President’s Report

vegetablesWA

President’s Report

BY DAN KUZMICICH PRESIDENT, VEGETABLESWA

Hello to all growers and industry. Well what a crazy year it has been so far, with COVID-19 and the media reported ‘storm of the decade’ you may well ask what’s next?

In Carnarvon and the general Gascoyne region I have heard reports that there was strong winds with minimal structural damage. However it was the poor plants that copped a beating, especially without protective infrastructure in place. Unfortunately in this region the storm had little to no rain and the winds whipped up the landscape like a dust bowl and sand blasted some plants badly. Some of our young capsicum plants had little or no leaf left standing. Time will tell if they bounce back or not. It was the lack of rain that was the most disappointing thing, only approximately 8mm recorded, not even enough to wash the plants down and the ground here is still left wanting. I was hoping for a decent 40–50mm of rain, a bit of wishful thinking on my part. In Geraldton it was a similar situation with gusty winds, little rain and no reprieve of the current dusty conditions. Some growers were hit hard with structural damage to tunnels, losing 30% of established plants. This is particularly heart-breaking after the time and money spend in preparation for the harvest season, only to be taken away in a matter of hours with an unusual weather incident. I feel for those who have been hardest hit and wish them a quick recovery. Times like this, the idea of crop insurance would be reassuring to give growers piece of mind when dealing with the elements. In the metro region, I am told that the storm hit with minimal damage. Perth got some decent rainfall which started the winter season. Fall armyworm has been a talking point since its entry into Australia a few months ago. As expected, it has been working its way down from the top end and has now been detected in Carnarvon. It has been creating a few headaches for our corn growers in the North. Jim Trandos of Trandos Farms has advised me that there is a product ‘Fawligen’, from the US, that is used successfully to battle this pest — it could be the ‘silver bullet’. Produced by AgBitec it seems to be the silver bullet however we will have to wait about two years for testing to see whether there are any biosecurity concerns before use in Australia. For more information go to www.agbitech.com. Thrips are also causing some damage in Carnarvon, Western Flower Thrip and Onion Thrip transmit TSWV (Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus). This virus is causing damage to Carnarvon capsicums and unfortunately there is no treatment once the plant has been infected. Just another cause for concern. In fact, on our property we had to remove plants to manage the spread of this virus. Some other growers have had to pull half to whole patches! Again, not an ideal situation! I can’t express the importance of on farm hygiene. Cleanup of your old patches after harvest is the best way to ensure that you don’t create a host environment to harbour pests. Do the right thing for yourself, your neighbour and your region by keeping on top of your hygiene. I would like to mention that Carnarvon Growers Association have been providing great advice and service to the growers in our region in this regard. On a brighter side, the price of vegetables in the recent period has been very good. The latest round of Market City reports indicate that tomato growers, in particular, have had a win this harvest season, which is always pleasing to see. Hopefully the COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease so the market system can supply the increased demand as markets such as hospitality comes back on line. Lastly I would like to thank Michael Nixon for his efforts in representing vegetable growers from WA through his board position with AusVeg since 2014. It’s hard enough being a grower, let alone taking on a national industry role, with all that encompasses — travel and time away from family and your business. Michael is a respected grower in Carnarvon and is not shy in putting his front foot forward dealing with issues that need to be addressed on a regional, state and national level. He has recently stepped down from the role and has served us well. We are very lucky that replacing Michael’s position is Pennie Patane from Patane Produce in Myalup. That’s me done for now, and we all know that there is always something that needs to be done and always obstacles in our way. So in finishing, I would like to remind you that vegetablesWA have a great team in place and if you need any assistance with any issues or to seek other information they are there and willing to help you, don’t hesitate to utilise this great resource. Stay safe talk soon.

MORE INFORMATION

Contact Dan Kuzmicich on 0408 910 761 or

damir.kuzmicich@bigpond.com

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