Category: News & Media

An extension officer helping banana growers understand water quality on their farms has won the 2019 Reef Youth Champion Award. William Darveniza works with banana and cane growers to reduce sediment and nutrient loss as part of the Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project. From a banana farming family,…

A delegation of Colombian government officials and banana industry representatives visited Far North Queensland in September to learn about the region’s unprecedented success in containing Panama disease Tropical Race 4. Colombia is one of the world’s biggest banana exporting countries and recently had their first confirmed detection of the devastating disease. The…

A playful title for this R&D event, held in October, gave attendees a good indication of what they could expect when hearing about the latest banana research from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF). The event, organised by the DAF banana extension team, was attended by more than 40 people…

The fight against feral pigs is far from over in the Tully Valley, despite a targeted program eradicating more than 5000 of the pests. Feral pigs not only cause considerable environmental damage, but also pose a constant risk of spreading Panama tropical race 4. As at September 30, 5333 pigs…

There’s a new way for banana growers to share ideas, ask advice and catch up – all without leaving the farm. The Thirsty Banana is a private Facebook group just for growers, designed to function almost as an online pub. In the past you might have stopped by your neighbour’s place…

– Stephen Lowe Bushfire Appeal The recent destructive East Coast bushfires once again highlighted the pure devastation mother nature can inflict on farming families – and communities as a whole – and the sheer resilience often required for affected growers to get back on their feet. Fires on the Mid North Coast of New…

– Jim Pekin Since the 1990s, the banana industry has significantly improved practices and reduced the amount of nutrients leaving farms. The industry is rightly proud of this, with 92% of land under production now benchmarked against the BMP Guidelines. This has been achieved voluntarily and without regulation. Growers know better than anyone that environmental best practice makes…