Agribusiness

New CSM-based stockfeed plant for Moree

Beef Central, 29/02/2012

ISF's new batching plant near MoreeLivestock producers from across Australia now have access to a new range of nutritional supplements following today’s launch of Integrated Stock Feeds in Moree, NSW.

The opening of Integrated Stock Feed’s processing operation follows more than three years of planning and an $8 million investment in land, equipment, research and development.

Integrated Stock Feeds has established an exclusive sales contract with Landmark for the distribution of its range of pre-packaged nutrition products, each designed to match the needs of livestock producers located in different parts of Australia.

The factory converts cotton seed meal (CSM), a high-protein by-product of vegetable oil production, into the feed supplements, which can also be customised to match specific nutritional needs in different seasonal and environmental conditions across Australia.

“The opening of the Integrated Stock Feeds plant represents an opportunity for livestock producers from around Australia to improve their on-farm productivity by precisely responding to the nutritional needs of their animals with the different formulations we can produce,” ISF chairman Dominic Devine said in a statement issued this afternoon.

“The range of livestock supplements has been nutritionally designed to replace the deficiencies in pastures, helping livestock to hit target weights faster, as well as improve their reproductive performance,” he said.

To assist producers in identifying the most suitable product for their needs, ISF has deployed nutritional and product guides on their website, and has undertaken extensive training with  Landmark sales staff to assist them in providing advice on nutritional supplementation.

Mr Devine said global population growth meant the Australian agricultural sector needed to improve its productivity to capitalise on the expected boom in demand for meat protein sources.

“It has been forecast that by 2050 the world’s population will rise by one third, but demand for meat will double – the livestock sector in Australia needs to increase the kilograms of meat it can produce per hectare of available land, but do so in an economically and environmentally sustainable fashion,” he said.

“Effective protein and mineral supplementation programs are proven to significantly improve the profitability of beef and lamb production, while dairy production is increasingly reliant on concentrated protein and energy supplementation.”

The Moree feed mill is licenced to process 100,000 tonnes of cotton seed each year to meet this growing market.

Strategically located close to the broadacre cropping zones of northern NSW, product from the plant at Moree can be quickly trucked north to outlets in Queensland’s cattle country, or south through NSW and into Victoria and South Australia.

The company is now planning a second phase of development, in which the plant will be expanded to enable on-site processing of cotton and oil seeds into the protein meal base, which is the core ingredient in the livestock feed supplements.

It will use a mechanical process to extract the cotton seed meal, which is cleaner than the more common process of chemical extraction, and results in a base protein with higher energy content, improved palatability and greater value as a stockfeed than conventional solvent meal.

“When stage-two is completed, ISF will be the only fully vertically-integrated livestock nutrition company, from the production of essential protein meal through to sale via Landmark’s national network,” Mr Devine said.

“As we work through this process we will be investigating opportunities for strategic alliances with other companies to maximise supply chain efficiencies, so that we can supply our products to graziers at attractive prices.”

Co-products from stage two will include vegetable oils which are currently in short supply in the domestic market, while the OECD expects global trade in vegetable oil to increase by 45pc by 2017.

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