DRIED GRAPE NEWS
Innovation key for future The Dried Fruits Australia board has established a Grower Innovation Group to collaborate on innovation in dried grape production. The board sub-committee was formed at the July board meeting with the aim of tackling grower challenges. Board deputy chair and Grower Innovation Group member Warren Lloyd said the group had narrowed its focus for the coming year. “What’s become apparent is that there’s a desperate need for new harvesters to be built specifically for swing arm trellis,” Warren said. “We’re trying to come up with constructive solutions to this problem.” The group will have professional drawings created of what they regard as a best practice machine. “Ideally our aim is to see a new harvester constructed and used for the 2023 harvest, which is a pretty tall order, but that’s the goal,” Warren said. Another challenge is the capacity
of existing wetting machines to adequately wet large crops. “When these were designed, a big crop would have been three tonne to the acre (7.41 tonnes to the hectare), whereas you’ve got people now who are averaging five tonne to the acre (12.35 tonnes to the hectare) and finding it difficult to get an adequate wetting job done,” Warren explained. The Grower Innovation Group welcomes more members from the dried grape growing community. “There’s a willingness to contribute and if you’ve got multiple people in a room, you can come up with more options. It’s a great starting point” he said. The Grower Innovation Group was established as the board prepares to sign off on the DFA Strategic Plan 2022-2027. The board met in May to review the plan and update for the next five years. With a range of background information, including the new Hort Innovation Dried Grape Strategic Investment Plan 2022-2026, and with research and development priorities
from the planning day held in January 2021, the board focussed on critical issues to the industry, such as supply, production systems, investment and market engagement. Leonie Burrows facilitated the session as the board explored key challenges and opportunities for the industry. Research, development and extension, and communication of R&D information to growers remains a strong focus, along with production efficiencies and industry sustainability. The vision is for “a profitable and sustainable industry delivering innovative growth and quality dried grapes” with three major goal areas encompassing industry, market development and the organisation itself. The DFA Strategic Plan 2022-2027 will receive sign off at the board’s August meeting. People interested in joining the Grower Innovation Group can contact Warren at manager@18ninety.net or by phone on 0417 851 004. v
D I G I TA L S PRAY D I A RY R EA DY F O R TH E S EAS O N Dried Fruits Australia’s chemical spray diary is now digital. Contracted dried grape growers would now have received their login details for the Grapeweb platform, which houses the new spray diary. Industry field officer Stuart Putland said Grapeweb had significant experience in tailoring a program suitable for the wine grape industry, which was able to be adapted for dried grape growing.
simply log on and have a go. “It’s easy to use and there are how-to videos available on the site to show how everything works,” Stuart said. “Growers need to enter details about their individual patches – row spacing, planting dates and varieties. If people are unsure about their hectares, SunRISE Mapping might be able to help,” Stuart said.
“If we have any growers who have experience with wine grapes, it’ll be familiar to them.”
The platform includes inputs for chemical user permits and sprayer calibrations, and all chemical information links to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, where product labels and safety data sheets can be found.
Growers have been encouraged to
Grapeweb includes the DFA-approved
“They’ve run this system for a long time,” he explained.
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list of chemicals and gives simple alerts if growers have chosen a spray that doesn’t match the application. “It’ll allow you to search for chemicals to treat for a particular pest or disease, and it’s got all the withholding periods specific to dried grapes,” Stuart said. Hard copy spray diaries are available free for members ($15 for non-members) from the DFA office. The Grapeweb system will work on iPad, computers and phones. Processor field officers are trained in the system to support growers, while Grapeweb can provide technical support. The project was funded by the Australian Government.
