By Kathryn Dryden, ABGC 

Keeping track of the nutrients and chemicals applied on your farm is best practice. It’s even better if growers do this regularly, rather than rushing as they prepare for an audit. 

Not only is it best practice, but there are regulations that make record keeping compulsory depending on where your farm is located. 

While growers in the Great Barrier Reef catchments have additional requirements relating to nutrient application, all growers are required to make records relating to chemicals to comply with state chemical usage regulations. 

The Queensland Government does undertake audits against the Reef Regulations and the Chemical Usage Regulations and having easily accessible records will make this process much less stressful. 

There are many ways that growers can keep records, including on paper (for eg. a diary), in spreadsheets or on specially designed software packages sold by a variety of providers. In addition to these options, and with banana production specifically in mind, the ABGC developed the BetterBunch app to make nutrient and chemical record keeping simple and convenient. 

The app was first rolled out to growers in 2016 and since then it has been used by many banana growers to reduce stress and save time and effort when it comes to managing their farm and preparing for audits. And the best news is – the app is free to banana growers and support is provided by the ABGC Best Practice Team whenever you need it. 

The app is currently undergoing a revamp to make it even better – with a focus on making it easier to use, provide a farm mapping component and to align more closely with the requirements of the Freshcare audits. In May and June 2022, ABGC will be hosting short workshops for growers to learn how to get the most out of the BetterBunch app. 

If you’d like to move to a simple, free record keeping system that will improve your nutrient and chemical record keeping (and audit experience) please contact the BMP Team on bmp@abgc.org.au or phone Molly on 0419 602 864.