vegetablesWA
vegetablesWA
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER,
VEGETABLESWA
The other webinar we delivered looked at melon safety. Any grower that washes and packs fresh produce for market is recommended to take a look at this webinar on the vegetablesWA YouTube channel. We had growers from all over Australia, and as far as New Zealand, contribute to this webinar and the feedback has been extremely positive.
I am pleased to report that vegetablesWA was granted funding by the Agricultural Produce Commission and
The analysis of data collated from the vegetablesWA Benchmarking project identified a gap in accessible specialist knowledge available to growers to help them identify risks and resource gaps to their businesses.
The other webinar we delivered looked at melon safety. Any grower that washes and packs fresh produce for market is recommended to take a look at this webinar on the vegetablesWA YouTube channel. We had growers from all over Australia, and as far as New Zealand, contribute to this webinar and the feedback has been extremely positive.
I am extremely pleased to announce that Stephen Farrell has been appointed to this position.
Stephen has extensive experience representing clients in both the Fair Work and Western Australian industrial commissions, before both single commissioners and full benches.
Stephen will be able to provide the following services to growers:
• HR Consultancy
• Mediation of employee conflict
• Representation in tribunals and commissions
• Workplace Investigations
• Review and drafting of employment contracts
• Workplace compliance audits
• Facilitation of Training Courses
• Mentoring managers
• General Industrial Relations advice
• Occupational Health and Safety.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf3j2Zyh6Ao
PRESIDENT
VEGETABLESWA
actively utilising Jobs in WA
Food and Ag, via the Studium
website, which is providing a
service to match employers with
willing workers.
This active form of searching for workers is new for us in Carnarvon, for at this time of year I usually have an abundance of backpackers dropping into the farm searching for work.
Noticeably, these enquiries are few and far between. Hort industries did identify this as an issue earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, but we were fortunate that there were backpackers still in WA — now they have moved on or gone home.
Growers in the south will be harder hit if this issue is not addressed urgently. If you have any concerns about your
To the good news (I guess because of the COVID-19 scenario of border control), is that prices of produce have been good, in fact exceptionally good across the board. We can all appreciate this type of news is excellent, as we all need to have a win from time to time. In speaking to a good cross-section of growers from our sector — they are all saying the same thing. That will always give us a pep in our step!
On the local social scene, the Gascoyne Food Festival has begun. The first event was ‘Canapes on the Gascoyne’ on August 7. This was set in the heart of the lush, sub-tropical aspect of Bentwaters Plantation — a beautiful spot.
This was a stand-up cocktail style event, and hosted a swag of local growers and residents, including our Ag Minister Alannah MacTiernan. It was an opportunity to showcase our local produce and enabled growers to network with the Minister in an informal setting. It was another huge success for our region.
PRESIDENT
VEGETABLESWA
Community College student Jake Kuzmicich, who is undertaing qualification in Rural Operations, and Plant Productions Systems at Central Regional TAFE, assists with the pest monitoring trial in a sweet corn crop at DPIRD's Carnaryon Research Facility.
Corn is among the more favoured host plants for fall armyworm, as is sorghum, which has been planted as a windbreak in the trial.
The pest monitoring will focus on establishment, thresholds, beneficial insect interactions and damage, which will be assessed on the sweet corn and sorghum under the four fertiliser treatments which have been randomised in the paddock.
The simple fertiliser trial will allow some preliminary work to be conducted on the benefits of bio-mineral fertilisers on plant health and look into potassium usage rates in horticultural production. Research staff will compare the treatments by measuring yield, leaf nutrient ratios, cob quality and resistance to pests.
The team at Carnarvon invited senior school and TAFE students to participate in the trial and work beside DPIRD staff to gain first-hand knowledge of horticultural production systems and areas of research that benefit local and State-wide food production industries.
The broader aim under the PRIMED initiative is to engage school students to expand their knowledge about careers in primary industries and encourage students to consider career-path options in primary production.
Interactions have begun with Year 11 Carnarvon Community College students studying Plant Production Systems and Central Regional TAFE students undertaking Rural Operations. The students have been out in the paddock gaining experience in phenological documentation, weed and insect monitoring and identification, and crop nutrition monitoring, as well
as comparative assessment of the different treatments.
The sweet corn trial was seeded in early June 2020 and is expected to be harvested during September.
.au, or go to dpird.wa.gov.au.
RESEARCH SCIENTIST,
DPIRD
Knowledge gained from the current, six-spotted mite project will lead to the development of integrated pest management guidelines for the WA avocado industry intended to improve marketable yield, promote the uptake of established on-farm best practice, and help ensure increased competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The guidelines will include information on when and how to monitor for pest and predatory mites, and the role of both natural and mass reared predatory mites in six-spotted mite management. The relationship between tree health, mite numbers and leaf fall, and miticide application recommendations incorporating resistance management, the impact of chemical control on beneficial species, and the effect of timing and application method on control, will also be covered.
Avocado industry stakeholders will be advised of field walks and workshops to be held during the project.
Current and future activities
Monitoring of six-spotted mite in avocado orchards commenced in January 2020 and for the past six months,
Spring is therefore the most critical time for mite monitoring and management, and leaf fall resulting from mite damage.
Planned activities for the first spring season of the project include:
- Releasing mass reared predatory mites that are yet to be tested in a field situation and measuring their impact on pest mite numbers;
- Applying prey/pollen treatments in an effort to increase the number of predatory mites already present in orchards and measuring their impact on pest mite numbers;
Production calendar arrives in citrus mailboxes
production calendar was sent out to West Australian citrus growers in August. The poster was produced as part of an R&D project using State government funding, providing timely reminders for good management practices, such as irrigation, nutrition, pest management and canopy management.
Graduate students contribute to potato research
Potato is a crop of global importance, so it is not surprising that the potato research at Murdoch University is attracting the interest of post graduate applicants from a number of countries.
PNRM Smart Farms Project
In 2018 the National Landcare Program and the City of Wanneroo funded Perth NRM to assess the practical use and adoption of improved soil water monitoring practices by horticulturalists in the North of Perth Food Zone.
VegNET IEO update
Looking through the front window at home, sipping on the days first hot bean water and watching the pink and grey Galahs waddle around, I think to myself “No need to bundle up; today looks like a winner!” And then I go outside, where it’s freezing… however as the sun continues to shine, the day gets a little brighter.
Increasing water use efficiency
The announcement of a proposed 10% reduction in licenced groundwater allocations for horticultural businesses in North Wanneroo has caused concern among vegetable growers.