New or Niche Crops and Great Farming Ideas

SPOTTED GUM TOPS FARM TIMBER LIST

2007-02-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

SPOTTED GUM TOPS FARM TIMBER LIST.
Top quality 'appearance-grade' timber has been produced from plantations in low rainfall areas of the Murray Darling Basin, according to researcher Russell Washusen. Some species produced more than twice as much as the industry standard species.

http://www.csiro.au/news/mediarel/mr1999/mr9929.html

Rainforest trees grow bigger, faster

2007-02-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

I think this will work with any crop, trees or not.
the pacific islanders have been putting small unedible fish that would normally be wasted under crops for eons.

below from csiro
http://www.csiro.gov.au/files/mediaRelease/mr1999/Rainforest.htm

Rainforest trees grow bigger, faster
Rainforest trees planted on farms in north Queensland can grow 50 percent bigger within three months of planting and use far less fertiliser, due to an innovative technique developed by CSIRO scientists.

The method is proving so successful it is already being exported to Australia's Pacific neighbours, Fiji, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.

The new technique uses slow release fertiliser within a nursery medium so that the fertilisers are already in the root zone of the nursery seedlings before they are planted.

This technique uses 30 times less nitrogen and 100 times less phosphorus than is currently used by industry on tree seedlings after they have been planted.

wagyu beef heavily marbled meat

2007-02-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

wagyu beef, wagyu beef, wagyu beef

Wagyu beef, considered by the Japanese as the red-meat of choice

While the preferred cross in Australia is Wagyu-Angus, the Japanese breed a Wagyu-Freisan-Holstein cross.

After poor results using Australian rations, marbling improved markedly after trying a Japanese recipe.

heavily marbled meat
Marbling is graded between 1 and 9 in Australia, 9 being the highest.

They're bred from producers from as far as Victoria through to North Queensland.

The breed is renowned for its rich, marbled flesh.

Australia's biggest beef cattle company, AACo, has 7,000 Wagyu at its Aranui feedlot in central Queensland.
Less than 10 per cent of AACo's Wagyu is sold domestically. The majority goes to the US, Japan, Korea and South-East Asia.
Greg Gibbons, AACo Aroni Feedlots
07 4662 5200

Benita Davis, Executive Officer, Australian Wagyu Association
02 6773 2472

Ginseng, Ginseng, Ginseng.

2007-02-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

Ginseng (Genus Panax, Family Araliaceae) is a slow-growing perennial herbaceous plant that grows to about a half metre tall.

The seed may take two or three years to germinate and the plant three to four years to produce seed. The root takes at least three to four years before it is ready to harvest.

Five to seven-year-old roots command higher prices.

Ginseng requires distinctly cold winters, to meet its dormancy requirement so the plant can shoot again after winter.
Ginseng requires very high levels of shade (70-80% shade)

A period of 100 days of temperatures less than 10 C is the best available estimate.

A number of sources suggest the best growing temperatures to be 18 C to 22 C.

Higher temperatures appear not to adversely affect the plant.

Ginseng appears tolerant of a range of soil types. A well-drained soil seems important and a pH of about 5.8 produces good results.

Ginseng is not a heavy user of nutrients.

There is growing evidence that ginseng has a high dependency on a symbiotic association with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM).

Ginseng requires the soil to remain moist most of the time. A summer rainfall climate with annual precipitation of 600-900mm is adequate without the need for irrigation.

The plant growth hormone gibberellic acid, which is endogenous to ginseng, has been shown to have an effect on reducing the need for the cold phase of dormancy. This was achieved at a high concentration, 3,000mg/l. The use of this hormone on a commercial scale could reduce the production cycle for ginseng by at least one year.
Gibberellic acid can be recommended for commercial use by growers in areas where winter dormancy requirements are not met.

The chemical potassium nitrate was also found to reduce the dormancy requirement of the root.

Two species comprise most of the commercial trade:

Panax ginseng (Korean, Asian or Chinese ginseng) is native to Korea, China and eastern Russia.
Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) is native to the eastern half of North America with distribution from Louisiana into Canada.

The best Prices are for Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) grown in the Autralian Bush.

Australian Ginseng Growers Association. AGGA promotes the growing and marketing of ginseng as an agricultural crop in Australia
http://www.ginseng.org.au/

Demand grows for wiltshire sheep

2007-02-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

Wiltshire Horn sheep now a viable alternative for farmers of prime lamb.
Also the people who have moved to the country for a tree change.
The fact they shed their own fleece is now seen as a great help rather than a hindrance.
http://www.wonoka.com.au/

A new bread without horns, called Wiltipolls
http://www.wiltipoll.com/

Capers

2007-02-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

Capers are a drought-resistant crop, can handle high salinity, grown in poor-nutrient soils.
Capers also have an amazing root system, a very fine root system that picks up any moisture on the surface,
also a tap root that can go down to 10m or 12m just looking for any moisture.

Basically where olives thrive, capers will also grow.