Video: ‘Coffs Harbour food innovation ecosystem’ project wrap-up

The CRC’s ‘Coffs Harbour food innovation ecosystem’ project gathered key information on food and agribusinesses operating in the Coffs region of the NSW Mid North Coast and canvassed opinion from agrifood firms in the area. Coffs Harbour City Council worked with Queensland University of Technology to deliver the project. The findings will inform next steps in forming a food industry development plan for the region. The presentation and final report are now available on our website. Read more

CRC projects on show at Protected Cropping Australia Conference

A large contingent of academics and students from our partner research institutions showcased CRC projects at this year’s PCA Conference, with 13 researchers from Western Sydney University and four from University of New England bringing findings from our ‘Tomato rhizobiome’, ‘Smart glass’ and ‘Blueberry nutritional optimisation’ projects and the CRC-supported ‘National PC mapping’ project to the wider protected-cropping community. Read more

EcoMag scales up production of high-value Mg organics for nutraceuticals

Terrific results have been achieved in the CRC ‘EcoMag spray-drying’ project. The new processing protocols developed by UNSW researchers have enabled industry partner EcoMag to scale up rapidly to commercial production of inputs to nutraceutical products. On the basis of the research, EcoMag is now producing 10kg/day of high-grade Mg organics in its Sydney pilot plant, enabling it to fulfil a 400kg initial order for major US clients. Meanwhile, the UNSW team has reported promising early results in its quest to develop a novel method of producing high-mesoporous-surface-area Mg particles for use as carrier ingredients in health supplements and pharmaceuticals, potentially worth $1.5b p.a. Read more

Meet Craig Shephard: land-use mapping expert

Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre senior researcher and land-use mapping expert Craig Shephard leads the ‘National PC mapping’ project, an initiative of Protected Cropping Australia supported by Hort Innovation, University of New England, Local Land Services NSW and the CRC. Craig and his team are developing detailed mapping and industry information about protected cropping facilities nationally. Read more

Protected cropping strategy for Australia advocates collaborative ‘systems approach’

Our industry and research partners were key contributors to the recently launched ‘Australian Protected Cropping Strategy 2021-2030’, which lays out a pathway for the sector for the next nine years. The project was led by QDAF with funding from Hort Innovation, FIAL and the Protected Cropping Association. “A systems approach to RD&E is required to solve the challenges, and collaboration across industry players will be fundamental,” lead researcher Dr Elio Jovicich says. Hort Innovation Head of R&D Byron de Kock said, “It’s important to develop profitable and diversified value chains, identify opportunities to grow exports, develop a strong protected cropping workforce, and [harness new] approaches to automation, robotics and the use of key data [to ultimately] drive outcomes for growers.”. Read more

TCI Oceania Conference

4-6 May, Cairns

CRC partner FIAL is the Oceania chapter convenor of international industry cluster group, TCI. This year’s Oceania conference includes panel sessions and keynote speakers from across Australia and the world; a facilitated workshop, ‘Amplifying Cluster Impact by Design’, led by Dr Sam Bucolo, Executive Chair of the Australian Design Council; a trip to the Outer Barrier Reef; and visits to local industry clusters including the Far North Queensland (FNQ) Food Incubator. Read more