Growers’ e-bulletin – August 31, 2018 | Australian Banana Growers

31 August, 2018

Content

Go West: Board and Roadshow in WA
Hort Innovation Review
Bananas benefits highlighted on TV
New Australian Bananas magazine
Composting for NSW growers

Go West: Board and Roadshow in WA

The ABGC Board headed west this week, holding their quarterly board meeting at Carnarvon and bringing with them some welcome rain! The previous board meeting was held here in 2012.

The WA visit coincided with the final leg of the National Banana Roadshow, which the Board participated in.

The National Banana Roadshow at Carnarvon Yacht Club

While in Carnarvon the board visited several growers on their farms and the Sweeter Banana Co-operative packing shed.

L: The Board, ABGC staff members and the Roadshow crew at the packing shed. R: ABGC Board members in Carnarvon.

During the board meeting, directors discussed a range of issues, including benchmarking data, workplace health and safety, HARPS, banana levies, R&D gaps, Congress, chemical issues and current biosecurity levels on North Queensland farms.

Data collected by ABGC and through the Banana Benchmarking Project, conducted by Howard Hall, has revealed some considerable room for improvement in biosecurity adoption on many farms.

The ABGC encourages all growers who have minimal on-farm biosecurity protocols to consider improving their biosecurity measures, including staff training, footbaths, vehicle wash-down and effective zoning.

Having good biosecurity measures in place will not only help reduce the further spread of Panama TR4, but will also greatly assist a grower to return to production in the event they have a positive TR4 detection on their property.

Thank you Carnarvon

The directors would like to thank the Carnarvon industry for their hospitality during this week’s visit. It was great to meet and discuss issues with growers from this part of our fantastic industry.

Hort Innovation review and response

An independent review into Hort Innovation’s performance has recently been released, with 14 recommendations put to the levy-funded body.

The review, conducted by GHD after a tender process, reported issues raised by ABGC and other peak industry bodies. Hort Innovation has resolved to address them and accepted all 14 recommendations.

Among the recommendations were:

· Partnering with industry to maximise effectiveness of its communication activities

· Better communicating with stakeholders about its business, including investment processes

· Enabling industry marketing to be reviewed – if requested by a peak body – to determine if it can be delivered more effectively

You can view both the GHD review and Hort Innovation’s response here

Banana benefits highlighted on TV

Australian Bananas has had a massive launch week, after debuting their new television campaign on Sunday August 26.

The advertisements make use of the iconic ‘Make Your Body Sing’ jingle and show people getting a healthy energy boost as they go about their day.

This week has included strong programming to tie in with big TV events, including The Bachelor with Nick Cummins at the forefront. This has been a highly anticipated program and is already smashing Bachelor records – a feat that is expected to continue.

The Block and Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures are also strong programs with an incredible audience reach. Nine News and TEN News, as well as The Project, will feature heavily as targets as they provide consistent eyeballs and an engaged audience.

You can read a media release about the Peel Good Feel Good campaign here.

New Australian Bananas magazine

A brand new edition of Australian Bananas magazine is on its way to you!

Issue 53 features a wide range of stories including a look at banana export opportunities, the latest on Goldfinger mutagenesis, and a breakdown of WH&S legislation – just to name a few. You can also expect plenty of pictures from regional shows and the National Banana Roadshow!

You won’t want to miss this exciting edition, which comes with a free Australian Banana Industry Congress 2019 magnet.

Compost benefits for soil on NSW Mid North Coast

A Coffs Harbour forum in October aims to highlight best practice in both the production and application of compost in the Mid North Coast region.

Presented by the Australian Organics Recycling Association (NSW Branch), it will be held at the National Marine Science Centre, part of the School of Environment, Science and Engineering at Southern Cross University.

It’s free to growers but there are limited places, so bookings are encouraged. For non growers, the cost is $50 for AORA members and $75 for non-members.

Date: October 12, 2018

Address: 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour

8am – 12.15pm Seminar sessions and panel discussion followed by lunch

1pm – 4pm Parallel site visit opportunities with nearby growers including blueberries, avocados, and turf, cattle as well as an organics recycling facility.

More information here.

This e-bulletin is produced by the Australian Banana Growers’ Council as a part of the Communications Project for the Banana Industry funded by HIA Ltd using the banana industry R&D levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.

Contact Details
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