Issue No 12, July 1999.

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.

Alternative Directions (now known as ozrural.com) is an established farm information service based in Ballarat, Australia. Ian Knox, the founder, runs a small White Suffolk sheep stud near Ballarat with his wife Kate and their four children. Ian has conducted seminars and workshops in most Australian states and has written several books, including The Weekly Times Beyond Broadacres.

Ian has also produced many articles on new or emerging rural industries for the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment and many of them are listed below.

Most new or emerging industries Ian has examined have shown similar patterns of growth. They grow rapidly, in the breeder or propagation phase, and level off as the initial demand is met. They may then become mainstream industries or they may crash, and disappear altogether. A few of the industries also experience a second wave of popularity as a new plant variety, or improved genetics are introduced.

On close analysis it can sometimes be seen that the industries had little substance to start with, or market development may have been too difficult. Ian believes that all new industries lack an adequate supply of good information in their infancy. Most of the ground rules for emerging industries are the same. They all claim to be unique, but few are.

The Ozrural web site includes articles on agroforestry, aquaculture and animals/livestock, as well as articles on many horticultural/agricultural topics.

The following Agnotes, most of which were developed by Ian, can be accessed from the database of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, through the Oz Rural Web site or through the NRE Web site described below.

Notes from some of these articles have been linked below.

Alfalfa sprouts
Almond
Asian vegetables
Black currant
Blueberry
Broombush
Buckwheat
Caraway oil
Carob
Chestnut
Chinese water chestnut
Cold-pressed oils
Compost (organic)
Crambe
Dill oil
Echinacea
Essential oils
Eucalyptus oils
Fresh herbs
Garlic
Ginseng
Gooseberry (European)
Hazelnut
Hydroponics
Jojoba
Lavender oil
Lavender plants
Lavender growing for oil
Medicinal herbs
Melon
Native food
Olive
Organic farming
Organic product certification schemes
Organic farming - the permaculture approach
Peppermint
Persimmon
Pistachio nut
Pomegranate
Pulses
Quandong
Raspberry
Red currant
Rice flower
Sesame
Tea tree oil
Walnut
Wasabi
Wine grapes

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 17 October 2001 by: RF

Issue No 12, July 1999.

17. Oz Rural Web Site