Year: 2019

By Amelia Foster, BMP Coordinator Banana growers are leading the way to reduce sediment and nutrient leaving their farms to help secure the future health of the Great Barrier Reef. With the Reef Trust III Project coming to an end, the last of 50 projects are now…

Growers are reminded that now is the time to get leaf spot under control as the wet season, humidity and hot weather is upon us. It is much easier to keep inoculum levels low (under the recommended 5%) by making sure your de-leafing in up to date and by…

Over the past five years, Matt Weinert has publicly declared, on numerous occasions, that he is bananas for bananas. He’s got the shirts and, perhaps more importantly, the industry backing to prove it. From working one-on-one with growers to harvesting new varieties, from handing out samples at shows to giving…

Long-time locals and surf-loving tourists will tell you that Valla, on the New South Wales mid-north coast, is an idyllic destination. Beautiful beaches, rich agricultural history and that small-town feeling that’s getting harder to find. But if you ask people within the state’s banana industry,…

By Sonia Campbell A renewed campaign to address growing concerns over the number of people illegally entering banana farms along the Cassowary Coast, has resulted in at least one charge of trespass being laid. At the time of going to print, a 23-year-old South Johnstone man was due…

Seeing first hand again the devastation that TR4 brings, and the massive priority that good on-farm biosecurity needs to have in your daily business activities. A grower on the main benefit of the trip Sixteen people involved in the banana industry – including ten banana…

After more than three decades as a Bunchy Top inspector, much-loved character Tom Maher began his well-deserved retirement earlier this year. Bunchy Top is a notoriously hard disease to detect, but despite losing one eye some 25 years ago, Mr Maher earned a reputation as a highly-skilled inspector and a valued…