Fruit and Vegetables

Australian technology transforming viticulture through 5G

Precision farming is about to get a whole lot more precise with a wave of 5G technology showing economic and productivity benefits to the viticulture industry. Edon Abbot Growers are increasingly interested in the advantages that 5G has to offer the industry by saving money, time and maximising yield. Platfarm is a spatially based tasking and GPS tracking app for the viticulture industry developed at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, South Australia that allows growers and farmers to manage their land via a smart device. CEO and Co-founder of Platfarm Lyndsey Jackson said that with a mobile phone and a good antenna, you can get 1cm of accuracy. “Being able to really accurately know where either the machine is or fences vine rows, things like that are going to be really critical,” Jackson said. This precision is important in the viticultural industry by tracking what vine rows have been worked on to avoid complications. “If you’re spraying for pests and diseases but have to go fill up your tank… when you come back and you’re a row out, then that can dramatically increase the chance of pests and fungi – that’s how outbreaks happen,” Jackson said. “But with 5G, if you get down to 1cm accuracy, then you’re starting to be really precise about where the location is.” Last month, Platfarm went to a demonstration day supported by Wine Australia in the Mornington Peninsula to be a part of a 5G/GPS trial with Frontier SI and Position Partners to evaluate its economic benefit. The trial was funded by the Australian Government as part of the Australian 5G Innovation Initiative to demonstrate the benefit that 5G has on precision farming. Position Partners used drone flyovers for Near Real-Time Image Processing while Platfarm looked at testing the accuracy for the GPS tracking in […]

Fruit packing technology dramatically cuts packhouse labour needs

An intelligent robotic fruit packing machine that automates the most labour intensive job in the packhouse is proving to be a game-changer for post-harvest operators around the globe. Global Pac Technologies has officially unveiled the Aporo II robotic produce packaging machine which builds on the proven technology of the original Aporo I Produce Packer, first developed in 2018. The latest model can now accommodate twice the throughput, packing 240 fruit per minute, saving between two and four labour units per double packing belt. “Aporo II can be retrofitted across two packing belts instead of one, so it has effectively doubled the throughput and the labour saving that Aporo I could deliver,” explains Cameron McInness, Director of Jenkins Group – a New Zealand-based company which co-founded Global Pac Technologies with US-based Van Doren Sales Inc. “We have been rolling out this new machine with some key customers globally and the results have been dramatic. One of our Australian customers built a new packhouse and installed three of our Aporo II’s. That increased their packhouse production by 30-40 percent and reduced their labour by 50 percent. “Automating the process of placing fruit into trays then allows post-harvest operators to redeploy their scarce labour resources to areas where they can add more value.” McInness says Aporo II’s dual robotic heads are more consistent and reliable than human packers. The technology is now being used in France, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, the US, Australia and New Zealand – primarily to pack apples, and now stone fruit like peaches and nectarines. Work is underway to extend its use to other fruit varieties in the near future. “What’s unique about Aporo I and Aporo II is they are designed for really simple autonomous packing. The machine is very intelligent. It looks at the fruit, […]

Fliss-Roberts-founder-of-PlantMe-with-seed-envelopes-NZF

NZ start-up empowers Kiwis to grow-their-own vegetables

Kiwis keen to get their green fingers moving, save money and be more self-sufficient can start their own gardening journey thanks to an innovative seed delivery service and digital growing guide complete with a world-first rewards system. Topped off with a planting diary and an online marketplace to encourage collaboration and help Kiwis take small steps in their own backyard to reverse climate change, PlantMe.io is one-stop digital platform. “The idea is to encourage more people to get growing at home as meaningful climate action while also improving nutrition, health and wellness and your bank balance,” says PlantMe founder and CEO Fliss Roberts. “We’re building crypto rewards that will be a world-first in rewarding individuals for their climate action and bio-diversity restoration, and now we are inviting Kiwis to sign up to the platform and be citizen scientists to help us prove what’s possible and generate the data.” Wellington-based Fliss first had the idea for PlantMe at the end of 2018 to help individuals, families and the wider community start localising food and to make a collective impact on our bio-diversity and emissions. With an MBA in Sustainability, Fliss, who heads up Greenback, a female led green-tech start-up supporting collective climate action, got to work on building the PlantMe.io app. With the help of volunteer software developers, many fresh out of university and keen to apply their newly-learned skills to a business with a purpose, Fliss was able to launch PlantMe in 2019. PlantMe is inviting more Kiwis to sign up to have seeds delivered to their homes on a monthly, or quarterly, basis so they can grow their own fruit and vegetables with confidence. Subscribers are then supported on their gardening journey by digital growing guides, and seed choice is made depending on the recipient’s location to ensure optimal […]

Weeds cost the NZ economy millions

There’s something worse than vampires rising up from the ground. They’re weeds and an international soil scientist says they’re sometimes regarded as a benign problem because they can be dealt with. However Dr John Baker says some of the treatments may not be as benign as first thought. He points out that options range from waiting until they die of natural causes or speeding the process up by burial, uprooting, burning, cutting, crushing or poisoning. “Waiting for natural causes to take effect only applies to annual weeds because they’re designed to live for one year. The problem is that nature isn’t silly and all annuals go to seed before they die,” he says “To control annual weeds in this way, you need to remove and dispose of the seed heads before they die and this involves careful timing.” Instead burial or uprooting has been used for years and is the main reasons why the mouldboard plough was invented. “But we now know that any form of cultivation progressively kills off the soil biology and this has detrimental effect on soil health and its ability to grow crops sustainably,” he comments. “It’s about the most inorganic thing you can do to soil.” Dr Baker explains that burning may be one step better than cultivation, but not much. Burning turns the plant material into carbon dioxide and kills seeds and pests but it pollutes the air and ensures that none of the organic matter returns to the soil to feed the soil biology. Cutting and crushing can also be effective but only on plants that die as a result of these actions. Sadly, that does not include most perennial weeds, which have remarkable powers of recovery. Finally, there’s poisoning. Surprisingly while it’s almost universally regarded as the least attractive and environmentally responsible […]

Bringing RSE workers back the right move

BusinessNZ welcomes the announcement that New Zealand will welcome back 2,000 international workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says the move is timely. “Our exports industries have weathered the Covid storm well to date, but it would have been devastating to let fruit rot on the ground and cause economic damage to regions if access to workers was constrained by border restrictions. “The relatively low unemployment rate is both a signal that New Zealand’s economic fundamentals are holding up well, and also a red flag that the prospect of skill shortages could create more hardship for companies than the impact of Covid and lockdowns. “International workers make a significant contribution to the New Zealand workforce and ensure companies are able to continue to operate and keep New Zealanders in work. Companies are also taking up opportunities to attract and upskill New Zealand workers for these roles and in some cases local workers have the opportunity to upskill alongside RSE workers. “We have a number of industries that need international skills and expertise to supplement the New Zealand workforce, and it is critical for the Government to work rapidly and constructively with industries to understand these workforce pressures and find the right solution, as horticulture, viticulture and the Government have done today.”

McCain Foods ploughing on with Canterbury Plains growers

When McCain Foods first opened its new Timaru Potato plant in 1994, the company was focused on forging strong relationships with New Zealand growers. McCain has always underpinned its operations by growing green and local. Twenty-six years later, and this mantra is stronger than ever. The 550 million potatoes processed through the Timaru plant each year are harvested from rich New Zealand soils, including the Canterbury region, which Daniel Lovett – of Lovett Family Farms – calls home. Daniel’s parents, Greg and Joanne, began supplying potatoes to McCain in 2000. Two decades later, Daniel, his wife Emily and their children work alongside Greg and Joanne to continue the relationship – supplying delicious chips and French fries to their fellow Kiwis. Speaking about the challenges the farm has encountered over the years, Mr Lovett explained how the longstanding partnership the family formed with McCain has benefitted their farming operations. “We’ve encountered a vast amount of issues, from weather extremes, seedline issues, fertilizer trials, soil borne diseases, over/under production and the potato psyllid. But we have always been able to work through those problems with McCain’s team.,” Mr Lovett said. “McCain brought Innovator potatoes to us, which is a potato variety which is significantly more resistant to soil borne disease. It grows in fewer days than other varieties, resulting in less spray and risk to the elements.” “The innovator potato now makes up 50 per cent of what we produce. The research, and the expertise of McCain people, particularly in seed development, has seen us increase yield and profitability for our farming operation.” The McCain team’s relationship with Lovett Family Farms has also led to a streamlined supply process. “McCain approached us and another grower in 2010 to build a shed on farm to store potatoes on behalf of McCain,” Mr Lovett […]

Increasing demand for Greek fruit and veg amid Covid-19

Spain and Italy experience low harvest due to unfavourable weather conditions Tridge, a global sourcing and market intelligence hub for food buyers and suppliers, has reported the latest market trends affecting the food and agriculture sector. This week the biggest news relates to the increasing demand for Greek produce. Greek fruit and vegetable exporters are experiencing prolific sales as the demand for healthier produce has increased due to the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. Since, Greece’s measures against the pandemic have been effective, Greek products are seen as safer in comparison to other produce producing countries. Low harvest seasons in Italy and Spain due to a combination of unfavourable weather conditions and labour shortages have also contributed to the rise in demand for Greek produce. Border closures in Spain and Italy have delayed seasonal workers returning to farms – an issue that has rippled across most of Europe. Hoshik Shin, founder and CEO at Tridge said: “The effects of Covid-19 have been felt around the world, and many buyers are seeking alternative suppliers to meet the consumer demand for safer and healthier products. Aside from the impacts of the pandemic, weather conditions can also significantly impact a harvest season, meaning that buyers need more options when sourcing suppliers. Using an online trading platform such as Tridge can open up more choices for both buyers and suppliers, which is especially important when trying to find quality products and good prices”.

DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand welcome sector-wide vision

DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand welcomes the launch of a shared sector-wide vision to be world leaders in the sustainable production of high-quality food and fibre. “We are supportive of the Primary Sector Council’s broad vision of having a coordinated approach across sectors and Government that will help us develop our international brand and deliver more value for farmers,” Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Chair Andrew Morrison said. “New Zealand farmers are constantly having to adapt to shifting consumer demands in order to compete internationally and achieve a premium in the global marketplace. Increasingly consumers are asking for assurances that the product is both sustainably and ethically produced. “We believe that our farmers are already world leaders when it comes to the production of high-quality, pasture-based products with a low environmental impact – but that doesn’t mean we can get complacent. We are always striving to improve” DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel added. “Sustainable farming has a critical role to play in New Zealand’s future prosperity and wellbeing. If we all work together to embrace change, adapt and thrive, Kiwi farmers have a bright future ahead. The Primary Sector Council’s vision – Fit for a Better World – aligns with work that is already underway from both DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand in the form of both Dairy Tomorrow and Taste Pure Nature. Dairy Tomorrow is our dairy sector strategy to ensure dairy farming is sustainable and profitable into the future. It includes six key commitments: • We will protect and nurture the environment for future generations; • We will build the world’s most competitive and resilient dairy farming businesses; • We will produce the highest quality and most valued dairy nutrition; • We will be world leading in on-farm animal care; • We will […]

EastPack recognised as Tauranga Business of the Year 2019

EastPack, New Zealand’s largest Kiwifruit post-harvest company had a very successful night at the Westpac Tauranga Business Awards 2019 on Friday, picking up four awards including the ACC Workplace Health and Safety award, the Business Innovation award, the Manufacturing and Distribution award, and the supreme award of Tauranga Business of the Year 2019. “Each of these awards would have been a great achievement in its own right but we were delighted and humbled to be recognised across so many categories and to get the big prize at the end of the night,” says EastPack Chief Executive Hamish Simson. The recognition comes as EastPack moves closer to its goal of increasing fruit volumes to over 50 million trays in the next five years. It’s on track, having doubled throughput from 19 million trays in 2012 to 41 million trays in 2018. EastPack has also celebrated a number of industry firsts in recent years including the opening of the industry’s first fully-automated lights out coolstore in May. EastPack is focused on building people, plant and process capability to maintain performance and employee engagement during rapid industry growth. “EastPack is proud to be part of this business community and with our people, culture and enthusiasm for our industry, we will help keep this region a great place to live and work,” says Simson. “I would like to thank our team for their passion and hard work that has enabled us all to get EastPack to where we are today. This is a celebration of how far we have come in the last few years, and gives us confidence that we have the team, culture and ability to make the exciting future ahead of us a great success. “We are proud to be part of this business community and look forward to supporting the […]

Assisting product development with new mini aseptic solution

In today’s fast moving food and drink industry innovation is king. Everyone is looking for the next product to give their business the edge and food fashions and trends come and go with increasing speed. Food manufacturers often need to use seasonal ingredients, potentially offering limited edition flavours or varieties of key products: from herbal ice creams and summer berry drinks, to fruity condiments and vegetable smoothies. As a result, the life of innovative products is often shorter than has been seen previously and it can be hard for new product developers and marketers to pick which will survive in the market and which will fall away. All of these factors create challenges for operational factories and production lines. No business wants to invest in a fully-scaled line for a product that may have limited (albeit still successful) sales. The new HRS Asepticblock Mini Series allows manufacturers to produce new trial products with the minimum amount of product in a short time, reducing the unnecessary expense or wastage that can accompany full scale trials, and alleviating the need to suspend or interfere with the routine production of regular products. It allows the reproduction of a full scale final pack, but from as little as 20 to 50 kg of product. The Aseptic Mini Block Series was born from the need of many of small- and medium-sized customers to produce relatively small quantities of aseptic products, but who are prevented from doing so by high upfront capital costs and low return on investment. Traditional aseptic processing lines consist of two sections; one section is the steriliser or pasteuriser (based on a suitable heat exchanger according to the product type), and the other is the aseptic filler. The HRS Asepticblock Mini Series is designed for such producers working with a range of […]

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