FEATURED ARTICLE
New WHS Laws: Farm Businesses Must Get Serious About Managing Workplace Health and SafetyNew Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws that came into effect in January 2022 have been well publicised with the focus, especially on the inclusion of industrial manslaughter as an offence. On close inspection, it becomes apparent that the risk of being charged as such is very low. However, the risk of being charged for a lesser offence is very real if a business does not proactively manage WHS. Read more
Horticulture Award: Fair Work Commission's New Piece Rate ProvisionsThe Fair Work Commission (FWC) published its decision regarding the piece rate provisions. The start date for the new provisions will be 28 April 2022. If you need assistance implementing the changes please contact vegetablesWA Human Resources/Industrial Relations consultant, Stephen Farrell on 0455 833 352 or stephen.farrell@vegetableswa.com.au. Stephen has produced a few templates and resources to assist growers with policy and procedure implementation. These can be found on the vegetablesWA website. Click here to access the website.
The National Farmers' Federation's Five Key PrioritiesThe National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has outlined five key priorities a future Government must deliver on day one of its National Conference in Canberra. - $4.1 billion for the establishment of 20 Regional Development Precincts;
- A $2 billion fund to reward land managers who improve the health of their landscape;
- A $5 billion
Rural Telecommunications Fund to improve connectivity for remote Australians;
- The fast-tracking of discussions to lock in 10 Ag Visa partner countries;
- Reform to competition law to protect farmers from unfair practices.
The NFF also released the 'Time to Thrive' platform to an audience at the National Convention Centre and invites all stakeholders to share the Time to Thrive Election manifesto. Click here to read the full media release.
Spring Rights Exemption Information Forum - April 27Date | Wednesday, April 27, 5:00 pm
Location | 636 Seven Day Road, Manjimup Truffles South West Farmers are invited to attend the Spring Rights Exemption Information Forum, held in Manjimup on April 27. Hosted by the Western Australian Water Users Coalition, the event will cover a guideline overview, how it will affect property values, legal options, Fee for Service update and feature Industry groups for further input on the situation. vegetablesWA Acting CEO Manus Stockdale will be attending the event and be visiting growers in the Manjimup area from the 27th to the 28th of April. If you are interested in contacting Manus regarding this or other advocacy topics, please contact him on 0448 897 652 or manus.stockdale@vegetableswa.com.au RSVP to the Spring Rights Exemption Information Forum is essential. Please contact Steve from the Western Australian Water Users Coalition on 0409 016 040 or wawateruserscoalition@outlook.com
Heartfelt Condolences to the Dobra FamilyWe are deeply sorry to hear about the passing of Edith Baker. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Dobra family during this difficult time. May happy memories of Edith bring you comfort during this difficult time. Edith Baker's Funeral will be held on Thursday, April 28.
FEATURED WEBINAR
Building Resilient Horticulture Supply Chains & Traceability SolutionsIn this webinar, Leading Australian technology and service providers will discuss the benefits of integrating origin verification and IoT into horticulture supply chains. The webinar will also discuss growth opportunities in export markets and how provenance and traceability play an important part in this process. The discussion will cover the benefits, details and barriers associated with these services and welcomes a Q&A discussion at the end. The discussion will be held within the context of typical supply chain risks and relevant events that have impacted horticulture supply chains to remain relevant. Register here.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS APC PRODUCERS’ COMMITTEES
Through Producers’ Committees, the Agricultural Produce Commission enables investment into market growth, innovation, protection and biosecurity initiatives for the benefit of some 3,500 Western Australian agricultural producers. Producers’ Committees provide services to and on behalf of producers for the benefit of their industry. The Commission invites nominations from West Australian agricultural producers and relevantly experienced individuals for positions on the following Producer Committees: Beekeepers, Carnarvon Banana, Citrus, Pome Fruit, Potato, Stone Fruit, Strawberry, Table Grape, Vegetable, Wine. Terms of appointment will generally be for three years from 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2025. A nomination form and further
information is available from the APC website or by calling us on 08 9368 3127. Nominations close: 5:00pm, Friday, 29 April 2022. Click here to access the APC website.
We want your feedback – Ensure VegNET continues to meet your needsThe purpose of this survey is to seek feedback and input from vegetable growers, service providers and others who work in the industry, to ensure the national vegetable extension program, VegNET, continues to meet the needs of growers and industry. The survey will be open for a period of three (3) months from April to June 2022 to allow maximum responses and ensure a representative cross-section of the industry is reached. To achieve this, the survey distribution will be staged across different regions to best suit seasonal conditions and avoid peak production
times.
This is the first survey as part of VegNET Phase 3 and will be undertaken in years 1, 3 and 5 of delivery. Responses to this survey will remain confidential and no comments will be attributed to individuals. This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Complete the survey here or contact your Regional Development Officer, Michael Bartholomew on 0427 373 037, to complete the survey over the phone or in person.
INDUSTRY RESOURCES AND UPDATES
Strip-tillage for Vegetable and PotatoesStrip-tillage combines the best of no-till and conventional tillage in one operation. This Soil Wealth ICP webinar recording shares the knowledge of strip-till farmer Ben Pogiolli from the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland and Steve Peterson, a fourth-generation farmer and manufacturer of innovative strip-till equipment in the United States.
They discuss equipment innovations for vegetable cropping, lessons learnt in strip-till and expected benefits such as saving fuel and time while increasing soil organic matter and reducing erosion and compaction. Click here to view the webinar recording. Improving phosphorus uptake efficiency in potatoesPotatoes are considered to have a low phosphorus (P) uptake efficiency compared to most other crops. A new case study from the Soil Wealth
ICP project examines the role of phosphorus availability and uptake in a potato crop throughout the growing season and shares the trial results of a new liquid phosphorus fertiliser applied to processing potatoes in P-fixing soils in north-west Tasmania. Click here to read the case study.
National Plant Biosecurity Strategy ReleasedThe 2021-2031 National Plant Biosecurity Strategy (NPBS) was released this week, where Plant Health Australia (PHA) provides a framework to strengthen Australia’s plant biosecurity system over the next decade. The second-generation strategy outlines four focus areas needed to build a resilient and contemporary national plant biosecurity system that will continue to support Australian plant industries, economy, environment and communities. The strategy has been designed to inform investment across all aspects of the system, guide efforts to
address the most important priorities and effectively manage current and future biosecurity challenges. The updated NPBS builds on the achievements of the 2010-2020 strategy while remaining agile and responsive to the changing biosecurity environment. Read the full media release here. Click here to find more information on Plant Health Australia's incursion management.
Grow Your Career in Horticulture as a Production SupervisorBefore crops have even been planted, Production Supervisors like Luke Carter are busy planning for the season.
At Corrigan’s Produce Farms, there is a plethora of produce being planted and harvested all year-round. Spanning over 250 hectares over multiple farms in Melbourne’s south-east, Corrigan’s Produce Farms boasts a deep sandy loam of soils, mild weather conditions and access to water on its farms – perfect for growing its quality produce including, leeks, celery, kale, baby cos lettuce, onions, celeriac and pak choy.
This video is part of AUSVEG's Grow Your Career in Horticulture video series. Click here to view the series.
Complete the annual AUSVEG Pest and Disease Management Survey for your chance to win!AUSVEG is seeking to identify Australian vegetable growers’ perceptions of, and approaches to, pest and disease management practices, impacts of pests and diseases on business risks, and concerns about potential impacts on crop health.
AUSVEG encourages all Australian vegetable producers to provide their views on pest and disease management practices by completing this survey by Sunday 12 June.
The AUSVEG Pest and Disease Management Survey takes approximately five minutes to complete. Upon completion, you will go into the draw to win a $200 Prezzee voucher.
Retail trends as inflation surges is set to include the fresh food and grocery sector in AustraliaA specialist retailing consulting and advisory firm believes that the shopping category known as the 'middle consumer' is set to become more divided by a surge in inflation, which is expected to hit the food and grocery sector. Read more
Pension Standards for Self-Managed Super Funds and Minimum Pension Payment RequirementsThe following information has been updated on the Australian Taxation Office website. The updated information explains the pension standards that apply to self-managed super funds (SMSFs) and the minimum pension payment requirement frequently asked question. For general information on self-managed super funds, visit the Australian Taxation Office website here.
Growing plants under solar panels in PerthSmart building materials company ClearVue Technologies provides an update on the progress of its solar greenhouse trial at Murdoch University Read more
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