On average Australian farmers grow 17,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries that have an approximate farm gate value of $300 million.

Of these blueberries, 75% are sold fresh within Australia with the remaining exported across the globe and processed as a frozen product.

In Australia, blueberries are predominantly grown in Northern New South Wales around Coffs Harbour with a majority of production occurring across the summer months.

Blueberries are also grown across areas such as Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania to ensure that consumers are receiving fresh Australian blueberries year-round.

Ever wondered how blueberries end up on our supermarket shelves?

In many cases, the blueberries in your hands today may have been in that field yesterday somewhere in regional Australia. It’s an incredible journey – made even more so because blueberries must be gently hand-picked and treated with extra special care.

Organisations such as the Australian Blueberry Growers’ Association work hard to ensure the most plump, juicy and fresh blueberries are delivered to your local supermarket or fresh produce market each day.

New blueberry plants are grown from small cuttings taken from established bushes. These cuttings are planted in trays, which are placed in fog houses for the first couple of months – where the plants bask in warmth and humidity, and get off to a strong start.

Once the cuttings have developed good roots, they are replanted into larger pots. For the next three months, these small blueberry plants require plenty of T.L.C. – full sun, daily watering, and a weekly dose of liquid natural fertiliser.

After about five months, when the plants are about 30cm tall, they are ready to head out into the open field. The grower typically spaces the bushes 1 metre apart in long rows. It takes 2-3 years before the bush is ready to produce flowers and fruit for the first time and 6 years to reach ‘full maturity’.

Being the delicate little morsels they are, fresh blueberries must be carefully hand-picked by people who know how to spot a perfectly ripe blueberry. Depending on the variety, most bushes are picked every 5 to 7 days. During peak harvest, farms require many extra pickers to cope with the large number of ripe blueberries.

From the field, the fresh blueberries travel in picking crates to the air conditioned packing shed. Here, they are carefully inspected for fruit quality and transferred into the familiar ‘clamshell punnet’ packs.

Only the plumpest and largest fresh blueberries pass the quality test. Fruit unfit for sale is removed.  Much of this is frozen or sent to processors to make into other blueberry products.

The punnets are then individually weighed to ensure they contain exactly the right amount of fresh ripe blueberries, and are then packed into cardboard trays and cooled to 4 degrees C.

From here, they are loaded onto a refrigerated truck to ensure they arrive at their destination just as fresh as when they were picked.

These trucks could be headed for wholesale markets in capital cities, independent fruit shops, supermarket distribution centres – or even the airport where they are air freighted to Asia, Europe and America.

All this often happens within 24 hours of picking…so you can enjoy the freshest blueberries that Australia has to offer!

Find more great information about Australian blueberries as well as a range of delicious recipes via the Australian Blueberries website.

The post From farm to supermarket shelves in 24 hours, the journey of fresh Aussie blueberries appeared first on AustralianFarmers.

The idea of making a living from growing food and fibre and playing a role in feeding Australians and the world is attractive to many.

However, for most Australians, the pursuit of a lifestyle and career as a farmer can seem like a pipedream. Unless, you inherit a property, the cost of farm ownership can be simply out of reach. That’s definitely what Claire Coates believed before she discovered Cultivator.

Claire had been passionate about farming since she was a child.

“For me, agriculture was always a drawcard. Some of my closest friends lived and worked on farms, and I grew up in a rural setting.  After school, it was a natural progression for me to go on and take an agriculture certification on a sheep stud”, Claire said.

But without the capital needed to get started, Claire and her husband, Marc had to look for an alternative pathway to farm ownership.

In 2017 Claire participated in a farm-ownership accelerator program called Cultivator along with 12 other aspiring farmers. 

Nailing the business plan

Run by Cultivate Farms, the program offered mentoring and training to help Claire develop a business plan to pitch her farm investment proposal to a panel of pre-selected investors.

At the conclusion of her program, Claire successfully pitched her business plan and received investment from a panellist supplied by Cultivate Farms. As a result of meeting the investor and building a relationship, they are now the co-owners of Freeland Pork.

Bringing home the bacon

Located in Kyabram, Freeland Pork is a free-range, hormone-free, ethically raised premium pork farm.

“We chose to co-own land to establish our farm. We now want to grow our business and own the land as an asset. Right now, we are working toward buying the farm back from our co-owner, our Cultivate Farm investor and expanding our operations without necessarily buying more land,” Claire said.

Helping farmers of the future

With her business now flourishing, Claire wants to help other aspiring farmers.

“I aim to get Freeland Pork to a place where it hits its peak, then we can allocate time to coach and mentor other people in small farms.

“I would love to help other small farm operations to create a sustainable and profitable enterprise.

Breaking down the barriers

Claire said the barriers to young people owning farms were complex and the Cultivate program provided an entrepreneurial and empowering pathway to farm ownership.

“I knew that I wanted to own a farm. Cultivator taught me to approach my dream to own a farm like an entrepreneur.

Claire Coates

“I gained the skills and resources to present a farm business plan and five-year financial projection and pitch this directly to a farm investor. The Cultivator program is an amazing opportunity for any aspiring farmer who wants to fast track farm ownership,” Claire said.

The fourth iteration of Cultivator will kick-off in February 2021 with its largest panel of investors to date and is open to any aspiring Australian farmer. The top 10 aspiring farmers will have the opportunity to pitch to the panel of investors at the culmination of the program at a pitching event in April 2021.

The traditional model of inheriting a farm or applying for a loan to buy a farm is not possible for many, and aspiring farmers need to start looking at new ways of getting on the land.

Sam Marwood, CEO at Cultivate Farms

“Cultivate teaches next generation and scaling farmers the skills to develop successful partnerships with investors. Using Claire as an example, we know that our model is a proven, realistic and successful way to get people farming on their own land”, Cultivate Farms CEO Sam Marwood said.

The 4-month program will guide aspiring farmers to develop a farm pitch which can be used to unlock investment and co-ownership opportunities with any potential partner. 10 of the best applications will be selected for presentation to the Cultivate Farms Investment Advisory Board with the possibility of investment outcomes for the aspiring farmer.

“Cultivator not only provides aspiring farmers with the tools to unlock farm ownership opportunities with retiring farmers and investors but also the confidence that they are good enough to co-own a farm and be motivated to keep finding opportunities”, Sam said.

For more information or to apply, click here.

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Many haystack fires self-ignite for no apparent reason. This is called spontaneous combustion and is the leading cause of haystack fires in Australia. This threat has been exacerbated in recent months by spiking demand for fodder in drought-affected regions, which is causing some producers to hurry production.

Haystack fires can spread quickly into the surrounding area and often result in thousands of dollars of damages.

Here, WFI provides some useful tips to reduce the risk of haystack fire.

Points to remember

Before cutting and storing hay, consider the following points:

1. The node should be fully booted (emerged) from stem sheath prior to cutting. Depending on the variety (slow or fast maturing varieties) the node may sometimes not be fully emerged, in which case the curing time must be longer to ensure no moisture is present within the nodes.
2. Moisture is stored in the node within the stem of the plant. If the stem is not crimped/cracked (by using a mower conditioner or a super conditioner) the moisture will not escape as quickly and curing times will need to be longer.
3. Curing process is the key element to stopping spontaneous combustion fires. Curing times depend upon:
   • Density;
   • Size of node;
   • Condition of hay;
   • Use of a mower conditioner to cut hay;
   • Size of windrow; and
   • Weather conditions.

4. An effective curing test available to farmers is to use the “hammer test” i.e.; squashing the node between two metal surfaces and looking for any moisture from the crushed node. If ANY moisture appears, this hay is not ready for baling.
5. Moisture: After hay is cured (and no moisture is present in “hammer test”), hay bales should not be baled with moisture contents greater than 15% (for cereal hay – oats or wheaten hay, etc.). If hay is not cured to the point at which no moisture is present at “hammer test” stage, the moisture reading will not be a true reflection of the moisture content.
6. If the hay has a slight caramel odour/ strong musty smell/strong burning odour or visual vapours, you should investigate the source of the odours and take appropriate actions. These are strong indicators that a spontaneous combustion fire may occur.

Reduce your fire risk

Spread your risk – haystacks in the open air should be limited to $50,000 value in total or, 400 bales (based on large square 8×4), or 250 tonne maximum per stack.

Always ensure that there is a 20 metre debris free clearance surrounding hay stacks or sheds (graded/cleared to ensure sufficient clearance).

Hay stacks in the open air should have a minimum 50 metres clearance between each stack; 40 metres of graded clearance (20 metres surrounding each stack) and 10 metres in between graded areas (stubble only).

Remove all ignition sources from hay sheds for example fuel, fertiliser, power sources (such as batteries) or chemicals.

All machinery should be removed from hay sheds to ensure equipment is not put at risk by fire and therefore increasing your loss and potential hardship.

Always ensure your hay sheds are in good state of repair, with no leaks in the roof or loose sheets as this may reduce your return due to water damaged bales.

Even if you take all the possible precautions to prevent haystack fires, losses can still occur, therefore, you should ensure you have the adequate level of insurance protection just in case the unthinkable happens. It is a good time to check your insurance policies to ensure your hay, hay sheds and machinery are adequately covered.

If you would like to review your insurance policies or you would like further information about other practical measures you can put in place to reduce the risk of haystack or shed fires contact your WFI local area manager on 1300 934 934. Or visit wfi.com.au

Sources:

Country Fire Authority of Victoria (CFA), 2011, Preventing Haystack Fires http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/firesafety/farming/hay.htm

Department of Primary Industries, 2008, Haystack Fires (Spontaneous Combustion) http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/dairy/pastures-management/haystack-fires-spontaneous-combustion

F, 2008, ‘Hay fires burn stacks’, Farming Ahead, No. 202, p. 56.

This information has been provided as a guide only. WFI (ABN 24 000 036 279 AFSL 241461) makes no warranties about the accuracy or completeness of this information. WFI, including its directors, affiliates, officers, employees, agents and contractors, do not accept any liability for any loss, damage or other injury resulting from its use. This information doesn’t take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs.  You should consider  these matters and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before you act on any advice. You can get a copy of our PDSs from our website at www.wfi.com.au or by calling 1300 934 934. If you purchase any WFI product we will charge you a premium, plus any taxes and charges, based on your risk profile and circumstances.

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AustralianFarmers have provided you with a list of our favourite ag-related podcasts that will have you hooked all season.

Agtech – So What? By Sarah Nolet from AgThentic

Sarah Nolet is an internationally recognised food systems innovation expert and the CEO of AgThentic, a global food and agriculture strategy firm.

Each of her podcast episodes provides insights from leading innovators working at the intersection of agriculture and technology. The team go beyond the jargon and dig into what agtech is really about and why it is so important.

Listen to all of the episodes for free here.

Regional Voices

Regional Voices is a weekly 15 minute radio program and podcast, broadcast nationally.

Regional Voices explores topics that matter to regional audiences, providing an unrivalled opportunity to engage audiences who listen to the radio while in their workshops, offices, vehicles and tractor cabs.

Listen to all of the episodes for free here.

This is Aus Ag in Conversation

The This is Aus Ag team were formed as a part of the National Farmers’ Federation’s 2030 Leaders Program. The team is made up of young people from around Australia who have a vested interest in Australian agriculture.

This podcast podcast aims to bring people with diverse views together to challenge assumptions and discuss the ideas and perspectives that influence how we farm in Australia.

Listen to all of the episodes for free here.

RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness Australia/NZ

Rabobank’s RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness team has 90 analysts working in local teams across the worldwide Rabobank network.

This podcast is a forum that generates knowledge, and develop views and insights on businesses, topics and developments in the food & agribusiness sectors across the globe.

With almost 150 episodes, your day will be jam-packed full of learning!

Listen to all of the episodes for free here.

My Open Kitchen By Sophie Hansen

My Open Kitchen is a self-paced online course to help farmers, value-adders, cooks and producers get started with social media to celebrate the beautiful food we produce by telling the story of agriculture through online engagement.

The mastermind behind My Open Kitchen is Sophie Hanson – a food media guru, cookbook author and deer farmer in Orange, NSW.

The podcast celebrates great stories from behind the farm gate, inspiring people, seasonal produce and the power of social media to help us all connect, collaborate and build communities.

Listen to all of the episodes for free here.

The post 5 farming podcasts we love appeared first on AustralianFarmers.

There may be a few questions running through you mind about Australia’s hemp industry! AustralianFarmers have the answers to the five most commonly asked hemp-related questions.

What is hemp used for?

Is hemp a narcotic?

In short, no. But for a long answer:

The hemp plant contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which at high concentrations is a psycho-active or mind-altering ingredient.

However, hemp crop contains little to no active compounds and the cultivation of plants with a THC level of greater than 0.35% in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, and greater than 1% in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, is an offence under relevant Australian state drug laws.

In actual fact hemp is no different than your oats, grain etc. in terms of narcotic effects.

What is the value of hemp in Australia?

The estimated gross value of Australian hemp production in 2011–12 was around AU$300,000 but is forecasted to be valued at $3 million by 2023.

Cultivation of the crop was banned in 1937 and fell under a classification that prohibits all species of cannabis from being added to food, or sold as a food.

In April 2017 the decision was overturned and low THC hemp is now legally fit for human consumption, allowing Australia’s consumer demand to skyrocket.

We are still a fair way out from matching the US hemp industry which is currently worth $150 million.

How is hemp grown?

Hemp is now grown in every state in Australia as an irrigated crop.

The crop grows best in subtropical and tropical climates in temperatures between 15–27°C, a moderately humid atmosphere and primarily grown in the summer months.

Harvesting of hemp for fibre occurs as soon as the last pollen is shed but before seed sets, which is normally about 70–90 days after planting.

Harvesting for seed would occur 4–6 weeks later than fibre harvest, when 60–70% of the seed has ripened. Harvesting usually begins as soon as there are signs that birds are stripping the seeds off the plant.

Hemp is sewn by a conventional disc drill and harvested by good quality sickle-bar mowers and hay swathers.

What are the regulations and requirements to grow hemp in Australia?

Industrial hemp can only be grown in Australia under a licence issued by a state government.

The reason you have to apply for a licence is that industrial hemp is not recognised as a farming commodity. Instead, the government classifies industrial hemp (even with the approved THC levels) as cannabis under the ‘Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981’.

The growing location must be approved by the State Government and growers need to agree to inspections and monitoring by state government inspectors.

This is done to ensure the hemp is not being grown for therapeutic reasons and to prevent the public coming into contact with it.

For more information on the hemp industry see the links below.

AgriFutures

Hemp Farms Australia

Grow Industrial Hemp

The post 5 questions you may have about the hemp industry appeared first on AustralianFarmers.

Australian National University (ANU) researchers are holding a series of events around the Riverina district of NSW, or the Wiradgury region, called “Talking About Stones”.

The event works with farmers in dealing with the surprisingly frequent yet complex issue of Indigenous artefacts found on Australian farms.

It became evident most of those stone tools had been brought in by farmers who had found them whilst working.

“In fact we found finding these stone tools was so common that most farming families in the region had a collection of stone tools stored away in an old shoe box or a milk create,” ANU lead researcher Dr Robyn McKenzie said.

“Farmers have recognised the differentiation between the stones on their properties by the sounds they make on the plough disks compared to other stones and through the farmers extensive knowledge and connection to the land.”

Dr Mckenzie said over the yeas farmers have found axe heads, grinding stones, hammer stones and spear tips.

Battling misconceptions of finding Indigenous artefacts

Researchers are encouraging property owners to come forward and share the fascinating history that has been left behind on their property.

Many farmers have donated Indigenous artefacts anonymously, even leaving stones at the front doors of museums, therefore leaving researchers short of information, according to Dr McKenzie.

It seems to be the general anxiety among farmers about losing their land or losing control of their property and it be turned into a sacred site if they hand in an artefact found on their farm. It’s not going to happen.

Dr McKenzie quoted a farmer at the “Talking About Stones” event at the Henty Field Fair held on Thursday 20 September as an example of the misconceptions some farmers may have about finding Indigenous artefacts on their farms.

“We don’t talk about [the stones] in case some bugger comes along and says you picked them up after 1974.”

The farmer was talking about the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW), which has since been amended to protect farmers and their properties.

What do you do if you find an artefact on your farm?

Dr McKenzie urges farmers to report their findings to their local museum.

However, due to a surplus of donated stones from farmers, most museums aren’t accepting anymore stones unless it is deemed significant, so farmers may be able to keep their findings.

The Gubur Dhaura – Aboriginal Ochre Quarry and Historic Mining Area in Canberra ACT was a source of many artefacts, as the quarry was previously used by Indigenous peoples to quarry for rocks for axe heads.

The site has entwined the cultural heritage and significance of the quarry to be a part of the business appeal and showcase history of the region.

The event aims to broaden the narrative beyond the pioneers and to tell the story of Indigenous people, build relationships with farmers and have conversations about how to preserve the objects.

“It is possibly telling the story of Indigenous farming. It has told us many things about agriculture before settlement, for example, we now know that they were cultivating the land and grinding and milling seeds,” Dr McKenzie said.

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