The Well-connected Farmer and the Digital Economy

BROCHURE

A fisherman catches fish, but, rather than take the wholesaler's price, he takes photos and videos, uploads them to his website and sells direct to restaurants and retailers who want HIS fish. The catch is sold before he lands and his customers have the fish within 4 hours. Their customers in turn have fresh fish on the plate that evening. Fresh fish, no middle man, great customer relationships, food with class. The fisherman changed his life.

According to ICT (Information, Communication, Technology) business pioneer Darren Alexander this is just one example of how businesses can take control over their own destinies in the new digital economy. He says the place to be is Digital Main Street and anyone from anywhere with imagination and something to sell can hang their shingle out and mix it with the best.

One of the Federal Government's 20 Digital Champions, experts in their fields charged with helping households and businesses to better understand how they can benefit from high-speed broadband, Darren Alexander is well placed to talk about the possibilities inherent in the digital economy for rural businesses including farming enterprises.

In just 20 years he has built a small regional Tasmanian software company into a world-leading supplier of software and marketing tools for the paint and building product industries, in colour education and general graphic and web design services for leading paint manufacturers and sellers and other clients in 22 countries. Ballarat business icon Haymes Paints is a client.

"The internet is a real game-changer that allows rural-based businesses to compete as though they are in the biggest city," said Mr Alexander.

"As faster internet speeds become available incredible opportunities will emerge, many we can't even think of now."

"People may think they have fast internet now, but speeds are slow compared to what is possible," said Mr. Alexander.

“Current internet is like a two lane country road with speed restriction zones and even traffic lights. The broadband that will revolutionise business and communication and a sense of connectedness in rural areas is more like a multi-lane super freeway.”

He points to health care as one example. In future doctors will be able to conduct real time consultations and examinations while patients remain in their homes or care facilities. This will put the best medical service in reach of people living in rural areas so they don't have to travel long distances or be denied the best care.

Farmers and other rural businesses likewise can look forward to incredible opportunities from areas such as controlling on farm operations instantly and remotely to gaining access to markets everywhere to both sell produce and purchase inputs at the best terms.

Darren Alexander will speak at the Rural Digital Economy Workshops organised by Central Highlands Agribusiness Forum and funded by Rural Development Australia:

December 8^th

SMEATON (8:30 am to 10:30 am), Cumberland Hotel, Main St,

WAUBRA (11.30 pm – 2.00 pm), Waubra Community Centre,

LINTON (4.00 pm – 6.00 pm), Golden Plains Shire Office, Sussex Street, Linton

December 9^th

WALLACE (8.30 am – 10.30 am) Wallace Hotel, 741 Bungaree Wallace Road

RSVP's for these events are essential, please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CHAF RURAL FINANCE INNOVATIONS IN AGRIBUSINESS AWARD 2011

THE AWARD:

Rural Finance is pleased to offer a $1,000 award for the farmer, forester, processor or marketer within the CHAF region who is able to demonstrate how their business can add value to the agribusiness sector by applying new or innovative practices.

Nominations and applications close on Friday November 4, 2011 by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or post to Patrick Murphy, Executive Officer, CHAF, 619 Humffray Street South, Ballarat 3350.

AWARD CRITERIA:

The Award will be given to the individual, team or agribusiness in the Central Highlands Region that is able to best demonstrate that their business

1. Shows high potential for profit by adopting new production processes or systems
2. Demonstrates innovation in production or marketing
3. Creates a vision for the future
4. Demonstrates sustained growth
5. Shows a monitoring process to demonstrate the business is innovative and successful.
6. Demonstrates a strategic approach to environmental management and succession planning

The Innovations in Agribusiness winner will be decided by a panel drawn from the CHAF board. The panel’s selection will be based on the application and any further information that may be required; final selection may involve a brief interview.

The panel’s selection is final. The award will be presented at the CHAF Annual Dinner following the Annual General Meeting on 17 November 2011.

Application forms can be downloaded by following this link CHAF Rural Finance Innovations in Agribusiness Award application form

Japan to Implement Feed-In Tariff

While the federal and state governments in the U.S. cobble together a hodge-podge of various incentives to support renewable energy (that often favor one source or fuel over another), countries like Japan, China and Germany are relying on national feed-in tariffs to reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Japan is the latest country to pass a feed-in tariff that, when the details are ironed out, will cover solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric power. The law is set to go into effect in July 2012, and aims to create 30,000 megawatts of new renewable energy development over the next 10 years, which is five times the amount the county is currently producing. The law will require utilities to purchase certain amounts of renewable electricity at above market rates, which haven’t yet been determined, for up to 20 years.

“The move has global implications, as the world’s third-largest economy follows that of the world’s second-largest economy, China, and the world’s fourth-largest economy, Germany, in implementing feed-in tariffs in order to rapidly develop  renewable energy,” said Paul Gipe, a feed-in tariff expert with Wind-Works.

Don’t know if that was a deliberate slam on the U.S., but it would seem that we are behind the curve when it comes to seriously developing renewable energy.

This feed-in tariff is expected to especially benefit wind and solar, but as I mentioned in an earlier blog, Japan is also looking to build biomass power facilities that would be fueled by debris from the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in March.

The new feed-in tariff is obviously a reaction to the crisis that arose when the Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged by the disaster. The government has been under a lot of pressure from their constituents to move away from nuclear power and I guess the people’s message has been heard loud and clear.

Reference: http://biomassmagazine.com/blog/article/2011/09/japan-to-implement-feed-in-tariff. Biomass Power and Thermal Magazine