Tree Crop News

General

Backpacker tax ruling gives farming groups hope

Farmers are not surprised by a Federal Court's decision on Wednesday, to overturn the controversial backpacker tax.

Pome fruit

How to make pears blush:

Pears have been declining in popularity in recent years, but new blush varieties offer opportunities for an image makeover and a revival in fortunes.

General - Marketing & export

NT freight hub construction set to begin

A boost for producers in Australia’s Northern Territory, as construction on Darwin Airport freight hub to begin this week

Cherries - General

Victorian cherry producer looking forward to promising season ahead

A Victorian cherry producer is expecting slightly higher volumes and better-quality fruit in the 2019 season, thanks to favourable weather conditions compared to last year.

General

Is bee broking the toughest job in agriculture?

There are only a handful of bee brokers in Australia. Each year, they coordinate millions of bees and hundreds of beekeepers across states to pollinate Australia's booming almond orchards in northern Victoria.

Pome fruit - General

Managing climate risks

Climate risks to pomefruit crops come in many forms. The main ones are frost, hail, wind, flooding, drought and high temperatures. These are the obvious ones.

Pome fruit - General - Marketing & export

Australian pears show promise in Indonesia

Marketing a mix of pear varieties under a broad Australian Pears brand has the potential to boost sales in the rapidly-expanding market in Indonesia, a levy-funded export marketing pilot has shown.

Tropical trees

Taiwan lychee varieties grow future of Queensland exports

A significant step has been taken to facilitate export of Queensland grown varieties of Taiwanese lychees to Asian markets.

General

Mango association chairman recognised

Ben Martin, chairman of the Australian Mango Industry Association, has received the Australian Young Farmer of the Year award

Macadamias

Getting to the root of Macadamias

It’s being dubbed the Ancestry.com project for macadamias, as researchers build up the family tree of Australia’s most famous native exporter.

General

Big buzz about bees: More young people turn to backyard beekeeping

More young people are turning to beekeeping and in parts of Victoria there are even waitlists to own a hive.

Macadamias - General

Record Macadamia orchard sale hits Belgian sweet spot

Belgian sugar producer Finasucre has acquired Australia’s largest portfolio of macadamia orchards in a deal worth almost $60 million.

Mangoes

First Aussie Mangoes for the Season Reach US

NT mangoes have made the lengthy but successful journey from Katherine to Los Angeles.

Fruit Fly - General

Blue Light From LEDs Can Rot The Brains Of Fruit Flies, Study Finds

The blue light that emanates from every smartphone and fluorescent bulb isn’t thought to be great for our health, particularly the health of our eyes. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that blue light can even be harmful to brains and speed up ageing — again, in fruit flies. There’s a very long way to go before we could assume the same is true for people.

Pome fruit

Cider expansion supported by new supply

The burgeoning local cider industry is set to benefit from a new cider apple supply block at the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Orange Agricultural Institute.