Looking to industry growth

A note from our chair

At the time of writing, about 15 per cent of the 2023 dried fruit has been delivered to packers, compared to 35 to 40 per cent in previous years. Those who had everything cut by the second week in March made the right decision. The data from DFA over the years shows waiting for sugar to rise for extra weight is not the way to go. The extra dollars received are lost on dehydration, processing charges and lower grades. Waiting also increases the possibility of not being able to harvest some of your crop.

Growers should work towards having a range of varieties that mature at different times. This means an earlier start to harvest and labour is easier to find and keep.

There are many new varieties that come in early and give high tonnages. Speak to your processors and nurseries on options.

For those who lost their crop and didn't harvest, like us, due to the floods and downy mildew, let me tell you our plan going forward.

We are not going to cut off canes put down last year, which means there will be no pulling out or rolling on. The only pulling down and rolling on will be of canes that will fill any areas where there are no canes, especially in young vines. We plan to then run the cutter bar just under the bottom wire and just above the cordon, and as close as we can to the high wire on the high side of the Shaw trellis. Then we will go through and tidy up by pruning the cordon to encourage cane growth for next year's crop.

I’ve spoken to growers who have been in the industry for many years and no one, to date, thinks this is a bad idea. We will save dollars, and we expect the yield to be the same if not higher than average.

The cons will be that it won’t look very neat, we could have more crown bunches, possibly have more downy mildew spurs, and canes will be two years old after harvest in 2024.

I believe the pros outweigh the cons; crowns will be sprayed out and we will spray with copper early for downy mildew.

Please consider all options and make informed decisions about the best way to move forward to aim for a better outcome next year.

News from our CEO

A three to four-week delay in harvesting, coupled with unpredictable weather conditions, has presented another challenging season for our dried grape industry.

Drying conditions have not been excellent, but have been much improved compared to last year’s wet harvest season.

Light coloured fruits are limited in volume.

This has also highlighted the desperate need for early harvesting varieties in our industry.

We are optimistically working on some promising new varieties that have such characteristics and we hope to make them available to growers in a timely manner.

The new harvester drawing project, driven by the Innovation Committee, chaired by Ashley Johnstone, has led to seven units/harvesters being ordered and manufactured.

The success of such a project has highlighted the importance and significance of a robust industry R&D innovation program.

A proposed change to our current R&D levy structure (from current $11/tonne to a proposed $20/tonne) is in progress and we need your support to make it happen from the 2025 season. (More on page 32).

The levy, matched by government funding, will guarantee sufficient R&D funding being delivered to support the dried grape industry into the future.v