April 2022
India free trade agreement good news for citrus
Citrus SA has welcomed the signing of an interim free-trade deal between Australia and India. The deal will see tariffs cut on a number of commodities – including citrus. You can read more about it here
Grower info day, Riverland Events Centre, Barmera, Friday, April 22
Labour, shipping trends, chemical supply forecast and geospatial mapping will be just some of the topics covered at Citrus SA’s grower information day on Friday, April 22 at the Riverland Events Centre, Barmera. The day will kick off at 8:30am and an agenda will be distributed soon.
Labour Hire Agreement Template
The final version of a labour Hire agreement is now available. It contains:
All relevant wording to cover contractor agreements
Other legal obligations like Return to Work SA
A section on bin rates or hourly work.
Rules on timeliness and training and instruction.
The agreement also covers Sedex obligations.
Growers are invited to use all of this example wording or choose what parts are applicable to individual business. As always, growers should seek their own independent legal advice.
Download the template here
Integrated Pest Management Workshops
Two Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) farm walks were held late last month, facilitated by Andrew Creek and Dr Jianhua Mo from NSW DPI and James Altmann from Biological Services.
The walks were held at Golden Heights and Loxton and were well attended by growers.
Andrew Creek talked about how IDPM is not just a ‘soft’ option. He said there were a lot of natural enemies to many pests and the use of them is becoming increasingly important as several chemicals are no longer available for use. Residue tests in fruit are also driving the need for change.
James Altman from Biological Services took the attendees on a field walk to look at scale and soft scale. He explained how to look for pests and check/confirm with a magnifying glass.
There are plans to form a Riverland IPDM grower group – contact Andrew Creek on 0428 934 952 if you are interested in becoming involved. Head to our website for the full summary of the day.
Royal Adelaide Show entries open
Entries are now open for the Royal Adelaide Show which will be held on September 3-11.
Classes include citrus cartons (commercial packers only) of oranges, mandarins and lemons. There will also be plate classes with six pieces of fruit to be presented in the categories of navels, red flesh navels, valencias, lemons and mandarins. Fruit will be judged on fruit appearance and quality, trueness to type, size and shape appropriate to each variety and presentation. Prizes for champion plate of citrus of any variety, novelty citrus, largest orange (current season) will also be awarded. For the younger exhibitors (under 17), the novice section classes include a plate of six navels/valencias/mandarins and best decorated citrus display. You can find more details here
Orchard hygiene vital in fight against fruit fly
Keep your garden or property tidy – that’s the message from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA), with the announcement of new Queensland fruit fly outbreaks in Loxton and Pike River West, following the detection of maggots in backyard fruit. Collecting fallen fruit and picking ripe fruit promptly are key to stopping the fruit fly life cycle. All but one of the Riverland’s fruit fly outbreaks have started in backyards – not commercial fruit blocks.
It’s essential that Riverland residents living in red outbreak areas support the eradication program by following these simple steps:
Keep fruit and vegetables at risk from fruit fly on your property – don’t share, sell or give them away
Pick your ripe home-grown at-risk fruit and vegetables
Collect any fallen fruit and seal in a plastic bag, then call the Fruit Fly Hotline for collection – do not home compost or bury it. If you’re in the Renmark West red outbreak area, use your green lid bin. If you do not have a green lid bin, use your red lid bin.
Call the Fruit Fly Hotline if you suspect fruit fly on 1300 666 010 and seal the fruit and maggots in a plastic bag.
Commercial fruit movement restrictions are in place for Loxton, Pike River West, Pike River and Renmark West and all host material must be treated and certified before leaving an outbreak area. Contact the Industry Hotline on 1800 255 556 for further advice and support.
Check the map and find more information, including what fruit and vegetables are at risk, at fruitfly.sa.gov.au
April production tips
Copper sprays: Aim to begin your copper application at the start of April to help minimise any fungal diseases. Spray by variety order starting with early navels and mandarins, Mid-season navels, Cara Cara’s, Bloods and mandarins and then late season navels and mandarins.
Stop Drop 2,4D application: Start applications from mid-April but make sure that its applied at least two weeks minimum after your last copper application.
Autumn GA: Consult your agronomist about rates and your packer regarding your harvest strategy. Delaying or lengthening your harvest window coming into a year with so many uncertainties could prove to be beneficial.
Quality control: Continue removing sunburnt fruit, removing now while visible will help your pack out.