Tree Crop News

Pome fruit - General

Managing climate risks

Climate risks to pomefruit crops come in many forms. The main ones are frost, hail, wind, flooding, drought and high temperatures. These are the obvious ones.

Pome fruit - General - Marketing & export

Australian pears show promise in Indonesia

Marketing a mix of pear varieties under a broad Australian Pears brand has the potential to boost sales in the rapidly-expanding market in Indonesia, a levy-funded export marketing pilot has shown.

Tropical trees

Taiwan lychee varieties grow future of Queensland exports

A significant step has been taken to facilitate export of Queensland grown varieties of Taiwanese lychees to Asian markets.

General

Mango association chairman recognised

Ben Martin, chairman of the Australian Mango Industry Association, has received the Australian Young Farmer of the Year award

Macadamias

Getting to the root of Macadamias

It’s being dubbed the Ancestry.com project for macadamias, as researchers build up the family tree of Australia’s most famous native exporter.

General

Big buzz about bees: More young people turn to backyard beekeeping

More young people are turning to beekeeping and in parts of Victoria there are even waitlists to own a hive.

Macadamias - General

Record Macadamia orchard sale hits Belgian sweet spot

Belgian sugar producer Finasucre has acquired Australia’s largest portfolio of macadamia orchards in a deal worth almost $60 million.

Mangoes

First Aussie Mangoes for the Season Reach US

NT mangoes have made the lengthy but successful journey from Katherine to Los Angeles.

Fruit Fly - General

Blue Light From LEDs Can Rot The Brains Of Fruit Flies, Study Finds

The blue light that emanates from every smartphone and fluorescent bulb isn’t thought to be great for our health, particularly the health of our eyes. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that blue light can even be harmful to brains and speed up ageing — again, in fruit flies. There’s a very long way to go before we could assume the same is true for people.

Pome fruit

Cider expansion supported by new supply

The burgeoning local cider industry is set to benefit from a new cider apple supply block at the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Orange Agricultural Institute.

General - Water supply & irrigation

Water Infrastructure Rebate extended

Permanent plantings will be included in the On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate in Qld, NSW, SA, Tasmania, and the ACT, and can be retroactively applied to new bores and dam de-silting installations from 30 June 2019. Eligible farmers can claim 25 per cent of expenses up to $25,000 as part of a $13.2 million injection from the federal government.

Mangoes

Customer-centric approach proving successful for growing fresh produce retailer

As the peak Australian mango season gets closer, a leading produce retailer is looking to build on its growing popularity with consumers. Earlier this year, Harris Farm Markets finished well ahead of the major chains in a supermarket satisfaction survey conducted by CHOICE, finishing only marginally behind South Australian-based Foodland in second place. Harris Farm Markets, produce buyer Carlo Ceravolo told mango industry members that competitiveness between the retailers benefits the whole fresh produce sector.

General

Australian horticulture exports perform strongly

A prosperous 2018/19 season for Australia’s horticulture industry sees an increase in nut, fruit and vegetable exports.

Mangoes - General

Mango industry in race to adapt to climate change

The Top End's mango industry is worth $122 million a year but the sector is under threat from climate change, industry figures have warned.

General

Freshcare appoints new CEO

Australia’s industry-owned assurance standard for horticulture, Freshcare, has appointed Benjamin Wash as its new chief executive.