Queensland is the largest meat producing state in Australia, has the largest processing capacity and is the major meat exporting state. The processing sector is under substantial pressure for change, with current utilisation rates of 70% or below being sub-economic. There are a number of...

The genetically modified INGARD™ cotton seed was released in Australia in 1996 and was greeted with high expectations and enthusiasm within the cotton industry. INGARD™ cotton seed contains the Cry1A(c) gene from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki for the biological...

Endoparasite (internal parasites) management is an important aspect of pastoral livestock farming. It involves understanding some complex biological principles and making decisions in a farm systems context. In New Zealand there is some confusion and diverse messages presented about...

The global push toward free trade and the consequent rise in volume of imports from a wider range of countries incurs the likelihood of introducing unwanted pathogens. Given that a zero-risk quarantine policy is not possible, there are tradeoffs between the gains from international trade and the...

Röling and others argue that research and extension should not be seen as separate processes involving distinct institutions which must somehow be linked. Rather, scientists, specialists, extension workers, consultants and producers should be seen as participants in a single agricultural...

American Foulbrood disease (AFB) is a bacterial disease of honey bees which causes significant economic losses in Queensland and other Australian states and many other countries, including New Zealand. This study:  reviews several previous applications of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) to AFB...

Sugarcane is an important industrial crop in South China, mainly grown in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yuennan and Fujian Provinces. State farms are important cane producers. They produce about one-tenth of the nation’s total cane. These sugar companies are integrated enterprises including farm and...

What are the benefits of biodiversity protection? Why should those benefits be estimated? When should they be estimated … now or across future generations? Where should the benefits be estimated … locally, nationally or internationally? And, of course, how can they be estimated, if at all?...

The New Zealand dairy industry is viewed, and views itself, as having a progressive approach to scientific research and the acquisition and adoption of technology. It is also generally accepted that, in order to remain competitive in international markets, technological improvement is a...

Variability of rainfall and commodity prices are important off-farm factors influencing the profitability of dryland farming. Since neither of the above factors can be predicted, lessons from the past can be a preparation for the future. Analysing farm profit over ten years is suggested as a way...