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Issue No. 18/ WINTER 2015
Jujubes
ripe for
development
full story pg. 10-12
AGRICULTURE’S FIVE
MEGATRENDS
pg. 4
NEW RESEARCH TO
HELP BOOST THE
AUSSIE SEAWEED INDUSTRY
pg. 3
A WEBSITE TO HELP
FARMERS DIVERSIFY
pg. 7
FINALISTS OF 2015 RIRDC
RURAL WOMEN’S AWARD
ANNOUNCED
pg. 9
RURAL DIVERSITY
Issue No. 18 / WINTER 2015
Message from
the Managing
Director
Message from the Managing Director.................. 2
Nutrition and safety data to help the
Aussie seaweed industry grow................................. 3
Welcome to the ‘mega’ future................................... 4
New biosecurity project to protect
flourishing truffle industry............................................ 5
Helping new and emerging industries develop and prosper through R&D is a
unique and important role fulfilled by RIRDC.
The Farm Dog Project..................................................... 5
There are several outstanding examples of industries that RIRDC has helped
develop into genuine world leaders through useful, targeted R&D. The canola
industry, the olive industry, and the rice industry are just a few examples of
once-small industries that have grown and continue to prosper.
New resources help beekeepers
access public lands.......................................................... 6
New RIRDC staff................................................................ 6
For diversity, click here.................................................. 7
New ‘crop’ of Horizon Scholars named................8
Nick keen to breed resilience into grain............. 8
Women leaders vie for award................................... 9
Jujubes ripe for development................................ 10
Saving pasture seed for the future....................... 13
Tony Byrne Memorial Scholarship
recipient: Matt Wilson.................................................. 13
Hobby beekeepers benefit
from new resource.......................................................... 14
Strong results from RIRDC
stakeholder survey......................................................... 14
Rice cashes in on research........................................ 15
New publications........................................ Back cover
This edition of Diversity features another emerging industry with huge
potential – the Chinese jujube.
The jujube is also known as the Chinese date and is the size of an apricot and
looks like a miniature apple. It also tastes like an apple but has the texture of a
crunchy pear and a unique sweet flavour.
The Chinese jujube is one of the most important fruit crops in China and
has been commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine and as food
for thousands of years. It is widely grown in China with cultivation records
going back over 3,000 years and is also found in neighbouring countries in
South-East Asia.
While there is potential for the export of fresh jujubes to South-East Asia,
the volume of fruit produced in Australia at the moment is still quite small
- demand for fruit outweighs supply on the local market. The bulk of jujube
growers are in Western Australia but they are also grown on a few properties
in Victoria and South Australia.
RIRDC has invested previously in a project to develop a best practice manual
for jujube growers on producing, grading, storage and marketing to help
promote awareness of the fruit and to identify potential markets in South
East Asia for the supply of fresh and processed fruit provide and market
information.
A new RIRDC-funded R&D project will address increasing production,
developing quality parameters as well as broadening markets for the jujube
industry. A thorough economic review of the industry will also be done which
will provide the economic information to facilitate investment in the industry
and to assist in the creation of a positive prospectus to encourage the planting
of jujubes, as well as increase investment in the planting of jujube stock.
This edition of Diversity also includes stories on another couple of exciting
industries with potential for growth – the seaweed and truffle industries.
The Australian seaweed industry has huge potential with a variety of end uses
and the truffle industry is quite well established in Australia but is undertaking
new R&D that could help it continue to grow and prosper both in domestic and
international markets.
Inside we also introduce the seven state winners of the 2015 RIRDC Rural
Women’s Award, all of whom are in the running to take out the national title in
September, as well as profiling the 13 new Horizon Scholars for 2015.
We also take a look at the five agricultural megatrends and what they mean
for Australia, catch up on the latest on the RIRDC-funded working dog project,
and provide an update on the www.farmdiversity.com.au website.
Enjoy the read.
Craig Burns
Managing Director, RIRDC
2
Nutrition and
safety data to
help the Aussie
seaweed
industry grow
Seaweed sucks up CO2 , feeds fish
and people, provides essential dietary
trace elements and has ever-expanding
uses in industrial and pharmaceutical
products. It also creates jobs,
sometimes for entire communities.
While Australia is a latecomer to the global
seaweed market, already worth more than
$6 billion a year and growing, RIRDC is
supporting efforts to ensure local producers
are well prepared and well co-ordinated
when they launch.
These efforts include a detailed analysis
of the distinguishing nutritional and
safety features of Australia’s unique
seaweed species and best practice
production guidelines.
It will be a valuable marketing tool for
the industry, according to researcher and
producer Dr Pia Winberg, who is leading
the project. She says no other seaweedproducing country has undertaken this level
of analysis of their production systems or
their seaweeds.
This market preparation is just one of
several seaweed-related projects RIRDC
has supported during the past decade.
Others include support for the Seaweed
Australia network to link researchers,
producers, processors and end users,
ensuring producers grow what the market
actually wants.
RIRDC sponsored an international algae
symposium in Sydney last year, at which
Dr Winberg played a key role.
“Population growth in Asia and the influence
of Asian cuisine in Western countries is
a small part of the growing demand for
seaweed,” Dr Winberg says.
“Others include as a feed component for the
aquaculture industry and as a supplement
to address human nutritional deficiencies:
Seaweed absorbs CO2, provides essential dietary trace elements and is used in industrial and
pharmaceutical products. RIRDC is supporting efforts to ensure Australian seaweed producers are
well prepared to join the global seaweed market, which is currently worth $6 billion per year and is
growing strongly.
seaweed includes several important trace
elements including iron and iodine.”
Dr Winberg says one of the first major
industrial-scale seaweed production
initiatives was in China in the 1940s
and addressed iodine deficiencies that
contributed to developmental difficulties
in children. However, too much iodine can
also be a problem. One of the largest food
safety class actions in Australia related to
excessive levels of iodine from a seaweed
product called Kombu in soymilk. Levels in
a single serve of soymilk were alleged to be
50 times the recommended daily allowance.
Dr Winberg says this case highlights the
importance of understanding the nutritional
make-up and safe use of seaweeds,
particularly in food products. For instance,
has the seaweed been grown in marine
waters with high levels of heavy metals,
which have been absorbed by the seaweed?
How much of a particular seaweed species,
and particular seaweed-based product is
safe to consume?
She says the Australian project will be a first
step in developing national and international
food safety standards for seaweed, which
has so far flown under the radar.
Population growth in Asia and the
influence of Asian cuisine in Western
countries is a small part of the growing
demand for seaweed
Her project, which began in June 2015, will
prepare foundational information for safe
production and use of Australian seaweeds.
This will give Australian producers a
powerful marketing tool to launch their
product into premium markets.
The project is expected to take 18 months
and will be conducted in conjunction with
researchers and producers in NSW, South
Australia and Tasmania, working with both
land-based and marine production systems.
From an environmental and regional
development perspective, seaweed
production offers opportunities to integrate
itself with industries that produce carbon
dioxide, as algae absorbs large quantities
of CO2.
Dr Winberg says seaweed culture in
China has been shown to reduce water
acidification, even in large bays, providing a
buffer against the global increase in ocean
acidity caused by increased levels of CO2.
Her business, Venus Shell Systems Pty Ltd, is
based at Shoalhaven, where it helps to offset
waste production for a nearby industrial
partner. She says seaweed production, once
it is in full swing on a regional scale, offers
an alternative industry that helps preserve
natural resources by reducing the impact
of waste production from other industries.
And, using land-based seaweed production
systems means locations are not limited to
the coast.
More information: Pia Winberg,
pia@venusshellsystems.com.au
3
RURAL DIVERSITY
Issue No. 18 / WINTER 2015
Welcome to the
‘mega’ future
Significant change at global, national
and local scales will affect Australia’s
rural industries in the coming decades,
creating opportunities and challenges
for small and large farm businesses.
New ‘foresighting’ research by RIRDC and
CSIRO is looking at what these changes
will be and how we might be able to plan
for them.
The research report titled ‘Rural Industry
Futures – Megatrends impacting Australian
agriculture over the coming 20 years’ will
be released mid-June. A taster of the
research outcomes has been presented at
the ABARES Outlook 2015 conference and
in two regional workshops held in Wagga
Wagga, NSW, and Cairns, Queensland.
The research identified five megatrends:
• A hungrier world: Population growth will
drive demand for food and fibre
A hungrier world
drive global demand for
food and fibre
A bumpier ride
A wealthier world
and enviromental change will
reshape the risk profile
for agriculture
diversify diets and
eat more protein
Transformative
technologies
Advances in digital technology,
will change the way food and
fiber products are made
and transported
A new middle income class will
Choosy customers
consumers of the future will
provenance, sustainability
and ethics
• A bumpier ride: Globalisation, climate
change and environmental change will
reshape the risk profile for agriculture
• A wealthier world: A new middle class
will increase food consumption, diversify
diets and eat more protein
• Transformative technologies: Advances
in digital technology, genetic science and
synthetics will change the way food and
fibre products are made and transported
• Choosy customers:
Information-empowered customers of the
future will have expectations for health,
provenance, sustainability and ethics
One of the report’s authors is Dr Stefan
Hajkowicz, a principal scientist at CSIRO
working in the area of strategic foresight. He
says that by identifying likely trends, the risks
and opportunities can also be developed to
help agriculture identify how to position itself
to thrive in the face of these changes.
“The effectiveness with which Australian
agriculture captures the opportunities and
avoids the risks largely comes down to
innovation,” Dr Hajkowicz says.
“Each of the trends is not independent.
They all interact. Think of choosy customers.
It is very closely aligned with transformative
technologies.”
According to Dr Hajkowicz, the value in
understanding and identifying a megatrend
early can be borne out by the example of
the digitisation megatrend and its impact on
the Kodak photographic company.
4
The five agricultural megatrends
“It was a long time coming and then bang,
everything was digitised and Kodak found it
too late to respond and disappeared,”
he says.
“If we start with agriculture being more
informed we decrease the chances of finding
out about a megatrend too late.”
RIRDC Business Development Manager
Vicki Woodburn says RIRDC commissioned
research to establish the longer-term horizon
to help the rural industry sector shape
policy direction, decision-making and
industry investment.
“RIRDC initiated this project to help industry,
governments and research organisations
better plan and invest in the sector,”
she says.
The effectiveness
with which Australian
agriculture captures
the opportunities
and avoids the risks
largely comes down
to innovation”
“Prior to the project, people in industry and
government who we consulted said that they
were pretty confident they can see what
trends will impact in the next five to 10 years,
but after that it became less clear and they
were not sure what might be coming.
“However, there is a need to put actions in
place now for that period to make sure we
are not missing opportunities in Australian
agriculture, and that we are aware of the
risks. A perfect example of where this
report would be of value is in education.
Are we teaching future agriculturalists the
things they will need to know? How do we
use education to minimise the risks of
these trends?”
The work lays a foundation for further
‘foresighting’ research that RIRDC intends
to undertake.
“We will be looking to partner with different
industries, research organisations and
governments to continuously scan the
future, undertake scenarios for different
possible futures and commission further
understanding of particular trends that
might be coming,” Ms Woodburn says.
More information: Vicki Woodburn,
RIRDC Business Development Manager,
02 6271 4124 vicki.woodburn@rirdc.gov.au
Stefan Hajkowicz, CSIRO, stefan.hajkowicz@csiro.au
New biosecurity project to protect
flourishing truffle industry
A new RIRDC-funded project aims
to develop management options for
pests and diseases in the expanding
Australian truffle industry.
The project, Pests and diseases of truffles
and their host trees in Australia, will be
led by the Department of Agriculture
and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) in
collaboration with the Manjimup Truffle
and Wine Company – who already have
an impressive history of research in this
area – and will include researchers and
development officers from universities
and industry.
The Australian Truffle Growers Association
(ATGA) and the Truffle Producers of
Western Australia (TPWA) have both
pledged financial support.
More than three-quarters of Australia’s
eight-tonne annual truffle production
is exported.
Truffle production is reliant on both the purity of
the truffle fungus and the health of the trees.
The Farm Dog
Project
Those with working dog experience
know that there is a wealth of valuable
genetic material among elite herding
dogs, but some are also concerned
that certain valuable traits are not as
common as they once were.
RIRDC, along with Meat & Livestock
Australia and the Working Kelpie Council
of Australia, is funding research through
the University of Sydney to measure and
record behavioural and health attributes in
working dogs.
By creating a database of Australian
and international herding dogs and their
temperaments and herding traits, working
dog societies will be able to learn more
about how these traits are passed on from
parents to progeny, and investigate which
gene sequences are responsible for the
valuable behaviours.
Professor Paul McGreevy is leading
the study.
Australia’s freedom from many exotic pests
provides the truffle industry with significant
advantages. Production is reliant on both
the purity of the truffle fungus and the
health of the trees with which they
establish a symbiotic relationship.
Because truffles are a relatively new
industry in Australia, much of the
knowledge about pests and diseases has
been anecdotal and shared informally.
Identification and management of pests
and diseases has not been well understood.
The RIRDC truffle project will examine
industry practices. It will extend beyond
threats to the truffle to identify threats
to the range of host trees that support
truffle growth.
This process will allow the industry to
prepare for exotic pests and better
prioritise available resources.
Developing an industry biosecurity plan
will provide a framework for biosecurity
activities at the national level.
The identification of high priority pests will
assist with a range of biosecurity activities
such as surveillance, grower awareness
programs, and the development of
diagnostic protocols, contingency
plans and on-farm best practice
biosecurity measures.
“By collecting information on the important
traits of thousands of working dogs, we
can calculate the heritability of the traits,”
he says. “Heritability is a very important
property of traits, as it expresses the
extent to which relatives will resemble each
other and reveals the merits of a selective
breeding program. This is the first step in
calculating estimated breeding values.”
Professor McGreevy says that by comparing
this trait information with genetic material,
the research team could identify regions of
the canine genome that may contribute to
these behaviours.
About truffles
Truffles are the ‘fruit’ of fungi that live in
the soil in association with the roots of
several tree species, including hazelnuts
and oaks.
Traditionally, they are harvested from
natural woodlands, however the French
black truffle or Périgord truffle (Tuber
melanosporum) on which the Australian
truffle industry is predominantly based
can be cultivated. The trees must be
inoculated with selected strains of the
fungi before being planted out into
orchards (or truffières).
To prevent bacterial contamination,
inoculation must be done on
germinating seeds. Seeds are collected
from hazelnuts and oaks in autumn and
inoculated with spores. Inoculated
trees are ready for planting after
about 14 months.
Truffles grow best in well-drained
alkaline soils with healthy calcium levels.
It takes 4-6 years after planting before
the first truffles are likely to
be harvested.
Specially trained dogs are used to
locate the truffles, which are found
singly and mainly just below the
soil surface.
More information: RIRDC Senior Program Manager –
Plant Industries, John de Majnik, 02 6271 4138,
john.demajnik@rirdc.gov.au
The research team wants information about
elite, average and poor-performing dogs,
and is particularly interested in similarities
and differences of related dogs.
The information collected will not be
connected with owners’ or breeders’ names
and will not be made public.
The Herding Dog Assessment can be found
here: http://goo.gl/forms/okgjDPY2gp
More information: Professor Paul McGreevy,
02 9351 2810, paul.mcgreevy@sydney.edu.au
“This is the first step in developing genetic
tests for valuable traits that could, one day,
assist with the selection of breeding dogs
from a very early age,” he says.
Interested owners and breeders of working
kelpies aged six months or older can rate
their dogs’ behaviour and personality
via a short online form, the Herding Dog
Assessment. Participants are also asked
whether they would be willing to provide
a DNA sample from their dog. Those who
consent will be sent a simple cheek swab kit
and a reply paid envelope.
Professor Paul McGreevy from the University of
Sydney is leading the research into genotyping
working dogs.
5
RURAL DIVERSITY
Issue No. 18 / WINTER 2015
New resources help beekeepers access public lands
A new series of fact sheets will help
beekeepers access public lands in a
complex regulatory environment.
Australia’s bees are a migratory species.
Commercial beekeepers follow the seasonal
eucalypt, angophora and corymbia blossom
through the country’s forests and across
state lines to produce 20,000 to 30,000
tonnes of honey each year, worth $88 million.
More than 70 per cent of Australia’s honey
is produced from flowers on public lands and
one of the major challenges facing industry
is the complexity of requirements to gain
access to those areas.
“Beekeepers face an increasingly complex
and challenging environment when
negotiating access to these resources,
so this project was designed to provide
greater knowledge of the policies that
affect beekeeping,” explains beekeeper and
spokesman for the Program’s Advisory Panel,
James Kershaw.
The fact sheets and report can be accessed
at: www.rirdc.gov.au/research-programs/
animal-industries/honeybee
More information: RIRDC Senior Program Manager,
Animal Industries, Dave Alden, 02 6271 4128,
dave.alden@rirdc.gov.au
VICTORIA FACT SHEET
Compatibility of management objectives on public lands and beekeeping
Introduction
The Australian beekeeping industry is an important
agricultural industry with an estimated gross value
of $88 million (2012-13 estimate). Beekeepers also
provide indirect benefits to the broader agricultural
economy through the provision of pollination
services valued between $4-6 billion. The true
value of beekeeping in maintaining the health and
resilience of broader the Australian agricultural
economy is therefore significant, extending well
beyond its direct economic contribution.
Importance of migration
In order to optimise production across seasons,
it is necessary for beekeepers to migrate hives
across landscapes when seeking the most
productive sources of pollen and nectar. Hive
migration will be planned to coincide with peaks in
flowering of key plants, typically occurring over a
two to four month period. Production is
predominantly from eucalypt, angophora and
corymbia tree species, although acacias,
banksias and other species are also important.
Variability in Australian weather conditions affect
budding and flower patterns of flora and
consequently pollen and nectar levels, requiring
beekeepers to maintain their production through a
constant state of migration.
There are many types of public land tenure
in Australia, each allowing different levels of
access for commercial beekeepers. The land
types and access requirements frequently
differ between states and are administered
by a number of government agencies.
Their continued access to public land is
important to more than commercial honey
production. Apiarists are a pivotal part of
Australia’s horticulture industry, which relies
on the pollination services beekeepers
provide to produce fruit and vegetable crops
worth $4-6 billion each year.
To help beekeepers better understand the
complex regulatory environment, a series
of fact sheets and a report have been
developed as part of the Honey Bee and
Pollination RD&E Program, jointly funded by
RIRDC and Horticulture Innovation Australia.
Enabling bees to collect pollen and nectar
from a diverse range of flowers available on
public land is key to keeping hives healthy,
according to Mr Kershaw, particularly in
the hive build-up periods before and after
pollination.
The fact sheets are produced for each state
and territory and outline the registration,
permit and licensing requirements for
beekeepers seeking access to public lands,
as well as the requirements for movement of
hives and equipment between states.
“Access to an array of native plant species
is crucial to maintaining colony vigour,
as beekeepers must relocate their hives
according to both the flowering times of
particular species and seasonal conditions,”
Mr Kershaw says.
The report provides an overview of
beekeepers’ access across public land
tenures and evaluates whether the
management objectives for each land type
“If the bees are not in good health, it’s harder
to put their pollination services to work, and
many horticultural and agricultural products
rely on European honey bee pollination.”
New RIRDC Staff
managing capacity‑building projects for
young farmers.
(CCRSPI), for which RIRDC is
the secretariat.
Jennifer Medway –
Investing in People Manager
She also played a role in overseeing policy
development and initiatives that aimed to
help value the contribution rural women
make to the agriculture, fisheries and
forestry industries.
Simon has a strong background in
managing RD&E investments, which has
included the coordination of a $40 million
national program of collaborative RD&E
projects for the NSW Department of Trade
and Investment.
The RIRDC team recently welcomed Jennifer
Medway as Program Manager for the
Corporation’s Investing in People program.
Jennifer will be responsible for the
management of RIRDC’s two flagship
programs — the RIRDC Rural Women’s
Award and the Horizon Scholarship —
along with other capacity-building initiatives.
She joins RIRDC with a wealth of knowledge
and first-hand experience working in the
Australian rural sector.
6
are compatible with access for commercial
beekeepers. That compatibility varies
according to the legislative basis of the land,
prescribed conservation status, existing
management plans and competing land
uses.
Previously, Jennifer was a Senior Policy
Officer at the Australian Government
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry where she was responsible for the
administration of the $1.2 million Pathways
for Participation Strategy, which involved
Jennifer has a large network of rural
industry and farming contacts and a proven
track record of building strong, lasting and
meaningful relationships with stakeholders.
Contact Jennifer: jennifer.medway@rirdc.gov.au,
02 6271 4132
Dr Simon Speirs – Program
Manager, Climate Change
Research Strategy for Primary
Industries (CCRSPI)
Simon Speirs recently joined RIRDC as the
Program Manager for the Climate Change
Research Strategy for Primary Industries
Importance of public lands
Public lands provide important seasonal floral
resources for Australia’s migrating beekeepers.
With one third of Australia’s native forests located
on public lands, and an additional 40% on crown
leased land, access to these areas underpins
production for the industry.
Forests and woodlands provide up to 80% of
pollen and nectar resources, with between 70-90%
of honey production across south east and south
west Australia reliant on the flowering tree and
understory resources of forested areas, primarily
located on public lands. Floristic diversity on public
land is not only important for honey production, but
also provides a means to build up hives prior to
and post pollination.
The continued productivity and viability of the
beekeeping industry is therefore contingent upon
maintaining flexible and ongoing access to apiary
sites located on public lands. This is particularly
important in drought periods or following floods or
fires, where beekeepers require additional flexibility
to find alternative food resources for the survival of
their bees.
Area of public lands in Australia
and Victoria
Public land is a significant land tenure
across Australia’s States and Territories.
Approximately 63% of Australia’s land mass
(484,067,824 hectares) is classed as public
land.
In VIC public land accounts for approximately
35% of all land (8 million hectares).
Migration across public land
Migrating hives between different public land
tenures can present significant challenges for
beekeepers, because each type of tenure will have
different management objectives and licencing
requirements. Migrating hives interstate is even
more complicated because comparable land
tenures, such as ‘National Park’, may not have
the same management objectives or licencing
requirements in different States, due to differing
State/Territory legislation. Ensuring that interstate
migration satisfies the relevant state biosecurity
procedures and approval requirements is another
factor that complicates migration for apiarists.
Figure 1 summarises the public land tenures for
each Australian State and Territory.
In pursuing the dynamic floral resources required
to maintain honey production, apiarists face an
increasingly complex and challenging environment
when negotiating access to the range of public
land tenures, on which these resources occur. It
is therefore important that apiarists have a current
knowledge of the policies that affect beekeeping
across the Australian States and Territories so that
they can plan future migration activities effectively.
This factsheet summarises the key public land
tenures and associated management objectives in
relation to beekeeping for Victoria.
| Page 1
To help beekeepers better understand the
complex regulatory environment, a series of
state-based fact sheets have been developed,
which outline the registration, permit and
licensing requirements for beekeepers
seeking access to public lands, as well as
the requirements for movement of hives and
equipment between states.
Simon’s expertise and experience is in RD&E
of soil physical and chemical processes,
grazing systems and agronomy and fertiliser
use. Simon has a strong interest in climate
change and agricultural adaptation,
which is a key focus of CCRSPI.
Contact Simon: simon.speirs@rirdc.gov.au,
02 6271 4126
For diversity,
click here
Farmers across Australia diversify
their enterprises to add new income
streams, build environmental and
economic resilience, and boost
personal satisfaction.
The scope for commodity diversification is
vast, but where do you start? How can you
know which crops, livestock or new product
lines are suitable for your enterprise … and
your environment?
RIRDC is providing the answers with its
Farm Diversity website, an online tool
helping farmers discover the best options for
diversification according to where they live.
The ‘one-stop shop’ is free and easy to use,
providing vital agronomic and regulatory
information on about 150 diverse agricultural
industries.
Despite its broad scope, the website is
relevant on an individual level because
it allows people to search not only by
commodity but also by region.
By entering their postcode, producers can
immediately see which crops or livestock are
compatible with their area. Rainfall, soil type
and climate zone information can be used to
further refine searches.
This function can help narrow down choices,
but also open people’s eyes to opportunities
they may not have previously considered.
The website features established
commodities such as wheat and wool, as well
as new or emerging industries like quinoa or
Chinese jujubes.
The Farm Diversity website is an online tool that helps farmers discover the best options for
diversification according to where they live.
“Both quinoa and Chinese jujubes are pretty
hardy crops and can be grown across a wide
area,” says the RIRDC Communications and
Pubic Affairs Manager Damon Whittock.
“In many cases growers may not have
considered them, or may not have even
heard of something like jujubes, even if they
are ideal for their region.”
Unearthing new opportunities through the
postcode search has been very helpful for
growers, Mr Whittock says. He has tracked
feedback about the website in the 12 months
it has been operating.
“Anecdotally, people have found the site
incredibly useful and easy to use, and it has
really opened their eyes to things they didn’t
know existed,” he says.
The Farm Diversity website saves people
time and money by bringing commodity
information together in the one place.
Previously, they would have had to seek
similar information from a variety of sources.
“We recently had a query from someone in
Tasmania interested in growing mountain
peppers,” Mr Whittock says. “She wanted
to know where to buy seeds and how to
grow them so we directed her to the
website and she rang back to say it was
a fantastic resource.”
For each plant and animal, the website
provides essential information such as
production status, growing region maps, risks
and challenges, regulatory considerations,
publications, resources and contact
information for industry bodies.
RIRDC Managing Director Craig Burns
says that while the primary driver for
diversification is often to increase income,
other benefits include improving resilience,
spreading risk and reducing environmental
impact.
“Diversification can be a valuable strategy
for a farming enterprise and overall it
supports a more profitable, sustainable
and dynamic rural sector,” he says.
As well as providing information on specific
commodities, the website features case
studies, sharing the personal experience of
growers who have diversified.
It also provides 10 questions for growers to
answer to determine whether diversification
really is for them. “Farmdiversity.com.au
is a great place to start,” Mr Burns says.
“It will open up conversations across the
kitchen table.”
A case study in diversifying: Richard Davis
A spread of enterprises to manage risk
As the managing director of Australia’s largest producer of
eucalyptus oil, GR Davis Pty Ltd, Richard Davis could be forgiven
for resting on his laurels.
But, he says, diversifying the business by adding cereal cropping
and grazing to the mix – as well as a small tea tree plantation
– has helped spread financial risk and generate new income
streams. It has also made better use of existing assets, including
land and equipment across his Queanbeyan and West Wyalong
properties in NSW.
Eucalyptus oil remains the company’s primary enterprise but, in a
good year, Richard’s 2,000 hectares of wheat, canola and barley
can account for more than half of the company’s gross income. In
a bad year, this drops dramatically and that is where the livestock
play their part.
“We are rebuilding the sheep mainly for risk management,”
Richard says of his 3000-head flock of wool-producing Merino
ewes and wethers sold as store lambs. “The increase in sheep
numbers helps maintain a level of cash flow in poor crop years.”
Niche overseas markets for the organically certified tea tree
oil produced by his relatively small business have helped offset
market fluctuations in eucalyptus oil brought about by overseas
competitors.
Richard says introducing cropping and grazing took time and
effort but was made easier because advice and equipment was
available and markets established.
“I think diversification is key for surviving in Australian agriculture
as long as you have the financial, physical and mental ability to
handle it,” he says.
7
RURAL DIVERSITY
Issue No. 18 / WINTER 2015
New ‘crop’ of
Horizon Scholars
named
The 2015 Horizon Scholarships were
recently awarded to 14 first-year
university students who love
agriculture and have the capacity to
become leaders.
The Horizon Scholarship is a RIRDC initiative,
supported by industry and government,
which was developed to address the
shortage of professionals taking up careers
in agriculture.
It promotes the diversity of careers available
in agriculture by giving the best and
brightest tertiary students an opportunity to
experience some of the professions on offer
in the food and fibre sector.
Horizon Scholars are selected from
applicants studying tertiary degrees at
Australian universities in areas such as
agricultural science, rural science, livestock
or animal science, veterinary science, plant
science, agribusiness, agricultural economics,
resource management, sustainability and
food security.
Students chosen to join the scholarship
program demonstrate both a passion for
the food and fibre sector and a strong
commitment to developing a long-term
career in agriculture.
As part of the program, Horizon Scholars
receive a $5000 bursary for each year
they are studying at university. Support
is also provided in the form of mentoring,
professional development and work
placements with leading agricultural
organisations across Australia.
Nick keen to
breed resilience
into grain
When Nick Grant’s teacher told him
about the Horizon Scholarship he was
quick to submit an application in the
hope of becoming part of its unique
professional development program.
The first-year agricultural science student at
Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga,
New South Wales, says he developed an
interest in farming from a young age.
8
Nick hails from a 1900ha wheat and canola
farm about 15 kilometres south of Temora,
where his father and uncle have farmed all
their lives.
The 2015 Horizon Scholars are:
Camilla a’Beckett
Bachelor of Agriculture
University of Melbourne
Sponsor: Cotton Research
and Development Corporation
Roxanne Mostert
Bachelor of Agricultural Science
University of Western Australia
Sponsor: Grains Research and
Development Corporation
Matthew Champness
Bachelor of Agricultural Science
Charles Sturt University
Sponsor: Grains Research and
Development Corporation
Amy Munro
Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
Charles Sturt University
Sponsor: Rural Industries Research
and Development Corporation
Caitlyn Daffey
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
James Cook University
Sponsor: Meat and Livestock
Australia
Scott Nevison
Bachelor of Food and Agribusiness
University of Sydney
Sponsor: Cotton Research and
Development Corporation
Alison Gill
Bachelor of Science
University of Adelaide
Sponsor: Grains Research and
Development Corporation
Royce Pitchford
Bachelor of Agricultural Science
University of Adelaide
Sponsor: Australian Wool
Innovation
Nick Grant
Bachelor of Agricultural Science
Charles Sturt University
Sponsor: Grains Research and
Development Corporation
Eliza Seymour
Bachelor of Science/Commerce
University of Queensland
Sponsor: Grains Research and
Development Corporation
Elicia Jitming Lim
Bachelor of Food and
Agribusiness
University of Sydney
Sponsor: Grains Research and
Development Corporation
Luke Vella
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
University of Sydney
Sponsor: Horticulture
Innovation Australia
Jack McIntosh
Bachelor of Agricultural Science
Charles Sturt University
Sponsor: Rural Industries
Research and Development
Corporation
Jasmine Whitten
Bachelor of Rural Science
University of New England
Sponsor: Australian Egg
Corporation Limited
Having seen his family’s struggles with
difficult climatic conditions – dry finishes and
frosty springs – and their impact on farm
returns, Nick decided he wanted to be part
of the solution.
“One area of particular interest I am keen
to pursue is how innovation and research
could help produce varieties able to better
withstand a wide range of climatic variables,”
he says.
To prepare for a tertiary degree in
agricultural science, Nick studied maths,
English, chemistry, agriculture and
geography at boarding school.
Now, at Wagga Wagga, he is enjoying
subjects such as botany and chemistry,
preparing for what he sees will be a
long-term and rewarding career in the
grains industry.
He hopes
to complete
an honours
research project
in his fourth year
and find a place
in plant breeding
research after
further study.
Nick says he was delighted to be chosen
as a Horizon Scholar, not only for the
annual $5000 grant and the professional
development opportunities, but also because
he is looking forward to inspiring and
encouraging the next ‘crop’ of young people
to pursue careers in agriculture.
More information: Jennifer Medway,
Horizon Scholarship Program Manager, 02 6271 4132
jennifer.medway@rirdc.gov.au
Women leaders vie for award
Seven outstanding rural women with a passion for Australia’s primary
industries were recently named finalists in the 2015 RIRDC Rural
Women’s Award.
Each finalist – one from each state and the Northern Territory — receives $10,000
to complete a project or initiative that will benefit rural people or primary industries
in Australia.
They will also receive personal and professional development opportunities, including
access to a network of award alumni mentors and a company director course run by the
Australian Institute of Company Directors.
The national winner of the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award, supported by platinum
sponsor Westpac Agribusiness, will be announced on 9 September 2015 at Parliament
House in Canberra. Finalists vying for the national award are:
NEW SOUTH WALES
Cindy Cassidy
Cindy Cassidy is chief executive officer of
FarmLink Research, a not-for-profit farming
systems group at Temora servicing farmers
and agribusiness in southern NSW. Using
her bursary, Cindy will explore national and
international approaches to agricultural
extension to improve the effectiveness of
locally delivered programs. She will share
the knowledge gained and tools created
during her project with other farming
groups, and plans to establish a network of
contacts to influence Australian agricultural
extension policy and investment.
QUEENSLAND
Sherrill Stivano
Sherrill Stivano is a partner in her family’s
cattle feedlot and hay growing business
near Roma. Following the 2011 live export
ban, she became a founding member of
the ‘Ask An Aussie Farmer’ social media
campaign to help consumers better
understand how Australian food and fibre
is produced and to address customer
concerns. Sherrill will use her bursary to
bring a United Kingdom-based expert to
Australia to consider the opportunities
offered by a country-of-origin labelling
system.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Sally Isberg
Dr Sally Isberg runs her own company,
the Centre for Crocodile Research, which
aims to increase the productivity of the
Australian crocodile industry through
research and development. With her
bursary, Sally would like to empower more
women scientists to diversify into crocodile
research. To do this, she plans to show three
female non-agricultural science students
that a career in the primary industries can
be lucrative and rewarding. The students,
selected from Charles Darwin University,
will be offered six-week scholarships to
undertake mini-research projects with
crocodile industry outcomes.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Sarah Powell
Sarah Powell, a partner in a mixed cropping
and Merino sheep business at Wharminda
on the Eyre Peninsula, is committed to
developing the next generation of leaders
through the Ports Netball Club. Using her
bursary, Sarah will establish a ‘Champions
Academy’ program to foster personal
development, create opportunities for
local women and teach aspiring leaders
to act responsibly and with integrity, to
think selflessly and to remain committed
in their pursuits. She will deliver the
program through mentoring that engages,
empowers and builds confidence. A
leadership succession plan is also planned
to strengthen and build resilience into her
local community.
Cindy Cassidy
New South Wales
Sally Isberg
Northern Territory
Sherrill Stivano
Queensland
Sarah Powell
South Australia
Carol Bracken
Tasmania
TASMANIA
Carol Bracken
Carol Bracken grows hazelnuts near
Glengarry for her family business, Tamar
Valley Hazelnuts. Using her bursary, she
plans to study hazelnut production on
farms near Oregon in the United States,
the heartland for hazelnuts and one of the
world’s most competitive markets.
She will also run events for women starting
businesses. Carol plans to run four regional
courses to develop the project management
skills of women participants.
VICTORIA
Katie Finlay
Third-generation orchardist Katie Finlay,
who owns and operates Mt Alexander
Fruit Gardens, has diversified her business
to write and sell information products
including workshops and e-books to
other fruit growers. Katie plans to use
her bursary for a project to help give fruit
growers better control of their markets and
to increase consumer demand for their
products. To do this, she will encourage
growers to run weekly farmers’ markets and
use Facebook to build and foster stronger
relationships with their customers.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Tress Walmsley
Tress Walmsley, chief executive officer of
InterGrain, loves connecting rural and
city communities through food. While
Western Australian wheat varieties are
sought after in Japan and Korea, she sees
scope to increase Australian demand for
the high-value product. Using her bursary,
Tress’s ‘Oodles of noodles’ project will aim
to turn six WA grain growers into ‘Udon
noodle master chefs’ and encourage
industry ambassadors to market Udon
noodles to their local communities, thereby
increasing domestic demand for Australian
noodle wheat.
Katie Finlay
Victoria
Tress Walmsley
Western Australia
9
Jujubes ripe
for development
Jujubes may be relatively unheard of in
Australia, but in China their popularity
remains strong after more than 3000 years.
The white-fleshed fruit, also known as a
Chinese date, is eaten fresh or dried and is
also used in medicine.
Australian growers hope to cash in on its
popularity, both short-term in domestic
markets and in the longer term as a
high‑value export product.
For this potential to be realised, growth
is required, which is why RIRDC and the
Western Australian (WA) Government
have backed new research looking at
further developing the fledgling Australian
jujube industry.
Jujube fruit at an orchard in York, Western Australia.
10
Led by Department of Agriculture and Food
WA (DAFWA) Development Officer Rachelle
Johnstone, the research project will look at
increasing production, developing quality
parameters and broadening markets for
Australian-grown jujubes through on-farm
trials and analysis. A thorough economic
review will also be conducted to inform
investment in the industry.
The project builds on Ms Johnstone’s recently
published jujube feasibility study for RIRDC
and DAFWA, which found there was real
potential for a viable industry.
The report established the size of Australia’s
jujube industry, identified basic best-practice
agronomic factors and confirmed scope
for growth, finding that current supply was
unable to meet growing demand locally,
let alone for export.
“The demand for jujubes is still greater
than supply on the domestic market and
growers are getting pretty good prices,”
Ms Johnstone says.
As well as strong market demand, several
other factors point to the fruit being a good
option for Australian growers looking to
Facts & Statistics
The Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba
Mill.) has been consumed as a food
and used in traditional Chinese
medicine for thousands of years.
The jujube is a medium-sized deciduous
tree that reaches a height of seven to
10 metres.
Young Chinese jujube (Chico variety) orchard under nets in York, WA.
diversify, she says. First is that the trees are
drought and salt tolerant, and so are well
suited to Australian conditions.
“The tree seems to grow well across a large
range of areas across WA and eastern
states and can produce fruit with less water
than other crops and in some more marginal
areas,” she says.
Also, Australian fruit ripens counter-seasonally
to the Chinese orchards in the northern
hemisphere, opening the possibility of a
legitimate fresh export markets in China and
South-East Asia.
“Fresh jujubes don’t have a long shelf-life so
demand from Asia is high when jujubes are
harvested in Australia between February and
April,” she says. “We have great potential to
export once production increases.”
While pointing to a promising future, the first
report also identified barriers to the level of
growth required for growers to meet demand.
Overcoming those barriers, Ms Johnstone
says, is what the new project will address.
For example, a lack of tree stock is a
hindrance to industry growth, with only
around 3000 new trees propagated
each year. “At the moment we have big
wait lists of people wanting to order trees,”
Ms Johnstone says.
The new project will look at increasing tree
production through improving propagation
techniques, as well as the feasibility of
establishing more commercial nurseries.
More abundant supply would give growers
- and investors - greater confidence in the
viability of the industry, she says. At the
same time, a clear indication of the industry’s
growth capacity is required to encourage
further investment.
RIRDC Plant Industries Senior Program
Manager, Dr John de Majnik, says that to
realise its potential, the jujube industry needs
to expand with more stock at the same time
as maximising fruit quality and overcoming
access issues to market.
“There are some obstacles for the young
jujube industry,” he says. “But the new project
really picks up the barriers we can overcome.”
Ms Johnstone hopes the new project will build
the confidence of investors by identifying and
broadening both domestic and international
markets and addressing other issues holding
back market expansion.
One barrier, for example, is jujubes’
susceptibility to fruit fly and optimum
mitigation measures must be established to
allow WA-produced fruit to travel across state
and international borders.
Quality will also be looked at to ensure
Australian growers can access premium
export markets. There are more than
1000 jujube varieties and researchers will
investigate importing new germplasm to
best meet Australian conditions and Chinese
preferences, Ms Johnstone says.
Once particular varieties are established,
marketing campaigns can be co-ordinated
and packaging made more uniform for
mainstream markets. “For example, if we
could get earlier fruiting varieties here to
coincide with Chinese New Year they could
get quite a premium price,” she says.
If quantity and quality is established, a
lucrative export market for fresh Australiangrown jujubes — subject to trade agreements
— awaits, she says.
Ms Johnstone says she will work closely with
the WA Jujube Growers Association Inc. to
ensure the project meets industry needs.
For example, growers want more information
on best agronomic practice so further
research is planned to refine water and
nutrient requirements.
While the project will assist growers to
expand production and maximise quality
through practical R&D, Dr de Majnik says
the economic and market analysis provides
a value proposition for investors and a
confidence that the industry has a
profitable future.
The jujube fruit is oval shaped and is
also known as a Chinese date or
red date.
Jujube fruits are eaten fresh, dried or
processed as ‘Chinese dates’ that are
used in confectionery, breads, cake,
candy, compote and jam.
The jujube is a new horticultural
industry in Australia, cultivated here
since around 2000.
Jujube’s drought and salinity tolerance,
easy management and multiple uses
indicate potential for a niche crop for
many areas of Australia.
Chinese jujube grows well on a variety
of soils. The tree prefers sandy loams
or lighter soils but will grow on heavier
clays. The jujube tree grows best in soil
with pH 4.5 to 8.4.
Fruit set of jujubes requires average
daily temperatures above 20°C.
Fruit development requires average
daily temperatures over 24–25°C.
There are close to 1000 varieties
of Chinese jujube recorded in China
classified by end use, including fresh,
dried, candied, multipurpose and
ornamental.
Current demand for jujube in Australia
outstrips supply. Trees are hard to
obtain as propagators currently
cannot keep up with demand for new
plantings.
No significant diseases have been
found in Chinese jujube. Pests of jujube
trees include rabbits, kangaroos and
birds but fencing or netting the trees
can provide protection.
The jujube is susceptible to
Mediterranean fruit fly. Currently no
other insect pests have
presented as a
problem for jujube
production.
Expanding the jujube industry will help
build more diverse and resilient farms and
potentially provide growers with a competitive
advantage.
“Jujubes are counter-seasonal, good value
and drought resistant, so if we get the R&D
right and develop the market opportunities it
could be really big,” Dr de Majnik says. “It ticks
a lot of boxes for Australian growers.”
11
RURAL DIVERSITY
Issue No. 18 / WINTER 2015
The promise of jujubes has been
enough to make Pete Dawson
change career.
Originally a Western Australian fisheries
officer, his first experience with the fruit
came when his father, Jim, grew half a
dozen jujube trees on his Gidgegannup
farm two decades ago.
“He likes a talking point,” Pete says of his
dad’s approach to business. “He’d have
people over for a beer and say ‘have you
ever had a jujube?’”
Word got around with others soon wanting
to grow their own jujubes and in 2006,
during Pete’s long service leave, Jim asked
him to help graft 100 trees to sell.
Jim’s own production had been increasing
and by the time his 40 trees were producing
two tonnes of fruit annually on salt-affected
rocky soil, the Department of Agriculture
and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) and
RIRDC were looking at the species as a
potential crop for the state’s struggling
wool belt.
“At the top of the list was jujubes,” Pete says
of the RIRDC and DAFWA project outcome.
He was becoming increasingly involved in the
propagation of jujube trees on weekends, but
it wasn’t until he visited China as part of a
DAFWA delegation in 2010 that he saw the
fruit’s true potential.
“In China they don’t talk in hundreds or
thousands or even millions of trees,” he says.
“There are trillions of trees growing in the
mountains, down on the coast, in sand, in
clay; they can grow just about anywhere.”
The scope of production “blew me away,”
Pete says. And it got him thinking.
“In Australia we have ideal growing
conditions and our season is exactly opposite
from China’s. So that’s when I started
promoting Australian production.”
Today, the self-taught
horticulturalist is no longer
a fisheries officer, but
Australia’s biggest
producer of jujube
trees, selling
his carefully
grafted
fruit-ready
specimens to a grower
market that has been doubling
every year.
This year, he sold 1,800 trees.
Next year, he already has orders for
2000. He has recruited his cousin to
service Australia’s eastern states and
has had to limit sales to 200 trees
per person per year to satisfy as many
customers as possible.
Even so, he has no hope of meeting demand.
“I had to take down all my advertising
material,” he says. “I was just turning
people away.”
The shortage of tree stock is the biggest
issue holding the jujube industry back,
he says. While the tree is challenging to
propagate (his success rate is about 70 per
cent) it is easy to maintain once established
with little need for water or other inputs.
Pete’s customers are from a wide geographic
range, as far north as Carnarvon and
south to Esperance. Some are on marginal,
salt-affected grazing land and others
are orchardists on rich soil,
attracted by the $15 per kilogram average
wholesale price for jujubes, compared with
the 90 cents per kilogram
for apples.
“Dad thought he was being cheeky asking
$6 a kilogram when he first started!”
Pete says.
Through his role as chief jujube supplier,
Pete knows most people in the industry and
had fast become the middleman between
growers seeking agronomic advice on
everything from disease to spacing to
watering. “It was like Chinese whispers,”
he says. “I was just relaying messages back
and forth.”
It soon became clear that a grower forum
was required, so in 2013 he established the
West Australian Jujube Association Inc. and
is its president this year. “Now the growers
can talk to each other and it gives me more
time to be out with my trees,” he says.
Through the association, growers are
developing a strategic plan for the industry’s
future, to help identify issues affecting
growth and setting research priorities.
The association will collaborate on the
new RIRDC and DAFWA jujube research
project and Pete will provide tree stock
to facilitate trials for new varieties.
Personally, he is interested in the
project helping him to more efficiently
produce trees.
“There has been a lot achieved,
but as a pioneering industry we
still have a lot more questions than
answers,” he says.
Rachelle Johnstone from DAFWA and and Pete Dawson in his jujube nursery in Gidgegannup with trees grafted
that year. The trees in the background were grafted a year beforehand.
12
Saving pasture
seed for the
future
Australia is leading the way with
the world’s largest ‘bank’ of pasture
genetics and a globally accessible
database.
The Australian Pastures Genebank (APG),
Australia’s first national pasture and forage
research centre, and the first of its kind
in the world, has opened at the South
Australian Research and Development
Institute’s (SARDI) Plant Research Centre at
Waite Campus.
It will be the custodian of potentially more
than 80,000 accessions (new items) of
2000 tropical and temperate pastures and
forage species.
It will also keep the genetics viable by
replenishing the seed that has reached
critically low seed quantity and/or quality –
generally the oldest seed – in climatically and
environmentally suited sites around Australia.
“Our job is to acquire the genetic material
– usually in the form of seeds – then to
document, conserve, maintain and distribute
it for further research and development,” APG
leader Steve Hughes says.
“Last September, 150 accessions were
planted in Queensland to replenish tropical
stock, 15 lucernes and 200 annual medics are
being grown in South Australia, 150 cocksfoot
and bromes will be grown in Tasmania, and
Western Australia will sow 200 trifoliums
next year.
“This is probably the most critical work of
the APG and it will keep the accessions alive
in more ways than one. We want as many
people as possible to see them growing,
because there just might be something in that
accession which could be useful for future
breeding,” he says.
The APG mandate covers all pasture and
forage species of actual or potential value to
Australian agriculture, including plants grown
for livestock production, crop rotation and
the environment.
Sourcing the material has been a massive
undertaking, with each state contributing
seed from departmental collections. From
Western Australia there will be 16,000
accessions of mostly trifolium species (clovers,
serradellas and biserrulas). South Australia
will contribute 45,000 (mostly medics),
Queensland 11,000 (tropical grasses and
legumes), NSW 1500 (grasses and pasture
species) and Victoria and Tasmania 10,000
(temperate grasses).
Tony Byrne
Memorial
Scholarship
recipient:
Matt Wilson
The leaves of T. lanceolata are commercially extracted and used primarily as a
food additive but also as an antimicrobial
and antifungal compound. The active
ingredient is polygodial.
Following the passing of former
RIRDC Managing Director Tony Byrne,
the RIRDC Board established the
Tony Byrne Memorial Scholarship
in recognition of his longstanding
commitment to research in the essential
oils and plant extracts industry.
“Polygodial can be produced synthetically
– generally at great cost – but is otherwise
produced mainly by plants of the
Winteraceae family, of which Tasmannia is a
genus, as well as a marine snail that uses it
as a self-defence mechanism,” he says.
University of Tasmania School of Agricultural Science PhD student Matt Wilson is
the first recipient of this scholarship. He is
researching the agronomic requirements of
Tasmannia lanceolata (native pepper).
Mr Wilson says that although polygodial
has numerous uses in the food industry,
extract quality and quantity is a significant
issue.
Both food and industrial uses are being
considered for further development of the
plant’s extract, chiefly because of the high
levels of polygodial it contains.
“T. lanceolata is now almost entirely
located in natural stands in the wild and for
further development, my industry partners
“These state collections have been created
over 60 years and many of them hold seeds
found in no other collections in the world,
making the APG internationally significant,”
Mr Hughes said.
With direct funding from five Research and
Development Corporations (RIRDC, Meat
and Livestock Australia, Australian Wool
Innovation, Grains Research and Development Corporation and Dairy Australia)
and SARDI, and in-kind contributions from
the state departments of agriculture, the
APG follows the opening of the Australian
Grains Genebank at Horsham, Victoria,
earlier in 2014.
Take a tour of the APG at:
https://youtu.be/bsKV47Qa16k
More information: Steve Hughes, APG,
steve.hughes@sa.gov.au
– Diemen Pepper
and Essential Oils of
Tasmania – felt that
production should be
based on plantations
producing a reliable
supply of consistent
quality extracts, which
is where my project comes in,” he says.
Mr Wilson’s research has examined site
selection, climatic parameters, nutritional
requirements and cultural management
for plantation T. lanceolata for commercial
production.
He says the RIRDC scholarship was crucial
in expanding the scope of his research.
“I doubt I would have been able to conduct
both field trials and glasshouse nutrition
trials without this support.”
More information: Matt Wilson, 03 6226 8514,
m.d.wilson@utas.edu.au
13
RURAL DIVERSITY
Issue No. 18 / WINTER 2015
Hobby beekeepers benefit from new resource
The number of people keeping honey
bee colonies as a hobby has increased
markedly over recent years, in both
urban and regional areas.
The release of Australian Beekeeping
Guide provides hobby beekeepers with
access to a wealth of information about
keeping bees and the crucial issue of honey
bee biosecurity. The book was previously
published in 1991 under the title Beekeeping.
The project, developed by the Honey Bee
and Pollination R&D Program, was funded
by RIRDC, Horticulture Innovation Australia
Limited (HIA) and the Victorian Department
of Economic Development.
The extensively updated guide draws
on the knowledge and experience of
scientists, various state and territory
beehive inspectors and officers and, most
importantly, beekeepers. It provides a strong
platform for beginner beekeepers and is a
useful foundation for those contemplating
beekeeping as a sideline or full-time
commercial enterprise.
Beekeeper and spokesperson for the Honey
Bee and Pollination R&D Program, James
Kershaw, said beekeeping was a craft,
learned over a number of years.
“Successful beekeeping is about practice,
building experience and confidence. It’s
a fascinating and rewarding hobby, a
profitable sideline and, for many commercial
operators, a full-time occupation that
contributes millions of dollars to the
Australian economy each year,”
Mr Kershaw says.
The Australian honey bee and pollination
industries face a number of significant risks
and economic challenges, including several
biosecurity threats.
“Healthy honey bee colonies are essential
for the economic viability of pollinationdependent horticultural and seed crops,”
Mr Kershaw says.
For a copy of Australian Beekeeping
Guide go to rirdc.infoservices.com.au/
items/14-098
The BeeAware website
(www.beeaware.org.au) is another source of
information about exotic and established bee
pests and diseases, and ways beekeepers
can identify and respond to these threats.
More information:RIRDC Senior Program Manager,
Animal Industries, Dave Alden, 02 6271 4128,
dave.alden@rirdc.gov.au
“This book provides beekeepers, especially
those new to the craft, with valuable
information, particularly in relation to pests
and diseases.
“This includes biosecurity threats such as the
Varroa mite, which has caused devastation in
neighbouring countries.
“The establishment of Varroa mite in
Australia could put at risk the supply of
bee colonies for pollination of crops, so
it’s vital that a resource such as Australian
Beekeeping Guide is regularly updated to
ensure information on bee diseases and
pests is current.”
The guide devotes several comprehensive
chapters to the identification, management
and reporting of a range of diseases and
pests that can affect honey bees and hives.
Researchers believe that arming amateur
beekeepers with the knowledge required to
monitor and report any potential problems
in their hives will go a considerable way
towards protecting this vital industry.
Strong results from RIRDC stakeholder survey
RIRDC recently surveyed its
key stakeholders to gauge the
Corporation’s performance.
The survey sought to hear first-hand
what stakeholders value and if there
are areas of the organisation that could
be improved.
RIRDC stakeholders include those working
in rural industries, researchers and
policy makers.
The survey, conducted by Currie
Communications, involved in-depth,
one-on-one interviews with 21 high-level
stakeholders.
The key findings were:
• Stakeholder satisfaction with RIRDC is
high. Stakeholders believe the
organisation performs well, delivering
what industry and government expects.
14
• Stakeholders consider they have a
positive relationship with RIRDC and
that the organisation is resilient and
proactive in its approach to networking
with industry.
• Stakeholders clearly believe RIRDC
makes a positive contribution to
Australian agriculture and supports
industry growth.
• Respondents felt RIRDC added value to
their industry and the work undertaken
filled a gap that would otherwise not be
filled by any other industry body.
• More than 70 per cent of respondents
perceived their relationship with RIRDC
as excellent with the remaining 30 per
cent describing it as good.
• Close to half those surveyed were very
satisfied with RIRDC’s performance (38
per cent) with the remaining 62 per cent
saying they were satisfied.
• More than 50 per cent of respondents
felt the information provided was
important to their organisation
• 60 per cent said the information they
received from RIRDC was either relevant
or extremely relevant.
• Almost 70 per cent of respondents
agreed that RIRDC’s structure is easy to
navigate and work with. A further 20 per
cent felt it was as they would expect from
an organisation such as RIRDC.
• Respondents almost unanimously
(95 per cent) said that they felt RIRDC was
a competent organisation.
• Suggestions to improve RIRDC’s
performance included a more targeted
and timely approach; creating greater
awareness of the organisation’s activities
and goals; and ensuring projects include a
practical element.
• More than 80 per cent described their
return on investment in RIRDC programs as
excellent or very good with the remaining
respondents also positive in their response
rating their return on investment as good.
Rice cashes in on research
‘Old Coree’, a historic homestead in
Jerilderie NSW, provided a beautiful
venue for the rice industry’s premier
research showcase, the Rice Field Day,
earlier this year.
The theme was ‘Cashing in on research and
technology’ and, according to organisers
and many of the 400 participants, the 2015
event was the most successful ever held.
The field day is designed to showcase the
latest in rice research and technological
advancements in rice growing It is a
joint initiative of RIRDC, Rice Extension,
Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia, NSW
Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Rice
Research Australia Pty Ltd and SunRice.
Rice R&D Committee Chairman, Ian Mason
says the event was structured to reflect the
importance of the industry’s R&D program
for grower profitability.
“This is a very important date for rice
growers every year and this year we
had a fantastic range of speakers to
assist Australian rice growers to be more
profitable,” Mr Mason says.
“R&D topics such as rice varieties, plant
population, precision agriculture and
weed control were covered throughout the
morning’s field visits.”
Andrew Whitlock, from Precision Agriculture,
was one of the day’s presenters. He has
worked with a network of farmers to
determine what’s driving variability across
their bays.
Brian Dunn, a research agronomist based
at Yanco Agriculture Institute, presented
his findings on a range of issues associated
with nitrogen, irrigated crop water use and
rice-based farming systems.
Cold temperatures can affect the plant
during its reproductive period and Mr Dunn
says one way farmers can protect the crop
is by applying deep water – at least 25cm –
during this time.
Mr Dunn says the message he took to
the growers was that to maximise
yield and profit, they should focus on
improved agronomy.
“The water can stay several degrees warmer
than the air temperature,” he says. “Water
deep enough to protect the developing
panicle can reduce yield losses from
floret sterility. However, if you have a period
of consecutive cold days, you can lose
this benefit.”
The first aspect of this is to look at their
sowing time. By sowing at the correct time,
growers could aim to have the crop going
through its reproductive phase during the
warmer weather, and thus ensure the best
possible yield outcome.
Nitrogen is another issue for growers. Since
the drought, growers have had few legumes
in their rotations, so nitrogen levels have
been declining. This means they need to use
a lot more nitrogen prior to the application of
permanent water.
Determining the right amount of nitrogen
to apply is not easy. Too little and yield and
grain quality suffers; too much, and the plant
puts on too much biomass. This leads to a
situation where the pollen grains are more
susceptible to cold weather and yield is
again adversely affected.
“We recommend a split nitrogen strategy,”
Mr Dunn says. “Apply the majority of the
expected required nitrogen pre-permanent
water and then top up at panicle
initiation once crop nitrogen uptake has
been measured.”
Mr Dunn’s other work involved two years of
research on optimal plant populations and
lower and upper plant population economic
limits for aerial and drill sown rice.
“Historically, plants have been sown at 150
to 200 plants per square metre,” Mr Dunn
says. “Our research found that as long as the
plant stand is uniform and there are at least
50 plants per square metre, yields should
be comparable.”
Following the field presentations, lunch back
at the homestead gave participants the
opportunity to relax and enjoy the social
aspects of the day and view the displays
from resellers and industry groups.
In the afternoon, the participants heard
from SunRice CEO Rob Gordon. Mr Gordon
outlined a positive future for the industry,
telling growers that demand was strong.
If growers can produce more rice, there will
be a market for it.
More information: RIRDC Senior Program Manager –
Plant Industries, John de Majnik, 02 6271 4138
john.demajnik@rirdc.gov.au
“The biggest benefits we found were around
getting the basics right,” Mr Whitlock says.
“By using laser or GPS levelling technology
to make sure the bays are at a uniform level,
the producer can better control the
water level.”
Some participants were skeptical that
something so simple could have such a
profound effect, and Mr Whitlock concedes
that, while they knew it would make a
difference, even the researchers were
surprised at the magnitude of the effect.
“We hadn’t expected that not having a level
bay would drive these extreme levels of
variability. However, precision agriculture is
all about fine-tuning,” he says. “If you don’t
start with a level field, you can’t control your
weeds or water levels, and it then gets a
lot harder to get seeding rates and
nutrition right.
“When people say precision agriculture,
many tend to think of measures such as
variable rate application, but there’s a
lot that can be done before you get to
that stage.”
The Australian rice market’s future is bright, growers attending the Rice Field Day were told.
15
NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM THE RURAL
INDUSTRIES R&D CORPORATION
Most of our publications are available for free. Download from our website
www.rirdc.gov.au
Commercial seed technology for tedera, 15-011
(b) controlled field studies to
measure the variability within
the species for plant characters
that influence seed production;
and (c) harvesting technologies
to scale-up seed production for
commercial application.
A place-based agriculture development framework, 15-003
This project develops a theoretical
framework that enables
consideration of agriculture’s
broader contributions to placebased regional development.
The Place-based Agriculture
Development Framework (PADF)
developed by the project combines
and integrates:
• agriculture’s traditional
contributions through food and
fibre production marketed as
bulk commodities (agri-industrial
model);
• agriculture’s broader socioeconomic contributions to regional
diversification, value adding and
niche marketing (rural development model).
The framework aims to support
the development of new regional
visions for Australian agriculture,
founded on competitive
advantages that can be better
maximised at the regional scale.
• an emerging emphasis on the
management of ecosystems
services and amenity within
the production system (postproductivist model); and
Agronomic strategies for producing large lupini beans for
export, 15-040
Large bitter white lupin, or
lupini are consumed as a snack
food after leaching of alkaloids.
Tasmanian Lupini Enterprises
(TLE) and its group of contract
growers currently produce lupini
beans in the Northern Midlands
of Tasmania. The lupini industry
could expand in both volume
and value of production if it were
able to produce a larger high
quality bean than its competitors.
This report examines a range of
agronomic findings concerning
lupini beans, focusing particularly
on crop development, windrowing,
and harvesting. In addition the
report contains recommendations
to progress lupini breeding
strategies and an assessment of
marketing opportunities.
The Rural Industries Research and
Development Corporation’s (RIRDC)
core business is to maintain and
enhance the productivity of the
rural industries it supports and to
address national rural issues through
government-industry partnership.
RIRDC is specifically charged with
managing investment in RD&E for
those primary industries that are
too small to set up their own RD&E
entity and to address multi-industry and
national interest RD&E needs. In doing
so, RIRDC investments contribute to
the delivery of outcomes against the
National and Rural R&D Priorities set by
the Australian Government.
The Corporation is the primary
funding source for RD&E activities that
investigate the potential of new plant
and animal industries for Australia, and
for providing support to new industries
as they mature and grow.
The breadth of issues and industries
RIRDC deals with is as varied as it is
unique. RIRDC plays a vital role in the
development of rural Australia and is
the rural R&D corporation with the
remit to manage multi-industry and
national interest R&D.
ISSN: 1833-3311
ISBN: 978-1-74254-798-5
RIRDC Pub No. 15/052
DIVERSITY
Editorial:
Coretext
Design:
Downie Design
Rice weed resistance testing, 14-047
Herbicide resistant weeds are a
major problem in the cropping
regions of Australia and the rice
industry is no different to any of
the other cropping industries in
this regard. Weed control in the
rice industry has been dependent
on a few herbicides and therefore
the identification of an underlying
level of herbicide resistance in
Who and what is RIRDC?
RURAL
This report describes research
designed to support the
development of commercial
seed production technologies for
tedera (Bituminaria bituminosa
var. albomarginata ) and includes:
(a) glasshouse studies to measure
seed yield response to different
watering regimes prior to and
during the period of flowering;
weeds aids growers and advisors
in their understanding and
designing strategies for herbicide
resistance management. This
report presents baseline data on
the extent of herbicide resistance
in five weeds of rice to three of the
common herbicides used for their
control across the rice growing
regions of southern NSW.
Enquiries
T: 02 6271 4100
E: rirdc@rirdc.gov.au
web: www.rirdc.gov.au
Published by the Rural Industries
Research & Development
Corporation
June 2015
PO Box 4776
Kingston ACT 2604