Sydney | Reuters –– Australian agribusiness GrainCorp plans to nearly double output capacity at one its U.S. malt plants, to capitalize on soaring North American demand for craft beer. Typically produced by small, local brewers, the popularity of craft beers has grown rapidly in recent years in the U.S. as drinkers seek new tastes, with
GrainCorp to boost U.S. malt output, target craft beer boom
Australia beef exports to fall on lower slaughter rate
Sydney | Reuters — Exports of Australian beef are likely to fall faster than previously expected as slaughter rates drop off as a two-year drought eases, threatening to add fuel to a rally in U.S. beef prices. A record slaughter rate has dropped nearly a fifth in the last two weeks, as farmers start to
Australia’s largest private land owner to sell cattle business
Sydney | Reuters — Australia’s largest private land owner will sell its cattle operations, including the world’s largest ranch and an area equivalent in size to South Korea, to raise cash for other businesses and investments. S. Kidman and Co. said it will sell its privately owned 11 cattle stations and a feedlot, complete with
Ocean warming suggests 50 per cent chance of El Nino
Sydney | Reuters — Recent warming of the Pacific Ocean may signal an El Nino weather event is forming, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday. Climate models indicate the central tropical Pacific Ocean is likely to continue to warm, with El Nino thresholds to be reached or exceeded by mid-year, the weather bureau
Marubeni to close Australian grain business
Sydney/Hamburg | Reuters — Japan’s Marubeni Corp. is to close its Australian grain trading business after a review of its global operations. The move “is not in any way reflective of the performance of Marubeni Australia’s grain trading business division, which has been trading profitably for the past three years,” Makoto Kajitani, chairman and managing
Feared plant disease found on Australian banana farm
Sydney | Reuters — An outbreak of a feared disease affecting banana plants has been confirmed on an Australian farm, raising worries over the outlook for the country’s A$550 million (C$537 million) industry. The so-called Tropical Race 4 strain of Panama disease was confirmed at a farm in Tully in the country’s northeast after tests
Australia backs farmers on foreign ownership gripes
Canberra | Reuters –– The Australian government has sided with farmers who say official data vastly underestimates foreign ownership of the nation’s farmland, as it moves to clamp down on overseas purchases of agricultural land. Foreign ownership is a key concern for many farmers, a crucial part of the conservative government’s support base, who worry
Australia plans country-of-origin labelling after hep A outbreak
Sydney | Reuters — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott backed plans on Thursday to introduce country-of-origin labelling in the wake of a hepatitis A outbreak, potentially risking contravention of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. With 18 confirmed cases of hepatitis A linked to consumption of berries sold by Patties Foods Ltd., Abbott said he had
Australia tightens rules over foreign buying of farmland
Sydney | Reuters –– Australia tightened rules on Wednesday over foreign ownership of its agricultural land amid concerns that it is losing control of its own food security, slashing the amount beyond which land purchases would require regulatory approval. From March 1, foreign purchases of agricultural land over A$15 million (C$14.51 million) will be subject
Australian drought seen staying until 2015, likely to boost cattle slaughter
Sydney | Reuters –– Drought conditions across Australia’s east coast are unlikely to improve before 2015, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said, fuelling expectations that beef supply from the world’s No. 3 exporter may beat estimates as wilting pastures force farmers to slaughter more animals. Queensland, Australia’s largest cattle producing state — home to about
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
