The journey is half the reward

July 2015 | Presented by David Finger, Vernview, Yarra Valley | Future Orchards®

David Finger’s Future Orchards® presentation follows the development of Vernview in the Yarra Valley and the management decisions that shaped the orchard over time. The resource is framed as a grower journey: changes in orchard systems, production targets and management practice are treated as a sequence of decisions rather than a single transformation.

The presentation highlights the value of looking beyond the farm gate for ideas, learning from other growers and advisers, and being willing to change direction when an existing approach is no longer delivering the required result. It reflects a recurring Future Orchards® theme that orchard improvement depends on both technical knowledge and the willingness to measure performance honestly.

For growers, the practical value lies in the process: identify where performance is falling short, understand why, set a clear target and then make changes that can be checked against real results. Production, packout, fruit quality, labour efficiency and long-term business sustainability all form part of that review.

The presentation is useful for orchard teams considering substantial system change because it shows that improvement is cumulative. The lessons come not only from the final orchard design, but from the observations, mistakes and adjustments made along the way.