WA Grower Autumn 12

$19.00 + GST

WA Grower Potato Growers Association Inc.

Agricultural Produce Commission

APC-VPC APC-PPC

SINCE 1948 Vol. 47 No 1. Autumn 2012

Carnarvon highlights

Wringe & Quick Kirup tomatoes

Produced by

vegetablesWA

Management Committees

Cover photo: James Wringe

Vegetable Growers Association

Contact details for Horticulture House vegetablesWA, Potato Growers Association, Western Potatoes Horticulture House 103 Outram Street West Perth 6005 t: (08) 9481 0834 f: (08) 9481 0024 e: office@vegetableswa.com.au

President

Executive Officer Jim Turley m: 0410 697 842 e: pga-vga@vegetableswa.com.au Policy and Program Manager John Shannon t: 0488 111 526 e: john.shannon@vegetableswa.com.au Finance/Administrator/Magazine Advertising Rebecca Blackman t: (08) 9481 0834 e: finance@vegetableswa.com.au

Maureen Dobra t: (08) 9575 2086

Gingin m: 0417 174 110

Vice President Paul Bogdanich m: 0421 575 124

Gingin

Treasurer Anthony Marinovich m: 0417 907 910

Myalup/Bunbury

Committee H. Shapland K. Sue R. Shain M. Jones K. Edwards M. Lee D. Rigali A. Bogdanich M.Grubisa S. Calameri P. Wauchope

t: m: m: m: m: m: m: m: m: m: m:

(08) 9845 1064 0417 986 467 0429 988 809 0438 418 384 0427 724 243 0417 962 427 0407 447 524 0419 248 422 0413 050 182 0418 957 236 0400 717 600

Communications Officer Hayley Wilson t: (08) 9481 0834 e: hayley.wilson@vegetableswa.com.au

Potato Growers Association

Field/Extentsion Officer Sarah Houston m: 0427 373 037 e: sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au

Vice President

Life Members A.J. Anderson*, D.J. Arbuckle, J. Arbuckle Snr*, J.H. Arbuckle* (M.B.E.J.P), S. Calameri, G. Kiriros*, R.G.Leach*, F. Natoli, S. Sawle*, R.M. Schultz, C.P. Stevens, W.R. Stevens* (M.B.E.J.P), HR. Ashby*, Amy Harris*, A. Ingrilli. * deceased

Andrew Tempra m: 0417 097 729

Albany Busselton Carnarvon Carnarvon Manjimup Metro Metro Gingin Metro North Metro South Gingin

President Sam Calameri m: 0418 957 236

Metro

Darryl Smith m: 0428 933 154

Busselton

Treasurer Manjimup

Committee C. Ayres B. Russell P. Patane S. Calameri G. Bendotti D. Ryan

m: m: m: m: m: m:

0428 451 014 0429 318 216 0407 993 580 0418 957 236 0427 569 903 0427 731 066

Albany Donnybrook Myalup Metro South Pemberton Pemberton

Western Potatoes Pty Ltd Chairman Ross Taylor

m: 0412 446 512

Executive Officer Georgia Thomas m: 0431 444 918

This issue of the WA Grower is brought to you by:

Non-Executive Director Simon Moltoni

m: 0427 761 693

A. Kirou

m: 0400 996 153

• APC- Vegetable Producers Committee • Potato Growers Association • Western Potatoes • vegetablesWA

Articles reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher.

WA Grower 14

Vol. 47 No 1. Autumn 2012

35

20

Welcome to the latest edition of the WA Grower It has been yet another busy period for vegetablesWA. On January 31st, Coles made an announcement that they would be decreasing retail produce prices by up to 50% nationally and by up to 30% in Western Australia.

Obviously this is bad news for many growers if they are expected to absorb these reductions and given the likely spill-over effects on other markets. The timing of the announcement is particularly disappointing in WA given that it followed a heat wave which left a scarcity of produce, rather than the glut being experienced on the East coast.

As a result the Executive Officer and I were very busy representing our growers in media across the spectrum of print, radio and TV. This has included securing the front page of The West Australian newspaper and ongoing appearances on the ABC Country Hour.

continue our advocacy for our growers across a range of issues as strongly as possible.

The “Fresh From WA Farms” campaign in The West Australian also continues to roll-out, covering off on an ever increasing range of vegetable lines with grower profiles, preparation tips and health messages. The vegetablesWA Good Practice demonstration projects based in Carnarvon, the metropolitan region and the South West are continuing to score goals. Please contact us if you would like more information about the results or when the next field walk or workshop may be held.

We’re very pleased to welcome our new Field Extension Officer, Sarah Houston.

I have also recently travelled to Canberra and met with a number of senior political figures to represent our growers on important issues such as the Horticulture Code of Conduct. vegetablesWA will

The magazine provides growers with up-to-date information about these and other projects to help you and your business. If you’ve got any ideas about other things you’d like to see included please let us know.

John Shannon, Policy and Program Manager

Your Industry Associations

3

Vegetables providing large slices of Carnarvon’s pie

45

Fresh From WA Farms campaign

4

Asian and World Foods News

46

Future horticultural precincts

8

Grower profile — Joe and Sonia Castro

48

9

Gascoyne Food Council goes ahead

50

Good practice heads south Western Potatoes challenge Australian Dietary Guidelines

10

vegetablesWA President’s Report

12

Potato Growers Association President’s Report

13

Unlocking the health benefits of vegetables

14

Your Production

15

Improving the effectiveness of insect pathogens

16

Potato shed and seed store hygiene

18

Good practice and irrigation systems

20

Beware nasty sting in some soils

22

Permits

96

Your industry

25

Your Business

53

Changes to the Farm Management Deposits Scheme

54

Banks pass on cuts to farmers NFF Monitor shows

55

VegTool 1.1 aids vegetable management decisions

55

Small Business Development Corporation

56

Grants for growers

57

Meeting the energy management challenge

59

Electricity providers in WA

60

Your Environment

63

Three Australians pay the price for biosecurity breaches

64

Future to bring fewer but fiercer cyclones for WA

65

European wasp trap initiative underway

66

The Gascoyne Irrigation Pipeline Project

26

Clean up to manage bacterial canker in tomato crops

30

Asian vegetables jam packed full of healthy folate

31

Veginsights

70

Grower profile — David and Ben Ellement

32

Albany Farmers Market celebrates 10 years

84

State supports Carnarvon flood mitigation

34

Food security, challenges and opportunities

35

What is the Vegetable Fee for Service?

37

Vegetable spotlight beans

38

Grower profile — James Wringe and Gary Quick

42

Increase in Queensland fruit fly detections

44

Your Market

69

Your self

85

Careers in agriculture great new opportunities

86

Young leaders to GAIN

87

Recipes

88

Vietnamese translations

90 WA Grower Autumn 2012

1

WA crates

The professional packaging service for WA’s ďŹ nest fresh fruit and vegetables

0 email: service@wacrates.com.au

Your industrY associations

YOUR

industrY associations

WA Grower Autumn 2012

3

Your industrY associations

campaign

By JOHn SHAnnOn VEGETABlES VEGETABlESWA

the fresh lift-out farms” campaign is continuing in the vegetablesWA “fresh from WA by talking to s sale e tabl vege of e increase the valu of the West Australian. It aims to ple link to freshness of our produce, which we know peo consumers about the local origin ding to buy produce. and seasonality and value when deci ure taste and health each week, the advertisements feat As well as featuring a local grower will feature a and e Jun of end paign finishes at the messages and cooking tips. the cam Advertising spots a. trali Aus tern Wes nd arou r growers from variety of the major lines and thei campaign. the of tern Potatoes and Fruit West as part have also been purchased by Wes

Fresh-E GGFrPLoANmT- wa farms Funded by the Agricultural Produce Commission

VANESSA’s top tips • Eggplant is a wonderful addition to your BBQ and tastes great when served on top of steak or with sausages. Peel and slice the eggplant, marinate for 5-10 mins in sweet chilli sauce and a little water. Cook until it starts to brown! Give this a try, it’s the Aussie way to do Eggplants.

• Eggplant tastes fantastic on Pizza. Peel, dice then cook in a fry pan with garlic butter (or olive oil with crushed garlic) Warren and Vanessa Trundle run their business, Warnessa Produce, from their farm until the eggplant begins to brown. If you don’t fancy it on pizza, it makes a great snack, or try it with crackers. in Gingin. With their four children Courtney, Jordeen, Sharrae & Maitland, they live and • There are many different varieties of eggplant. Vanessa work on their farm. The farm has over recommends buying long eggplants. They are easy to 4000m2 of glasshouses, making them one peel, easy to cut and store really well in the fridge. of the state’s largest producers of Eggplant.

Ask at your local retailer for longer eggplants.

Fresh

FromREwENaS- farms

LEAFY G -LeTTUCE &

Funded by the Agricultural Produce Commission

4

DAMIEN’s top

of Damien Rigali is the 3rd generation Fresh Wanneroo family business Gourmet et Farms. The Rigalis specialise in gourm lettuce like Cos and Festival, baby leaf herbs like Spinach and Rocket, and micro s on like Parsley and Basil. Damien focuse can and rs supplying specialist green groce ont be found most weekends at Mt Clarem and Kalamunda Farmers Markets.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

tips

ing lettuce · Colour is really important when select indicate that and leafy greens. Deep rich colours and has been the product is packed full of nutrients indicator of grown well in good soils. This is a great product quality and taste. sealed plastic · Keep refrigerated, dry and store in really important to containers. Storage conditions are s in a car on the maintain quality. Leaving leafy green 40OC day is not recommended! lettuce and all have · There are lots of different types of tasting type like different tastes. Try mixing a ‘sweeter’ like Radicchio or Cos, ie with a more ‘bitter’ tasting type r for a super tasting Endive. Add some balsamic vinega and simple salad.

In season fresh WA Eggplants are available all year round, but grow especially well in the summer and spring. When volumes are higher, prices are great value which makes now a great time to buy! Select product that is firm to touch with slight give when squeezed. Colour should be deep and consistent. Avoid bronzing on skin or plants that are soft and squishy feeling.

HEALTHY for you

Eggplant is low in Saturated Fat, Sodium and Cholesterol. It is a source of Dietary Fibre, Folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6.

tastES great Cooked Eggplant is beautifully tender with a rich and complex flavour. Eggplant can be associated with a bitter taste. Simply peel the skin to remove the bitterness.

Eggplant is a wonderful accompaniment to many modern Australian meals. Whether it is on the BBQ, on pizza, as a snack or as part of a tapas selection, it’s a great way to add more vegies to your day. Check out our facebook page WA Vegies for recipes!

In season fresh

. The seasons affect the speed Lettuce is grown in WA all year round y is at it’s peak in the cooler qualit ct Produ . grows crop the which at more slowly. In summer the winter months when the crops grow of product is very good. crops grow very quickly and availability Gingin and Wanneroo.

The main growing regions in WA are

HEALTHY for you

calcium. They tend to Leafy greens are sources of iron and in C and folate as well contain phytochemicals such as vitam s and low in fat. as vitamin K. They are low in calorie

tastES great

can eat them raw, Leafy greens are super versatile, you them in every type cook them any way you like and use strong, some are of cuisine! Some are mild, some are g the right leaves to bitter and some are sweeter. Addin extra portion of your cooking is an easy way to get an scrambled eggs vegetables. Try adding spinach to your For more great ideas or rocket to your seafood linguinis. visit WA Vegies on Facebook.

Your industrY associations

Fresh From wa farms

From wa farms Fresh -B RO CC OL IFunded by the Agricultural Produce Commission

ERIC’s top tips · When selecting product, look for a dark green head which is tightly formed and dome shaped.

Check the stalk is firm and green. Be careful to avoid soft brown stalks.

At their farm in Manjimup, Eric Ipsen works with · Broccoli is best stored slightly moist in the fridge.

Run under a tap, then wrap in a plastic bag and store his wife Louise, his son Brad and daughter in inside the crisper. They can last for 2 weeks or more in law Sarah. Eric and Brad are the third and fourth perfect condition. generations of their family business – Twin Lake Holdings – which was established in 1906. With · Try and eat more broccoli meals in the summer time, it’s well over 700 hectares, they specialise in both broccoli suited to summer meals but often underused.

Try a Broccoli and livestock production. They started broccoli and Pine Nut salad or a Broccoli and Pasta Salad. You can growing in 1993 and now sell product across also eat them raw as part of a healthy snacking tray – perfect Perth, into the East Coast and up to Singapore. with an eggplant dip. See WA Vegies on Facebook for recipes.

In season fresh You can eat locally grown WA broccoli all year round.

There are two main growing areas in WA. From Mid Nov – Mid June, the Lower South West of the state supplies the main volumes of crop to Perth. In the cooler months from Mid June – November, the Perth Metro region and areas north of Perth supply the majority of volume.

HEALTHY for you Broccoli contains Vitamin A, B6, C and K. It also contains Folate, Potassium, Manganese and various Phytochemicals.

tastES great Broccoli is great family food and tremendously popular in Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Australian cuisines. Try it lightly steamed, or raw as a snack, battered and fried, simmered in a soup, seared in a stir fry, baked in a casserole, or quiche, tossed in a salad, sprinkled on pizza or mixed in your favourite pasta!

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your industrY associations

From wa farms

Fresh- L E E K S -

s

Funded by the Agricultural Produce Commission

DAVID’s top tip

· Select leeks with a strong white stem at the bottom and vibrant green leaves at the top. The stem should be firm to touch. Leeks have a long shelf life when stored in the correct conditions. They are best stored in the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag. · The edible portions of the leek are the white onion David and Ben Ellement run the family business, base and light green stalk. The dark green portions are father their on Ellement Produce, drawing usually discarded because they have less flavor.

Ellement experience. growing of Gary’s 50 years are and growers leek largest WA’s are Produce · You can eat leeks boiled, fried or raw. Boiled leeks are based on a 20 acre property in Wattleup. From softer and milder. Fried leeks are crunchy with a stronger here they supply leeks to specialist retailers, flavour. Chop into 5 – 10mm slices for easy cooking. supermarkets and the Perth Central Market.

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Fresh- P U M P K I N Funded by the Agric

p GREG’s to

tips

mission

ultural Produce Com

ns in WA. ‘Japs’ are in types of pumpki · There are two ma smaller. ‘Greys’ are be to d ten and ps ns green with fine stri nice round pumpki ect Sel er. larg be grey(!) and tend to rant colour and no vib a h wit ch, tou that are firm to y a bright pkins should displa bruises. Pre cut pum h. fles orange ns – they haveOa buy a whole pumpki er 20 C they · Don’t be afraid to temperatures und at red Co Sto & . ey life lf mfr g she cut area and ss Hu lon ine y the er ver bus ily cov ply fam s sim , Greg run ed s! Once cut n’t fancy buying . The business is bas can last for month Do .

Roy er nth mo fath a his to h wit ce last for up ves. been operating sin the pumpkin can cut quarters or hal in Gingin and has of retailers offer pre 15 sites spread over a whole one? Lots colour for ted pec ins 1982. They have 2 ns and hand picked on growing pumpki · WA pumpkins are reach you ripe and hectares and focus grown pumpkins nths and potatoes and shape. Locally in the summer mo ir the s. You’ll find ready to eat! in the winter month s across Perth. pumpkins in retailer

sh From wa farms Fre-SP RIN G ON ION SFunded by the Agricultural Produce Commission

6

VINCE’s top tips · When selecting Spring Onions, look for firm, crisp green leaves. Choose onions that have a base 8-18mm thick. Larger Spring Onions will last for longer and tend to be more flavoursome. · Spring Onions are best stored in the fridge. The fridge can Vince Cavallaro has been farming Spring dry them out, so they are best stored Onions in the crisper section with his wife Margaret for over 15 years. slightly wet, wrapped in a plastic bag.

Since 2001 they have been based at their 6 acre property in Baldivis, which provides perfect · Spring Onions are fantastically versat year round ile. They are locally growing conditions and soils. Their grown and available all year round. produce can They are perfect for be found in major retailers like Woolw addin g a little bit of extra flavour and spice to all your orths and smaller specialist independent green traditional favourites. Give them a grocers. go!

WA Grower Autumn 2012

In season fresh

Perth’s mediterranean climate and sandy soils are perfect for leek growing and the vast majority of the state’s production is in the metropolitan region. Recent advances in growing technology mean that local WA Leeks are now grown 12 months of the year.

HEALTHY for you

Leeks contain folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, iron and fibre.

tastES great

Leeks have a unique taste, best described as ‘mild onion with a hint of cucumber’. When eaten raw they are crunchy and firm, when eaten cooked they are tender and flavoursome.

Due to the distinctive taste, chefs often use leeks for adding flavour to stock. Most people are familiar with potato and leek soup, so why not try the summer version – a potato and leek salad. Leeks go great with eggs (scrambled or omlettes).

More ideas? Try leek fritters, chicken and leek noodles or braised leek and green bean sauce.

esh

In season fr

ns grow so good? Pumpki al pumpkins taste fect year round Wondered why loc , and WA has a per ons diti con t from dry best in hot and s the bulk of produc Perth region supplie are hot and dry. environment! The ons diti con g win when gro vides the December to May narvon region pro December, the Car son.

Between June and of their hot dry sea age ant adv ing tak bulk of the crop –

HEALTHY for

you

They are t Beta – Carotene. rce of super nutrien Pumpkins are a sou e. fibr and c zin , assium also loaded with pot

tastES great

are a little more er versatile. ‘Japs’ ys are Pumpkins are sup ps and mashes. Gre sou to ted sui l pkin creamy and wel ing or boiling. Pum bak to ted sui re fruitcakes firmer and mo d in pies, scones, use en wh tic tas tastes fan use them for a ter make sure you or breads. In the win r roast of the you h wit go to or soup creamy pumpkin addition to salads at gre are y the r, day! In the summe Facebook for more. out WA Vegies on and wraps. Check

In season fresh Spring Onions grow in WA all year round. They love the summer climate so volumes are higher in the summer months – meaning you can get great value. Volumes decrea se in the winter, but WA grown product quality remains very high. The bulk of the produce comes from the Perth and Gingin region s.

HEALTHY for you Spring Onions contain Vitamin A, Vitam in B and Vitamin C. They also contain Selenium.

tastES great Raw Spring Onions have a sharp, tangy and slightly bitter taste. When cooked they develo p a sweeter, more delicate flavour. They are highly versat ile. Perfect raw for all types of salads (Vince recom mends a tomato or potato salad); fantastic in Asian stir frys; as a base flavour for dips; or to spice up an omelette.

Vince’s favourite?

Try them on the BBQ with some mush rooms and steak.

Your industrY associations

om wa farms Fres-hs w eFr etcornFunded by the Agricultural Produce

JIM’s top tips

Commission

· Sweetcorn is a fantastic vegetable for kids. It has a naturally sweeter taste than many other vegies – which makes it a perfect veget ables to introduce children too. Not only do they enjoy the taste but it is nice and health y for Jim Trandos runs Trandos Farms with his brother them too!

Arthur and cousin Michael. Jim’s grand father · When selecting corn, look for a nice established the business in 1939. Since vibrant then green husk. This indicates that it is they have grown to be WA’s largest in perfect suppliers condition. Fresh sweetcorn tastes best! of Sweetcorn and Beans. With prope rties in Waneroo, Gingin and Broome their products are · Sweetcorn needs to be looked after. found in all major supermarkets and Refrigerate straight after purchasing specialist to retailers across WA. protect the flavour and texture.

Fre- BsR UhS S EFL SrSoP RmO UwT Sa- farms Funded by the Agricultural Produce Commission

MICHAEL’s top tips

· It’s important to store Brussels Sprouts at the right temperature. Keep them in the coldest section of the fridge to preserve their taste and texture.

Michael Lee is from TLF Exports. They are based in Carabooda and have farms in Lancelin, Gingin and Carnarvon. With their partner business Workdone, Michael grows Brussels Sprouts, Tomatoes, Capsicums and Cucumbers.

Established in 1997 their produce is sold in major WA supermarkets and restaurants, as well as exported to countries in South East Asia.

Fresh

· Select Brussels Sprouts which are a vibrant green colour. The leaves should not have opened and be tightly packed. Yellow indicates that product is past it’s best. · Brussels Sprouts have a naturally bitter taste – which is why some people love them and some people hate them. If you are a fan of sharp tasting food, give Brussels Sprouts a try. They are far more popular than most people think!

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CUMBERU C E S E N A B -LE

Funded by the Agricultural Produce

p tips

MICHAEL’s to

ese Cucumbers! · Make sure you eat the peel of Leban onal cucumbers, The peel is much thinner than traditi out! very tasty and full of fibre. Don’t miss

Commission

bers at his Michael Touma grows Lebanese Cucum s covering farm in Oakford. With 12 greenhouse t producers of over 5500m2, he’s one of WA’s larges Touma family hydroponic Lebanese Cucumbers. The iques since have used hydroponic farming techn y of product.

1999 and believe it gives a better qualit ides, so look They keep their crops free from pestic supermarkets out for their cucumbers at leading and speciality fresh food retailers.

nice even green · Lebanese Cucumbers should be a d be firm – not too light or too dark. They shoul ct vertical to touch (not wrinkly) and have distin . ribbing running from top to bottom tightly · They are best stored in the fridge, if you wrapped in a plastic bag. Don’t worry ct is see some moisture build up – the produ ‘sweating’ and this is good.

In season fresh

You can buy WA Sweetcorn all year round. From December – June supply comes from the Perth and Gingin areas.

From July to November, supply come s from Broome in Northern WA.

HEALTHY for you

Sweetcorn is good for you. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, it is a good source of Vitam in B, Folate and Iron.

tastES great Sweetcorn is a great accompaniment to any meal.

Jim’s favourite? Grill it on the BBQ! Crank up the heat, turn the corn till cooked and add sweet chilli sauce. Perfect. Feeling creative? Why not try a Bacon and Sweetcorn Chowder, Sweetcorn and Zucchini Fritters or a Sweetcorn Pasta Bake.

Enjoy!

In season fresh Small volumes of product are available through the summer months – mainly from the Perth Hills region. Gingin, Lancelin and Carabooda produce larger volumes of Brussel Sprouts from July to November. If you can’t buy from Western Australia, product is available all year round from other regions in Australia.

HEALTHY for you Brussels Sprouts contain Vitamin B, Vitamin B and Zinc. A great way to add to your 5 portions of vegetables per day!

tastES great Do you only boil your Brussels Sprouts? Michael recommends making a cut across the Brussels Sprout, steaming and then serving with butter. Or, why not try them in the oven or fried in the pan? Most people enjoy them with a roast dinner but why not go Italian? Chop them raw and try them in a good leafy salad with sharp Parmesan cheese. It’s the Mediterranean way!

In season fresh

supply during the spring, Lebanese Cucumbers are in greatest t time to buy! Volumes drop perfec a is Now n. autum and er summ ble. The majority of volume in the winter, but product is still availa and Baldivis growers is grown up in Geraldton, with Perth supplying the remainder.

HEALTHY for you

Cucumbers are full of fibre. They are and Vitamin K.

great sources of Potassium

tastES great

standard cucumbers, Lebanese Cucumbers are sweeter than ient. As the name which makes them a perfect salad ingred e Eastern recipes suggests, there are some terrific Middl Cucumber and Yoghurt available. In summer try a Lebanese l yoghurt, diced Salad to cool you down. Combine natura and chill in the fridge. cucumber, salt, mint and garlic. Cover l? Combine parsley, Or why not try another Lebanese specia o, toasted Lebanese bread, mint, green onion, cucumber, tomat taste explosion. Enjoy! olive oil, lemon juice and salt. It’s a

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Industry Associations

Future horticultural precincts Where to now?

By Jim Turley VegetablesWa

A cornfield in the Ord River irrigation area, in Western Australia.

For years politicians, industry leaders and other stakeholders have been searching the State for an ideal area for a new horticultural precinct in the same way Carnarvon already is.

Areas that were canvassed included Carabooda Pines, Peel Pines, Broome, The Ord and other areas all of which for one reason or another never attracted enough attention to warrant large scale development.

So where to now?

From a vegetable industry prospective Some of our existing areas i.e. Carnarvon, Geraldton, Broome, Busselton etc are mainly seasonal. Other areas like Baldivis, Carabooda and Wanneroo are close to urban expansion and they may not attract longterm development investment plans. vegetablesWA have now settled on three horticultural precinct areas that produce all year round and are relatively close to

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

markets, services, accommodation, labour and transport.

1. Gingin — Dandaragan — Lancelin 2. Manjimup — Pemberton 3. Myalup These three areas have significant potential to expand their capacity to produce. vegetablesWA, Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) and the Department of Water (DoW) with the support of their Ministers have already embarked on working together to examine strategies that will increase production significantly in the next few years.

Manjimup — Pemberton Again, would benefit significantly from extra funding. Already this area is a substantial contributor to the production of horticulture in this state.

Myalup vegetablesWA have employed a consultant to produce a business case for the area. This case will underpin, (along with the scientific research carried out by Dr Richard George from DAFWA relating to increased water for horticulture in the Myalup area).

Gingin — Dandaragan — Lancelin

When applying for funding the development of extra infrastructure that will facilitate a substantial increase in production.

At a recent meeting with the Hon. Brendan Grylls (Minster for Regional Development) and the Hon. Terry Redman (Minister for Agriculture), Mr Grylls indicated there should be funding for proofing up extra water in this area. This would have enormous potential for further development and ultimately a significant increase in production.

Each one of these three areas produce far more vegetables than other areas of our state where funding is available. vegetablesWA, DAFWA and the Government will work together to advance strategies to achieve our objective of fully developing these three horticultural precincts in the future.

Your Industry Associations

Good practice heads south

Department of Agriculture and Food

By Alison Beattie Department of Agriculture and Food, Manjimup

Department of Agriculture and Foods, Western Australia (DAFWA) and vegetablesWA are working together to expand the Good Practice Guide for vegetable growers in the South West. Demonstration sites are being run at the Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute (MHRI) and on local growers’ properties.

From workshops and other contacts with growers in the Manjimup region in 2011 the key issues for industry were found to be irrigation efficiency and water quality, as well as management practices and amendments that can help improve soil health.

Over summer the focus has been on irrigation management. TDR soil moisture monitoring systems have been set up in a potato crop at Bob Pessotto’s property and a cabbage crop to show how the commercial irrigation practices are meeting crop water requirements and to see where improvements could be made. Manjimup brassica grower Kim Edwards found having the TDR unit in his crop and receiving vegetablesWA’s daily evaporation SMS very useful.

“With the evaporation and soil moisture data I had a good guide to the amount of irrigation needed to meet the crop’s needs,” he said. “I could match it much more closely and keep soil moisture consistent, avoiding the plants either getting too much water or becoming water stressed. It’s given some good info to work with in the future.”

A cauliflower crop was planted at MHRI in early January to compare overhead and drip irrigation systems. Two different dripline set-ups are being used, a single line of drip

along the middle of the 1.6 metre bed to be compared with two lines of drip.

We are looking to see if drip irrigation can produce a viable crop in our climate and how much water can be saved compared to standard overhead irrigation. And the systems have certainly been tested with some very hot temperatures in late January. By late February crops were looking good under all irrigation systems but the test will come as the plants start to form curds and their water requirement increases.

A liming demonstration site is also being set up where lime will be applied in autumn in preparation for the following summer vegetable crop.

information is relevant and will contain sections on irrigation management, pests and diseases, soil and nutrients. New ways of presenting information, such as apps, are also being investigated so it can be accessed when and where it’s needed.

One line of drippers.

As well as demonstration sites, this project will also produce a Good Practice Guide.

The aim is to provide useful information to growers on crop and farm management for sustainable production.

The guide is being developed with input from local growers to ensure the

Two lines of drippers.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Industry Associations

Western Potatoes challenge Australian Dietary Guidelines

Ross Taylor, Chairman of Western Potatoes.

In December 2011, the National Health and Medical Research Council released its draft Australian Dietary Guidelines which suggests Australians should eat less starchy vegetables such as potatoes.

Rebecca Blackman, Finance and Administration Manager, Western Potatoes.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

The guidelines state that “consumption of starchy vegetables needs to decrease by 40%” and that “replacing potatoes with other vegetables would increase the variety of vegetables consumed and provide additional health benefits.” This recommendation was picked up by all the media outlets in Australia and many around the world with 144 articles on Google news the day after the announcement.

Western Potatoes Pty Ltd (WPPL) 2012 consumer survey of over 1,900 Western Australian respondents also revealed that some 13.8% of consumers have reduced their potato intake over the past 12 months. The results show that nearly 70% of those blame high carbohydrates, health concerns and dietary changes as the reason. The survey responses indicate that negative perceptions about potatoes are being driven by media and advice from health professionals (such as GP’s and personal trainers).

Your industrY associations

In response to the release of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, WPPl has developed a range of activities including a promotion in the heart of Northbridge just prior to Christmas.

This event provided a platform to dispel the messages that were being sent out by the media and resulted in an article in The Sunday Times, Perthnow and several radio interviews.

WPPL set up the giveaway outside the State Library near the amphitheatre in Northbridge during the afternoon peak period and gave away 1,450 bags of spuds and showbags which consisted of potato facts sheet, a Christmas Bud card, variety chart and also past editions of the Feel Good Food magazine. WPPL had an excellent response from the general public.

fun facts about potatoes • Potatoes are 80 percent water and 20 percent solids?

• Potato-based alcohol fuelled German planes in World War II. • thomas Jefferson introduced 'French fries' to the united States after he ate them in France.

• King louis xVI popularised potatoes by wearing potato flowers in his buttonholes.

• the largest potato in the world was grown by Peter Glazebrook, from the united Kingdom in 2010, and tipped the scales at a whopping 3.76kg.

Moving forward, WPPL has also submitted a response directly to the National Health and Medical Research Council and has now developed an exciting Potato Health and Nutrition Project. The project has been submitted to Horticulture Australia for funding and will bring together partners from across Australia. The project aims to deliver new information about potato nutrition to be used by industry to challenge misconceptions and to fight for the place of the potato in health balanced diets.

Jim Turley, Executive Officer of The Potato Growers Association, lending a helping hand.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Industry Associations

vegetablesWA President’s Report

BY Maureen Dobra VegetablesWa

I recently completed a test run to reduce the amount of electricity used on our farm during a working day.

Our target was to only have 25kW of electricity running. This amount seemed to be impossible to reach! However, it did enable us to keep three cool rooms running, as well as our office and three households.

Whilst the reduction in our energy was happening, we were able to see, via a virtual online facility, how much energy each piece of our machinery was using and how every five minutes the energy was being reduced. This was exciting! You may be thinking — why? Why are we doing this?

It’s easy. The ability to have a ‘Behavioural Meter’ attached to our switchboard is a way of checking to see if we are using energy unwisely and if we can, at all, make some savings along the way.

Electricity prices have risen and unfortunately we do not have the powers to control these prices and we have to make savings wherever possible.

The other benefit of our test, is that the particular company that we have signed with, is working with an Independent Market Operator and the System Operator

of Western Power to offer a program that pays commercial and industrial customers for reducing electricity consumption for emergency purposes through targeted curtailment. This program is part of the Independent Market Operator’s Reserve Capacity Mechanism and is commonly referred to as Demand Side Management or Demand Response. Its primary purpose is to reduce the risk of potential blackouts and provide an alternative to building ‘Peaking Plants’ that cost $200M to build and operate less than 1% of the year.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Summer is now coming to an end and the heat too. Hopefully you will all have had some good sales of your produce.

There is no cost for participation and the most important thing is that we get paid for achieving the goal set.

Recently, I attended a large meeting in Woodridge regarding stable flies. This has now become a much more important issue, covering six shires. The photos, videos and stories of resident’s issues with stable flies were very sad and very graphic. For information on how to deal with vegetable crop residues, to help reduce the stable fly, there is a section in the vegetablesWA Good Practice Guide which is a good place to start.

The Good Practice Guide can be found easily, online, on the vegetablesWA website www.vegetableswa.com.au

Lastly, I would like to welcome the new addition to vegetablesWA. This is Sarah Houston who is replacing Charlotte as our

Having a ‘Behavioural Meter’ attached to your switchboard is a way of checking to see if you are using energy unwisely.

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Field Extension Officer. Sarah comes from a horticultural family in Tasmania, and also recently from a financial institution. I believe Sarah will be a terrific addition to the growers of WA and also vegetablesWA.

Welcome Sarah Houston vegetablesWA are delighted to announce that we have recruited an outstanding new Field Extension Officer to replace Charlotte Butler, who has followed her partner in moving to New Zealand.

The new team member is Ms Sarah Houston. Sarah has had a successful career in agribusiness and finance at the National Australia Bank, experience in international horticulture market research based in Berlin, as well as a degree with first class honours in horticulture, where she was a state finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship. Sarah also comes with a grower background as her family runs the well known Houston’s Farms in Tasmania. Sarah is looking forward to getting out and helping growers by using all of these skills and experiences. We are looking forward to what vegetablesWA can continue to achieve with Sarah on board.

Your Industry Associations

Potato Growers Association President’s Report

By Sam Calameri President, Potato Growers Association

Potato Growers Association Inc.

Technical innovative ideas in the production and supply chain process is also essential to achieve higher standards of fresh potatoes.

In 2012, I strongly believe that Potato growers in Western Australia are facing unprecedented growers do understand the necessity to achieve a higher marketing conditions in 2012.

Testing times for the potato industry Retailer demands for the highest quality fresh potatoes in all grades, balanced against the weather conditions at this particular time of the year, have certainly made the production process and profitable returns per hectare very difficult for our growers.

Therefore, growers need the latest marketing retail information i.e. consumer preferences, future trends and market intelligence.

standard of products, however this must be achieved within a profitable return.

So where to now in the production, supply chain process and marketing? The Potato Marketing Corporation has commissioned a consultant to produce a “strategic analysis of the WA Ware Potato Supply Chain Report”, paid for by the Potato Growers of Western Australia. The Corporation has now adopted the recommendation in the report.

Implementation of these recommendations must have input from the stakeholders.

There is a history of implementing reports by Governments and business circles that have achieved very little because there was no involvement by the stakeholders.

Successful implementation plans must include bringing the whole of industry along with the vision and strategic moves that will achieve beneficial outcomes for our growers and consumers alike.

The PGA Committee of Management are strong in their commitment to represent growers at all levels of the implementation of the McKinna Report. I urge growers to ring their local regional chairman to become involved by making their thoughts known.

WANTED PARTNER JOINT VENTURE

Our property is located in the Shire of York and is approximately 100km from the Perth CBD by road Land parcels can range from 20 to 500ha in varying soil types that are suitable for most fruit and vegetable crops.

Our water supply is potable and is substantial enough to irrigate most crop types over all of the land.

We are looking for indicative proposals from growers with demonstrable experience and financial credibility to establish a long term joint venture.

If you are interested, please send us the following information before 30 April 2012: • Company details • Relevant history and experience • Preferred crop types, size, capital expenditure and water requirements • Suggested joint venture structure • Anything else that you consider may be relevant

Please post your interest to inspect the property with your indicative proposal to: Grower Proposals Or by email: Attention General Manager PO Box 345, Northbridge WA 6865 michael@marlingroup.com.au

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Industry Associations

Unlocking the health benefits of vegetables

By John Shannon VegetablesWa

Everyone knows that vegetables are healthy and packed full of nutrients.

Various marketing campaigns, most prominently ‘Go for 2 and 5’, have made sure that shoppers associate vegetables with being a healthy food. In research undertaken by vegetablesWA, the ‘2 and 5’ campaign scored a resounding 94% awareness with Perth shoppers!

Health and nutrition are very important in food industry marketing. Research released by one of the world’s leading consumer research agencies estimated that 30% of purchase decisions are primarily influenced by health. Every major food product and food brand has jumped on the ‘health’ band wagon. Certain food groups (think cereals) are mainly marketed on their health credentials.

Even ‘unhealthy’ foods are finding away to position themselves in the nutrition space — take a trip down the chocolate or margarine aisle to have a look!

Now the rest of the food industry has become so health focused, the vegetable category needs to be more proactive in marketing its health benefits. The industry must retain ‘front of mind’ with the health conscious shopper and make sure it stays relevant to those shoppers purchasing for health reasons. It’s no longer enough to tell people to eat vegetables because they are healthy. We now need to describe to people what they contain and why this is beneficial to their health.

With this in mind, vegetablesWA began to look at how this could happen. It’s important to understand that under Australian law there are strict rules about what health

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

Sources show there is not a lot of information available about the nutrient levels of vegetables.

benefits you can claim for food products and what evidence you must provide in order to make the claim.

For example, if a certain vegetable contains Folate (good for heart health), you are not permitted to say vegetable “X” is good for your heart health. You must instead say ‘vegetable “X” is a source of Folate. Folate is good for maintaining healthy heart function. In addition you must be able to provide evidence that the vegetable does contain that nutrient.

To get a handle of what claims could be made and what evidence was available, vegetablesWA commissioned work from Professor Alex McManus at the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute at Curtin University. The brief was to develop a set of health claims based on the nutritional composition of vegetables grown in WA. Preliminary work shows that a lot of information is available about the health benefits of certain nutrients. However, there is not a lot of information available about

the nutrient levels of vegetables (in WA and across Australia). vegetablesWA would like to provide growers with the evidence and information that allows them to make legally sound health claims on behalf of their vegetables. We are working with Curtin University to put together a testing regime to gather this evidence.

We are also watching an innovative study that Curtin University is running in the seafood industry. They have provided health professionals and nutritional experts with specific dietary guidelines to combat the five major health diseases in Australia.

Initial indications suggest that seafood consumption has risen by 35% in the area that this pilot project has been run.

Once the nutritional compositions of vegetables are known, vegetablesWA would be able to replicate such a plan with the specific objective of increasing vegetable consumption — which will drive requirement for increased volume supply.

Watch this space for further news!

Your Production

YOUR

Production

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Your Production

Improving the effectiveness of insect pathogens

By Dr Sassan Asgari University of Queensland

New research has investigated using immune suppressants on insect pests to improve the effectiveness of the predators used in IPM. Whilst this work has yielded some encouraging results, it requires more research before it can be commercialised and used by growers.

Resistance to chemical pesticides and issues with environmental contamination requires continues research to explore nonchemical alternatives. Microorganisms used as microbial biocontrol agents provide environmentally friendly alternatives with relatively low risk of development of resistance by insect pests.

Parasitic insects inject a variety of components into the body of their host larvae. This ensures successful development of their progeny by modifying their host’s immune system. One of the major immune responses to microorganisms that are used for biological control of insect pests is a process called melanisation. The melanisation response involves formation of a dark-brown precipitate which eliminates the pathogen. In various cases, the failure/

inefficiency of microbial control agents can be traced back to the immune resistance of host insects.

Using natural components that can interfere with insect immune responses could potentially be utilised to inhibit insect immune responses and therefore increase the efficacy of microbial control agents.

In this project, we studied the mechanisms of action of a venom protein isolated from a parasitoid wasp in inhibition of melanisation and its effect in a genetically modified insect and a biopesticide. We found that: • Several serum components from the host bind to the venom protein upon exposure, especially those key enzymes involved in the melanization process; • The intact venom protein is required for its mode of action and none of the functional components of the protein on their own were able to inhibit melanization;

Photo: Insects

• Production of the venom protein in a genetically modified insect (fruit fly) made it vulnerable to fungal infection due to suppression of its immune system; however, the protein did not have a major effect on the fly’s development or on its success in parasitism;

3D-modeling of the structure of the venom protein (Vn50) from Cotesia rubecula parasitoid wasp.

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Cotesia rubecula parasitoid wasp.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

• When the venom protein was produced in a microbial control agent (a baculovirus) it significantly enhanced its effectiveness as significantly less virus was required to kill the host compared to the wild-type

Reproductive system of Cotesia rubecula.

ov, ovary; vg, venom gland; vs, venom reservoir; ca, calyx region.

virus; however, it was found that this enhancing effect may not occur in all host-virus interactions.

Overall, the project provides evidence that immune suppressors may offer an option in enhancing the effectiveness of microbial control agents. Potentially, this could occur in a couple of ways, such as: by producing genetically modified insects that are more susceptible to microbial pathogens; or genetically modified microbial control agents that have a superior efficacy over wild-type strains.

Considering the effect of the venom protein in enhancing the efficacy of baculoviruses, it will be worth constructing genetically modified baculoviruses based on species present in Australia and test them against a variety of insect pests, which requires further R&D.

Your Production

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Your Production

Potato shed and seed store

hygiene to improve seed health and ware quality

By DOlF DE BOEr VICTORIAN DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Quality seed potatoes account for a major proportion of the cost of producing a potato crop, an investment well worth protecting. Farm sheds are inherently dirty places and it is difficult to think ‘clean’ in this environment.

Studies in the United Kingdom and Australia have found that potato sheds and cool stores

are a significant source of contamination of seed potato tubers with common potato pathogens.

Why hygiene?

There are a number of different sources of contamination in the shed and cool store environment. Dust sampled from the floors and other surfaces in potato sheds was found to be heavily contaminated with pathogens that cause diseases that reduce potato quality (e.g. silver scurf, black dot, black scurf, powdery scab and common scab).

In many cases, dust sampled from potato shed contained higher levels of pathogen propagules than soil sampled from potato fields.

Photo: nigel Crump, Victorian Certified Seed Potato Authority

Shed dust sampled from the air (magnified 200 x). Powdery scab spore ball (circled) containing hundreds of spores. Rhizoctonia fungal fragments (arrows), the cause of black scurf on tubers.

An excellent high health certified seed potato crop (ViCSPA).

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Production

High pressure cleaning removes soil traces.

Even the air in the sheds and cool stores was laden with pathogen spores. Other sources of contamination are potato boxes, grading and seed cutting equipment that are smeared with diseased tubers (e.g. Phoma dry rot, Fusarium dry rot, bacterial soft rot), as well as stocks of stored potatoes that have skin blemish diseases that produce thousands of airborne spores.

Good hygiene practice Without a hygiene program, the benefits of investing in disease management practices, such as crop rotation, high health seed potatoes and the purchase or lease of new land, can be quickly eroded. This is particularly important for avoiding the risk of contaminating new land that has never been cropped to potatoes before.

Good hygiene practice can include the installation of dust extraction, mechanical cleaning, such as vacuuming of floors and pressure washing of bins, equipment and floors and walls of sheds and store, and disinfection.

Develop a cleaning schedule (daily, between seed batches, annual) for boxes, floors, graders, sheds/stores and seed cutters.

Other recommendations are to concrete (or asphalt) floor and traffic areas inside and outside the shed for ease of cleaning, separate grading areas from storage areas and store high value seed stocks, especially glasshouse grown mini-tubers, separately from work areas and other potatoes.

It is important to practice a whole farm approach. Work the cleanest fields before working the higher disease-risk fields. Remove all traces of soil from machinery with high pressure washing before working the higher health fields.

Build a concrete apron on which to wash

machinery. Implement a policy that prevents contaminated machinery and potato boxes from coming onto your farm.

peroxygen sanitiser, were the most effective against all pathogen/surface combinations tested at label rates.

Disinfectants

Implementing a hygiene program

A particularly important issue for farmers is when to use disinfectants. The cardinal rule is to first remove all traces of dust, soil and organic debris (e.g. dried potato juices) by mechanical cleaning (e.g. vacuuming, high pressure washing). The wash-down process can render a disinfectant redundant in some cases, particularly with bacterial contamination. Disinfectants are only a backup to mechanical cleaning.

Research has shown that the implementation of a farm and shed hygiene program can lead to tangible improvements in the health of seed and ware potatoes. A good hygiene program also means that the potato grower and their staff enjoy cleaner, safer working conditions.

The image of a ‘clean’ farm is better for business. Hygiene protocols for the potato farm are outlined in the Horticulture Australia report for Project PT97015, Cleaning and disinfestation practices for potato farms.

We tested the ability of some commercially available sanitisers to disinfect potato pathogens from the types of surfaces that are commonplace in the potato shed.

All were effective when used on clean, non-porous surfaces such as metal and plastic, but wood and dirty surfaces were much more difficult to disinfect (without pre-washing). The tough-wall spores of the silver scurf fungus also proved very challenging. Two chemicals tested, a phenolic detergent/sanitiser and a

More information De Boer, RF (2003). Cleaning and disinfestation practices for potato farms. Horticulture Australia Ltd Final Report, Project No, PT98018 (Available through the Horticulture Australia website).

Wale, SJ (2002). Potato store hygiene and disinfection to improve seed health and ware quality. British Potato Council Final Report, Reference No. 807/171.

Contact Dolf de Boer, Department of Primary Industries dolf.deboer@dpi.vic.gov.au, phone (03) 9210 9222 or 0409 854 536.

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Your Production

Good practice and irrigation systems

an under-valued farm asset Rohan Prince Development Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

Poor irrigation performance and incorrectly designed or installed irrigation systems not only cost you in terms of production, but also in higher input cost, especially power. This has been revealed by recent testing on properties from Carabooda to Myalup through the Good Practice project funded through the APC/VPC and Horticulture Australia Limited.

To grow an even crop using water efficiently, the pressure within your irrigation system must be uniform and correct for your sprinkler types. This is very important to remember when you are installing or maintaining an irrigation system.

Matching your sprinklers to their recommended pressure and checking to make sure you have even pressure in your lines is the least that should be done to make sure your irrigation system is contributing to efficient irrigation.

A catch-can test is the next step in making sure your irrigation is performing well and providing water uniformly to the crop.

The sprinkler uniformity can be described mathematically by simple terms known as the coefficient of uniformity (CU) and the distribution uniformity (DU).

The uniformity of your irrigation system can be measured using catch containers placed in a grid pattern between sprinklers and laterals to measure application rates (Figure 1). The measurements are then used to calculate

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

Figure 1 Catch cans provide a useful way of checking whether irrigation water delivery is even.

the CU and DU and can also be graphed to show a surface map of water applied (Figure 2). The green colour represents the average application of water; the orange to red shows areas that receive less water and the blue colours show areas that are receiving more water than the average.

Often there can be two to three times difference in application from the driest to the wettest area.

It is preferable to have more areas receiving the same amount or very close to the average (Figure 3). The higher the DU and CU the more likely this is to occur, reducing the need to compensate for dry areas by overwatering.

Application efficiency, while very useful, is not the only indication of irrigation efficiency. A more detailed system assessment will also look at pressure losses through the system. Large pressure losses result in extra pumping time and therefore higher running costs. There is also an optimal area within a pump’s operation to maximise efficiency. Most large losses can

be overcome through correctly designing and installing systems.

A way of checking the losses in your system is to read the pressure gauge at the pump and then at the first and last valves in the system. Elevation will contribute to losses, but these are easily accounted for.

A one metre increase in height will result in about 10kPa loss. If on a level site and the pumps are operating at 600kPa but the first sprinkler after the valve is only receiving 280kPa, the pressure loss through the system is 320kPa, which is excessive.

Generally, no more than 20 per cent loss should be accepted. If losses are greater, then a full assessment should be performed to diagnose the cause of the problem.

An irrigation system is a large investment and can be one of the most long-lived pieces of equipment on a farm. Without it, growing horticultural crops relying on rain would not be economical. If poorly designed, installed and operated, irrigation systems will have a shorter life and will cost you more than necessary. This

Your Production

Figure 2 Map of sprinkler uniformity testing with poor efficiency

Figure 3 Map of sprinkler uniformity testing with good efficiency

DU 63.7%, CU 72.1% Winds SW 5 to 10km/hr Mean application rate = 7mm/hr

DU 84.2%, CU 90.3% Winds SW 5 to 10km/hr Mean application rate = 7mm/hr

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reduces profit and will more than likely result in higher water use and lower water use efficiency.

The choice of irrigation system should be made carefully, similar to purchases of farm machinery.

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You need to buy the correct equipment to do the correct job. One size does not fit all and often just repeating what has been done previously or what has been installed next door does not deliver the best value for money or best performing system.

More information For further information contact Rohan Prince at the Department of Agriculture and Food, email rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov.au or mobile 0429 680 069.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Production

Beware nasty sting in some soils

By Sarah Collins Nematologist, Department of Agriculture and Food

Any vegetable grower considering leasing or buying extra land should test the soil before planting to ensure it is not infested with sting nematode.

Sting nematode is currently affecting amenity turf in areas throughout the Perth metropolitan region and it is extremely difficult to eradicate the pest.

Nematodes are notoriously difficult to identify in crop as their symptoms are easily confused with nutrient deficiency, water stress, insects, root disease, soil compaction or poor drainage.

The sting nematode (Morulaimus gigas or Ibipora lolii) is similar to other nematodes such as potato cyst nematode that can be imported with soil and remain undetected while the population builds up over years.

Sting nematode can spread very readily on machinery, boots and clothing. Once infected very little can be done, despite attempts with a wide array of chemical and alternative treatments.

The nematodes only become apparent when numbers have reached the critical point where they are having a significant impact on crops.

Sting nematode overseas is found primarily in coastal sandy soils similar to the Swan Coastal Plain, and thrives in irrigated cropland with a constant supply of moisture. Plants often wilt, may be stunted and show symptoms of nutrient deficiency.

Seedlings may sprout and then cease growing, causing yield losses of up to 100 per cent in localised areas.

Importantly, the sting nematode found in Australia is not the Belonolaimus species found in other parts of the world. The host range of Morulaimus gigas is unclear, although Belonolaimus spp. can affect a large range of horticultural crops including potato, tomato, cauliflower, onion, carrot, rockmelon and strawberry. Therefore, further study of the Australian species is required to develop management options to reduce its impacts.

DAFWA’s Caroline Versteeg, Sarah Collins and visiting scientist Zhaoxiang Chai (known as Joshua) check out sting nematode effects in the laboratory.

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Sting nematode is not native to WA and was probably introduced on turf from New South Wales in the early 1970s. Although this nematode has caused problems in sporting grounds in NSW since then, the extent of the issue in Western Australia only became apparent when turf grass managers began to discuss and collaborate on the issues

Your Production

that they were having with their sports fields, local government reserves, parks and recreational areas.

Industry experts representing local government have confirmed that this pest is present in at least 50 per cent of Perth’s amenity turf areas.

Up to $10,000 per hectare is estimated to be required for additional management for infested turf areas. Once an area is infested, it is rarely practicable or even possible to eradicate the nematode.

A visiting plant pathologist from China, Zhaoxiang Chai, is currently conducting

Sting nematode under magnification.

preliminary experimentation assessing the susceptibility of a range of horticulture crops to this nematode.

Meanwhile, we urge all vegetable growers to maintain high levels of biosecurity, especially when considering new land areas that might have been used for turf.

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More information Both WA and interstate companies can provide soil testing services, so please contact me on email at sarah.collins@agric.wa.gov.au or telephone (08) 9368 3612 if more information is required.

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The Nationals WA Foodbank Run 2012

continuing to drive towards a world with no hunger

Member for the South West Region Hon Colin Holt MLC will be collecting donations from local businesses, growers and the community to deliver to Foodbank outlets throughout the South West between:

Monday 23 July - Friday 27 July How can you help: • Become a collection point for any donated food • Donate food at a collection point • Growers and processors can donate bulk items, fresh and / or frozen produce can be collected This event can only take place with the support of local busineses of the South West. If you are able to donate or offer any level of support to this good cause, please contact my office.

Foodbank WA is the pantry for the welfare sector and in partnership with more than 500 aid agencies it delivers hunger relief to people state wide. It also operates life changing health programs including the School Breakfast Program which provides a healthy breakfast to more than 12,500 students every week. Many of the beneficiaries of Foodbank are located in regional WA and our support will help many families.

Hon Colin Holt MLC Member for South West colin.holt@mp.wa.gov.au www.colinholt.com.au PO Box 5250 Albany WA 6332

ph 08 9841 7144 fx 08 9841 7188

Authorised by C. Holt, Unit 12a The Link Building Aberdeen St Albany WA 6330.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your industrY

YOUR

industrY

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Your Industry

The Gascoyne Irrigation Pipeline Project In late December 2010 we advertised for expressions of interest for the main contract, which was to design, supply and construct the replacement pipeline. We had 25 initial enquiries, and after sending out more detailed information we received 12 serious expressions of interest. Of these, four were selected and asked to formally tender.

Tenders closed in March 2011, and after reviewing these based on a number of criteria including price, design and use of local contractors, the contract was awarded to Pipe Fusions Australia (PFA), a subsidiary of Robinsons Welding P/L, represented by Tony Guard.

McGlades Road at the beginning of the project.

Background The Gascoyne Water Co-operative (GWC) took on the running of the irrigation scheme supplying around 180 horticultural growers in Carnarvon, from the Water Corporation in 2001. A partner co-operative, the Gascoyne Water Asset Mutual Co-op (GWAMCO) was formed in 2003 to take custody of the scheme’s assets.

This scheme was built in the early 1960s, mainly of asbestos cement (A/C) pipe, with an expected lifespan of 40 years. At this stage we have exceeded that by about 10 years, but it is definitely passed its use-by date.

We have frequent bursts mainly due to the failure of the rubber-ring joints — in 2010– 11 we had 42 bursts over 12 months on 31km of pipe, which is about 6.5 times the industry accepted maximum. Besides costing us money to repair these bursts, it results in an interrupted supply to growers, affecting their operations. In addition, a substantial volume of water is lost over the year.

It has been clear since we took over the scheme that we would need to work towards replacing the pipeline, and in 2008 consultants Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) produced a report giving details of what sort

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Design specifications of design specifications we should aim for, a budget and a business case. These formed the basis of our applications for funding, which took several years to finalise. In December 2010 a Financial Assistance Agreement (FAA) was signed between the State Government, represented by the Department of Water, and the GWC, with commitments as follows: Federal Government contribution:

$6.6 million

State Government contribution:

$7.4 million

GWC contribution:

$5.9 million

Total budget:

$19.9 million

Water for the Future Initiative Royalties for Regions Fund

The tender process A few days after the FAA was signed we advertised for a Project Engineer, and received around 15 serious enquiries. After interviewing three of the most suitable candidates, the position was awarded to Greenfield Technical Services of Geraldton, represented by Michael Keane. The role of the Project Engineer was to assist with the tender process and contract documentation, and then act as Superintendent for the duration of the project.

Although the total length of our scheme pipeline is around 45km, some of this was installed fairly recently using poly pipe, and we only needed to replace the 31km of A/C pipe. Based on the work done by KBR, the main specifications for this project were as follows: 1. Maximum total flow rate at the current supply pressure of 180kPa: 800 litres per second; 2. Maximum flow rate with boost pumping: 1400L/s; 3. Pipeline to be able to take this flow from either the northern or the southern borefield, or a combination of both.

4. Electronic equipment to be installed to enable remote meter reading and monitoring of mainline pressures at strategic locations.

5. Piping to be installed up to the growers’ existing service or directly to their tanks if this is easier.

We also provided specific details as to how we would like this flow rate distributed amongst the 180 plantations, and approximately 80 smallholdings, which is based on a potential flow rate to each property of 0.7L/s per hectare.

In addition, we required the ability to vary the flow rate to individual properties, e.g. with a flow control valve (tamper-proof).

Your Industry

The reason for this is that the total flow rate from the borefields is currently only 400L/s, and we need some way of distributing this adequately amongst our members. Our plan is to use the water allocation system as a basis for the distribution pattern. As the borefields are developed and more water becomes available, we will have the ability to re-calibrate individual property flow rates accordingly.

These last two requirements have been a challenging aspect of the design.

The final design PFA subcontracted the task of detailed designing to iPlex Water Design, based on using welded high density polyethylene pipe (HDPE). The diameter starts off at 900mm, and gradually tapers down to 255mm at the far end. In order to achieve the final flow rate of 1400L/s, mainline pressure will need to be boosted to 540kPa, and accordingly, the first sections of pipe have been specified at a pressure rating of PN8.

Whilst the old pipeline runs along the banks of the Gascoyne River, PFA opted to locate the new pipeline away from the river, along North River Road and the North West Coastal Highway. This was partly to be less vulnerable to flooding, but also to make installation easier, as there would be less existing services to work around.

The downside of this is that on about 90 properties, the existing service is the other end of the plantation, which means installing spur lines across each property.

At the Bibbawarra river crossing, they have used co-extruded HDPE which has a white outer layer to keep the temperature down, and strapped this to the downstream side of the low-level crossing.

On the larger diameter pipe off-takes are socket-welded in, whilst with smaller diameters tapping saddles are used. Mei

Stream mechanical meters are used, with a pulse output to a solar-powered logger. Data is transmitted by radio back to base every 30 minutes, either directly or via one of three repeaters. We then have a dedicated computer at base which stores the data, and enables us to monitor the system.

This SCADA system has been designed and installed by Greenspan P/L, subcontracted to PFA.

Getting the show on the road Having ironed out contractual issues, work began on the ground on 16 May 2011, starting off with the 900mm pipe. Whilst PFA staff concentrated on pipe welding and overall project management, they subcontracted locally based North West Solutions, represented by Saxon Boston, for most of the trench work, pipe installation and backfilling. It took time to come up with a method of compaction that achieved the standard laid down by the designers, but this was solved by using a tractor with the wheels set at a suitable spacing to straddle the pipe, trailing a roller behind it. Minimum cover was specified as 650mm.

Where possible, road crossings have been done using under-road drilling, and in some cases underroad boring and steel sleeving.

Progress for the first month was slow due to compaction issues, rain, hidden obstacles (like buried tractors!) and logistics, but the pace soon picked up. Besides the inevitable

challenges that come with a project of this nature, installation has gone relatively smoothly, with no major problems.

A hydrostatic pressure test was carried out on a representative section of the mainline, by an independent testing organisation.

The section was filled with water and the pressure raised to 680kPa. The test was successful according to recognised industry standards.

At the time of writing (January 20, 2012) the final few meters of mainline pipe have just been installed. There are a number of individual services to install, and we still have the commissioning process to follow, so it will be another few weeks before the project is complete.

Once the new pipeline is commissioned, we will run both this and the old line for a couple of months while each grower changes their piping across to the new system. Once this is complete and everything is running smoothly, we will decommission the old pipeline, and leave the A/C pipe buried.

Project management Government funding has been administered by the Department of Water who set up a Project Management Committee (PMC). This consisted of representatives from all relevant State and Federal Government agencies, as well as the GWC, and met monthly. GWC submitted a fortnightly progress report to the PMC, as well as quarterly financial reports, and annual audited financial reports.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

27

Your Industry

An opening ceremony was held in July 2011, where the WA Minster for Environment; Water, Bill Marmion, officially launched the project.

Due to the nature of the project there has been a lot of interaction with growers to ensure that installation on their properties is suitable, and this has mostly been handled by Joe Rebola of the GWC. Tractor compacting trench.

Fortnightly site meetings are held in Carnarvon, attended by PFA, GWC, the Project Superintendent, and any local agencies when needed, such as Shire or Main Roads representatives. In addition, the Superintendent’s representative, Nigel Goode, paid a site visit every alternate week for quality and process control purposes.

Besides putting a lot of time and effort into obtaining the funding for this project, the boards of directors of both GWC and GWAMCO have kept a close eye on the project, and been involved in all major decisions. In particular Darryl Butcher, with his engineering background, has played a significant role.

All progress payments were thoroughly scrutinized against the contract by the Superintendent. Variations are inevitable

There was a lot of interaction with growers to ensure that installation on their properties was suitable.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

with this sort of project, but were contained to less than 2% of the total project cost, which is acceptable. We are yet to finalise the cost of the project, but it will be under budget.

Acknowledgements On behalf of the GWC and GWAMCO I would like to thank all those involved in this project for their input, and in particular the Federal Government and WA State Government for providing the bulk of the funding. Thanks also to ANZ Bank for partly financing GWC’s contribution to the project.

My 12 month short-term contract with the GWC has turned into 18 months, but is now over. Leo Kaczmarczyk has taken over as CEO, and I’m sure that with the support of the directors and staff, he will be successful in developing the scheme to its full potential. With a brand new delivery system in place, the challenge now is to sort out the next bottleneck, which is the water supply side.

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Your Industry

Clean up

to manage bacterial canker in tomato crops

By Brenda Coutts and Dominie Wright Plant Pathologists, DAFWA

Once tomato seedlings are planted, the bacterium is spread from infested to healthy plants during pruning, training and harvesting activities. Rain splash, overhead irrigation, contaminated tools and machinery can also cause spread.

Photos: American Phytopathology Society

Tomato growers can use a number of strategies to minimise losses caused by bacterial canker. Using disease-free seed and cleaning paddocks and hygiene protocols are the main focus.

Management strategies for bacterial canker: • Use disease-free seed (no resistant varieties are available) Spreading necrotic lesions on leaflet margins.

INSET: Discolouration of internal tissue caused by bacterial canker.

Carnarvon tomato growers were hit hard by bacterial canker during the 2011 growing season. Almost all growers were affected, with losses varying from 5 to 100 per cent. Crops infected early had no yield, while those infected late were able to be harvested.

Outbreaks have been reported in Perth on several properties this year.

The increase in disease occurrence is likely to be due to lack of crop rotation and removal of infected crop material as well as favourable weather conditions.

The disease is caused by the bacterium Clavibacter michiganense subsp. michiganense.

It is highly infectious and thrives in growing conditions of 18–24°C and high humidity.

It can survive for up to five years on infected crop debris, making eradication difficult.

The disease severity depends on the source

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

of the infection, weather conditions and cultural practices.

The main symptom is plant wilting. Lower leaves initially develop dark lesions or spots on leaf margins which spread. The leaves begin to wilt, turn yellow and die.

The wilt will often be on one side of the plant and in extreme cases can cause plant death.

The bacterium infects the water conducting tissue of the plant, so when a diseased stem is cut, brown discolouration of internal tissue is seen.

• Use seedlings raised in sterilised soil • Avoid planting areas containing undecomposed tomato residue • Allow at least two years before replanting an area where the disease has occurred • Remove plastic mulch • Remove all solanaceous weeds (e.g. nightshade) and volunteer tomato plants • Use new stakes and trellis wire, or if re-using old ones completely remove all soil and disinfect in sodium hypochlorite • Disinfect pruning equipment and hands at regular intervals • Carefully remove and dispose of young affected plants • Remove and dispose of pruned crop debris • Always work in the youngest planting first

The bacterium survives on seed, infected crop residues, weed hosts, volunteer tomato plants and contaminated stakes, trellis wires and tools. .

Infected crop residues needs to be completely decomposed and incorporated in the soil or buried to eliminate the source of infection.

Stakes and trellis wire from an infected crop need to be disinfected with bleach prior to re-use as they carry the bacterium.

• Apply foliar copper sprays regularly after transplanting.

More information For more information on bacterial canker, contact Brenda Coutts on (08) 9368 3266 or email brenda.coutts@agric.wa.gov.au, or phone Dominie Wright on (08) 9368 3875 or dominie.wright@agric.wa.gov.au Acknowledgement to Melissa Brady from Carnarvon Growers Association.

Your Industry

New research

finds Asian vegetables jam packed full of healthy folate New research from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation has found that several types of Asian vegetables contain folate levels equal to or greater than spinach, making them one of the richest sources of folate you can find.

The National Health and Medical Research Council dietary guidelines recommend a regular intake of folate to meet daily nutritional requirements and the consumption of folate is especially important for pregnant women.

The research team, led by scientists at the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) used new technologies to measure the folate levels of ten Asian vegetables including buk choy, choy sum and wombok and compared them to spinach.

“As this report highlights, folate deficiency has been implicated in a number of disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancers, depression, dementia, cleft lip/palate and hearing loss.”

“Reinforcing Asian vegetables as a healthy eating choice, particularly in terms of their high folate levels, provides industry with an important marketing message they can use to continue to grow their market share and consumer awareness.

The research also points to some of the lesser known Asian vegetables, such as mizuna, tatsoi, kang kong and snake beans as being excellent sources of the important vitamin.

“Health and allied health professionals should find this research report is very useful in their role to provide general dietary advice.”

Mr Burns said that in addition to the research having significant health implications, the report will also serve as an important resource for Australia’s growing Asian food industry.

“The domestic Asian food industry has experienced significant growth in the last two decades and is estimated to now contribute approximately $150 million to the Australian economy each year,” Mr Burns said.

More information The research team was led by Avis Houlihan, a Principal Scientist at DEEDI and included world leading food composition researchers from Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services and Mahidol University in Thailand.

The Folate content of Asian vegetables research report is available for free on RIRDC’s website: www.rirdc.gov.au or by contacting Damon Whittock, RIRDC Public Affairs Manager on (02) 6271 4175 or 0458 215 604. Copies can also be obtained from the vegetablesWA Field Extension Officer by calling 0427 373 037.

“We know that Asian vegetables are being eaten by a growing number of Australians because they look and taste great, and now we have research confirming another one of their positive health attributes,” said Craig Burns, RIRDC’s Managing Director.

“The importance of folate in the diets of pregnant women is commonly known, with many women increasing their folate intake during pregnancy to reduce the chance of spina bifida in their babies.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

31

Your industrY

Grower profile

David and Ben Ellement

By HAylEy WIlSOn VEGETABlESWA

Grower proďŹ le name David and Ben Ellement location Hammond Park PErtH

Property size 10ha Enterprises leeks

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Industry

David and Ben Ellement are passionate young growers who are the main player in the leek game in Western Australia.

Located in Hammond Park, the Ellement family have been on the property for 35 years which was first started by father, Gary. Ben has been working at the farm for 12 years, before which he was working as a mechanic by trade. After working at vegetablesWA when it was first established and then being the CEO of the Wine Industry Association, David also then made the decision to work at the family business one year ago.

When the Ellements first began they were growing brassicas, leafy vegetables and carrots. Today, they are the main suppliers of leeks in WA with 25 acres of land under crop production. Ben said, “20 years ago, every grower grew everything, but over the years there became the need to specialise and grow bigger units of each crop.”

The reason the Ellements went into solely growing leeks was there was a market opportunity as another grower was leaving the industry and the Sumich Group approached them to grow for export. After doing this, it was an easy transition into supplying for the supermarkets as they had similar systems in place. They now sell to all supply chains and focus on selling under supply agreements as David says, “It is dangerous to just grow the crop and then hope you sell it.”

Growing practices and experience allows the Ellements to grow leeks all year round.

This is also because of the soils and the metropolitan climate.

As leeks are in the ground for such a long period of time, David says that weed control is a constant issue. Also due to the long growing period, if something goes wrong with the crop it can majorly affect the business’ profitability as it takes a substantial amount of time to recover. David said, “Weather is something we constantly work with. Understanding the growth of crop and meeting sales windows are critical and weather can play a major role in this.”

David said, “Technology is critical these days, we are continually investing in harvesters, pickers and other machinery to reduce labour.”

He went on to say, “Farm management is critical from the office; we need to know the cost of every unit coming out of the ground.” Technology has improved growing dramatically and David said, “If growers were growing the same as they were 5–10 years ago they wouldn’t be profitable as costs keep going up but the returns remain the same.”

When their parents first started growing, everything was done by hand where as now days there isn’t one job on the property which isn’t machine aided. He said since the start of the property, equipment and farming practices are the biggest change.

Growers now also have the advantage of

data knowledge and being able to make decisions based on knowing all inputs and outputs. Ben said since the farm first started there is, “A lot more organic practices used, as the cost of fertiliser has increased so much, you need to have your organic program down pat otherwise fertiliser bills shoot right up.”

David says the advantages of being located in the metro area are the access to staff and the property being located close to market.

However due to their surroundings they are restricted on expansion of the farm.

Even though the Ellements are the major player in leeks in WA, they are still a small family business. David said that throughout the years the supermarkets have got more professional which has helped transformed small family businesses into a more business culture. He said that supermarkets have been a real positive for their business and the industry as they have created a stability which allows growers to do long term business planning.

David and Ben both said that it is the flexibility and the lifestyle which they enjoy.

David said, “vegetable businesses aren’t there to make huge profits, it’s a lifestyle decision not a financial one.” Ben also added that seeing the fruits of your labour is what he enjoys, and, “it is really rewarding to see a good crop”.

They both agree that it is really important to have family around and having everybody involved is the main aspect of what they love about growing.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

33

Your Industry

State supports Carnarvon flood mitigation $45 million committed to flood mitigation Design used both historical information and data from the most recent flood events to increase protection to road, water and essential infrastructure.

Increased flood protection for the Carnarvon horticultural industry is a step closer with the State Government committing $45 million funding to the project.

Photo: Georgina Wilson

The Royalties for Regions funding includes $25 million from the Gascoyne Development Plan (GDP) and $20 million from the Regional Development Water and Natural Resource Management Gascoyne Food Bowl and Flood Mitigation Initiative.

Flooding in Carnarvon in 2011.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

The State Government, through the Department of Water, has been working with the Shire of Carnarvon and Gascoyne Development Commission to provide increased flood mitigation for the greater Carnarvon area, following the damaging 2010–11 Gascoyne River floods.

“These are known as Stage 2 works and they build upon the already completed Stage 1 works which include an upgrade of two major floodways on the North West Coastal Highway,” Water Minister Bill Marmion said.

“Stage 2 works include reducing flood damage in the greater Carnarvon horticultural district and reducing disruption to regional transport.

“They will also reduce the potential for flood damage to the new Gascoyne irrigation pipeline upgrade which the State Government has invested in.”

Acting Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said the estimated total cost for the proposed flood mitigation works was $65–80 million.

“The partnering agencies are working on securing further money from the Federal Government to ensure the Gascoyne food-producing region receives its share of protection from major floods,” Mr Redman said.

The Carnarvon horticultural area plays a critical role in Western Australia’s fruit and vegetable production, generating an average annual $81 million worth of produce.

This commitment is part of $78 million in Royalties for Regions funding over four years for water and natural resource management (NRM), and Gascoyne revitalisation projects to drive growth in key regional areas.

Your Industry

Food security,

challenges and opportunities

By Janet Bornman IIAFS

The words ‘food security‘ are a classic example of where definitions mean different things to different people depending on country, circumstance and historical perspective.

However, a useful starting point is the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which uses a definition that was refined at the World Food Summit in 1996, which says “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.

Agricultural production is being shaped by consumers and is becoming a challenging task in a highly competitive and variable climate environment.

Quality versus quantity It soon becomes obvious that addressing food security is a complex exercise. Once defined on an individual, local, regional, national and international level, the multitude of jigsaw pieces requires many skills before they can be assembled to work efficiently to fulfil the above definition. Food security is not only about how much food can be produced and consumed. In a recent article of a February issue of The Economist, some of the less recognised aspects of food security were discussed in terms of malnutrition. While malnutrition usually conjures up an image of being underfed and therefore unhealthily thin, one can be malnourished from too much vitamin-deficient and nutrientdeficient food, leading to obesity through quantity rather than quality intake.

In addition to mapping where the challenges of food security for Western Australia lie, consumer expectations are increasingly shaping the production side, making agricultural production for farmers a challenging task in a highly competitive and variable climate environment. The link between quality, nutritious and accessible food, and health outcomes is becoming

increasingly clear and presents a host of opportunities for innovative, niche research and farming practices.

Meeting the challenges Recognising this opportunity, Curtin University has been developing a suitable working framework and in November 2011 the International Institute of Agri-Food Security (IIAFS) was established. IIAFS started to take shape through extensive discussions with colleagues and stakeholders both on and off the university campus.

The result was the coming together of a network of expertise with an engaged, multidisciplinary research team spanning across Curtin’s five teaching areas — Curtin Business School, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science and Engineering and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies, together with a growing number of external parties and other interest groups.

The Institute is taking a highly integrated, multi-dimensional approach to food security, which of necessity is broad but focussed towards food quality for health and a more resilient food future. This is linked WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Industry

Photo: David Martin

increasing climate variability leading to crop losses, decreases in food manufacturing on home ground, the high percentage of imported food products to WA, discrepancies in price and quality of fresh food between remote and metropolitan communities, agriculture’s irrigation demands, food transport over long distances, and the hidden malnutrition in population groups and individuals who are eating too much of the wrong food? The increased awareness of rising health care costs associated with the treatment of lifestyle-related diseases also provides opportunities to re-position the Western Australian agri-food industry from a commodity to an innovation and internationally competitive sector with the help of growers themselves.

Sorghum crop: red sorghum (left) and white sorghum (right).

to biodiversity of crops, biosafety, ethics, policy, food tourism and culture, lifestyle, agribusiness, local supply chains, and local and international market economics. Some of the targeted research projects will include exploring certain ‘heritage’ crops that are often more resilient to extreme climate variables and consequently this robustness can be mirrored in their health-promoting ingredients. IIAFS is particularly interested in undertaking the food technology research that will identify high quality varieties from a health aspect but also in terms of resilience against increasingly variable climate conditions. This extends from agricultural crop plants, livestock and onto seafood.

Projects Projects are being developed together with external parties and while research-based, they have a strong practical application which will draw in the different disciplinary areas all along the supply chain from farmer to consumer. Some of the projects will be trialled on specific farms, and then expanded into what could be called ‘environmentally friendly’ areas, followed by moving also into rural and remote areas that are less environmentally and logistically friendly.

Health promotion and lifestyle choices will play vital roles in engaging individuals and communities in using innovative ways to produce and supply quality, nutritious food.

Curtin, in partnership with the Department

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

of Agriculture and Food and the Rural Business Development Corporation, has developed and delivered the Farm Planning project course to vegetable and fruit growers in Carnarvon. The project has been assisting in building more resilient farm businesses through facilitated, interactive learning which leads towards more sustainable food production in the face of increasingly variable weather patterns.

More growers will be able to take part in this in follow-on programs.

A team in Curtin University’s Food Science and Technology Group is investigating the potential of the drought and high temperature resistant crop, sorghum, as a healthy sustainable whole grain food.

Although sorghum is currently used in Australia primarily as an animal feed, its slow starch digestibility and high content of phytochemicals (especially in the red varieties), suggests that it may be ideal for the production of health protective, low glycaemic index, high antioxidant foods also for people.

Is Australia food secure? What will the future hold?

Can Australia really be considered ‘food secure?’ Or would we be ignoring the impacts of global economic markets, the

Building capacity To find solutions to these challenges, apart from the targeted research and applied projects, the Institute is establishing a Curtin International Graduate Research Training Programme for Agri-food and Health called FOODSolutions, in which we will be partnering with a range of national and international institutions. The core business of this cross-disciplinary programme will be aimed at educating and providing skills to future farmers, researchers, industry leaders and policymakers to deal with the complex, and intricately coupled food security issues in an often unpredictable environment.

The initiative will at the same time work towards encouraging more students to study agriculture and agri-business, as student numbers are rapidly declining.

FOODSolutions is being designed to attract students back into agriculture within a diverse framework of interlinking research areas.

We are part of a global issue Climate variability, global economics, and trade markets are removing many of the differences in food security issues that once separated developing and developed countries as we move towards similar vulnerability and sustainability risks.

More information The official launch of the International Institute of Agri-Food Security will take place in September this year. For further information please contact Professor Janet F. Bornman Director, International Institute of Agri-Food Security (IIAFS), Curtin University, phone (08) 9266 4575 or janet.bornman@curtin.edu.au

Your Industry

What is the Agricultural Produce Commission Vegetable Fee for Service?

By Ingrid Smith Manager of Agriculture Produce Commission

The Agricultural Produce Commission (APC) Vegetable Fee for Service (FFS) is the fee paid

by Western Australian growers, at the first point of sale, for vegetable produce grown in WA (excluding vegetables grown in Kununurra). The FFS is paid to the APC Vegetable Producers’ Committee.

The APC does have a FFS for other APC Committees such as potatoes, pork, pome, citrus and stone fruit but in this article we are concentrating on the APC Vegetable FFS. The APC Vegetable Producers’ Committee was established in 2005, when WA vegetable growers voted to establish an APC Producers’ Committee. This Committee’s purpose is to promote the long-term sustainability and profitability of WA vegetable growers. To be a member of the APC Committee you must be a WA vegetable grower.

The FFS is used to fund the services undertaken by the Committee, on behalf of the industry.

Each year the Committee consults with vegetable growers to identify areas of concern or initiative for the industry, and growers are further encouraged to contact the Committee at any time should they have concerns or suggestions. After consultation with industry, the Committee considers what services it will fund for the year.

The FFS rate is also evaluated by the Committee each year, taking into account

The vegetable FFS is currently based on a ‘per package’ system.

the services to be provided and the impact that paying the FFS will have on the growers. In setting the FFS rate, the Committee strives to ensure that it is equitable to all vegetable growers.

The vegetable FFS is currently based on a ‘per package’ system. For example, any vegetables sold in a package (bin, container, etc) of less than 100kgs, attracts a fee of $0.04 cents. So, if you have four bins, each under 100kgs, you would pay $0.16 cents in total. As long as the actual weight of each package is between 0–100kgs the price will not vary — it is $0.04 cents for each package.

There are three ‘per package’ weight categories which apply. These are: 0–100kgs, 101–1000kgs and 1001kgs and over.

The FFS is generally remitted to the APC via a FFS return, by the dealer to whom a grower sells his produce. FFS is required to be remitted to the APC within 15 days of the end of the month in which the produce was

sold, unless alternative arrangements have been made with the APC. Dealers are required to advise growers of the FFS deducted and paid on their behalf.

The APC also randomly selects a number of growers each year who are provided with a validation report. The purpose of this report is for growers to check that all FFS deducted from them by dealers has been paid to the APC, and that all FFS which they should have paid for produce sold during the year has been paid.

More information Growers should be aware of the FFS paid by them, and of services provided by their industry Committee. Should you want to discuss services currently provided, please contact the Committee Executive Officer, Mr Jim Turley (pga-vga@vegetableswa.com.au) or the Committee Chairperson, Ms Maureen Dobra (mdobra@looseleaf.com.au).

If you have any queries in relation to understanding the FFS rate or the payment of your FFS, please contact the APC (ingrid.smith@ agric.wa.gov.au/APCadmin@agric.wa.gov.au).

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your Industry

Vegetable spotlight Snapshot • The value of French and runner bean production fell by 2.7% to $72.7 million in 2008–09 • Beans were Australia’s 10th largest vegetable crop in 2008–09, accounting for 2.4% of total vegetable production by value • Area planted and production rose in 2009, but yields declined • Production is concentrated in Queensland and Tasmania, which produce over four-fifths of the national bean crop • Based on production estimates consumption of beans has fallen modestly in recent years • Prices on both domestic and export markets declined in 2009 • The total number of growers declined from 366 in 2008 to 337 in 2009 with major variations in the size of operations between the States • Exports have risen strongly over the past two years, while imports fell in 2009–10. Australia still has a negative balance of trade, but the deficit in 2009–10 was the smallest since 2000–01.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics employed a new methodology in collecting data for the 2005–06 Agricultural Census. As a result, the data generated from the census — such as production volumes, area planted and yields — are not directly comparable to historical statistics. Readers should use this material with caution.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

beans Production

Current Australian bean production Australian production of French and runner beans totalled 27,779 tonnes in 2009 (see Figure 1).

The area planted to beans was 5,248 hectares. The average yield per hectare over the year was 5.3 tonnes (see Figure 2).

Long-term production trends National production rose between 2004 and 2006, reaching a peak of almost 38,000 tonnes in 2006. Production declined by 24% and 6.7% respectively in 2007 and 2008, but rose by 3.2% in 2009.

Area planted fell by 30% in 2007 from its 2006 peak, with little change in 2008. Area planted rose by 5.7% in 2009. Yields rose strongly in 2007 to 5.8 tonnes per hectare, but declined in 2008 and 2009.

Value and pricing Domestic value of production The gross value of beans grown in Australia in 2009 was $72.7 million. This is 2.7% less than in the previous 12 months, reflecting lower prices.

The national gross unit value (average price per tonne), which rose by 10% in 2008, fell by 5.7% in 2009 to $2,617 (see Figure 3).

Beans pricing Average prices based on production estimates of $2,617 in 2009 were 6% higher than the average price of $2,471 in the previous five years (see Figure 4).

Average export prices in Australian dollars were $2,796 per tonne in 2009, down 17% from the previous year.

Export prices were above the average price until 2005 but since then no clear pattern has been evident.

State production and national consumption State production of beans Queensland (51%) and Tasmania (34%) produce over four-fifths of the national bean crop. Victoria and Western Australia account for most of the remaining production (see Figure 5).

Production fell in Tasmania and Victoria in 2009, but there were increases of 43% and 13% respectively in Western Australia and Queensland.

Your Industry

140

Value

100

2,500

80

2,000

60

1,500

40

1,000

20

500

0

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Data8,000 on consumption is fragmented and anecdotal.

6,000 Based on official production data and 4,000 population statistics it is estimated that annual consumption has fallen in recent 2,000 years to around 1.7kg per capita.

Beans

3

Carrots

2

Bean growers by state The total number of bean growers in Australia fell from 366 in 2008 to 337 in 2009.

There37.5 were declines in the number of 35.0 in all states in 2009 except New growers South32.5 Wales and South Australia where 30.0 production remains small scale (see Figure 27.5 6). The biggest decline was in Victoria where 25.0 the number of growers halved from 41 in 22.5 200820.0 to 20 in 2009.

1,800

11.1

1,400

9.8

1,000

61.6

600

1

70.5

Tomatoes

0

22.0

1.7

20.9

1999 2000 2001

(26%) and New South Wales (24%) have roughly equal numbers of growers but bean production is mainly a sideline activity in New South Wales.

Production in Queensland is large scale with average production per grower double the 140 national average of 82 tonnes. Tonnages in 120 Victoria and Tasmania are also above the 100 national average.

Average production per grower80is extremely low in New South Wales at just600.5 tonnes and in South Australia at five tonnes 40 respectively in 2009 reflecting the relatively 20 17.5 small bean plantings of most growers in Of the 337 growers recorded as growing 15.0 0 beans in 2009 Queensland those states.

1999 Tasmania 2000 2001 (26%), 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year been on a gradual upward Exports have trend over recent years. This has gathered momentum over the past two years with exports rising to $4.6 million in 2008–09, an increase of 32% on the previous year, and by 27% to $5.8 million in 2009–10.

Exports of fresh beans accounted for 68% of total exports of green beans in 3,500 Value Average price 2009–10.

3,000

Imports rose strongly in 2007–08 to a 2,500 record $10.5 million, up by 56% on the previous year. There was little change 2,000 in 2008–09, but imports fell by 17.5% 1,500 in 2009–10 to $8.6 million. Imports 1,000 are dominated by frozen beans, which 500 accounted for 89% of total green bean 0 imports in 2009–10.

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Year

Figure 2 Area planted versus yield

Figure 4 Price per tonne

14,000

Yield

12,000

4

8,000

3

6,000

2

4,000

3,000 2,600 2,200 1,800 1,400

1

1,000

0

0

600

Year

Exports

3,400

2,000 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Average price

3,800

6 5

10,000

4,200

7

$/tonne

Area planted

Tonnes/hectare

16,000

Hectares

Exports

Imports of beans consistently exceed exports so Australia runs a negative balance of trade (see Figure 7). The trade deficit narrowed to $2.8 million in 2009–10, down sharply from a record $7.1 million in 2007–08 and $5.9 million in 2008–09.

The deficit in 2009–10 was the smallest since 2000–01.

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Value ($ millions)

Grower numbers and production

2.0

Potatoes

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Comparisons with estimates of per capita Year consumption of some other major vegetables are presented in Table 1.

Average for3,000 3 Average for 3 5 years ending 2,600 years ending 41999 (kg) 2009 (kg ) 2,200 $/tonne

Hectares

Bean consumption 10,000

Tonnes (’000s)

Average price

Value of exports and imports of beans

7

3,800of other major Table 1 C Yield onsumption estimate Area planted vegetables 3,400 6

Vegetable

40.0

Exports and imports

4,200

12,000

0

Year

Tonnes/hectare

There are sharp fluctuations in yields in individual states from year to year. The 16,000 highest yield in 2009 was in Tasmania, 14,000 almost 70% above the national average.

Average $/tonne

3,000

120

Year

0

Average price 3,500

Average $/tonne

40.0 37.5 35.0 32.5 30.0 27.5 25.0 22.5 20.0 17.5 15.0

Figure 3 Value of production

Value ($ millions)

Tonnes (’000s)

Figure 1 National production

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

WA Grower Autumn 2012

39

Your Industry

16 16 14 14 12 12 10 10 8 8 6 6 4 4 2 2 0 0

Production Production

NSW NSW

Vic Vic

Yield Yield

Qld SA Qld State SA

Average yield Average yield

WA WA

Tas Tas

10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0

Tonnes/hectare Tonnes/hectare

Tonnes (’000s) Tonnes (’000s)

Figure 5 Production versus yield

State

Figure 6 Bean growers by state Average production Average production

180 180 160 160 140 140 120 120 100 100 80 80 60 60 40 40 20 20 0 0

Tonnes/grower Tonnes/grower

No. of growers No. of growers

No. ofof growers No. growers

100 100 90 90 80 80 70 70 60 60 50 50 40 40 30 30 20 20 10 10 0 0

NSW NSW

Vic Vic

Qld SA Qld State SA

State

WA WA

Tas Tas

Figure 7 Value of bean exports and imports 10

Exports

Imports

9

Value ($ millions)

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

Export markets in 2009 Destination of Australian exports of fresh beans in 2009–10 Exports of fresh beans have risen over recent years, reaching a record $3.9 million in 2009–10, an increase of 20% on the previous year.

40

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Industry

Figure 8 Fresh bean export destinations

Figure 9 Country of origin of frozen bean imports in 2009–10

Canada

Egypt

New Caledonia

Thailand Turkey

Hong Kong

India Singapore

Belgium

Taiwan

China

New Zealand

New Zealand 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0

100

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percentage of imports

Percentage of exports Table 2 Bean production 2007–08 Area sown (ha)

Production (tonnes)

2008–09 No. of businesses

Area sown (ha)

Production (tonnes)

No. of businesses

Processing

1,224

10,514

137

1,179

10,003

138

Fresh market

3,739

16,403

230

4,070

17,776

201

Total

4,963

26,917

367

5,249

27,779

337

Processing (% of total)

24.7

39.1

37.3

22.5

36.0

40.7

Fresh market (% of total)

75.3

60.9

62.7

77.5

64.0

59.3

Exports of fresh beans are mainly to New Zealand (see Figure 8). In most recent years, New Zealand has accounted for 97–99% of exports, but this proportion dipped to a stilldominant 90% in 2009–10.

The decline in New Zealand’s share in 2009–10 reflected the emergence of Taiwan as a significant market. Exports to Taiwan rose from $18,000 (0.6% of the total) in 2008–09 to $0.3 million (7.7%) in 2009–10.

Exports to other markets are modest, ranging from 0.4% of the total to Canada in 2009–10 to 0.8% in Singapore.

Import markets in 2009 Country of origin of Australian imports of frozen beans in 2009–10 Imports of frozen green beans declined to $7.7 million in 2009–10, a fall of 18% from the previous year and the first decline since 2005–06.

Imports from New Zealand in 2009–10 were 5.8% down on the previous year, while imports from China fell by 35%. As a result, New Zealand regained its position as the main source of frozen bean imports

which it had lost to China in 2008–09 (see Figure 9).

Belgium’s share of this market rose to 6.3% in 2009–10, up from 1.3% in the previous year. Imports from other countries are small, with India in fourth position with a share of 1.4% in 2009–10.

Market Market segments Beans are produced for either the fresh or processed market. Fresh market production is concentrated in Queensland while processing production is concentrated in northern Tasmania.

35–40% of the crop is produced for the processed market although the area planted is less at around 22–25% of the total. The gap is due to the higher yields achieved in Tasmania (see Table 2).

Philippines, 25% in Vietnam and 7% in Thailand.

More information For further details on these statistics please contact Ian James, Industry Data Economic Analysis on 0439 440 023 or email idea@jiskapark.com.au. For more economic analysis of vegetable production, visit the AUSVEG webpage at: www.ausveg.com.au/ statistics The data and information in this document has been put together by Industry Data Economic Analysis. Industry Data Economic Analysis is contracted by Horticulture Australia Limited to provide economic services to the vegetable industry including collation and analysis of data provided by other sources. Information is to be communicated to the industry through a number of channels, the AUSVEG website being one. Industry Data Economic Analysis, its principal, contractors and employees, does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any data or information contained in the document and does not accept legal liability for its contents or any loss or damage which may result. Professional advice is recommended for all strategic and financial decisions. This document does not represent professional advice.

Market access Beans both fresh and frozen enter Australia tariff free. Tariffs on Australian exports of beans in most near neighbours are either zero or being phased out under the Australia New Zealand ASEAN Free Trade agreement although in 2011 they are 20% in the WA Grower Autumn 2012

41

Your industrY

Grower profile

James Wringe and Gary Quick

Grower proďŹ le name James Wringe and Gary Quick location Kirup PErtH

Property size 550ha Enterprises tomatoes

James Wringe in the tomato crop.

42

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Industry

By Hayley Wilson VegetablesWa

James Wringe and Gary Quick have been in partnership growing tomatoes on their Kirup property for 25 years.

James and Gary both have separate properties of their own on which they both farm beef cattle. James is a fifth generation beef farmer and his family have been on their original farm since 1862. Gary is a third generation farmer.

The property that they are growing tomatoes on now originally was an orchard that his parents had bought in 1972.

After his father had run the orchard for ten years, James then saw the opportunity to grow tomatoes as the land had water and was flat ground compared to surrounding areas. James then went into partnership with his neighbour Gary. Since then, what started off just being a side project in the quieter time for beef cattle, has rapidly expanded into a thriving business.

They started off with basic infrastructure on the property and have extended the packing shed numerous times and over the years have nearly doubled the amount of tomato plants they have. Cool rooms, computerised grading equipment, a packing machine and picking machines have all also been added to the property with the growth.

Being located down south, James and Gary have the advantage of the cooler climate and heavier soil. However, their growing season is shorter than other regions. This also means that keeping full time staff can be an issue. James said,” there’s no problem finding labour initially though as everyone wants work when there are continual hours.”

James said that new technology has vastly improved their business in a variety of ways.

It has made packaging the produce more convenient and their computer colour grading system has made sizing and colouring more accurate and uniform. James also said that the new varieties and chemicals that have become available to the market, have made it easier to control pests and they do not have the sort of problems that they had in the past.

He said, “It is hard to tell how technology has affected our labour requirements”, as the business has expanded as continuously as technology has improved.

Having a picking machine rather than staff picking into buckets has made a big difference as it keeps the labour happier and keeps fruit in the shade. James and Gary have implemented picking straight into one bin rather than into crates which cuts out the double handling of the produce.

James said, “Over the years we have learnt from our mistakes and then made improvements.

The banning of Dimethoate and review of Fenthion has been a setback for Wringe and Quick James said.

Gary and James enjoy the opportunity to travel to Queensland which they have done a few times to visit other growers to see their different growing practices and look at different machinery. James said, “We are always happy to share information to help other growers and we don’t keep any secrets.”

He said “not knowing what you are going to get for your produce is also frustrating and never knowing when tomatoes are going to be in over supply.”

James feels that there are always doors opening for growers and he would encourage more people to enter the industry if they are prepared to be dedicated, put in long hours and are committed to doing Quality Assurance.

When James isn’t working he enjoys spending time with his family and travelling.

They both agree that it is rewarding to see a good product at the end of the day and also gratifying to know that the consumer is happy with their produce. James said, “It is frustrating though that the extra work and cost that goes into producing a quality product is not always reflected in the returns.”

They start planting in mid-October and finish in mid-December. In the early plantings they sometime need to battle leaf fungus but that depends on the weather in each year.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

43

Your Industry

Increase

in Queensland fruit fly detections

Queensland fruit fly.

Department of Agriculture and Food

By Darryl Hardie Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

have been set up to help detect any further presence.

Qfly prevalence has been at record levels in eastern states over the last year, with incursions into normally free areas including Tasmania and the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone in southern NSW and northern Victoria.

Eighteen male Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) were detected by the Department’s metropolitan trapping grid between October 2011 and February 17, 2012 — three times the average catch per season.

Qfly can be more devastating than Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) which is regarded as the WA vegetable industries’ most important insect pest.

The locations are shown in the Figure 1 and extend from Warwick in the north to Gosnells in the south and from the coast to Midland. No particular pattern is apparent.

Any fruit fly attacks on tomatoes, including green tomatoes, and chillies, would be of particular interest.

The increase in number of detections is causing concern and possible causes are being investigated. Supplementary traps

44

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Mediterranean fruit fly.

Qfly is known to infest a wider range of commercial and native trees, vine fruits, and crops such as eggplant, tomato, capsicum and chilli.

Fruit and vegetables are increasingly likely to be attacked as they mature and as the fruit fly population increases during summer.

Figure 1 Queensland fruit fly detections in 2011–12.

Your Industry

Vegetables

providing large slices of Carnarvon’s pie

By Chris Schelfhout Gascoyne Horticulture Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

Mention Carnarvon and most people think of bananas, but vegetables have become more significant dollar earners for local growers in the last few years.

In 2010 the gross value of production was about $78 million, with vegetables, tomatoes and table grapes moving ahead of bananas, which were worth only a tenth of the total at about $7 million.

Value of vegetables in particular has been climbing steadily and now comprises about half of the horticultural production by quantity and two-thirds by value.

Carnarvon’s warmer winters, coupled with reliable water supplies, have enabled it to become a major source of fresh vegetables at times of the year when growing areas on the Swan Coastal Plain slow down due to lower temperatures.

Vegetables as a group, excluding tomatoes, were worth about $27 million in 2010, the biggest crops being capsicums, pumpkins and zucchini. Individual quantities and values for the main vegetables are shown in Table 1.

Tomatoes are a big ticket item, and those were sent south totalled nearly 8,000 tonnes worth more than $20 million. Tomato crops are harvested from May to November, ensuring continuous supply to the State throughout the year, and significant interstate sales.

Basil was the most important of the fresh herbs, valued at about $175,000, with the highest production months being June and July.

Crop growing under nets in Carnarvon.

Table grapes are now the biggest single fruit crop grown in the Gascoyne, and were double the value of bananas in 2010.

Grapes are mainly harvested in November and December, when they attract premium prices. However a bumper crop did not eventuate this season due to the effects of last summer’s floods.

The new statistics have been compiled for the department using information provided by local businesses, transport companies and the Perth Market Authority. They do not cover private sales, local sales or produce transported northwards, so the real value would be even greater.

More information Digital copies of the full report can be obtained by contacting the Gascoyne Research Station on (08) 9956 3333.

Table 1 Summary of Carnarvon fruit and vegetable production in 2010 Vegetable

Quantity (tonnes)

Basil

119

174,997

Beans

391

2,496,427

Butternut

620

475,738

Capsicum

2,755

9,834,993

Chilli

223

1,234,735

Cucumber

594

1,556,599

Eggplant

623

1,929,701

Melons

5,934

5,424,112

Pumpkin

1,925

5,201,430

216

451,692

Tomato

7,752

20,526,127

Zucchini

1,137

3,151,155

Sweetcorn

Other Total vegetables

Department of Agriculture and Food

Value ($)

Total fruit TOTAL HORTICULTURE

180

510,622

22,469

52,968,328

7,485

25,102,600

29,954

78,070,928

WA Grower Autumn 2012

45

Your Industry

Asian and World Foods News New Rural Industries Australia 2012 Conference, Expo and, Fashion Parade April 18–19, 2012, Ballarat, Victoria NRIA is about driving ‘commercial action’ for new and emerging rural industries — capacity building with an overall objective of profitable commercialisation of new, innovative and emerging plant, animal and associated regional industries. NRIA seeks to deliver strong benefits to stakeholder industries, build regional economies and benefit the wider Australian economy and community through these activities. NRIA leverages R&D, national and international networks to build commercial alliances.

NRIA is a smart, future focused rural organisation applying communication technologies to build and actualise a ‘rural knowledge network’ across its membership and readership base.

Key issues that the ‘NRIA 2012 Conference’ will present include: 1. Carbon Farming into the 21st Century — times of change are times of opportunity 2. Biodiversity and biosecurity — how to protect and innovate 3. Knowledge tools and networks — smarter, agile business tools for nimble industries 4. International partnerships — building strong global networks to Australia’s advantage

A number of vegetable industry support staff work independently to help Language Other Than English (LOTE) growers around Australia.

LOTE Community of Practice There are a number of vegetable industry support staff who work independently to support Language Other Than English (LOTE) growers around Australia.

Until recently, staff working with LOTE communities, had limited opportunity to work collaboratively.

In October 2011, the Vegetable Industry Development Program supported the formation of a LOTE Community of Practice.

The purpose of the Community of Practice is to provide support staff around Australia with a regular opportunity to work together to share information, build knowledge, develop expertise and solve problems.

Conference activities:

A LOTE Community of Practice workshop was held on the November 23, 2011 to share experiences on working with LOTE growers and materials that have been developed in each state.

• High quality speakers that challenge and stimulate innovation

More information

5. Entrepreneurship — how to drive your emerging business forward.

• Expo for industry and associated stakeholders

If you would like to be involved in this or would like further information, please contact Anne-Maree Boland on (03) 9882 2670 or at anne-mareeb@rmcg.com.au.

• Dinner to die for, with a sensational array of Australia’s finest produce

Resistance exists to fungicides and copper in vegetables

• Fashion parade of exquisite Australian fibre and leather products.

Resistance to fungicides commonly used to manage diseases in vegetables has been detected in vegetable growing areas throughout Australia, highlighting the importance of growers having resistance management strategies in place to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of fungicides.

• Engaging forums that motivate and stimulate new networks

More information Delegate registration and conference sponsorship will be open from December 1, 2011, through the NRIA website, at www.nria.org.au

46

WA Grower Autumn 2012

With funding from the vegetable industry through Horticulture Australia, scientists from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the NSW Department of Industry and Investment (DII) collected isolates of several fungi and bacteria from vegetable crops throughout Australia to see if there was a resistance issue in the industry.

Resistance to several fungicides was found in Botrytis cinerea, the cause of grey mould and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Sclerotinia minor, which cause the disease white mould (Table 1). Resistance to metalaxyl was found with Bremia lactucae (downy mildew of lettuce), however the formulations of metalaxyl with mancozeb or copper still controlled downy mildew strains resistant to metalaxyl.

Tolerance to copper products was detected in many bacteria (Table 2), with strong copper tolerance in several isolates of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, the cause of bacterial canker in tomato.

Better control of copper tolerant bacteria can be achieved by tank-mixing copper with a dithiocarbamate fungicide such as mancozeb. However, frequent use of chemicals from that class can disrupt certain beneficial insects and mites. This can be a problem for growers using IPM or organic production systems.

Growers need to be aware of the fungicide resistance group of the products they are using, which can be found on the label (Figure 1). Overuse of one fungicide or fungicides from the same resistance group will cause resistance to develop.

Your industrY

table 1 Fungicides with resistance detected to Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and S. minor

table 2 Bacteria with tolerance to copper Bacteria

disease

✓

Acidovorax spp.

Cucurbit fruit blotch

✓

Clavibacter michiganensis Tomato canker

41 (65)

✓

✓

Pseudomonas spp.

Various leaf rots

10 (22)

—

✓

Ralstonia

Bacterial wilt

0 (2)

✓

✓

✓

xanthamonas campestris

Black rot

0 (5)

Procymidone (Sumisclex )

✗

—

✓

Tebuconazole (Folicur®)

✗

✗

—

s. sclerotiorum

s. minor

B. cinerea

Azoxystrobin (Amistar®)

✗

✗

Boscalid (Filan®)

✗

✗

Carbendazim (Bavistin®)

✓

Cyprodinil (Chorus )

✓

fungicide

®

Iprodione (Rovral®) ®

no. isolates tolerant (no. tested) 2 (5)

✓= resistance detected, ✗ = no resistance detected, — = not tested

Figure 1 label of fungicide with the active ingredient iprodione showing the resistance category

Best practice guides have been developed for Brassica and lettuce crops incorporating these resistance management strategies, and can be found on various web sites: • www.hin.com.au/resources/manualBrassica-ute-Guide

• www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_20351.htm more information Barbara Hall, SArDI, barbara.hall@sa.gov.au, or len tesoriero, nSW DII, len.tesoriero@industry. nsw.gov.au.

DISClAIMER: This article is designed to inform you of matters of general interest. It does not present information intended for you to rely or act on. If you wish to implement the findings of any report identified in this article you should source that report in its entirety and determine its application to your particular situation. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and its employees and the authors and editors of this article make no representation as to the accuracy of this publication or the suitability for your purposes of any information or report identified or referred to in this publication. They disclaim all liability for any loss you suffer in relying on any such information or report.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

47

Your industrY

Grower profile

Joe and Sonia Castro

Grower profile name Joe and Sonia Castro location myalup PErtH

Property size 194ha Enterprises Carrots, potatoes, onions and parsnips

today. Joe met Sonia in a friend’s broccoli crop 17 years ago and have been married 15 years.

By HAylEy WIlSOn VEGETABlESWA

Joe Castro started on his property in Myalup with nothing and has built it up to an extremely successful business that it is today.

Joe grew up working on his parent’s farm in Kirup where they grew pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes and had orchards and cattle. Joe worked on the farm until he finished high school; he then took some time off pruning apple trees on different properties in the region.

He then bought the property that they are currently on in 1991 and have expanded to own 445 acres and lease another 35 acres

48

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Currently, the Castros produce 2500 tonnes of potatoes per year and also carrots, onions and parsnips. Carrots are their primary crop which are mainly for the domestic market. They have recently started to export overseas and approximately 60% will go to overseas markets. Sonia said, “We pack and market all our own carrots so that’s why they are the main stayer”.

They sell 30% of their onions peeled to GSF and Salad Fresh mainly for the fast food industry.

New technology has allowed them to improve their packaging and marketing and to do it themselves.

Joe said, “Everything has totally changed since we first started growing, everything is a lot more scientific and accurate. There is no wasting fertiliser or water as you can’t

afford to these days as margins are getting smaller and smaller”.

The advantage of being located in Myalup is that it allows them to grow carrots all year round. Myalup is a lot bigger, the ground is flatter with less rocks and it is always a little bit cooler in the summer months compared to Kirup where Joe is originally from. As opposed to a region like Gingin, Myalup is also less windy and a lot cooler. Being situated directly on the main highway also makes transportation to and from market very easy.

As all the produce that the Castros grow are mechanically harvested crops this drastically reduces labour. All the staff do all their work in a shed and not outside in the harsh sun or cold winter. Sonia said that, “we have a core group of staff and also backpackers who are in the area”. Joe said that a lot of skilled staff move up north to work on the mines and growers can’t compete with those types of wages that they are offered up there.

Your Industry

Joe said the industry has become much more competitive over the years and the standards have increased.

The supermarkets requirements and needs to pack to specification have greatly changed since Joe first started growing. Sonia said, “Now days you need to spend more money on packaging to make the product look good as everything is a lot more appearance based.”

Jo said he doesn’t think of growing as a job and he really enjoys meeting new people all the time. Joe had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and then went to Orlando for a five day world horticulture trade show about packaging.

Joe said that, “As you get more established then you have the chance to travel”.

Whilst over there, he was amazed at the different types of packaging that were in supermarkets in America compared what is on the shelves in Western Australia.

Joe said that if young people have family with an established property he would encourage them to continue on with the business and stay in the industry. He said, “20 years ago you could start small and build your way up but you couldn’t do that today as there are much greater barriers to start up and it would be extremely costly.”

Josh, Joe, Sonia and Danielle Castro.

Sonia said she will encourage her children, Danielle (14) and Josh (13) to get a trade or a university degree to fall back on if they wish to stay in the growing game as the industry is so uncertain. However, Joe and Sonia look forward to staying in the industry for many years to come and are looking to expand.

When Joe is not working he enjoys riding on his Harley. Joe and Sonia have started cycling and enjoy spending time with their family.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

49

Your Industry

Ian Parmenter talking to the crowd at the 2011 Carnarvon Long Table Lunch.

Gascoyne Food Council goes ahead

By Alex Harper Executive Officer, Gascoyne Food Council

Carnarvon is open for business and very soon quality seasonal fruit and vegetables will be hitting the supermarket shelves as the region’s winter crops come to fruition. Whilst the growers are all busy in their paddocks, the Gascoyne Food Council has been busy looking at how to get their produce direct to the consumer.

council is made up of representatives from the fishing, pastoral and horticultural industries in the Gascoyne. It’s main goal is to broaden the focus on Carnarvon produce from production to marketing and increase consumer’s willingness to pay premium prices for our premium products.

Alex Harper is the executive officer of the Gascoyne Food Council, and says it is driven by the strategic Gascoyne Food Plan which has four main objectives.

“The aim of the Food Plan is to focus on production and development, developing

supply chain networks and a web presence to provide an information service whilst focusing on regional marketing,” Miss Harper said.

“We currently have many amazing opportunities and events within the region to showcase our produce, be it through the Gascoyne Food Festival, Long Table Lunch, the Gascoyne Growers Markets or the Gascoyne Food Trail. The Food Council is a coordinated effort to link all these regional food activities together and build on opportunities to get our message across.”

Last year Market City hosted Carnarvon growers at the Perth launch of the Gascoyne

In mid March several well-known Perth chefs and famed food lovers met with members of the Gascoyne Food Council to discuss key challenges, and possible solutions, to how Carnarvon growers might connect directly with restaurants to further promote the inclusion of their produce in Perth’s best menus. The key lies with relationships and communication — knowing in advance what and when Carnarvon yields, and marrying this with chef requirements in order to satisfy both supply and demand.

The Gascoyne Food Council, an initiative of the Carnarvon Growers Association, is funded by Royalties for Regions. The

50

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Grower Paul Shain, Peter Manifis (wearing one of Paul's tomotoes) and Don Hancey.

Your industrY

Food Council with over 50 wholesalers, retailers and consumers attending a lunch at the Canningvale Markets. In May this year the Gascoyne Food Council hopes to bring growers to Perth once again, to celebrate the opening of their main growing season and to meet with supply chain representatives.

The 2012 Carnarvon’s long Table lunch will be dishing up some delicious Gascoyne produce on Friday August 17.

Last year’s attendees included the likes of food critic Robert Broadfield and Iron Chef Matt Stone, and this year’s line up will once again be sure not to disappoint.

Some of Perth's top chefs will be offered the opportunity to travel to Carnarvon to sample the seasonal fare and meet the producers, suppliers and buyers of Gascoyne Food.

Gourmet cuisine showcasing our regional produce will be prepared by Don Hancey and his team at Pan-O-Rama Catering.

Growers at the Market City lunch.

more information For more information or to receive the bi-monthly e-newsletter email Alex at admin@gascoynefood.com.au or stay up to date at www.gascoynefood.com.au or on Facebook at Gascoyne Growers market & Food trail.

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

51

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Prophet – Uniform broccoli CelticEastern - A back to a General Store Deep in– Uniform South Melbourne, which Prophet Purplebroccoli – Celtic - A with thick stems, medium in the opened its doors inwith 1926.

Therevelation company involvedininthe thick stems, medium Innovative Pak Choi was not revelation beads and heavy head weight. baby leaf market. beads and heavy head horticulture immediately, but soon after, the growing to add colour toweight. babyvegetable leaf market.

Cuts well from late autumn Mid green Cuts well from late autumn production in nearby suburbs suchBright as oakleaf Cheltenham, Bentleigh your mixes.

Mid green oakleaf through winter into spring. with very upright through winterleaf into spring. purple and with very upright and Mentone led to Fairbanks General store stocking supplies Not recommended for cutting habit.forExcellent Not recommended cutting excellent durability. habit. Excellent for in local growers. later spring, as it performs tolerance to later in spring, it performs Leadingasproduct in tolerance to best under cooler conditions. mildew pressure.

In the 1930s, The Queen Victoria Market was opened as pressure. the best under cooler conditions. this segment. mildew

Prop with bead Cuts thro Not late best

central wholesale market for both livestock and fresh produce,

All cultural and descriptive information is given as a general guide only. Substantial variations may occur due to many environmental factors, including climate, soil typ soinformation Fairbanks moved to guide theDisclaimer: Melbourne CBD and began supplying All cultural and descriptive information is given as a genera Disclaimer: All cultural and descriptive is given as a general only.

Substantial variations may occur due to many environmental fact management and cultural practices. No liability will be accepted by Fairbank’s Selected Seed Co. Pty. Ltd. (ABN 86 007 138 276), or its representatives as to the accu management cultural practices.

No liability willorbeitsacr management and cultural practices.

No liability willabe accepted bythat Fairbank’s Selected Seedand Co.until Pty. Ltd. (ABN 86 In 007 138 276), seed to growers, tradition has continued today. information. All information is given in good faith .

Fairbanks Seeds Ph 03 8401 3346 Fax 03 8401 information. All information is given in goodSeeds faith . information. All information is given in good faith .

Fairbanks Ph 0

those days, transport was an issue, growers still delivered

Exclusive West Australian Agents: EEaMuir andand Sonscart – Wangara. Ph (08) 9409 produce horse cases, a6847 central Exclusive West9409 Australia Exclusive with West Australian Agents: inEEsome Muir and Sonsso – Wangara.

Ph (08) 6847

Fairbanks General Store in Cheltenham

location was vital to the growth of the company. Growers were able to buy seed and supplies in one place after delivering their produce to the market. A lot of that seed came from growers within Australia, but the company was also involved in some early seed importation, prior to World War II. After the war, seed importation began in earnest and species such as carrot, parsley, lettuce onions, and snowpeas were imported.

Eventually, the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable market was moved to its current site in West Melbourne and Fairbanks Seeds moved to the new market in 1972. At about this time, EE Muir and Sons, a horticultural supplier, purchased Fairbanks Seeds and are still owners of the business today. The final move for Fairbanks was just last year, when the company moved out of the West Melbourne site, to a purpose built warehouse in Epping, site of the future Wholesale Market in Melbourne.

In Western Australia, Fairbanks Seeds had been represented

by Mr. Don Arbuckle, until his recent retirement at the end of 2011. Don was a great asset for Fairbanks, with his knowledge of the market and relationships with key people in the vegetable industry in Western Australia. Don and his family have a long history in West Australian horticulture and similarly, a long history with Fairbanks, so it was a great fit for both parties.

Don’s retirement from the industry coincided with the opening of the first branch in Western Australia of EE Muir and Sons, in Wangara. With our strong relationship with EE Muir, it was logical that they take over the distribution of our products and continue to service the market for us. Fairbanks will continue to support the staff in Wangara with product development activities and regular visits to continue to develop varieties that add value to a grower’s business. Fairbanks Seeds has a very detailed website, which you can visit for product and pricing information (www.fairbanks.com.au). EE Muir and Sons Wangara can supply you with all the entire Fairbanks product range and should you wish to know more, you can contact the store on (08) 9409 6847.

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Your Business

YOUR

Business

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Your Business

Changes to the

Farm Management Deposits Scheme

Banana plantation destroyed by tropical cyclone Yasi.

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, and Assistant Treasurer, Senator Mark Arbib, have passed legislative changes to the Farm Management Deposits (FMD) Scheme that will provide additional assistance to Australian primary producers affected by natural disasters, including those hit by the devastating 2011 summer floods and Cyclone Yasi.

Through the FMD Scheme, individual primary producers are encouraged to set aside pre-tax income in good years for use in low-income years. FMDs provide primary producers with tax benefits if kept for at least 12 months, as tax is not payable on the income until the financial year it is withdrawn, when primary producers may benefit from a lower marginal tax rate.

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Minister Ludwig said the changes to the FMD Scheme will mean that eligible primary producers can access their FMDs early when they have been affected by a natural disaster, without losing their taxation benefit, to help with the rebuilding of their business.

“Eligible primary producers, who are accessing recovery assistance under a Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements primary producer Category C measure, will now be able to withdraw their FMD early and retain their taxation benefit,” Minister Ludwig said.

“This change will apply to FMDs withdrawn on or after July 1, 2010, which will enable those primary producers hit hard by Cyclone Yasi and the floods that affected numerous communities across Australia earlier this year, to benefit from this change.”

Other changes to the FMD Scheme will allow primary producers to hold FMDs simultaneously with more than one provider, allowing primary producers to receive the most competitive return on their FMDs.

“This is good news for primary producers experiencing improved seasonal conditions, who wish to get the best rate for their FMDs,” Minister Ludwig said.

“As with all tax matters, I encourage people to consult the Australian Taxation Office or their tax adviser to confirm eligibility.”

Assistant Treasurer Mark Arbib said ordinarily, financial institutions forward unclaimed moneys to the Commonwealth when a deposit has been left untouched for seven years.

“These amendments mean that the moneys in a FMD are only forwarded to the Commonwealth in such circumstances where the financial institution is unable to contact the primary producer,” Mr Arbib said.

More information For more information about the FMD Scheme and the legislative changes visit the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website or for more information on the tax treatment of these changes visit the Australian Taxation Office website.

Your Business

Banks pass on cuts to farmers NFF Monitor shows The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) recently released the February NFF Agribusiness Loan Monitor — the first for 2012 — which shows that all financial institutions in the Monitor, bar one, have reduced their agribusiness rates in the last two months.

BananaCoast Credit Union, Bendigo Bank and Suncorp have all reduced their term rates by 0.50 per cent since December, while reductions from the other banks varied from 0.25% to 0.37% during this time.

The Commonwealth Bank is the only bank not to have made a reduction in agribusiness term rates in this period; however it did pass on the initial Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) rate cut of 0.25% in November.

“In February, the RBA chose to leave interest rates on hold at 4.25%, after reductions of 0.25% in both November and December. What the February Agribusiness

Loan Monitor shows is that the banks are slowly passing these rate cuts on to their farming and agricultural business customers,” NFF Economics Committee Chair John McKillop said.

“Some banks, like the Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, NAB and Suncorp were quick to reduce rates back in November, while others, like BankSA and BankWest are only just passing rate cuts on now — and not necessarily the full 0.50%,” Mr McKillop said.

“The Monitor was originally created to provide transparency for farmers as to how the banks are adjusting their agribusiness loan rates and to help them make informed decisions about their finances. A positive outcome from this is that the banks are now under pressure to ensure they pass on rate cuts to their agricultural customers, and to show that they’re doing so in timely way.

“The NFF is in partnership with financial research group Canstar to deliver the Loan Monitor, and the data for each is collected by Canstar eight business days after the RBA’s rate decision. This gives banks plenty of time to adjust their agricultural term loan and overdraft rates.

“Of course, we are now entering an unprecedented time in Australia’s banking sector. In the last month, a number of the rural lending institutions have taken the bold step of making unilateral changes to their interest rates — rather than the traditional practice of aligning interest rate changes to those made by the RBA. “We may be entering a whole new paradigm in terms of how banks manage their rate decisions — which reinforces the need for an ongoing monitoring system like the Agribusiness Loan Monitor, to track the interest rate movements by the banks even in those months when the RBA holds rates steady,” Mr McKillop said.

More information The NFF Agribusiness Loan Monitor for February is available at www.nff.org.au/ publications.html#cat_2119. The NFF provides this valuable tool to all Australian farmers in partnership with Canstar. The data for the February Monitor is current as of February 17, 2012.

VegTool 1.1

aids vegetable management decisions A simple computer program has been developed to assist vegetable growers with making decisions about what to grow based on an analysis of potential income and likely operating costs.

Deciding which improvements will benefit vegetable growers’ returns and farming practices can be challenging. Now there is VegTool, a grower friendly gross margin computer program that provides a convenient way of doing this job.

Using VegTool, it is quick and easy to estimate growing costs, gross margins and compare crops and growing practices.

A gross margin is one method that helps farm budgeting and planning and enables growers to identify where the major variable costs are. Either current growing practices or those being considered for future crops can be costed and assessed. Using VegTool helps improve the financial understanding of production costs and can assist decision making on management practices and cropping programs.

When starting out, VegTool is loaded onto a computer from a CD. It is not a web-based program so the information entered is confidential and remains in the control of the user. Once installed, there are support functions including a manual, workbook and help tutorials. Then there are four simple steps to using the program — Enter Crop Details, Enter Growing Costs, Print Financial Summary and Compare Crop Scenarios.

More information VegTool is available on CD from NSW Department of Primary Industries. Contact Gerard Kelly at Dareton, phone (03) 5019 8406.

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Your Business

Small Business Development Corporation

Small Business Development Corporation is a West Australian State Government agency focused on the development of the small business sector, and we are committed to:

your business idea, through to where your first and subsequent sales are coming from.

Presented by one of SBDC’s experienced business advisors, you will receive a practical starters workbook, which forms the foundations of your business plan. The session also includes information on: • Market research

• Championing the cause of small business

• Business structures

• Developing programs and services to meet the needs of small business development

• Regulations and licencing

• Establishing and strengthening relationships between SBDC and key agencies (public and private sector)

• Location and leasing

• Maintaining and enhancing the independence, innovation and responsiveness of SBDC.

• Business planning.

Free training workshops BizBasics | Free workshop BizBasics will guide you through the steps involved with establishing and running your own business, from an initial personal assessment — which looks at your suitability to run a business, to financing

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• Employing staff • Financial forecasting and management • Marketing

New information from the Australian Tax Office Fringe benefits tax and entertainment A fringe benefit may arise when an employer provides entertainment by way of food, drink or recreation to an employee — including associated accommodation or travel provided.

More information For more information please visit http://ato.gov.au/content/52028.htm

Tax-exempt body entertainment fringe benefits

These two-hour information sessions are FREE and are held at the one40william building, 140 William Street (cnr Murray Street Mall, above the Perth underground train station).

A tax-exempt body entertainment fringe benefit may arise if an employer is wholly or partially exempt from income tax and provides an employee with entertainment by way of food, drink or recreation — including associated accommodation or travel provided.

More information

More information

If you would like more information please visit their website www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au or phone Dianne Graham on 131 249.

For more information please visit http://ato.gov.au/content/52008.htm

Your Business

Grants

for growers The state and federal governments provide a range of grants which growers may be eligible to apply for. Grants can assist growers with a range of things from training expenses through to business planning and export development assistance.

Here is a list of grants that growers are encouraged to take advantage of if they’re eligible.

Administered by Austrade, the scheme supports a wide range of industry sectors and products, including inbound tourism and the export of intellectual property and know-how outside Australia.

Aussie Farmers Foundation Grants

The EMDG scheme:

Aussie Farmers Foundation Grants program aims to support initiatives which will make a difference to the health and wellbeing of Australian rural and regional communities.

FarmReady

• Provides up to seven grants to each eligible applicant.

www.farmready.gov.au Eligible participants are able to claim up to $1,500 per financial year to attend FarmReady-registered courses, with additional funding available for associated reasonable travel, accommodation and childcare expenses. Registered courses focus on areas designed to equip primary producers with the tools to manage and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The guidelines were changed in 2011 and have been amended to include a co-contribution requirement for primary producers to invest 35 per cent towards their training costs with FarmReady reimbursing the remaining 65 per cent up to a maximum of $1,500 per person per financial year.

Indigenous land managers are exempt from a co-contribution requirement.

• Encourages small and medium sized Australian businesses to develop export markets • Reimburses up to 50% of eligible export promotion expenses above $10,000 provided that the total expenses are at least $20,000

To access the scheme for the first time, businesses need to have spent $20,000 over two years on eligible export marketing expenses.

More information Applications for the 2011–12 grant year open 1 July, 2012 and closes 30 November, 2012.

Through the Grant program, the Foundation will aim to partner with best practice organisations around Australia each year who are delivering services in rural and regional Australia, where there has been an identified need of assistance.

We are interested in community-focused activities which will make a real and measurable improvement to rural and regional communities, activities which are based on consultation or input from the community.

The Foundation’s granting is characterised by: • A focus on innovation • An interest in leverage

www.commercialisationaustralia.gov.au

• Provisioning of benefits for disadvantaged Australian farming families and their communities

For more information about these changes please call the FarmReady Program Administrator on 1800 087 670 or email admin@farmready.gov.au

Export Market Development Grants

WA Small Business Development Corporation

www.austrade.gov.au/default. aspx?FolderID=1356

www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au

The Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) scheme is a key Australian Government financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters.

info@aussiefarmersfoundation.org.au

Commercialisation Australia Commercialisation Australia is an initiative of the Australian Government.

It is a competitive, merit-based assistance program offering funding and resources to accelerate the business building process for Australian companies, entrepreneurs, researchers and inventors. It offers a range of funding options as well as multilayered networking opportunities to help you achieve business success. Participants in the program work with dedicated Case Managers and benefit from our Volunteer Business Mentor Network.

More information

www.aussiefarmersfoundation.org.au

There is a range of federal, state and local government financial assistance initiatives available for various small business related activities and access is usually subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria.

• A focus on issues particular to Australian farming communities.

Drought Assistance G04638 www.daff.gov.au/agriculturefood/ drought/assistance/small_ businesses 13 23 16 or Rural Business Development Corporation 1800 198 231

Our purpose is to provide drought assistance to small businesses. Many small businesses that rely on farmers and their income may be eligible for exceptional circumstance’s income support and business support. Income support, or the Small Business Income Support Payment, is provided through Centrelink as a fortnightly payment in a similar manner to the Newstart Allowance.

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Your Business

Interest rate subsidies or the Small Business Interest Rate Subsidy is administered by the State and Territory rural assistance authorities. Both forms of support are available to eligible small businesses that rely on farmers for their income.

To be eligible, the owners of small businesses must source a minimum 70 per cent of their income from the provision of goods and services for farming activities in EC-declared areas, or after 25 September 2007, demonstrate that the business is located in a town that is substantially reliant on farm income, has a population of 10,000 or less and is in an Exceptional Circumstances (including prima facie and interim assistance) declared area.

• Employ up to 100 full time equivalent staff; • Have experienced a significant downturn as a result of the drought; • Contribute a significant part of their labour and capital to the business and derive a significant part of their income from the business; • Be an Australian resident or have permission to stay permanently in Australia; • Have a current Australian Business Number (ABN) and carry out commercial activities; and • Income and assets tests do apply but assets essential to the running of the small business are not included.

Farm Water Rebate Scheme The Farm Water Rebate Scheme encourages commercial farmers in dryland agricultural areas of the state (those areas that receive less than 600mm average annual rainfall) to implement on farm water supply improvement to address identified areas of water deficiency. The scheme also aims to encourage farmers to better manage existing water supplies and reduce water wastage.

Commercial farmers in dryland agricultural areas of Western Australia operating either traditional broadacre or non-broadacre farming businesses.

More information For further information on eligibility criteria, please refer to the Information For Applicants booklet available from the Department of Water (DoW).

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Rebates totalling $15,000 are claimable in any ten year period. For details of items attracting rebates and the rebate claimable per item, please refer to the current rebate schedule available at www.water.wa.gov.au or contact the DoW. Obtain an information package by contacting the DoW on free call 1800 780 300 or email ruralwater@water.wa.gov.au

Farm Water Supply Planning Scheme www.water.wa.gov.au The Farm Water Supply Planning Scheme encourages commercial farmers in dryland agricultural areas of the state (those areas that receive less than 600mm average annual rainfall) to participate in a comprehensive water supply planning process that: • Provides the framework for an ongoing process of addressing water deficiency; • Improves water resource and demand management by raising awareness of issues and suggesting solutions to these; and • Promotes the conservation and efficient use of water.

At the conclusion of the process, applicants are provided with an Audit report which provides a summary of the auditing and planning process and may be eligible to apply for further rebates under the Farm Water Rebate Scheme.

Commercial farmers in dryland agricultural areas of Western Australia operating either traditional broadacre or non-broadacre farming businesses. Farmers currently connected to a scheme water service are also welcome to apply.

For further information on eligibility criteria, please refer to the Information For Applicants booklet available from the DoW. Two rebates are available under the scheme and are claimable once every three years: • The FWSPS — Part one rebate offered is for the cost of undertaking the planning process with a DoW approved farm water supply auditor. The rebate claimable is 50% of the auditor’s fee up to a maximum rebate of $500. This rebate must be claimed within 90 days of the planning process being completed.

• The FWSPS — Part two rebate offered is for a call-back service performed by an approved farm water auditor after works have been completed under the Farm Water Rebate Scheme. The rebate offered is 50% of the auditor’s call-back fee up to a maximum rebate payment of $250. This rebate must be claimed within 18 months of the planning process being completed.

More information Obtain an information package by contacting the DoW on free call 1800 780 300 or email ruralwater@water.wa.gov.au

Carbon Farming Initiative Communications Program — targeted grants www.grantslink.gov.au/Info. aspx?ResourceID=2130 The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) Communications Program is a component of the Australian Government’s $45.6 million CFI. It will invest $4 million from 2011–12 to 2013–14 to provide farmers, land managers and their key influencers with credible, clear and consistent information on the CFI. A proportion of funds will be allocated to targeted grants for each of the 56 Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions. Regional Landcare Facilitators will provide farmers and land managers with information on: • The CFI, to enable them to make informed decisions about it • How they might be able to participate in the CFI • The productivity, economic and environmental benefits from creating landbased carbon credits.

It will see Regional Landcare Facilitators work closely with farmers, Indigenous Australians and other land managers to identify how they can participate in and benefit from the opportunities created by the CFI and carbon farming.

The CFI Communications Program will build on work Regional Landcare Facilitators undertake as part of the Regional Landcare Facilitator Initiative.

More information The CFI Communications Program is a targeted grants program. No applications are sought.

Your Business

Meeting

the energy management challenge

There is a need to move towards renewable and sustainable forms of energy.

by Pablo Campillos Enernoc

Western Australia has seen significant reform of its electricity sector over the last decade. For many, these reforms have meant rising prices that have severely impacted business profitability and sustainability.

retailers, allow customers to see their ‘load shape’, and with the right monitoring technology, can assist in identifying potential cost saving opportunities.

While reforms have proceeded for some years now, considerable confusion remains regarding the retail electricity market.

These same reforms, however, have opened the door to some considerable new opportunities. For WA’s growers, the ability to secure competitive electricity supply and participate in new Demand Response programs can create significant savings.

Often customers are not aware of their ability to shop for supply, or have the older style ‘consumption’ or ‘accumulation’ meters that only record usage in blocks of peak and off peak units. Some retailers, unable to view interval data, have declined to offer supply options to customers, and where they have provided a quote, these aren’t that competitive as the retailer can’t assess the consumption patterns accurately.

The State’s Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) was launched in 2006 and paved the way for new retailers such as ERM, Alinta, Perth Energy, and Landfill Gas & Power to compete against Synergy.

Today, any customer that consumes more than 50,000 units (kWh) per year is ‘contestable’, are able to choose their retailer and seek competitive supply offers.

The introduction of competition has also boosted the deployment of ‘smart’ or interval metering, able to record electricity consumption in 30-minute periods. These meters are mandatory for all non-Synergy

Electricity reforms also introduced a capacity market into WA to ensure the State can always ‘Beat the Peak’. This market pays for programs that encourage consumers to reduce their electricity consumption for short periods during times of peak demand on the grid, often referred to as Demand Response (DR) programs. Being a relatively new concept to WA, DR is also plagued by some confusion and misinformation, with many consumers having the impression they are too small or require backup generation that can support their entire operation in order to participate.

DR aggregators have brought maturity and sophistication to the market by combining small and mid-size companies into a ‘virtual power plant’. They also help individual firms design customised load reduction strategies that don’t require backup generation. Providing real-time load monitoring technology, engineering and load curtailment expertise, and sophisticated dispatch/event notification systems, aggregators are enabling many businesses reap the financial benefits of the State’s capacity market. Participation is free and enrolled firms are compensated substantially for their commitments in DR programs.

A combination of the developing world’s growing energy demands and the need to move towards renewable and sustainable forms of energy means the next few decades will see a transformation in energy sectors across the globe, a revolution never before seen since electricity grids began to supply their first kilowatts to consumers. While the risk of rising costs is ever present during this period, consumers that take advantage of the opportunities presented by smart grids and dynamic markets can realise significant benefits and use energy management as a competitive edge.

More information To find out more about Demand Response and how it’s currently working for WA growers, call Guy Looney on 0488 782 114 or glooney@enernoc.com

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Your Business

Electricity providers in Western Australia Sarah Houston Field Extension Officer VegetablesWa

With increasing energy costs becoming a concern for many businesses, it is important for growers to know what options are available from electricity providers. Choice of electricity supply for growers in WA is restricted by a number of factors including area, availability of providers and the amount of energy used by the business.

WA is divided into two areas — the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) and the rest of the state, as shown in Figure 1. These areas determine the availability of electricity providers to customers.

The South West Interconnected System (SWIS) covers the area from Kalbarri to Albany and as far east as Kalgoorlie (see Figure 1).

Western Power is the distributor of energy in this area, with Synergy the primary retailer. Customers in this area using less than 50MWh of electricity per year (about $12,600) are not able to choose another retailer. These customers are “noncontestable” customers and can only be supplied by Synergy.

Customers in the SWIS area using more than 50MWh per year (an average of 137 units per day) have a choice of electricity retailers

and may negotiate the rates they pay with their chosen retailer. Customers who have this option are “contestable” customers and may have the choice to switch from Synergy as their electricity provider. However, the choice is limited by the number of retailers available. Currently Perth Energy, Alinta, Landfill Gas & Power (LGP) and EMC Power are the alternative retailers available to contestable customers in the SWIS area.

You are a contestable customer and can choose your electricity retailer if: • You use more than 50MWh (about $12,600) of electricity per year; or • Your distributor is not Western Power (i.e. you do not live in the SWIS area) A grower that falls into the contestable category can contact Perth Energy, Alinta, LGP and/or EMC Power to obtain pricing and information about switching from their current provider. The alternative retailer will

Figure 1 Power supply areas — the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) (a) and outside the SWIS (b)

a

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WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Business

provide information to enable a comparison to existing business electricity bills, allowing the grower to decide on which retailer will best suit their needs, and even negotiate the best deal for their business. A quote from an alternative retailer will be based on how much and when energy is used.

EMC Power is unique in that they supply electricity generated from renewable energy sources that they install on the customer’s premises.

EMC Power supply, install and maintain these generators at their own expense, while the customer enters into an Electricity Supply Agreement (ESA) to purchase electricity from the power source. Due to the nature of this provider, there are a number of factors that will influence whether this setup is suitable for a particular business.

For customers not connected to Western Power Network (those outside the SWIS area

as shown in Figure 1), Horizon Power is the regional electricity provider. All Horizon customers pay the uniform tariff set by the State Government. Customers in this area are also classified as contestable customers and can choose from retailers available in their area. However, currently the only alternative retail choice to Horizon is EMC Power.

In summary, contestable customers are able to choose their preferred electricity retailer, although options in WA are limited depending on the area as well as by the limited number of alternative providers. The greatest options are available to those growers in the SWIS area with electricity usage of more than 50MWh per year. They have the ability to compare and choose between Synergy, Perth Energy, Alinta, LGP and EMC Energy. Each retailer can be contacted directly to provide a no obligation quote customised for each business. All quotes can then be compared to find the best available option for a particular business or property.

Electricity providers Synergy P: (08) 6212 1035 W: www.synergy.net.au Perth Energy P: (08) 9420 0300 E: sales@perthenergy.com.au W: www.perthenergy.com.au Alinta P: (08) 9486 3251 E: energysales@alinta.net.au W: www.alinta.net.au EMC Power P: 1300 558 687 E: info@energymadeclean.com W: www.energymadeclean.com LGP P: (08) 9486 1864 E: steve@landfillgas.com.au W: www.landfillgas.com.au orizon Power H P: 1800 737 036 E: enquiries@horizonpower-reply.com.au W: www.horizonpower.com.au

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Your Environment

Three Australians

pay the price for biosecurity breaches Three Australians have recently been prosecuted for breaking Australia’s strict biosecurity laws.

The first case involves a 61-year-old man who was fined $7,000 for arranging plants to be imported illegally into Australia.

In October 2010, the man organised for a 43-year-old woman to bring into Australia plants from Thailand. He also provided instruction on ways to avoid biosecurity checks.

Biosecurity officers from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at Brisbane International Airport detected 20 plant cuttings, two seeds and one bulb of the plant Aglaomena in the woman’s luggage and on her person.

The man was convicted at the Maroochydore Magistrates Court where the judge ruled that the importation of the plants posed a significant danger to the environment.

Items to declare include: • Food commercially prepared, cooked and raw food and ingredients • Dairy and egg products • Animal products • Seeds and nuts • Fresh fruit and vegetables • Live animals and animal products • Plant material

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The woman, charged with importing the goods, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court earlier and was convicted and fined $3,500.

“Fresh fruit from other countries can create a significant risk to our agriculture industries.

The second case involved a man, who after failing to declare apples in his luggage, refused an on-the-spot quarantine infringement notice.

“Australians should be aware that biosecurity breaches such as these are taken seriously; all food, plant material and animal products must be declared whether you are carrying them with you or importing them.”

The man was summoned by the Court where a conviction was recorded and a penalty of $500 plus court costs was imposed.

If he had accepted the infringement notice the maximum penalty applicable would have been $220.

Biosecurity North East Regional Manager, Colin Hunter, said introduced plant species such as Aglaomena could cause significant damage to Australia’s native plants and animals.

“Introduced plant species can be a danger to Australia’s environment — its unique flora and fauna,” Mr Hunter said.

Failure to declare goods or making a false declaration can result in fines of up to $60,000 and imprisonment. The public can dispose of items they don’t wish to declare at quarantine bins in airport terminals before they reach the baggage examination area.

More information Information on incoming passenger declarations and penalties is available at www.daff.gov.au/aqis/travel.

Your Environment

Storm approaching over corn crop.

Future to bring fewer but fiercer cyclones for Western Australia In the future fewer tropical cyclones may form off Western Australia but they may become more intense, shows new research.

CSIRO climate scientist Deborah Abbs says there could be a 50 percent reduction in the number of storms in the second half of this century — from 2051–2090 — compared to the period from 1971–2000.

However, the climate model developed by Dr Abbs’ team indicates a distinct shift towards more destructive storms.

"Even a small increase in cyclone intensity is concerning because of the threat to life, property, industry and agriculture,” Dr Abbs said.

“Despite a decrease in the number of tropical cyclones, there is a greater risk that

a tropical cyclone that forms will be more severe in future.”

means areas not currently affected may face the risk of tropical cyclones in the future.

Dr Abbs is presenting her research at an annual meeting of scientists and policy makers of the Indian Ocean Climate Initiative (IOCI) which is a strategic research partnership between the WA government, CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology.

The incidence and behaviour of tropical cyclones is complex. Wind speed alone does not fully explain a cyclone’s potential to cause damage, particularly via wave or storm surge, so the researchers used an additional measure (called integrated kinetic energy) that accounts for both wind speed and the overall area covered by a cyclone’s strong winds. Importantly, Dr Abbs’ research shows this measure also indicates a distinct shift toward more destructive cyclones.

IOCI’s aim is to build the sciencepolicy partnerships to examine the climate influences that are important for Western Australia.

Already a significant proportion of the Western Australian coastline, as well as offshore industry, is vulnerable to the threat of tropical cyclones, and this area is likely to change. Dr. Abbs’ research shows 100-km southward movement in both the formation and decay regions of tropical cyclones in Western Australia by later this century: which

Western Australians have a long history of living with tropical cyclones. However, this research sends a clear message that we need to continue to plan towards and build upon our preparations and response to potentially more destructive storms in the future.

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Your Environment

European wasp trap initiative underway

European wasps feeding on fish.

The European Wasp Working Group (EWWG) is asking for more Local Government offices and other interested groups in regional Western Australia to strengthen the campaign against European wasps by taking up its ‘adopt-a-trap’ initiative.

The EWWG, coordinated by the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA), launched the initiative this summer, providing traps for councils, shires and other stakeholders to install and service. The scheme simply involves positioning the traps and checking them on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

EWWG Chair and department senior technical officer Marc Widmer, said most nests currently being located had been found in industrial areas in the Perth metropolitan region, though one nest was destroyed last week in Boulder.

“This recent find in Boulder shows that regional areas need to be alert for European wasp incursions, so we would welcome more interest in our trapping initiative from regional shires,” Mr Widmer said.

“Five percent of Western Australia’s total of 739 nests so far have been from country regions.”

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Mr Widmer said reports of European wasps from the public were very valuable, but without the additional effort with the surveillance trapping system each year, the battle would soon be lost.

“We hope that more groups will become an integral part of efforts to keep European wasps from establishing in WA,” Mr Widmer said.

“As European wasp continues to spread throughout the eastern states, more fertilised queens are accidently shipped into WA to start new nests every year.

“The Department of Agriculture and Food has destroyed 20 nests already since December. The EWWG’s ‘adopt-a-trap’ initiative is assisting us in combating this increased pressure.”

The department currently manages 250 surveillance traps in metropolitan Perth.

“Department officers in Albany, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury are also setting surveillance traps, taking the total number managed by other groups to 60 traps,” Mr Widmer said.

“The ‘adopt-a-trap’ initiative is only just getting underway, and we are pleased with the initial response. Having more local government councils and other regional

Your Environment

groups on board will strengthen our efforts to stop European wasps establishing here.”

Mr Widmer said councils, shires and other interested groups were most welcome to take part in this season’s scheme, or sign up for next year’s season which begins when trapping gets underway again in December this year.

The EWWG was formed last December to increase stakeholder engagement and support for surveillance and communication.

The group includes representatives from local government councils. It is supported by

Spraying wasps nests in Belmont.

the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), and is coordinated by the Department of Agriculture and Food.

“The EWWG is playing a key role in assisting the department’s efforts in the ongoing battle to prevent European wasps from establishing in Western Australia,” Mr Widmer said.

CROP SCOUT with Tim Wilkie & Rick Horbury

More information More information about the ‘adopt-a-trap’ initiative is available from Marc Widmer via email marc.widmer@agric.wa.gov.au or phone (08) 9368 3759.

S

UMMER insects are expected to linger into autumn this year as a result of the rains that have generated secondary weed hosts for the pests.

While not necessarily at the same pressure as the summer period, lepidopteran pests, including diamondback moth in brassica crops, will still be there. Tomato crops also will be at risk of heliothis attack.

Depending on insect pressure levels and the conditions, many growers have traditionally sprayed vegetable crops every 3-4 days to combat the pests, however new, longer lasting chemistry like BELT insecticide has become available in recent years and is now increasingly being used.

BELT is highly selective, effective and flexible.

It offers fast activity on large pests, but provides better control of smaller insects.

Importantly, Belt also is now 5 per cent more cost-effective than similar alternatives, which is vital for growers considering the recent squeeze on vegetable prices by the major supermarkets.

Growers should use this most effective insecticide at the optimum crop stage time, for instance at buttoning with broccoli, for best protection.

BELT’s 1-3 day withholding periods provide good flexibility for growers and are a distinct advantage in crops where multiple pickings are required, while, as a Group 28 insecticide, it can help extend the life of other chemistry in insect resistance management programs.

Soft on beneficial species, Belt also is suitable in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.

The secondary weed hosts, together with the prevailing easterly winds, also will assist the arrival of western flower thrips, tomato thrips and onion thrips, while green peach aphid and, to a lesser degree, lettuce aphid could become a factor as well.

Movento insecticide offers advantages over broadspectrum sprays for these pests because it specifically targets sucking insects and provides a long residual period, helping to limit the number of applications required.

Its action in plants allows improved protection and control. As a two-way systemic insecticide, it provides control of insects infesting new emerging shoots and protection against hidden pests such as difficult-to-control aphids in lettuce heads.

As a targeted, IPM friendly insecticide, Movento also works well in conjunction with beneficial species.

For further information on insect pests and insecticide treatments, contact Tim on 0427 516 273 or Rick on 0429 055154.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Bayer Crop Scout Feb 2012.indd 1

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Your environment

Clean is best for the West A record-breaking grain yield across Western Australia is good news for farmers, but does make cleaning up any surplus or old agvet chemicals and empty containers at season’s end a real hassle.

ChemClear and drumMUSTER are a pair of unique industry stewardship programs that can make a world of difference when it comes to best practice management on the farm. A well-established and Sharon Patane recognisable service, drumMUSTER has been around since late 1998 and in that time has collected and recycled more than 18.6 million agvet chemical containers. Myalup horticulturalist and part-owner of Patane Enterprises Sharon Patane, is a dedicated user of the program and is determined to play her part in helping out the environment.

“I originally heard about the program after seeing the television ads years ago,” she said.

“We’ve been using drumMUSTER for a while now, we just rinse out our containers and we take them over to Harvey, near the tip and it means they don’t end up being burnt or just buried in the ground. I work morning until dark, watering and all that sort of thing so it’s such a help to be able to have somewhere to take the containers where they can be disposed of properly.”

March onwards is going to be a particular busy time across WA, with drumMUSTER collections set to be ramped up far and wide.

Sites around the state will be hosting special collection days and this bi-annual period helps provide the bulk of overall return rates for the West.

WA Regional Consultants Graeme Passmore and Bevan Henderson are helping shires and community groups with their preparations for the frenetic times ahead.

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“There is a major issue here in WA and across Australia regarding the contamination of properties and land by people burning or burying their agvet chemical containers,” Mr. Passmore said.

“We encourage chemical users from all around the state to bring in their empty containers to their local shire council site and take advantage of the many drumMUSTER collections to be held during March and throughout the year.”

Those wishing to take part should contact their local shire council for specific opening times or call drumMUSTER on 1800 008 707.

ChemClear runs state-wide collections every year and is the program that will take care of any obsolete, inherited or unknown agvet chemicals you may be storing. Residents out West who have registered for the upcoming pick-ups in April and May will get to witness first-hand the effectiveness of the initiative, which has been operating since 2003. It has been an unprecedented 12 months of success for ChemClear, culminating in its largest ever state-wide collection across Queensland last October, a run that netted over 60,000 litres of chemicals from flood-hit locals. National Program Manager Lisa Nixon has been in charge at an extremely busy time and she is prouder than ever at what the service has managed to achieve.

“We enjoyed an incredibly productive 12 months which culminated in December with a four-tonne collection of agvet chemicals during our Tasmanian collection,” she said.

“Hopefully we can play a key role in helping West Australians who have registered for their next collection remove any potentially hazardous agvet chemicals from their properties. It’s an exciting time for us and I am looking forward to ChemClear maintaining the momentum of the past 12 months.”

To register for your area’s next ChemClear collection, give us a call on 1800 008 182 or log on to www.chemclear.com.au

Your market

YOUR

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Your market

Vegetable Industry Development Program

Veginsights

Vegetable market insights november 2011

Highlights • Greengrocers enjoy boost to get their offer online • Consumers welcome help to manage home waste • mcDonald’s offers a healthy alternative • uS school promotion schemes lift consumption by 15% • Broccoli profile with an annual retail value of $205m pa.

Wholesale vegetable prices — The wholesale price difference between November 2010 and November 2011 for the major vegetables is profiled in Figure 1.

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These sales are $80m or 11.8% lower than November 2011 and lower than the preceding month of October 2011.

Wholesale prices for all vegetable categories decreased recently compared to November 2010. At the product level, the most significant changes were with capsicum, ginger, sweet corn, zucchinis, cauliflowers and tomatoes which decreased over the same month last year. Pumpkins, which were impacted by crop failure and storage problems, and spinach, were the products reported to be selling at prices higher than last year.

The major impact this sales value decline was the lower fresh vegetable wholesale prices in the month of November.

the Australian food market Greengrocers boost their online presence — Fruit and vegetable retailers can establish or boost their online presence to maintain market share and build a close relationship with customers, with an alliance formed between Sydney Markets Wholesalers and the SOC Exchange. Greengrocers associated with the markets will be able to set up their

The weighted total vegetable wholesale price for the week commencing November 28 was $2.06 per kg.

Figure 1 State weighted national wholesale price per kg

Figure 2 total vegetable retail sales by month

Change for month commencing November 1 2011 versus 2010

Fresh and processed — 2011 YTD

Mushrooms Spinach Pumpkins

-50

The total retail sales of fresh and processed vegetables in November 2011 are estimated at $596m, as profiled in Figure 2.

Most products are in full supply and price levels appear set to settle at current levels.

Cooler and wet summer weather in some eastern states has slowed demand for salad lines.

Mushrooms Spinach Pumpkins

-70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 Year-on-year % change Year-on-year % change

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Capsicums Ginger Sweet corn Zucchinis Cauliflowers Tomotoes Cabbages Chillies Peas Beans Lettuce Potatoes Broccoli Garlic Radish Cucumbers Carrots Salad Onions

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400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Month Month

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Figure 4 Advertised fresh vegetables — total adverts per week

Total adverts per week

160 140

Hard cooked vegetables Soft cooked vegetables

Salad components Seasonings

120 100 80 60 40 20

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ov 1 De 0 c 1 Ja 0 n 1 Fe 1 b 1 M 1 ar 1 Ap 1 r1 M 1 ay 1 Ju 1 n 1 Ju 1 l1 Au 1 g 1 Se 1 p 1 Oc 1 t1 N 1 ov 11

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own web store; publish and email their weekly specials or offers; online ordering and shopping; publish blogs, recipes, messages, and reviews; and provide a free search listing.

Retailers can sell unlimited items online for a flat fee of $10 per year, with no commissions or additional charges. The Harris Farm Fruit Market in Edgecliff NSW, has already piloted the development of the online platform, creating a SOC Exchange website to communicate with their existing and new customers to promote their special offers and promotions.

vegetables, continuing the increasing trend seen in September and October this year.

Over the month, the exposure of the total vegetable products increased to an average of 198 products per week, up from 187 in October (see Figure 3).

The increase in exposure has been driven by an increase in fresh vegetables and frozen vegetables advertised, offset by a decrease in canned vegetables advertised recently.

Retailer activity

Within the fresh vegetables, the level of exposure increased for salad components, which was partly offset by a decrease in exposure for hard cooked vegetables and soft cooked vegetables advertised in the month (see Figure 4). In comparison, there was no change in the level of exposure for seasonings advertised in November 2011.

Promotional activity in the month of November — The retail promotional activity reflects a pattern of increasing exposure for

Food waste cut as consumers manage supplies — Latest figures from Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) show

What it means? This has provided a low cost entry platform for greengrocers to offer their product online to consumers.

that there was an estimated 7.2 million tonnes of household food waste in the UK in 2010, down 13% from the 8.3 million tonnes in 2006–2007. The reduction in food waste could be influenced by positive changes in shopping and to products and packaging, together with food price inflation changes to household incomes and how leftover food is collected from homes.

The British Retail Consortium said that retailers were working on WRAP’s Love Food, Hate Waste campaign by providing information to consumers on food storage and use of leftovers, as well as offering a range of pack sizes and portions, such as half-loaves of bread.

What it means? Value-sensitive consumers have welcomed help to reduce home waste. However, the flow on impact on the potentially lower volumes of food households would then require is yet to be revealed.

Figure 3 Advertised vegetables — total adverts per week

Canned

Frozen

Fresh

200 150 100 50

ov 1 De 0 c 1 Ja 0 n 1 Fe 1 b 1 M 1 ar 1 Ap 1 r1 M 1 ay 1 Ju 1 n 11 Ju l1 Au 1 g 1 Se 1 p 1 Oc 1 t1 N 1 ov 11

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the consumer McDonald’s offers healthy alternative — McDonald’s Australia is now offering customers the choice of salad or fries for the same price with its Extra Value Meal, one of its most popular menu items. The move coincides with the start of kilojoule labelling on its menu boards at point of sale. The new displays will provide clear, consistent information at the point of purchase, helping customers to make informed choices about food choices that are right for them.

These moves provide every indication that McDonald’s is responding to consumer demand for these lighter foods and healthier menus.

What it means? QSr restaurants are high volume mainstream offers and it can only be a positive influence towards fresh vegetable consumption, if the leader in the channel introduces salads as an option.

Interest from children in food is mixed — Children’s understanding and experience of food issues may be aided by concepts such as the Junior MasterChef franchise in various parts of the world, but there are indications that the trend is not reaching secondary-age kids who are not cooking as often as they used to and their involvement and interest is declining.

Help children discover vegetables — A US food psychologist at Cornell University has revealed few tips to help parents inspire their children to love vegetables.

This is according to research recently carried out among some 2,500 school children in the UK. When the survey asked about cooking at home, 79% of children aged seven to 11 said they had cooked at home, with 32% doing so once a week. However, although a third of 11 to 15-year-olds said they cooked independently using either fresh or store-cupboard ingredients, the research highlighted that the number of this age group “not cooking” has doubled and their involvement and interest in cooking regularly is decreasing compared to five years ago.

• Stock the freezer — with carrots, corn, and peppers, the vegetables that children love.

What it means? In spite of widespread food education and exposure in entertainment programs, more is required to convert the increases in interest in food into long-term food preparation behaviour.

• Model your vegetables — Research shows that chances of a child eating the recommended amounts of healthy food doubles, if their parents do.

• Power Kids’ Plates — children should be allowed to create their own veggie-powered plates, on the MyPlate advice, by filling half the plate with fruits and vegetables.

• Play the name game — creating veggie names such as ‘x-ray vision carrots’ and ‘broccoli bites’ helps in increasing their popularity with kids. Children should be encouraged to come up with their own veggie names.

• Encourage kids in the kitchen — involving kids in simple meal preparations can help them discover vegetables and increase consumption too.

• Bring kids on supermarket trips — bringing kids on supermarket trips and encouraging them to pick their own vegetables or vegetable blends with different colours, taste, and textures can lift their interest in vegetables as well.

• Veggie aspiration — linking benefits of vegetable consumption to activities kids love to do can help in reinforcing healthy habits among them.

• Choose the rainbow — choose different colours and varieties of vegetables, including vegetable blends, to create a mix of nutrients that children require.

Using tips, such as taking kids on supermarket trips and encouraging them to pick their own vegetables, can inspire children to love vegetables.

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What it means? these tips confirm that there are simple and effective ways for parents to get children to consume more vegetables by making choosing and eating an engaging activity.

US school scheme increases consumption — An evaluation conducted by the USDA including 5,560 primary school students in 252 schools nationwide shows that the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP) has helped increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by children at participating schools by a quarter of a cup, or 15%, which is twice as much as other interventions. Additional fresh produce consumed also replaced the consumption

Your market

of less healthy options, and thus, did not increase total energy intake.

The FFVP began as a pilot programme in 2002, and expanded in 2008 Farm Bill.

It aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among students in the nation’s poorest primary schools by providing free fresh produce to schools beyond school meals.

US-based online restaurant guide ThinDish allows diet-conscious browsers to find restaurant dishes less than 600 calories in their local area.

What it means? that investing in lifting the fresh fruit and vegetable consumption of school children is highly effective and can increase their consumption by 15%.

US restaurant predictions for 2012 — US foodservice research reveals a list of trends that are expected to influence the American restaurant industry in 2012.

• Comfort foods with slight innovations — comfort foods with a slight difference, or innovation in familiar foods, including sandwiches, pizza, or wraps • Demand for more information — consumers will want more information about the story of the meal and its ingredients • Expanded local sourcing — increased prevalence of local sourcing to be used as a selling feature • Social media’s influence — would increase, as consumers trust friends and peers more than professional marketers • Changing outlet formats — outlets would change operating styles to enhance appeal, or use kitchens to gain sales in the catering market.

What it means? uS food service market trends are often early indicators of what evolves in Australia foodservice channels. It is already clear local sourcing and the impact of social media has already reached this market.

Innovation from the world

there using their mobile device. For more information, see www.thindish.com

What it means? A new app will helps health-conscious diners meet their needs of healthy eating when dining out. It will also bring pressure for restaurants to develop meals that meet these criteria and then communicate that offer online.

The return of the purple carrots — One of the oldest varieties of heritage purple carrots, marketed as Witches Noses, was launched at UK supermarket Sainsbury’s for Halloween this year. Witches Noses is priced at £1 for 500g.

In Australia, a different heritage variety of purple carrots — Deep Purple — was first trialled in Tasmania by Premium Fresh Tasmania. Compared to other varieties, which still have an orange centre, Deep Purple has a consistent dark purple colour through to its core. Available at Coles’ supermarkets, Deep Purple is priced at $4 per kg compared to its standard varieties that are typically priced at $1.81/kg.

App for 600 calories — A new smartphone app of US-based online restaurant guide ThinDish allows diet-conscious browsers to find restaurant dishes less than 600 calories in their area, and also offers them discounts up to 50% for purchasing those dishes through the site. Users with special dietary restrictions can also narrow their search to dishes that are gluten-free, low-sodium, diabetic-friendly, among others.

Purple carrots have an earthier flavour compared to the sweeter standard varieties and are best eaten raw, but as with all carrots can also be prepared and consumed in many ways.

Once users choose a dish, they can buy it through the site and present a print-out voucher at the restaurant or display it

Red Brussels sprouts for Christmas — Stronger, more intense flavoured red Brussels sprouts, ‘super sprouts’, have been launched

What it means? these new products indicate there are some consumers who are prepared to pay a premium for new and distinctive carrot products.

by UK retailers Morrisons and M&S in time for Christmas. The red super sprouts are claimed to contain high levels of vitamin C than traditional green sprouts due to the higher levels of antioxidant anthocyanins. Grown locally in the UK, the innovative variety is sweeter than the green variety. They need to be lightly steamed, rather than boiled, in order to preserve the high nutritional content.

In addition, Morrisons will also be stocking sprout tops this year, which are the bushy green part at the top of the sprout stalk.

With a taste like a cross between a sweet cabbage and a green sprout, the leaves are an alternative to spring greens and have seen resurgence in popularity in recent years, as people use the whole of the sprout plant.

What it means? the marketing investment to reposition Brussel sprouts continues with a festive flavour.

New pink pumpkin at US stores — A new variety of pumpkin — Porcelain Doll F1 — has been released by US DP Seeds in the US. Being developed for over six years, the innovative pumpkin has a light-pink skin and orange flesh with a sweet taste. It is scheduled to be available at retailers

by October 2012, in time for both the Halloween and the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The launch will be accompanied by consumer marketing campaign — Pink Pumpkin Patch — aimed at increasing awareness of breast cancer research and prevention.

What it means? A new product that is set to gain leverage by linking in and supporting one of the more wellknown health campaigns.

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Cinderella pumpkins at Waitrose — 10,000 new pumpkins called Cinderella hit retail shelves at Waitrose in response to the Halloween festivity. The name is coined from its ribbed sides, deep orange colour, and distinctive shape that resemble the fairy-tale princess Cinderella’s carriage.

Although popular and available in France for the past 100 as Rouge Vif d’Etampes, these pumpkins are now grown in Hampshire, the UK, from seeds planted in late June.

Priced at £5.99, the Cinderella pumpkins are between 24cm and 40cm in diameter and have a sweet flesh, ideal for soups and risottos. Its debut in Waitrose comes as shoppers in the UK increasingly follow the US tradition of carving out pumpkins to create Halloween lanterns and cooking seasonal pumpkin dishes. The new variety follows the huge success of last year’s giant Sumo pumpkin and tiny Munchkin pumpkins that are both available in selected Waitrose stores recently.

What it means? upmarket retailer taps into the increased demand for pumpkins with launch of unique variety at Halloween. this invites a similar approach in the Australian market where there is an awareness of Halloween but far lower levels of pumpkin sales to celebrate this occasion.

Miss Blush potatoes launched — A new red and white potato — Miss Blush — has been launched by Preva Produce in the UK. Grown in Norfolk, the colourful gourmet spud is a versatile cooking potato, which has currently been released into foodservice sector in the UK.

What it means? A new variety of a staple product that might gain leverage into households through initial launch into food service channels.

The versatile Miss Blush potatoes are grown in Norfolk and have been released in the UK.

January 2011

the Australian food market Push towards new food labelling — Recently, South Australia and Queensland will join forces to push for new food labelling laws that will provide consumers accurate and up-front information about products’ country of origin. The new approach aims to clarify the origin of the ingredients, regardless of how and where they were transformed. This action is being taken at state level as consumers show a willingness to support local. Indications are that consumers are struggling to remain informed about the true nature of a product’s origin.

What it means? A national push by the regulatory bodies to streamline the myriad of labelling messages at work and encourage consumers to identify and purchase local produce.

retailer activity Promotional activity in the month of January — The retail promotional activity reflects a pattern of an increasing exposure for vegetables, reversing the decreasing trend seen in December 2011. Over the month, the exposure of the total vegetable products increased to an average of 189 products per week, up from 162 products in December.

The increase in exposure has been driven by an increase in exposure for all three categories of vegetable products recently.

Within the fresh vegetables, there was a sizeable increase in the number of salad components advertised, together with a small increase in the number of soft cooked vegetables and seasonings in January.

This was partly offset by a decrease in the number of hard cooked vegetables advertised recently.

Competitive intensity in the retail sector continued to heighten over January.

the consumer Consumer sentiment edges up — Australian consumer sentiment improved slightly in January, helped partly by the two interest rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

In January 2012, the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment rose 2.4% to 97.1, from 94.7 points in December 2011. However, despite this monthly gain, in

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annual terms, the consumer sentiment index was down 7.2%, with the monthly reading in trend terms falling 2.5% in January and contributing to a 10.7% annual decline (see Figure 5).

What it means? the correlation between lower interest rates and consumer sentiment remains aligned but recent cuts have not had the positive impact on confidence they have had previously.

Colour and design of meals have special appeal for children — A new study by American and UK scientists has revealed that colourful food appeals more to children than adults.

The study presented pre-teen children and adults with full-size photos of 48 different combinations of food on plates that differed by number of items, placement of entrée, and food organisation. Children were found to prefer meals with seven different items and six different colours (compared to adults who preferred three items and colours). Children also preferred their entrees placed in front of the plate with figurative designs.

What it means? results convey that the visual presentation of food can influence children to eat more vegetables.

Simple and small rewards can change kids’ diet — A new UK research reveals that providing children with tangible rewards, such as stickers, can help overcome their dislike for certain vegetables and boost longer-term consumption of healthier foods.

The study tracked the vegetable intake of 173 children, aged three to four years old, who were randomly assigned to one of the three groups over a three-month period. In the first group, children were given a sticker as a reward for taking a bite of the disliked vegetable, while they were only verbally praised by their parents in the second group.

The children in the third group were not rewarded or praised. The vegetables given to the children included carrots, cucumbers, white cabbage, red pepper, celery, and sugar snap peas.

Findings show that children in the first group who were given stickers as rewards significantly increased their intake of that vegetable and compared to the group receiving verbal praise.

Your market

Figure 5 Confidence and mortgage interest rates Consumer confidence

Mortgage interest rates

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What it means? Simple incentives and positive affirmation from parents can help young children eat more vegetables. this sort of flexible and low cost program can be easily implemented at local and or national level.

‘Jamie Oliver generation’ emerges from foodie revolution — IGD research on 1,000 shoppers shows the emergence of a new ‘Jamie Oliver generation’ — shoppers under 35, who — compared to those over 35 — are twice as likely to want organic food, more likely to cook from scratch and waste less food — a result of the foodie revolution over the last 20 years.

• 51% of them claim to be cooking from scratch (compared to 35% of over 35) • 43% of younger shoppers are cooking with more leftovers (compared to 30% of over 35) • 30% are prepared to pay extra for premium quality food (compared to 16% of over 35) • 19% aspire to use specialist stores, like butchers, bakers, and fishmongers, more over the coming 12 months (compared to just 8% of over 35).

The new generation is better travelled and more tech-savvy, and therefore, is able to bring global recipes into their kitchen.

These are important factors that have shaped attitudes towards scratch cooking and willingness to experiment with food choices.

What it means? that the new generation shoppers are more informed, more open to scratch cooking, and more aware of using all the food they buy.

Innovation from the world High-tech greenhouse on parkade rooftop — Vancouver-based Valcent Products has entered into a contract with EasyPark, the corporate manager of the city’s parkades, to build a 6,000-square-foot greenhouse — VertiCrop system — on underutilised space on the roof of the parkade in the heart of the city.

The city-owned parkade will be converted into a high-tech vertical growing space capable of producing 95 tonnes of fresh vegetables a year. Four-metre-high stacks of growing trays on motorised conveyors will move plants up, down, and around for watering, to capture the sunlight, and then move them into position for an easy harvest.

The system can be used to grow at least 20 varieties of lettuces, herbs, and greens, and is expected to produce about the same amount of produce as 6.4 hectares of California fields in the US. Construction on the VertiCrop system commenced in January 2012, and the first crops are expected to be harvested in April.

What it means? An innovative rooftop vertical farming system that has the potential to connect consumers with fresh vegetable products.

Working up an app-etite — A selection of the latest food-related tools for the smartphone, which are well-developed, easy to navigate, and offer extras for the users is as follows: The Age Good Food Guide 2012, $9.49: This electronic annual Victorian restaurant guide lists more than 640 city and country venues that are updated by professional reviewers each year. Users can browse by name, suburb, or cuisine; use the GPS ‘food around

Colourful meals have a greater appeal to children and can influence them to eat more vegetables.

me’ function to pinpoint a restaurant’s location; and the ‘book online’ function for easy booking.

Ask the Cheesemonger, $1.99: This app reviews 320 cheeses and offers its users a ‘cheese challenge’ quiz, frequently asked questions, and the option to ask questions.

A ‘wine matcher’ function also helps users search by drink or by cheese.

Ask the Butcher, $1.99: The app lists diagrams and lists of lamb, beef, veal, and port cuts with explanations about which cut is best for which style of cooking. Also suggests cooking time and temperature, offers a timer function, and option to ‘ask the butcher’.

Do Eat Raw, 99c: Includes more than 300 recipes that users can search by category — mains, dressings, desserts — or by ingredient.

BBC Worldwide Good Food Healthy, $2.99: An offshoot of the BBC Good Food website, this app offers 175 recipes, including ‘ultimate makeover’ dishes, such as fish pie; recipes of fewer than 200 calories; and low-fat soups and sides. Also includes videos of cooking demonstrations, such as preparing whole fish or mussels.

Chemical Maze, $7.49: This app lists 1,200 food additives and ingredients and provides an easy navigation for users to filter by symptoms and ailments (depression and hyperactivity); dietary restrictions (lactoseintolerant); effects (immune system); or the additive or ingredient derived from animal, plant, or mineral.

Margaret Fulton Favourites, $7.49: This app includes a collection of Margaret Fulton’s best recipes gathered over the past 50 years.

Users can search by ingredient or recipe.

Epicurious recipes and shopping list, Free: A free app that allows users to build shopping WA Grower Autumn 2012

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2011 in review — Key dynamics influencing 2011 and implications for 2012 Forecast for 2012

Implications for vegetable producers and marketers

Supply dynamics Continued full vegetable supply for 2012 with unsuitable production weather the only factor likely to reduce supply volumes.

• Growers need to confer with their network of input providers, market intermediaries and buyers to avoid being caught in the spiral of oversupply and unviable returns.

• Set out to be more informed than you ever have been. Be proactive in contacting your network and seek to contribute information to discussion, rather than just request market information.

Consumer confidence Consumer confidence is fragile and remains vulnerable to external influences. The timing of these influences is difficult to predict and even harder to avoid. These conditions are most likely to prevail through the near term until concerns relating to the global financial market are allayed.

• Stay informed on the market indicators and when sentiment lifts prompt your market intermediaries to assess whether they see changes in wholesale demand.

• If global finances fall away and impact confidence, look for new ways to provide greater value to your customers.

Competitive intensity The proportion of household food spend on take home food will stabilise at 75–76%, which signals the end of share loss for foodservice and the chance of growth if sentiment lifts.

Retail looks set to be more competitive as the largest retailer responds to increased competition.

• Set out to find a balance between supporting long term relationships, and investing in other channels, as well as some new channels.

• Ensure you have some exposure in the foodservice channels and are informed on these volumes. Request that your market intermediaries ask these buyers how you can help and what other things you can do to your product(s).

• Similarly, find out who is servicing the new channels and work to get some exposure with these buyers.

Changes in shopper behaviour Supermarkets seem destined to retain their market share gains. Vegetable products need to suit “top up” shopping trips or miss out on these trips. Fresh products could follow the tactics used in frozen products to meet demand for fresh product convenience.

• Supermarkets will remain a major driver of change in the near term.

• Your products need to be in a form that will be purchased in smaller top up shops. If they are not, then work with your partners to develop suitable products to meet this demand.

Australian market — Veginsights tracking indicators — Q4 11 Findings

Implications for vegetable producers and marketers

1. Household spend on fruit and vegetables liked further in an expected seasonal pattern and spend on take home food has eased slightly, after coming off a peak.

• Part of the increased spend in fruit and vegetables can be attributed to greater purchasing of fruit. This combined with lower wholesale vegetable prices has flowed through to an easing in vegetable sales at this time.

2. In Q4 11 retail sales of all vegetables increased by $24.5 million (or 1.4%) compared to the Q3 11 period, but was down 6.5% on Q4 10.

3. The ABS total annual food inflation fell from 6.4% in Q3 11, to 2.5% in Q4 11, which was largely influenced by a smaller increase in fruit prices.

4. Overall, wholesale prices decreased notably over the quarter and compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

5. The number of vegetables products advertised increased by 17% over the quarter, reflecting the competitive intensity within retail channel and seasonal influences.

• The retail channel remains very competitive and this is reflected in the level of promotional activity over the quarter, and fresh promotions focused on seasonal salad components.

6. The changes in the type of fresh vegetable product advertised in Q4 2011 reflect an expected seasonal shift towards salad components, away from hard cooked and soft cooked vegetables at this time of the year.

• Market demand has moved further to favour salads, in line with seasonal patterns.

7. Over the quarter, the use of salad preparation increased, while the use of cooking eased, in line with seasonal patterns.

• There are several indications that aligning promotional activity with known seasonal demand patterns is effective and potentially likely to generate incremental growth.

8. Over the quarter, 82% of households reported purchasing fresh vegetables on a weekly basis.

76

• Wholesale vegetable prices declined over the quarter and over the year, as supply volumes were rebuilt and this was reflected in ABS inflation figures.

• The small reduction in household penetration coincides with higher household penetration for fruit, and may suggest a level of substitution occurring between fruit and vegetables.

9. Tomatoes remained the most popular vegetable purchased weekly by households in Q4 11. A greater proportion of households are undertaking more than 6 food buying trips per week.

• Top up shops are becoming increasingly common and vegetable products need to suit being purchased on frequent and smaller shopping trips.

10. Appearance, seasonality and promotions were the main reasons households purchased ‘more’ vegetables over the quarter. Purchase patterns show that 19% of consumers can be influenced to buy less and 12% to buy more vegetables.

• If the reasons why 19% of households buy less vegetables can be understood and their negative impact reduced, this action could increase vegetable sales.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

• Similarly, with appearance and seasonality having a strong influence on the 12% of households who purchased more vegetables, this highlights the importance of these factors in increasing consumption and sales.

Your market

lists, organise ingredients, and share via email, twitter, and Facebook, as well as helps to build a complete recipe box. It offers a base of more than 30,000 recipes — a catalogue of recipes augmented by a virtual test kitchen of thousands of cooks.

Foodictionary — International Food and Beverage Translator, $1.99: This app helps translate 87,500 food and beverage items into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Greek, and is targeted at travellers or those wanting to understand a foreign-language menu.

The Perfect Egg Timer, $1.99: The app to help users cook the perfect egg — liquid, soft, or hard. Includes an ‘egg spy’ camera that shows how the inside of the egg changes as it is cooking!

Gluten Free Eating Dictionary 1.0.3, Free: Targeted at diners with gluten allergies, this app is grouped into ‘eateries and shops’, ‘online shopping’, ‘manufacturers’, and ‘services and publications’. Also includes recipes and reference books.

Shop Ethical! 2011, $4.49: To be launched in March this year, the app will list more than 2,800 Australian supermarket products, each marked with a symbol that reflect the ethical merit of the product.

Sustainable Seafood Guide, Free: The app lists more than 100 types of seafood in Australian waters, including fish farms, wild-caught fisheries, and imported species. Compiled by the Australian Marine Conservations Society, the app helps users search alphabetically or by sustainability with icons that indicate if the fish is a keystone species, if it is overfished, or if its fishing practices are potentially destructive to the environment.

Urbanspoon, Free: This app provides users with a slot machine-like listing of cuisine types and price of shortlisted restaurants.

Users need to give the app a shake, and the slot-style interface randomly pulls up a restaurant based on suburb, cuisine, and price. Users can also filter by child-friendly, happy hour, free wi-fi, and GPS for finding restaurants.

Food Guide, The Culinary Encyclopedia, $5.49: This app is an European multilingual dictionary written by food journalist Ingeborg Pils, which covers more than 2,000 food items with translations in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

4 Ingredients, $2.99: Based on the cookbook series — 4 Ingredients — this app contains more than 340 fast and easy recipes that need only four or fewer items.

producers of fresh, trimmed ‘ready to cook’ green beans in North America, in order to provide a quick, convenient, and easy side dish for time-pressed families.

OMG! I Can Eat That? $4.49: Includes recipes for tasty, low-fat meals by Australian actor Jane Kennedy, author of the cookbook Fabulous Food Minus the Boombah.

Side Kits contains washed and trimmed green beans, a sauce/flavour packet, and a topping in a convenient, resealable package.

The Side Kits range will be initially available in three flavours — Asian Tamari, Classic Almondine, and Garlic Parmesan — and later expanded to include ‘Seasonal Side Kits’ in a larger size and a ‘Summer Side Kit’ that can be served hot or cold.

Jamie Oliver 20 Minute Meals, $7.49: This app includes 60 new recipes and videos providing cooking tips (even sharpening knives) by the celebrity cook Jamie Oliver, together with handy feature to link the portion size to the number of guests.

Woolworths, Free: A product finder that saves time spent in searching items in the aisles, a barcode scanner, and a function to create shopping lists.

What it means? The new communications technology has reached the kitchen and influencing what consumers buy. This powerful reach is also providing a way to have conversations with today’s techsavvy younger generation.

WA Government introduces free iApp for shoppers — A free smart-phone app — iShopWA — has been developed by the WA state government agency Consumer Protection, to help shoppers in the State of Western Australia to easily access information about their rights under the new Australian Consumer Law. Users can also use iShopWA to store photos of receipts and set reminders for warranty, gift voucher, or online coupon expiry dates, or pick-up dates for something on lay-by.

West Australians have also been urged to contribute to this campaign to help themselves, as the app allows users to email photos of illegal ‘no refund’ shop signs directly to Consumer Protection for further action — the only one of its kind in Australia with such a capability. The iShopWA app can be downloaded for free from both the iPhone app store and the Android market.

What it means? An initiative that helps consumers to record their shopping activity and also enables and encourages more consumer activism.

New Side Kits on US shelves — A new fresh product line — Side Kits — has been launched by GreenLine, one of the leading

What it means? An innovation that suits lifestyle trends by adding convenience and taste to a fresh vegetable.

Seedless peppers on UK retail shelves — The world’s first seedless pepper — Angello — has been launched at UK retailer Marks & Spencer, in a bid to encourage kids to lift their intake of colourful salad vegetables.

A product of a 15-year natural breeding program by M&S, supplier Melrow Salads, and vegetable seed developer Syngenta, Angello was developed after research showed the process of removing seeds from traditional peppers had hit the product’s appeal among consumers.

Grown in southern Spain, Israel, and the Netherlands to ensure a year-round supply, the new seedless pepper is said to be crunchier and sweeter, with a brix sugar level (commonly used to measure sweetness in fruit and vegetables) 25% higher than conventional, seeded peppers.

Angello is ideal for cooking as well as for snacking, picnics, and children’s lunchboxes.

It is priced at £1.79 per 100g pack.

What it means? A clever innovation that expand the appeal of peppers (capsicums) by making suitable as a raw snacking option.

More information The report has been produced by Freshlogic as part of the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government. It forms a part of the VIDP and aims to inform vegetable producers and supply chain stakeholders on market influences and developments in the past week. We recommend that those seeking to act on the basis of this information first obtain independent professional advice.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your market

Vegetable Industry Development Program

Veginsights

Category in profile Eggplants Volumes and shares through the chain See Figure 2.

Key facts

Figure 2 Eggplant volumes and shares

• Eggplant production was 8,134 tonnes in 2010–11

Fresh

Processed

8,135

• The retail channel buys 6,562t

93%

Fresh

• The foodservice channel buys 1,571t

0%

Export

0% 1

7% 0%

• The current domestic retail market value of fresh eggplants purchased by consumers is $29 million dollars.

81%

Processed

Retail

73% 6,175

0%

19%

Imported

Share of fresh sales

–

389

72%

Speacialist

28%

Foodservice

27%

1,427

–

144

Source: Freshlogic

* Volume in tonnes

Seasonal profile See Figure 3 Figure 3 Seasonal flow of eggplant 3.0

Volume

6.00

Retail price $/kg

5.00

2.0

4.00

1.5

3.00

1.0

2.00

Production

0.5

1.00

See Figure 1.

0.0

Volume (%)

2.5

Eggplants are a relatively high value product that is purchased by consumers for an average of $5.33 per kilogram, which is higher than the average retail price of $3.50/kg for all vegetables.

0 Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Vic 651 8%

NSW 1,302 16%

Qld 3,091 38%

WA 2,603 32% Source: Freshlogic

78

Retail fresh sales

Tas 163 2%

8,135 tonnes

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Month

Figure 1 Annual tonnes by state SA 325 4%

Retail price ($)

Eggplants were the 24th most frequently purchased vegetable by households (weekly) in the September quarter 2011.

Supermarkets

Fresh retail sales are dominated by loose self-select product, with pre-packed product generating 1% of the retail sales volume and 2% of the value.

Figure 4 Eggplant sales contribution by type Continental $11.29/kg

The average price for loose sold product was $5.24/kg and $16.76/kg for pre-packed product.

Other $5.60/kg

Retail sales of eggplant are consistent throughout the year.

Purple $5.16/kg

Value

Volume

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percentage

Your market

Consumer penetration

Table 2 Eggplant consumption profile

In the September quarter 2011, eggplants were the 24th most frequently purchased fresh vegetable based on a weekly purchase patterns. Over the last four calendar quarters eggplants weekly purchases ranged from (4–5%), with greater penetration through cooler months.

Cooked

The highest average weekly purchase penetration by segment was singles and couples with higher income and established families (6%) (see Table 1).

Salad

4

Soup/sauce

4

Stirfry

4

Singles and couples with lower income and empty nesters had the lowest average weekly purchase frequency with 4%.

Juiced

Boiled, microwaved, steamed Deep fried

4

Mashed Roasted

4 4

Baked/grilled

Raw Salad Sandwich/burger/wrap

4

Snack Table 1 Weekly purchase of eggplants by different household segments Household segments

Purchase weekly

Singles and couples with lower income

3–4%

Singles and couples with higher income

4–10%

Budgeting families

4–6%

Established families

1–8%

Empty nesters

3–5%

Promotional activity in 2010–11 There was a total of 17 adverts, and some level of retail promotion activity in eight of the 52 weeks in 2010–11 (see Figure 5).

Coles advertised in 10 weeks of the year, while Woolworths had only one ad for the year.

Queensland had the highest number of statebased retail adverts with five (29%), while NSW had the lowest with two adverts over the year.

Source: Mealpulse™

Consumption profile Eggplant has strong links with Mediterranean cuisines. It can be consumed hot or cold and can be enjoyed marinated, stuffed, roasted, grilled, fried, in a casserole, and stews (see Table 2).

UK/US/AUST retail range profile This analysis has drawn on data gathered from Australia retail and the United Kingdom and the United States online sites.

It is considered representative of the current retail ranges in each market (see Figure 6).

The use of eggplant has become more mainstream, this has been evident with its use as a pizza topping.

Within the Australian offer, pre-packed product was sold by the each and loose product was sold by the kilogram and by the each.

Eggplant is often adapted to meals in place of protein, such as lasagna and parmigiana.

US sells all loose product by the pound and the UK sold all loose product by the each.

Figure 5 Retail promotional activity 2010–11 Ad price $/kg

6

Adverts

5

18

4.00

16

3.50

14

3.00

4

2.50

3

2.00 1.50

2 1 0

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Source: Freshlogic

Month

Price ($/kg)

No. of ads

Price ($/kg)

7

Figure 6 UK/US/Aust retail fresh eggplant profile 4.50

Aust

UK

US

12 10 8 6

1.00

4

0.50

2

0

0

0.0

Source: Freshlogic

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Product selling weight (kg)

WA Grower Autumn 2012

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Your market

Category in profile Broccoli

Key facts

• The retail channel buys 57,371t • The foodservice channel buys 7,978t • The current domestic retail market value of fresh broccoli purchased by consumers is $203 million.

Broccoli was the 5th most frequently purchased vegetable by households (weekly) in the September quarter 2011.

Wholesale price See Figure 2 for the average wholesale prices during 2010–11.

Figure 2 Average wholesale prices 2010–11 6

Broccoli

SCV

Figure 4 Broccoli sales contribution by type

Total veg

5

Price ($/kg)

• Broccoli production was 67,511 tonnes in 2010–11

Broccoli $3.78/kg

4 3 2

Broccolini $13.39/kg

1 0

J

A

S

O N D

J

F

M

A M

Percentage

Month

Volumes and shares through the chain

All products are sold in loose self-select form, with broccoli predominantly being sold by the kilogram and broccolini by the each with an average weight of 200 grams.

The fresh domestic market is supplied with 60,977 tonnes of broccoli and a further 2,117 tonnes is exported (see Figure 3).

Broccoli is a high value product that is purchased by consumers for an average of $4.42 per kg, which is significantly higher than the average retail price of $3.50 per kg for all vegetables.

The processed domestic market is supplied with 4,372 tonnes of broccoli and a further 33 tonnes is exported.

State production

The current retail market sells 45,909 tonnes, worth a total value of $203 million.

The overall average price paid for broccoli was $4.42/kg (see Figure 4).

Figure 1 Annual tonnes by state WA 5,401 8% NSW 5,401 8% Tas 6,076 9%

SA/NT 1,350 2%

Broccolini generates significant value compared to it’s volume contribution, with a 254% price premium over loose sold head broccoli.

Fresh retail sales

Consumer penetration For the year ending June 2011, the average purchase quantity across all household was 472g of broccoli (see Table 1).

Figure 3 Broccoli volumes and shares Fresh 93%

3%

1%

0%

Processed

Export 2,117

7%

67,511 tonnes

86%

33 Retail

67%

54,412 0% Imported

Source: Freshlogic

80

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Processed

67,511 Fresh

Qld 13,502 20%

Volume

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

J

Over the last 4 quarter (Oct 10 – Sep 11) broccoli had an average weekly penetration of 41% across all households.

See Figure 1.

Value

Vic 35,781 53%

– Source: Freshlogic

10%

32%

2,959

Share of fresh sales Supermarkets

71%

Specialist

29%

Foodservice 6,565

1,413 * Volume in tonnes

Your market

Table 2 Broccoli consumption profile

Table 1 Weekly purchase of broccoli by different household segments Household segments

Average purchased quantity (kg)

Cooked

Purchase weekly (%)

Boiled, microwaved, steamed

4

Singles and couples with lower income

0.549

40

Deep fried

Singles and couples with higher income

0.476

39

Mashed

Budgeting families

0.459

41

Roasted

Established families

0.408

44

Baked/grilled

4

Empty nesters

0.490

39

Salad

4

Soup/sauce

4

Source: Mealpulse™

In the September quarter 2011, broccoli was the 5th most frequently purchased fresh vegetable based on weekly purchase patterns and regularly feature in the top 10 vegetables over the last four quarters (see Figure 5). Broccoli has generated an average weekly penetration of 41% over the last four quarters (Oct 10 – Sept 11).

Consumption profile Broccoli has traditionally been boiled or steamed and served as a side dish complemented with other vegetables.

Broccoli also enjoys strong involvement as an ingredient in stir-fries, and more recently warm salads (see Table 2).

Broccolini is can also be baked and grilled, similar to asparagus.

Promotional activity — 2010–11 Figure 5 Broccoli sales contribution by type

For the year ending June 2011, there were a total of 228 adverts and some level of retail promotion activity in 37 of the 52 weeks. This generates an average of 19.0 promotional adverts per month.

4

Raw Juiced Salad

4

Sandwich/burger/wrap

Standard broccoli generated the largest share of total adverts with 88%. Over the period the advertised price ranged from $0.99 to $6.23/kg and averaged $3.08/kg.

Snack

Broccolini generated 12% of the total adverts for 2010–11. Over the period the advertised price ranged from $9.00 to $20.00/kg and averaged $12.21/kg.

UK/US/AUST retail range profile All markets offer loose product that is sold by the kilogram, or by pounds in the US. The UK market predominantly offers prepacked product, while the US and Australia focus on loose sold product.

This analysis has drawn on data gathered from Australia in retail and UK and US online sites. It is considered representative of the retail ranges in each market.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percentage

There are three common product types that are broccolini, florets and crown.

Figure 6 Retail promotional activity 2010–11

Figure 7 UK/US/Aust retail fresh broccoli profile 7

20

60

6

18

50

5

40

4

WW

Coles

Avg. $/kg

30

3

20

2

10

1 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Source: Freshlogic

Month

0

Aust

UK

US

Pre-packed products

16

Price ($/kg)

Other

Price ($/kg)

70

Adverts

Stirfry

In comparison, the Australian range offers fewer smaller-sized products (see Figure 7). The patterns in this profile reflect a link between smaller pack sizes and higher prices.

Carrots Potato Tomato Onions Lettuce Broccoli Mushrooms Capsicum Cucumbers Pumpkin

0

4

14 12

Loose products

10 8 6 4 2 0

0.0

0.1

Source: Freshlogic

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

Product selling weight (kg)

WA Grower Autumn 2012

81

Your market

Category in profile Capsicums

Key facts

• The retail channel buys 41,496t • The foodservice channel buys 24,231t • The current domestic retail market value of fresh capsicum purchased by consumers is $236 million.

Capsicum was the 8th most frequently purchased vegetable by households (weekly) in the December quarter 2011.

From March – December 11 capsicum had an average weekly penetration of 38% across all households.

Capsicum is a high value product that is purchased by consumers for an average of $6.97 per kg, which is significantly higher than the average retail price of $3.50/kg for all vegetables.

State production See Figure 1.

Figure 1 Annual tonnes by state

Tas 1,886 3% WA 5,030 8%

NSW 1,886 3%

Wholesale price See Figure 2.

Figure 2 Average wholesale prices 2011 6

Capsicum

Salad components

Figure 4 Capsicum sales contribution on variety and pack type

Total veg

5

Price ($/kg)

• Capsicum production was 62,873 tonnes in 2010–11

Pre-packed $12.02

4

Loose $6.38

3 2

Orange $11.61/kg

1 0

J

F M A M J

J

A

S

O N D

Volume

Yellow $9.51/kg

Month

Mixed $12.18/kg

Volumes and shares through the chain

Green $5.34

The fresh domestic market is supplied with 60,707 tonnes of capsicum, of which 2,068 tonnes is sources from imported product. A further 675 tonnes is exported (see Figure 3).

The processed market is supplied with 3,559 tonnes of locally produced product with a further 1,462 tonnes being imported.

Red $6.65 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percentage

Fresh retail sales

The current retail market sells 33,911 tonnes of fresh capsicums, worth a total value of $236 million.

All figures presented in Figure 4 are for the year ending June 2011.

The average retail price paid for capsicum was $6.97/kg.

Figure 3 Capsicum volumes and shares Fresh

Processed

62,873

Vic 6,916 11% 62,873 tonnes

Fresh

94%

1%

Processed

Export

0% 675

6% 59%

65%

26%

– Retail

40,191

SA 10,688 17%

Source: Freshlogic

82

Value

WA Grower Autumn 2012

41%

Qld 36,466 58%

Imported 3,530 Source: Freshlogic

33%

74%

1,305

Share of fresh sales Supermarkets

71%

Specialist

29%

Foodservice 20,516

3,715 * Volume in tonnes

Your market

There are four types of capsicums sold through Australian retail markets. These include: block, bullhorn, long and baby. All types produce a number of different colours throughout the ripening process.

Consumer penetration In the December quarter 2011, capsicums were the 8th most frequently purchased fresh vegetable based on weekly purchase patterns and regularly feature in the top 10 vegetable products (see Figure 5).

Based on the analysis of retail Docket data for the year ending December 2011, provided as part of the Mealpulse™ panel, the average quantity of capsicum Australian consumers selected was 282 grams (see Table 1).

Figure 5 Capsicum sales contribution by type Carrots Potato Tomato Onions Lettuce Broccoli Mushrooms Capsicum Cucumbers Pumpkin

64% 58% 58% 51% 47% 41% 41% 38% 34% 33%

Consumption profile Capsicums are very versatile and are commonly used in salads, baked dishes, stews, stir-fries, salsa and pizzas (see Table 2).

Capsicums main role in a dish is provide a flavour base as well as add colour and texture, allowing capsicums to enjoy a large range of meal uses in both warm and cold seasons.

The use of raw capsicum in salads is popular, with red and yellow capsicums being better suited for this role, as they offer a sweeter flavour.

Cooked Boiled, microwaved, steamed Mashed

4 4

Salad

4

Soup/sauce

4

Stirfry

In Australia, these products are called capsicums, in the United Kingdom, ‘peppers’, or ‘sweet peppers’, and in the United States ‘bell peppers’.

Raw Juiced

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percentage

All markets include similar product varieties and pre-packed options, with UK offering a two pack and the US offering four and six packs of mixed capsicums.

4

Sandwich/burger/wrap Snack

There is an inclusion of vine ripened product in all three markets, which in all cases are baby varieties.

Table 1 Weekly purchase of capsicums by different household segments Household segments

Average purchased quantity (kg)

Purchase weekly (%)

Singles and couples with lower income

0.269

37%

Singles and couples with higher income

0.224

41%

Budgeting families

0.327

38%

Established families

0.275

44%

Empty nesters

0.207

33%

There is an absence of pre-sliced packs within the Australian market, that in US and UK are aimed at providing smaller portions and easier meal preparation.

The selling multiples are the same in each market with all products sold by the each, except for selected pre-packs in Australia (see Figure 7).

Source: Mealpulse™

Figure 6 Retail promotional activity 2010–11 25

Other

WW

Figure 7 UK/US/Aust retail fresh capsicums profile Coles

Avg. $/kg

3 10

2

5

1 Jan

Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Source: Freshlogic

Jul Aug Sep Oct

Month

Nov Dec

0

UK

US

20

Price ($/kg)

4

15

Aust

25

Price ($/kg)

Adverts

6 5

20

0

For the year ending December 2011, there were a total of 104 adverts and some level of retail promotion activity in 34 of the 52 weeks. This generates an average of 8.7 promotional adverts per month.

UK-US-AUST retail range profile

4

Salad

Figure 6 details the number of promotional adverts by retailer for each month.

Green capsicums generated 13% of total adverts in 2011. During 2011 the advertised price ranged from $2.98 to $5.99 per kg and averaged $3.96 per kg.

Deep fried

Baked/grilled

Promotional activity 2011

Red capsicums generated the largest share of total adverts with 67% in 2011. During 2011 the advertised price ranged from $2.44 to $6.99 per kg and averaged $4.32 per kg.

Table 2 Capsicum consumption profile

Roasted

The use of 20,516 tonnes pa of capsicum in foodservice for pizzas and salads, can only have helped expand home consumption.

15 10 5 0

0.0

0.1

Source: Freshlogic

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Product selling weight (kg)

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Your market

Albany Farmers Market celebrates 10 years

By Howard Shapland Albany grower

April 21, 2012 will be the ten year anniversary of the Albany Farmers Market. It has operated every Saturday morning from 8am–12noon without fail, come rain, hail, and shine. The market is now in its fifth year at the Collie Street location.

Its main focus is still on fresh produce with a cross section of professional growers, seasonal growers and certified organic growers, covering most fruits and vegetables as well as dairy, meats, breads, flowers, preserves, fish, food and coffee..

The Albany Farmers Market website is updated weekly and is well worth a visit at www.albanyfarmersmarket.com.au.

A major factor in the success of the market is that the original guidelines or charter for operating the market are still enforced, namely that only two stalls may sell the same product. One can only sell what is grown or raised on the farm, and the farmer can only sell his own product.

The farmers are also encouraged to value

84

WA Grower Autumn 2012

add to their product as much as possible.

Employment of a co-ordinator to run the market affairs under the guidance of the committee made up of growers has been an absolute boon. Our current co-ordinator, Ian Haines, is an absolute foodie with talents as a chef and a restauranteur as well as being good with media and dealing with wayward stallholders.

Albany is lucky to have an abundance of produce that can be grown all year round and even though it has a small population base is able to sustain a viable farmers market.

That’s pretty important because it has enabled small growers to remain viable who would not have survived just by sending produce to the Perth markets. It also means market shoppers are able to buy ‘as fresh as’ and sample more heritage lines or gourmet lines which may not be available in the supermarkets.

There are still a handfull of growers who were at the first market in April 2002 attending the market today. It just goes to show what can be achieved by dedication, perseverance and foresight, but mostly responding to public demand who are very appreciative of in-season fresh fruit and vegetables and the ability to form a basic relationship the farmer.

Farmers are encouraged to value add to their products as much as possible.

Your self

YOUR

self

WA Grower Autumn 2012

85

Your self

Careers in agriculture great new opportunities

Each year, farming related industries inject more than $405 billion into our economy, that’s 27% of Australia’s GDP. But the important work is not just getting done on farms — there are a host of other sectors working in our cities and rural centres to help our farmers become the most innovative and productive in the world and deliver produce to consumers.

science

agronomy

2012, the Australian Year of the Farmer, has well and truly kicked off. As part of the activities there is a new push to promote careers in agriculture. Growers may be interested in the content, and if they are dealing with people who are considering a career in our industry can direct them to the website www.yearofthefarmer.com.au

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The future of the farming sector looks very bright — current projections show that in the next 40 years, farming production worldwide will need to double.

To meet demand, Australia’s farming sector currently has positions vacant for you!

Your career in the farming sector could be in almost any field you can imagine — from marketing, sales, science, biotechnology, engineering, agronomy, IT to working on a farm or even running your own farm.

Now is the time to grow your career in the world’s biggest ‘growth’ business: Agriculture.

marketing

Year of the Farmer

Australian farmers literally grow our future and will play a key role in helping to sustain our way of life and help provide global food security.

Your self

Vegetable Industry Development Program

Young leaders to GAIN

InnoVeg, in partnership with Rural Training Initiatives P/L are currently developing a vegetable industry leadership program alumni called GAIN. GAIN will be inviting graduates of leadership activities that have been funded or generated within and beyond the industry to become members of the Alumni. Specifically we will be connecting graduates of Growing Leaders, the Australian Rural Leadership Program and Nuffield. We also anticipate that there will be other leadership programs yet to be identified who will have access to membership — Churchill fellows and Fairfax fellows for example.

Whilst initial planning has commenced we are interested in graduates’ opinions and ideas to shape GAIN and plan on talking to potential members about the following questions: • What do you need from a leadership alumni — how can GAIN best assist and support you in your leadership journey?

• What values should underpin GAIN? • How could GAIN members connect via the www?

• What face-to-face activities would enhance the leadership skills and knowledge of GAIN members?

• How can we encourage people to become members?

• How might we best tailor a mentoring program to assist GAIN members?

GAIN will be launched with an exclusive alumni enhancement workshop followed by a networking event on the afternoon of Thursday May 7, 2012 in Hobart to coincide with the AUSVEG Convention. All alumni will be invited to attend — more details to follow but mark it in your calendar.

More information If you would like to get involved, please contact Jill Briggs at jill@ruraltraiinginitiatives.com.au or Cynthia Mahoney at cm_associates@live.com.au.

• What other alumni do you know that really work?

The sixth annual Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium The sixth annual Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium will be coming to Perth on May 28 & 29, 2012.

Women of diverse backgrounds, from students to senior leaders, benefit from the symposium's wide-ranging program. Previous attendees have frequently commented on the significance of the opportunities to share their aspirations and challenges with other women:

“The sessions have given me the encouragement and enthusiasm to pursue equity for women within our business. I received some great ideas to take back to work. Working in a very male-dominated engineering environment introduces many challenges that need attention." — Sue Hayter, VDM Group Places for the 2012 Western Australian Symposium are filling fast. I invite you to take advantage of the Early Bird Rate — reducing registration from $2,295pp down to $1,495pp.

More information For more information, please call Laura Cheail on 1300 138 037.

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Your self

Recipes Corn fritters with roasted truss tomatoes and crispy prosciutto This is a great dish for breakfast, lunch or brunch.

The fritters can be frozen for later use.

Ingredients 4 d'Vineripe® truss tomatoes, halved 1 small garlic clove, crushed 4–5 tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 185g (¾ cup) good quality mayonnaise 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice 8 thin slices prosciutto or bacon Corn fritter 2 corn cobs (or 420g can corn kernels, drained) 220g (2 cups) self-raising flour 1 tsp sugar 1 egg 375ml (1½ cups) buttermilk

Method 1. Preheat oven to 140°C. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking tray. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. roast for 1 hour 20 minutes until softened, but still just holding their shape. Combine the mayonnaise with the garlic and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. refrigerate.

3. meanwhile, make the fritters. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs. Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a jug, pour onto the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir in the corn and season well with salt and pepper.

4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Spoon the mixture one tbsp at a time into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on one side.

5. turn over and cook until golden. Keep warm while you cook the rest, adding more oil as required.

6. In a separate frying pan, fry the prosciutto in 1 tbsp of oil until crispy.

7. Serve the fritters accompanied by the roasted tomatoes, prosciutto and garlic mayonnaise.

Prep time: 25 minutes cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Serves 4 (makes 16–20 fritters)

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Your self

Pasta with rich eggplant and broccoli sauce Ingredients

Method

500g Saladette® truss tomatoes, roughly chopped

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

1 head broccoli, about 250g, cut into small florets, stem chopped

2. Cook the broccoli in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

1 medium eggplant, diced

3. meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the eggplant (in two batches if necessary) and cook, stirring regularly until softened, adding an extra tbsp oil if necessary. remove from the pan.

1 onion, chopped Prep time: 20 minutes cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

350g pasta shapes 4–5 tbsp olive oil 1–2 tsp garlic paste 80ml (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil Balsamic lemon and herb dressing

Roasted grape tomato and caramelised onion tart Prep time: 30 minutes cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients Pastry* 300g plain flour 150g cold unsalted butter Pinch salt Iced water Filling 2 punnets the Original™ grape tomatoes or the Original™ golden grape tomatoes 4 onions, sliced thinly in half rings Salt and pepper to taste 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Olive oil

4. Add the remaining tbsp oil, onion and garlic. Fry gently for 5 minutes.

5. return the eggplant to the pan with the balsamic dressing, tomatoes and broccoli. Cook for 5 minutes, covered.

6. Season with salt and pepper. toss through the pasta and serve.

Method 1. Place flour, salt and butter in a food processor or mixer until it resembles breadcrumbs, or alternatively you can rub in the butter by hand if it is cut into small pieces.

2. Add enough water to make a ball consistency that is soft to the touch.

Allow to rest for 1 hour and then roll it out to a consistent thickness.

6. Place drained onions in the tart cases and arrange halved tomatoes on top in a pattern. Sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper, oil and vinegar. Bake at 150°C until tomatoes are tender and beginning to shrivel.

3. lightly oil four 10cm tart cases and line with the pastry.

4. Cover with foil and something heavy eg. dried beans or rice, and blind bake in a preheated oven at 200°C. Bake for 30 minutes or until outside of case is browning.

5. For the filling, place onions in a frying pan with 100ml oil and sauté over a high heat until they start to brown, reduce the heat and cook till tender and uniformly browned, or caramelised — a barbecue is good for this.

Vinegar *Note: Alternatively, you can purchase and use pre-made pastry.

© recipes kindly provided by Perfection Fresh Australia Pty ltd — www.perfection.com.au

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Your Industry

Asian World Foods News — Vietnamese translation

Bản tin về các loại thực phẩm từ Á và trên thế giới Hội-nghị New Rural Industries Australia (NRIA) 2012, Triển lãm và Trình diễn Thời trang 18–19 tháng Tư, Ballarat, Victoria NRIA sắp sửa 'đẩy mạnh các biện pháp mang tính chất thương mại' cho các ngành nông nghiệp mới và đang trên đà phát triển — xây dựng khả năng với mục tiêu chung là làm sao đem lại lợi nhuận cho nỗ lực thương mại hóa thực vật, con vật cũng như các ngành công nghiệp mới mẻ, đầy sáng tạo liên quan trong khu vực. NRIA chủ trương đem lại những lợi ích to lớn cho các ngành liên quan, xây dựng các hoạt động kinh tế khu vực và đem lại lợi ích cho nền kinh tế cũng như cho cộng đồng rộng lớn hơn trong nước xuyên qua những hoạt động này. NRIA sẽ sử dụng chương trình Nghiên Cứu & Phát Triển, các mạng lưới quốc nội cũng như quốc tế để xây dựng các liên minh thương mại.

NRIA là một tổ chức nông nghiệp sáng suốt, chú trọng vào tương lai và biết áp dụng các kỹ thuật truyền đạt nhằm xây dựng và hiện thực hóa một 'mạng lưới kiến thức nông thôn' trong số các thành viên cũng như độc giả.

Trong số những đề tài then chốt được trình bày trong 'Hội Nghị NRIA 2012', có cả vần đề: 1. N ghề Nông và Thán Khí trong Thế kỷ 21- Giai đoạn đổi thay chính là giai đoạn đem lại thời cơ 2. Đ a dạng sinh học và an toàn sinh học — phải bảo vệ và cải cách ra sao 3. C ông cụ và mạng kiến thức — khôn khéo hơn, các công cụ kinh doanh cho những công nghiệp co khả năng nhạy bén 4. Đ ối tác quốc tế — xây dựng các mạng lưới vững mạnh trên toàn cầu để đem lại lợi thế cho nước Úc 5. K hả năng kinh doanh — làm sao để doanh nghiệp mới được thăng tiến.

Sinh hoạt trong hội nghị: 1. D iễn giả xuất sắc đòi hỏi và khích động nỗ lực cải cách

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2. D iễn đàn có sức thu hút tạo động lực và khích động các mạng lưới mới 3. T riển lãm cho ngảnh công nghiệp cũng như những thành phần liên quan

4. D ạ tiệc linh đình với các đặc sản nổi tiếng của Úc 5. T rình diễn thời trang để phô trương những mặt hàng vải và da độc đáo của Úc.

Thủ tục đăng ký theo đoàn và bảo trợ cho hội nghị sẽ được bắt đầu từ mùng 1 tháng Mười Hai, năm 2011, trên website của NRIA theo địa chỉ www. nria.org.au

LOTE Community of Practice Một số nhân viên giữ vai trò yểm trợ cho ngành trồng rau hiện đang làm việc với tư cách độc lập để giúp đỡ nông gia thuộc Nguồn Gốc Không Nói Tiếng Anh (LOTE) trên đất Úc.

Mãi cho tới gần đây, các nhân viên làm việc với những cộng đồng thuộc Nguồn Gốc Không Nói Tiếng Anh chỉ có ít cơ hội làm việc chung với họ.

Vào tháng Mười năm 2011, Chương trình Phát triển Ngành Trồng Rau đã tán đồng kế hoạch thiết lập chương trình LOTE Community of Practice. Đây là chương trình có mục đích hậu thuẫn cho nhân viên trên khắp nước Úc qua phương sách thường xuyên tạo cơ hội làm việc chung để trao đổi thông tin, trau dồi kiến thức, phát huy khả năng chuyên môn và giải quyết các vấn đề khó khăn.

Cuộc hội thảo giữa các thành viên trong chương trình LOTE Community of Practice đã được tổ chức vào hôm 23 tháng Mười Một để trao đổi kinh nghiệm làm việc với những nông gia không thuộc Nguồn Gốc Nói Tiếng Anh cũng như để chia sẻ những tài liệu được được soạn thảo trong mỗi tiểu bang.

Nếu muốn tham gia kế hoạch này hay muốn biết thêm chi tiết, xin quý vị liên lạc với Anne-Maree Boland qua số 03 9882 2670 hay gửi email theo địa chỉ annemareeb@rmcg.com.au.

Your Industry

Bảng 1. Những loại thuốc diệt nấm không còn công hiệu đối với Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum và S. Minor. Những sản phẩm được liệt kê là những loại được dùng trong cuộc thử nghiệm. Tuy nhiên, các sản phẩm khác có cùng hoạt chất thường cũng không còn công hiệu nữa

S. sclerotiorum

S. minor

B. cinerea

Azoxystrobin (Amistar )

7

7

3

7

7

3

Carbendazim (Bavistin®)

3

3

3

3

—

3

3

3

3

7

—

3

7

7

—

Thuốc diệt nấm ®

Boscalid (Filan®)

Cyprodinil (Chorus®)

Iprodione (Rovral®)

Procymidone (Sumisclex ) ®

Tebuconazole (Folicur®)

Bảng 2. Vi khuẩn kháng được thuốc copper Vi khuẩn

Bệnh

Số trường hợp lờn thuốc (số lần thử nghiệm)

Acidovorax spp.

Quả bầu bí mướp bị thối đen hay nâu

2 (5)

Clavibacter michiganensis

Cà chua bị thối

41 (65)

Ralstonia

Bệnh héo do vi khuẩn

0 (2)

Pseudomonas spp.

Xanthamonas campestris

Một số bệnh thối lá

Bệnh thối lá, quả

10 (22)

0 (5)

3 = mất công hiệu, 7 = còn công hiệu, - = chưa được thử

Thuốc diệt nấm và thuốc xịt copper (đồng) nay có thể không còn công hiệu như trước Những loại thuốc diệt nấm vốn vẫn thường được sử dụng để kềm chế bệnh tật nơi rau cỏ nay không còn công hiệu nữa trong các khu vực trồng rau trên khắp nước Úc. Sự kiện này cho thấy rõ giới nông gia cần phải chuẩn bị các phương hướng đối phó với tình trạng lờn thuốc để giúp cho loại thuốc diệt nấm luôn có hiệu quả.

Nhờ tài trợ của ngành trồng rau qua trung gian tổ chức Horticulture Australia, các nhà khoa học thuộc Viện Nghiên Cứu và Phá Triển Nam Úc (South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) và Bộ Kỹ Nghệ và Đầu Tư NSW (DII) đã thu thập một số loại nấm và vi khuẩn trong rau trên toàn nước Úc để xem có vấn đề lờn thuốc trong ngành trồng rau hay không.

Có những loại nấm nay đã có khả năng vô hiệu hóa thuốc diệt nấm. Trong số những loại nấm này có cả Botrytis cinerea, đây là loại nấm gây ra mốc xám và Sclerotinia sclerotiorum và Sclerotinia minor, tức là loại gây ra mốc trắng (Bảng 1). Bremia lactucae (bệnh sương mai nơi rau diếp) cũng cho thấy khả năng vô hiệu hóa thuốc diệt nấm, tuy nhiên, loại nấm gây bệnh sương mai có khả năng kháng thuốc metalaxil vẫn có thể bị kềm chế nếu ta xịt thuốc metalaxil pha với mancozeb hay copper.

Nhiều loại vi khuẩn có khả năng kháng lại các loại thuốc copper (đồng) (Bảng 2), Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, có khả năng kháng

Hình 1. Nhãn thuốc diệt nấm có hoạt chất iprodione cho thấy loại thuốc này được xếp vào nhóm mất công hiệu.

Muốn biết thêm chi tiết, xin liên lạc với: Barbara Hall, SARDI barbara.hall@sa.gov.au

Len Tesoriero, NSW DII len.tesoriero@industry.nsw.gov.au.

thuốc rất cao. Đây là loại vi khuẩn gây bệnh thối nơi cà chua. Để có thể kềm chế những loại vi khuẩn có khả năng kháng thuốc copper (đồng), ta có thể hòa thứ thuốc này với loại thuốc diệt nấm dithiocarbamate như mancozeb. Tuy nhiên, nếu sử dụng thường xuyên các hóa chất trong nhóm này, ta có thể gây xáo trộn cho một số loại côn trùng có lợi chẳng hạn như nhện (rệp). Đây có thể trở thành vấn đề cho các nông gia sử dụng IPM hay các hệ thống canh tác hữu cơ.

KHƯỚC TỪ TRÁCH NHIỆM: Tài liệu này chỉ nhằm hướng dẫn tổng quát, chứ không chủ trương phổ biến những chi tiết để quí vị dựa vào hay làm theo.

Nếu muốn áp dụng những kết quả được trình bày qua bản báo cáo trong bản tin này, quí vị nên xem toàn bộ bản báo cáo, và quyết định việc áp dụng cho phù hợp với hoàn cảnh riêng. Công ty Nghiên cứu & Phát triển Công nghiệp Nông thôn (RIRDC) cùng với nhân viên của công ty và tác giả cũng như ban biên tập không thể bảo đảm rằng, những thông tin được đề cập trong ấn phẩm này có chính xác hay phù hợp với nhu cầu của quí vị hay không.

Họ sẽ không chịu trách nhiệm đối với bất cứ thiệt hại nào quí vị phải chịu chỉ vì quí vị dựa vào nguồn thông tin trong bản cáo.

Giới nông gia cần phải biết đâu là những nhóm thuốc diệt nấm họ sử dụng không còn công hiệu nữa. Những nhóm thuốc này có thể được liệt kê trên nhãn thuốc (Hình 1). Sử dụng quá nhiều một hay nhiều loại thuốc diệt nấm trong cùng nhóm sẽ gây ra tình trạng lờn thuốc.

Tài liệu hướng dẫn cho nông gia trồng rau Brassica và rau diếp bao gồm cả phần nói về phương thức đối phó với tính trạng lờn thuốc. Quý vị có thể đọc thông tin hướng dẫn này trên các website:

www.hin.com.au/Resources/ManualBrassica-Ute-Guide, www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_20351.htm

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Your Industry

Grower profile: James Wringe and Gary Quick — Vietnamese translation

James Wringe và Gary Quick Tác giả Hayley Wilson VegetablesWa

James Wringe và Gary Quick đã hợp tác trong việc canh tác cà chua trên khu đất Kirup của mình đã 25 năm qua.

Cả James và Gary đều có các khu đất riêng của mình để chăn nuôi bò thịt...

James là người nuôi bò thế hệ thứ 5 và gia đình ông đã sống trên trang trại ban đầu của mình kể từ năm 1862.

Gary là nhà nông thế hệ thứ ba.

Khu đất mà hiện nay họ đang trồng cà chua ban đầu là một vườn cây ăn quả mà cha mẹ ông đã mua năm 1972.

Sau khi cha ông ta quản lý vườn cây ăn quả này được mười năm, thì James thấy được cơ hội trồng cà chua do vùng đất này có nước và là khu đất bằng phẳng so với các khu vực xung quanh. Sau đó James hợp tác với người hàng xóm Gary. Kể từ đó, dự án nhỏ này đã nhanh chóng mở rộng thành việc kinh doanh phát đạt dù ban đầu đó chỉ là một dự án phụ trong thời gian họ ít bận rộn hơn với công việc chăn nuôi bò thịt.

Họ bắt đầu với cơ sở hạ tầng cơ bản trên khu đất và mở rộng chuồng trại sát nhau lên nhiều lần và qua nhiều năm đã gần gấp đôi số lượng cây cà chua mà họ có. Các phòng lạnh, thiết bị phân loại điều khiển bằng máy tính, máy đóng gói và máy hái cà chua cũng đều được bổ sung vào khu đất với sự phát triển vượt bậc.

Xuôi theo khu vực phía nam, James và Gary có lợi thế khí hậu mát mẻ hơn và đất rắn hơn. Tuy nhiên, mùa canh tác của họ lại ngắn hơn các vùng khác. Điều này cũng đồng nghĩa với việc duy trì nhân công toàn thời gian có thể là một vấn đề. James cho biết: “ban đầu không có vấn đề gì trong việc tìm nhân công cho dù mọi người vẫn muốn có một công việc toàn thời gian”.

Họ bắt đầu trồng cà chua vào giữa tháng Mười và kết thúc vào giữa tháng

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Mười Hai. Khi cây trồng còn non, đôi khi họ phải đối mặt với bệnh nấm lá nhưng điều đó phụ thuộc vào thời tiết của mỗi năm.

James cho biết công nghệ mới đã cải thiện đáng kể việc kinh doanh của họ theo nhiều cách khác nhau. Công nghệ giúp thực hiện đóng gói sản phẩm thuận tiện hơn và hệ thống phân loại màu sắc qua máy tính đã định cỡ và phân loại màu sắc chính xác và đồng bộ hơn. James cũng nói rằng nhiều giống cây mới và hóa chất đang sẵn có trên thị trường đã làm cho việc kiểm soát sâu bệnh trở nên dễ dàng hơn và họ không gặp nhiều loại vấn đề mà trước đây đã gặp. Ông nói, “thật khó để nói hết được công nghệ đã tác động đến các yêu cầu về lao động của chúng tôi như thế nào” bởi vì việc kinh doanh đã không ngừng mở rộng khi công nghệ cải tiến.

Việc dùng máy hái, thay vì nhân viên hái vào xô,đã tạo ra sự khác biệt lớn bởi vì điều này giúp nhân viên vui mừng hơn và giữ được cà chua trong bóng râm. James và Gary đã thực hiện hái quả thẳng vào túi vải bạt chứ không cho vào sọt nữa, điều này đã giúp cắt giảm một nửa khâu xử lý sản phẩm.

James cho biết, “trong nhiều năm, chúng tôi đã rút ra được bài học kinh nghiệm từ những sai lầm của mình và sau đó đã cải thiện.

James cho biết việc cấm Dimethoate và xem xét Fenthion đã trở thành trở ngại đối với Wringe and Quick.

Gary và James có cơ hội đến Queensland nơi mà họ đã nhiều lần đến thăm các nông dân khác để xem các kinh nghiệm thực hành trồng trọt của họ và xem xét các máy móc khác nhau. James nói: “chúng tôi luôn sẵn sàng chia sẻ các thông tin để hỗ trợ các nông dân khác và không giữ bất kỳ bí mật gì.”

Cả hai đều nhất trí rằng thật đáng để xem một sản phẩm tuyệt vời vào cuối ngày và cũng đáng vui mừng khi biết rằng người tiêu dùng hài lòng với sản phẩm của họ. James nói: “Dù vậy, điều đáng thất vọng là công việc và chi phí thêm sử dụng vào việc sản xuất sản phẩm có chất lượng không phải lúc nào cũng được thể hiện trong lợi nhuận. Ông nói: “việc không biết quý vị sẽ nhận được gì cho sản phẩm của mình cũng đáng thất vọng và không bao giờ biết được khi nào thừa nguồn cung cấp cà chua”.

James cảm thấy luôn có những cánh cửa mở ra cho người nông dân và ông sẽ khuyến khích thêm nhiều người nữa tham gia vào ngành này nếu họ sẵn sàng tận tâm, dành nhiều thời gian cho công việc và cam kết thực hiện Đảm Bảo Chất Lượng.

Khi James không làm việc, ông thích dành thời gian cho gia đình và đi du lịch.

Your Industry

Vegetables providing large slices of Carnarvon’s pie — Vietnamese translation continued

Rau củ chiếm phần lớn trong doanh thu của vùng Carnarvon Chris Schelfhout Giám Đốc Phát Triển Nghề Làm Vườn Gascoyne, Sở Nông Nghiệp và Thực Phẩm Khi nói đến Carnarvon, hầu hết mọi người đều nghĩ đến chuối, nhưng rau củ đã trở thành phương tiện kiếm tiền quan trọng hơn đối với các nông dân địa phương trong một vài năm vừa qua.

Trong năm 2010 tổng giá trị sản xuất là khoảng $78 triệu với rau củ, cà chua và nho tươi vượt qua chuối, loại quả trị giá chỉ bằng một phần mười tổng giá trị ở mức khoảng $7 triệu. Đặc biệt, giá trị của rau củ đã có sự gia tăng ổn định và hiện chiếm khoảng một nửa sản lượng rau quả về số lượng và hai phần ba về giá trị.

Các mùa đông ấm hơn ở Carnarvon cùng với nguồn cung ứng nước ổn định đã làm cho nơi này trở thành nguồn rau củ tươi lớn tại mọi thời điểm trong năm khi diện tích trồng ở Đồng Bằng Duyên Hải Swan giảm xuống do nhiệt độ thấp hơn.

Trừ cà chua, nhóm rau củ có giá trị khoảng $27 triệu trong năm 2010, các cây trồng quan trọng nhất là ớt xanh, bí ngô và bí xanh. Số lượng và giá trị riêng biệt cho các rau củ chính được nêu trong bảng.

Cà chua là loại đắt tiền và được gửi đến phía nam với tổng số gần 8000 tấn, trị giá hơn $20 triệu. Các vụ cà chua được thu hoạch từ tháng 5 đến tháng 11 đảm bảo nguồn cung ứng liên tục cho Tiểu Bang trong cả năm và doanh số đáng kể giữa các tiểu bang.

Cây húng quế là loại thảo mộc tươi quan trọng nhất, trị giá khoảng $175.000 với các tháng có sản lượng cao nhất là tháng Sáu và tháng Bảy.

Nho tươi hiện nay là loại cây hoa quả quan trọng nhất được trồng ở Gascoyne và gấp đôi giá trị của chuối năm 2010.

Nho chủ yếu được thu hoạch vào tháng Mười Một và tháng Mười Hai khi có giá cao. Tuy nhiên, vụ mùa bội thu không đem đến hiệu quả cho mùa này do tác động của các trận lụt vào mùa hè năm ngoái.

Số liệu thống kê mới đã được biên soạn cho Sở bằng cách sử dụng các thông tin được doanh nghiệp địa phương, các công ty vận tải và Cơ Quan Quản Lý Thị Trường Perth cung cấp. Số liệu này không bao gồm doanh số tư nhân, doanh số địa phương hay sản phẩm được vận chuyển về phía bắc, do đó giá trị thực thậm chí sẽ lớn hơn.

Các bản sao kỹ thuật số của báo cáo đầy đủ có thể có được bằng cách liên hệ với Trạm Nghiên Cứu Gascoyne theo số điện thoại (08) 9956 3333.

Tóm tắt cho năm 2010 Rau củ

Khối lượng (tấn)

Cây húng quế Đậu

Bí đỏ

Ớt xanh Ớt

Dưa chuột Cà tím

Dưa hấu Bí Ngô

Ngô ngọt Cà chua Bí xanh Khác

Tổng số rau củ

Tổng số trái cây

TỔNG SỐ RAU QUẢ

Giá trị ($)

119

174,997

391

2,496,427

620

475,738

2,755

9,834,993

223

1,234,735

594

1,556,599

623

1,929,701

5,934

5,424,112

1,925

5,201,430

216

451,692

7,752

20,526,127

1,137

3,151,155

180

510,622

22,469

52,968,328

7,485

25,102,600

29,954

78,070,928

Department of Agriculture and Food

WA Grower Autumn 2012

93

Your Production

Good practice and irrigation systems: an under-valued farm asset — Vietnamese translation

Kinh nghiệm thực hành và hệ thống tưới tiêu tốt — một tài sản của trang trại bị đánh giá thấp Rohan Prince cán bộ về lĩnh vực Phát Triển, DAFWA Hiệu suất tưới tiêu kém và các hệ thống tưới tiêu được thiết kế hoặc lắp đặt không đúng cách không chỉ tiêu tốn tiền của quý vị trong sản xuất, mà còn trong chi phí đầu vào cao hơn, đặc biệt là năng lượng. Điều này đã được tiết lộ qua việc thử nghiệm gần đây trên các khu đất từ Carabooda tới Myalup thông qua dự án Kinh Nghiệm Thực Hành Tốt được tài trợ thông qua APC/VPC và công ty Horticulture Australia Limited. Để trồng một vụ ổn định bằng cách sử dụng nước hiệu quả, áp lực trong hệ thống tưới tiêu của quý vị phải thống nhất và phù hợp với các loại bình tưới.

Việc nhớ điều này rất quan trọng khi quý vị lắp đặt hoặc bảo trì hệ thống tưới tiêu. Ít nhất cần thực hiện việc điều chỉnh các bình tưới của quý vị cho phù hợp với áp lực được khuyến nghị và kiểm tra để chắc chắn rằng quý vị đã có áp lực đồng đều giữa các hàng nhằm đảm bảo rằng hệ thống tưới tiêu của quý vị đang góp phần vào việc tưới tiêu hiệu quả.

Thử nghiệm phễu hãm là bước tiếp theo để đảm bảo rằng hệ thống tưới tiêu của quý vị đang hoạt động tốt và cung cấp nước đồng đều cho cây trồng. Tính đồng đều của bình tưới có thể được mô tả bằng các thuật ngữ đơn giản về mặt toán học được gọi là hệ số đồng đều (CU) và tính đồng đều khi phân bố (DU).

Tính đồng đều của hệ thống tưới tiêu có thể được đánh giá bằng cách sử dụng các thùng chứa hãm đặt trong khuôn lưới giữa các bình tưới và đường bên để đo tỷ lệ sử dụng nước

94

WA Grower Autumn 2012

(Hình 1). Sau đó các phép đo được sử dụng để tính toán CU và DU và cũng có thể được minh họa bằng đồ thị để chỉ ra bản đồ bề mặt của nước được sử dụng (Hình 2). Màu xanh lá tượng trưng cho việc sử dụng nước trung bình; màu cam đến đỏ chỉ ra các khu vực nhận được ít nước hơn và màu xanh dương chỉ ra các khu vực đang nhận được nhiều nước hơn mức trung bình.

Thông thường có thể có sự chênh lệch hai đến ba lần trong việc sử dụng nước từ khu vực khô nhất đến khu vực ướt nhất. Tốt nhất là có nhiều khu vực nhận được cùng mức nước hoặc gần bằng mức trung bình hơn (Hình 3). DU va CU càng cao thì khả năng điều này xảy ra càng cao, dẫn đến việc giảm nhu cầu bù nước cho các khu vực khô thông qua việc tưới quá nhiều.

Mặc dù rất hữu ích, hiệu quả sử dụng nước không phải là chỉ số duy nhất về hiệu quả tưới tiêu. Việc đánh giá hệ thống chi tiết hơn cũng sẽ xem xét sự

thất thoát áp lực qua hệ thống. Sự thất thoát áp lực lớn dẫn đến việc tăng thời gian bơm nước và do đó chi phí vận hành cao hơn. Cũng có một khu vực tối ưu trong hoạt động của máy bơm để tối đa hóa hiệu quả. Hầu hết các thất thoát lớn có thể được khắc phục lại bằng cách thiết kế và lắp đặt các hệ thống đúng cách.

Một phương pháp để kiểm tra sự thất thoát trong hệ thống của quý vị là đọc áp kế tại máy bơm và sau đó tại các van đầu và van cuối trong hệ thống. Độ cao cũng góp phần gây thất thoát nhưng những thất thoát này được xác định một cách dễ dàng. Việc tăng 1 mét chiều cao sẽ dẫn đến thất thoát 10 kPa. Nếu nằm trên vị trí phẳng và các máy bơm hoạt động ở mức 600 kPa nhưng bình tưới thứ nhất sau van chỉ nhận được 280 kPa, sự thất thoát áp lực qua hệ thống là 320 kPa, đây là mức quá nhiều. Nhìn chung, thất thoát không quá 20% là có thể chấp nhận được. Nếu thất thoát lớn hơn, thì cần

Your Production

Good practice and irrigation systems: an under-valued farm asset — Vietnamese translation continued

thực hiện đánh giá toàn bộ để chẩn đoán nguyên nhân của vấn đề.

Hệ thống tưới tiêu là một sự đầu tư lớn và có thể là một trong số các loại thiết bị lâu năm nhất trên trang trại.

Nếu không có hệ thống tưới tiêu, việc trồng vườn phụ thuộc vào nước mưa sẽ không mang tính tiết kiệm. Nếu được thiết kế, lắp đặt và vận hành kém, các hệ thống tưới tiêu sẽ có vòng đời ngắn hơn và tiêu tốn của quý vị

hơn mức cần thiết. Điều này làm giảm lợi nhuận và sẽ có nhiều khả năng dẫn đến việc sử dụng nước nhiều hơn và hiệu quả sử dụng nước thấp hơn.

Cần phải lựa chọn hệ thống tưới tiêu một cách cẩn thận, tương tự như việc mua các máy móc cho trang trại. Quý vị cần mua thiết bị phù hợp để thực hiện đúng công việc. Một hệ thống không thể phù hợp với tất cả các trang trại, và thường thì việc chỉ lặp lại

những gì đã thực hiện trước đây hoặc những gì đã lắp đặt ở trang trại bên cạnh sẽ không xứng đáng nhất với chi phí bỏ ra hoặc không đem lại hiệu quả hoạt động tốt nhất. Để biết thêm thông tin hãy liên hệ Rohan Prince tại Sở Nông Nghiệp và Thực Phẩm, email rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov. au hoặc số di động 0429 680 069.

Increase in Queensland fruit fly detections — Vietnamese translation

Chỉ là bản thảo Tăng các phát hiện về ruồi đục quả Queensland Tác giả: Darryl Hardie, Sở Nông Nghiệp và Thực Phẩm

bờ biển tới Midland. Không có mô hình cụ thể nào rõ ràng.

Lưới bẫy trong vùng thành phố của Sở đã phát hiện được mười tám con ruồi đục quả Queensland đực (Qfly) trong thời gian từ tháng 10 năm 2011 đến ngày 17 tháng 2 năm 2012 — gấp ba lần số lượng bắt được trung bình mỗi mùa.

Việc tăng số lượng phát hiện đã gây ra sự quan ngại và các nguyên nhân có thể có đang được điều tra. Bẫy bổ sung cũng đã được lắp đặt để hỗ trợ phát hiện thêm bất kỳ sự có mặt nào.

Các địa điểm được chỉ ra trên bản đồ bên dưới và mở rộng từ Warwick về phía bắc tới Gosnells về phía nam và từ

Department of Agriculture and Food

Sự lan tràn của Qfly đã đạt mức kỷ lục ở các tiểu bang phía đông trong năm qua với sự xâm nhập vào các khu vực tự do thông thường gồm có Tasmania và Vùng Loại Trừ Ruồi Đục Quả ở phía nam NSW và phía bắc Victoria.

Qfly có thể phá hoại nhiều hơn ruồi đục quả Địa Trung Hải (Medfly), loài được coi là côn trùng phá hoại nghiêm trọng nhất của các ngành rau củ WA. Qfly được xác định tràn vào phá hoại trên phạm vi rộng hơn các cây trồng thương mại và cây tự nhiên, nho và các cây trồng như cà tím, cà chua, ớt xanh và ớt.

Queensland fruit fly.

Bất kỳ cuộc tấn công nào của loài ruồi đục quả đến cà chua, bao gồm cà chua xanh và ớt đều được quan tâm đặc biệt.

Figure 1 Queensland fruit fly detections in 2011–12.

Rau quả ngày càng có nhiều khả năng bị tấn công khi trưởng thành và khi số lượng ruồi đục quả tăng lên trong mùa hè.

Mediterranean fruit fly.

WA Grower Autumn 2012

95

Your Production

Permits Permit ID

Minor Use Permits can also be searched by specific crop or pest types at www.apvma.gov.au/permits/search.php

Description

Target

Expiry Date

Haloxyfop

Grass weeds

13-Sep-12

Avatar (indoxacarb)

Garden weevil

–

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

–

PER11450

Ethofumesate (Tramat)

Grass weeds

30-Sep-12

PER11949

Lambda-Cyhalothrin

Various insects

30-Sep-12

PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Sep-12

PER13034

Score Foliar Fungicide

Leaf spot

31-Mar-13

PER11919

Flint 500 WG Fungicide (trifloxystrobin)

Alternaria leaf spot and cercospora leaf spot

9-Mar-16

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

31-Jan-13

PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Jan-13

Methomyl

Bean pod borer and budworm

30-Jul-13

Adzuki beans PER11405 Asparagus PER12777 Beetroot

Beans

Borlotti beans PER9509

Brassica leafy vegetables PER11994

Proclaim insecticide

Diamondback moth, heliothis and vegetable looper

31-May-13

PER11475

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, plague thrips and lepidoptera

30-Aug-12

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

30-Sep-12

PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

30-Jul-13

PER9631

Nufarm Cabrio Fungicide (pyraclostrobin)

White blister rust

30-Sep-14

PER9669

Iprodione

Sclerotinia, grey mould, alternaria leaf spot

30-Jul-13

PER10497

Imidacloprid

Aphids, whitefly and thrips

30-Sep-12

PER10845

Barmac Zineb Fungicide

Cercospora leaf spot and downy mildew

30-Sep-12

PER13154

Dual Gold Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Sep-12

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

30-Sep-13

PER13032

Pirimicarb

Aphids

30-Jun-12

PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Jun-12

PER13291

Acrobat Fungicide

White blister

–

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

9-Aug-12

PER10920

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable beetle adults

31-Jul-16

PER10588

Iprodione

Rhizoctonia

31-Jul-16

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

30-Jun-12

PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

30-Sep-12

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Jul-16

PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

30-Sep-12

PER10090

Iprodione

Grey mould

31-Jul-16

Tebuconazole

Cercospora leaf spot

30-Jun-12

Agri-fos 600 Systemic Fungicide (phosphorous acid)

Phytophthora soil fungus

31-Mar-15

Brassica

Broccolli

Brussel sprouts

Broad beans PER12657 Capsicums PER11778

96

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

PER10903

Flint 500 WG Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-12

PER10903

Flint 500 WG Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-12

PER13047

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-12

PER13047

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-12

PER13031

Maldison

Fruit fly

31-Mar-15

PER10656

Pyrimethanil

Botrytis

31-Mar-15

PER10656

Pyrimethanil

Botrytis

31-Dec-13

2,2-Dichloropropionic Acid

Promotion of bolting and grass weed control

2-Apr-12

PER12400

Iprodione

Suppression of black rot

31-Mar-12

PER13013

Clethodim

Grass weed control

31-Mar-12

PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Sep-12

PER13147

Lontrel

Capeweed and Clover

31-Mar-12

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

30-Sep-12

PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Mar-15

Alpha-Cypermethrin

Staphylinid beetle

5-Sep-16

PER11987

Linuron

Weeds

30-Apr-12

PER10846

Rovral Aquaflo Fungicide (Iprodione)

Sclerotinia rot

31-Oct-16

PER10727

Ridomil Gold MZ WG

Late blight, septoria leaf blight and downy mildew

30-Jun-12

PER9839

Permethrin (Ambush )

Heliothis and looper

30-Jun-12

PER10946

Linuron

Range of weeds

30-Sep-13

PER11641

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Cercospora leaf spot and septoria spot

5-Sep-12

PER10316

Avatar Insecticide (indoxacarb)

Heliothis, lightbrown apple moth, lucerne leaf roller and vegetable weevil

31-Mar-15

PER12405

Score Foliar Fungicide (difenoconazole)

Cercospora leaf spot and septoria spots

31-Mar-12

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Nov-15

PER11849

Ridomil Gold MZ (mancozeb + metalaxyl-M)

Anthracnose, downy mildew and septoria

31-Mar-12

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

31-Mar-13

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

31-Mar-15

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

31-Mar-15

PER13032

Pirimicarb

Aphids

31-Mar-15

PER11356

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Powdery mildew

31-Mar-15

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-13

PER13254

Dimethoate

Queensland and Mediterranean fruit fly

31-Mar-12

PER11946

Clethodim

Grasses

31-Mar-15

Abamectin (Vertimec)

Two-spoted mite

31-May-13

Capsicums (protected)

Carrot (for seed) PER11747 Carrots

Cauliflower

Cauliflower crops PER10688 Celeraic

Celery

Chicory

Chilli peppers

Chillies PER10730

WA Grower Autumn 2012

97

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

PER10747

Rovral Aquaflo Fungicide

Sclerotinia rot

31-May-13

PER10800

Bayfidan 250 EC Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-12

PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Jul-12

PER9779

Diazinon

Onion maggot

31-Mar-15

PER13032

Pirimicarb

Aphids

31-Mar-15

PER10903

Flint 500 WG Fungicide

Powdery mildew

15-Jul-12

PER9104

Pyranica

Two-spotted mite

15-Jul-12

PER10311

Eco-Oil (Botanical Oil)

Greenhouse whitefly and silverleaf whitefly

31-Mar-15

Corriander

Cucumbers

PER12504

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Mar-15

PER13047

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted mite

30-Apr-12

PER10219

Mancozeb

Grey mould

31-Mar-17

PER10818

Bravo Weather Stik Fungicide (chlorothalonil)

Botrytis rot

31-Mar-17

PER13031

Maldison

Fruit fly

31-Mar-15

PER13349

Pyranica

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-13

PER10764

Pyriproxyfen

Silverleaf whitefly

30-Sep-13

PER10979

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

1-Aug-15

PER12504

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

30-Sep-13

Cururbits

Culinary herbs PER12632

Tebuconazole

30-Sep-13

PER10307

Metolachlor

Weeds

30-Sep-13

PER8930

Phorate

Aphids, jassids, mites, thrips and onion maggot

30-Apr-13

PER12442

Trichlorfon

Fruit fly

30-Sep-12

Eggplant

PER12862

Zineb

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.)

30-Sep-12

PER5815

Spinosad

Melon thrips

30-Sep-12

PER10948

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-12

PER13043

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

31-Jan-13

PER10265

Methidathion

Western flower thrips

31-Jul-13

PER10764

Pyriproxyfen

Silverleaf whitefly

31-Jul-13

PER11946

Clethodim

Grasses

31-Jul-13

PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-16

PER9893

Methidathion

Rutherglen bug

31-May-14

PER11778

Agri-fos 600 Systemic Fungicide (phosphorous acid)

Phytophthora soil fungus

5-Sep-12

PER11778

Agri-fos 600 Systemic Fungicide (phosphorous acid)

Phytophthora soil fungus

5-Sep-12

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

5-Sep-12

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

5-Sep-12

PER11849

Ridomil Gold MZ (mancozeb + metalaxyl-M)

Anthracnose, downy mildew and septoria

5-Sep-12

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

5-Sep-12

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

5-Sep-12

PER11356

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Powdery mildew

5-Sep-12

Endive

98

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

Tebuconazole

Cercospora leaf spot

30-Sep-16

PER7905

Phosphorous

Downy mildew

31-Jan-13

PER13036

Bravo 720 SC

Downy mildew, purple blotch

31-Jan-13

BASF Pyramin WG Selective Herbicide

Various weeds and grasses

30-Sep-14

Paclobutrazol

Promote flowering

31-Dec-12

Methyl Bromide

Fruit fly and thrips

31-Dec-12

PER10511

Surflan 500 Flowable Herbicide (Oryzalin)

Broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Sep-13

PER11453

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Jun-13

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Jun-13

PER10311

Eco-Oil (Botanical Oil)

Greenhouse whitefly and silverleaf whitefly

30-Sep-13

PER11852

Fenhexamid

Grey mould

30-Sep-12

PER9778

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-Mar-12

PER11120

Natrasoap and Neemtech

Greenhouse whitefly

31-May-13

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-13

PER8601

Pyriproxyfen

Silverleaf whitefly and greenhouse whitefly

31-Mar-12

PER8617

Fenhexamid

Botrytis

30-Sep-12

PER8621

Quinoxyfen

Powdery mildew

30-Apr-13

PER11526

Chlorothalonil

Fungal diseases

30-Jun-14

PER8577

Etoxazole

Two-spotted mite

31-Mar-17

PER8591

Myclobutanil

Powdery mildew

30-May-14

PER8633

Chlorfenapyr

Various insects

31-Jan-15

PER8628

Pendimethalin

Grass and broadleaf weeds

1-Jan-13

PER10305

Bacillus thuringiensis

Lepidopteran pests

31-Mar-14

PER11815

Petroleum oil

Insect pests

31-Mar-13

Amistar (azoxystrobin)

White blister rust and downy mildew

30-Apr-13

PER8762

Maldison

Onion thrips

30-Apr-13

PER11453

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

31-Aug-14

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

31-Aug-14

PER3850

Copper hydroxide

Downy mildew, purple blotch

1-Jan-14

PER9895

Thimet 100G

Onion maggot and thrips

30-Apr-13

PER9904

Tribinul, Juggler 700

Broadleaf weeds

30-Apr-13

PER10902

Dimethomorph

Downy mildew

30-Jun-13

Faba beans PER12657 Fennel

Fodder beet PER12364 Forestry seed orchards PER10393

Fruit and fruiting vegetables PER10695 Garlic

Garlic chives PER11170 Greenhouse

Green beans PER13271 Herbs

Horseradish PER10816 Leeks

WA Grower Autumn 2012

99

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

PER9859

BALAN (benfluralin)

Grass and broadleaf weed control

1-Jul-18

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

31-Aug-14

PER10311

Eco-Oil (Botanical Oil)

Greenhouse whitefly and Silverleaf whitefly

31-Aug-14

PER11651

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted (red spider) mite

30-Sep-12

PER12386

Dacthal (chlorthal-dimethyl)

Stinging nettle

30-Sep-12

PER13002

Metalaxyl-M

Damping off

30-Sep-12

Phosphorous

Downy mildew

30-Sep-12

BALAN (benfluralin)

Grass and broadleaf weed control

30-Sep-12

PER10416

Methamidophos

Western flower thrips

31-Mar-12

PER10807

Vertimec (abamectin)

Two-spotted mite

31-Mar-13

PER11472

VectoBac WG Biological Larvicide

Fungus gnats and Sciarids

30-Jun-15

PER10407

Prochloraz

Cobweb disease

30-Sep-12

PER12172

Pestigas

Mushroom flies

30-Sep-12

PER12848

Carbendazim

Dry bubble, wet bubble and green mould

31-Jan-14

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Aug-15

PER11152

Natrasoap insecticidal soap spray

Lace bug

30-Sep-12

PER11360

Copper hydroxide

Fungal leaf spot and fruit rot

30-Sep-12

PER11783

Chlorpyrifos

Various insect pests

30-Jun-13

PER12857

Fenthion

Various insect pests

30-Jun-13

PER13174

Amistar WG and Amistar 250 SC (azoxystrobin)

Anthracnose

31-Mar-14

PER13267

Insegar 250 W Insect Growth Regulator (fenoxycarb)

Black olive scale

30-Jun-12

PER11450

Ethofumesate (Tramat)

Grass weeds

30-Apr-14

PER11989

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide

Various weeds

30-Sep-12

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

30-Sep-13

PER11946

Clethodim

Grasses

30-Sep-12

PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Oct-15

PER10730

Abamectin (Vertimec)

Two-spoted mite

31-Oct-15

PER10747

Rovral Aquaflo Fungicide

Sclerotinia rot

31-Oct-15

PER10800

Bayfidan 250 EC Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-Aug-15

PER9779

Diazinon

Onion maggot

30-Jun-12

PER10089

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable weevil and black beetle

31-Mar-13

PER13121

Ridomil Gold 25G (metalaxyl-M)

Pythium and Phytophthora

31-Mar-13

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-Mar-13

PER10758

Pendimethalin

Grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-13

Lettuce

Lettuce (leaf and hydroponic) PER7905 Lettuce (seed crop) PER13332 Lettuce (head)

Mushrooms

Navy beans PER13271 Olives

Onions

Paprika

Parsley

Parnsip

100

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

PER11348

Clethodim

Grass weeds

30-Jun-13

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

31-Aug-16

PER11453

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Nov-14

PER8813

Trifluralin

Wintergrass

30-Sep-13

PER12354

Ridomil Gold 25G (metalaxyl-M)

Pythium spp. and Phytophthora spp.

31-May-13

PER11946

Clethodim

Grasses

30-Jun-13

PER10691

Diflufenican

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-13

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-May-14

PER9893

Methidathion

Rutherglen bug

30-Jun-13

PER8930

Phorate

Aphids, jassids, mites, thrips and onion maggot

30-Nov-14

PER10979

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

30-Nov-14

PER11852

Fenhexamid

Grey mould

30-Nov-14

PER12378

Acephate

Western flower thrips

30-Sep-12

PER10265

Methidathion

Western flower thrips

30-Jun-13

PER11440

Sumiclex 500 (procymidone)

Sclerotinia rot

30-Jun-13

PER10878

Trifluralin

Broadleaf and annual grass weeds

30-Jun-13

PER10283

Chlorpyrifos

Black beetle, wingless grasshopper, red-legged earth mite

31-Mar-15

PER12612

Alpha-cypermethrin

Garden weevil

30-Sep-14

PER10822

Sodium hypochlorite

Various insect and fungal pests

30-Sep-14

PER10089

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable weevil and black beetle

31-Oct-12

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Dec-13

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

31-Dec-13

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Dec-13

PER11849

Ridomil Gold MZ (mancozeb + metalaxyl-M)

Anthracnose, downy mildew and septoria

31-Dec-13

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

31-Dec-13

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

31-Dec-13

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

31-Dec-15

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-Jan-13

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER10676

Pendimethalin

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Jan-13

PER11475

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, plague thrips and lepidoptera

30-Jun-12

PER11949

Lambda-Cyhalothrin

Various insects

30-Sep-16

PER11350

Mancozeb

Alternaria, cercospora leaf spot, white blister

30-Sep-13

PER11441

Propachlor

Grass and broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-12

PER13035

Clethodim

Control of grasses

30-Jul-13

PER10980

Propiconazole

Cercospora

30-Sep-13

Peas

Peas (processing) PER11951 Peppers

Potatoes

Pumpkin PER12504 Radicchio

Radish

WA Grower Autumn 2012

101

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

BASF Pyramin WG Selective Herbicide

Various weeds and grasses

30-Jun-20

PER9325

Ambush Emulsifiable Concentrate Insecticide

Green peach aphid, green looper, light brown apple moth and budworms

31-Mar-12

PER11358

Clethodim

Grass weeds listed on label

30-Sep-14

PER12384

Dual Gold Herbicide (S-metolachlor)

Various weeds

30-Sep-14

PER13152

MCPA 250 Selective Herbicide

Broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

30-Apr-16

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

31-Mar-22

PER8930

Phorate

Aphids, jassids, mites, thrips and onion maggot

30-Sep-12

PER10676

Pendimethalin

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-14

PER10868

Ioxynil

Broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-14

PER13271

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-14

PER6914

Lannate L (methomyl)

Western flower thrips

30-Sep-16

PER8762

Maldison

Onion thrips

30-Jun-13

PER9921

Tribunil Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-13

PER10824

Copper Oxychloride, Cuprous Oxide or Cupric Hydroxide

Downy mildew

30-Jun-21

PER10882

Diazinon

Thrips (excluding WFT) and onion seedling maggot

30-Jun-21

PER11453

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

31-Mar-15

PER8931

Propachlor

Broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-15

PER9355

Alpha-cypermethrin

Thrips, vegetable weevil and red-legged earth mite

31-Mar-15

PER12364

BASF Pyramin WG Selective Herbicide

Various weeds and grasses

30-Jun-21

PER10727

Ridomil Gold MZ WG

Late blight, septoria leaf blight and downy mildew

31-Aug-12

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Sep-14

PER11946

Clethodim

Grasses

31-Jul-12

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Jul-14

PER11989

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide

Various weeds

31-Jul-14

PER12862

Zineb

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.)

31-Jul-14

PER13271

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Sep-13

PER11572

Chlorothalonil

Downy mildew, alternaria leaf blight and grey mould

31-Mar-14

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

31-May-14

PER11356

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-14

PER11991

Legend Fungicide (quinoxyfen)

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-14

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-13

PER7419

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Pasture webworm, cutworm, Rutherglen bug and thrips

30-Sep-13

PER10656

Pyrimethanil

Botrytis

30-Sep-14

PER10976

Bentazone

Broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-14

PER10988

Bladex 900 WG (cyanazine)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-14

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

Red beet PER12364 Rhubarb

Rockmelons PER12504 Rosemary PER11170 Shallots

Silverbeet

Snow peas

102

WA Grower Autumn 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

PER11765

Etoxazole

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-12

PER12822

Chess Insecticide

Aphids

31-Oct-12

PER9485

Acrobat

Downy mildew

31-Oct-12

PER12571

Acramite 480 SC

Mites

31-Oct-12

PER11572

Chlorothalonil

Downy mildew, alternaria leaf blight and grey mould

31-Dec-19

PER11356

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-13

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Aug-13

PER8931

Propachlor

Broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Sep-16

PER10727

Ridomil Gold MZ WG

Late blight, septoria leaf blight and downy mildew

31-Jul-16

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

31-Mar-13

PER11946

Clethodim

Grasses

8-Aug-12

PER12862

Zineb

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.)

30-Sep-13

PER11989

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide

Various weeds

31-Dec-19

PER13271

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Dec-19

PER9355

Alpha-cypermethrin

Thrips, vegetable weevil and red-legged earth mite

30-Jun-15

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

31-May-14

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Jun-15

PER9921

Tribunil Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Oct-12

PER10676

Pendimethalin

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Oct-12

PER10868

Ioxynil

Broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Oct-12

PER6914

Lannate L (methomyl)

Western flower thrips

30-Sep-13

PER8762

Maldison

Onion thrips

30-Sep-13

PER11453

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

31-Aug-12

PER13271

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Sep-13

PER8930

Phorate

Aphids, jassids, mites, thrips and onion maggot

31-May-14

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

31-Mar-16

PER10824

Copper Oxychloride, Cuprous Oxide or Cupric Hydroxide

Downy mildew

31-Oct-12

PER10882

Diazinon

Thrips (excluding WFT) and onion seedling maggot

31-Oct-12

PER11763

Pirimicarb

Aphids

31-Oct-12

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Mar-15

PER10656

Pyrimethanil

Botrytis

30-Nov-16

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-12

PER12822

Chess Insecticide

Aphids

30-Sep-12

PER12571

Acramite 480 SC

Mites

31-Oct-12

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER7419

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Pasture webworm, cutworm, Rutherglen bug and thrips

30-Sep-12

PER10976

Bentazone

Broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-12

PER10988

Bladex 900 WG (cyanazine)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-12

PER11765

Etoxazole

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-16

Mancozeb

Alternaria, cercospora leaf spot, white blister

30-Sep-16

Spinach

Spring onions

Squash PER12504 Sugar snap peas

Swede PER11350

WA Grower Autumn 2012

103

Your Production

Permits (cont.)

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry Date

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER11441

Propachlor

Grass and broadleaf weeds

31-Dec-16

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

31-Mar-17

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-Dec-13

Sweet corn PER11355

Abamectin

31-Mar-13

PER10433

Pirmicarb

Aphids

31-Mar-13

PER13116

Propiconazole

Northern corn leaf blight

31-Oct-12

PER13032

Pirimicarb

Aphids

31-Oct-12

PER9722

Talstar (bifenthrin)

Wireworm

31-Dec-12

PER12047

Tecto Flowable SC Fungicide (thiabendazole)

Field rots caused by scurf and root rot

30-Apr-13

PER13151

Mouseoff and Rattoff Zinc Phosphide Baits

House mouse and introduced rats

30-Nov-19

PER13153

Regent 200 SC

White-fringed weevil and wireworm

30-Nov-14

PER13352

Chlorpyrifos

Sweet potato weevil and wireworm

30-Sep-15

PER10460

Phorate (Thimet 100G)

Aphids, thrips, jassids and organophosphate susceptible two-spotted mite and wireworm

31-Dec-12

PER11453

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

31-Mar-13

PER13047

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted mite

31-Dec-12

PER10764

Pyriproxyfen

Silverleaf whitefly

5-Oct-12

PER12378

Acephate

Western flower thrips

31-Dec-12

PER10265

Methidathion

Western flower thrips

31-Mar-14

PER12514

Sencor 480 SC (metribuzin)

Weed control

31-Dec-12

PER10934

Buprofezin

Greenhouse whitefly

30-Nov-15

PER11350

Mancozeb

Alternaria, cercospora leaf spot, white blister

30-Jun-12

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER11441

Propachlor

Grass and broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-12

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-12

PER12002

Ecocarb Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-12

PER11950

Chlorothalonil

Various fungicides

31-Mar-13

PER13089

Acrobat Fungicide

Downy mildew

31-Mar-13

PER12385

Products containing Copper

Various diseases

31-Mar-13

PER13111

Chess Insecticide (pymetrozine)

Silverleaf whitefly, lettuce aphid

31-Mar-13

PER12589

Chlorpyrifos

African black beetle and wireworms

31-Jan-13

PER12753

Naturalure Fruit Fly Bait Concentrate

Mediterranean fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly

30-Jun-12

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

30-Jun-12

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

30-Sep-12

Sweet potato

Tomatoes

Turnips

Various vegetables

Watermelons PER12504 Zucchini PER12504

104

WA Grower Autumn 2012

WA Grower ADVERTISING SPECIFICATIONS

FULL PAGE Full page with bleed

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Please note that the WA Grower banner will run across the top of all full page adverts.

HALF PAGE Half page without bleed 190mm wide x 130mm high

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vegetablesWA Horticultural House 103 Outram Street, West Perth 6005

t: (08) 9481 0834 f: (08) 9481 0024 e: finance@vegetableswa.com.au

9PSLJOH 9PSLJOH XJUI

0BUVSF #U EJGGFSFOU UJNFT # EJGG J +O EJGGFSFOU QMBDFT

Bejo, a name that stands for quality

Open Days 2012 Thursday 19th and Friday 20th April Pay us a vist at our trials farm - 460 Hall Road, Skye, Victoria 3977 We have a diverse range of outdoor varieties on display, with a focus this year on added value. Bejo advisors will be on hand to keep you updated, and there will also be visitors from interstate and New Zealand to share knowledge and information with.

Please contact our ofďŹ ce or our WA representative for futher details.

Bejo Seeds Pty Ltd 460 Hall Road Skye, Victoria 3977 Tel: 03 9782 2811

WA Representative Tim Aldridge Tel: 0458 685 858 E-mail: tim_aldridge@bejo.com.au

www.bejo.com.au