Agricultuer Newsletter November 2011

Agriculture & Aquaculture Newsletter
Objective of this Newsletter :

To spread information
November 2011
To Further Malaysias Agriculture & Aquaculture Industry
on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia

To gather like-minded
individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm

To improve the indus-
Our First Publication
try as what we can

Gather insights on
industry practices
Information on Train-
ing (Govt or Private)

Information on whats
The Agriculture & Aquaculture Newsletter (A&A) had been discussed since Merdeka Day of 2011, and with the help of all our contributors we were able to have our Inaugural Issue released this November 2011.
happening around the World in Agriculture
Our objective and aims for the newsletter are :
To spread information on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia To gather like-minded individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm To improve the industry as what we can Gather insights on industry practices Get to know farmers and their practices Information on whats happening around the World in Agriculture
Contributors :
MJ Joel Working at BioTech Corp (previously at United Plantation)
Mr Farmer aka Raymond Farms a Land in Keningau, Sabah Beh Kian Wei UPM Grad working with Twin Arrows Fertilizer Senny Ong Our Chinese Herb Specialist Johnny Lak Farming in Pajam & Matin
We would like to thank those who had taken the time to download and read our newsletter. We also hope that this will be the start of an exciting journey in the world of Agriculture & Aquaculture for Malaysians & others too.
Email : agrinaquanewsletter@gmail.com
Disclaimer : All articles written are based on Contributors experience and personal opinions and views. All contributors does not allow their articles copied or used without prior consent. Thank you
** If you are able to contribute articles relating to Aquaculture, please email us. Thank You **

To spread information on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia To gather like-minded individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm To improve the industry as what we can Gather insights on industry practices Information on Training (Govt or Private) Information on whats happening around the World in Agriculture
Law of the Minimum - Liebig's Law by Beh Kian Wei
Contributors :
MJ Joel Working at BioTech Corp (previously at United Plantation) Mr Farmer aka Raymond Farms a Land in Keningau, Beh Kian Wei UPM Grad working with Twin Arrows Fertilizer Senny Ong Our Chinese Herb Specialist Johnny Lak Farming in Pajam & Matin
Justus von Liebig, generally credited as the "father of the fertilizer industry", formulated the law of the minimum: if one crop nutrient is missing or deficient, plant growth will be poor, even if the other elements are abundant. Liebig likens the potential of a crop to a barrel with staves of unequal length. The capacity of this barrel is limited by the length of the shortest stave (in this case, phosphorus) and can only be increased by lengthening that stave. When that stave is lengthened, another one becomes the limiting factor.
Law of Tolerance
Shelford added to Liebigs law by stating the Law of Tolerance; that there are both upper and lower limits of physical factors an organism can tolerate (whether they be the limiting factor or not). The most obvious example of Shelfords Law is temperature. No organism can live below zero, and no organism can live above 100 (extreme examples). The di agram below shows how C this works.
** I think both Theories were practiced on Human Beings too. Keeping a balance and sufficient Nutrition and Mineral are important for optimal health **
2
How I Got Started in Farming by Mr Farmer aka Raymond
It was purely by chance that I got into Farming. It was during my visit to my family member in Sabah, I came across lots of idle land. From a simple discussion, things lead on to the setting up of a farm. The timing was also right as I do not have any on-going project. Everything just fell into place as we manage to speak with our neighbor and he let us use his land of 4 acres which was uncared for. We just took possession of the land without doing any assessment to find out if the land was suitable to be used as a farm. We knew it had been used to cultivate tobacco before and when the owner bought over the land, he planted Pandan coconut. As the owner has other business to attend to, the land was neglected and left on its own. Also illegal planters then came in and planted crops on his land. Hence a smart partnership was forged. The owner has someone to watch over the farm. He can still show off the farm as he is the owner. We get to use the land for a token sum. Of course there are smaller issues that can be easily agreed upon. I guess for new farmers to be, who dont have a piece of land, can make use of this method to strike up a partnership.
Of course if we were to look for a farming land, well do assessment on the land to see if its suitable to be used as a farm, unlike this, which we shall farm to suit the land. We started off by locating a water source. Luckily for us that there is a small creek that run across the land diagonally. It was just a small creek with small amount of water flow. We were told by the people nearby that the creek does not dry up. We also did a pipe-in water from our place for back up. First thing we did was to locate the boundary. Then we requested the illegal planter to clear off their crops. We then moved in to clear off the land. The first crop that we planted was field corn. Its one of the easiest crops to plant. Its been nine months now since we started. We had some experience to share. Stay tune in the next newsletter. Mr. Farmer.

Why Sabah? Why Sabah Snake Grass ~ Clinacanthus Nutans (Part 1) by Senny Ong
Contributors :
I think many people are suffering from cancerous diseases. From what I noticed, many of them desperate in searching for the natural healing with medicinal herbs to help their relatives. I should say this: When there is a WILL there is a WAY. Most important, I always encourage those affected with cancer illnesses patients, never give up hope. There are many god made herbs for healing, find out more details before proceeding with the herbal treatment. I am so thankful for coming to East Malaysia, and stay put here for many years. I found there are many good nature sources for good health, wellness and health care stuffs, plus tons of illnesses prevention medicinal raw herbs in East Malaysia of Sabah. There are also many useful medicinal herbs, unknown traditional medicinal herbs and unique tropical wild fruits right here, I can say Sabah is a wonderful place of herbal paradise with good nature from heaven. Not only that, Sabah is really a good place for you to pay a visit. I am not trying to promote Sabah, but yes I just want to give a good idea for those looking for good health, come for a retreat, come and have a look, for sure you will find many good natural sources of good stuffs in here. From what I know, how this plant name of Sabah Snake Plant or Sabah Snake Grasscame from, as told many years ago, one of the investor came from PULAU KETAM to Sabah, trying to cultivate and im plement some of the herbal garden in Sabah, but I do not know which part of Sabah he went, and then to some of the reason there are many snakes in the jungle, so to prevent from snake bites, he brought this species of herb, started planting this herb ~ Sabah Snake Grass first in case of snake bites as medicinal herb for prevention purpose readily available, so that he can be safely concentrate his cultivation project in herbal planting. But then, the cultivation of herbs is not as popular as present situation. After a while, his plan has been terminated and this plant is then been named as "Sabah Snake Plant" by locally continuously growing widely in Sabah till now. And we are very fortunate that we can easily get it at very cheap price in Sunday Market at very low price per bundle, and you can buy the small bundle of this herb and replant it with its cutting stem branches, this herb is easy to maintain and continue to re-grow in short period of time.
How to Grow :Simply insert the branch and bury into suitable soil. There after a week you will see the baby leaves and tiny stems and branches will grow slowly. Avoid full sun exposure for at least 10 day under good shelter condition. Newly planted branches or stems may be scald or dried off. When the new leaves is growing, it is about time to move them to pot or land, full sun and appropriate watering is best for fast growing. ================================================================= As this herbs is widely used in Thailand in therapeutic use for snake bites, insect bites, herpes simplex virus and skin rashes and other skin inflammation, used it externally in application as this medicinal herbs can effectively treat the harmful snake bite, known as snake bites antidotes or antitoxic and to help in remove the toxic bite by the snake. Thats how the name of Sabah Snake Plant is formed. How true is it? I am not very sure....but this is what I heard the story and its origin of how this name of "Sabah Snake Plant" come from... Interesting story huh? In Sabah, many used it as kidney herbal remedy, and it is popular and given name asKidney plant, in chineses name as Shen Cao for those pre, venting going through the kidney dialysis and kidney stone or renal stones, extract the leaves and obtaining the raw juice or by decoction to cook into herbal tea is used as natural remedy. The chemical composition of Sabah Snake Plant raw juice has rich chlorophyll which possess antioxidant activities, and the whole plant has efficiency anticancer cell inhibitors medicinal agents.
To Be Continued . December 2011

Growing GREEN Food by MJ Joel

Introduction : An Overview of Organic Farming Lets get one thing straight: Organic farming is not some newfangled hippie ideology. Although Im sure there were some hippies involved, the fact remains that organic farming was the practice of our forefathers before agriculture had been taken over by large corporations bent on a rape the environment rampage. Since World War II, these corporations have been pushing for increased crop yields through unnatural methods, such as chemical fertilization, pesticide dumping, weedicide poisoning etc., all which have worked together with disastrous results leading to the degradation of the environment, and ultimately human health and well-being. With such catastrophic results, it is only natural that there has been a growing interest in organic farming to overcome these problems for the sake of long term sustainability. (A) Why Organic Farming Put it this way: If you are what you eat, then you really only want to eat the good stuff. Environment issues and food safety scandals are the main reasons why people opt for organic farming, especially since consumers would be able to know from organic farmers where their produce originates from. Consumers today are very sensitive about where their food comes from, and how it is made. Too many food scares, from food poisonings and human-livestock contagions, to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), have helped consumers perceive that organic foods are comparatively safer.
Some of the benefits of organic farming systems include:1. Enhanced biodiversity of the whole system, where wild and cultivated species are preserved. Ecological balance of the system is maintained, and there is interactivity between natural enemies and other beneficial organisms 2. A living soil is maintained, as it is filled with micro and macro organisms, leading to healthier, and ultimately a more environmentally resilient soil for long term fertility and sustainability 3. Minimized pollutants and reduced external inputs through recycling 4. Less concerns about risks to human health and well-being 5. Ethical treatment of all life, including farm animals


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Contributors :
(B)
What is Organic Farming So what is organic farming? At the risk of being overly-general, organic farming involves the exclusion of synthetic agents or agrochemicals, including petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides. However, there are a lot more pre-requisites set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) and CODEX Alimentarius Commission, which will be discussed in later chapters on certification.
A better definition of organic farming is given By CODEX as an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activities. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and management practices which restores, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. (C) Type of Organic Farming In line with the definition by CODEX, organic farming may be further divided into the following categories :1. Biodynamic Farming
Biodynamic farming is a method of organic farming which emphasizes on balancing a holistic development and inter-relationship of the soil, plants, and animals as a self-nourishing system without external inputs, as best as possible. Each component compliments the other, in a similar fashion to how nature sustains itself. As with other forms of organic agriculture, synthetic fertilizers and pesticide are strictly avoided. It is regarded as one of the most sustainable form of organic farming. Cover-crops, green manures, and crop rotations are used extensively, and the farm fosters bio-diversity. Unique to this method is the inclusion of use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays (eg. Neem extract, powdered quartz, and horn-manure), and the use of a lunar sowing and planting calendar. A number of studies have indicated that this method of organic farming can attain comparable yield results to synthetic methods of farming 2.
Nature Farming
Nature farming involves the use of on-farm inputs for farming practices, and utilizes some off-farm inputs that are cheap. This method of organic farming emphasizes on the soil health through the use of composts, microbial preparations (effective microbe, EM), and enzymes, which are derived from fermenting molasses or brown sugar with plant and fruit juices obtained from plant and fruit wastes in the farms. The fruit enzymes and Ems are sprayed on the plants during the vegetative growth period, while calcium and phosphorus preprateions made from eggs or bones soaked in rice vinegar are sprayed on the crops during the reproductive stage. The preparations follow specific formulations and are used for different purposes. Two well-known forms of this farming method are: (a) Kyusei Nature Farming, and (b) Korean Natural Farming. 3.
Ecologial Farming
Ecological farming emphasizes on maintaining yields using integrated pest management, utilization of on-farm resources and efficient management. This includes the introduction of symbiotic species and the elimination of dead zones, and mechanization. Ecological farming is not entirely adverse to modern agriculture practices, and in fact does advocate minimal use of agrochemicals where critical, but is more concerned with carbon footprint, in particular food miles, packaging, energy consumption and waste.
Next Page ->

Growing GREEN Food by MJ Joel

(D)
Global Trends

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The total organically managed area is more than 37 million hectares worldwide, representing approximately 0.9 percent of total world farmland, with an economic value of US$55 billion. Organic products normally traded include:1. Fresh products such as vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meat and sausages, breads and cakes, herbs and juices Dried products such as grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, beverages, and dried herbs Processed products such as baby food, sauces, and pickles Nonfood products such as aromatic oils, soaps, detergents, and clothing
industry practices

2.
3. 4.
Contributors :
The average annual growth rate of organic farms and produce is between 5%-10% in Europe, 10%-15% in the US, and roughly 3%-5% in Asia. The total organic area in Asia is nearly 2.9 million hectares or about 9% of total organic areas worldwide, with the primary growth area being in China (1.6 million hectares) and India (1 million hectares).
Primary markets for organic product sales are Europe, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. By comparison, organic crops yielded 91% of the output of non-organic crops, but required 50% lower expenditure on fertilizer and energy inputs, and 97% less pesticides and weedicides. There is a gradual shift in certain communities towards organic farming, as organic farms have been found to withstand severe weather conditions better, sometimes yielding 70%-90% more than conventional farms during droughts. With global warming fast becoming a major problem throughout the world, organic farming is seen by some as a long term solution to food security and sustainability.
The Oil Palm and SmallHolders by MJ Joel

When I was working in a plantation located at Teluk Intan (Perak), I was in charge of breeding and producing high quality oil palm seeds and seedlings. My job allowed me to interact with many planters and nursery operators, and often I was told by my clients how the oil palm had changed their lives. To put it quite simply, their wealth was proportionate to how many trees they had. Most were plantations set up in Sabah and Sarawak by timber tycoons, after the logs on their land concessions have been removed. Some, on the other hand, were smallholders. It was usually the smallholders who would tell me about their success stories. The oil palm is indeed a golden crop. Its fruits give two types of oil, both equally important to mankind. The palm oil from the mesocarp goes into our food mainly as cooking oil and the kernel oil is used in many types of confectionery and in industrial products. Pound for pound, palm oil contributes more to the human calorific requirement than most other vegetable oils. In fact, some quarters have boldly claimed that palm oil is one of the key food product needed to ensure food security.
Yet, the oil palm can yield a lot more than what is being achieved now. In many parts of Malaysia the production per hectare is low, especially in smallholdings. Average production in smallholdings is between 18 tons to 20 tons per hectare, whereas many larger plantations are already pushing the 40 ton mark. Although there are many ways on how the palms can attain their optimum productivity, one of the most important is the application of fertiliser. Like any living thing, the oil palm requires food in order to be continuously productive. Unfortunately, in many places this does not happen, and the palms barely get its needed nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, or magnesium. If we were to think of the oil palm as a car, then we would know that with good care and right maintenance, the car will serve us well and give us little problem. But mistreat the car, and we are bound to face trouble. And it is with this reason that when advisers, >


including those from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), come and provide recommendations, which are followed, the difference can be eye-opening. I would like to relate the story of this smallholding near Teluk Intan, which according to some of my seed clients was producing even better crop than the plantation I was working with. Initially, I didnt want to believe the stories they were telling, but eventually I had to see for myself this smallholding which even my bosses had been impressed. When I entered the smallholding, I had to say it was really a feast for the eyes. Together with the owner, Chia, we stood under a palm which had at least 16 bunches. Each bunch was around 25kg and they would be ready for harvest within four months. The palms would produce year round, and at the palm oil prices back then in 2008, one could easily work out what he was likely to earn from that palm alone. Chia was a rather aged man, although he did not look a day over 50, a simple and humble man. Typical of the locals in Teluk Intan, he liked to joke a lot while he explained how he tended to his palms. He did the weeding on time and used fertilisers regularly. He listed out the types of fertiliser he bought, sometimes with the advice of the plantation I was working with. He also noted he had used oil palm seeds bought from us. But on the whole, the production of oil palm crop amongst Malaysian smallholdings is far lower than the crop I could see there. The figures on record showed the yield in Sarawak, especially, was among the lowest, with only 15 tonnes per hectare in 2010, and this was for plantations, which are supposed to have better, more organized management. For most smallholders, the figures are presumed to be far lower. Aside from good genes, fertiliser and good management is a must, Chia had told me. Maybe he was trying to impress me, so I would give him a discount when he bought more seeds. He would not use the fertilisers other than what MPOB officers recommended, or after consulting my bosses, whom he was close with. And he is right to do so, for the fertilisers that worked must have a proven record. Credible suppliers must have details from trial plots to show how it can increase the crop. He bought only from the major suppliers. With the high prices of palm oil now, more owners should look again at what kind of fertilisers they need. Palms respond fairly quickly when the right fertilizers are applied, increasing its average bunch weight, and the fronds would turn dark green. In about two years time, the increased production of bunches could be harvested. >


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10
I have heard many smallholders complain that fertilisers are too expensive, but it could also be argued that it is a lost opportunity when fertilisers are not applied. Some smallholders said they did not have the ready facilities to get the fertiliser, which are mostly sold at higher retail prices rather than at a dealers price. If so, this could mean an opportunity for some businessmen to provide a distribution service and their businesses would only increase with the expansion of oil palm plantings. Bear in mind, even if the yield increases by half, it would mean more income to the smallholder. For example, with proper fertilizer application, palms could produce 16 bunches a year, and assuming each bunch weighs around 15kg, the yield for a hectare of 138 trees could be over 30 tonnes per hectare, nearly 50% better than the production seen now. Just imagine what good agricultural management could then do, as what happened with Chias smallholding.
It would require some good planning on the part of the smallholder when deciding to carry out a fertilizer application program. The bags need to be delivered and kept in a safe place and away from sun and rain. When applying fertiliser, the fertiliser should be spread evenly in the circles for young palms, and between the rows for the mature areas. Each palm should get equal treatment, even those at the far end of the rows. It would be best if the owner was present during fertilizer applications, to ensure a job well done. Fertiliser application can be boring, dusty and heavy work, but it is a sure way to increase crop production. To quote veteran planter Mahbob Abdullah, Spreading fertilisers for the palms is like adding cash to your bank.
11

Agriculture Isnt As Rosy As You Think by Johnny Lak

Rented a land in Hulu Langat in the early 2000 which was about 2 ac for my aquaculture venture. Then spent close to RM 150k buying a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) from Australia which included 5 tanks + 5 pumps & filters.
Contributors :
Tried fish farming Tilapia, Patin, Pak Soo Kong, Haruan, Kelah, Siakap, & Soon Hock. But after 2 years of this venture, failed terribly because the initial costing was just too high and farming low value species dont yield enough for ROI and farming high value species gave me another problem which was they grow to slow till market size. Thus had to dispose of the venture to cut losses and concentrated on Agriculture. Fast Forward 6 years, was back in the thick of action by farming a land in Broga and planted the whole land with Corn. Planted the pearl variety which are of white & yellow coloured cobs. It looks easy initially as 95% of the corns are free of problems. Only some had growth issues due to inadequate fertilization. Solved that by giving more fertilizer (this was just my hunch as I had NO prior knowledge). This gave me problems early this year when suddenly the corns had problems growing. Then I soon got to know that they were hit by leaf anthracnose as correctly pointed out by the other contributors. Then I stopped farming corns and did crop rotation but planting leafy vegetables (Siew Pak Choy, Choy Sum & Kai Lan) and Beans (French Beans, Long Beans & 4 Angle Beans). After that, the land at the farm was back to normal. Agriculture isnt as Rosy as what you think. There are lots of details in this and only by educating yourself & working the farm can you overcome this problem. And of course get mentors. Till The Next Issue.See You :D
12
News about the Agriculture World
Getting ahead of 2012 input costs - Agriculture.com
A report earlier this week showed fertilizer prices are on the rise. Now, one economist says that's not the only crop input that's heading higher for corn and soybean farmers in the coming year. Between farm land costs, seed fuel and fertilizer, rising input costs put a premium on locking in profits however you can in the coming weeks and months, says Purdue University Extension Agriculture economist Alan Miller. In general, look for double-digit increases in what it will cost to raise corn, soybeans and wheat in 2012. That's largely driven by a likely increase in corn demand in the coming year, Miller says. "Preliminary budgets show variable costs for rotation corn increasing by 16%, soybeans by 15% and wheat by 12% as compared with our January 2011 budgets," he says. "The markets are still signaling that they want more corn in 2012, so the question is whether farmers will listen. There probably will be more corn next year." Specifically, Miller expects corn seed prices to rise by 5% to 10% for the 2012 crop. Earlier this week, University of Illinois economist Gary Schnitkey said anhydrous ammonia prices have already surged by more than $50/ton, adding that trend's likely to keep up at least in the near term. In general, Miller suggests keeping your eye on costs rather than the highest yields in the coming year; 2012 will be a year when being the low-cost producer will pay off big. "Commodity producers need to still be working on being low-cost producers on a cost-per-bushel-produced basis," he says. "Growers need to manage the expected margin between the selling price of the corn and their costs. Try to market to lock in commodity prices and to lock in prices on purchased inputs. Lock in profit margins and don't give up marketing strategies."
* Thank You For Reading Our November 2011 Issue *
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Agricultuer Newsletter November 2011

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Agricultuer Newsletter November 2011

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Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Agriculture & Aquaculture Newsletter

Objective of this Newsletter :

To Further Malaysias Agriculture & Aquaculture Industry

on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia

individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm

Our First Publication

try as what we can

ing (Govt or Private)

happening around the World in Agriculture

Our objective and aims for the newsletter are :

Objective of this Newsletter :

Law of the Minimum - Liebig's Law by Beh Kian Wei

How I Got Started in Farming by Mr Farmer aka Raymond

Objective of this Newsletter :

To Be Continued . December 2011

Objective of this Newsletter :

Growing GREEN Food by MJ Joel

on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia

individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm

try as what we can

ing (Govt or Private)

happening around the World in Agriculture

Next Page ->

Objective of this Newsletter :

Growing GREEN Food by MJ Joel

on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia

individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm

try as what we can

ing (Govt or Private)

happening around the World in Agriculture

The Oil Palm and SmallHolders by MJ Joel

Objective of this Newsletter :

The Oil Palm and SmallHolders by MJ Joel

on the agriculture & aquaculture industry in Malaysia

individuals to help share ideas & brainstorm

try as what we can

ing (Govt or Private)

happening around the World in Agriculture

The Oil Palm and SmallHolders by MJ Joel

Objective of this Newsletter :

Agriculture Isnt As Rosy As You Think by Johnny Lak

News about the Agriculture World

Getting ahead of 2012 input costs - Agriculture.com

* Thank You For Reading Our November 2011 Issue *

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