Redland Apples, Goulburn Valley

July 2024 | Presented by Brent Reeve, Redland Apples | Future Orchards® Winter Orchard Walks

Brent Reeve presents Redland Apples’ block-review, removal and replanting strategy in the Goulburn Valley. The business assessed blocks on profitability rather than sentiment, using variety, packout, row width, missing trees, historical tonnes per hectare and improvement potential to decide which plantings should remain and which should be replaced.

The presentation describes a major redevelopment program following the 2023 purchase of the former Jeftomson business. Around 200 hectares, predominantly pears, were removed, with further unprofitable apple blocks also targeted. Redland retained pear blocks where the system, yield and packout still justified them, showing that the decision process was block-specific rather than simply variety-specific.

New plantings focus on Sassy and Dazzle for premium domestic and Asian markets. High-density narrow canopies, netting, foggers, leaf blowing and deliberate crop-load management are used to support fruit colour, size and quality. Redland reported target fruit size around 80-85 mm and uses repeated crop-load and fruit-size measurements through the season.

The resource is a practical example of using financial and production data to drive orchard renewal. It connects market choice, planting system, crop-load targets and capital investment with the need for each block to generate an acceptable return.