Future Orchards®

Future Orchards^® Library

Increase your orchard’s competitiveness with access to best-in-class techniques and production systems and cutting-edge R&D insights.

The Future Orchards^® Library offers a complete archive of field-walk notes, articles and analyses related to Future Orchards^® projects, as well as quick access to current events, webinars and recently added materials.

Find the most recent Future Orchards^® resources here or to access older resources or find information on a specific topic, visit the archive below for resources from the duration of the program.

Autumn orchard walk – March 2021

• AgFirst presentation slides
• Recording of AgFirst presentation
• Video – review of picking platforms
• Plant Based Irrigation Decisions – presentation slides by Mark Heyward, Phytech (Stanthorpe only)
• Trial update – BREVIS^® a good thinner on Kalei^®, Envy™ and Rockit™ – presentation by Stephen Tancred (Stanthorpe only)
• Trial update – to evaluate/compare the difference in maturity of overhead irrigated Gala and non-overhead irrigated Gala – presented by Michael Crisera (Goulburn Valley only)
• Trial demonstration update – Investigating Gala apple eating quality | Smitten® hand thinning trial | Apple replant disease rootstock trial – presentation by Sophie Folder (TAS only)
• Trial update – Assessing Bud fruitfulness following bushfire – presentation by Kevin Dodds (Batlow only)
• Apple Research and Development in WA – presentation by Dr Dario Stefanelli, DPIRD (WA only)

Post-harvest seminar and tour – 2021

• Recording of presentations

January virtual orchard walk

• On-demand webinar 
• Platforms for orchard labour
• Managing vigour and crop load to increase profits

November virtual orchard walk

• Webinar recording
• Presentation slides by Jonathan Brookes, AgFirst and Nic Finger, Fruit Help
• Summer pruning discussion (video)
• Mechanical hedging at Plunkett Orchards (video)

Spring orchard walks

• Spring Future Orchards® Walk – Southern Loop (Recording)
• Spring Future Orchards® Walk – Northern Loop (Recording)
• Future Orchards spring walks – Managing your orchard in a global pandemic (slides) Ross Wilson and Craig Hornblow, AgFirst, September 2020
• Decision Tree – Labour in a Global Pandemic, AgFirst, September 2020
• Chemical thinning refresher, AgFirst, September 2020

Pear Masterclass

• Pear Masterclass Session 1 – Planting systems and rootstocks (Slides), Dirk van Hees, September 2020
• Pear Masterclass Session 1 – Planting systems and rootstocks (recording of online session)
• Pear Masterclass Session 2 – Experiences with new varieties (Slides), Dirk van Hees, September 2020
• Pear Masterclass Session 2 – Experiences with new varieties (recording of online session)
• Pear Masterclass Session 3 – Fertilization (Slides), Dirk van Hees, September 2020
• Pear Masterclass Session 3 – Fertilization (recording of online session)

Virtual Winter Orchard Walks

• Improved water and nutrient use efficiency for apple orcharding (slides), Dr Nigel Swarts, June 2020
• What is orchard excellence now and into the future? An AgFirst Perspective (Northern loop slides), Jonathan Brookes, June 2020
• What is orchard excellence now and into the future? An AgFirst Perspective (Southern loop slides), Steve Spark, June 2020
• PIP’s 2 extension update (slides), Ross Wilson, June 2020
• Orange Future Orchard Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Jessica Fearnley, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk Orange (recording of online session)
• Stanthorpe Future Orchard Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Stephen Tancred, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk Stanthorpe (recording of online session)
• Batlow Future Orchards Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Kevin Dodds, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk Batlow (recording of online session)
• Goulburn Valley Future Orchards Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Michael Crisera, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk Goulburn Valley (recording of online session)
• WA Future Orchards Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Susie Murphy-white, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk WA (recording of online session)
• SA Future Orchards Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Paul James, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk South Australia (recording of online session)
• Southern Victoria Future Orchards Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Camilla Humphries, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk Southern Victoria (recording of online session)
• Tasmania Future Orchards Demonstration Trial Update (slides), Sophie Folder, June 2020
• Future Orchards® Virtual Winter Orchard Walk Tasmania (recording of live session)
• Orchard Walk Video – Waima, NZ, June 2020
• Orchard Walk Video –  Sunpeach, NZ
• Orchard Walk Video –  Hoddys Fruit Co, NZ
• Orchard Walk Video –  The Pines, NZ

Video Series

• Future Orchards® Bud Analysis, August 2020

Webinar Series

• Post-harvest treatment with supercharged air (slides), Dr SP Singh, May 2020
• Eco-credentials and sustainability (slides), Dr Brent Clothier & Dr Anthony Kachenko, May 2020
• Eco-credentials and sustainability (webinar recording), Dr Brent Clothier & Dr Anthony Kachenko, May 2020
• Alternative controls for apple replant disease (slides), Tianna DuPont, June 2020
• Managing through drought, lessons from other industries (slides), Mark Skewes, June 2020
• Managing through drought, lessons from other industries (webinar recording)
• Adoption of AI technologies in horticulture (slides), Dr Zygmunt Szpak, July 2020
• Adoption of AI Technologies in Horticulture (webinar recording)
• Outcomes from US Netting trials- Presentation Slides Dr Lee Kalcsits (slides), Dr Lee Kalcsits, July 2020
• Growers managing nursery tree stock risk (slides) John McDonald, August 2020
• Growers managing nursery tree stock risk (webinar recording)

Post-harvest Seminar 2020 Presentations

• Digital Fingerprints leveraging technology to build brand trust, Gavin Ger, January 2020
• Lessons learnt from the Pomewest quality and maturity testing program, Nardia Stacy, January 2020
• MRLs implications for domestic retail and export markets, Kevin Bodnaruk, January 2020
• The future of DPA: alternative treatments and decontamination, Virginia Williamson, January 2020
• Dynamic controlled atmosphere global trends and the Australian market, Tito Spaldi, January 2020
• Analysing and managing the post-harvest apple microbiome, Birgit Wassermann, January 2020
• The 2019 Fresh Produce Safety Guidelines, Jenny Ekman, January 2020
• Measuring microbial risk management, Elizabeth Frankish, January 2020
• Implementing the National Food Traceability Framework, Rose Elphick-Darling, January 2020
• The changing retail and consumer landscape: opportunities for growth, Tristan Kitchener, January 2020

Grower R&D Update 2019

• Transforming your orchard irrigation with sensors and monitoring, Mark O’Connell, Agriculture Victoria, November 2019
• Understanding soils for improved water and nutrient efficiency, Nigel Swarts, TIA, November 2019
• Securing pollination through revegetation, Katja Hogendoorn, University of Adelaide November 2019
• Pollination under netting – learnings from New Zealand, Lisa Evans, Plant & Food Research, November 2019
• Tatura SmartFarm – Introduction to the Sundial experimental orchard, Ian Goodwin, Agriculture Victoria, November 2019
• Precision automation the new frontier for crop loading , Angus Hogan, SwarmFarm, November 2019
• Making sense of AI, machine learning, and data science in the horticultural industry Roei Yaakobi, Tie Up Farming, November 2019
• Utilising agritechnology to improve labour efficiency and fruit quality Rob Blakey, November 2019
• Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) – preparing for a security crisis, learnings from the USA, Bill Mackintosh, Grower, Mackintosh Fruit Farms
• Combating Codling Moth with Mastrus wasp – trial update, David Williams, Agriculture Victoria, November 2019
• Cold Chain Disinfestation and Quality Management of Pomefruit for Market Access, Francis De Lima, AgHort Solutions, November 2019
• The growing techniques and mechanization of the near future – Dirk van Lees, Fruit Consult, November 2019

Focus Orchard trial updates

• Focus Orchard trial update (Victoria), Camilla Humphries, E.E Muir, Sept 2020
• Focus Orchard trial update (New South Wales), Nic Finger, Fruithelp, July 2020
• Focus Orchard trial update (South Australia and West Australia), Tom Scott and Steve Spark, AgFirst, with Suzie Murphy White FLA, April 2020
• Focus Orchard trial update (Goulburn Valley and Stanhope), Nic Finger and Ross Wilson, April 2020
• Focus Orchard trial update (Southern Victoria and Tasmania), Craig Hornblow and Camilla Humphries, April 2020
• Focus Orchard trial update (Batlow and Orange), Nic Finger, AgFirst, November 2019
• Focus Orchard trial update (WA), Steve Spark and Karen McCallum, AgFirst, September 2019