Water Sustainability for the Future

Water Sustainability for the Future is a project recently completed by Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Co-operative Limited (BFVG) with funding provided through Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) and in partnership with AusVeg.

The aim of the project was to provide commercial vegetable growers across Australia with information in the form of usable and interactive Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data which will enable commercial vegetable growers to make informed decisions regarding what impact climate variability may have upon their farming enterprises into the future as well as providing councils and industry bodies with information which will assist them plan for the future of the industry both at a regional and at a state level.
“This project has  investigated the key commercial vegetable growing regions of Australia, the various crops grown, methods of irrigation used, average water usage, and available water sources, applicable to each region and has then compiled the resultant data into a Geographic Information System (GIS) accessible to all growers”

“Further the project has been designed to allow interactive queries to be lodged by users together with affording links to more detailed information held by external sources such as the Bureau of Meteorology, Government agencies and Departments (Natural Resources, and Primary Industry)and CSIRO. 

 “This project has the ability to be further strengthened and expanded in the future by the addition of information including weather averages and weather predictions for each region, crop predictions, market forecasts, quarantine alerts, etc.” 

The project culminated in the establishment of a web site www.watersustainability.com.au having specific functionality in that all maps have been enhanced by the introduction of several interactive layers (such as landuse, groundwater, surface water, irrigation schemes, water resources, roads and rail network) that can be turned on or off by the user.

In an endeavour to provide this project with the widest audience possible and further strengthen the project’s benefits to the horticultural industry and in particular the commercial vegetable growing sector of that industry BFVG has established a website link with the Climate Kelpie website www.climatekelpie.com.au an initiative of Managing Climate Variability,  which is a program of collaborative research between the Grains, Rural Industries and Sugar Research and Development Corporations, The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Dairy Australia, and the Meat and Livestock Australia.

Top of Page

Access the mapping website here

Final report download here

Careers in the Vegetable Industry

Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Grower’s latest multimedia production was launched in style at the Ausveg National Industry Convention late May with BFVG handing out copies of the DVD hot-off-the-press from their stand at the trade show, to very positive feedback.

 The new careers DVD and online videos present case studies of successful and passionate individuals working in the Australian vegetable industry supply chain. 

The impact of the DVD was heightened with five individuals featured on the DVD being announced as finalists in various Industry Awards which were presented at the Industry Awards Gala Dinner on Saturday night.

“The tie in between the DVD featuring leaders and innovators in the industry and the Industry awards event meant the convention was a great way to promote the leadership and outstanding contribution people are making to the vegetable industry”  says Mr Peterson.

Twenty case studies were filmed in six key vegetable growing regions across Australia by a film crew from Central Queensland University.  The underlying themes of all case studies are job roles, career progression, lifestyle benefits, personal development, and leadership activities. 
The initiative aims to prompt an image makeover for the vegetable industry by showcasing innovations in technology, environmental management, soil, water and pest management.  

The range of jobs covered go beyond the traditional growing roles to include: development officer; quality assurance manager; agronomist;  seed R&D rep; hydroponics consultant; marketing director; integrated pest management consultant; agricultural research project manager; operations manager; grower; harvester operator; dispatch manager and retail store manager.

The interviews highlight innovative farm practices, supply chain functions such as packaging and retailing, and benefits associated with working in the industry including travel, the opportunities to upskill and a great lifestyle.

“As noted by the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture, there is a demand of 6,000 agri-business and on-farm jobs of which only 800 are currently being met” Mr Peterson said.  

“This project is very timely to encourage people to look at the opportunities within the horticulture industry”, he added.

Four thousand copies of the DVD are being mailed to secondary schools, TAFE’s and universities around Australia, as well as industry and relevant organizations. 

To watch the interviews click here

Top of Page

Fruit Fly Monitoring

The collapse of Timbercorp has left many horticulture properties across Australia ‘sitting in limbo’.  One such situation here in Bundaberg are 3 farms located adjacent to Ten Mile Road, formerly managed by Ooloo Farm Management which also folded with its parent company. 
These farms have since received no on-farm management yet significant crop yields were realised across the 150 hectares of mango, avocado and custard apple orchards.

Several growers raised concerns about the abandoned farms with BFVG as a potential pest threat to their own operations – in particular the threat of increased QLD Fruitfly pressures.  Without an avenue to resolve this concern, BFVG initiated a collaborative monitoring ‘Case Study’ to help identify if this threat is real and if so help develop additional management strategies for growers in close proximity to ‘abandoned’ farms.

This study is a collaborative effort between DEEDI (Primary Industries & Fisheries) and Biosecurity QLD with support from Hortus Technical Services, Bugs For Bugs and nearby growers.  The Administrators of Timbercorp are also fully supportive of this Case Study.

Monitoring activities undertaken include weekly checking and comparison of Fruitfly catches from a network of 20 Cue Lure traps (6 located across the 3 ‘abandoned’ farms, 13 located within a 5km radius from the farms and one reference trap located in Bundaberg).  Many of these traps are in close proximity to mango trees growing in residential “backyards” (i.e. non-commercial crops).

A sample of 500 Mango fruit across the 3 farms has also been collected and assessed in late January by DEEDI for Fruitfly infestation levels.
In the six weeks of monitoring already undertaken, over 7,000 Fruitfly have been collected across the 20 traps.  The cumulative catch of each trap is shown in the graph below – the first 6 solid-filled bars are the totals from the 6 traps on the ‘abandoned’ farms. 

To date there is insufficient evidence to make any conclusions regarding the impact of ‘abandoned farms’ on the surrounding area.  However, the fruit sampling process indicates a high occurrence of Jarvis’s Fruitfly which is not attracted to Cue Lure.

BFVG aim to continue monitoring for an additional 12 weeks, gauging the Fruitfly pressures in the area during the peak Custard Apple and Shepard Avocado season.  BFVG will endeavour to include an assessment of Jarvis’s Fruitfly in the Case Study.

This Case Study forms part of the Area Wide Integrated Pest Management (AWIPM) project, funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country Initiative. 

If you would like further information regarding this project and it’s Case Studies, please contact Peter Hockings at BFVG on (07) 4153-3007 or email him peter.hockings@bfvg.com.au

Top of Page

Eat Well be Active

The aim of the program is to target primary school children in accepting fruits and vegetables as part of their diet in order to combat the bombardment of fast-food promotion coupled with inactive lifestyle which contributes to the widely recognised growing obesity epidemic.

71 Classroom presentations (2201 students) delivering the Brisbane Markets Ltd, “Queensland Kids Fresh Net” program

26 schools (1025students) participating in farm tours

32 schools participated in the Free Fresh Fruit Frenzy – Held over a 2 week period with deliveries of free fresh fruit and information booklets, containing Canteen ideas, lunch box ideas and healthy snacks for children.

Top of Page