Profile: Bill Avery

Bill Avery is the farm manager of Talia Farms, South Australia's largest table grape producer, based in the Riverland.

Bill became interested in the table grape industry after marrying a Happy Valley girl and relocating to Robinvale, Victoria. He has been involved in the industry since 1987, having worked with several producers over the decades, including being the national grape category agronomist with Costa Group.

Bill has more than 40 years of experience and last year joined the ATGA board as the South Australia delegate.

How long have you and/or your family been involved in the table grape industry?

1987 to present.

How did you become involved?

After the move to Robinvale, I worked with Cordoma Brothers, pruning, picking, and shed packing Red Emperors for the European market. This was the catalyst to drive my interest and passion for the table grape industry in the early years. I could see this industry had a positive future and that the people at its base were hard working, innovative and passionate.

How have things changed over the years?

I have seen the industry start with a domestic-focussed fieldpacked product in open boxes with rudimentary cool chain management, and mature into a sophisticated quality assured product with stateof-the-art cool chain management.

Vineyard management has evolved from furrow irrigation to pressurised watering systems with many irrigation scheduling options at your choice. Vineyard vine covers have certainly been a game-changer in minimising weather damage, but they can delay harvest in cooler wetter years.

Where do you see the industry going in 2023 and beyond?

I think we will see public varieties decrease as proprietary varieties continue to gain traction, and a certain level of consolidation in the growing sector to larger corporate-style family operations, similar to in California.

What do you love about the industry?

The people, industry growth and new varietal choices.

What are some career highlights/ moments you’re proud of?

Working with Costa Group in the early days as an agronomist, developing agronomic programs and canopy management procedures for the Sun World breeding group, was very rewarding.

Consulting in Saudi Arabia and China on large-scale corporate table grape farms allowed me to travel extensively, and learn about operations globally.

Is there anything related to technology or innovation that you or your business would like to explore more?

We are already exploring the adoption of precision farming and autonomous farming systems as skilled labour dissipates v