Year: 2017

By Sonia Campbell When Tablelands banana grower Dennis Howe was looking to employ someone to help manage his family’s ever-growing agribusiness, he took a punt on pint-sized accountant Kim Mastin. She was 27, had little background in agriculture, but had an honesty and directness that…

By Sonia Campbell When Doug Phillips took on the role of Chair of the Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC), he had no idea the challenges that would lie ahead. He stepped into the role at a time when growers in Queensland’s far north were still…

The departure of Doug Phillips as Chair of the Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) in November signalled a significant changing of the guard for the council. Mr Phillips stood down from the helm during the ABGC’s annual general meeting in Tully on 30 November, after…

Banana farming brothers Matt and Ben Abbott, of Rabbits Organics, will use funding received in the latest round of Reef Trust grants to trial an under-tree slasher, that has never previously been used in the banana industry. The slasher is fitted with a pivoting head,…

More growers are about to benefit from Commonwealth funding designed to assist growers to make on-farm practice changes that reduce their environmental footprint on the Great Barrier Reef. Sonia Campbell reports on Reef Trust III and future funding available through this significant project. The latest round…

By Rosie Godwin Banana Freckle (Phyllosticta cavendishii) was detected in Northern Territory (NT) in 2013, and a response has been underway since then. Banana Freckle affects non-Cavendish and Cavendish banana plants and was found widely across the greater Darwin area. It was also found in…

In a region that has been hit by its fair share of challenges, Paula Doran meets two inspiring brothers  who are determined to break into the New South Wales banana industry and make things work. Ethan (21) and Zack McKeever (25) are two Murwillumbah locals…