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| Bastak was established by director High Food Enginer
Mr Zeki Demirtasoglu as a Bastak Gida Makine Medikal
Paz.Ith.Ihr.San.Tic.Ltd.Sti. in 1999. The company produces flour additives and quality control apparatus which are sold both domestically in Turkey and on the international market. Click on the image to visit the Bastak website. |
April 23, 2013
Bastak
April 22, 2013
Event: 7th Food Proteins Course
The course offers a unique combination of lectures by industry experts on the properties, processing, functionalities and applications of 10 different plant and animal-based proteins: soy, wheat, pea, potato, canola, egg albumin, casein, whey, gelatin and bio-active protein hydrolysates.
After these lectures all delegates will have seen, touched, felt and smelled the different proteins as such, in model systems and in the final applications.
The 7th Food Proteins Course is part of the Protein Innovation Network (PIN) in partnership with Bridge2food.
Read more...
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| A fried egg, sunny side up. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
22/04/2013: Grain handlers wary of toxin lingering in corn harvest; KSU appoints feed technology associate professor; Putin to meet Egyptian president to discuss grain supplies
Problems with the toxic residue of a mold that attacked the 2012 drought-hit US corn crop may worsen this summer and autumn as Midwest farmers blend off tainted supplies held in storage, grain experts say.
The substance, aflatoxin, is a chronic problem in dry, hot southern states like Texas where stressed crops are vulnerable to the mold. But in 2012, the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century extended the aflatoxin threat moved northward into the heart of the Midwest, resulting in the biggest outbreak since the 1980s.
"As we get into summer, you are going to see the worst of it," said Doug Bartlett, co-owner of Midwest Farm Services, an advisory service in Higginsville, Missouri. "We have tight corn supplies and when we get down to the nitty gritty, there is going to be a lot of the aflatoxin left over, and it will have to be blended off into the new crop," he said.
On April 17, Kansas State University (KSU) announced the addition of Charles Stark to the College of Agriculture as he joins the Department of Grain Science and Industry and the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry.
Stark will serve as the Jim and Carol Brown associate professor in feed technology and manufacturing and faculty coordinator of the O.H. Kruse Feed Technology Innovation Center.
A native of Hastings, Nebraska, USA, Stark was raised on a small dairy farm, but made his way to Kansas when he attended Kansas State where he earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and his master’s and doctorate’s degrees in grain science.
In this new position, Stark says he is most excited to be able to give back to the feed industry. “I believe the feed science program is at a crossroads in history with this unique faculty position,” Stark said.
“The opening of the O.H. Kruse Feed Technology Innovation Center will allow the faculty and staff to build upon the rich history of both departments, while creating new and exciting programs that will provide global leadership and help feed 9 billion people by 2050.”
President Vladimir Putin held talks with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Friday, April 19, 2013, to discuss the resolution of crises in the Middle East, Russian grain supplies to Egypt, and the development of tourism.
"The main topic was Russian-Egyptian relations," presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding that other topics included tourism, cooperation in the grain market as "an integral part of bilateral relations."
Peskov noted that Russian grain supplies had been suspended for some time but then resumed in part. "This is a question of demand and supply," he said and added that these are commercial supplies.
"Despite instability in the world economy and the strained sociopolitical situation in the Middle East and North Africa, bilateral trade between the two countries has increased by almost 70 percent over the past two years. In 2012, trade turnover had reached a record level of 3.5 billion U.S. dollars. Grain makes up over 50 percent of Russian exports to Egypt," the presidential press service said.
Russia meets up to 40 percent of Egypt's wheat needs. In 2012, Russia exported 5.2 million of wheat (worth 1.5 billion US dollars) to Egypt.
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| To increase the genetic diversity of U.S. corn, the Germplasm Enhancement for Maize (GEM) project seeks to combine exotic germplasm, such as this unusually colored and shaped maize from Latin America, with domestic corn lines. U Deutsch: Maiskolben (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
April 19, 2013
19/04/2013: Alltech New Mexico announces Eric Hibbard as regional sales manager; Zimbabwe engages private millers to import grain; Paraguay planning free trade port in Chile
Hibbard was raised on a family dairy near Gilbert, Ariz., and following high school, Hibbard attended Central Arizona College on a baseball scholarship. Graduating in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics and business management, Hibbard worked at the University of Arizona Dairy Extension Department and, in 2011, joined Alltech as the territory sales representative for Arizona and Southern California.
“Coming from a farming background myself, I value strong relationships with peers in the industry because, at the end of the day, we all have to bring value to our operations and we’re all in the business together. I’m looking forward to meeting the farms in the area and servicing them with Alltech’s holistic support approach including a wide of technologies and on-farm services,” Hibbard said.
The government in Zimbabwe has engaged private millers to import grain to compliment its effort in ensuring food security in the country, says Tendai Biti, finance minister.
Presenting his March state of the economy report, Biti said millers made a commitment to import 150 000 tonnes of maize, with some already importing it from South Africa at US$320 per tonne.
Following erratic rainfall, farmers are this year expected to produce 800 000 metric tonnes of maize against 2,2 million metric tonnes needed to feed the nation annually.
“Given the constrained fiscal space, the involvement of the private sector in importation of grain is unavoidable. Hence, it is paramount that government continues to encourage the current ongoing private sector initiatives in the importation of grain,” Biti said.
The grain importation programme would be funded by both government and private sector players.
The grain importation programme would be funded by both government and private sector players.
Charles Taffs, commercial farmers union president said the country was facing a grain deficit because lots of maize land has been converted to tobacco farming, thereby threatening food security in the country.
Paraguay is considering the possibility of building a port in Chile for grain cargo, meat handling, exports, and imports, according to Richard Kent, federal planning minister.
In a meeting with Federico Franco, Paraguay's president, Christian Blanc
entrepreneur, and Fernando Nicora, head of the national navigation and ports authority ANNP, a Paraguayan free trade zone in the port of Antofagasta, Chile was discussed, according to a presidential release.
"This is a long term policy... it is putting the plans down for where Paraguay's development will go over the next 30 years," according to Kent. The release notes that it's unlikely the government will take action on the plan before Franco's presidential term has ended, but that they are leaving "the seeds and mapped routes" to help the following regimes.
Paraguayans will vote to elect a new president on April 21. In the countdown to election day, the race between Efrain Alegre and Horacio Cartes, Colorado party candidate is close.
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| A man picks up grains of fallen maize by the Harare-Masvingo road, Zimbabwe (Photo credit: NewsDay) |
April 18, 2013
18/04/2013: Biomin Mycotoxin survey report 2012; Anpario announces increase in sales and profits; county could be home to huge grain facility
Biomin is proud to introduce its 2012 mycotoxin analysis results. This data will enable you to assess the risk level incurred by the use of commodities from certain regions.
In the 12-month period last year, a total of 4,023 samples were analysed and 14,468 analysis were carried out for the most important mycotoxins in terms of agriculture and animal production - aflatoxins (Afla) zearalenone (ZEN) deoxynivalenol (DON) fumonisins (FUM) and ochratoxin A (OTA).
Samples were sourced from several different regions including; America (North and South), Asia (South-East, South and North), Oceania, Europe (Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern), Middle East and Africa.
Anpario plc has announced increased profits and earnings per share for the year ended 31 December 2012.
Total underlying profits before tax and exceptional items increased by 39 per cent to £3.1m (2011: £2.2m) on sales up 23 percent at £23.5m (2011: £19.2m). Underlying earnings per shareincreased by 49 per cent to 13.32p per share (2011: 8.94p per share) and there was also advance in gross profit, which was ahead by 33 per cent to £7.7m (2011: £5.8m) reflecting the contribution from Meriden’s portfolio, production efficiencies and a richer product mix in the UK.
The balance sheet remains strong and debt free with a year-end cash balance of £3.7m (2011: £4.4m) after a net cash outlay of £2.6m to acquire Meriden and associated costs and a final dividend of 3p per share is proposed, an increase of 25 per cent over the previous year’s payment of 2.4p.
“The Group’s performance has been excellent and shows that the investments made to our production plant and our focus on value-added feed additives is delivering the expected benefits. The acquisition of Meriden has enhanced our product range and global market share," said David Bullen, Anpario chief executive.
A proposed grain-handling facility, expected to handle up to 400 truckloads of corn and soybeans per day, has sparked considerable interest and concerns from residents of southeastern Columbia County, said Steve Rubert, chairman of the town of Fountain Prairie.
An annual meeting is expected to include much discussion on a proposal from Landmark Services Cooperative to locate a new grain shuttle loading facility in the town of Fountain Prairie.
Cassandra Strommen of Landmark described, in a news release, the proposed facility as “state of the art,” and said it would be the second of its kind in Wisconsin. The first, in Evansville, was completed in 2002.
A shuttle facility, Strommen explained, allows farmers to store their grain so they can sell it at what they think is the best economic time. Rail systems are part of the structure, so that train cars can load and unload directly from the bin.
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| Grain (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
April 17, 2013
17/04/2013: Tesco abandons non-GM feed promise; code ruffles feathers; Port Metro Vancouver approves $120 million grain terminal expansion
Supermarket giant Tesco has dropped its long-standing assurance that its poultry meat and eggs do not come from birds fed on genetically modified feed.
The retailer ended its 11 year ethical commitment, claiming that due to modern methods and increased production of GM soya in the world's major grain exporting nations it can no longer vouch for its poultry feed. The commitment originally applied to Tesco's own-brand products.
The announcement comes just one month after the retailer published poetically worded full-page apologies in major newspapers and pledged to improve its traceability, source more of its meat products from within the UK, treat its farmers more fairly and simplify its supply chains.
A grains industry roundtable is pushing the idea of a voluntary code of conduct for farmers in order to send a message to government about the production sector’s commitment to best practice.
Heading the Grain Stewardship Taskforce is Andrew Weidemann, Grain Producers Australia chairman. Mr Weidemann says the development of a code of conduct will be critical if the industry wants to remain free of further legislative restrictions, particularly in the field of chemical use.
“This is something we are doing to try and be proactive and set some guidelines for ourselves, rather than have them set for us,” he said.
He added that the stewardship initiative was about utilising the proven track record the grains sector already had for best management practices and creating a set standard that could be tangibly demonstrated across the board.
Initially, the stewardship program will focus on chemical management and on-farm storage and handling, which also has a strong chemical focus with the use of fumigants.
Richardson International has been given the green light to begin the CA$120 million expansion of its Vancouver grain terminal by Port Metro Vancouver.
The expansion, representing the single largest investment at the port for more than twenty years, will increase the storage capacity of the grain export facility, which has been running at capacity for several years, by as much as 82 percent to 178,000 tonnes.
“We are very pleased to move forward with this project as we see it as key to meeting growing demand from global markets,” said Darwin Sobkow, executive vice-president, Agribusiness Operations.
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| A grains industry roundtable is pushing the idea of a voluntary code of conduct for farmers |
April 16, 2013
16/04/2013: Kiotechagil on European pig farming technology; Ghana students converting Cassava to animal feed; tickets now available for Cereals 2013
Kiotechagil China, part of Anpario plc and their distributor YueXing Biotechnology, recently hosted two conferences in Guangdong province where the current standards of EU pig production and performance data were debated.
The conferences were attended by nearly 300 local pig farmers who were invited by local sub-distributor Mei Ligao. The farmers were addressed by Murray Hyden the director of biosecurity for Kiotechagil, Dr Wang, the technical director for Kiotechagil China as well as the president and manager of Mei Ligao.
Murray Hyden commented, “These conferences provided perfect opportunities to keep local farmers in China in tune with current European farming practices and also the implications of the 2013 regulation change with regards group housing of gestating sows. We also covered the trend towards outdoor pigs in the UK, the reasons behind the banning of antibiotics for prophylactic use, the benefits and pitfalls of liquid feeding and an introduction to the advantages of protected acid systems.”
Dr Wang introduced a new product for China, Clean’n Dry, a drying agent for piglets with an emollient to keep skin supple and with essential oils to provide an antibacterial effect. The product has been shown to have a calming effect on piglets leading to reduced aggression and enhanced performance.
Instead of tossing a commonly grown South American vegetable's peels into the trash, an innovative group of college students in Ghana is recycling cassava peels into animal feed. Cassava - a starchy, maize-like crop popularly grown in South America - typically provides a basic carbohydrate diet to 502 million people worldwide, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
As the crop is inexpensive and readily available in Ghana, three students from Kwadaso Agricultural College in the Ashanti Region wanted to use the peels to solve environmental challenges and cut the costs of animal feed, according to Ghana Business News. As the price for maize-based animal feed has been increasing due to tough competition for limited supplies among both man and beasts, the students proposed the cassava peels could be used as a substitution.
"The cereal is not even enough for human consumption yet animals are also competing for it," said Marcellinus Babai, one of the students participating in the program. "Beyond us putting into practice what we have learned from school, we also want to resort to cheaper but available sources of animal feed with the intention to help solve the problem of high inputs in animal production."
Cereals 2013 is set to be the only event to provide the most up to date technical information for the entire arable industry.
Returning to the Boothby Graffoe site in Lincolnshire, Cereals 2013 offers an unrivaled opportunity to meet the experts from across the sector and find new ways to improve your business.
Hundreds of suppliers will showcase new and existing crop varieties, machinery, equipment and the latest thinking at both a strategic and practical level for all arable farmers and advisors.
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