Shopping cart is empty. |
RECENT POSTS:
The Ag Forum is a chat room for discussion of current issues in Australian and international agriculture policy. Join the conversation today!
Ag needs to keep speaking up
Are you confident of your social licence?
Glyphosate hysteria ramps up
Making the most of drought awareness
The drought has not happened suddenly, but suddenly it’s mainstream news. I have been asked to do several media interviews in recent weeks and each reporter’s focus has been the effect that the drought might have on grocery prices. Since drought is a recurring feature of Australian agriculture there is precedent to call on and - as this paper from John Quiggin outlines - during previous periods of extended drought, grocery prices have risen by about twice the rate of inflation. View the rest of the post here
Faster computers breeding better plants
AgTech Takeaways - the expanded menu (part 3): In March, I participated in an Austrade-facilitated Australian Agtech Delegation to the US and wrote a blog about my takeaways with four main points of conclusion. Over the next month each of those key points - integrated systems approaches, farming practice adaptation, genomics / computational breeding and open data - will be expanded on in turn. View the rest of the post here
Rural connectivity missing from 2018 budget
Thanks to an increasingly strong economy delivering better than expected tax receipts, Treasurer Scott Morrison has been able to deliver an election-friendly 2018 budget, including tax cuts and infrastructure spending. Whether you are an individual, business or government, higher levels of income provide more options and opportunities. The trick is in having the confidence that those increased receipts are sustainable and will not be impacted by your spending choices. View the rest of the post here
Adaptation will enable robotic adoption
AgTech Takeaways - the expanded menu (part 2): In March, I participated in an Austrade-facilitated Australian Agtech Delegation to the US and wrote a blog about my takeaways with four main points of conclusion. Over the next month each of those key points - integrated systems approaches, farming practice adaptation, genomics / computational breeding and open data - will be expanded on in turn. View the rest of the post here
AgTech Takeaways: the expanded menu (part1)
In March, I participated in an Austrade-facilitated Australian Agtech Delegation to the US and wrote a blog about my takeaways with four main points of conclusion. Over the next month each of those key points - integrated systems approaches, farming practice adaptation, genomics / computational breeding and open data - will be expanded on in turn. View the rest of the post here
The brave new world of venture funding in agriculture
Venture capital funding of agtech is here and it is a weird and confusing place. Ever since the Monsanto acquisition of The Climate Corporation in 2013 there has been a frenzy of activity trying to cash in on the boom that is agtech. Silicon Valley is well and truly in love with agriculture and food - and start-ups who are going to solve the problems of the world through better and more sustainable farming practices are everywhere. View the rest of the post here
United we stand to advance Australian fare
In a week that had us all reaching for the popcorn waiting to see what spectacular political calamity was going to unfold in the next 10 minutes, Australian agriculture bucked the trend with two significant announcements of unification and common purpose. View the rest of the post here