Introducing the Future Orchards Scorecard

August 2025 | Presented by Jonathan Brookes and Ross Wilson (AgFirst) | Future Orchards® Orchard Walk presentation

The Future Orchards® Scorecard is a structured self-assessment tool designed to help Australian apple and pear businesses make better decisions using industry benchmarks and block-level data. Jonathan Brookes and Ross Wilson of AgFirst divide the scorecard into two modules: the orchard business as a whole and each individual block of trees.

The business scorecard considers factors such as frost and hail risk, soil drainage, variety mix, irrigation-water security, permanent and casual labour, post-harvest and marketing partners, cost efficiency, debt, profitability, long-term goals and the ability to deploy capital. The block scorecard then looks more closely at variety potential, canopy fill and consistency, support structures, irrigation distribution, vigour, biennial bearing, pest and disease losses, harvested yield, Class 1 packout, fruit size, price, profitability and the block’s ability to improve.

Scores run from 1 to 5, with the presentation providing benchmark ranges for several measures. Examples include mature yield targets by variety, Class 1 packout ranges, market-aligned fruit-size ranges, price benchmarks, biennial-bearing swing and pest-and-disease losses. The presentation stresses that the score itself is only useful when followed by decisions and actions: some blocks may justify targeted improvement, while others may need replacement.

The scorecard builds on Orchard Business Analysis and OrchardNet data from 2018–2024 and gives growers a practical framework for turning benchmarking information into business and block-level priorities.