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Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
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Shaping the Future is
the corporate newsletter of RIRDC. It is distributed quarterly by direct
mail to over 4,000 researchers, industry, government, farmers, libraries
and consultants. Contributions are welcome.
Phone (02) 6272 4539,
Fax (02) 6272 5877, Editor: Tim Evans, ph (02) 6272 4735. email:
time@rirdc.gov.au
In this issue
Plan for 2000 - 2001 Released Plan for 2000 - 2001 Released
RIRDC has released its latest research plan with $25 million earmarked for research and administration in 2000-2001.
In total, 750 projects will receive funds with $9 million going to new and emerging industries, $9m to established industries covered by the portfolio and $3.5m on the development of future agricultural systems, trade and communications.
Announcing the funding, RIRDC Managing Director Peter Core said the Corporation would continue to foster industry development while helping maintain prosperity in the smaller established industries.
"RIRDC is a nursery for new industries which we hope will develop into new enterprises, some that will become large earners and others that will remain small but offer viable alternatives to Australian farmers," Mr Core said.
"This year we are instigating new research in many new plant industries like culinary herbs and coffee, while continuing the development of growth industries like olives and bushfoods.
"In new animal industries, projects are set to commence on farming game birds and meat quality and safety of alternative animal enterprises like Kangaroo and Crocodile."
RIRDC is also maintaining its commitment to the burgeoning organics industry, linking with a number of other funding and extension agencies to build integration into current agricultural industries.
Mr Core said the Corporation would this year continue to provide important research in areas like animal health and food safety.
"Over the past few years we have played an important role researching Newcastle Disease in chickens and Hendra Virus in horses - diseases that have the potential to severely damage these industries," he said.
"And it is not just animal health - farm safety, occupational health and farmer training are a major part of our Human Capital program which focuses on maintaining the human resource, vital in rural Australia."
Other initiatives this year are:
• The Rural Women 2001 Awards offering $20,000 bursaries in each state for continued development of this underutilised resource
• Support of ABC Radio’s Heywire Rural Youth Issues Forum Full information
about RIRDC’s 2000
Also on the web site is a new R&D plan for 2000-2002 encompasing
the focussed outputs and outcomes for the period.
A
word from the Managing Director
What makes a successful industry?
It is a question everyone wants the answer to. Most of us know there can be no definitive answer, just a combination of factor and situations, some that can be controlled with planning and others that come under the heading – luck.
No research has been able to identify any combination of factors or predisposing conditions that are consistently and reliably related to high likelihood of success in new rural industries.
Nor has anyone been able to identify factors predisposing to failure, which it must be emphasised, are not the simple converse of the factors related to success.
But over time the following seem to be crucial if new enterprises are
to grow into an industry which is economically sustainable:
The focus is on delivering value to all stakeholders in the chain
– a chain which keeps a focus on the customer and reinforces the need to
work collectively.
The Australian olive industry is an example of a new industry seeking success.
It currently has momentum and a significant production base. Australian oil is replacing imports at the gourmet end of the local market and the domestic market is worth more that $100 million and growing, in part because of the rising consumer awareness of the health benefits of virgin olive oil.
But, as with a lot of small industries, import replacement is not an easy agenda given the strong long-term links that exist between importers and overseas suppliers.
It is a truism to say that the Australian olive industry needs to back up its rapid increases in production with astute marketing, particularly at the premium end of the market.
Olives are following a similar track to the Australian wine industry. That industry’s production base has expanded strongly with international growth and sustained profitability. It has kept a focus on the premium end, focused on mechanisms that add expertise and is now taking steps to consolidate in order to develop critical mass in international terms. Central to this whole process has been a learning culture in pursuit of excellence – in the context of meeting consumer sentiments and delivering products at a superior quality/price ratio.
Clearly its dramatic growth has come from a lot of hard work and large
synergistic investments of time, effort and money in all three stages of
the production process (primary production, processing and marketing/ distribution).
More specifically, that industry has:
On page 3 you will find a story on a recent publication ‘Export-Led
Growth – Lessons from Australia’s Wine Industry’ which details the factors
leading to wine’s phenomenal growth. Anyone interested in successful new
industries will find it compelling reading.
Commercial key to business plan awards
Entries have now closed for the RIRDC Businessplan Awards, with the first round winners notified at the end of August.
These 10 winners will receive $10,000 each to help develop full businessplans with the final winner receiving $50,000 to take the project through to commercialisation.
The winner will be announced in November at a dinner to commemorate a decade of RIRDC research.
Award co-ordinator Peter Cooke said the competition had already achieved one of its objectives of getting researchers to consider the on-going commercial prospects of their work.
Mr Cooke said the entries had shown the interesting breadth of RIRDC research, from new sunrise industries to established industries looking for better ways to produce.
More information: Award Co-ordinator Peter Cooke, 0417 95 3957.
RIRDC has just released its latest Research and Development plan taking it through to 2002. The new plan focuses on outcomes, the results and impacts of our investments and outputs, the products and services we produce.
The plan is available from our website or by calling 02 6272 4819.
New Industries research shows strong returns
RIRDC’s New P l a n t and New Animal program’s have received strong reviews in the latest evaluation of projects by the Centre for International Economics.
The Corporation’s target performance measures of 15 per cent internal rate of return and benefit cost ratio of 2 were exceeded in all but one of the identified projects.
The two-stage process identifies project sets worth evaluating, which then undergo a range of analysis. A total of seven evaluations covering 21 projects went ahead.
The new industry programs in particular are difficult to evaluate because the research is still in stage one of the research agenda, or because the industry is yet to establish.
But the process still identifies winners, instituting a process that allows products that will not become competitive to be identified early, as well as finding gaps in the R&D that will make a big difference to the pace of industry development.
The two best performers were a manual of language and specification for the trading of kangaroo meat and two grouped projects selecting and testing superior varieties of lentils.
The kangaroo manual has been widely used by processors and wholesalers of kangaroo meat and is thought to have contributed to the recent phenomenal growth in the sales of kangaroo for human consumption.
The project ended with an excellent return of $1.57m against research costs of $43,000 to return a benefit-cost ratio of 36 and internal rate of return of 231 per cent.
RIRDC’s two projects on lentils sought to overcome difficulties in harvesting and low yields from early varieties which held back a potentially profitable industry.
Much of the research work focussed on selecting varieties that would produce a higher harvested yield in Australian conditions, resulting in two new varieties and an expansion in the area under lentils.
Again, the benefits are very high, driven by the large increases in yield and rapid industry expansion.
Assuming private development the net benefits are $31.8m for an outlay of $400,000 with a benefit cost ratio of 82 and IRR of 54 per cent.
This evaluation is part of RIRDC’s systematic round, which takes in the Future Agricultural Systems program next year.
Wine success a pointer for other rural industries
Australia’s booming wine industry may provide a blueprint for other rural industries seeking greater prosperity, according to a new RIRDC report.
Wine has been the stand out rural performer over the past decade with its real value of production increasing six times faster than the aggregate of other rural products over that period.
The factors leading to its success are identified in the report Export-Led Growth – Lessons from Australia’s Wine Industry, which also draws out implications for other rural industries trying to establish or re-establish a stronger foothold in domestic and overseas markets.
Written by Kym Anderson from Adelaide University’s Centre for International Economic Studies, the report takes a historical look at the wine industry and the reasons behind the current boom, its fifth in 150 years of Australian commercial production.
The report uses the burgeoning olive industry as an example of other rural industries which could use lessons from wine’s success.
"Opportunities for growth by Australia’s rural industries are improving as incomes grow, protectionist barriers are lowered and costs of transportation and communication drop," Professor Anderson says.
The report found four specific factors new rural industries needed to
identify:
• A long-term vision for sustainable growth based on sound and detailed statistics, to help attract investment funds.
• Training courses and research to accompany or preferably precede investments in primary production, processing plants and promotion.
• Where vertical integration is not complete, good relations between primary producers and processors/ marketers need to be developed.
Aquaculture offers new scales of farm production
The lamb or the snapper? A restaurant diner’s choice that may soon be the question Australian farmers are asking themselves with the growth potential for inland Aquaculture.
Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems (IAAS) offer farmers a diversification that is not only profitable, but can be integrated into current systems to actually improve farm productivity and water-use efficiency.
It’s potential has led to the development of a five-year Research and Development plan to help co-ordinate this new and developing industry sector on a national level.
Plan author Geoff Gooley, Manager of the Aquaculture Program with Victoria’s Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute (MAFRI), says the practice of IAAS in Australia has developed largely on an opportunistic basis.
"This plan aims to take the sector to another level, providing an integrated framework where investors will be able to proceed with confidence," Mr Gooley said.
"Aquaculture is the primary means by which the shortfall in world fisheries production is expected the be met in the future and with the pressure on Australia’s water resources, integration should be considered as a win-win.
"There are various opportunities using available water sources like irrigated farm systems that are generally single-use operations from surface and ground water collections."
The report includes a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis.
Australia’s conducive weather conditions, existing resources and infrastructure, agricultural and animal husbandry knowledge, suitable endemic and locally available exotic species, large domestic market and access to Asian markets were all identified as strengths.
IAAS is also perceived nationally and established internationally as an environmentally sustainable practice, based largely on utilisation of renewable resources.
The next step is implementation of the R&D Plan.
RIRDC, in partnership with Fisheries Victoria of the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and other relevant state agencies, has commissioned MAFRI to prepare an IAAS Resource Handbook for Australian farmers and resource managers.
The handbook will include key information regarding the principles and practices of integrated agri-aquaculture including detailed description of successful case studies from around Australia and overseas, legislative and business networking requirements, and best practice economic and environmental management guidelines.
"Multiple water use as part of an integrated farming system to produce higher value crops, including fish and other aquatic species, is the key to IAAS," Mr Gooley said.
"However, the true potential of IAAS in Australia will only be realised by the most innovative, well informed and best coordinated efforts of farmers and Government working in partnership."
The report is available from the RIRDC website www.rirdc.gov.au More information: Geoff Gooley, MAFRI, 03 5770 8000
Crocodile puts bite on shark remedies
Shark cartilage is valued in Asian and western countries for it’s perceived anti-cancer and anti-arthritic properties, but can other animal cartilage also deliver relief and provide Australia with a unique agricultural product at the same time?
A group of Australian scientists investigating the biological activities present in shark cartilage have found the same properties in the cartilage of alternative production species like crocodile, camel and deer.
In fact, crocodile cartilage has a very high level of bioactivity and is particularly rich in the molecules thought to be anti-tumor.
This was not an unprecedented finding for the crocodile. Recently, a peptide (a degraded portion of a protein) has been isolated from the blood of Australian crocodiles and reportedly has novel antibiotic activity.
Project leader Gregory Harper from CSIRO’s Tropical Agriculture’s Molecular Animal Genetics Centre said the research set out to identify the biological activities (bioactivities) in shark cartilage that provide human efficacy.
"At present, clinical efficacy is only supported by anecdotal data, though there is good laboratory evidence for a range of bioactivities," Dr Harper said.
"We have tested cartilages from emu, ostrich, deer, camel, crocodile and kangaroo for its potency and production efficiency as alternatives to shark cartilage."
"Of these crocodile shows the most promise as a new source as its cartilage is particularly rich in anti-angiogenetic agents (AAA) which have been identified as anti-tumor agents."
"All the others showed variable potency with ostrich the only one not considered a possible substitute for shark."
Dr Harper said the results offered opportunities to improve the production options of these alternative livestock species.
In markets where meat from these industries compete with traditional meats, the harvesting of cartilage may provide an incentive for production.
The researchers concluded more research is needed to further characterise the crocodile AAA and that more market research is needed to define consumer acceptance of the alternative cartilages.
NOTE: The full report is available at www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/NAP/00-35.pdf
The Search is on for Australia’s Rural Women of the Year
The RIRDC Rural Women’s Award, now in its second year, is playing a pivotal role in the revitalisation of rural Australia, by capitalising on the talents and skills of rural women and encouraging them to have a greater participation in its decision making.
The Award will support women with a strong and positive vision for the future of rural Australia and is open to all women involved in agriculture including forestry and fisheries, natural resource management and related service industries.
The big drawcard is a Bursary of up to $20,000 to be awarded to each State and Territory winner. The Bursaries will assist winners fulfil their personal vision for agriculture and ensure, through activities that build their leadership, management and business skills, they are equipped to play a greater role in the future of rural Australia.
The other highlight of the Award is the RIRDC National Leadership Seminar which is open to all State and Territory winners and up to two finalists from each State. The Seminar provides valuable training in leadership and management, media and presentation and also offers unique networking opportunities.
Application forms are available from State Agricultural Agencies and ABC Regional Stations and can also be downloaded from: www.ruralwomensaward.com.au Applications close on 31 October 2000.
More information: Edwina Clowes. RIRDC Rural Women’s Award 2001 National Co-ordinator. Ph: (07) 54 761 211 M (0417) 727 544 Email: clowesedwina@bigpond.com
Missed Opportunities stage 2 released
Women in the agricultural sector face a number of barriers impeding their rise to leadership positions despite major contributions totalling 48 per cent of national real farm income.
These barriers were identified in RIRDC’s 1998 report Missed Opportunities – Harnessing the Potential of Women in Agriculture which detailed strategies utilising women more to aid the development of rural Australia. How farmer groups are overcoming these barriers is the subject of the second stage of the research, looking at how the Victorian and South Australian Farmers Federations have tried to increase female participation. The two organisations worked with change management consultants to implement relevant strategies from the Missed Opportunities report including analysis to determine what issues needed addressing, the priority of identified issues and the exact nature of the change process.
Strategies from stage one were built from best practice in agricultural groups, and importantly, from organisations outside the sector in corporate business, publicly funded organisations and educational institutions.
The Critical Success Factors identified
were:
2. Strong Leadership
3. Change Agents 4 Involvement of the target group and stakeholders
5. Evaluation
6. Reporting of the results 7 Sharing of results with other organisations
More information: Roslyn Prinsley, 02 6271 4033 Email:
roslynp@rirdc.gov.au
The Australian deer industry is invited to have its say on future research with the release of a draft five-year-plan to take the industry to 2005.
The plan is more than production research, which is seen as insufficient to encourage expansion of the Deer industry, but a program of research that is inextricably linked to programs of extension and communication of the practical messages determined from the research are essential.
The plan identifies eight key objectives for the R&D investments made on behalf of the deer industry and the Commonwealth Government.
Each of the objectives is important in its own right and all mutually support each other towards the development of a deer industry, that is a highly profitable and efficient mainstream agricultural enterprise.
This publication was developed with reference to the RIRDC Deer Research and Development Program 1996-2000 and in consultation with industry, especially the Deer Industry Processors Association (DIPA), the Australian Venison Processors Association (AVPA), Australian Deer Horn and Co Products Pty Ltd (ADH), Deer Projects and Developments Pty Ltd (DIC) University Researchers and various state departments of Agriculture.
The plan is available for viewing from www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/deer00.html
Research aims to reduce lameness in horses
Lameness in racehorses is the most significant cause of days lost in training, races missed and will often spell the end of a promising career.
Dr Kate Steel, of WA’s Murdoch University, is investigating ways to prevent and manage lameness by identifying the cause of damage to the third carpal bone -a common cause of lameness.
The research aims to develop a better understanding of the diagnosis and help develop management techniques to prevent carpal lameness.
Dr Steel has competed the first year of research, examining 64 standardbred horses every three months during their training regime.
It was found that soreness originating in the third carpal bone was relatively common in the horses examined yet there are currently no guidelines for trainers to prevent damage.
But the process was somewhat reversible with rest suggesting adjustments to training schedules could prevent change that led to carpal bone fractures and osteoarthritis.
Dr Steel hopes to develop guidelines for veterinarians to determine normal degrees of sclerosis in the third carpal bone during training so that diagnosis and management of the condition can be improved.
RIRDC is calling for new research projects for 2001-2002 to be conducted in RIRDC’s four program areas -Prospective New Industries, Emerging New Industries, Established Industries and Future Agricultural Systems.
Applicants can obtain a copy from the website at www.rirdc.gov.au under the Researchers heading or by calling 02 6272 4819.
Applications for the first round close on 29 September 2001.
| 5-12 August
2000
29 Sept 2000 By mid Nov 2000 2 Feb 2001 May 2001 Jul 2001-Jan 2002 |
Preliminary
research proposals advertised
Preliminary (2 page) researchproposals close Invitations for full proposals Full proposals close Notification of full proposal decision Commencement of research contract / support
|
Virtual Plantations - Designing to Please
Most Australian farmers now appreciate the importance of trees on farm to battle land degradation and improve the sustainable use of their properties.
But how will trees planted today look in 20 years time? Will they have added aesthetic value to a farm as well as commercial improvements?Experience in the southwest of Western Australia has shown that the ability to visualise the impact of proposed revegetation strategies is instrumental in supporting landowner’s revegetation placement and implementation decisions. Computer modelling may hold the answer, ensuring planning and design includes the best outlook for plantations while maintaining their strategic placement for best sustainability effect.
Research backed by the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program (JVAP) has recently completed initial investigations into computer modelling, using case studies, farmer surveys and various software and hardware packages.
The study was undertaken by the University of WA’s school of Architecture and Fine Arts and the Department of Geography in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM).
The Samwell farming property at Boree Gully in southweast WA, and its immediate community was used as the specific case study.
Suitable visual simulations were prepared to model a proposed agroforestry type landscape master plan for the Samwell property, prepared by UWA, in conjunction with the Samwell family. It was found that the most suitable software included Geographic Information System (GIS) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.
These packages met the criteria of data compatibility and were able to create visual simulation products, images, animations and virtual reality models giving an accurate, unbiased and geographically interesting design of the proposed farm forestry layouts.
The researchers also undertook a survey with local farmers to highlight what improvements could be made to aid the visualisation.
The results were:
• Terrain models needed to be vertically exaggerated three or four times
• Foreground tree models needed to be detailed in their designs – including texture, shape, form and colour
• Computer modelled trees in the middle ground needed to be detailed, but tree models with appropriate outlines simulating the detained trees should be strategically placed to achieve the same effect
• Simple background tree models were adequate
• Views should be ideally located from lane ways, ridgelines and high points across the landscape
• Computer generated images needed to be a minimum resolution of 150 DPI (dots per inch)
The final visual simulations needed to consider content and context of the farm forestry layouts, to include elements such as surrounding paddocks, fence lines access points and existing vegetation.
More information: Sharon Davis. 02 6272 6671
The Rural Industries Research and
Development Corporation Quality Management Systems have recently been accredited
with ISO 9002 Quality Assurance accreditation from SGS International Certification
Services Pty. Ltd.
Bookshop
- new research reports
RIRDC makes its research findings available through an active publishing
program. There are more than 450 publications available from RIRDC. View
and purchase them through our online
catalogue. Many full reports are also available free as downloadable
pdf, rtf and MSWord6 documents. Many reports have been summarised
in free RIRDC "Short
Reports".
Here are some of the latest titles:
A cholesterol-lowering extract from
garlic
By D. Eagling et al
Clinical trials show garlic has important health benefits. The most
encouraging results have occurred in the area of cholesterol reduction.
The compound responsible for these benefits is allicin, one of a number
of compounds responsible for garlic’s characteristic flavour and odour.
This publication presents results pertaining to the issue of minimising
product variability and details investigations on the varietal, field and
storage conditions that affect the level of allicin extracted from garlic.
2000,
35pp, Pub. No. 00/63, $10
Marketing the Australian Native
Food Industry
By V. Cherikoff
The net worth of the Australian Native Food Industry is variously valued
at between $10 and $16m and growing in spikes and swings. Impetus is provided
from food service opportunities and a growing awareness by Australians
in regional cuisines and a continuing overseas interest in Australia, primarily
at retail level. Additionally, the level of food innovation in Australia
is at a high with native foods introducing a uniquely Australian signature
to otherwise international dishes and products. Demonstrates the need for
an industry image change to suit the sophisticated culinary scene in Australia.
2000,
39 pp, Pub. No. 00/61 $10
Farming European Brown Hare
By L. Tume
This report is the result of a pre-feasibility study to examine the
issues likely to impact on an attempt to farm European Brown Hare in Australia.
Both technical and economic issues were investigated and discussed extensively
with wildlife specialists, reproductive and genetic experts and animal
behaviourists. 2000, 43 pp, Pub. No. 00/75, $10
Improving the quality of Australian
crocodile skins
By Charlie Manolis, Grahame Webb and Ken Richardson
Researchesthe key marketable product of crocodile farming (the skin),
rather than what is essentially a byproduct (meat/size) of the industry.
2000,
29pp, Pub. No. 00/21, $10
Forecasting Growth of Key Agroforestry
Species in South-eastern Australia
By J.Wong et al
Examines the growth and yield of agroforestry Eucalyptus species, in
order to obtain a better understanding. Presents growth data for a number
of Eucalyptus species from a range of sites, and models growth using "site
types" based on rainfall and soil classes. The growth functions are suitable
for use by extension providers and farm foresters. 2000, 65 pp, Pub.
No. 00/68, $10
DOOR: In the Australian Wildflower
and Native Plants Industry
By N. Hunter
The Do Our Own Research (DOOR) concept of much greater grower involvement
and responsibility in the conduct of research was initiated, developed
and evaluated in the Australian Nursery Industry. This publication reports
on an evaluation of the DOOR process in the Australian wildflower and native
plants industry with pilot assessments being conducted in Queensland and
Western Australia. 2000, Pub. No. 00/103, 166 pp, $15
Japanese Consumer Cooperatives –
A Market Entry Strategy for Horticultural Products
by By Rick Ada
Provides detailed data and insights into the operations and philosophies
of Japanese consumer co-operatives. The research indicates that there are
significant market opportunities for Australian horticultural and other
products in the co-operatives if exporting firms are prepared to meet the
stringent safety requirements of the co-ops. 2000, 98pp, Pub. No. 00/30,
$15
Training and Fitness in Athletic
Horses
by D. Evans
In this book the main research findings in exercise physiology of training
and fitness assessment of horses are reviewed and practical techniques
for fitness testing are described. Important principals for training racehorses,
event and endurance horses are included. Some of the practical information
has been based on Dr Evans’ experiences as a consultant in commercial Thoroughbred
horse training. 2000, 64pp, Pub. No. 00/1, $15
Free from RIRDC
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