Grains Research and Development Corporation’s Post

Assessing the roots of change, the Rural Transformation Unit, Ministry of Agriculture, is currently evaluating the potential of home gardens in the UBEC-CERC St. Vincent and the Grenadines Food Insecurity Project. Together, we're cultivating resilience and abundance. #HomeGardenPotential #FoodSecurityAssessmentsttps https://lnkd.in/dgjD5Rde

Heads up, exporters! 📢 Starting November 8, 2023, the Arhopalus ferus flight season kicks off for all NZ ports. All timber, timber moldings, and break-bulk ply products (including LVL) shipped to Australia must comply with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's guidelines. Make sure your shipments are treated accordingly and come with an MPI phytosanitary certificate. 🌱 Stay Informed: For detailed Arhopalus ferus flight season requirements, check out MPI's website under Forest Products Export Standards – Phytosanitary Requirements of Australia (Section 3.2). 🚢 Exemptions Apply: Products loaded on vessels or sealed into containers before the flight season are exempt. For products not under additional flight season requirements, ensure they're beetle-free during shipment. For any questions, reach out to your Independent Verification Agency. Stay compliant and ship safe! * * * #ExportersAlert #BiosecurityUpdate #MPICompliance #MPI #Shipping #Timber

END OF THE ANNUAL BPL BEETLE SEASON The 2023-24 flight season of the Burnt Pine Longicorn (BPL) - and corresponding inspection of vessels - has now concluded, as announced by the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) in their notice 68-2024 yesterday (18 April). The annual season for the pest known as the BPL Beetle (Arhopalus ferus) extends from November to April/May each year. During this period, adult beetles can be intercepted at the Australian border on ships from New Zealand. The Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand (MPI NZ) officially advised DAFF that their current season would conclude at midnight, 23:59 hours on 18 April 2024. The BPL beetle often enters Australia on vessels and cargo, including imported timber and machinery from New Zealand. Adult beetles seek shelter in dark secluded areas during daylight and in imported containers and packaging. Adults are active from dusk to dawn and are attracted to light. DAFF says timber products imported from New Zealand will no longer be subject to specific import requirements that are applied during the BPL flight season. #BPL #containerpest

DAFF EXPANDS SCOPE OF CONTAINER INSPECTIONS The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is expanding the scope of eligible sea containers permitted to be inspected under the Approved Arrangement Class 14.4 - Rural tailgate inspection. They have just issued notice no. 24-2024 with detailed information on the matter. It concerns the biosecurity clearance of sea freight containers imported into Australia and destined for unpack in a rural location. The expanded class 14.4 conditions authorise industry to inspect: - Containers where the commodity has been assessed and released on documentation, or by discussion with DAFF under certain permit conditions; - Containers with commodities requiring mandatory treatment prior to a rural tailgate inspection being performed. DAFF has published informative text and awareness video on their website to assist participants to comply with the conditions of their arrangement. The material includes information on industry direction types, identification and management of biosecurity risks with the container, release of containers from biosecurity control and reporting of inspection outcomes. Read more on our news page: https://lnkd.in/g3x_rCWk #container #biosecurity #clearance

I am happy 😊 to share that, I completed Agroforestry 101: Enhancing Livelihoods and Ecosystem Resilience e-course from RECOFTC Organization, Thailand. With Climate Change and its effects such as drought, excess heat, flooding and food issues; Agroforestry and forestry are pivotal. Let's Champion the three components: Trees, Crops and Livestock in our farming systems as well as having good routine management practices.

All #farmers should benefit if the #InflationReductionAct #conservation dollars are brought into the #FarmBill. Right now, they won't. Moving and then expanding IRA conservation dollars in the farm bill to address other resource concerns can help #farmers and #ranchers not only adopt practices on the farm that sequester carbon and reduce GHG emissions, but the financial and technical assistance can help with regulatory compliance associated with Waters of the United States, Endangered Species Act, or the Clean Water Act among others. U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry - Republican https://lnkd.in/g2eSvCpK

A reminder from Hoard's Dairyman about farm safety: “It’s the time of year when harvesting equipment is running all day and long into the night. Crops are coming off the fields, manure is moving to the fields, and on a dairy farm, the normal daily tasks must still take place. All this activity also makes fall one of the most dangerous times of the year for agriculture. That’s the reason why this third week of September has been proclaimed National Farm Safety and Health Week by every sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. “ “Unfortunately, agriculture remains one of the most dangerous occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 453 deaths of workers in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting category in 2021. “ “We urge you to keep safety in your mind as you work long hours to accomplish all the tasks on your plate. It is so easy to skip steps or make mistakes when working against the clock, but as the theme of this week suggests, you and the members of your team cannot be replaced if something goes tragically wrong.” Link: https://lnkd.in/g73UzWX3 #nationalfarmsafetyweek #agriculture #wheatharvest #cornharvest #sorghum #soybeans #farminglife #ranchlife

Community driven regenerative ocean farming can help us restore our oceans and waters by 2030. While challenges exist, projects like C-FAARER and the brilliant professionals and ocean farmers involved are navigating these under-explored waters in an effort to deliver a roadmap for policy-makers and others to follow. "On the one hand, European nations are seeking to expand the industrial development of the blue economy to meet economic goals and increasing population demands, while on the other hand, the natural environment’s ability to retain life-supporting systems is struggling to keep pace with such pressures."

Could our water be making our medicine less effective? 💧 The often overlooked role of water sources in the emergence and spread of #AntimicrobialResistance (AMR) is at the heart of a white paper released by Shawview Consulting last month. ‘Managing, Measuring, Mitigating – Gaining a One Health perspective on removing antimicrobial residues from water’ synthesises the important results of discussions held during a workshop of the same name, held earlier this year. We were proud to co-convene the roundtable event at the National Press Club of Australia, alongside our colleagues from CSIRO’s Minimising AMR Mission, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and MTPConnect’s Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network. #AMR #AntimicrobialStewardship #OneHealth

Saving Our Soils During Drought #SNSWInnovationHub has done significant work to support #droughtresilience for farmers through improved knowledge and practices in soil health. The #futuredroughtfund Saving Our Soils During Drought project has been a major focus for the hub, working in partnership with NSW Local Land Services. Our latest SPOKE newsletter includes a great summary of the project achievements, including out 3D Stock Confinement Area Virtual Introduction, which offers advice, insights and virtual tours of two working conferment areas. There’s also a guide to confinement feeding, plus videos and webinars to help farmers manage stock in dry times, protect their soils, and rebuild productivity faster. See the guide to Saving Our Soils resources in SPOKE https://loom.ly/mBrbgdE #farminginnovators #farmingforthefuture @Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry