Category: Grains

Bunge has bought a stake in high-level pulse processor Australian Plant Proteins in a move which mirrors an investment made last year in Canada’s Merit Functional Foods. Source: Grain Central Bunge buys into Australian Plant Proteins

In a world-first breakthrough for research into herbicide resistance, a team of Australian and international scientists has discovered a new glyphosate resistance mechanism in plants. Source: Grain Central New glyphosate resistance mechanism discovered in plants

A new plant quarantine facility at the Australian Grains Genebank at Horsham in Victoria will allow researchers to rapidly evaluate genetic material from overseas and accelerate the delivery of new crop varieties. Source: Grain Central New quarantine facility to speed up plant evaluation at Horsham grains genebank

Prices for feedgrain have softened over the Easter week by up to $10 per tonne as consumers price in the Northern Hemisphere inverse from July onward, and planting of eastern Australia’s winter crop gathers pace in mostly ideal conditions. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Prices soften despite subdued selling

Keep up to date with Australian cropping industry developments with Grain Central’s monthly quiz. Source: Grain Central Grain Central’s March 2021 grain and cropping news quiz

Sorghum 1 prices have firmed on limited nearby supply, but weather-damaged grades are struggling to find a market, and sell-side pressure in the north on wheat and barley is not being seen in the south. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Quality issues impact north

Flour mills, feed mills and malting plants all sit behind Manildra Group’s Shoalhaven Starches plant in the Grain Central list of Australia’s Top 10 grain-use sites. Source: Beef Central Australia’s Top 10 biggest grain-use sites revealed

The APVMA has issued an Emergency Use Permit (EUP) to allow the supply and emergency use of the agvet chemical, Fawligen, against the invasive crop pest, fall armyworm. Source: Grain Central Emergency permit approved for use of Fawligen against fall armyworm

Rice growers are encouraged to take all possible steps to minimise the adverse effects of stubble-burning smoke on neighbours and neighbouring townships during the holiday period. Source: Grain Central Rice growers urged not to burn stubble during Easter, Anzac public holidays

An international malting company is on a mission to build barley stocks for Tasmania’s booming craft beer and spirits industry. Source: ABC Grain Tasmania’s whisky revolution drives demand for malt barley

Mouse numbers remain moderate to high in many regions, causing damage to maturing summer crops and likely to cause damage at sowing of winter crops. Source: Grain Central Mice continue to damage summer crops, threaten winter sowing

Rain and flooding has caused some short-term logistics problems but bolstered the outlook for new-crop planting, and domestic wheat and barley prices have fallen in response. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Rain sinks values despite freight squeeze

Northern Australian farmers have the opportunity to test production of a suite of high-value spice crops, which have demonstrated their suitability in a series of small-scale trials conducted by CQUniversity Source: Grain Central Spice crops: potential farming option for Australia’s north

Grain growers are encouraged to keep up their efforts to manage mouse numbers in late sown summer crops and ahead of winter crop planting this season. Source: Grain Central Farmers act to ward off mouse threat to summer harvest, winter sowing

The uptake of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in the cropping sector will only increase if a tailored system of recording, accounting and auditing is developed to validate the benefits. Source: Grain Central Tailored auditing key to driving farm GHG emissions mitigation

The potential to develop a thriving cotton industry in Australia’s north has been given a boost with a new gin near Katherine set to be operational in 2022. Source: Beef Central Top-end cotton gin set to be up and running in 2022

GrainCorp has agreed to amend 19 terms in its Grain Warehousing Agreement with small business grain growers after an ACCC investigation concluded these terms were likely to be unfair. Source: Grain Central GrainCorp amends terms in warehousing agreement

A record-breaking 2020-21 harvest and rising prices across all agricultural commodities have seen the NAB Rural Commodities Index rise 2.6 per cent in February. Source: Grain Central Grain underpins positive commodity price outlook: NAB

Feedgrain prices softened this past week amid rain, limited nearby domestic demand and supply-side pressure from growers seeking to shift some grain ahead of planting. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Rain, full supply chain pressure prices

The current herbicide mode of action (MoA) classification system based on letters of the alphabet is nearing capacity and will be replaced by a system of numerical codes which have unlimited capacity. Source: Grain Central Herbicide classification system soon to change to numbers

Recovery from drought and a record winter crop harvest have pushed grain grower confidence levels to the top of the latest quarterly Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released today. Source: Grain Central Grain growers top farmer confidence levels: Rabobank

How does Australia’s advance in wheat yields compare with other nations around the world? Source: Grain Central How do Australian wheat yields compare to the rest of the world?

Prices for wheat, barley and sorghum have eased in the past week as the northern market looks to sorghum which appears to be close to pricing itself back into some rations in the absence of volume export pathways. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Prices ease as sorghum weighs in

With recent reports of grasshoppers sweeping areas of western Queensland in plague proportions, a chemical treatment has been approved for emergency use on pastures of the state’s Mitchell grass region. Source: Beef Central Chemical control option approved for use on grasshoppers

Keep up to date with Australian cropping industry developments with Grain Central’s monthly quiz. Source: Grain Central Grain Central’s February 2021 grain and cropping news quiz

The long-awaited bulk sorghum part cargo has appeared for Brisbane, and wheat and barley values have firmed in the past week to reflect coverage moving into June and beyond. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Prices firm as coverage extends

The 1700-kilometre Inland Rail project under construction between Melbourne and Brisbane will open up new logistics opportunities for the grain industry. Source: Grain Central What will the Inland Rail mean for the grain industry?

The NSW Government will lift the ban on the use of GM crops by allowing an 18-year moratorium to lapse when the Act establishing the moratorium in 2003 is due to expire on 1 July, 2021. Source: Grain Central NSW Farmers backs move to lift ban on GM crops

Three 2000-year-old corn cobs found in a rock shelter in Honduras show that people brought corn varieties back to Mesoamerica, possibly sparking productivity and shaping civilization. Source: Grain Central Ancient DNA continues to rewrite corn’s 9000-year history

The fall armyworm started eating its way through crops in Far North Queensland a year ago. It is now destroying farms in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, which could prove very costly for consumers. Source: ABC Livestock ‘Absolutely frightening’: Hungry caterpillar dubbed the ‘coronavirus of agriculture’ could force up… Read more »

Red meat producers across southern Australia can now access tips and tools to help undertake on-farm soil testing with the launch of a new soils hub on Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) website. Source: Beef Central Online soils hub launched ahead of autumn sowing

Exports continue at a cracking pace. Cash trading of feedgrains was limited this past week, growers concentrating on delivering grain booked earlier, securing fertiliser and planning for winter crop. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Prices ease as volume thins

Patmore Feeds is building its first pelletising plant at Cuballing in WA to held satisfy demand from the sheep and cattle sectors. Source: Grain Central New WA feedmill targets pre-harvest start-up

A NSW mixed farming business has claimed an Australian record with a 7.16 tonnes/hectare crop of dual purpose canola. Source: Grain Central Dual purpose canola crop breaks Australian record

A breakthrough trial which has shown leucaena can be successfully established on second rate gravel ridges is highlighting the potential that exists for producers in many areas to unlock further productivity gains using the tropical forage legume. Source: Beef Central Leucaena success on ‘second rate’ country highlights productivity gain potential

In a dramatic turnaround from a run of drought-affected summers, sorghum crops in the eastern summer farming regions are on track for a promising finish as the main harvest approaches. Source: Grain Central Late-sown sorghum set for a stellar finish

A dream to build a distillery on the Bass Strait island’s global reputation for fine produce almost ran aground on one key ingredient. Source: ABC Grain Barley or bust: New King Island distillers go with the grain

Logistics are factoring into prices, northbound road freight hard to get and consumers paying more for small wheat and barley parcels. Strong sorghum demand has Brisbane running hot. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Wheat, barley prices firm

If khapra beetle was to establish in Australia, many trading partners would reject stored produce from Australia, causing huge losses and affecting the economy. Source: Grain Central Khapra beetle – the story so far

AUSTRALIA’S winter crop production will be the second biggest harvest on record, the national commodity forecaster has predicted. Source: Sheep Central Giant winter crop predicted for Australia

Australia’s winter crop production for 2020-21 has come in as the second biggest harvest on record, while the summer crop season is forecast to be better than last year but still be below average, according to ABARES. Source: Beef Central Winter harvest near record, summer crop on the improve: ABARES

Australia’s winter crop production for 2020-21 has come in as the second biggest harvest on record, while the summer crop season is forecast to be better than last year but still be below average, according to ABARES. Source: Grain Central Winter harvest near record, summer crop on the improve: ABARES

Pacific Seeds has opened its new farming innovation hub, Foundation Farm near Allora in southern Queensland, to test and prove new farming technologies, methods and systems. Source: Grain Central Pacific Seeds launches Foundation Farm hub

Western Australia’s 2020 grain growing season defied the pundits to produce 16.6 million tonnes (Mt) of winter crop grown on very little rain, according to GIWA’s latest crop report. Source: Grain Central WA’s 2020 winter crop exceeds expectations at 16.6 million tonnes

Southern grains prices weakened as exporters trimmed bids amid volatile international values and currency headwinds. Northern markets faced less pressure and sorghum, in particular, bucked the trend. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Supply pressure weighs on south

The Tropical Legumes initiative has worked to develop and distribute high-yielding, climate-resilient legume varieties to millions of poor farmers in drought-prone areas of Africa. Source: Grain Central African project highlights importance of legume crops on World Pulses Day

Organisers of the cotton industry’s flagship event, the Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast, have decided to postpone the conference for another year, until August 2022. Source: Grain Central 2021 Australian Cotton Conference postponed

With markets busy on execution rather than accumulation, wheat and barley traded steady to a tad softer in the past week, while sorghum balances supply-side pressure against export demand. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Markets soften on flattened demand

A video from the 1980s has resurfaced, making those living through the eastern states’ current mouse plague count their blessings. Source: ABC Grain Disturbing ‘felt highway’ footage a worry amid warnings mice plague may worsen

Mice are wreaking havoc throughout the eastern cropping regions, threatening summer crops and raising concerns for forthcoming winter crop plantings. Source: Grain Central Mice rampage through eastern Australia cropping regions

GWF is buliding a pellet-manufacturing plant in WA which is due to start up late next year and will use 300,000t per annum of grain when it hits its production capacity by 2030. Source: Grain Central GWF to produce pellets at major new WA plant

Keep up to date with Australian cropping industry developments with Grain Central’s monthly quiz. Source: Grain Central Grain Central’s January 2021 grain and cropping news quiz

Farmers of the future will have to find clever ways to remain profitable under increasing pressure from rising land values and external forces, according to Liverpool Plains farmer David Brownhill. Source: Grain Central New thinking holds key to future farm profitability

There’s a spring in the step of irrigators in southern NSW who are growing summer crops like rice for the first time in three years. Source: ABC Grain Rice and summer crops sprout in Murrumbidgee Valley as full water allocation returns

Burger chain baron Jack Cowin has launched a range of sausages in his latest venture into the plant-based meat market through his Australian company, v2foods. Source: Beef Central Sausages latest extension for plant-based meat pioneer

The return to favourable summer growing conditions this season has been a boon for summer crop growers throughout the eastern Australia growing regions. Source: Beef Central Summer crops revel in ideal conditions

Both rail paths directly connecting Port Kembla’s the GrainCorp and Quattro terminals with up-country grain sites resumed full operation yesterday following last month’s derailment. Source: Grain Central Kembla grain line returns to normal after derailment

Leigh Creek Energy has awarded two engineering contracts for the Stage 1 commercial development of a large-scale urea production project in South Australia. Source: Grain Central Construction to commence on massive SA urea project

Domestic wheat, barley and sorghum values have firmed this week based on strength in Northern Hemisphere markets, and were bolstered by minimal post-harvest selling from growers. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Prices firm on global strength

LANDHOLDERS across Western Australia’s grainbelt have been reminded to manage paddocks to reduce the risk of soil erosion, after strong winds lashed the region recently. Source: Sheep Central WA grainbelt erosion concern from livestock, fire and machinery

In a snapshot of the ‘year that was’ in the Australian grain industry, Grain Central takes a look back over the stories that led the news in 2020. Source: Grain Central Grain Central stories that led the news in 2020

WA grain growers are set to reap more than $6 billion from this year’s harvest, defying dry conditions and a trade war with China to post one of the biggest paydays on record. Source: ABC Grain Farmers in the west reap huge billion crop as harvest ‘surprise’ defies weather, China

Millewa, in the north-west of Victoria, makes a comeback a year after farmers struggled through one of the worst droughts in the region’s history. Source: ABC Livestock ‘Tears of joy’ as grain growers rake in big yields after worst drought in 70 years

One of two rail paths on the Moss Vale-Unanderra line near Dombarton will reopen from this evening in the first move to restore train services to and from Port Kembla. Source: Grain Central Single Kembla line to reopen after grain train derailment

WA harvest is on track to produce close to 16.5 million tonnes a figure that most thought was unachievable following the very dry finishing conditions. Source: Grain Central WA on track for 16.5Mt winter crop

The SunRice Group generated revenue of $507 million for the half-year to October 31,and net profit after tax of $12.1 million. Source: Grain Central SunRice posts .1 million half-year profit

Australia’s rice bowl — the Riverina in southern New South Wales — is expecting to ramp up its production tenfold this season, after generous rainfall helps lift dam levels and boost water allocations. Source: ABC Grain Just add water and rice is back in business for the Riverina

Short covering in the barley and southern wheat markets has supported prices this week, while on logistics, export pace has hit its straps despite two rail derailments. Source: Beef Central Feedgrain Focus: Market firms as trade covers

First Nations communities to benefit after CSIRO-developed, seaweed-based supplement, which cuts cattle methane emissions by up to 99.9 per cent, wins the international Food Planet Prize. Source: ABC Livestock Global warming breakthrough: Methane-slashing ‘super seaweed’ cattle feed supplement wins m prize

FutureFeed, a livestock feed made from seaweed that reduces methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle by more than 80 per cent has been awarded the world’s largest monetary reward on the global food arena. Source: Beef Central Million-dollar planet prize for CSIRO FutureFeed seaweed innovation

GrainCorp’s bunker storage site at Berrybank in Victoria, which has undergone a $3.5 million expansion that increased capacity from 70,000 tonnes to 130,000t, is in full flight taking in this year’s bumper winter crop. Source: Grain Central GrainCorp’s upgraded Berrybank storage heads for receival record

The birthplace of Australian bulk grain is back in business after GrainCorp reopens its receival site at Ariah Park in the New South Wales Riverina — and the locals couldn’t be happier. Source: ABC Grain New life for ‘birthplace of grain’ as mothballed silos reopen to meet bumper harvest demand

Grain handlers and exporters are in meetings with rail-industry stakeholders to ensure vessels booked to load at Port Kembla’s two terminals in coming weeks can access all the grain they need. Source: Grain Central Kembla derailment forces rerouting to meet export call

CBH Group has posted a net profit after tax of $11 million, with a strong marketing and trading result offsetting an operations loss due in part to a below-average crop for Western Australia in 2019-20. Source: Grain Central CBH posts M profit despite challenging year

A Qube train carrying wheat from Temora to Port Kembla in NSW derailed this morning in an incident which has temporarily closed the Moss Vale to Unanderra freight line. Source: Grain Central Qube train derailed en route from Temora to Port Kembla