="a02a22a81"; B1[43]="      Central Queensland-grown durum wheat consistently grades A1 quality, attracts on average a $25 per tonne premium, yields well and has been given "; B2[43]="the thumbs up by discerning Italian importers... "; B3[43]=" "; B4[43]=" "; B5[43]=" "; S1[43]="      Central Queensland-grown durum wheat consistently grades A1 quality, attracts on average a $25 per tonne premium, yields well and has been given "; S2[43]=" the thumbs up by discerning Italian importers.
      Now industry plant breeders have a trialled a new durum line to be commercially released "; S3[43]=" in 2007 that has either equalled or bettered the yield performance of the highly regarded Kennedy variety prime hard bread wheat in Central Queensland.
  "; S4[43]="     So why isn't there a growing durum wheat industry in Central Queensland? Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries principal technical officer Peter Keys "; S5[43]=" recently coordinated a Central Queensland farm walk series to enable growers to inspect wheat, durum wheat and barley varietal trials on cooperators' properties at Theodore, "; S6[43]=" Bauhinia Downs, Comet and Duaringa.
      Mr Keys said durum was a specialty wheat used to produce semolina flour for manufacturing pasta and "; S7[43]=" spaghetti.
      It has been widely promoted as an alternative Central Queensland cereal crop with excellent standability, quick maturity and was relatively disease "; S8[43]=" free.
      Growers were able to inspect a 657 hectare Wollaroi variety commercial durum crop at Bruce Donovan and family's Duaringa Station on "; S9[43]=" September 1.
      Simon Donovan said the durum crop was planted in late May on a full soil moisture profile and received 75mm "; S10[43]=" of well-timed in-crop rain to set up a potential 5.3 tonnes/ha yield in early October.
      The Donovans also planted 670ha to Kennedy "; S11[43]=" and 486ha to Lang variety prime hard wheats and both paddocks were set for bumper yields planted on 45cm rows with a Multiplanter using zero "; S12[43]=" till management.
      Addressing regional growers at the farm walks was Tamworth-based national durum wheat plant breeder Dr Ray Hare who said there "; S13[43]=" was Australia-wide grower interest in durum wheat production.
      Dr Hare said that in the past six years, the national plant breeding program "; S14[43]=" had identified a number of durum lines that performed exceptionally well under Central Queensland's sub-tropical climatic conditions.
      'Wollaroi durum wheat variety has "; S15[43]=" emerged as northern Australia's top commercial performer returning high yields of premium quality grain,' Dr Hare said.
      'Unfortunately, establishment of a reliable "; S16[43]=" regional durum wheat industry has been thwarted by a combination of drought, domestic freight costs, grain depot segregation, storage and handling issues coupled with the "; S17[43]=" high cost and scarcity of export grain ships to transport grain for human consumption,' Dr Hare said.
      Dr Hare, accompanied by NSW "; S18[43]=" DPI technical officer David Gulliford and Australian Durum Industry development officer Josh Gordon, said development of a regional durum wheat industry would require an annual "; S19[43]=" commitment of 50,000t to make up a shipload through Gladstone grain export terminal.
      Alternatively, an initial 10,000t hatch consignment could kick start "; S20[43]=" exports.
      'Half of Australia's current durum wheat production is exported and 90 per cent of all exports go to Italy where our.. "; R[44]="21"; T[44]="MLA committed to spending additional levy funds effectively"; A[44]="By ... Editor"; Dn[44]="20060222"; Dt[44]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[44]="a02a27"; B1[44]="      Meat & Livestock Australia will start work immediately on bolstering beef marketing programs here and overseas, following the announcement today by the "; B2[44]="Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Peter McGauran that the cattle transaction levy will be increased to $5 per head on 1 January 2006... "; B3[44]=" "; B4[44]=" "; B5[44]=" "; S1[44]="      Meat & Livestock Australia will start work immediately on bolstering beef marketing programs here and overseas, following the announcement today by the "; S2[44]=" Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Peter McGauran that the cattle transaction levy will be increased to $5 per head on 1 January 2006.
  "; S3[44]="     MLA Chairman David Crombie said the decision was welcomed, but stressed that the real work is yet to begin and that MLA is "; S4[44]=" committed to ensuring additional levy funds will be spent effectively.
      'MLA is responsible for spending this additional money wisely, and we are "; S5[44]=" committed to ensuring that the funds raised through an increase in the cattle transaction levy will be directed to marketing programs that get results,' Mr "; S6[44]=" Crombie said.
      'Australia's cattle producers made the decision to increase the levy and MLA now has a huge responsibility to ensure their "; S7[44]=" decision to increase the levy was the right one.' Mr Crombie also acknowledged Minister McGauran's comments on the number of cattle producers who took part "; S8[44]=" in the Beef Ballot.
      'While the voter turnout was the greatest ever seen on this type of issue, we obviously would have "; S9[44]=" wanted a larger participation rate.
      However, MLA is working with other industry groups to find ways to ensure greater producer participation on "; S10[44]=" any future issues that require their input,' Mr Crombie said.
      MLA Managing Director Mark Spurr said there were a number of key "; S11[44]=" areas where the additional levy funds would be spent and that the success of these marketing programs would be continually monitored to ensure their effectiveness.
"; S12[44]="       'In partnership with industry we aim to establish a bigger and stronger presence for beef in the domestic market, with expanded nutrition "; S13[44]=" promotion, new beef meal promotion and new product activity to boost annual beef consumption,' Mr Spurr said.
      'We will also work with "; S14[44]=" industry to maintain our current strong position in Japan and Korea to counter the return of the US to these key markets.
      "; S15[44]=" We will do this through supporting industry in consolidating existing trade partnerships and developing new brands and new business, as well as further strengthening the "; S16[44]=" existing Aussie Beef and Hoju Chungjung Woo brands.
      'We will work with live exporters to develop live cattle exports into Indonesia and "; S17[44]=" consolidating the live trade into the Philippines and Malaysia.
      We will also be putting marketing programs in place that will help the "; S18[44]=" live cattle trade compete against low-priced beef from South America and India.
      'MLA will implement marketing programs in the other key Asian "; S19[44]=" regions that will recover volumes and improve growth prospects for Australian beef.
      These programs will include positioning Australian beef in the emerging "; S20[44]=" China market and our goal is to work with industry to expand consumption volumes to this market.'.. "; R[45]="17"; T[45]="Study spells out coastal grazing guidelines"; A[45]="By ... Editor"; Dn[45]="20060222"; Dt[45]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[45]="a02a42"; B1[45]="      A thirteen year grazing study to establish guidelines for managing Queensland s coastal native black spear grass pasture has confirmed that exceeding "; B2[45]="a stocking rate of four hectares per steer is not environmentally sustainable... "; B3[45]=" "; B4[45]=" "; B5[45]=" "; S1[45]="      A thirteen year grazing study to establish guidelines for managing Queensland's coastal native black spear grass pasture has confirmed that exceeding a "; S2[45]=" stocking rate of four hectares per steer is not environmentally sustainable.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries principal scientist Dr David Orr "; S3[45]=" said all data from the long term Galloway Plains grazing study (1988-2001) in the Calliope district had now been fully documented and evaluated.
    "; S4[45]="   'Our evidence clearly indicates continuous grazing that exceeds 30 per cent pasture utilisation even where the black spear grass has been over sown by "; S5[45]=" Seca stylo legume ultimately results in lower animal productivity and land degradation,' Dr Orr said.
      Dr Orr concedes that the grazing study "; S6[45]=" outcome would probably draw some criticism from coastal grazing communities that have always stocked their country above the recommended 4ha/steer but the practical research findings "; S7[45]=" cannot be denied.
      'At a heavy stocking rate of 2ha/steer, there was some surviving black spear grass but it was in the "; S8[45]=" order of a one plant for every square metre and continuing to decline.
      'Not only had the pasture yield fallen dramatically, there "; S9[45]=" was an increased percentage of undesirable and less productive plant species such as woodland love grass and these inferior grasses were also under grazing pressure.
"; S10[45]="       'Continuous heavy stocking led to increased soil loss and an actual deterioration in the soil surface function.
      Our research "; S11[45]=" measured an increase in rain run-off, a loss of soil nutrients, less water infiltration and limited grass recruitment,' Dr Orr said.
      Dr "; S12[45]=" Orr said that in the trial paddocks where Seca stylo was initially planted at a rate of 1kg/ha, the legume population had increased to 75 "; S13[45]=" plants/sq m.
      This boosted animal liveweight gain performance but it was essential to manage the pasture to maintain a 50:50 grass to "; S14[45]=" legume balance.
      'Animal performance from the recommended 4ha/steer stocking rate on the legume augmented black spear grass pasture attained an average 175kg/head/year.
"; S15[45]="       'When we further reduced the stocking rate to 8ha/steer on native pasture, the trial still recorded a long term economically acceptable 150kg/head/year "; S16[45]=" liveweight gain,' Dr Orr said.
      'By increasing the stocking rate to 2ha/steer, the average annual gain for the entire 13-year period was "; S17[45]=" 110kg/hd/yr which certainly reflected a higher earning capacity.
      'The reality was that at the end of the 13 years, the steers were "; S18[45]=" actually achieving far less than 110kg/hd/yr.
      'While practising heavy stocking can make more money per hectare during the initial years, the short "; S19[45]=" term profiteering creates a host of negative long term environmental issues and the animal productivity is definitely unsustainable,' Dr Orr said.
      Funded "; S20[45]=" by Meat and Livestock Australia, the 400ha Galloway Plains grazing study has delivered valuable guidelines for managing black spear grass pastures.
      Dr.. "; R[46]="16"; T[46]="Feedlot growth lifts barley feed grain demand"; A[46]="By ... Editor"; Dn[46]="20060222"; Dt[46]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[46]="a02a24a27"; B1[46]="      Central Queensland s expanding cattle feedlot industry has created a strong regional market for barley feed grain and gives growers a valuable "; B2[46]="winter crop rotation option... "; B3[46]=" "; B4[46]=" "; B5[46]=" "; S1[46]="      Central Queensland's expanding cattle feedlot industry has created a strong regional market for barley feed grain and gives growers a valuable winter "; S2[46]=" crop rotation option.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Kym McIntyre, a specialist barley development extension officer at Warwick district's Hermitage Research "; S3[46]=" Station, offered Central region grain growers more good news at a round of recent cereal trial inspections at Theodore, Bauhinia Downs, Comet and Duaringa.
  "; S4[46]="     Ms McIntyre said well performed barley selections such as Mackay variety could out yield Hartog variety wheat by 10 per cent in most "; S5[46]=" Central Queensland growing seasons to record average yields of 3 tonnes per hectare.
      'The even more exciting news is that the DPI&F "; S6[46]=" barley improvement program has produced a new variety that was officially named Grout when launched at Toowoomba's AgShow on September 6,' Ms McIntyre said.
  "; S7[46]="     'Named after the well-known late Queensland and Australian wicketkeeper Wally Grout, the new release is ideally suited to Central Queensland.
      "; S8[46]=" In trials throughout the region during the past four years, it has consistently averaged 3t/ha.
      'We can now give Queensland growers a "; S9[46]=" quick maturity barley line with a large grain size that is easy to process through a roller mill to meet feedlot industry requirements.
    "; S10[46]="   'Most barley lines do not like hot weather at grain fill stage or a dry finish and for that reason, Central Queensland growers should "; S11[46]=" stick to the quick maturing varieties,' Ms McIntyre said.
      Ms McIntyre said Central Highlands barley growers expect to harvest 7000 tonnes this "; S12[46]=" year with Australian Agricultural Company's Comet district Goonoo feedlot being a major buyer.
      'Research into assessing optimum stockfeed grain has shown that "; S13[46]=" barley can be a better economic proposition than sorghum as it requires a lower level of processing.
      'Grain feeding trials from Montana "; S14[46]=" University also indicate that barley can achieve the same animal production performance as maize,' Ms McIntyre said.
      Ms McIntyre said growing barley "; S15[46]=" for local feedlot markets cut growers' freight costs and could value add to rural communities.
      Australian Lot Feeders Association (ALFA) surveys indicate "; S16[46]=" that half of the nation's cattle currently in feedlots are in Queensland .
      Their research also showed that for every feedlot employee, "; S17[46]=" there are a further three jobs created in the broader community beef industry service chain.
      Ms McIntyre said Grout barley marketing rights "; S18[46]=" had been awarded by tender to AWB Seeds in May this year.
      Seed production increase was now underway and commercial stocks would "; S19[46]=" be available next winter.
      There would be seed produced in Central Queensland with the aim of making seed available at a reasonable "; S20[46]=" cost.
      Ms McIntyre said there would be an end point royalty applicable to Grout.
      She called on growers to.. "; R[47]="15"; T[47]="Fertiliser no surety to lift sorghum yield"; A[47]="By ... Editor"; Dn[47]="20060222"; Dt[47]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[47]="a03a07a79"; B1[47]="      Grain growers applying Starter Z fertiliser to dryland grain sorghum across Central Queensland s open downs and brigalow soil cropping country should "; B2[47]="not expect any yield response... "; B3[47]=" "; B4[47]=" "; B5[47]=" "; S1[47]="      Grain growers applying Starter Z fertiliser to dryland grain sorghum across Central Queensland's open downs and brigalow soil cropping country should not "; S2[47]=" expect any yield response.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries development extension agronomist Rod Collins told the 70 growers attending the recent "; S3[47]=" Biloela Grains Research Update that replicated trials also showed that any yield response to nitrogen (N) fertiliser was both risky and difficult to predict, particularly "; S4[47]=" on brigalow soils.
      Working with Central Queensland Sustainable Farming Systems Project groups funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, sorghum trials "; S5[47]=" to assess starter fertiliser response showed that even where soil tests indicated low levels of phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn), there was no yield increase.
"; S6[47]="       'When comparing in-row and between-row treatments for a typical dryland crop, starter fertiliser placed in the row with the seed at 30kg/ha "; S7[47]=" caused rapid seedling growth and increased plant dry matter but made no difference to yield,' Mr Collins said.
      'These results reinforce data "; S8[47]=" from previous trials and grower observations that sorghum is an efficient forager of soil P and Zn in short and long fallow situations.
    "; S9[47]="   'Our regional research suggests that in a nitrogen-responsive soil, it is important that N fertiliser be applied when there is reasonable soil moisture available "; S10[47]=" to gain a crop response to N.
      'Nitrogen fertiliser response does not appear to be influenced by the timing of the application "; S11[47]=" whether it is distributed during the fallow (prior to planting) or during the planting operation,' Mr Collins said.
      Mr Collins said that "; S12[47]=" from some of the trials, an increased availability of N at planting had encouraged early crop growth and water use.
      Limited follow-up "; S13[47]=" in-crop rain caused a moisture shortage during the later grain fill growth stage which reduced grain size and increased the amount of screenings.
    "; S14[47]="   As N response was more predictable on open downs cultivation, Mr Collins recommended that growers adopt a budget N approach to grain sorghum production "; S15[47]=" on these soils.
      Soil tests should be taken prior to planting to determine just how much nitrogen would be required to top "; S16[47]=" up the available nitrogen to achieve a yield response.
      Applying a set rate every year could mean either too much or too "; S17[47]=" little N was being applied.
      'Cropping brigalow soils is a far more complicated issue and it is often the case that there "; S18[47]=" is no nitrogen response to applied N fertiliser, especially in dry seasons,' Mr Collins warned.
      Mr Collins said the experience from other "; S19[47]=" cropping regions showed that long term soil nitrogen decline in Central Queensland's cropped brigalow soils will at some stage influence grain productivity.
      "; S20[47]=" 'Growers want to know at what point do they start using nitrogen fertiliser to address the inevitable fertility decline but there is no definitive answer,'.. "; R[48]="10"; T[48]="Wheat stripe rust now at Biloela"; A[48]="By ... Editor"; Dn[48]="20060222"; Dt[48]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[48]="a02a03a22a33"; B1[48]="      The wind-borne wheat fungal disease - stripe rust - has now been identified in a wheat crop at Biloela after it was "; B2[48]="found for the first time in Central Queensland in late August this year at Bauhinia Downs... "; B3[48]=" "; B4[48]=" "; B5[48]=" "; S1[48]="      The wind-borne wheat fungal disease - stripe rust - has now been identified in a wheat crop at Biloela after it was "; S2[48]=" found for the first time in Central Queensland in late August this year at Bauhinia Downs.
      Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries "; S3[48]=" development extension agronomist Rod Collins and principal technical officer Peter Keys said Dawson-Callide and Central Highlands grain growers should thoroughly check their maturing wheat crops "; S4[48]=" for any signs of stripe rust.
      Mr Collins said it was highly unlikely that the late season appearance of stripe rust in "; S5[48]=" Central Queensland would have any impact on crop yields this year.
      'It is important for growers to be on the alert and "; S6[48]=" if stripe rust is present, they should seek advice relating to the management of the disease to minimise any carryover infection risk into next year's "; S7[48]=" wheat crop,' Mr Collins said.
      'Stripe rust is endemic throughout many of the southern wheat growing areas in Australia due to favourable "; S8[48]=" weather conditions and the carryover of rust on volunteer wheat plants growing through the summer,' Mr Collins said.
      Mr Keys said the "; S9[48]=" stripe rust making its appearance in Central region was likely to be a strain known as the WA pathotype which has been more damaging on "; S10[48]=" currently planted varieties in southern areas than the previously identified rust strains.
      'Crops planted late in the season are most likely to "; S11[48]=" suffer symptoms of stripe rust although genetic resistance will mean that infection late the crop development is unlikely to cause yield penalties in Central Queensland "; S12[48]=" crops,' Mr Keys said.
      'Most Central Queensland crops were planted early enough in the season so there is unlikely to be any "; S13[48]=" significant effect in most paddocks,' he said.
      'Central region growers who find evidence of stripe rust this year should consider using varieties "; S14[48]=" with optimum resistance when they plant their 2006 wheat crop.' Mr Keys said they should also ensure there were no wheat plants surviving through the "; S15[48]=" summer fallow period to infect next year's crop.
      'Plant breeding research is on track to develop new varietal lines with stripe rust "; S16[48]=" resistance to the WA pathotype but growers need to remain vigilant,' Mr Keys said... "; R[49]="8"; T[49]="DPI&F announces NLIS (Sheep) policy for Queensland"; A[49]="By ... Editor"; Dn[49]="20060222"; Dt[49]="Wednesday 22 February 2006"; Acats[49]="a02a25"; B1[49]="      The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) has released the policy for the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for the sheep "; B2[49]="(wool and lamb) industries... "; B3[49]=" "; B4[49]=" "; B5[49]=" "; S1[49]="      The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) has released the policy for the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for the sheep "; S2[49]=" (wool and lamb) industries.
      DPI&F general manager of animal biosecurity Ron Glanville said that although the regulations for NLIS (Sheep) have been "; S3[49]=" in place for some time, the Queensland NLIS Implementation Committee (QNIC) recently made a number of recommendations to fine tune the system which will operate "; S4[49]=" on a mandatory basis from 1 January 2006.
      These have now been approved.
      'Queensland's policy is consistent with the "; S5[49]=" national NLIS sheep policy and will place Queensland at the fore-front of livestock biosecurity disease response measures.
      'This will in-turn enhance our "; S6[49]=" international reputation with trading partners for sheep meat and wool products,' Mr Glanville said.
      The phase-in arrangements for Queensland include
    "; S7[49]="   * The Queensland definition of 'movement of stock' will be 'any movement between two different Property Identification Code (PIC) numbers'.
      * "; S8[49]=" All the PICs of origin for sheep consigned from a property other than that of their property of birth must be noted on the NVD/Waybill.
"; S9[49]="       * Sheep born after 31 December 2005 will require identification with an approved, non-electronic NLIS sheep tag before movement.
      "; S10[49]=" However, they do not require NLIS tags if they are moving directly from the property of birth to slaughter over the hooks in minimum four "; S11[49]=" deck lots of the same class.
      This phase-in provision will cease on 31 December 2006.
      * Sheep born before "; S12[49]=" 1 January 2006 will not require identification with an NLIS sheep tag during the transition period from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2006 inclusive.
"; S13[49]="      
      * From 1 January 2007, all sheep moving must have an NLIS tag applied.
      "; S14[49]="
      * Use of the standard year colour codes for tags is recommended.
      However local property colour coding "; S15[49]=" systems will be optional at the discretion of the owner.
      However, the NLIS sheep tag must bear the PIC and the NLIS "; S16[49]=" logo on the outer face of the tag.
      * Previously printed tags with an approved PIC printed on the tag (but without "; S17[49]=" the NLIS logo) can be legally used until current stocks are used up.
      * There will be no mandatory requirement to use "; S18[49]=" of 'pink' post breeder tags for movements within Queensland, but again, this is recommended.
     
      * Waybills and NVD/Waybills "; S19[49]=" documenting movements must be retained on the property for a period of five years.
      Mr.. ";