Agribusiness buzz in brief

Soos Technology, which has also explored changing humidity and temperature to switch the sex of embryos from male to female, recently won a $US1 million prize in the Grow-NY global food and agriculture business competition in the US.

Its patented technology mitigates the controversial practice of male chick culling by transforming male chickens into egg-laying females with a non-invasive and non-chemical solution.

Soos will use its prize money to create about 20 research and engineering jobs in the next two years, building the New York state poultry research hub to connect academic research with poultry startups and corporates, to commercialise validated research.

The Belgium-based owner of one of Australia's best known sugar names, Bundaberg Sugar, is believed to be considering selling up after getting inquiries from an increasingly hungry ethanol and aviation fuel industry.

Queensland's Bundaberg Sugar, which once included a stake in the Bundaberg Rum distillery, has been owned by the global sugar business, Finasucre, since it was bought from British giant Tate and Lyle in 2000.

Bundaberg not only mills and packs refined sugar for local and offshore markets, it is Australia's largest cane grower and biggest macadamia orchard owner.

Speculation has investors eyeing its sugar processing assets, mill byproducts and cane land to produce green fuel ingredients for the sustainable aviation fuel sector to help the international aviation industry reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Bundaberg Sugar owns about 13,000 hectares in the Bundaberg district and rights to about 38,000 megalitres of water

Agribusiness Australia has elected Mark Barber, from Elders, as its new chairman, replacing outgoing chair for the past decade and Elders managing director, Mark Allison.

Mr Barber joined the industry advocacy and leadership body's board in 2017 while at Laguna Bay Pastoral Company, but later moved to the farm services group to become general manager of farmland agency and agribusiness investments.

Deputy chairman, Patrick McClelland, from media consultancy Porter Novelli Australia, remains deputy chairman, joined by new directors Elizabeth Jackson and Paul Thompson.

Mr Allison said Agribusiness Australia's strong position reflected the growing importance agribusiness played in the Australian economy, overcoming challenges and volatility to provide prosperity and growth.

In the past year the organisation hosted 19 networking events nationally, attracting about 1000 guests hearing from experts discussing topics such as supply chain disruption, the workforce, ESG (environment, sustainability and governance) carbon, agtech, and investment in agriculture

Green waste-to-stockfeed converter, via maggots, Goterra, is collaborating with Future Green Solutions, a pioneer Black Soldier Fly producer, to boost insect production from waste food products.

FGS will supply soldier fly eggs to Goterra, supplementing the maggot farmer's existing egg supply to fulfill new contracts, including at its largest site in Sydney, which has Woolworths supermarkets as a foundation customer.

Canberra-based Goterra, founded in 2016, has seven maggot farms in four states using insects to eat food waste, dramatically reducing carbon emissions compared to landfill or composting.

West Australian FGS's chief executive officer, Luke Wheat, said this next stage of maturity for FGS and insect farming in Australia, involved commercial production of high-quality, soldier fly eggs in a managed breeding program called FutureFlies.

Insect Protein Association Australia chairman, Duncan Rowland, said leveraging the expertise of the two industry leaders would drive new opportunities, encourage smarter supply chains and help shape Australia's sustainable agriculture landscape..

The Adelaide Hills' Ngeringa Vineyard has again secured the coveted Cullen Wines Trophy for Wine of Show, the top prize for Red of Show, and a gold medal at the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards.

This year, it was the Mount Barker vineyard's 2021 Iluma Syrah vintage crowned the Wine of Show.

In the 2021 awards the label won top prize for its 2019 vintage entry.

Judging panel leader, Mike Bennie, said the Iluma Syrah boasted a wild streak, making it interesting, character-filled, complex and appealing, and reflecting the new wave of Australian shiraz making which combined to give it "very high drinkability".

The white wine of the show was McLaren Vale-based Jackson Wine Estates' 2022 Yangarra Estate Vineyard Blanc, produced from primarily French white grape varieties.

Best new entrant was the 2020 vintage Carlei Estate Fruit Day Shiraz, from Carlei Wines, Heathcote, Victoria.

In total, 45 certified organic and biodynamic wine producers from 32 regions across the country submitted 211 bottles for judging.

Red wines proved the most popular entrants with 138 bottles judged in the event hosted by Australian Organic Limited

Export market certification requirements for non-genetically modified organism (non-GMO) agricultural produce have just become cheaper, easier, and more efficient according to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

DAFF has phased out use of manual processing for non-GMO certification to 37 countries with premium export certification now achieved via the department's electronic Export Documentation System, EXDOC.

The change provided opportunities for Australian farmers, especially grain grower, to access the non-GMO certification they needed faster, with less costs.

Reduced certificate costs would save exporters $113 for each grain export certificate, and $170 for horticultural exports.

EXDOC also minimised risks of fraudulent certificates, streamlining processes to save time and could save the farming industry $700 000 or more annually in reduced fees, plus 1500 hours of work within DAFF each year.

Australia has a reputation of being a clean, green producer of high-quality rural products, but as new regulatory requirements emerge overseas, how can we maintain consumer confidence and access to these markets?

The Digital Agrifood Summit at Wagga Wagga, on October 11 and 12, includes expert speakers exploring why measures such as demonstrating our sustainability credentials will be an essential component of Australia's future export success.

Featuring a keynote presentation from the special representative for Australian agriculture, Su McCluskey, a case study from Sundown Pastoral Company's co-owner, David Statham and panelists, Peter Carter from GS1 Australia, Josie Angus from Angus Pastoral Company and Jane Lovell at Freshcare, the sustainability credentials theme is one of many Agrifood program highlights.

The summit also explores Australian agriculture's ambition to become a $100 billion industry by 2030 and how data sharing and whole-of-farm connectivity will be vital to unlock that value.

Indian-based global technology company, HCLTech, has been selected by Elders to accelerate digital transformation across the agribusiness' business operations.

Under the multi-year information technology services partnership, HCLTech will provide cutting-edge managed IT services and other digital capabilities to Elders, including the ability to harness artificial intelligence offerings.

HCLTech will also be responsible for application development and management, digital workplace capabilities, infrastructure, cybersecurity and data management for Elders.

HCLTech executive vice president, Michael Horton, by adopting a cloud-first approach, Elders would continue to offer customers and employees an excellent user experience and provide consistent on-the-ground support from the company's Adelaide delivery centre.

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