Growers share insights at FGT “meat & greet”

Fruit Growers Tasmania | Tuesday, 13 November 2018, 7.00am

Ian and Stuart with Adrian at Sassafras Orchards — Photo: FGT

The team at FGT have just come off a busy week heading around all key growing regions for our ‘Meat and Greet’ sessions.

“It was fantastic meeting those who could attend and also dropping in on various farms as we travelled from region to region,” said Stuart Burgess, FGT CEO. “A huge thank you goes out to all those who generously opened their doors to us, and to the fantastic team at FGT who make events like these possible.”

Reflecting on recent conversation with growers, Stuart notes “two key observations really stood out for me. Firstly, the level of enthusiasm for exploring and embracing some new innovation to give a grower an edge in their growing and marketing systems never ceases to amaze me.

“The second thing was the willingness to share those great new innovations. As someone once noted, ‘For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument and debate’! There’s no wonder Tasmania continues to punch above its weight in relation to growing systems, development of export markets and new ways of doing business in general.

“With that as a baseline, prospects for a positive and exciting future in fruit growing in Tasmanian are extremely bright.”

The Meat & Greet series forms part of an ongoing conversation with Tasmanian fruit growers aimed at shaping the future direction and activities of FGT. Discussions during the sessions included growers sharing insights on their latest grader to go in, the performance of their newest orchard blocks, to others swapping stories and advice on breaking down irrigation pumps or installing tunnels.

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure FGT continues to meet the needs of our grower members and our industry. This strategic process is a group effort which requires a lot of listening. To quote our illustrious latest Prime Minister, ‘I’m listening and hearing’! I’ll be working closely with the FGT Board to translate all the ‘listening and hearing’ into a clear path ahead. This first series of ‘Meat and Greets’ and ‘brief surveys’ is only a beginning. I look forward to working together with you all on an ongoing basis as we not only chart a course forward to success but more importantly ‘getting things done’.”