It seems everywhere you look there are ‘connected’ people on their Android smartphones, iPhones and tablets. These devices allow the user to instantly update what they have just eaten or post updates to their friends on social media. More importantly is the ability of these apps to provide us with up to date, succinct data, that assists with horticultural management decisions.
The basics of growing a good crop don’t vary, but variations in climate from season to season can affect on orchard operations for growth of the current crop, and how the vines are set up for the following season.
I write this article as the pipfruit harvest is coming to an end and the kiwifruit industry has just completed the harvest of a record 65 million trays of Gold kiwifruit and is embarking on the main pick of Green kiwifruit. There has been significant media coverage of the issues both industries have faced in getting workers to pick and pack this fruit. Other horticulture sectors are facing similar difficulties.
Having had 30 years plus in the kiwifruit industry I can assure you that the years spin around faster and faster. It seems only a few months ago that I was on client’s orchards reviewing the winter pruning job that had been done for the season. By the time this article is in print, most of the kiwifruit crop will be tucked into coolstore awaiting shipment to markets far away. It is time to winter prune again!!
The IFTA (International Fruit Tree Association) has recently completed a successful NZ Conference and Tour. A theme of the tour was the evolution of growing systems in a world where labour is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. In this article, some of the considerations around orchard design, efficiency and suitability for mechanization are discussed.
At this stage of the season it is close to kiwifruit harvest time but there’s still things we don’t know about how the rest of the season will pan out and the crop results! Doing the basics well – including timeliness – is still a key to orchard performance.
The National Horticultural Field Day at the Hawkes Bay Showgrounds was a roaring success with many local businesses and innovators on display, lively competitions and business talks to attend. Many local high schools participated in the Education Hub which involved a range of fun and learning activities organised by PipfruitNZ and designed to fuel interest in Horticulture as a career option.
Gross margin benchmarking was completed, in collaboration with the Ministry for Primary Industries and New Zealand Wine, for Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa , Marlborough and Central Otago. The gross margin calculates the revenue minus direct expenses for growing, harvesting and marketing the crop.
Kiwifruit winter pruning is the start of the seasonal growing cycle and sets your crop potential for the next harvest.
It has been 10 years since the Recognised Seasonal Employees (RSE) scheme was introduced and workers have been coming to the Bay of Plenty to prune, pick and pack kiwifruit over that time. While it is easy to see the benefits the industry receives from being able to use RSE workers, it is also timely to celebrate the significant contribution they make the the well being of our wider communities
We are all aware of the huge growth occurring in the horticultural sector nationally. Alongside that growth is a huge demand for unskilled and skilled workers to take on the varied roles in the sector. With this in mind, this article focuses on a group of individuals who have chosen to forsake their Tuesday evenings to attend Lincoln University Diploma in Horticulture tutorials provided by Fruition Horticulture in Tauranga and Nelson.
“Hawke’s Bay apples are in hot demand across the globe, the industry is innovative, forward thinking and going places – so can young Kiwis”. Pipfruit New Zealand is encouraging more young people to consider a career in the industry says Capability development manager Erin Simpson.