MLA Social Media Conversations Workshops – Charters Towers, Katherine & Katanning

November 23rd, 2011

Just back from attending the Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) inaugural ‘social media conversations’ workshop in Charters Towers.  A very useful and enjoyable two days – with enough new information to make the head spin (next step is to put the new stuff into practice), great company and interesting discussion.  In fact, I’d love to […]

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Humans obtain more energy from cooked meat

November 10th, 2011

Harvard University researchers have released the results of a very thorough study which measured the availability of energy from eating meat or sweet potato that is still raw or has been cooked. The observations are fascinating – in summary – more net energy is obtained from eating cooked meat than raw.  No wonder my hairdresser is as thin as a stick, […]

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Vestey cattle properties resumed by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez

November 3rd, 2011

The British company ‘Vestey Group’  was founded in 1897 by brothers William and Edmund Vestey.  Around the early 1900’s the Vestey family company had begun purchasing agricultural land in South American countries and Australia, and over the decades the company developed vertical integration – cattle stations, meatworks (eg at Wyndham [WA], Bullocky Point in Darwin [NT] and Lakes Creek […]

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Foreign ownership of Australian land and water

October 4th, 2011

There has been quite a bit written about recently published figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showing the percentage of overseas ownership of Australian land.  Many writers have conveniently interpreted the figures to mean Australians are a paranoid, parochial lot – unreasonably concerned with mythically increasing overseas ownership. There is virtually no objective analysis and in-depth discussion of […]

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Rockhampton’s Beef Week, to be held every 2 years

September 30th, 2011

The Beef Australia committee is surveying the public to gauge opinions on whether the Rockhampton Beef Week event should become biennial (every second year) rather than triennial (every 3 years). Attending Beef Week at Rockhampton costs me more than $5,000 to attend as an exhibitor:  not much short of $1,000 in accommodation (6 nights, scalper rates in a caravan […]

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Ken Warriner and Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC)

August 22nd, 2011

Mark Irwin became the new CEO of Consolidated Pastoral Company on 1st August, replacing  long-term CPC CEO Ken Warriner.  However Ken will stay on as CPC Chairman, and still presumably owns a 10% stake in the company. Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) is Australia’s second largest beef producing company, after the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo).  In 1983 Kerry Packer […]

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Dr James Wright giving anti-meat eating advice

July 29th, 2011

Just as it is disconcerting to hear admired, talented musicians and actors spouting on about politics or issues unrelated to their field of work, it’s disappointing to discover writers and other well known/famous people, doing the same. For many years I’ve read and listened to the commonsense advice handed out by Dr James Wright.  Then this ‘gem’ of […]

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Henbury Station – R.M. Williams Agriculture – carbon trading scheme

July 27th, 2011

Further to the June 5 post re. Henbury Station’s purchase by RMWAH, here’s quote in The Australian from CSIRO ‘site leader’ Ashley Sparrow, regarding ‘revegetating’ Henbury and turning it into a ‘carbon sink’: “…. the rejuvenation would be “a slow process, since most recovery relies on big rainfall events.  I would expect in a while, and after […]

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AACo has sold Meteor Downs Station to Xstrata, presumably to be run by Colinta Holdings

July 23rd, 2011

AACo has sold the central Queensland cattle station ‘Meteor Downs’ to the Swiss mining company, Xstrata.  Meteor Downs is 17,000 ha 40km SE of Springsure (between Emerald & Roma), and it was purchased in 1990 to run the AACo’s Brahman and Santa Gertrudis studs.  In recent years it has been running Wagyu cattle, and growing forage crops […]

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Australia 2012 Year of the Farmer

July 7th, 2011

I must be living under a rock because until yesterday I didn’t know that 2012 is the Year of the Farmer.  Sponsored by Elders, the Year of the Farmer board is impressive.  Included are Deb Bain (Wool & sheep meat producer and Farm Day instigator, Vic), Geoff Bell (NSW), Bill Belotti (agronomist, NSW), Philip Bruem […]

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