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mevegetables austral ia

2.4Jan/Feb 2007

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I SSN : 1832 -3340

12 Climate change and growers: a special drought feature

8 Building a stronger industry with Maria Yfantidis

41 All fuelled up with biodiesel

18 Your chance to nominate for the 2007 Vegetable Industry Awards

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AUSVEG Ltd Chairman

Michael Badcock

Editor

Youna Angevin-Castro

Tel: (03) 9544 8098 Fax: (03) 9558 6199 Mobile: 0407 242 788

Email: editor@ausveg.com.au

Editorial Committee

Anthony Brandsema Tasmanian vegetable grower

John Mundy South Australian vegetable grower

Figaro Natoli Western Australian vegetable grower

Glenn Abbott Queensland vegetable grower

Thérèse Schreurs Victorian vegetable grower

David Chung New South Wales vegetable grower

Alison Anderson News South Wales Industry Development Officer

Lisa Maguire Director, Communications, AUSVEG

Ross Ord Industry Development Manager, AUSVEG

Advertising

Max Hyde

Tel: (03) 9870 4161 Email: max@hydemedia.com.au

Contributors

Simon Adams, Bethany Hall, Jodie Powell, Matt Vagulans, Carolyn Walker, Graham Gosper, Angela Brennan, David Jarwood, Kaye Sutton, Lori Compas, Joe Castro.

Design

Flying Dog Designs

www.fddesigns.com.au

Printer

Erwins Printing Pty Ltd

Distribution

Dynamic Direct

READERSHIP: 9500

Thank you to all growers and researchers for your participation in the interviews.

All research and development projects are facilitated by HAL in partnership with AUSVEG and are funded by the National Vegetable Levy and/or voluntary contributions from industry. The Australian Government provides matched funding for all HAL’s R&D activities.

For more information visit www.ausveg.com.au

Vegetables Australia is produced by AUSVEG Ltd and is free for all National Vegetable Levy payers.

Industry Development Officers (IDOs)

New South Wales Alison Anderson Phone: 0409 383 003

Queensland Kate Dunn Phone: 0408 135 042

South Australia Craig Feutrill Phone: 0418 831 089

Tasmania Stephen Welsh Phone: 0400 006 095

Victoria Patrick Ulloa Phone: 0429 990 553

Western Australia David Ellement Phone: 0408 941 318

Disclaimer

AUSVEG Ltd makes this magazine available on the understanding that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. Before relying on or altering any business practices users should carefully evaluate the accuracy, completeness and relevance of the information for their purpose and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. This magazine contains views and recommendations that do not necessarily reflect those views of AUSVEG Ltd.

Special care should be taken with agriculture chemicals which may have been used experi-mentally but are not yet registered for commercial usage. Clarification should be sought from the researchers or the chemical manufacturers.

© Copyright AUSVEG Ltd 2007

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior permission from AUSVEG Ltd. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to The Editor, Vegetables Australia, PO Box 563, Mulgrave VIC 3170.

ISSN 1832-3340

AUSVEG Ltd PO Box 563 Mulgrave VIC 3170

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�2 30 Researcher profile: Jenny Ekman On farm with Rick Butler Building a stronger industry with Maria Yfantidis PMA tour summary

Contents

6 Chairman’s Message — Michael Badcock

6 Editor’s Message

7 Vegetable Exporters Forum

8 Building a stronger industry with Maria Yfantidis

11 An in-depth look at the Vegetable Levy

12 Coming to terms with the drought

1� Review of R&D processes

17 Vegetables WA Industry Development Officer

18 2007 Australian Vegetable Industry Conference preview

21 Using PDA technology on-farm

2� Tackling western flower thrips

26 The Australian taro industry

30 On farm with Rick Butler

33 PMA tour summary

8 33 Researcher profile: Jenny Ekman On farm with Rick Butler Building a stronger industry with Maria Yfantidis PMA tour summary

3� Training programs to improve lettuce production

35 New broccoli hybrid

36 Pathways to supermarkets

38 Registering crop protection products

�0 Hot prospects for new capsicum varieties

�1 Using biofuels on-farm

�2 Researcher profile: Jenny Ekman

�3 Pest watch: carrot nematode

�� Recycled water advice for growers

�5 Economic outlook

�7 News

50 State Association profile: Vegetables WA

51 AUSVEG report

52 Around the States

5� Events Calendar

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The start of a new year is always a good chance to reflect on the past year and move forward with a positive outlook for the coming twelve months. 2006 was a year of change and growth for the vegetable industry, and 2007 should see the realisation of a number of objectives, such as the implementation of the mandatory code of conduct.

Preparations are now well underway for the 2007 Vegetable Industry Conference and Awards. Take a look at www.vegieconf.com.au for the very latest information. Nominations for the Awards close on 23 February 2007, so make sure you get your entries in and recognise the hard work that makes our industry such a success.

A word from the AUSVEG Ltd Chairman

From the Editor

In this issue we celebrate the success of Graham Gregory award-winner Mark Panitz on page 47, and we also take a look at the PMA tour with a summary on page 33 and a profile of tour attendee Rick Butler on page 30. We also have an in-depth look at the effects of drought from Horticulture Australia and advice for growers about using recycled water with the launch of a new handbook.

Youna Angevin-Castro

Editor, Vegetables Australia

The industry is working hard to find ways to minimise the impact of drought and look at long term solutions to water issues which, sadly, are here to stay as our climate experiences change.

And change continues strongly for our industry. Over the coming year the process that guides where your National Vegetable Levy is invested will change to make sure it is compatible with VegVison 2020. We are inviting applications from dedicated members of the vegetable industry to nominate for positions on the Advisory Groups that guide our investments. A nomination form was mailed to you with this edition of Vegetables Australia.

AUSVEG will also continue to change to better fit with the needs of industry. Our AGM was held on the 10 January 2007 and we will continue to work with our members to reshape our organisation. More details on the AGM and an introduction to our new Board members will be available in the March edition of this magazine.

And finally, the AUSVEG Vegetable Industry Awards are now calling for nominations. A form was mailed with this edition of Vegetables Australia as well. National Australia Bank (NAB) is one of the sponsors of this event and we welcome their support of our industry. Winners will be announced at the Australian Vegetable

Industry Conference in Sydney at the official dinner on Thursday 31 May, which is at the conclusion of the national conference. There are many worthy people for these awards but often people are too humble for recognition, so tap someone on the shoulder if you have to! And don’t forget to register for the conference, it will be a fantastic event and a great opportunity to network.

Michael Badcock

AUSVEG Ltd Chairman

I hope you had a safe and joyous Christmas and New Year with your families. It is a worrying time with the continuing hardships of drought and the added devastation brought to many states by relentless fires.

7

The Nuffield Scholarship is a unique opportunity for Australian growers to travel the world, learning about the latest industry innovations and trends. The program began 56 years ago and is for Australian farmers aged between 28 and 40.

CEO of the Nuffield Scholarship program, Jim Geltch, said the exposure to different methods of agriculture was very valuable to Australian growers. “When they apply, the growers are looking for the opportunity to travel and learn about agricultural practices in other countries,” he said. “The key benefit is the personal development, the exposure to the global environment both agricultural and cultural. It’s also very important for networking,” Jim said.

Each year, 14 growers are chosen to take part in one of two overseas trips lasting about 16 weeks. Of that 16 weeks, there is a six week compulsory ‘global focus’

program organised for the scholars, where they are separated into two groups. One will travel in February and March and the other in June and July. This is arranged so that different groups are exposed to different commodities and seasons.

Scholars in the February/March group visit New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Northern France and the United Kingdom. The June/July group visit the Philippines, China, the United States, Canada, Washington, Ireland and France.

Applications for the program open 1 April and close on 30 June.

For more information: Visit www.nuffield.com.au or phone (02) 6964 6600.

Nuffield scholars travel globe to gain insight into industry

Vegetable exporters forum

Farmers with a wish to travel and a desire to learn more about their industry have been benefiting for years from the Nuffield Scholarship program.

Among them was David DePaoli, a chilli grower from Queensland, who said the group came together to identify what was needed to increase exports. “Every day we’re exposed to issues of exporting and this was about coming together and sharing these ideas to help address the issues as a group,” he said. “We also looked at who is best suited to tackling these issues. Is it government, industry, the community, or a mix of the three?”

The prime motivation is to increase exports in the coming years and to do this, industry needs to identify its competitors, the models they use for exports, and what they do that makes them successful. “It’s about pooling the information that we all gather separately in our own businesses – the strength of one could be the strength for all,” David said.

All exporters at the forum had the oppor-tunity to take the floor and to speak of their experiences. It was also a valuable oppor-tunity for growers from across the country to meet with their industry peers and to share common problems and triumphs. “We’re meeting again in early 2007 to consolidate the success of the Melbourne forum and to look at further what further action is needed encourage exporting in Australia,” David said.

Late in 2006, a group of Australian vegetable exporters gathered in Melbourne to discuss the future success of the industry.

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The Saturday market at Two Wells, 60kms north of Adelaide, stretches out under the pines beside the footy oval. The scouts and a plant stall are set up at either end; the rest is taken up by a feast of fruit and vegetables. These stalls are run by Maria Yfantidis and her family and represent her personal quest to bring guaranteed fresh food to consumers at affordable prices. Two Wells is a small town, but the markets can draw a crowd of more than 1200 buyers.

“When you see how growers are getting a raw deal from people who are meant to be representing them, you can’t stay quiet for long.”

Maria confesses that when she married Paul Yfantidis twenty years ago she could not tell the difference between parsley and cabbage. She is now a strong and vocal advocate for growers’ rights and fair funding at an organisational, corporate and national level. For a living, her family grows vegetables, manages several open air market stalls and runs a ‘direct to consumer’ distribution service via the internet, providing fruit and vegetables to hotels, schools, childcare centres and the general public.

Maria has plans to extend the business into the burgeoning field of hydroponics and hopes that the future reserves a place for growers, such as her family, on the global market. This is not a fantasy; she already has interested contacts in Singapore.

Maria came to Australia from war-torn Lebanon in 1970, when she was five years old. She could have followed the path of many women, leaving school at fifteen and marrying, but there was a magnetic draw of both the rural way of life and the politics of the horticultural industry. “I used to be quiet,” she said. “The sort of person that sat at the back and kept my mouth shut. But when you see how growers are getting a raw deal from people who are meant to be representing them, you can’t stay quiet for long.”

She didn’t. Maria became the unofficial representative for growers in an increasingly bureaucratised and self-serving market. She took advantage of government training subsidies to complete a long list of industry related courses and became not only a voice but a resource for other growers needing support and information.

“I know that I can find things out and speak up for the growers,” Maria said. “I’ve learnt a lot in twenty years. When I started out there was no one to turn to about industry

issues. When you are a grower, working 24/7, there’s no time to find out who’s who and what’s what. I’m happy to be there for others.”

She has recently set up a Growers’ Forum where local producers can meet socially over a barbecue and a beer to discuss their industry. “It’s no good at a boardroom table. People get formal, then start narking at each other,” she said. “Get growers together casually and all sorts of things come out in a useful way. The Forum has given growers the opportunity to talk about their industry. We believe it will shortly be formalised as an industry association that can represent growers and take action on key issues.”

Maria’s guiding principle is to offer support and encouragement. “With the right support anyone can achieve what they want,” she said. She received and passed on such encouragement to her family and now offers the same to local growers. But she has met opposition along the way. “It is so important that we, the growers, are represented fairly,” she said. “For far too long we have had service providers belonging to organisations that don’t represent us. They make decisions on our behalf without fairly consulting us. This does not do justice to those growers who need to be heard by government and Continued on next page

Growers voice, consumer’s choiceMaria Yfantidis has gone global at a village level. With open air markets and internet home delivery, her battle cry resounds for a fair go for vegetable growers and for quality for consumers. By Angela Brennan. Photography by Lori Compas.

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rarely benefit from government funding decisions. Unfortunately we do not have enough growers ready to protect our interests sitting on industry boards,” she concluded.

“I believe I can make a difference. I hope I am a good role model and mentor for my children and maybe even some of my friends.”

Filling the vacuum, Maria has been the growers’ representative on numerous boards and organisations. “I am passionate about representing producers, fairly and honestly,” she said. Maria is a member of a raft of business and horticultural associations and is the South Australian representative of the Greenhouse Protective Cropping Industry.

She would like to see more growers, particularly women, sit on boards and get more involved with the industry. “Women bring a different perspective,” she said. “They are the backbone of both the family and the business, always combining the two. But we all need each other. It’s not about men and women, it’s about putting in 100 per cent for each other.”

She thanks Paul for a great deal of her experience in the farming business. Together they run an increasingly successful direct distribution service, Veggies on the Run. “Farming can be a battle,” she admits, “but direct sale to the public has helped us overcome the struggles.”

Lately, she has cut down on the hours she spends in boardrooms to spend more time with her family and the business.

“The Farmers’ markets are a huge success,” she said. “Consumers love it. Because there are no agents we can keep our prices down. Consumers get more choice and growers get an opportunity for a better return on their product. And because we are local at least 70 per cent of our produce is picked the day before sale. The rest, such as bananas, comes from further a field, but it all carries the same quality control certification, and we can trace it back to its original plot. That’s not the case with supermarket imports.”

Maria is disenchanted by the wholesale markets, which, she said, do not support the growers. “The focus is on the agents. Fewer and fewer growers attend wholesale markets. The fees to hire a stall are going up and the growers are forced to pull out. I have had to prepare my business for the tough times ahead,” she said. “I believe I can make a difference. I hope I am a good role model and mentor for my children and maybe even some of my friends.”

Veggies on the Run can be found at www.veggiesontherun.com.au

Growers voice, consumer’s choice (continued)

11

The Boab appears to be an unlikely source of gourmet fare, but recent research may offer evidence to the contrary. The Boab tree which is native to Australia and parts of Africa and Madagascar, has become a symbol of the Kimberly region of Western Australia due to its unique appearance. It is also the only region of Australia that the tree can be found in.

A preliminary study conducted by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation demonstrated that the species of Boab native to the Kimberley, Adansonia gregorii, has many characteristics that would make it suitable as a commercial vegetable crop.

The fruit of the Boab are woody pods that range in size containing anything from just a few to up to a few hundred kidney shaped seeds. The pods are brown with a velvety layer on the outside. The seeds are covered in a white honeycomb pithy-like substance that is edible and tart-tasting.

Many aspects of Boab production can be mechanised and it has the potential to be a high yielding and fast growing crop with limited disease and pest issues. For consumers, the Boab is a versatile product that has a crisp texture and pleasant flavour when cooked. The Boab is also high in protein, as well as iron and potassium. The leaves have a very high vitamin C content. These attributes make it attractive to both growers and consumers.

An innovative strategic plan for the Tasmanian vegetable industry has been launched by the Tasmanian Minister for Primary Industries and Water, David Llewellyn. The Tasmanian vegetable industry strategic plan, “Profit from Innovation” outlines goals and actions to secure the future viability of the industry.

“The strategic plan was a key recommen-dation of the joint industry and government body, the Vegetable Industry Taskforce, which analysed the major issues facing the industry,” Mr Llewellyn said.

The Tasmanian Strategic Plan identifies six goals covering: culture, people and structures; products and services; markets, marketing and public relations; business and supply chain models; production practices and natural resource management, and policy and government relations.

The Minister said an industry focus group has already prioritised eight actions as important for industry survival and they will be undertaken within the next 12 months. “These emphasise industry leadership,

supply chains, chain efficiency, markets and marketing, branding, skills and training. I look forward to working with industry through my Department of Primary Industries and Water to achieve these goals.”

The Minister said the government and industry had already begun several projects to promote the Tasmanian vegetable industry including: a Vegetable Skills Training Program for 35 vegetable grower businesses; a $4 million vegetable industry marketing fund which has been used for a television food show, a vegetable bus to tour Tasmanian schools and the development of a vegetable industry marketing and commu-nication plan; the Tasmanian Government’s SMART Farming Policy commits $22.8 million over four years to a range of initiatives benefiting the primary industry sector.

The Tasmanian vegetable industry will also directly benefit from $3m towards establishing a Vegetable Centre of Excellence. “This will be a flagship centre within the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research,” Mr Llewellyn said.

Boab may soon be on the menu

Profit from Innovation for vegetable industry

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Representatives from Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL), Alison Turnbull - Project Manager Environment and Anne-Marie Boland - Horticulture Water Initiative Coordinator, presented their thoughts on the drought and climate change, now and in the future, at an industry forum late last year. They also spoke of issues that will face growers and some of the tools that need to be made available in the future to help them continue to have a viable role in the industry.

According to Alison Turnbull, a coordinated approach from industry is needed both in the short and long term. “As an industry we need to offer support and advice to growers and give them the confidence to make the right decisions,” she said. “We need to help them with issues, from what practices they should be adopting to where they can access more water. We’re putting together a type of survival package with the key things that growers will need to respond to the drought. This should include community support and exceptional circumstances support in the form of financial aid. It’s about working with people like the government and with the peak industry bodies such as AUSVEG.”

As for long term planning, the vegetable industry, along with HAL, recently conducted a scoping study into climate change, said Alison. The study looked at the implications of climate change for the industry and also raised suggestions of investment areas that industry should be looking at. “We need

to look at what the impacts will be, which industries will be most affected and then work with those industries to try and identify what measures they need to put in place,” Alison said. “We need to prepare for the future and other drought and climate events that may happen.”

“It’s going to get more and more competitive between rural and urban areas as they tussle for water and this will give rise to social changes in both communities.”

The study also raised a number of questions including the reliability and quality of water. The ongoing security of the water and uncertainty of supply may suggest that we need to look at recycled water as an alternative, said Alison. “We also have to consider urban water users and how water restrictions will affect them,” she said. “It’s going to get more and more competitive between rural and urban areas as they tussle for water and this will give rise to social changes in both communities that we need to consider.”

Water is also the focus of the Horticulture Water Initiative, established by HAL in 2001.The initiative is focusing on ensuring that horticultural industries have access to water for responsible and profitable production into the future, said Anne-Maree Boland. “It’s looking at communicating the benefits of horticultural industries and how they use

Drought and its impact on the livelihoods of growers is a topic of concern for the industry. Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) held a forum late last year, gathering industry representatives to discuss the implications of the big dry that shows no signs of abating. By Bethany Hall.

water, and the environmental benefits that have been demonstrated in the last 10 or 15 years,” she said. “It also focuses on making sure that the practices that growers use are the latest in terms of research and development, and also ensures that policy makers are aware of the issues that the industry faces.”

There are a number of practical on-farm strategies that farmers can put in place to ease the effects of the drought, said Anne-Maree. “Individuals can make changes to their own properties such as reducing evaporation from storage,” she said. “It’s also important to develop a water budget for the season so that you can have some idea of how you’re going to apply your water and not develop a shortfall later in the season.

It’s also sometimes useful to apply less water to the crop at certain times of during its growth. More of these types of ideas are outlined on our website,” she said.

The positions outlined by the Water Initiative have been developed into a paper which is being turned into water policy by the Horticulture Australia Council (HAC). A draft of this will be available for comment soon. It outlines the key positions, and research and development priorities that the industry wants government to begin considering.

For more water-saving ideas, growers can visit www.horticulture.com.au/water

DroughtDroughtDroughtDroughtDrought

13

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To maximise the industry’s capacity to achieve this vision, the National Vegetable Levy investment in Research and Development (R&D) needs to closely align with VegVision 2020.

“The drivers for change included concerns over representation by levy payers on the Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee.”

Consequently, under the direction of a sub-committee of the Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (IAC- currently responsible for final recommendations to HAL where the levy investment should be made), a thorough review of the existing R&D process and structures has occurred. Following significant consultation with levy payers across Australia, broad consensus was reached to implement the following changes.

The drive for change In May 2006, the Vegetable IAC appointed

an experienced sub-committee of Kent West, Figaro Natoli, John Said and Paul Gazzola. Their role was to oversee a review of the existing IAC, Product Group structures (the advisory groups that assess R&D applications and make recommendations to the IAC) and R&D planning process. The drivers for change included concerns over:

• the efficiency and difficulty of managing the current one-step Industry Call process;

• representation by levy payers on the vegetable IAC;

• the need for industry to determine investment priorities, and

• whether the existing Product Group structure was best suited to implement the recommendations of VegVision 2020.

Through the consultation process, levy payers expressed a need to maximise the outcomes from levy-funded projects, as well as the importance of focused projects that address annual priorities consistent with VegVision 2020.

Setting the directionThe broad direction for the changes

was set at a workshop of levy payers in mid August 2006. The vegetable IAC and representatives of each Product Group agreed to:

• restructure the vegetable IAC to include less representation from AUSVEG;

• form five Advisory Groups to mirror the five strategic pillars of Vegvision 2020. The Advisory Groups were to be expertise- based and replace the current six Product Groups, and

• move to a two-step Industry Call for R&D projects.

In late September 2006, the Vegetable IAC and Product Groups reviewed more detailed structures and processes on the proposed changes. After incorporating feedback received, a second draft of the proposed R&D structure and process was distributed. The sub-committee invited written comments on the draft from levy payers and state vegetable associations through October and November.

The revised R&D structure and processes

In December, the sub-committee completed its review of the draft structures for the revised vegetable R&D process including advisory groups. The sub-committee endeavored to incorporate all suggestions received by vegetable levy payers where consistent with decisions made at previous meetings.

Key features of the new structure are:

(see diagram on page 16)

Advisory Groups (AG)• Five Advisory Groups (Consumers,

Market Development, Leadership & People Development, Production and Information & Technology Development & Dissemination).

• Levy payers and specialists on each AG, with a majority of levy payers on each.

• Composition of AGs will vary depending on needs of each AG.

• A levy payer from each state on the Production AG.

• 3 year term for advisory group members.

• All active levy payers may nominate for any of the AGs.

• Appointments based on meeting selection criteria.

• Equitable representation of growers from all states across the five AG’s.

Vegetable IAC• Comprise independent Chair, one

AUSVEG Board member and a grower representative from each AG.

• Process developed to ensure each state has a grower representative on the IAC.

Industry Call• Two-stage process.

TimelinesNominations for the Advisory Groups are

to be called throughout February 2007. Interviews of short-listed applicants will be held early April with appointments made Early May. Induction of the new Advisory Groups is timed for June 2007.

National Vegetable Levy Investment Process is ChangingVegVision 2020 - the vegetable industry strategic plan - has called for great change to the direction of our industry, to make sure it remains viable and dynamic in an increasingly competitive global market.

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Nomination process – Advisory Groups

A four-person nominations panel is being formed consisting of a human resource expert, CEO AUSVEG, a vegetable levy payer, (permanent member), and a local vegetable levy payer from the applicant’s state. Their prime task is to identify repre-sentative growers and specialists for each AG by assessing nominees against the selection criteria.

Further informationThe nomination process is being

advertised through a number of channels:

• Vegetables Australia magazine;

• The AUSVEG website;

• State vegetable associations;

• State Industry Development Officers, and

• Industry journals.

For more information on the R&D process through HAL, please visit www.horticulture.com.au.

Further information can also be gained from the IAC sub-committee (Chair Kent West - westfarms@bigpond.net.au) or from Vegetable industry associations in each state.

For a nomination form please, see this edition of Vegetables Australia, visit www.ausveg.com.au or contact your local Industry Development Officer (IDO).

National Vegetable Levy Investment Process is Changing15

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