The Effect of Declining Wool Prices, Wheat Quotas and Debt Reconstruction on the Financial Viability of Australian Farmers
An examination of the decline in net farm income between 1966-67 and 1969-70 indicates that in the three major zones the following size groups will be non-viable (l) In the High Rainfall Zone, farms with less than 2,000 and more than 10,000 sheep, comprising 85 per cent of farms in the Zone. (2) In the Wheat Sheep Zone, farms with less than 1,000 sheep, comprising 56 per cent of farms. (3) In the Pastoral Zone, farms with less than 20,000 sheep, comprising 98 per cent of farms. This situation could be alleviated to some extent by extending the period of debt repayment from the present average period of 7 years to a period of 20 to 30 years.
A NEGATIVE INCOME TAX AND LOW INCOME FARM FAMILIES
An efficient procedure is proposed for making welfare payments to low income farm families. This is a negative income tax. It uses the income tax system for linking directly transfer payments to income needs, without unduly adverse effects on resource allocation. The negative income tax proposal is considered in relation to rural adjustment and reconstruction.
EVALUATION OF FERMENTED PALM KERNEL MEAL AND FERMENTED COPRA MEAL PROTEINS AS SUBSTITUTE FOR SOYBEAN MEAL PROTEIN IN LAYING HENS DIETS
Two hundred and ten (210) laying hens of Black Harco breed at 37 weeks in lay were fed experimental layer diets, in which fermented palm kernel meal (PKM) and copra meal (CM) were used independently to substitute for soybean meal (SBM) on protein content basis at 0%, 25%, 50% and 75%, to give seven treatments in a completely randomized design feeding trial that lasted 12 weeks. Performance characteristics and some haematological indices were evaluated in this study. Fermentation for seven days increased the crude protein of PKM (from 20.04% to 23.42%) and that of CM (from 19.63% to 23.11%). The crude fibre of the fermented PKM and CM decreased (from 15.47% to 12.44 % and 16.00% to 11.63% respectively). The feed intake (FI) was significantly highest (P 0.05) by the substitution of PKM and CM for SBM. The study showed that SBM protein could be substituted optimally at 50% by either PKM or CM protein.