Business Development Group Update – September 2017

September 2017 | Prepared by Ross Wilson, AgFirst | Future Orchards® Business Development Group newsletter

The September 2017 Business Development Group newsletter is centred on making OrchardNet work for the orchard business during the 2017–18 growing season. Ross Wilson identifies three core uses: tracking and benchmarking historical block performance, setting production targets and monitoring fruit growth.

Growers are encouraged to enter at least two years of block production history, including picked volume, volume sent for packing, Class 1 and Class 2 packout and average fruit size. OrchardNet reports can then be used to compare block performance against the wider Australian database.

The newsletter also shows how production targets can be converted into fruit-per-tree and thinning targets. One example sets a 90 t/ha target at 170 g average fruit size, with OrchardNet calculating the fruit numbers required at harvest and after allowing for pickout.