Join us at our 2024 Regional Forums

Citrus Australia’s Regional Forums will bring updates and insights to industry members across Australia over the coming weeks.

The roadshow begins in Mildura on 17 September, before moving to Riverland on 19 September. Visits will follow through to Queensland at Mareeba on 2 October and Boynewood on 10 October. The Riverina Regional Forum will be held in Hanwood on the afternoon of 11 October, with a dedicated Juice Industry Forum. The Western Australia forum will also be held in November.

 

Murray Valley 
Tuesday 17 September
Southern Cross Farms (336 Sculthorpe Road, Nangiloc) & Minter Magic (1601 Kulkyne Way, Iraak)
1.45pm for 2pm start

Presenters:

• Introduction & welcome at Southern Cross Farms – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
  
• Solar installation – Chris Parham, Southern Cross Farms
• Irrigation installation – Peter Henry, Netafim
• Healthy nursery stock & graft transmissible diseases – Nerida Donovan, NSW DPIRD
• Creating a citrus nursery specification for the industry – Jessica Lye, Citrus Australia
• General discussion on Pest control – Fruit fly refresh (baiting and trapping), mites & earwigs 
• IPDM extension program: pest information update – Steven Falivene, DPIRD with further content provided by Camilo Garces, MFC
• The benefits of oxygenated water – Leon Power, Nanobubble
• Post harvest insights: Mealy bug & scale management – John Golding, NSW DPIRD
• Agri-chemical toolbox update – David Daniels, Citrus Australia
• Facts & figures: Tree census and KCT updates – Mara Milner, Citrus Australia
• Hort Innovation – “reset and refresh” and ideation session – Adrian Englefield, Hort Innovation and Claire Fitchett, Citrus Australia
• John Deere app in action: Smart Apply & Weed It – Darren Minter
• Networking and BBQ dinner

 

Riverland 
Thursday 19 September
Hotel Renmark & Costa’s Kangara orchard, Renmark
7:15am Light breakfast on arrival for 7:30am start

Presenters:

• Introduction & welcome – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
• The benefits of oxygenated water – Leon Power, Nanobubble
• Post harvest insights: Mealy bug & scale management – John Golding, NSW DPRID
• Agrichemical toolbox update – David Daniels, Citrus Australia
• Juice industry update – Olivia Tait, Citrus Australia
• Facts & figures: Tree census and KCT updates – Mara Milner, Citrus Australia
• Hort Innovation – “reset and refresh” and R&D project ideation – Adrian Englefield, Hort Innovation & Claire Fitchett, Citrus Australia
• Healthy nursery stock and creating a citrus nursery specification for the industry – Jessica Lye, Citrus Australia
• Fruit fly response – Jason Size, SA DPIR
• IPDM extension program: pest information update – Steven Falivene, NSW DPRID
• Irrigation update – Peter Henry, Netafim
• Harvest platforms – Andrew Harty, Costa

 

Far North Queensland
Wednesday 2 October
Mareeba Leagues Club
2.45pm for 3pm start

Presenters:

• Update from Citrus Australia’s CEO and interactive Q&A session – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
  • Biosecurity
  • Market Access (Mexican limes & Vietnamese pomelos)
  • Labour (changes to PALM scheme & WHM)
  • Audit and compliance
  • Australian Citrus Congress
• Healthy nursery stock & graft transmissible diseases – Nerida Donovan, NSW DPI
• Establishing a specification for the industry – Nathan Hancock
• Spraying for mites – Emily Pattison, QDAF
• Agrichemical updates – David Daniels, Citrus Australia
• Hort Innovation – “reset and refresh” and R&D project ideation – Adrian Englefield, Hort Innovation & Claire Fitchett, Citrus Australia

 

 

Southern Queensland 
Thursday 10 October
Ironbark Citrus
1.45pm for 2pm start

Presenters:

• Welcome and Citrus Australia updates – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
  • Biosecurity
  • Market Access
  • Labour (changes to PALM scheme & WHM)
  • Australian Citrus Congress
• Healthy nursery stock & graft transmissible diseases – Nerida Donovan, NSW DPI
• Establishing a nursery specification for the industry – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
• Agrichemical updates – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
• Citrus growth regulators and product availability – Ashley Doessel, Nutrien
• In-field fruit grading (size, colour, and blemish detection via smartphone imagery) – Yoav Yichie, Aerobotics
• Hort 360 (Reef Certification) – Michelle Haase
• Hort Innovation – “reset and refresh” and R&D project ideation – Adrian Englefield, Hort Innovation & Claire Fitchett, Citrus Australia
• Managing fungal pathogens – Tamil Thangavel, QDAF
• Citrus Tristeza virus (QLD- specific strains) – Andrew Geering, UQ
• Aerobotics in-field demonstration – Yoav Yichie, Aerobotics

 

Riverina & Juice Industry 
Tuesday 22 October
Mario’s Packhouse – 67 Research Station Road, Hanwood
2.45pm for 3pm start

Presenters:

• Welcome – Nathan Hancock & Jason Pandolfo
• Pest management (red scale, two-spotted mites, mealybugs, gall wasp) – Andrew Creek & Dr Meena Thakur
• Pest management (timing & chemicals) – Emily May, Elders
• Display of Pastro Custom Ag Air blast sprayer to discuss saturation and penetration of foliar spray application  – Mario’s Farm Staff
• Citrus Australia Updates – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
  • Biosecurity
  • Market Access
  • Labour (changes to PALM scheme & WHM)
  • Australian Citrus Congress
• Healthy nursery stock & graft transmissible diseases – Nerida Donovan, NSW DPI
• Establishing a nursery specification for the industry – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
• Agrichemical toolbox update – David Daniels, Citrus Australia
• The cost impact of mealy bugs – Jason Pandolfo
• Post harvest insights (Mealy bug & scale management) – John Golding
• How HLB and ACP affect juicing fruit (yield and taste) – Nathan Hancock, Citrus Australia
• Juice outlook – Greg Quinn, Grove Juice
• Harvest estimates using smartphone imagery – Ben Sharpe, Aerobotics
• Hort Innovation – “reset and refresh” and R&D project ideation – Adrian Englefield, Hort Innovation & Claire Fitchett, Citrus Australia

 

Western Australia
Tuesday 19 November
Details to come