Avoscene June 2010

T H E N E W Z E A L A N D AV O C A D O G R O W E R S ’ J O U R N A L

Inside this Issue

Avogreen® implementation l Meet your regional reps l

JUNE/JULY 2010

Spray drift l New varieties l

Directors Bay of Plenty Jack Crozier Ph/Fax 07 548 1744 jcrozier@xtra.co.nz Peter Farmer Ph 07 552 4416 or 0292 928 424 peter@farmermotorgroup.co.nz pdfarmer@xtra.co.nz Far North Ian Broadhurst Ph 09 406 7308 m. 021 395 906 bernian.avos@xtra.co.nz Mid North Mike Eagles Ph 09 434 7271 m.eagles@xtra.co.nz At Large Roger Barber (Vice Chairman AGA) Ph/Fax 09 435 0785 barbers@ihug.co.nz Ashby Whitehead Ph 07 573 6680 alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz John Schnackenberg (Chairman AGA/AIC) Ph 07 549 0717 jschnack@ihug.co.nz Tony Ponder Ph 07 572 3019 tony@southernproduce.co.nz Rest of NZ David French Ph 09 238 3359 or 0274 375 315 famille@ps.gen.nz Export Directors John Carroll, Andrew Darling.

Chief Executive Officer Alan Thorn Ph 021 343 576 alanthorn@nzavocado.co.nz

Contents Chairman’s Comment

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Business strategy

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Avoscene Advertising & Editorial Avoscene is published by the Avocado Industry Council For editorial contact: Natasha Mitchell Sun Media Ltd No.1 The Strand, Tauranga Ph: 07 578 0030 Fax: 07 571 1116 email reporter2@thesun.co.nz

Organics 13

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Avogreen implementation

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Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz

Industry news

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Avocentric

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New varieties

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Spray drift

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Chairman’s Comment John Schnackenberg AGA/AIC Chairman

The strategy of the Vision There are a number of issues I wish to canvas this month: • Minor restructure – finished!

• AGA and AIC operationally • Putting into effect the Vision • Representative elections and remits AGA - Number of representatives and term We have completed the grower ballot process which closed on Friday May 21. Some 30% of ordinary voters (PPin holders) cast votes and 37% of production votes were cast.

The vote on the reduction in Representative numbers (from 10 to 8) was carried with an 81% majority and the vote on the term served (being increased from two years to three years) was carried with a majority of 82%.

It is heartening we have had a recent record in voter participation and further, that those who voted are supporting the direction of your current elected representatives by an overwhelming majority. Many thanks to you all for both your participation and support.

AGA and AIC operationally Clearly some growers are confused about how the two entities operate. The AGA is our grower body which owns the AIC 100%. Whilst growers are electing representatives to the AGA, we are all now going through as directors of the AIC (previously just four were appointed AIC directors). It is at the AIC that we are ‘running the business’ through our quarterly AIC Board meetings and periodic meetings of the recognised product group, which oversee the EMS and export side of operations.

The AGA is not about to be ‘wound up’, as has been suggested to me. Absolutely not – nothing further from the truth! As and when required, your elected representatives will meet to discuss grower business. And at our AGMs growers get the opportunity to quiz the AGA on its direction and performance.

But we recognise the industry is bigger than just the growers, and in order to have an inclusive industry it is important growers and 4

exporters meet as one, and that through the Industry Advisory Group, broader shareholders views are canvassed and reported back to the AIC Board.

Bottom line: AIC is owned by the grower association and controlled by it through the (now) eight elected AGA representatives who become eight of 10 directors on the AIC (alongside the two exporter nominated directors).

Putting into effect the Vision We have now frequently talked about our Vision and the developing strategy in a number of Avoscene publications. But what does it all mean practically to you?

It is a simple Vision that we have broken down into three clear strategic ‘legs’ with a clear time boundary.

Governance – “Through effective leadership…”

Volumes – “… achieve 12 million trays ...”

Values – “ ... worth $250m ...”

Time bound – “… by (season) 2015/16.”

We have tidied up some Governance issues with the reduction in board size, increase in term and amalgamation of AGA and AIC from an operational point of view. All your elected representatives and export directors have now undertaken governance training delivered by Massey University Business School, through either the HEA or HortNZ. We all have benefited from the experience, particularly being able to share in an open forum governance issues peculiar to producer bodies, as opposed to pure commercial entities.

Volumes covers R&D and particularly tech transfer and grower outreach. Clearly we have issues to resolve around irregular bearing (as all avocado producing countries do) but in the interim we are moving to shift focus and budget to improving outreach to ensure all growers have got the message (currently available information) down in the orchard. We have been invited to participate in an international irregular bearing project

(with Australia, California and South Africa) and our CEO has just travelled to LA for that very purpose. The AIC is announcing a new appointment of an outreach officer and we are completing arrangements to bring an Australian expert here to guide us on tree pruning management.

Do not lose sight of the fact that with the production trees in the ground (approximately 5600 hectares forecast by 2015/16) an industry average production of 12t per ha will see us there. Whilst that is significantly above recent averages, we achieved 8t in 2007/08 with a significant proportion of younger trees in the mix.

We need to do much better if we are to reach 12t per ha average in a sustainable manner.

Values is about what we can earn from our production. There are three levels of course, export, local market and oil/ process.

Adoption of industry wide AvoGreen® has been supported for two reasons – it will lift industry wide export percentages (thus work to reduce local market pressures) and give us an export market advantage our competitors will not easily achieve, particularly in Asia.

One of the great advantages our industry has is that avocado consumption continues to grow worldwide, and particularly in our key markets, Australia, Japan and the USA. The evidence is that has not happened by chance, rather as a consequence of concerted marketing efforts to increase demand, particularly demonstrable in Australia and the USA. At last year’s AGM there was a remit from the floor for the Board to assign 40% of the commodity levy raised to local promotions.

We have a broader view and will shortly be sharing that. However, suffice to say, promotions both domestically and in our export markets will become a significant feature as we go forward. We must drive consumption increases ‘at value’ for the grower.

Without local promotions, our domestic market risks wallowing in oversupply. Fortunately a large number of growers have recently supported a new commercial venture to process and add value to avocados. The immediate impact will be a benefit to all growers as excess fruit is absorbed and not available as TAG3 for hawker supply, thus likely lifting local market values.

In the financial year to April 30, 2010 our domestic commodity levy shows a substantial lift from a typical $480,000 to more than $550,000. This indicates the domestic avocado category has grown from $16m to $18.5m – about 12.5%.

All good, but how much more can we achieve?

Time bound – by the 2015/16 season.

This target is not a budget, it’s a target.

We may not hit it, but without something to aim for there is no purpose in drawing the road map or planning the trip! As a grower observed at a recent industry meeting in the Far North – “I can believe the 12 million trays, and the $250m value, but not in the same year!”

Representative elections and remits We are about to commence the annual election round for representatives, and are calling for nominations, and remits.

The terms are up for the five current reps and there are now only four positions vacant (following the Rule change). Four have declared themselves available for reelection. Please give careful consideration to skills, experience and ability to contribute to the wide industry as you identify or support potential nominees.

I would like to thank Jack Crozier for his long and loyal service to growers as a Bay of Plenty representative. Jack has decided it is time to shift his focus and I need to record a vote of thanks from his fellow representatives (past and present) for his outstanding service to growers as an AGA representative. All the best following your last AGM this coming August!

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Business Strategy By Alan Thorn

AIC CEO

AvoGreen - a small ®

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“In the future, many of the markets we are going to require as volumes increase will demand residue free fruit, and we will need to provide assurance that our fruit meets the standards they demand.”

step in the strategic pathway As you are aware, the industry strategy is to ensure the predicted strong growth in production delivers value for growers’ efforts at the orchard gate.

The challenge for all stakeholders is how to maintain the delivery of acceptable returns from the market.

The avocado industry model of licensed exporters devolves the responsibilities for marketing the product to those entities that meet both HEA legislative requirements and gain the support of the AIC as the Recognised Product Group for avocados.

This approach places a separation between growers, AIC, exporters and the market, but is the model that both growers and exporters have elected to work within. How we develop cohesion between markets, exporters and growers is a challenge we must meet and one that sometimes is going to require hard decisions that deliver well-considered approaches to ensure we can achieve the industry Vision ‘Through Leadership deliver 12 million trays with a value of $250 million by 2015’.

The decision to implement AvoGreen® as an export requirement for the 201112 export season is focused on ensuring that in the future, stable and sufficient returns can be generated from the market by delivering to customer and consumer expectations. The alternate position is to ignore the market signals, which ultimately will reduce market

opportunities and grower returns.

Trends in the global marketplace show consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive to sustainable production issues, evidenced by concerns with food safety, environmental sustainability, food miles, carbon footprints, water usage, etc. Most relevant to us is the concern for responsible use of pesticides and insecticides in the orchard environment.

Not only are border standards becoming increasingly stringent but private standards imposed by our customers (the retail chains) are becoming barriers to market entry that we must meet or exceed.

Consumer signals Consequently our customers (the retail chains) are increasingly requiring more stringent standards of producers by simply passing on these requirements to producers with demands to deliver food that is high quality and safe to eat. To that end, sustainability and the concepts of sustainable production systems are increasingly becoming a requirement that must be met to gain access to the market shelf.

We also operate in an increasingly competitive market. As I write this article in California, I note the increasing presence of Mexico, Peru and Chile in the US market and the fierce competition Californian growers are now facing for access to the market shelf from these competitors. All of the markets New Zealand supplies have similar levels of competitors; we never have an open shelf and we must always remember New Zealand supplies less than 1% of the global supply of Hass

avocado traded in global markets.

Simply put, we are a minnow. At best New Zealand growers can only expect to dominate small niche market segments and we must be prepared to compete on both quality and sustainable production fronts simultaneously. Therefore we must find ways to provide a point of difference so we can extract the extra bit of value, maintain our competitive advantage and exploit our market niche.

In the future, many of the markets we are going to require as volumes increase will demand residue-free fruit, and we will need to provide assurance that our fruit meets the standards they demand.

As producers, we need to do better than any other producers to be able to enter emerging markets or maintain our traditional market share and at best to provide a critical point of difference to enable a premium return. This is especially so in the Asian market and we are working hard to understand the maximum residue limit requirements of our trading partners in this region, with support from both exporter and grower investments and government agencies.

In the USA, Mission Produce (one of our main points of entry) has recently appointed a staff member to manage the sustainability issues that the US market is demanding. This is a signal that the impacts of the EU driven assurances are encroaching on other market segments.

Of all of the markets we supply, Japan demands the highest level for premium products, especially fruit products, and although this market offers the most opportunity for marketers to deliver premium returns, the standards it sets are extremely high and we must meet

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Business Strategy By Alan Thorn

AIC CEO

them if we want access to the returns on offer.

Industry-wide implementation Providing these assurances and eliminating the risk of non-compliant product competition requires implementation on an industry-wide basis.

AvoGreen is not a new concept. It was first introduced to the industry more than 10 years ago. It has been extensively trialled and modified to meet New Zealand’s growing conditions and environment. Up to 60 per cent of growers have at some stage registered, used and adopted (parts of ) AvoGreen into their management practices.

Data suggests that across the industry we should expect a 10 percent increase in export packout - 10 percent would have equated to $8million in extra revenue this year!

Capitalising on this investment in the marketplace will be an important part of growing value returned at the orchard gate in the future, and preparing now gives industry stakeholders the opportunity to take a proactive and planned approach as opposed to having a compliance system or

...continued

multiple compliance systems imposed by the various markets we operate in.

The decision to implement AvoGreen as a requirement for export to meet the increasing consumer demand for assurance and to provide a competitive advantage for exporters working in global markets, was vigorously debated. As you are aware, grower representatives have the majority vote at the Board table and supported the AvoGreen initiative.

However, the Board did not operate in isolation on this issue, as the initiative to have inclusive decision-making in our industry is imbedded, therefore the unanimous support by exporters through AVEC for the implementation of AvoGreen was a key element in the decision process. Exporters are our partners and our eyes and ears in the market and it is important we take their advice into consideration where marketing our fruit is concerned.

Capitalising on the investment the industry has already made in the development of the AvoGreen system and the existing grower knowledge and utilisation of AvoGreen is an easy run on the board towards giving market advantage. The AGA owns the intellectual

property associated with the AvoGreen system, and this asset is controlled by growers. Further we have protected our intellectual property with the registration of the AvoGreen trade mark in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the USA. I hope as many of you have taken the opportunity to attend the recent series of AvoGreen rollout sessions and taken the time to understand the requirements you will need to meet for the 2011-12 Export Season. I know this has been a challenging decision and I did not expect it would be an easy path. The industry can only set the direction and processes in place; ultimately it is up to you to make this initiative a success and a part of our culture of excellence.

I look forward to your support as we complete the implementation of AvoGreen and encourage you to challenge our exporters to deliver a tangible result for your efforts in the orchard. Only by attempting to anticipate and understand the future requirements of the market, and working together in a proactive and cohesive manner (growers, management and exporters) will we be in the position to assure our futures and deliver on our strategic vision.

Recent Highlights • The Export Marketing Strategy (EMS) for 2010 – 2011 Export Season was approved by HEA on May 11, 2010.

• Dr John Leonardi from Avocados Australia Ltd has agreed to participate in pruning trials on NZ avocado orchards and present grower talks on this in August.

• Final approval has been given by the NZFSA for the combined fruit industries/PMAC project. Each participating fruit sector has been asked to prioritise the markets for which they would like to see MRLs established. The NZFSA project will examine options for gaining acceptance of NZ or CODEX MRLs for those markets that do not already recognise them.

• AIC technical manager Henry Pak attended the CODEX Committee meeting on pesticide residues in China during April. This organisation is responsible for establishing MRLs under the CODEX umbrella that can be used for access into those markets that recognise CODEX. • Pest list for China submitted - beginning of process for gaining access into China.

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• The AIC recently hosted an Indian MAF delegation on a fact finding mission to New Zealand as one of the initial steps to facilitate access into India.

• Edwina Aitchison graduated in April after successfully completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management.

• AIC communications officer Midge Munro has been invited to take part in the Japan East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths Invitation Programme for Special Fields Counterparts from New Zealand to learn about the agriculture/horticulture industry in Japan. This is for 10 days in July.

• Paul Brookbanks has accepted the position of Outreach Coordinator at the AIC. • AIC CEO Alan Thorn attended an International Biennial Bearing meeting in the USA. • Final reconciliation of trays packed for 2009-10 season = 3,952,795 trays (Export 2,266,139 + Local Market 1,685,345). This is the industry’s third biggest crop.

Packers’ Comment

By Michael Ruegg

NZAPF Chairman

A piece of string Last issue I wrote about promotions (I am sure you worked that out) and how important it is – not just for avocados but for any industry – especially one selling a commodity.

Our collective job is like moving a piece of string. Try and move it by pushing it from any point along its length – not very easy, but go to the end and pull and guess what happens?

I recently had the opportunity to observe promotion at work in what has to be one of the most classic ‘coals to Newcastle’ deals of all time, but it was in Shanghai, and it was the selling of Chinese Gooseberries back to the Chinese.

This article wasn’t going to be about promotion, and won’t be, and our exporters have assured us they will be able to sell all the avocados we can supply them – so I guess it doesn’t need to be.

Instead I’ll talk about not selling coals

to Newcastle, but selling in Coles of Newcastle, or Woolworths of Newcastle, or Sydney, or Melbourne.

Now the Taihape gumboot shifts to the other foot, and instead of talking about what we want others to do for us, it’s now about what we have to do before anyone will even consider picking up the other end of the string. Then we have to ensure someone doesn’t come along with a big pair of scissors and cut the string in half!

What do I mean?

Well, to get the other end picked up we have to comply with an increasingly complex alphabet soup of compliance that covers: • On-orchard hygiene • Application and recording of chemical APPLICATION and fertiliser • Handling practices • Phytosanitary and grade inspections • Food safety • Importing countries requirements; to name a few.

And now for the big pair of scissors – not real fake ones along the lines of Kaikoura’s crayfish, but metaphorically real ones in the guise of Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service

preclearance. AQIS preclearance is the only subject that I have mentioned in more than one article and there are a couple of reasons why.

There are significant benefits to our industry in having this programme, which has been developed in conjunction with MAF and our industry. It’s a very robust system that has over the years proven itself. However it requires a collective of individual efforts for its integrity to be maintained.

Two factors that impact greatly on quality are time chain and cool chain.

If the preclearance programme was not in place, both of these two key elements will be seriously compromised which in turn will significantly (and directly) affect your OGR. It makes life easy if we get it right, but all stakeholders must work together to ensure we do get it right.

And so back to our piece of string...

The pull will happen…

Don’t try to push it or the boundaries we now find ourselves having to work within…

We must all work together to keep the scissors in the drawer where they belong!

That’s now life as we know it.

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Perspectives

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Exporters’ Comment

By John Carroll AVEC Chairman

on our industry As we are not in the midst of an export season, it seems a good time to look around and assess how NZ Inc is doing with our avocado industry. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the moment, and forget what our medium and long term goals are.

As exporters, we are committed to finding and creating strong and safe homes for the product New Zealand growers provide us. The trees planted have a life of many years, and being properly prepared for future events is as critical as today and tomorrow’s issues.

The biggest challenge facing your export partners remains the inconsistency of yield and production, as it makes it difficult to build essential lasting relationships in markets around the world. And while biennial bearing of avocado trees is not a problem New Zealand has on its own, our distant location and small industry size makes credibility for us that much more difficult.

This last summer has seen a phenomenal Australian market, but one we are not likely to see again, or certainly the values achieved out of the market in January.

This is not being negative, it is simple reality. Recent information from the Australian Infocado service suggests volumes of Australian avocados will be well above last season, yet we still expect a decent Australian market again in the summer of 2010/11, especially given the lighter NZ crop. But we would be wrong to think that our future can be reliant on Australia beyond a certain point. It is a first class market, close to our shores, but it will have its limits as volumes of supply surely lift. For the health of our industry, we certainly need greater production. A large volume of production at a reasonable price will return greater value to NZ than a small crop at high prices.

As an example, while we speak the US market is hitting levels of consumption close to 2 million trays per week.

Elsewhere the avocado category is continuing to grow, in a produce world that is stalled or even declining. Japan is a market clearly on our radar that has seen some significant lift in demand over the last few months. So avocados are defying the odds, and we are benefiting from an unusual phenomenon. Because retailers are desperate to improve a difficult situation, greater promotional effort than ever seems to be placed in products that are reliable earners, and there has been no better bet in recent years than avocados. It is almost a double whammy; success leads to more focus and continued, perhaps heightened, support for avocados from retailers.

Moving on, as our industry must and will, it is pleasing to see the momentum building around AvoGreen®. This is not a silver bullet; it is simply a tool around which we can build a credible, worldleading story. Compliance is a nasty word, but we should see that New Zealand, as a well-organised exporting nation, is able to offer something our competitors may struggle to achieve. That is a real positive, and the disciplines we carry because of our exporting history makes the move to AvoGreen® rather seamless. It is also heartening to see the desire to develop and maintain a promotional capability within the AIC, and the understanding that we do need to be a contributor to developing our market targets. And this is not just about good citizenship, it is also about achieving the right amount of emphasis on New Zealand’s own distinctive offering.

In short, there is some very worthwhile, meaty stuff happening. Yet to my amazement, I have heard in recent months much discussion about the actions or non-actions of your industry bodies, the AIC and AGA. Frankly, I consider much of what has been circulated, in all manner of forms, rather inaccurate and certainly unfair. There has been a fair amount of suggestion that too many people involved in industry affairs, particularly from the grower side, have vested interests and are not always objective. I reject this flat; it is insulting and poorly researched. The funny thing is I feel at ease talking on

this subject because I am an exporter representative, and my priorities in industry affairs are clear.

The fact of the matter is that people who become involved in industry bodies do so because of caring about a bigger picture, being able to devote time in a financially unrewarding exercise, and often ‘because someone has to do it’. I have sat on the AIC Board for 12 years and cannot recall seeing anything untoward, and recent suggestions questioning other Board or AGA members, I consider weak.

We have had some fine moments in the last few years, and the effort and results produced around biosecurity scares are first class. Not too many industry people stood up and asked for a pat on the back over those, preferring quiet reflection on a job well done and a united industry. I am bemused to see a small vocal element now criticising many of the same people, with claims of self interest. It strikes me that there is a minority that wants a destabilised industry, which fights itself, yet for what end goal? Yes, we have production issues that handicap the economics of growing at times, but on the marketing and industry leadership fronts, avocados have their act well and truly together. That is why we are respected as an HEA product group in New Zealand, and by other avocado industries around the world.

As a final comment, it is entirely appropriate to congratulate Fressure Foods, both the instigators of the project, and also the people who invested their capital in it. This sort of venture is never guaranteed, but its presence is essential to the wellbeing of the industry as a whole.

Providing reasonable value for fruit that cannot cross the border is critical, and it is to be hoped the UHP products can find markets the way they have in the Northern Hemisphere. Out of curiosity, I contacted some people in the US last week, just to update their perspective on UHP product. The answer was clear-cut; UHP continues to aid overall consumption and category growth for avocados, and is overtaking some of the traditional forms of supply of processed product, even at greater values.

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Proudly supporting

By organic avocado grower Matt Leamy

Is phytophthora the nemesis of organic avocado?

For a grower, one of the most dispiriting feelings there is, is to watch your trees lose condition as the seasons go by.

Thin crowns, small leaf size, yellow, big fruit sets but small and maybe unsalable fruit, dieback in the tops, black nightshade proliferates. Being a resilient character isn’t really enough. It gets personal.

Among some industry commentators the organic sector has perhaps an unfair reputation for orchards that look like this. On the other hand the illusion would be almost as large to say that it does not exist. There are certainly blocks that have been taken out of organics so that the trees can be injected with phosphoric acid.

The real question is, if root rot turns up in your organic block, and most organic blocks I know have some presence of phytophthora, is the end game an inevitable consequence? That would mean that organic avocado is not a sustainable system!

So what do you do? One of the best ways to predict the outcome is to do nothing. That is not to say that the trees can’t recover with no intervention,

just that likelihood suggests the grower take note of the opening paragraph again. There has been trial work done on biological alternatives to phosphoric acid. These did not produce promising results. However, the parameters of that trial work do tell us something about what we do need to do.

We know that any organism can only survive and thrive if the environmental conditions are favourable for it. This applies as well to Yellowfin Tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, the 34 Bartlett’s rata left in the wild, the Mycorrhizae living on avocado roots (see Avoscene December 2009) or phytophthora cinnamomi.

Dr Arden Anderson told us avocado trees with phytophthora need to be treated like a patient in intensive care. Another analogy he uses is that the growth and metabolism is like a flywheel. For a sick tree, the flywheel slows right down. It takes a lot more energy to restart and regain the flywheel momentum than it does to just keep it turning.

Two angles of approach to return sick trees to health: 1. Change the soil environment to one more favourable for the tree and its supporting microbial species.

2. Nutrition, supplied in a way that the uptake impaired tree can metabolise and regenerate its own defence systems.

There is no room to explore this in detail in a short article, but the Soil Management section of the recently published Organics Chapter in the Growers Manual is all about creating a tree favourable soil environment. Couple this with foliar nutrition, on a regular basis, strip the fruit to conserve energy and the grower has an approach to intensive tree care therapy.

Knowledge is the most valuable input you can apply. Any input applied to the soil has an influence on the soil environment. That fertiliser may feed microbial life, or it may kill it. That pesticide will almost invariably kill it. Specific biological products aimed at treating phytophthora may be very helpful, but this approach is not about single product cures, it is the application of biological principles and that is to farm the conditions that lead to a phytophthora suppressive soil. It is a simple principle but the application needs resources, knowledge and diligence. In practice, it is an all or nothing approach, half-way is like trying to spin the flywheel with the brakes on.

Does it work? There are some papers on www.avocadosource.com that give us clues and indications, but this is still a largely unresearched area. Has it been done on trees growing in our own industry? Yes. 13

By Midge Munro AIC communications officer

Rolling out On February 26, 2010 after consultation with industry stakeholders, the Avocado Industry Council Board resolved to support the introduction of AvoGreen® as a requirement for export.

AvoGreen® documents and information

The BEST Cab For YOU FOR PE RFECT FIT , FEEL AND COMFORT

All information and documents relating to AvoGreen® are posted to the AvoGreen® section of the industry website http:// www.nzavocado.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/208 See figure 1.

This page gives links to the other AvoGreen® pages but also gives quick access to the booklet Getting Started with AvoGreen®, the AvoGreen® Manual and the Owner-Operator Expression of Interest form. You can also get to this section by using the tool bar at the top of the homepage (see Figure 1); hover over Growing, move down to AvoGreen® and either click this or move across to be directed straight to the information you are seeking (Specifications, Technical Info or Forms).

The most important document to take note of is the AvoGreen® manual, which is found on the AvoGreen® homepage or under Specifications in the menu. There could be updates to any of this information from time to time, so check the date the document was updated (found in header or footer of documents) to make sure you have the latest version.

Figure 1.

AvoGreen® Homepage

Figure 2.

Locating AvoGreen® Documents

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www.agtek.co.nz

AvoGreen The decision was based on the necessity for the industry to position itself for the future increase in volume and the need to find markets for this fruit. This is a challenge in an increasingly discerning and competitive global marketplace and customers will inevitably require some form of assurance of the New Zealand avocado industry’s responsible chemical spray practices.

The Board’s obligation on behalf of growers is to put in place strategies that will deliver on the Industry Vision - AvoGreen is a key mechanism fulfilling the strategic objective to deliver increased volumes and maintain the value.

Implementation of AvoGreen Since the decision was made, the AIC has been in full swing with distributing information, creating the AvoGreen manual and technical information and getting around the avocado growing regions to talk to growers and answer their questions about the change.

Firstly, the AIC created and distributed the booklet Getting Started with AvoGreen which answers the basic what, when and how questions about AvoGreen.

The AIC then produced a DVD of key

®

speakers being interviewed on their view of AvoGreen with regards to market trends and export opportunities. Andrew Fenton (President, Horticulture New Zealand), John Carroll (Chair, AVEC and Director, Primor Produce), Michael Worthington (Managing Director, Produce Marketing Assoc. AU-NZ) and Tim Morris (Director, Coriolus Research) had their thoughts caught on camera at various locations around the Bay (Port of Tauranga, Andrew Fenton’s Orchard in Te Puke and a produce market in downtown Tauranga).

The DVD then went on the road with the AIC to AvoGreen rollout road shows in Houhora and Whangarei - Apologies to the growers who attended this first lot of road shows - due to technical problems the DVD showing didn’t go quite as planned but it is available to view on the website, so be sure to check it out if you didn’t see the whole thing the first time! By the time the AIC got to the Bay of Plenty meeting venues the DVD was in top shape and played to 14 more audiences including meetings in Opotiki, Gisborne and Coromandel. Most of these road shows were jointly hosted by the AIC and Packer groups.

As well as showing the DVD, AIC CEO

If you have any questions about AvoGreen®, phone Juan Rosales at the AIC on 0800 AVOCADO or email avogreen@nzavocado.co.nz

Alan Thorn and technical staff Henry Pak and Juan Rosales presented on the industry strategy and the finer details of getting started with AvoGreen.

Alan explained the important role that AvoGreen plays in achieving the industry strategy of 12 million trays worth $150 million by 2015.

“The Board and the AIC are tasked with implementing strategies that will deliver on the vision; AvoGreen is one of those strategies.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive to environmental issues and sustainable production methods.”

Alan offered that this is driving change at the supermarkets and influencing what consumers purchase.

“In increasingly competitive marketplaces, AvoGreen will help provide our Avocados with a point of difference and widen our opportunities in discerning Asian marketplaces.”

Alan explained that because New Zealand represents less than one percent of the global trade in Hass avocados that we need to do better than anyone else to maintain market position.

What do you need to do in order to comply with AvoGreen As explained in Getting Started with AvoGreen, to comply with AvoGreen there are three steps you need to take: 1. Have your orchard monitored The critical step for you is to undertake to have your orchard monitored, which involves having a Monitoring Agreement with an AvoGreen Operator or for you to become an AvoGreen Owner-Operator.

Please note: Growers do not have to become registered or approved in any way unless they personally are undertaking their monitoring.

2. Develop a Sample Plan for your orchard You will also need to develop a Sample Plan (or plans) for your orchard(s). This is developed in conjunction with your Operator.

A Sample Plan ensures that sampling is carried out in a structured and consistent fashion. It details the Sample Area of the orchard, what is being sampled, monitoring frequencies and includes an Orchard Map. An example of a Sample Plan can be

found on the NZ Avocado website: www. nzavocado.co.nz.

3. Make the decision whether to spray or not Your AvoGreen Monitor (or you as an Owner-Operator) will provide you with monitoring results that note whether or not any action threshold has been exceeded. If a threshold has been exceeded, you as the grower decide whether or not to spray, and which spray material to use; you can delegate this responsibility (i.e. to a spray contractor or orchard manager) provided you do so in writing to the person you are delegating authority to.

What you need to decide by November 1, 2010 You now need to decide by November 1, 2010 how you will have your orchard AvoGreen Monitored. Why 1 November?

This is when your 2011/2012 crop will be set and you need to start monitoring by then for the crop to be AvoGreen compliant in order

to be eligible for export.

There are two options for having your orchard AvoGreen monitored: • Monitored by a third party Operator, or • Monitored by you as an Owner-Operator.

If you already have your orchard monitored under AvoGreen, contact your current provider.

If you choose to have your monitoring handled by an AvoGreen Operator you will need to contact them prior to November 1, 2010 (a list of Operators can be found on the AvoGreen page of the website or view the Suppliers listings link on the nzavocado homepage); or if you decide to become an Owner/Operator, you will need to fill out the Expression of Interest form to become an AvoGreen Owner/Operator and return to the AIC by July 1, 2010 (getting these forms in by this date gives the AIC an indication of the amount of training sessions we need to organise for Owner-Operators and in which areas).

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Industry News 2010-2011 Export Registration online now Online Export Registration for 2010-2011 season is now available. PPINS and passwords have been sent to all growers (and packers and exporters) to use with the online registration facility. If you are unable to register online and wish to register manually, please contact Sheryl at the AIC office and a paper form will be posted to you. Please note that a $20 administration fee will be added for registrations processed manually.

Registration cut-off dates: Grower earlybird $151.87 if paid prior to July 1, 2010, $180 if paid prior to August 1, late fee $264.37. Packer and exporter earlybird if paid prior to August 1, 2010.

Export Marketing Strategy (EMS) 2010-2011 The 2010-2011 EMS is on the AIC website. This and a summary of significant changes can be viewed at http://www. nzavocado.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/310 AvoGreen® Information Go to http://www.nzavocado.co.nz/index.php/pi_ pageid/208 for all documents and information relating to AvoGreen®.

Effective frost management

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Increased protection area (8ha+) Quietest frost fan on the market Latest technology engine pack Quietest Frost fan on the market Wireless temperature sensor Full installation and back up service 0800 367 583 sales@fmrltd.co.nz www.fmrgroup.co.nz

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New season Maturity Monitoring results online now The monthly monitoring programme for 2010 is now underway. Results provide an indication of progress and when harvest maturity is likely to be reached. Go to http://www. nzavocado.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/228 Introduction to Avocado Production course Enrol now for module 3: Pests & Diseases beginning July 20, 2010 at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (Windermere campus, Tauranga). Cost $231. Class times: 9am-4pm on July 20, August 3, 17, and 31. For more information, phone 0800 BOP POLY or visit www.boppoly.ac.nz Fruit Production for Profit course This fruit industry focussed course will give you the opportunity to learn financial orchard management skills such as financial planning, risk management, budgeting, cash flow, crop viability, tax and more. Designed for managers, supervisors, contractors, growers. Classes start June 29, 2010.

For more information, phone 0800 BOP POLY. Avril Taylor-Crozier new AvoFresh client relationship manager Avril Taylor-Crozier has been appointed the new AvoFresh client relationship manager. Highly experienced in the avocado industry, Avril was previously the business manager for the Avocado Industry Council and NZ Avocado Growers’

Association.

AvoFresh is a grower-controlled avocado entity that manages the supply and marketing of New Zealand avocados.

All go at Fressure Foods Thanks to outstanding industry support, Fressure Foods Limited is now a reality. UHP processing of New Zealand avocados will commence in 2010 and NC Hyperbaric of Spain have already been commissioned to manufacture the hyperbaric vessel for FFL. UHP technology is in a classical growth phase and Fressure Foods looks forward to capitalising upon growing world demand for safe, natural and convenient UHP processed avocados from New Zealand.

VII World Avocado Congress 2011 Cairns Australia Held only every four years, this World Congress presents a great opportunity to see an avocado growing country while learning the latest techniques for growing, finding out all about avocado marketing and how the economy and climate change are going to impact on our industry.

To keep updated with the VII World Avocado Congress programmes, registrations and other activities, sign up to the Congress’ email update at www. worldavocadocongress2011.com HortNZ Proposed Fruit Levy Increase All fruit growers should have received a letter from Horticulture New Zealand about the proposal to increase the levy paid to HortNZ by fruit growers from 0.11% ($11 per $10,000 in sales) to 0.15% ($15 for every $10,000 in sales).

When the HortNZ levy was first set up in 2006 it was agreed all growers would pay a levy of 0.15%. Vegetable growers have paid 0.15% to HortNZ from day one. However, for the first three years it was agreed the income from fruitgrowers would be split between grants from the Fruitgrowers Charitable Trust (FCT) equivalent to 0.04% of sales and the levy of 0.11% of sales.

Those three years are now up and HortNZ is seeking the approval of fruitgrowers to increase the levy. HortNZ says this is not about a need for more money it is about replacing the income previously received from the FCT. You must register to vote. HortNZ has mailed out registration papers to all the ‘active grower member’ fruit growers on its database so they can register to vote.

An ‘active grower member’ is a grower who has paid levy to HortNZ in the last 12 months.

You must register to vote, because the vote is a weighted vote based on the amount of levy paid in the past year. This means the more levies you pay, the more votes you will get.

HortNZ does not hold information on the amount of levy paid by individual growers due to the costs of collating this data from multiple collection agents and payments over the year.

Calculating how much levy you have paid Some growers have asked how they find out how much they have paid in levies to HortNZ. HortNZ has provided the following information: If growers are not sure how much levy they have paid they should be able to calculate it by multiplying their gross fruit sales value (at the first point of sale for domestic suppliers and at FOB value for export supplies) by 0.0011, for example if your fruit sales were $200,000 then the levy would be $200,000 x 0.0011= $220 so the voting right would be 220 votes.

If you have any questions about the vote or have lost your registration form, phone HortNZ, 0508 467 869.

Once growers have registered to vote, they can either vote in person at the HortNZ AGM on August 5 in Auckland, or give a proxy in advance. Voter registration closes on July 29. The last day to lodge a proxy is August 3.

AGA Annual General Meeting 27 August 2010 The 2010 Avocado Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting

will be held in Tauranga at Mills Reef Winery and Restaurant, 143 Moffat Road, Bethlehem, Tauranga, August 27 at 1pm. Everyone attending the AGM is invited to join with the AIC Directors and AIC staff at the close of the meeting (approximately 4.30pm) for light refreshments AGA Grower Rep. Nominations due 5pm June 29, 2010 Please send nominations to Edwina (edwina@nzavocado.co.nz or Avocado Industry Council, PO Box 13267, Tauranga or fax to 07 571 6145) at the AIC by 5pm June 29, 2010. Use the nomination form you have been posted or download from the nzavocado website www.nzavocado.co.nz Remits due 5pm July 16, 2010 Please send remits to Edwina (edwina@ nzavocado.co.nz or Avocado Industry Council, PO Box 13267, Tauranga or fax to 07 571 6145) at the AIC by 5pm July 16, 2010. Use the forms you have been posted or download from the nzavocado website www.nzavocado.co.nz The remit criteria are as follows: 1. No remit can be transacted at the AGM other than those that have been circulated to the members in advance.

So that remits can be circulated to members they must be received by the AGA office – no later than 5pm Friday July 16, 2010.

2. Remits must come from an AGA member and require a signed mover and seconder, who must also be a member of the AGA. If there is an issue that is regional it would be preferred if this was developed through your regional grower rep. To avoid duplication.

3. If you require more space on which to make your remit(s) please write on a separate sheet. Ensure both the mover and the seconder sign the bottom of any extra sheets and attach to the remit form.

If you have any questions regarding remits, please contact your local Grower Rep (details can be found in this issue of Avoscene.)

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18

Avogreen

By Dr David Steven, IPM Research Ltd

Monitoring -

how much is enough?

One decision facing those new to AvoGreen®, especially those who plan to monitor their orchard themselves, is “How much monitoring should I do?”.

Even old hands at using AvoGreen need to consider this aspect, although the question they need to ask themselves shifts shape to become “Have I got my monitoring programme right, or do I need to fine tune it?”

If you are contracting monitoring from a provider, termed an Operator in AvoGreen jargon, you can of course leave it to them to decide for you. Established Operators do have a wealth of experience about the pest pressure in the districts they cover, which means that they know what is likely to work for you, provided your situation is not unusual. However it is your orchard, your crop, and you will find it worthwhile to work out for yourself what would be a good programme for your orchard. The Operator knows the area situation, but you are the person who best knows the actual pest situation on your orchard.

A guide “Determining the Best Monitoring Schedule for your orchard” is available from the AIC to show in detail how to do this. You can get in off the website, or by phoning 0800 AVOCADO. (If you have a copy of the AvoGreen Manual, it is included in Appendix 3.)

Here I want to explain some aspects about monitoring in general, and about ‘how much monitoring is needed’ in particular since there has been debate and confusion around these topics.

Why monitor anyway?

Monitoring is a structured way of observing pests to determine not only what is present, but also to give a measure of how abundant each pest is in order to determine whether or not a spray is justified. Unstructured or casual observations cannot be used instead of monitoring because it is not possible to measure abundance when using them and so you cannot actually determine whether or not a spray is needed.

Monitoring is best described as simply a way to evaluate what is actually happening in your orchard, in order to make better spray decisions.

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Avogreen

By Dr David Steven, IPM Research Ltd

Why is there a threshold, why can’t I spray as soon as I find a pest?

An action or economic threshold is when the anticipated cost of damage equals the cost of the remedial action, which in most cases is applying a spray. The threshold levels used for each pest in AvoGreen are conservative, meaning they are set on the low side. This was deliberate. It means sometimes a spray will be applied when it is not really necessary, but the risk of missing a spray that should have been used is minimised. The thresholds were determined after limited trial work but have been confirmed by very extensive experience during the 10 years since AvoGreen was launched in 2000.

Spraying when a pest is found at a level below the threshold is claimed by some growers to be necessary as a “preventive” action, but there is no evidence this really is the case. The claim would appear to be far more stoked by fear things might get out of control than founded on any hard data that this is likely to happen. Most modern insecticides are highly effective at killing the pests present, and in fact work better as an eradicant than as a preventative. The newer, more potent, modern materials also actually give a better chance to determine whether or not there is an optimal or critical timing for a spray.

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continued....

This is because a partially effective spray is likely to require repeated applications anyway. Of course if a pesticide is not well and carefully applied, the effectiveness will be low and repeated sprays are highly likely to be needed.

Getting the maximum impact from every spray applied is the only way to minimise the number of sprays used.

IPM (Integrated Pest Management) programmes such as AvoGreen are being increasingly looked at as the approach that will deliver minimal use, as for example in the EU directive on the sustainable use of pesticides issued in late 2009.

Why does a grower need to go through the rigmarole of deriving the best Monitoring Schedule for their orchard? Why is there not a simple recipe setting out how many monitoring rounds to do?

The number and spread of monitoring rounds has to mirror the risk of damage to a crop and hence the pest pressure in the actual orchard growing the crop. However pest pressure is quite variable, both over time (during the season, and from year to year) and space (from region to region and within each locality). And remember that each of the main pests varies in a different way.

If a fixed number of monitoring rounds

was set, it could not be ideal for all circumstances. Even using an average number would result in not enough monitoring on some orchards, putting crop at grave risk on these properties; while giving too many rounds for others and so imposing an unnecessary cost burden.

It is better to have a flexible system that allows the schedule to be adapted to the circumstances of each orchard.

Why isn’t a set minimum number of monitoring rounds required to be AvoGreen compliant?

Even just suggesting a minimum number of rounds in order for a crop to be judged compliant carries the risk that this number will be seen as all the monitoring that is necessary, when the minimum only applies in special cases with low crop and low risk of damage. The focus should be on what is best for your circumstances, not on how little you may be able to get away with.

Why does the interval between monitorings change?

How often monitoring is done depends largely on how quickly pest pressure can change. Under favourable conditions, populations of greenhouse thrips (GHT) change more rapidly than those of other avocado pests, so that GHT has the

Parsitised leafroller.

Photo by Matt Leamy.

shortest interval for avocado pests at two weeks between rounds. This is during the high risk period for thrips, from February to April. At either end of the high risk period, monitoring can be at longer intervals reflecting a slow down in the speed of population change. In the off season, GHT is almost never a problem, although low numbers may be found occasionally.

Even at times of high risk of leafroller (LR) damage, monitoring rounds need be no closer than three weeks, since this pest develops more slowly. Development also slows as the temperature drops, allowing intervals of up to six weeks in mid-winter.

However LR poses a risk to avocado crops throughout the year, so monitoring for LR continues all through winter, albeit at long intervals.

Six-spotted mite (6SM) is the pest that varies most, both by region to region and within districts. Many growers may only directly target monitoring at 6SM at the critical time of flowering, or then plus at the end of flowering. At these times damage is most likely. Other growers with a history of 6SM will need to do more.

Combining the information for each pest into a single Monitoring Schedule using the ‘Pest-up’ approach makes it easy to see if there are any gaps in your Schedule (see “Determining the Best Monitoring Schedule for your orchard”).

Is there only one way to set up a Monitoring Schedule?

No; three different approaches that can be used to give a Schedule are described in “Determining the Best Monitoring Schedule for your orchard”, but these are only examples and there are no restrictions as to how it is done. The important thing is for a grower to have a schedule, and one that helps them optimise their pest control.

Can a Monitoring Schedule be altered?

The Monitoring Schedule is a forward plan, and so indicates what is intended.

As the season progresses, the situation will change and this will affect what should be done and what is possible. For instance once the threshold for GHT is met, two sprays are allowed before a further monitoring is required; or a spray application may be delayed, extending the interval between successive rounds.

The Monitoring Schedule not only can, it should be altered to take into account the new information. The reasons for any substantial change should be recorded with the Monitoring Schedule.

What is AvoGreen Lite?

In the off-year when crops are light, the action threshold for each pest should theoretically be altered to a higher level

to reflect the different situation. The changed economics can give rise to a reduced monitoring schedule, which is described as AvoGreen Lite. Rather than dictate that crops become Lite at a certain arbitrary level, the AvoGreen Monitoring protocols allow the grower to determine this adjustment for themselves. Lowering the amount of monitoring to reflect the higher threshold must be done cautiously because it does increase the risk of damage.

Overview The series of questions and answers above all relate to monitoring and in particular to how the amount of monitoring alters. The best monitoring schedule for your orchard needs to reflect the individual circumstances of your orchard – each property is individual. As monitoring is the way most sprays will be justified, it is well worth the little time it actually takes to construct a Monitoring Schedule that is properly adapted to your unique situation.

Dr David Steven IPM Research Ltd PO Box 36-012, Auckland 0748 AvoPest: 0508 286 7378 dsteven@ipmresearch.co.nz Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author

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By Natasha Mitchell

Following the dream

22

Thirty years ago Alaric and Rosemary Newbald moved to Katikati to swap city life for the rural idyll. Now after years of hard work, they have achieved that dream.

The couple lives on a 10 hectare property.

The four and a half hectare avocado orchard is centred round their home and garden and the balance of land is pasture, grazed by a neighbour’s stock.

Rosemary and Alaric developed the property, a former dairy farm, themselves.

The first avocado trees were planted in 1981 and the last in 1998. The majority are Hass with Zutano, Fuerte, Ettinger, Bacon, Jim and Pinkerton pollinators. A few Reeds produce fruit and are also used as pollinators.

Reeds were Alaric’s first introduction to avocados: his parents had a few when the family was living on Norfolk Island.

Alaric admits the move to Katikati from Wellington was taken after much soul searching but once decided, the family were behind the project 100 per cent.

“When we first came here everything was rosy in our eyes,” says Alaric.

“We grew vegetables: radishes, chillies, you name it… and palms. Palms were the only thing that made money, together with avocados but we didn’t get much fruit until the trees were six to eight years old, once the shelters started to keep the warmth in.”

Avocados need good shelter as they are very susceptible to changes in temperature.

While the orchard was reaching production age the Newbalds subsidised their income by working in kiwifruit packhouses. Alaric, whose background was in forestry and paper and packaging, served as Apata CEO from 1986 to 1995.

Apata started packing avocados during this period and Alaric was one of the Apata growers who sent the first shipment of New Zealand avocados to America in 1992, with exporters Primor Produce.

“The returns were independent – there was no pool then so you could win or lose, and we did both.

“It was probably a bit before it’s time. The prices were good, but the industry has been unable to realise the potential of exporting to the States and won’t be able to until the industry has a more plentiful supply.”

“The Avocado Industry Council, which now combines the Avocado Growers Association, does a pretty good job of keeping growers informed and maintaining a cohesive group; together with keeping the industry’s requirements before Government, for example research, legal and HEA concerns; though personally I was surprised to see growers vote to reduce grower representation on the council. I think this is a backward step.

“The other concern is the proliferation of export licences. For a small industry, most can recall the debacle when kiwifruit had multiple exporters dividing up the same pie.

I believe a limit on number of exporters is desirable.”

The Newbalds still pack with Apata and are also shareholders. They believe it is important for growers to also own an interest in industry infrastructure, whether it is in a packhouse, processing facility or some other business.

“Just having an orchard is ok but you’re the last man to get paid after everyone else has taken out something from the income.

“It also makes packhouses more transparent – as a shareholder you get most of the information.”

With four daughters to raise as well as jobs and an orchard to run part-time, life was busy.

“We didn’t have much time to think if we missed the city,” says Rosemary.

“I think we all enjoyed the experience, but it wasn’t all beer and skittles,” adds Alaric.

“From time to time the orchard got a bit neglected. Now we have organised it better.”

This ‘part-time orchardist’ problem is one that affects the health and production of many Bay of Plenty avocado orchards, he believes.

Alaric says running an orchard is like running a business: you don’t get any money out if you don’t put money in.

The whole experience of growing avocados has been something of a challenge.

The latest round of trials for the Newbalds has been pruning their trees; an operation that appears to be paying off.

Currently they are only producing fruit from about two thirds of the orchard because the rest of the trees have been heavily pruned in the last couple of years.

The plan now is to middle and top prune all trees over a cycle of three to four years.

“I think I know a lot more about nutrition for avocados now, so production per hectare should go up, or is expected to, with fewer trees.”

Last season the orchard did not produce well but the previous year, prior to pruning, production was 17,000 trays and Alaric expects to do 12,000 trays this coming season. The orchard’s highest production was 20,000 trays.

“We’re still trying to get out of biennial bearing. At one stage we had four good years in a row.

“This next harvest will be quite good and I expect good fruit set as the trees are really set up for it. So we expect two pretty good years in spite of losing tree numbers through pruning.

“Pruning seems to revive trees – it lets light in and lets spray penetrate so you get a better quality crop.”

The Newbalds installed an irrigation system six years ago and say this has been hugely beneficial.

“The irrigation system has definitely been a plus. The trees seem to have settled down.

“Avocados don’t like any sort of stress.

Dry, wet, hail, gales… the stress doesn’t show until about 18 months down the track though.”

Alaric says this is also why having a good fertiliser programme, developed in discussion with consultants, is essential.

“What you give the trees today will affect it 18 months to two years down the track.”

He applies fertiliser once a month.

“I think a little and often is a very good method – just seems to keep the trees health up all the time.”

The couple, who are passed official retirement age, still muck in during picking as well as doing other orchard work. They agree one of the benefits of keeping such a hands-on approach is keeping active.

23

Gypsum (Calcium Sulphate) applications are a well known and effective way of improving soil structure to facilitate early root development in the early years of establishment when freshly contoured soils are exposed to erosion in order to overcome topographical irregularities.

Gypsum provides readily available calcium nutrient in pH neutral form and improves the structure of clay soils.

to improve your soil structure and drainage during the winter months

24

GEM fruit

A GEM avocado tree

By AIC research technician Bart Hofstee

New varieties The AGA/AIC, under an agreement with Riversun Nursery Ltd, has imported a number of new avocado rootstocks and fruiting cultivars from plant breeders around the world.

These cultivars have been selected according to AGA policy primarily with the characteristics of high tolerance to phytophthora root rot, superior yield and characteristics that extend the market window. Most of the material imported over recent times has a South African origin, where a lot of work has been carried out looking mainly at creating a rootstock which is both phytophthora and/or salt tolerant.

In the case of rootstocks, the flowon effects of a healthier root system is expected to be greater and more reliable yields and reduced on orchards management costs. However, the new rootstocks and fruiting cultivars have been bred in environments and soils that can be very different to those found in New Zealand.

Prior to the Riversun agreement there were also a number of fruit cultivars from the avocado breeding programme in California that were imported from the University of California in the 1990s.

These materials are held in the industry gene blocks along with a number of older avocado fruit cultivars that were imported more than 30 years ago.

In order for the New Cultivar Committee to evaluate the suitability of new cultivars for commercial release

sufficient relevant information is needed to be collected from scientific trials. Claims made about the superior horticultural performance of the new rootstocks and fruiting cultivars under New Zealand conditions will have to meet the requirements of the Fair Trading Act in that they are backed up by research that supports these claims.

The following table lists the fruiting cultivars considered to have potential for commercialisation as export cultivars within the next 20 years.

to Hass fruit. The maturity of GEM fruit appears to be similar to Hass, as are the disorders.

Lamb Hass This variety matures later than Hass by about four months and the fruit are typically larger with a more blocky shape.

Far North Lamb Hass appears to mature earlier than the Bay of Plenty. Harvest dry matter appears to be 27% and fruit stores best at 7 degrees Celsius. Severity of rots is similar to Hass. Harvest season appears to be from early Cultivar Type PVR January to late April.

Reed Green skin None The tree appears to have a more upright GEM Hass - like UCR, USA growth form than Lamb Hass Hass - like UCR, USA Maluma Hass Hass - like Andre Ernst (South Africa) Hass.

Carmen Hass Hass – like Brokaw (USA) Maluma Hass OA184 Hass – like Maluma has an Hass 3446 Original Hass None upright growth form A0.06 Green skin Westfalia with central leader

and lateral branching Reed with excellent light penetration while The fruit is a Guatemalan type, which Hass is more compact (several leader is green and round. The seed is small to branches) with poor lateral branching. medium in relation to fruit size. The tree Maluma is significantly more precocious is upright and vigorous in growth. They and less vigorous than Hass. Maluma have fairly consistent crops alternating outperforms Hass on production, fruit slightly after heavy crop years. The trees size and distribution. In South Africa it flower late in the spring and the fruit matures one month earlier than Hass. matures the next year March through Compared to Hass, Maluma has a shiny to June in the Bay of Plenty, it may well appearance and colours up (black) very mature earlier in the Far North. The well with no lenticels problems. Allesbeste tolerance to frost is probably similar to Nursery holds the plant breeder’s rights. the Hass. Due to their upright growth they can be planted in a close pattern, say Carmen Hass Compared with Hass it has a peculiar 5x5 metres. flowering pattern and appears to set two GEM crops per season, thereby producing fruit This fruit has a distinctive appearance at an unusual time during the year. It with a smoother skin and a similar size matures fruit some two to four months 25

Lamb Hass fruit

before Hass. The fruit is almost identical to Hass, although a bit more ovoid and smaller on average. Carmen is probably a sport of Hass. In Mexico it is a prolific producer and it is now being planted extensively by Mexican growers.

A Lamb Hass tree

A0.06 This is a South African variety selected for anthracnose rot resistance. The fruit has a green skin.

Maluma fruit

industry is investigating the use of clonal stock over seedling stock.

New Zealand has traditionally used seedling rootstocks for the propagation of avocado trees; most commonly Zutano Rootstocks as their rootstocks. The New Zealand Tree development, health, and soils are mainly of volcanic origin OA 184 productivity in fruit crops are very which are moderately free draining, This is a ‘B’ flowering tree with Hassdependent on rootstock type. and do not have the same problem like fruit. It has quite a thin skin and According to Webber (1926), “no with phytophthora that many overseas produces large fruit which is slightly factor of the avocado industry is more countries encounter. The Californian inferior to Hass. important than rootstocks, and there is and South African industries have for many years used clonal rootstocks Hass 3446 which have been selected to be Rootstock Cultivar Owner This is a re-importation of Hass. phytophthora and salt tolerant, Merensky 1 (Latas) Westfalia-South Africa After many years of propagating and have reduced reliance on using Merensky 2(Dusa) Westfalia-South Africa there may well be some genetic seedling stock. Offshore rootstocks Piet von Tander (Bounty) Allesbeste-South Africa drift from the original Hass and it are increasingly selected for Weeping willow Ex HortResearch was therefore re-imported. There salinity tolerance especially in the Westfalia-South Africa is a belief that Hass 3446 is a more WSU 1 USA. Build up of salts in soils is Westfalia-South Africa upright tree and less spreading than WSU 2 becoming a major issue in Australia the majority of Hass trees grown Velvick Australian origin and the USA. South Africa in in New Zealand. Hass 3446 is very Duke 7 Californian origin particular has for many years been close genetically to the original involved with the breeding of Hass, it is a clone of the mother no problem that we know less about, or rootstocks and offers the most advanced Hass which lived in California. The which requires a longer time to solve”. selection of rootstock materials, hence original tree died of root rot in 2002.

Nearly a century later the New Zealand our focus on South African importations.

26

A Maluma avocado tree

The South African selections have generally been improved selections of Duke 7, which they originally imported from California. The rootstock Dusa has performed especially well in South Africa.

Phytophthora tolerance is achieved by very vigorous growth rates and tolerance is achieved by this factor.

Velvick is an Australian selection which has a moderate tolerance to salinity and root rot. It is a Guatemalan type crossed with a West Indian type. It produces a uniform line of seedlings. Due to its West Indian heritage Velvick may well struggle against the cold in New Zealand, there are a few young seedlings in the Te Puke gene block that showed cold stress in the 2009 winter.

Dusa is a South African seedling selection of Duke 7. The vigour is greater than that of Duke 7. It appears to be very vigorous in New Zealand conditions, may well prove to be a great rootstock in heavier soils and in replant situations.

Latas is a South African selection which was found growing in waterlogged conditions. It has greater vigour than Duke 7 however it tends to be vegetative at the expense of production.

Where to from here?

There are plant varieties rights on most of the new varieties, see Avoscene March 2009 article by Dr Jonathan Dixon and Alan Thorn ‘Explaining the NonPropagation Agreement’.

The question is whether the plant material imported over recent years that has performed well in the respective countries from which they originated will perform similarly under New Zealand conditions? There are many

OA 184 fruit

An OA 184 tree

questions which will need to be answered before a harvesting protocol is set and a variety will be acceptable for export. What is the harvesting window for a new variety or how well do they store? Grade standards will need to be set as they have for Hass.

A field trial was planted out in autumn 2009 in a heavy soil at Mangawhai which had high phytophthora levels from a previous avocado block. Clonal rootstocks Bounty, Dusa, Duke 7 and Zutano seedlings were planted. These plants were grafted to Maluma Hass and Hass.

Riversun have been commissioned to propogate the newly imported rootstocks which have been grafted with Carman Hass, Maluma Hass, and Hass and it is planned that these plants will be planted out in spring 2010 on three selected sites covering the Far North to the Bay of Plenty. The fruit from these trials can initially be used to assess the maturity and storage potential and thereby set the harvesting window for the variety. Grade standards can then be developed.

This trial will provide the AIC with a quantity of fruit in the near future so some of the questions regarding the market window and grade standards can be answered. To date, using fruit from the gene blocks, a considerable amount of work has already been undertaken on Lamb Hass and GEM post-harvest performance, with Lamb Hass showing some real promise for New Zealand conditions so far. (See the Annual Research Report 2008, University of California avocado cultivars Lamb Hass and GEM maturity and fruit quality results from New Zealand evaluation trials.)

Carmen fruit

A Carmen avocado tree

Make sure you book your advertising space for the next issue of Avoscene due out in September.

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Booking deadline is August 15th, 2010.

27

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DEALER AND SERVICE NETWORK THROUGHOUT NZ

Who are your AGA Reps and what are they elected to do?

AGA Grower Representatives (also AIC directors) are responsible for governance of and making policies for the New Zealand avocado industry. They are elected by growers to represent growers on policymaking issues.

AIC directors meet up to six times a year to debate matters.

Motions passed are then implemented by AIC staff.

Another role Grower Reps are expected to perform is to provide information and support to growers in the area they represent.

There are currently nine grower representatives (with the recent move of Andrew Darling to an Exporter Representative role).

Recently, growers voted to reduce

the number of elected grower representatives from 10 to 8.

The regional boundaries and number of representatives for each are now: Bay of Plenty, 1; Far North, 1; Mid North, 1; Rest of NZ, 1; At Large, 4.

Each position was held for a maximum of two years up until the recent rule change (voted on by growers through postal ballot) which has increased the term to three years. When the term is up, the incumbent due for retirement may choose to stand for re-election.

Election of new executives is completed prior to the AGM. Every AGA member is eligible to elect or stand for election in either their local region or as an At Large representative. On appointment, the new Executive Committee elects a chairperson.

Growers are encouraged to approach the executive members at any time to discuss any issues.

The AGA has an open door policy through which grower concerns can be investigated and addressed.

Current AGA Grower Representatives John Schnackenberg BCom, CA Chairman NZAGA & NZAIC, At Large Representative.

Elected to the AGA in 2004 as an At Large Representative, John also sits on the Finance Committee and chairs the Communications & Information Strategy Group. He moved with his family in 1999 to an established avocado orchard in Katikati, Bay of Plenty.

Email: jschnack@ihug.co.nz Mobile: 021 731 437 Tony Ponder AIC Vice Chairman & AGA At Large Representative Tony has been a director and vice chairman of the AIC since 2005. He also chairs the Market Reliability and Supply Committee and is a member of the EMS, Grade standards, Promotions and Finance Committees.

Email: tony@southernproduce.co.nz Mobile: 0274 733 712 29

Who are AGA your reps Roger Barber AGA Vice Chairman, At Large Representative

Roger has been on the AGA Board for 12 years, acting as Vice Chair for the past 8 years. He holds a M Ag degree in Fruit Crops from the University of Florida. and has had a career background as a MAF Scientist and Adviser. Roger Chairs a number of committees including R&D, the Production & Supply Strategy Group and New Cultivars. He is an ‘At Large Representative’ based on a 23 acre avocado orchard in Whangarei.

Email: barbers@ihug.co.nz Phone: 09 435 0785 Mike Eagles AGA Mid North Representative

An avocado grower in Maungatapere since 1999, Mike was elected to the AGA as the Mid North representative in 2003.

Mike is also deputy chair for the Rural Support Trust Northland.

Email: m.eagles@xtra.nz Phone: 09 434 7271 Mobile: 027 727 1381 Ian Broadhurst AGA Far North Representative

Ian has been a grower of avocados in the Far North since 1985 and is the manager of a large orchard in the Far North. Elected in 2006, Ian is a representative for the Far North and is also involved with the Avocado Domestic Promotions & Grade Standards Committee.

Email: bernian@xtra.co.nz Phone: 09 406 7308 Jack Crozier AGA Bay of Plenty Representative

Jack runs an avocado management and advisory company. He also owns a 10 hectare property at Aongatete, growing avocados. Jack has been on the conference organising group and now sits on the AvoGreen® sub committee, Finance, Local Market Promotions, and Food Safety Committees. he also holds title of Audit Director.

Email: jcrozier@xtra.co.nz Phone: 07 548 1744

30

...continued

Peter Farmer AGA Bay of Plenty Representative

Peter is a director/trustee of several commercial and community organisations within the Bay of Plenty, including his family owned motor vehicle dealer group. He has been a member/representative on the Avocado Growers’ Association executive representing the Bay of Plenty since 2008. Peter is currently completing development of a six hectare avocado orchard in Te Puna.

Email: peter@farmermotorgroup.co.nz Phone: 07 552 4416 Ashby Whitehead AGA At Large Representative

Ashby is an avocado grower in Te Puke since 1996. He was elected to the board in 2006 and sits on the Finance, EMS, Quality Standards, Cultivar and AvoGreen® Committees. Ashby is also on the AIC Recognised Product Group Committee.

Email: alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz Phone: 07 573 6680 Mobile: 027 283 2192 David French Rest of New Zealand Representative

David has been an AGA rep since July 2008 but has been involved in the horticultural industry most of his working life. He manages two Glenbrook properties for his family company, producing kiwifruit and avocados. David also owns an avocado orchard at Bombay and runs an orchard contracting business servicing avocado, kiwifruit and lemon growers in South Auckland. Recently he has become a partner in a Hydralada hire company.

Email: famille@ps.gen.nz Phone: 0274 375 313

Regional

Roundups

By Mike Eagles As I sit at my computer looking out the window, I can see beautiful rain falling. We have had false hope before but this M I D N O R T H looks like the real deal.

Irrigation is very handy but nothing beats the real thing, good soaking rain.

It has been an interesting season with excellent prices coming out of Australia. Another couple of years with prices at this year’s level would go a long way to making avocado growing sustainable.

The dry weather seems to have impacted on a lot of orchards with many trees looking tired.

Fruit set in the Mid North area seems varied, with some growers reporting a good set and others disappointed. Let us all hope that the winter weather treats us better than the last three winters.

Many thanks to Paula Gerrard and Trevor Holland (and The National Bank) for inviting growers to their property to watch transplanting of mature trees. It was very interesting and is a great option for anyone who is considering moving trees.

While income has been improving, we now have had NZGAP inflicted on us at a cost that I can only describe as ridiculous. Most growers are already doing everything that NZGAP requires but now we have to pay for it. I don’t know how they can justify the price. Unfortunately if we don’t use a GAP system it severely restricts where we can export our fruit.

With AGA elections coming up, I would encourage anyone who thinks they have the right skill set to consider putting their name forward.

The AGA is only as strong as those people who sit on the Board. Maybe you can make a difference.

Congratulations to Kieran and Vicky Ferguson for taking part in the 2010 Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards. It takes a lot of effort to enter and a lot of courage to put your orchard forward for someone to judge, so well done.

By Ashby Whitehead Canopy management is one of the fundamentals of growing avocados but this is easier said than done for a lot of growers.

AT LARGE This will require you to cut off flowers and fruit, which for some is a very hard thing to do. One thing to remember is that

they grow like weeds and are almost impossible to kill, so don’t be shy in cutting them.

In Australia they have the ability to cut the tree after picking and before they flower so they are not cutting flower or fruit. A lot of their trimming is carried out with hedge cutters and once the regrowth appears they spray a growth regulator (which is not yet registered for use in New Zealand but is in the process).

If the grass on the inter row of your orchard has died then the trees are well overdue for some canopy management.

On our orchard we started with 7x7 metre spaces then started to lollipop the diagonal trees in year 8 and 9, of which most stayed for two to three years. We then removed these trees completely, cutting the trees flush with the ground. In year 12 we started to lollipop the parallel rows and in year 14 we removed most of those trees to leave us with 14x14 metre spacers at this stage.

As far as the height of the trees, we do our own picking and have decided that we will restrict our tree height to 8 metres as this is the maximum practicable height to pick from our 6.4m ladder.

The pickers carry a pruning saw when picking and cut any branch that is above the 8 metre mark.

When cutting the trees down, we cut all the vegetation that is branch size up to 100mm and mulch anything over this size, we then cut into manageable pieces put them on a tip trailer and dump in the fire pile.

So don’t be shy; get out the chainsaw before it is too late, as it takes a few years for the trees to regenerate if the shading has gone too far. The timing is best done when the trees aren’t growing vigorously, so the cooler months are better.

By Peter Farmer As I write this article, Mother Nature in the Bay of Plenty is busy providing good news to BAY O F P L E N T Y some growers (end of drought), and bad news (flooding, rain, wind) to others.

That’s the reality of our industry – some things we cannot change, some things we can.

This reminds me of the well-known verse by Reinhold Niebuhr.

“God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.”

It’s the things we can change (improve) that make 31

Regional Roundups

...continued

Regional roundups the difference between an outstanding orchard financial return and a poor one. This is true for individual growers of all sizes and is very much true of our New Zealand industry as a whole.

Right now is a great time to be an avocado grower, with many key structural changes/actions and wider economic events all potentially producing a very good outlook for the future.

Given the upcoming elections to the AGA/AIC Board, it is appropriate to quickly review these – Export Markets: NZ currently supplies about 30 per cent of the Australian consumption. This volume, together with the increase in prices over recent years, has provided and will continue to provide a strong base for our industry.

However our next growth area will be from Japan, and, later China, together with steady growth within the US market.

Future Crop Size: It is clear that NZ will in future years achieve good critical mass to enable it to succeed within these export markets, given the significant large orchard plantings over the previous three to five years.

Crop Quality: This is the key factor, indeed it could be described as the pivotal issue in terms of achieving a strong successful export market. The key element here is the AIC/AGA AvoGreen® project, which will do more to create consistent export quality and lift export pack out rates than any other action.

At the end of the day however, our future will be dependent on the quality of our R& D; i.e. developing an improved ‘mouse trap’. Clearly the AGA/AIC is best placed to be totally effective and this is a priority.

Local Market Consumption: This will receive increased focus as we see an increase in total NZ crop volume, available to the local market, evolving over next few years.

This will ensure increased local marketing becomes economically justified. The increased marketing, together with oil and the development of the new, about-to-be-commissioned high pressure processing industry, will greatly assist in maintaining reasonable local market price/volume stability for growers.

The above key factors affect every grower (small, medium and large) as our industry evolves into one of some national significance, and certainly an industry that can look forward to stability and profitable growth.

It is the growers that ultimately control this industry via the election process to the Boards of the AGA/AIC, and an important adjunct to this is ensuring we all insist on the most effective tools possible for imparting best orchard practice and current R&D to growers. This includes assessing the best form of communication to growers e.g.: internet, hard copy or face-to-face/field days.

The Boards that growers elect, together with key 32

industry constituents and government agencies, are charged with overseeing the industry through these next critical five years within what will clearly be a very challenging local and international environment.

It is now up to every grower to carefully exercise their vote for members of the AGA/AIC board, thereby ensuring that effective and strong business governance, via a balanced, quality Board, is always in place ensuring a long term profitable future for all growers.

By David French As winter rolls around, it is time to start thinking about the AGA AT LARGE AGM. This year it is being held in Tauranga in late August.

Each year at the AGM growers get the chance to set how much we will charge ourselves in fruit levies to run the industry.

For the last few years the levy on processing fruit has been set at zero per cent while the levy on local market fruit has been set at three per cent. I believe it is time for this situation to change. Firstly though it is important to remember that when we vote at this year’s AGM we are voting on the following seasons (that is 1/5/2011 to 30/4/2012) levies. The levies for the season we are now entering (that is 1/5/2010 to 30/4/2011) were set at last year’s AGM. So any change does not come into effect until 1/5/2011.

I believe that all fruit sold in New Zealand should be treated equally from a levy point of view. This is going to be even more important with the arrival of Fressure Foods Limited as an alternative market for Class 2 and Class 3 fruit. It would seem

unfair to me to levy two sectors of the market differently when they will both be competing for the same pool of fruit.

If FFL is successful it will likely have a significant effect on the volume and value of local market fruit.

If we decided to only levy fresh fruit and not process fruit then local marketers could be disadvantaged and vice versa.

All fruit sold in New Zealand whether as fresh fruit or process fruit should be levied at the same rate. This way no group of growers or service providers is advantaged or disadvantaged over another.

For the season 1/5/2011 to 30/4/2012 I think this levy should be set at three per cent (the current local market rate) and this rate could be reviewed in the future as volumes and values change.

By Ian Broadhurst As I write this regional report it looks like winter has finally FAR NORTH arrived with our first real wintery south westerly blast along with a drought breaking 30mm of rain.

Over our summer and autumn we have experienced prolonged periods of little or no rain with the region being declared a drought zone over the past six months.

With most orchards in the Far North having irrigation the effect has been minimal, apart from power bills to run pumps.

The trees have come through the summer well with excellent flush and low phytophthora pressure; leaf is generally in excellent health and will head into winter in good condition.

Most people have now completed their annual leaf and soil sample so can prepare

nutrition programmes for the next 12 months. When formulating the fertiliser programme its important to remember that winter leaves can very effective and we still have plenty of opportunity to build carbohydrate levels over the next five months prior to flowering.

With many orchards experiencing a lower than normal crop for the 2010/2011 export season, especially further south, it is worth considering the potential for a heavy flowering and subsequent fruit set for the following season. Having good nutrient levels going into a potential heavy crop is critical, so attention to your fertiliser programme will pay a big part in trees’ ability to perform for the next season.

Also worth noting at this time of the year is the effect of heavy winter rains which can leach away recently applied fertilizers, especially in the soils of the Far North, which are predominantly sandy.

Good practice would be apply top-up applications in small amounts after heavy down pours.

Access into orchards is difficult during winter but the importance of timely insecticide sprays, especially for six spotted mite, shouldn’t be forgotten. I recall last flowering in our district when mite pressures where high what a dramatic impact they had on trees which were heavy in flower.

The requirement for the mandatory use of Avogreen will take effect from this export season onwards. This is a positive step for our industry and probably only formalises what most Far North orchardists were doing any way. The information gathered will be critical to make informed decisions in terms of crop management and chemical choices. I believe the AIC has done a fine job creating a system which is practical but robust and will withstand scrutiny.

RULES CHANGE BALLOT 2010

For Against Result Levy Total Ordinary Levy Total Rule Ordinary Reduce number of Reps from 10 to 8 455 2,213 2,668 35 205 240 CARRIED 424 1,962 2,386 69 455 524 CARRIED Increase term from 2 to 3 years

Voter Return Possible total number of Levy Voters Possible total number of Ordinary Voters = 1,664 Number of Levy Voters that Voted Number of Ordinary Voters that Voted = 493 Percentage Levy Voter return Percentage Ordinary Voter return = 30%

= 1,080 = 396 = 37%

Signed - Returning Officer: Avril Banks

33

By AIC technical manager Dr Henry Pak

Industry growth and deve The industry is faced with a steadily increasing supply of fruit with volumes forecast to rise to at least eight million trays within the next few years.

This increase is being fuelled by the maturation of existing plantings as they come into full production and does not take account of any future increases in planted area. More than one third of the national crop is less than nine years old.

These forecast volumes will greatly exceed the volumes that both the Australian and New Zealand markets can absorb and still provide an economic return to growers.

To maximise grower returns it is essential that new markets be developed.

USA and Japan are well established options but the limitations of the USA market in terms of consistent returns to growers are well known, with widely fluctuating exchange rates and variable in-marker conditions being but two of the constraints our exporters have to deal with.

Strong grower returns require a more diversified mix of markets, allowing exporters more opportunity to place fruit in such a way as to maximise overall orchard gate return (OGR). Opening up new markets is a key platform of the industry’s overall strategy and the AIC is investing heavily in two key projects to facilitate this. These are overcoming restrictions imposed by importing country Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and gaining phytosanitary access to new markets.

In order to export to a new market the

34

very first step is to negotiate access with the regulatory authority in the importing country that deals with phytosanitary issues (the equivalent of our MAF Biosecurity). This can be a long, drawn out process lasting several years during which the importing country assesses the risk that avocados may bring with them any unwanted pests and diseases that may pose a threat to their local horticultural industries. Where unacceptable risks are identified then a suitable phytosanitary treatment may need to be negotiated to mediate this risk.

The AIC is working closely with MAF on access requests to both China and India. Both these markets have a large domestic population with rapid economic growth. India has one of the highest numbers of millionaires per capita globally.

The AIC recently hosted an Indian MAF delegation on a fact finding mission to New Zealand as one of the initial steps to facilitate access. The process for gaining access into China has also being started.

Once phytosanitray access is gained there are other conditions our fruit must meet before it can cross the border. The most important of these is any limitations placed on the allowable pesticide residues on fruit. These are referred to as Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs).

The importing country decides for each commodity what chemical residues they will allow. For each commodity they produce a list of chemicals allowed on that produce and for each individual chemical they set a maximum residue limit. Many markets will also recognise CODEX MRLs. CODEX is a committee of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) running under the auspices of the

United Nations.

Some markets that are potentially lucrative in terms of grower returns unfortunately have very restrictive MRLs. If no MRL is set for a chemical then there must be no residues of that chemical present on the fruit. Most countries routinely screen imported produce for the presence of residues to ensure the allowable MRLs for that country are being complied with. Detection of chemical residues in excess of the allowable MRLs affects not only our own produce but potentially also any other produce exported from New Zealand to that country.

To help overcome some of these obstacles the AIC has initiated a project on MRLs. In collaboration with the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) and the Plant Market Access Council (PMAC) discussions will be held with importing countries to gain a clearer understanding of the regulatory processes involved in both legislation and enforcement of MRLs in the main markets of interest to our exporters.

Part of these discussions will be to assess options for improved access to each market on a case by case basis. This could potentially involve recognition of New Zealand MRLs and food safety programmes for ensuring they are complied with. Other options are to establish import tolerances for the chemicals of concern for that market.

Again this is a process that may take several years before a successful outcome is achieved, depending on the priority afforded it by the importing country.

The final option is to work through the CODEX system to establish more MRLs for avocados, which is also a long term solution. For the more information on

loping new markets the most up-to-date MRLs for each of our main export markets look at the relevant table in the AIC spray diary or ask your packer or exporter for advice The industry is working hard and expending considerable grower levy funds to help develop market access for the future benefit of the industry. Gaining the green light from the regulators is only the first step in the process of market development. Once the door has been opened, it is up to the exporters to maximise the opportunities that are presented. The exporters are hard at work establishing those market connections.

The success of their labours is ultimately limited by the volume of fruit they have available to them to develop these markets. One requirement is reliable supplies of consistent volumes. This is another strategic area being addressed with the research and development programme in conjunction with scientists

from Plant and Food Research, with other international collaborations planned.

The other major requirement on the part of exporters is that of the fruit they do have available to them a reasonably high proportion has “all market” status with no limitations imposed on the markets the fruit can be sent to. This gives them the flexibility to direct fruit to the best returning markets rather than having to send it to the markets for which it complies. While we have been fortunate having the Australian market on our back door step, other countries are trying to gain access to Australia, including the USA and Mexico. It remains to be seen what the long term impact of the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the USA has on returns out of this market.

All the efforts of the AIC and the exporters to develop new markets is in

vain if as an industry we continue to heavily use those chemicals that impose market restrictions. This is one of the strategic reasons why the AIC has moved to adopt AvoGreen® across the industry.

AvoGreen® is a tool that allows you to make an informed choice as to the most appropriate chemical to use for your situation. Applying the cheapest chemicals to control a given pest will in the future not necessarily be a good strategy for maximising your own returns.

As our industry grows in volume and becomes more complex, as it inevitably will, we all have a role to play in maximising grower returns. The AIC is investing heavily in a number of strategic areas to ensure future profitability for avocado growers. As these new markets develop your best opportunity for maximising your OGR is to ensure your fruit can go to those markets that yield the best returns.

35

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36

By Andrew Hodson, HortPlus NZ Ltd

Spray drift website helps growers Recently HortPlus NZ has been working on a website to help avocado growers minimise off target spray drift.

This concerns all growers but is particularly relevant to avocado growers because trees can become very tall and off-target drift is hard to avoid. Minimising drift to off-target areas involves many factors, including sprayer set-up, nozzle selection and weather conditions prevailing during application. The last factor has been the attention of our focus.

The free spraydrift.com website is designed to allow growers to select the best time to apply sprays. Applying sprays this way avoids spray drift caused by environmental factors onto sensitive areas like housing, schools and waterways. This is done by interpreting forecasts produced by the National Weather Service from the Global Forecast System (GFS). The entire globe is covered and the forecasts are updated four times each day and are for seven days. The GFS forecasts have a resolution of 0.5 degrees. That’s about 50km in New Zealand.

The conditions that encourage spray drift are detailed in NZS8409:2004. All avocado

growers who have completed a GrowSafe course will be familiar with this. Primarily, avocado growers or spray contractors should avoid applying sprays in very still or windy conditions and apply when the delta-t is between 4 and 8. Delta-t is just the drop in temperature when a temperature probe is surrounded by a wet wick. This is like the cool you will feel on your hand when petrol is splashed on it.

First we recommend you read the Getting Started guide on spraydrift.com. Then register and enter the site.

Navigating the map Use the familiar arrows and zoom-bar on the left-hand side to pan and zoom the map. You may also “box zoom” to a specific area by holding down the Shift key and drawing a rectangle on the map. You may also use the Search link to enter an address, a city, or other landmark. It won’t find everything, but it’s pretty good. Be very specific for the best results. An example search dialog is shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Property search

Your selection can be saved for future use by clicking the right mouse button. Note that you can add other properties to the system. Use the page and pencil icon to edit the name of the location and the compass icon to edit where your sensitive areas are located.

37

Operating

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38

Spray drift

...continued

An example sensitive wind direction dialog box is shown in figure 2. All you need to do is put a tick in the areas where wind direction is a concern to you; maybe the location of urban housing or a body of water.

Figure 2: Editing Sensitive wind directions

Whenever you click on a location, this dialog will show to confirm directions of concern.

Figure 3: Example Weather Forecast Interpretation

Figure 3 shows an example of a forecast produced by the site.

The bottom graph shows the spray drift conditions. A legend to interpret the graph is shown on the right hand side. Green squares represent good conditions and bad or perhaps caused by rainfall or strong winds are denoted by a red square. Other categories of risk are shown by yellow and blue squares.

The next graph above this shows forecast wind speed and direction. Whenever the wind is heading towards your sensitive area, a red square will show. In this example there are houses to

the south. Whenever the wind is headed one compass bearing of 45 degrees away from this, a pink square will show. Once again a legend on the right hand side is provided for interpretation.

In this example whenever the wind is forecast to come from either an E or W direction, a pink square will show. By using a combination of the output from graphs 1 and 2, ideal spraying conditions away from sensitive areas can be defined. In this example a spraying window exists on April 21st. Good spraying conditions with drift headed away from sensitive areas.

The next graph above this shows forecast temperature, rainfall and the chance of rainfall. In this example a period of light rainfall is expected on April 22. During this time the temperature is expected to be in the mid teens.

The very top graph shows expected humidity and leaf wetness.

Leaf wetness is not a forecast variable and we have estimated this from rainfall, humidity and dew point forecasts. Using the information provided in the top two graphs, an infection event from wet weather diseases will be forecast. Avocado growers for example will be concerned with reapplying a copper cover after periods of heavy rainfall. As a general rule, wet weather diseases are best controlled with preventative rather than curative actions.

Once you have decided to apply a spray, the bottom two graphs should identify the best timing to minimise drift caused by environmental conditions and the best time to avoid drift to sensitive areas. It is hoped by doing this, growers and contractors will be able to demonstrate responsible spray use.

Sometimes a hardcopy output may be required or an email sent prior to any action being taken. An Adobe Acrobat PDF file can be generated by clicking the small down arrow in the top right hand corner of the forecast screen. Either print or email this output. If printing, you may like to add comments to the page prior to filing. This will allow you to demonstrate spraying operations were made with the best available information.

The site also has three case studies you can read and a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section. Feel free to pass this site on to friends. It covers the entire globe, so growers overseas might find this site useful as well. Spray drift is an international issue generating huge costs for growers.

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www.grochem.co.nz Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 No. P6085.

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Approved pursuant to the HSNO Act 1996, No. HSR000603.

See www.ermanz.govt.nz for approval conditions

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Avocado Industry Council CEO Alan Thorn filming an AvoGreen promotion with Coriolis director Tim Morris.

The promotion is part of the AIC’s information pack for growers and other people keen to learn more about AvoGreen.

By Natasha Mitchell

their say on AvoGreen

®

Avocado growers choose to use AvoGreen® for many reasons and while some are opposed to it becoming compulsory for export fruit this year, the majority see the benefits for the industry.

AvoGreen is the Avocado Industry Council’s pest monitoring system launched in 2000. In February this year the AIC Board resolved to make compliance with AvoGreen a requirement for all growers wishing to export avocados.

New Zealand Avocado Growers’ Association chairman John Schackenberg says the decision was based on the necessity for the industry to position itself for the future increase in volume and the need to find markets for this fruit.

“This is a challenge in an increasingly discerning and competitive global marketplace where customers and markets are demanding assurances based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) around traceability, food safety and environmental sustainability.”

AIC staff, AGA Board members and exporters agree customers are increasingly demanding assurance the New Zealand avocado industry uses responsible chemical spray practices.

Maungakaramea orchardist Kathy Woods has been growing avocados for 12 years and exporting for six. She has 26 hectares of avocados and started using AvoGreen pest monitoring more than five years ago.

“We wanted to work out what bugs we were getting and what effect they were having,” says Kathy.

“We’re in the business of export so we want the best, cleanest fruit to get the highest pack-out. This seems to be the best

way of doing it.”

Kathy is also a trained monitor, although she now uses Fruit Fed for AvoGreen monitoring because of the size of their orchard.

She says AvoGreen monitoring means they only spray when there is a pest problem and they can use pest-specific chemicals.

“Some people ‘calendar spray’ but I can’t see the point of that. If I don’t have to spray, that really makes me happy because it takes two days to get around the orchard and the chemical costs are quite impressive. So the costs (of monitoring) are worth it for us.”

Kathy believes being able to say New Zealand fruit complies with AvoGreen will be a big advantage from a marketing perspective.

“But I’m a typical New Zealander that hates being told what I have to do, even though I’m already using AvoGreen.

“You’re going to have people that are not happy about more costs and more compliance, but I wouldn’t want to go without it.”

She says the monitoring system is easy to work with; something Maungatapere grower Mike Crum agrees with.

“It costs us about $35 a fortnight, which is peanuts, and we get an email with pest results, monitor the thresholds and act when we need to: it can’t get any simpler than that.”

Mike has 7.5 hectares of avocados across two properties. The smallest orchard is certified organic and the other is run under organic principles.

The Crums have been using AvoGreen monitoring since they started in the avocado industry eight years ago and their motivation is quite different from Kathy’s.

“Market access reasons are all good and valid, and people around the world are becoming less tolerant of insecticides, but that’s not why we do it,” says Mike.

“We bring our kids up here and all our friends live around us and we want to reduce the chemicals in our environment.

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Growers have their say “We don’t spray at all now but we monitor regularly. Six spotted mite has been our real bug-bear but we don’t get it anymore.

“The more you spray organophosphates, the more you seem to upset the whole system. Broad spectrum sprays upset the natural balance.”

As a long-time kiwifruit grower familiar with KiwiGreen pest monitoring, Mike is pleased to see the avocado industry coming up to speed with other horticulture industries’ pest management systems.

Katikati orchardist David Roberts has recently re-started using AvoGreen monitoring on his three hectares of avocado trees after a break for a couple of years. As a kiwifruit grower he also believes KiwiGreen has been an enormous success for the kiwifruit industry in terms of pest reduction.

“We haven’t had the same success with AvoGreen monitoring as kiwifruit but that’s probably because avocados have a larger group of insects. However the monitoring system seems to be keeping leaf roller under control.

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...continued

“AvoGreen is a very good system. I don’t like things that are compulsory but if it has to be for export fruit, so be it.”

He says using AvoGreen saves money on spraying costs and is easy to use.

“The costs of monitoring are minimal compared with spraying, so if I don’t have to spray, I’ve already saved.”

Packhouses are also behind the AvoGreen integrated pest management system.

Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool and Seeka are both AvoGreen accredited operators and staff agree having an in-house monitoring system helps strengthen the relationship between packhouse teams and clients.

Seeka AvoFresh manager Paul Robertson says while the costs of monitoring may worry some growers the benefits far outweigh the costs. There is also flexibility within the AvoFresh programme that makes appropriate allowance for the smaller or nonproducing orchards.

“The fruit quality is better for people who are serious about their pest monitoring programme and act according to the results.

“While there is no guarantee a grower is going to get any more for a tray of fruit, it will enhance their ability to pack more export grade fruit and that should enhance their income.”

Trevelyan’s avocado manager Daniel Birnie says export pack-outs for growers who use AvoGreen monitoring can be up to 10 per cent higher than for those who don’t.

“We are definitely expecting a lift in pack-outs. If that happens, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

Daniel says grower feedback on AvoGreen has been largely positive.

Apata grower services general manager Bevan Bayne knows many Bay of Plenty growers who are interested in training to do their own pest monitoring.

“Many are following their own programmes and a lot of pest monitoring is done on an ad hoc basis. AvoGreen brings more structure and standards. I think it will help everyone up-skill on best practice,” says Bevan.

The data received from pest monitors also helps packhouse staff provided better spraying advice to growers.

ADVERTISEMENT

NZAML

The Avocado Co-operative

New Zealand Avocado Marketing Limited is a registered co-operative, owned by avocado growers for the benefit of avocado growers.

Eighteen months from first concept, the Co-op has completed its first export season, and is very happy with the result.

NZAML was able to provide an average rebate to its growers of $0.79 per tray, and an average return over all counts of $21.86 per tray from a volume of 132,132 trays This performance is the result of careful selection of market options and partners. Starting in the two major retail markets of USA and Australia, the arrangements with Calavo Growers Inc and Fresh Exchange, both of which handle in excess of 30% of avocado all domestic avocados in their respective markets and characterised by: Just in time marketing Assured long term participation in 12 month supply programmes to major retailers.

Flexibility in market location fruit may be moved between markets and interstate to best advantage.

Long term partnership arrangements rather than annual supply agreements.

One distributor/ripener in each country with nationwide cover and multiple customers.

Fixed price arrangements in Australia.

The advantages these relationships give NZAML are often overlooked. In Australia, the exclusive agreement with Fresh Exchange provides the luxury of dealing with one distributor with a National presence, top quality distribution centres in all key States and the ability to provide tight category management and add value to the full range of count sizes. This give enormous flexibility, as Fresh Exchange is a 12 month preferred sup-

plier to Coles in all States, the sole provider of pre-packed small fruit to Coles, has supply arrangements with Aldi and other independent operators, and a presence in the wholesale market. This is a one stop shop for the whole of the country, and allows Fresh Exchange to seek the best return for NZAML regardless of where that price is being offered. If the value in Victoria is better after freight is taken into account and the fruit is in New South Wales, the fruit can be trucked to Melbourne in Fresh Exchange s own fleet of refrigerated trucks. If one customer is offering a better price and relationships with others are not compromised, the fruit can go to that customer. And all at a fixed price for service. Other exporters do not have this luxury. Mark Yortt describes the relationship with Fresh Exchange and its Avocado Category Manager, Ben Franklin, as unique and symbiotic the most efficient available to New Zealand s avocado growers

Volume is key. Had NZAML exported 200,000 trays, the rebate would have been $1.54 per tray providing an average return on all sizes of $22.60 per tray equivalent.

Besides these market arrangements, there are a number of other points of difference between NZAML and other marketers.

The Company is grower owned Every shareholder must be a registered avocado grower The executive must be shareholders, and therefore must be growers.

After deduction of costs the Cooperative rebates back to growers all income in excess of that required for the running of the Company and provision of reserves.

Shareholders are paid a dividend, following the allocation of which all supplying growers receive the rebate apportioned to their volume.

The Co-operative is democratic shareholding is so structured that

Two of NZAML s Directors, Kim Crocker and Don Rodee on Don s Matahui Road orchard. even the largest grower has only the same voting power as four smaller growers.

The role of the Company is to improve orchard gate returns by reducing costs and maximising returns from markets.

Although beginning as an exporter, NZAML will progressively undertake the disposal of the full crop for its suppliers.

By working towards creating efficiencies and competition in all areas of the Industry, NZAML will reduce on orchard and post harvest costs.

Although fully engaged in USA and Australia, the Company still managed to open doors for retail supply in Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

However, these markets will not be tapped until NZAML has enough fruit to ensure adequate supply year on year. No market will be opened if there is a risk of short supply and damage to the reputation of the Company and its growers.

NZAML is here for the long haul.

Every decision made in governance and management has to satisfy at least one, and preferably both, of the following tests: Will this improve the grower bottom line?

Will this be of any other benefit to our growers?

Further information or a Prospectus for the Co-operative can be obtained by telephone 07 579 0497 or email admin@nzaml.com

Grow e rs w ork ing for Grow e rs 43