Issue No 10, July 1998.

NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the Advice on Publications Available.

4. Emerging Opportunities in Agriculture conference

[These remarks have been extracted in part from a report of this conference by Graham Macafee in Agricultural Science, the Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology 11: 7-8; Graham was engaged by the organisers as the facilitator for the conference]

The third Information Day in Australia based on the side-show alley model was held at the Murrumburrah High School, Harden, NSW in October, 1997.

The instigator of the event was Dr Mike Bourke, from the Australian National University, who had been a participant at the first such day, the New Crop Options Day held in Pittsworth, Queensland after the First Australian New Crops Conference in July, 1996.

Members of the ACT & SE NSW Branches of AIAST (as part of a Joint Committee with local farmers and Harden-Murrumburrah Land-care practitioners) organised the conference. At least 500 registrants attended to hear the speakers listed on pages 10-14.

A nice touch for this particular conference was a formal dinner, held the night before for the speakers, organising committee members and families billeting the speakers, which featured 'emerging' Australian food specialities.

The conference comprised nearly two hours of plenary sessions (9.00am until 10.45am), after which there were ten 'side-shows' running concurrently.

Each sideshow had a rotating panel of four speakers - each of whom would talk for 15 minutes an hour and then spend the other 45 minutes being available in a separate static display area to talk, in depth, to farmers. The side-shows ran from 11.00am until 4.00pm; hence every speaker spoke five times.

Sponsors for the event were the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the Grains Research and Development Corporation, the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Committee, NSW Farmers, Wesfarmers, Salt Action, the Land and Water Resources Research and
Development Corporation and the Primary Industry Bank (PIBA).

Many of the conference registrants remarked on the wide range of inform- ation on offer and on the good quality of the speakers chosen for the event.

Plenary session:

Official opening	Prof Ross Garnaut	Professor of Economics
Speech		Department of Economics
		Australian National University
		GPO Box 1428
		Canberra ACT 2610

Success factors for	Keith Hyde	Research Office
developing new		University of Canberra
rural industries		PO Box 1
		Belconnen ACT 2616
		Telephone: 02 6201 2605

An Innovative farmer's	Tom Rankin	"Egaline"
Experience		Tumbarumba NSW 2653
		Telephone: 02 6948 5271

Commercialisation	Dr Rob Fletcher	School of Land and Food
of new enterprises		The University of Queensland
		Gatton College Qld 4345
		Telephone: 07 5460 1301
		Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

Marketing into Asia	Pat Abraham	AgSell, NSW Agriculture
		PO Box K220
		Haymarket NSW 2000
		Telephone: 02 9372 0125

Sideshow 1: Cereals and pulses

Dual purpose winter	Anne Gardner	CSIRO Plant Industry
wheats for the high		GPO Box 1600
rainfall aone		Canberra ACT 2601
		Telephone: 02 6246 5374
		Email: pag@pi.csiro.au

Triticale	Paul Parker	NSW Agriculture
		PO Box 51
		Young NSW 2594
		Telephone: 02 6382 1077

Chickpeas in rotation	Di Carpenter	NSW Agriculture
		PO Box 477
		Wagga Wagga NSW 2650

Australian pulses -	Phil McEvoy	Australian Wheat Board
future directions		GPO Box 4562
		Melbourne Vic 3001
		Telephone: (03) 9209 2000

Sideshow 2: Oil crops

Eucalyptus and	Linton Davis and	65/44 Dalman Parkway
tea-tree oils	Constance Davis	Wagga Wagga NSW 2650

Industrial oil crops	David Jacobs	Wallendbeen East
		Wallendbeen NSW 2588
		Telephone: 02 6943 2621
	Kelvin Fahey	Telephone: 02 6296 1933
	Steven Burke	Telephone: 03 9311 6455

Mustard-seed oil	Dr Rex Oram	CSIRO Plant Industry
		GPO Box 1600
		Canberra ACT 2601
		Telephone: 02 6246 5082
		Email: r.oram@pi.csiro.au

Jojoba	Peter Milthorpe	NSW Agriculture
		Research & Advisory Station
		PO Box 300
		Condobolin NSW 2877
		Telephone: 02 6895 2099

Sideshow 3: Foods and flowers

Bush foods -	Jennice Kersh	Edna's Table
a restaurant		MLC Centre
Perspective		Martin Place
		Sydney NSW 2000
		Telephone: 02 9231 1400

Bush foods -	Peter Gow	South Coast Flora
Production		146 Dignams Creek Rd.
		Cobargo NSW 2550
		Telephone: 02 6493 6747

Native flowers	Dr David Tranter	Austflora
		12 McGuiness Drive
		Robertson NSW 2577
		Telephone: 02 4885 1394

Native animal foods	Alan East	National Meat Supplies
		PO Box 160
		Marrickville NSW 2204
		Telephone: 02 9557 5760

Sideshow 4: Fruit and nut trees

Temperate nuts	Basil Baldwin	Orange Agricultural College
(hazels & walnuts)		Leeds Parade
		Orange NSW 2800
		Telephone: 02 6360 5562

Pistachios	Peter Kennedy	Chandlers IAMA
		Lovell Street
		Young NSW 2594
		Telephone: 02 6382 7600

Olives	Susan Sweeny	Primary Industries SA
		Lenswood Centre
		c/o Post Office
		Lenswood SA 5240
		Telephone: 08 8389 8800

Persimmons	Ray Collins	School of Natural & Rural Systems Management
		The University of Queensland
		Gatton College Qld 4345
		Telephone: 07 5460 1328

Sideshow 5: Fruit and vegetables

Asian vegetables	Jim Murison	AgSell, NSW Agriculture
		PO Box K220
		Haymarket NSW 2000
		Telephone: 02 9372 0126

Bramble and berry	Neil Jones	Orange Agricultural College
fruits		Leeds Parade
		Orange NSW 2800
		Telephone: 02 6360 0555

Vineyards -	David O'Dea	Windowrie Estate
large scale		Windowrie Road
		Canowindra NSW 2804
		Telephone: 02 6344 3264

Vineyards -	Ken Helm	Helm's Winery
Small scale		Butts Road
		Murrumbateman NSW 2582
		Telephone: 02 6227 5536

Sideshow 6: Agroforestry

High-value timber	Rowan Reid	School of Forestry
		University of Melbourne
		Melbourne Vic 3052
		Telephone: 03 9344 5011

Joint venture	Hugh Dunchue	NSW State Forests
plantations		PO Box 915
		Albury NSW 2640
		Telephone: 02 6043 1007

Sideshow 6: Agroforestry (continued)

Firewood	John Beckhouse	27 Robertson Street
		Queanbeyan NSW 2620
		Telephone: 02 6297 1042

Farm trees	Digby Race	Johnstone Centre
		Charles Sturt University
		PO Box 789
		Albury NSW 2640
		Telephone: 02 6051 9983

Sideshow 7: Other crops

Seed crops	Hugh Roberts	"Birralee"
		Cootamundra NSW 2590
		Telephone: 02 6942 1184

Herbs - an overview	Mrs Kim Fletcher	Focus on Herbs Consultancy
		and Information Service
		PO Box 203
		Launceston Tas 7250
		Telephone: 03 6330 1493
		Email: kim@vision.net.au

Spices - field	Max Jongebloed	SeedCo
production and		78 Burbridge Street
Marketing		Hilton SA 5033
		Telephone: 08 8234 9333
		Email: seedco@seedco.com.au

Garlic	Clarrie Beckingham	PO Box 1386
		Bathurst NSW 2795
		Telephone: 02 6333 4377

Sideshow 8: Livestock

Sheep milk	Tom Grant	Chiverton, Grenfell Road
		Cowra NSW 2794
		Telephone: 02 6342 9217

Realising lamb's	Laurie Thatcher	PO Box 74
potential	(Main Speaker)	Rutherglen Vic 3685
		Telephone: (060) 32 8824
		Facsimile: (06) 32 8142

Goat meat	Phil Graham	NSW Agriculture
		254 Comur Street
		Yass NSW 2582
		Telephone: 02 6226 2199

Deer	Bruce Mackay	Orange Agricultural Institute
		Locked Mail Bag 21
		Orange NSW 2800
		Telephone: 02 6391 3968

Sideshow 9: Exotic animals

Aquaculture	Mr Ian Lyall	Aquaculture Manager
		NSW Fisheries
		Locked Bag 9
		Pyrmont NSW 2009
		Telephone: 02 9566 7842

Alpacas	Andrew Caldwell	Wyona Alpaca Stud
		Thuddungra
		via Young NSW 2594
		Telephone: 02 6383 3531

	Hugo Sachs	Bringarum
		Harden NSW 2587
		Telephone: 02 6386 3713

Rabbits	Graeme Fullerton	Budabah Stud
		Pacific Highway
		Tea Gardens NSW 2324
		Telephone: 02 4967 3455

Worms	Ron Hall	President, Australian
		Worm Growers Association
		PO Box 159
		Kadina SA 5554
		Telephone: 08 8821 2219

Sideshow 10

Market research	Dr Rob Fletcher	School of Land and Food
		The University of Queensland
		Gatton College Qld 4345
		Telephone: 07 5460 1301

Access to water	Geoff Fishburn	Regional Director
		Murrumbidgee Region
		Department of Land and Water
		Conservation
		PO Box 10
		Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
		Telephone: 02 6923 0475

Organic/biodynamic	Dr Jim Derrick	8 Grevillea St
production		O'Connor ACT 2602
		Telephone: 02 6249 7084

The internet	Charles Roberts	Young Telecentre
for farmers		PO Box 321
		Young NSW 2594
		Telephone: 02 6382 5044

The next Emerging Opportunities in Agriculture Information Day is being organised for Tamworth on October 9, 1998 at the Carinya Christian School. The organising committee comprises local farmers who have chosen the program for this event.

Currently, it is planned to have the following sideshows for farmers to visit:

pulses (mung, faba and culinary beans and the future of pulses);
oils (tea tree, olives, canola, essential oils, mustard seed and jojoba);
water use (improving the efficiency of irrigation);
timber and trees (Australian native timbers, Paulownia, NSW Forestry timber schemes);
exotic animals (aquacul-ture, eels, yabbies, boer goats, deer);
flowers and nuts (temperate nuts: hazelnuts and walnuts, pecans, native flowers);
niche industries (ginseng, medicinals, echinacea, Asian vegetables, herbals and organic farming);
case histories (low chill fruit, azuki beans, lentils, durum wheat, industrial hemp, worms, bush tucker, alternative mushrooms, marketing agricultural and horticultural products, value adding for lucerne, marketing lucerne, lucerne quality, Internet for farmers) and
starting a new industry (how to do it, risk management, DOOR Marketing, business planning).

The information day will be facilitated by the facilitators of the original Pittsworth New Crops Options Day, the Big Grain Day at Roma in 1997 and the Australian Meat Profit Days, Gordon Stone and Associates. They can be contacted for more information:

Gordon Stone and Associates
93 Herries Street
PO Box 7642
Toowoomba Mail Centre Qld 4352
Telephone: 07 4639 3366
Facsimile: 07 4639 3828
Email: gstone@bigpond.com.au

Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter

Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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originally created by: GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF