EO's round up
Tri-Nut Conference
Put these dates in your diary – 9 to 11 September 2022. This is when the 2022 Tri-Nut Conference will be held in Moama, NSW (across the border from Echuca, Vic).
The program is starting to come together and the registration details and accommodation information will be distributed shortly.
We are looking for further sponsors so if you have any contacts, please pass them onto me.
Overseas snippet
With May around the corner attention is shifting towards the new hazelnut crop in Turkey. Although things are quite encouraging at present, China’s zero-Covid strategy is giving suppliers headaches.
COVID-19 checklist and requirements - VICTORIA
In line with the Victorian Government’s most recent announcements regarding COVID-19 contacts including within the workplace, please see following links to relevant reference information:
Farm safety
India
The India Interim Trade Agreement with Australia will see the hazelnut tariff of 30% being eliminated over 7 years. This is some welcome news and opens the door for the entry and expansion of this market in the coming years.
On-farm biosecurity planner
The Hazelnut On-Farm Biosecurity Planner is now complete and it will be printed and distributed to all HGA members within the next fortnight. Watch out for it through your normal postal system.
Hope harvest has gone/is going well.
Regards,
Trevor
Trevor M Ranford B.Sc., Dip MP (AIMSA), Adv Dip Hosp (Wine Marketing), AFIML
Executive/Communications Officer
Hazelnut Growers of Australia Inc
Mobile: 0417 809 172
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Survival strategies of persistent soil pathogens
From Growing Produce: For more than two years, humanity has suffered from a persistent coronavirus that seems like it will never go away. Like many pathogens, the COVID-19 virus has a survival strategy that endows it with lasting staying power.
Turning to our crops, we see that plant pathogens likewise have developed and evolved survival strategies that endow them with lasting staying power. Plant pathogenic, soilborne fungi have been extremely successful in this regard.
If you know how soilborne diseases stay alive, you can better plan how to manage them.
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Produce safety: What we know about animal intrusion, proximity
From The Packer: Animal intrusion into produce fields has been an obvious food safety risk for some time.
More recently, the risks associated with proximity to animal agriculture and habitats — including evidence for commodities other than leafy greens — have received high-profile interest, demanding increased attention from the fresh produce industry.
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Unique Way to Take Charge of Weed Control in Hazelnut Crops
From Growing Produce: An ongoing study in hazelnut orchards offers possible electric weed control (EWC) solutions for other tree nut orchards, especially in light of increasing herbicide resistance.
Marcelo Moretti, Assistant Professor at Oregon State University, conducted two studies in 2021 utilizing EWC to manage Italian ryegrass in hazelnut orchards. One study focused on the necessary speed of operation to provide effective weed management. The second, multi-year study focuses on crop safety when using EWC.
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WaterNSW rural bulk water
IPART has released the maximum prices that WaterNSW can charge for rural bulk water services in the Murray-Darling Basin and Fish River Water Supply Scheme.
The draft decision is to accept WaterNSW’s annual pricing application to maintain the charges set under the 2021 Determination. This means charges will only increase by inflation (estimated to be 3.2%) from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.
You can have your say about the outcomes of the annual review by making a submission by 13 May 2022.
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New opportunities: New Seasonal Workforce Group Traineeships in Horticulture
The Minister for Agriculture recently announced the new Seasonal Workforce Group Traineeships in Horticulture pilot program to help link students with training and on-the-job experience to build skills and open new career pathways.
This new program is led by the Apprenticeship Employment Network (AEN) in collaboration with group training organisations, TAFEs, horticulture businesses, local industry groups and Ag Vic. This means that industry associations and businesses should consider partnering with their local or relevant training provider to build the skills that can secure long-term skilled roles amongst the seasonal workforce.
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Useful resources: WorkSafe - new agriculture seasonal worker resources, AgVic Talks – podcast on Creating a Career in Horticulture
AgVic Talks – podcast program on people in agriculture, farm safety, career pathways (check out Ep 17 on Creating a Career in Horticulture) and much much more. Watch out for Series 4 which focus on how people in horticulture acquire skills, careers and diversification of their businesses.
WorkSafe - new agriculture seasonal worker resources are now available. In collaboration with representatives and leaders from the Pacific Islands community, WorkSafe has developed three different in-language resources:
- Videos
- Factsheets
- Posters
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FPSC launches new food safety resources
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre (FPSC), working with Freshcare, today launched three new simple food safety flyers for the fresh produce industry. The three flyers draw from chapters from the FPSC’s Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety, and are easy-to-understand tools for businesses across the supply chain.
The three flyers focus on:
• Managing water
• Managing chemicals
• Managing people
The FPSC plans to produce more flyers on other topics from the Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety.
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2023 Nuffield Scholarships: Applications now open
International travel is back and Nuffield Australia is seizing the opportunity to send farmers and fishers abroad to bring innovative ideas home.
“A Nuffield Scholarship is a unique opportunity to explore the world to discover new tools, practices and ideas, and forge connections that can improve long-term sustainability,” says CEO and 2013 Nuffield Scholar Jodie Redcliffe.
“Our program gives emerging leaders from agriculture and associated industries experiences to tackle challenges and embrace change. That’s why we see Nuffield alumni in positions of leadership across industry."
Each scholarship is valued at $30,000 and Nuffield Australia will award up to 20 scholarships this year.
Nuffield Scholarships are open to farmers, fishers and those in associated industries aged between 28-45. The bursary allows scholars to spend 14 weeks of travel over two years to study a topic important to the industry.
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Growing Smarter in the Mallee 2022
Thursday 5 & Friday 6 May | Mildura, VIC
An initiative of the Mallee Regional Innovation Centre, this regional summit will be hosted at the SuniTAFE Smart Farm, just outside Mildura. Over two days, you will have the opportunity to hear from more than 40 expert speakers, see equipment demonstrations, visit trade stalls, speak to developers of new technologies, and participate in tours of the SuniTAFE Smart Farm and Agriculture Victoria Smart Farm.
At our Evoke Ag dinner on the Thursday night, you will hear about the future of agriculture and have a chance to grow your network through reflections of day one of the summit. You can now secure a front row seat to the latest innovations in horticulture, including robotics and automation, remote sensing, forecasting yields, autonomous vehicles, data for decisions, traceability, energy and climate impacts.
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Diary dates
3-5 May: Australian Biosecurity Symposium - Gold Coast, QLD
5-6 May: Growing Smarter in the Mallee - Mildura, VIC
5-8 September: Fine Food Australia - Melbourne, VIC
5-9 September: X International Congress on Hazelnut - Corvallis, Oregon (USA)
21-22 February 2023: evokeAG. - Adelaide, SA
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