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Leadership and friendship: Can you really be both?
This is a topic that often comes up in leadership programs and is something that a lot of managers (particularly first-time managers who have been promoted internally) face.
Returning to work after illness or injury
When an employee experiences illness or injury, returning to work can be a significant transition for both the employee and the employer. Whether the illness or injury occurred at work or outside of work, a successful return to work process requires understanding, communication and cooperation from everyone involved.
IR Unpacked: Your 1 July Fair Work Update
Over the past 12 months, the industrial relations landscape hasn’t just shifted - it’s accelerated.
Federal Budget delivers mixed outcome for horticulture
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) says the 2026–27 Federal Budget delivers several positive measures for horticulture businesses, particularly around fuel and fertiliser security, tax certainty, and small business investment, but significant concerns remain around future investment in drought resilience and regional agricultural programs.
Have we learnt nothing?
Last year, QFVG argued that food should be treated as a national security asset - not just an economic output or social issue. Recent events suggest we’ve learnt less than we thought we had.
Growing connections from paddock to the Reef
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.
Collaboration cultivates grower learnings across the state
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.
On-farm safety is everyone’s responsibility
Strong attendance from Lockyer Valley farm owners, operators and Human Resources representatives at the recent Getting Farm Safety Right training event in Gatton shows that growers understand their responsibility to lead from the front on safety.
Red Valley Farms: Growing a legacy from the ground up
In the rich volcanic soils of Lakeland, three hours north of Cairns, Red Valley Farms stands as a powerful example of what long-term vision, calculated risk, and family commitment can achieve.
Local fertiliser solution on the horizon
With fertiliser costs rising and supply becoming increasingly uncertain, growers are being forced to rethink how they secure one of their most critical inputs. An Australian company, PlasmaLeap Technologies, is developing a different approach - one that could bring fertiliser production closer to the farm.
Funding helps line the path to water security
The Caamaño family have seen their fair share of farming’s ups and downs over the last 40-plus years. From farming vegetables, citrus, and now coffee in Queensland’s Far North, Debbie, José and family have seen cyclones, frosts and everything in between.
Training program puts growers’ needs in the driver’s seat
The wheels are turning on the Skilled to Drive program that will see 10 Lockyer Valley locals trained, licenced, and farm-ready within 10 weeks.
Incentive funding to support on-farm improvements
Across the state, growers continue to invest in improving soil health, minimising erosion and sediment runoff, and increasing nutrient and pesticide efficiency, supporting both productive farming systems and better environmental outcomes.
Support for growers needed to keep fresh food on supermarket shelves
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) says pressure continues to build for horticulture growers despite recent Federal Government measures aimed at supporting freight and input costs.
Payroll tax settings not working for the regions
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) is calling on the State Government to review payroll tax settings and adopt a more reasonable compliance approach, warning that current arrangements are creating inequity and placing additional pressure on growers already battling soaring input costs.
Balancing complexity when every link counts
Queensland horticulture relies on a finely balanced supply chain. Growers need efficient, predictable transport to move produce from farm to market. When that chain is disrupted - by fuel spikes or supply chain shocks - the impact is felt immediately at the farm gate.
General Protections claims on the rise
General Protections (GP) claims continue to rise at a pace that is outstripping other Fair Work Commission (FWC) applications, prompting procedural changes from both the Commission and the Federal Court.
When the cost of getting to work becomes a barrier
Rising fuel prices are starting to show up in the workplace in a very real way. We’re increasingly hearing from growers that employees are raising concerns about the cost of simply getting to work.
Workforce options following a natural disaster
For growers impacted by the recent weather events it is important to understand how to best manage your skilled workforce and not lose good employees.
Enough talk, it’s time for action: Queensland growers are at breaking point
Queensland horticulture growers have been dealing with rising input costs for years. Now, surging fuel prices, and critical input shortages are compounding those pressures, pushing farms to breaking point, threatening jobs and the state’s long-term supply of fresh fruit and vegetables.