A01 Agriculture

Trifecta of calamities to deplete crop harvest

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sue Neales
The Australian – Page: 19 : 11-Sep-14

Severe frosts in the southern part of New South Wales are likely to affect early wheat crops in areas around Wagga, West Wyalong, Griffith and Hillston. In Western Australia and Victoria, crops may be smaller as a result of below-average rainfall. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural & Resource Economics & Sciences forecasts national wheat production of 24.2 million tonnes for 2014, which is 10 per cent lower than the previous year

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND SCIENCES

Almond harvest profits go nuts

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sue Neales
The Australian – Page: 20 : 26-Aug-14

Select Harvests has posted a 2013-14 full-year net profit increase to an all-time high $A29m, as almond prices rose by a third and this compensated for a harvest that was down 17% after a poor season. The company has acquired three additional orchards and will source $A47m in fresh capital via a share issue priced at $A5.35. The final distribution is $A0.09 unfranked. MD Paul Thompson said Select Harvests was aiming to reduce its gearing to below 40%

CORPORATES
SELECT HARVESTS LIMITED – ASX SHV

Investors queueing for elusive dairy farms

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 39 : 18-Aug-14

The Australian Dairy Farms Group plans to list on the Australian sharemarket in October 2014. However, there are relatively few opportunities for investors to buy into companies that own dairy farms, despite the strong growth in demand for dairy products in recent years. Corporate and Chinese investors account for more than 50 per cent of investors who will attend the Australian Dairy Farm Investment Forum in September

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN DAIRY FARMS LIMITED, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, BELL FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX BFG, WARRNAMBOOL CHEESE AND BUTTER FACTORY COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX WCB, PACTUM DAIRY GROUP PTY LTD, HARVEY FRESH, DAIRY AUSTRALIA, KIDDER WILLIAMS LIMITED, ACE FARMING PTY LTD, VALAD PROPERTY GROUP, BLACKSTONE REAL ESTATE ADVISORS LLC, DUXTON ASSET MANAGEMENT PTE LTD, NORCO CO-OPERATIVE LIMITED

Forrest outed as loan friend of farmers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 17 : 1-Aug-14

Fortescue Metals Group chair Andrew Forrest has been revealed as the source of no-interest loans made to drought-affected farmers in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia (WA) during 2010. The well-known philanthropist has since also set up the Australia-Sino 100-Year Agricultural & Food Partnership scheme, which aims to strengthen the ties between local producers and Chinese food companies such as New Hope Group and Wilmar International. Forrest is optimistic Australia can become an even greater supplier of rural commodity exports to China. He has acquired WA meat processing market leader Harvey Beef for $A30m

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, HARVEY BEEF, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), NEW HOPE GROUP, WILMAR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, GOODMAN FIELDER LIMITED – ASX GFF, MEAT AND LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AAC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, MINDEROO PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Growers grumpy over hidden fees as Woolies makes us eat our vegies

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 17 : 31-Jul-14

Scott Davidson, head of produce at Woolworths, says the recent fresh food promotion featuring celebrity cook Jamie Oliver lifted sales in the category by 7% per customer and store visit. Over the six-week period in June and July 2014 the supermarkets chain says it sold an extra four million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables. However AusVeg, the lobbying body for the producers, says many are unhappy at having had to contribute $A0.40 a crate to the cost of the marketing push

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUS VEG

Retailers ‘will lose out to Chinese’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 18 : 29-Jul-14

Dominant supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths have been urged to raise their farmgate prices, or risk losing supply as primary producers instead export to the lucrative market in China. The warning has come from Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, who noted that the companies are selling white label milk for just $A1 a litre when consumers in China are prepared to pay $A7 or more. Joyce also said he fully backed a Federal Court case by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission against Coles, over alleged unconscionable conduct in its relations with food sector suppliers

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, NORCO CO-OPERATIVE LIMITED, MURRAY GOULBURN CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY LIMITED

Visit sowed seed for Olam grain purchase

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rick Wallace
The Australian – Page: 18 : 7-Jul-14

Mitsubishi Corporation’s interest in Australia’s grain market stemmed from a visit to a grain terminal by chairman Yorihiko Kojima in 2008. The Japanese company has acquired Olam International’s Australian handling infrastructure for nearly $A70 million. Kojima said that his visit revealed the financial and technological advancement of the Australian agriculture sector. Kojima is part of a delegation arriving in Australia on 7 July 2014

CORPORATES
MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, OLAM INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, SUMITOMO CORPORATION, EMERALD GRAIN PTY LTD, MITSUI AND COMPANY LIMITED, PLUM GROVE PTY LTD, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

Farmers may profit from gas

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Jun : 25-Jun-14

Australian Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane has argued that the current friction between farmers and the gas sector especially in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria could be addressed by giving the former a share of the royalties. While this would overturn the long-held legal position that rural landholders do not own the resources below the ground, an access and royalty sharing regime has already been negotiated in Queensland. Santos and AGL Energy have also struck similar deals in NSW, but have upset their rivals with the move. Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce backs the push as well. Meanwhile Macfarlane says there will be no domestic gas reservation policy

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGK, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA, TRANSFIELD SERVICES LIMITED – ASX TSE, AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION ASSOCIATION LIMITED