Once considered pet food, kangaroo meat could soon be sold to China as a luxury product, to encourage Chinese consumers to do something few Australians will — eat it. With a booming middle class, China’s appetite for meat is expected to rise nearly 17 per cent over the next eight years, the World Trade Organization
Australian kangaroo exporters look to hop into meat-hungry China
Frost, rains hit Australia’s wheat crop, drag on quality
Unseasonal rains in Western Australia and frost on the country’s east coast have hit wheat crops in the world’s No. 2 exporter of the grain, dragging down quality and reducing harvests. A decline in supply of high-protein wheat from Australia could force major buyers such as Indonesia and China to seek more volumes from the
Australian beef exports seen at record in 2013-14
Australia will export a record amount of beef in 2013-14, driven by strong demand from the United States and emerging markets, including China, the government’s official forecaster said on Tuesday. Beef and veal exports in the coming season were expected to total 1.07 million tonnes, up from a record 1.015 million this year, the Australian
Robots to drones, Australia eyes high-tech farm help to grow food
Moving carefully along a row of apple trees, two of Australia’s newest agricultural workers check if the fruit is ripe or the soil needs water or fertilizer. Meet “Mantis” and “Shrimp,” agricultural robots being tested to do these tasks and more in a bid to cut costs and improve productivity in Australia’s economically vital farm
USDA official sees global wheat crop around record levels
Global wheat output could climb to record highs in the year to June 2014 on improved crop prospects for some key producers hit by severe droughts last year, an official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. “I think global production should get back to record level,” Joe Glauber, the USDA’s chief economist, told
ADM, GrainCorp settle in for wait on takeover approval
Australia’s GrainCorp and U.S. suitor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) are hunkering down for a long wait for Chinese regulatory approval after agreeing to a A$3 billion (US$3.1 billion) takeover deal Friday. In a sign of China’s growing scrutiny of global M+A deals, GrainCorp and ADM have tailored the deal to include an extra payment for
Dryness threatens Australia wheat supply as seeding kicks off
A lack of soil moisture in Australia’s eastern grain belt could hit wheat production in the world’s second largest exporter as farmers start seeding the 2013-14 crop. Concerns over Australia’s wheat output come as the U.S. crop faces winter storms after being planted in dry soil last year, piling pressure on global grain supplies and
Rains boost Australian beef prospects
Australia’s struggling beef industry has received a boost from recent rains in the east of the country, which will increase grass growth to fatten up herds in the world’s third-biggest beef exporter, producers said. The wetter conditions in the aftermath of Cyclone Oswald mean farmers will keep cattle in herds for longer to add weight,
Australia nudges up wheat estimate
Australia, the world’s second-largest wheat exporter, raised its production estimate for the current marketing year by a fraction from its December estimate, as the crop largely escaped damage from a heat wave and floods this summer. The Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) forecast wheat production of 22.077 million tonnes for
Australia’s GrainCorp knocks back ADM bid
Australia’s GrainCorp knocked back a US$2.8 billion takeover offer from Archer Daniel Midland (ADM) on Thursday, saying the bid undervalued the grains handler after a bumper harvest delivered a record annual net profit. The U.S. agricultural giant’s bid comes at a time of dramatic consolidation in the global grains sector amid intense competition to feed
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