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Media Releases 2009
April 2009
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Ute win perfectly timed for Jondaryan family
17 April, 2009
Winning a new car would be thrilling news for anybody, but for the Hoare family, the timing was so perfect they were sure it was a belated April Fools’ Day joke.
Bill and Alex Hoare, from “Knapdale”, Jondaryan found out on April 2 that they had won a Ford XR6 ute in Pacific Seeds’ Seed Stampede Promotion.
“Finding out on the day after April Fools’ Day, I really thought it was a joke at first,” Mr Hoare said.
“I’ve only ever won a pot plant at a cent sale which I was thrilled about at the time,” Mrs Hoare said.
“So if that got me excited, you can imagine what winning a ute did to me – I’m stoked!”
The Ford XR6 formed the major prize in Pacific Seeds summer seed promotion, with the competition open to New South Wales and Queensland farmers who purchased a designated quantity of the company’s summer hybrids.
Winning the ute has solved a long-running transportation problem for the Hoare family, who - in the last twelve months - have bought a second property and welcomed their first child Ewan.
“We really did need it and to have it land in our laps like it did was just so lucky and so wonderful,” Mrs Hoare said.
Mrs Hoare said her husband Bill had to share his vehicle with their expanding workforce.
“We desperately needed another vehicle but we just didn’t have the financial ability to buy one,” Mrs Hoare said.
“It had gotten to the point where we had to sit down and plan how we could make it work financially and then the winning phonecall came.”
The Hoares grow a number of Pacific Seeds summer and winter varieties on their mixed cropping/backgrounding properties at Jandowae and Jondaryan.
To be eligible to gain one entry in the Seed Stampede competition, farmers had to purchase a total of 20 bags of any Pacific Seeds grain sorghum, corn, sunflower or forage sorghum variety between August 29, 2008 and March 31, 2009.
Image Caption: Taking possession of their brand new black Ford XR6 ute are Bill, Alex and Ewan Hoare.
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Pacific Seeds welcomes West Australian GM announcement
16 April, 2009
Agricultural seed company, Pacific Seeds has welcomed the recent announcement by WA Agriculture & Food Minister, Terry Redman regarding the GM Canola Trial sites.
“Pacific Seeds supports the recent announcement regarding the GM Canola Trial sites proceeding and advocate the need to take a managed approach allowing research into the use of GM Technology while the supply chain is monitored,” Pacific Seeds Senior Technical Specialist for Canola in Australia, Justin Kudnig said.
According to Pacific Seeds, the decision is also about providing choice for WA Canola Growers.
“It will provide an opportunity for growers to view current varieties and get an insight into new double haploids and hybrid technology will enhance the genetic potential of future Roundup Ready GM varieties,” Mr Kudnig said.
“Pacific Seeds are developing improved GM canola within targeted and realistic breeding timeframes to provide Australian growers with improved genetics.
“Additionally, this can now be achieved through increased breeding and trial work throughout canola growing districts in each of the approved states for GM trialling and commercialisation including Western Australia.”
Mr Kudnig said the opportunity to scrutinize and evaluate analysed and statistically valid yield trial results, herbicide efficacy, crop rotation benefits and overall gross returns is vital in making an informed decision.
“From there farmers can decide when and where it is appropriate to incorporate such varieties into their overall cropping programs,” he said.
“This evaluation will be done by growers as it always has been for all new products or varieties including all growing costs associated with the technology.”
All growers should consider undertaking a comparison of RR canola against the other herbicide tolerance systems to work out RR canola’s fit in their own cropping programs.
RR canola has an important and advantageous role to play within a sustainable farming system that utilises all applicable herbicide-tolerant varieties.
This will encourage ongoing sustainable use of all technologies available to growers and assist in addressing herbicide, disease and insect resistance management.
The canola industry is evolving in the areas of grain logistics and marketing of GM canola. A positive mindset continues to grow despite the pressures that would be faced by any industry attempting to embrace new technology to keep up with changing global climate conditions, dynamic agricultural commodity production and pricing economics.
“Pacific Seeds advocates a staged approach to the introduction of gene technology in food crops, so that the technology can be fully assessed and farmers and consumers have time to make informed decisions,” Mr Kudnig said.
Media Contact: Justin Kudnig
Pacific Seeds Senior Technical Specialist – Canola
Phone (03) 9339 9555
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