Farmgate Stall holder profile: CT Fine foods
There are many producers of great food products at the NSDA -Farmgate Market located at the Pier. CT Fine Foods is one of them. They use the best all natural ingredients to make this high quality staple, pasta.  Please 'read more' for a profile of the people and products of CT Fine Foods.

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Kylie Smart and her partner Jason Sierra; creative genius and chef, have been making pasta in Cairns for 3 years since moving from Mildura. Jason was working at Stefano Dipiri's Italian restaurant and gained some of his pasta making skills there. Kylie and Jason have come together and created some unique flavoured pasta from Squid Ink Linguine to Preserved Lemon and Pepper Fettucine. The favourite of the customers is Roasted Garlic and Chilli Linguine. Free range eggs from the Tablelands and Duram wheat from Tamworth(that is not genetically modified nor chemically stored or bleached) is used in the pasta.  

Duram wheat has been in cultivation for about 10000 years. It was formed by the crossing of Triticum species and Aegilops species. Then humans have selected the natural mutations to yield our current varieties. "Duram" in Latin means hard and this type of wheat stores well.  

They also stock Pesto, Ravioli, Gnoochi and Dukkah a nut, seed and spice mix. CT Fine Foods have won the Bronze Medal two years in a row (2008 and 2009) at the Royal Sydney Fine Food Show for their Gluten free (not Duram wheat) Coriander and Kaffir Lime Tagliatelle. These pastas are sent to Melbourne, Sunshine Coast, Darwin and are available at Farmgate, Rusties, The Edge and Port Douglas. Come down next Saturday to the Farmgate Market in the Pier eat some good food and support your local producers.

By Berend Akkerman

Advance Cairns, with the expert assistance of Gerard Byrne, co-author of Grants in Australia Book, and Margaret Darveniza, well-renowned facilitator, will host a series of Grant Writing Workshops across the region on one day next month.

The half-day workshops will be held in two locations - Cairns and Atherton.

Date: Tuesday, August 11

Cost: $22.00 p/p

Cairns: Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland Training Rooms

192 Mulgrave Rd, Cairns

Time: 8.30am - 11.30am

Atherton: Stan Moses Hall, Vernon Street, Atherton

Time: 5.30pm - 8pm

Presenters: Gerard Byrne & Margaret Darveniza

To register: phone 4080 2900, or email admin@advancecairns.com

RSVP: COB - Friday, August 7

Payment by Cheque or Cash - NO CREDIT CARD FACILITIES AVAILABLE

 

RIRDC Rural Research Funding
Applications for Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) funding and scholarships for 2010-11 will open on 10 August 2009.

The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation invests in the knowledge needs of our three portfolio areas:

• New rural industries;
• Specific established rural industries; and
• Cross-sectoral national rural issues

RIRDC welcomes funding and scholorship proposals that will meet the specific objectives, or a number of objectives, as outlined in the research priorities and in more detail in program Five-Year Plans.

For more information about making an application, please go to the RIRDC website.

RIRDC Rural Women's Award
Rural women are encouraged to enter themselves or nominate someone they think is up to a new and exciting challenge.

The Award celebrates rural women and their contributions to primary industries. It gives rural women the chance to discover their strengths and build their capacity to contribute to primary industries and rural Australia. But just as importantly the Award opens up a positive and powerful network of liked minded women across the country who are passionate about primary industries and rural Australia.

Applications close on World Rural Women's Day-15th October 2009.

Application forms are available from RIRDC (02) 6271 4100, State Departments of Agriculture, Primary Industries and Resource Development and from ABC Radio Regional Stations. You can download the Application Brochure and Entry Form  in pdf form.

(source: http://www.ruralwomensaward.gov.au)

 

The Australian Farm Institute (AFI) has recently commission a research report ‘Value in Value Chains: Collaborative Business Models and Farm Accreditation Systems Examined'.  This report may be of interest to food producers in the region who are looking for the best way to market and sell their produce.

Food for Thought - SPIN - a new model for Urban Agriculture

Are you looking to increase food production on your urban block?  Have you been eyeing off a piece of vacant urban land and imagining it overflowing with fruit and veg?  Would you like to turn your veggie patch from a hobby to a commercial operation?  Perhaps the SPIN model of urban agriculture/horticulture has some ideas that could help you achieve these goals. 

Small Plot Intensive (SPIN) Agriculture started in Canada and is an increasingly popular method of urban food production and associated business model in that country.  According to the official SPIN Farming website, "SPIN-Farming is a non-technical, easy-to-learn and inexpensive-to-implement vegetable farming system that makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases under an acre in size."  and the following benefits are listed:

• Its precise revenue targeting formulas and organic-based techniques make it possible to gross (Canadian)$50,000+ from a half- acre.
• You don't need to own land. You can affordably rent or barter a small piece of land adequate in size for SPIN-Farming production.
• It works in either the city, country or small town.
• It fits into any lifestyle or life cycle.

Please visit the SPIN Farming website if you are interested in learning more.

Australian Farming Moves North?
The Australian Farming Institute is an independent organisation that conducts research into farm policy issues.  It has recently published the Farm Policy Journal titled 'Hype, hope or just hard work? Agriculture in northern Australia' and this was reported on in the Queensland Country Life (farmonline, 23/7/09, M. Carwood).  The Journal investigates the pros and cons of increasing agricultural production and investment in the northern regions of Australia, seen by some as an untapped agricultural and water resource.

A copy of the Journal is available for purchase at the Australian Farming Institute website.

 

Organic Beef?

The Queensland Country Life (farmonline 31/7/09 K.Burke) has recently reported the findings of a survey of butchers on the topic of organic beef.  The survey was conducted by Choice.  Interestingly, a significant number of butchers surveyed were unable to provide their customers with accurate information about organic meats nor provide 'organic' verification of their produce.  The Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) has responded to the survey by reminding customers to be aware of appropriate organic certification.  Also the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA) has issued a Position Statement on the issue of Australian Standards for organic and biodynamic produce with the aim of protecting customers against false claims of organic produce.

Please click here for a full copy of the Country Life article and here  for a copy of the BFA media release.