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A group of nine Australian female vegetable levy-payers from various sectors of the supply chain recently
travelled to North America on the 2016 Women’s Industry Leadership and Development Mission. Visits to
farms and key industry stakeholders in the United States and Canada provided Australia’s female growers
with a great insight into the North American vegetable industry.
WOMEN ON A MI SS ION: NORTH AMER ICA INSPIRES
AUSTRALIA’S VEGETABLE GROWERS
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was met with great anticipation
and enthusiasm as participants of the 2016 Women’s Industry
Leadership and Development Mission prepared to visit farms,
machinery and precision agriculture firms as well as prominent
horticulture groups, during their two-week tour of the North
American vegetable industry.
From 10-24 October 2016, the group travelled to the United
States and Canada where they learnt about the need for greater
output from their vegetable growing operations, the novel
innovations used on-farm and off-farm as well as the intricacies
of the supply chain.
Throughout the mission, participants forged key contacts
with their North American counterparts and discussed the main
issues facing their respective industries, as well as sharing their
knowledge about various industry practices and acknowledging
the role women play in the global horticulture sector.
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
Technological innovation was an overarching theme during
the mission, with many visits organised to leading companies
and farms in the North American agriculture technology
innovation sector.
The mission began in California, where participants visited
Bolthouse Farms in Bakersfield, one of the largest carrot growers
and processors of carrots in the United States. It was here that
participants viewed three different stages of production, from field
growing, to processing and finally packaging.
Following this, participants travelled north to the Salinas Valley
where they visited Taylor Farms’ leafy vegetables processing facility
which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
During the mission, participants also gained an insight
AUSVEG would like to thank OMAFRA for its assistance in organising farm
visits and stakeholder meetings during the mission. A full project report is
available on the InfoVeg website:
The 2016 Women’s Industry Leadership and Development Mission was
funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the research and
development National Vegetable Levy, contributions from Australian vegetable
growing businesses and funds from the Australian Government.
Project Number: VG15703
INFO
into advanced precision irrigation systems with a visit to IRZ
Consulting’s Portland office in the state of Oregon. Dr Fred Ziari,
Founder and CEO of IRZ Consulting, gave an inspiring presentation
that highlighted how precision irrigation has advanced in the state.
MANUFACTURING TOUR
Processing machinery was a prominent theme during the mission
and participants visited the global headquarters of Key Technology,
which is a world leader in processing machinery manufacturing
and design. Participants were treated to a full tour of the facility,
with demonstrations of the machinery in action, and a presentation
highlighting the benefits of the machinery. They also enjoyed a tour
of the manufacturing floor and a full explanation of the engineering
effort that goes into the machinery itself.
EYE-OPENING VISITS
Moving further north to Canada, participants visited various
growing outlets including greenhouses and field-managed farms.
Leamington, in extreme south-west Ontario, proved to be a
hub for greenhouse growing in Canada, with several large-scale
greenhouses in operation in the small area. Participants visited
the greenhouse operation Enns Plant Farm while in Leamington,
where they learnt about the intricacies of greenhouse tomato
growing and exporting. Enns Plant Farm is a major exporter of
tomatoes to Costco supermarkets throughout the United States.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
The contrast between large-scale and small-scale farming was
also an underlying theme throughout the mission, with various
small-scale farms visited in parts of rural Ontario. It was observed
that production quantities and technology uptake was of a
similar level to Australia with different ‘mum and pop’ type farms,
bringing participants back to earth after witnessing the extreme
output of some growing operations in places like California.
In addition, the delegation visited the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), where they were
given a presentation that focused on growing statistics and
government plans for agriculture in the Ontario region.
The group also enjoyed a visit to the University of Guelph in
Ontario, where they were treated to a tour of the Pest Diagnostic
Clinic. Here they were shown how various pests affect vegetables
under the microscope. This gave participants an insight into how
scientists are combating these pests on- and off-farm.
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION
The mission concluded with visits to smaller, technologically
advanced farming and greenhouse outlets in the Toronto region,
with participants receiving advice about what small farms can do
to exponentially increase their productivity and sustainability in
the immediate future.
Looking ahead to the future, both short- and long-term, is the
key to sustaining a successful business, and this also extends to
the wider Australian vegetable industry. Now that the participants
have returned home to their respective states, they can pass on
the vast array of new information and knowledge gained from the
mission to their peers.
Participants can also keep in contact with their North
American counterparts in an effort to create long-term,
sustainable relationships that will help to shape the entire
Australian vegetable industry.
Inside Foothill Greenhouses north of Toronto, Canada.
Delegates enjoy a day of research at the University
of Guelph’s Pest Diagnostic Clinic, Canada.
Aaron Mabry, Senior Manager of Grower Services at one
of Bolthouse Farms' carrot fields in the United States. An icy cold day at Smith Gardens in Keswick, Canada.
R&D | INDUSTRY MISSION |