Focus Orchard: update No. 1

October 2012 | AgFirst | Australian Fruitgrower / Future Orchards® Focus Orchard update

This first numbered Focus Orchard update introduces the early Focus Orchard phase of Future Orchards®. The model used commercial orchards as regional learning sites where business planning, block monitoring, local trials and adviser support could be brought together in a practical extension setting.

The update documents the program as a process rather than a single trial: Focus Orchards generated data for OrchardNet®, hosted orchard walks, helped identify regional production questions and provided case-study material that other growers could use when considering similar changes.

As the first article in the numbered update series, it is useful for understanding how the Focus Orchard concept was positioned at the start of the 2012–2014 phase and how it expanded the earlier Orchard Walk model.