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Fruit and veg peak body gets a makeover

Queensland’s peak industry body representing fruit, vegetable and nut growers today launched their new advocacy and engagement arm – Horticulture Queensland. The name will be the fourth name associated with the peak body since its inception in 1923.

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Brisbane turns tropical to launch the Year of Horticulture

A mini pineapple plantation has grown overnight with Brisbane awakening to a sight which turns back time. Queens Garden in the centre of Brisbane’s CBD, once the site of the state’s first ever pineapple plot (1838), today is the site of the official launch of the Year of Horticulture.

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Enterprise AGREEMENT, it’s in the name.

In Australia there are basically two ways you can employ someone, either through a modern award or an Enterprise Agreement (EA).

122 different modern awards exist as an attempt to cover most employees across most industries, whilst EA’s are used when employees or employers are seeking greater flexibility than these set award conditions.

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Growers and government, the only way forward

As a previous elected member, I can personally attest to Queenslanders’ long held dissatisfaction and negative attitudes towards government. It truly doesn’t matter what government is in power, or who is the representative at the time, there seems to be plenty of complaints, distrust and all-round discontent. In fact, one of the traits that seems to unite Australians is complaining about politicians.

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Home is where the farm is (for workers too)

Someone asked me late last year if accommodation for workers in horticulture was still an issue. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Of course, there is still an accommodation crisis for seasonal workers!

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Pineapple supply to outstrip demand in 2023

While most of us see the rains as a blessing, there are commodities in agriculture that go against the wind and need longer, dryer spells.

What can be one grower’s good fortune can be their neighbour’s hell.

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Our Christmas table – a celebration of fresh, clean & abundance

As this year is fast drawing to a close, I’d like to wish you all a Cherry Christmas and a productive, profitable 2023.

As we prepare to celebrate this Christmas season with our family and friends, many of us are currently planning out our incredibly colourful fruit bowl displays, seeking unusual salad combinations to serve with Christmas ham, and googling vegetarian and vegan recipes for our guests.

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It’s our birthday, so we’re going to celebrate you!

2023 marks Growcom’s 100 years in operation and what a journey it’s been! Multiple structural changes, name changes, address changes, thousands of staffing changes and strategic direction changes not to mention 100 years of dealing with various political, social and environmental issues. One thing that hasn’t changed has been our commitment to the industry we are passionate about.

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The year of the $10 lettuce

2022 is the year that will most likely be remembered for one previously unassuming salad vegetable. A lettuce priced at ten bucks was just the tip of the iceberg for growers who faced repeated, devasting flooding in our usually vibrant horticulture food bowls in northern, central and southern Queensland.

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Friends, green agendas and green thumbs

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of listening to Cheryl Kallisch Gordon Head of Strategy Rabobank, Australian/New Zealand explain her understanding on global happenings and their impact on Australian agriculture.

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No employers, no employees.

Houston, we have a problem!

Let me rephrase that, Australia, we have a problem, and it’s a big one!

It seems that we’ve forgotten that in order to employ people, to give people “secure jobs, with better pay”, that first, our businesses need to turn a profit.

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New Chair to lead Queensland horticulture

Growcom, Queensland’s peak horticulture body is proud to announce the appointment of Joe Moro as Chair of the Growcom Board at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Brisbane last week.

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Celebrating farm families central to National Agriculture Day

National days of this and that are popping up on our calendars more and more each year. Why? Because they work. Having a day dedicated to a particular product, service, social issue or in this case sector, forces people to stop and think about how their lives relate.

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Natural flowering not so natural for growers

Pineapple growers are facing a significant challenge, a challenge brought about by the May weather event. Akin to a natural disaster, the impact isn’t being felt by all, and isn’t evenly spread. However, when 40% of the entire pineapple supply are predicting a 60-90% loss of crop you start to understand why growers are coming together to support and strategise.

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Concerns over Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme

It’s submission season!

Well, its submission season all year long, but it seems we’ve got a few doozies on the go right now.

First up this week though was the invitation by the Federal Government to make comment on its reform agenda “Building a stronger Pacific and Timor-Leste family”.

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Welcome Angela!

As part of our mission to celebrate horticulture loudly and proudly in 2023 and beyond, we are surrounding our growers with people who also believe horticulture is the most important industry in the world.

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Sydney market fees don’t grow on trees

A couple of weeks ago we were alerted to a new charge being passed onto growers. This one was quite the surprise, as it came with no grower consultation. One would hazard a guess that this article may be the first time many growers in Queensland have been alerted to it.

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