For second-generation pineapple grower Col Hawken, farming has always been about more than producing a crop.

Queensland horticulture growers are increasingly on the lookout for practical ways to manage pests and limit unnecessary pesticide use, to protect beneficials and reduce input costs. It’s about being more efficient and improving resilience of their farming systems.

Queensland horticulture growers face increasing pressure to achieve effective spray coverage while also managing input costs, environmental conditions, compliance requirements and off-target risk.

Growers operating within the Great Barrier Reef catchment area are encouraged to apply for up to $1,000 of on-farm agronomy support currently available through QFVG’s Great Barrier Reef Project.   

Nearly 40 growers and industry members swapped their paddocks for the waterfront in late March, gathering at Grunske’s by the River on the banks of the Burnett for Hooked on Hort – Casting for Cleaner Waters.

Throughout 2025, 130 horticulture growers across the Great Barrier Reef Catchment - from Gympie in the south to Tolga and Mareeba in the north - rolled up their sleeves for hands-on, peer-to-peer workshops focused on sharpening pest management practices.

Growers and industry stakeholders from the Wide Bay-Burnett and Central Queensland regions hit the road in October for the ‘Pest, Dirt & Fert’ Study Tour that provided insights not only on farming practices, but across the supply chain.

Protected cropping offers a controlled environment to nurture some of our most delicate and valuable horticulture crops, but it takes infrastructure, technical expertise, and can present challenges around pollination as well as input costs and intensity.

Growers recently came together in Goomboorian with a shared goal: building healthier soil for stronger, more resilient crops.

Over the last year, Hort360 GBR Officers Paula Ibell and Michelle Haase have been collaborating with growers in Far North Queensland and the Wide Bay-Burnett regions, respectively, to deliver events that respond to grower-reported needs for further knowledge and assistance.

When you think about the origin of your morning coffee, countries like Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia, or Peru come to mind. But what about the beans grown in our own backyard?

Australia produces around 5,000 tonnes of passionfruit annually from major growing regions in the Tweed Valley in northern New South Wales, and along the Queensland cost including the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Daintree, Cooktown and Mareeba.

Growcom’s Hort360 GBR facilitators have coordinated a series of grower-led learning opportunities across Far North Queensland and the Wide Bay-Burnett in recent months, tailored to the needs of each growing region.

The view from the Mount Inkerman Scenic Lookout puts into perspective how farming operates alongside waterways flowing into the Burdekin River and out to the Coral Sea

Australia’s vegetable industry is big business. In 2023 the nation’s vegetable industry was valued at $5.86 billion, with 3.6 million tonnes sold for domestic consumption and export supply.

Pests cost Australian primary producers approximately $5.3 billion annually in management and production losses. Managing pests absorbs precious time and effort with around 72% of the estimated cost being in the working hours devoted to managing pests (and weeds).

Dennis Howe, Managing Director of Howe Farming Enterprises is a certified legend. And no, that’s not hyperbole; Dennis was awarded the inaugural ABC Rural-Kondinin Group Farming Legend of the Year Award in 2016. 

Queensland’s citrus industry has an important land stewardship role to play with 81% of the state’s crop grown within the Great Barrier Reef catchment.

It’s difficult to be anything other than impressed by the manicured rows of mango trees as you drive through the front gate at Golden Drop Winery in Biboohra, just north of Mareeba in Queensland’s far north.

Over 70 horticultural growers and agronomists recently came together in Childers and Mareeba to learn about carbohydrate monitoring and how the practice can lead to more informed infield decision making. A variety of crops were represented leading to positive interactions and learning among participants.