Business Development Group Update – April 2016

April 2016 | Prepared by Ross Wilson, AgFirst | Future Orchards® Business Development Group newsletter

Ross Wilson of AgFirst provides an end-of-season regional roundup from Stanthorpe, Orange, Batlow, Shepparton, southern Victoria, Tasmania and Adelaide, describing differences in crop load, fruit size, colour, harvest timing, hail exposure, heat and irrigation demand.

The newsletter also reviews national fruit-size monitoring. Pink Lady was expected to finish smaller than the previous two seasons at about 170 grams, while Fuji was tracking close to 2015 at around 195 grams and Granny Smith was expected to average approximately 176 grams. These forecasts were based on fruit measurements and Days After Full Bloom comparisons in OrchardNet.

Growers are encouraged to enter block production and packout information promptly after harvest, record what worked and what did not, keep accurate full-bloom and first-harvest dates, and document irrigation use. The update frames record-keeping as the foundation for planning the next crop and pursuing continual improvement.