No Papple is not a typo! This new variety of fruit was developed in New Zealand, where it was officially known as PremP109 and is now known as a Papple. The Papple is a hybrid of two European and Asian pear varieties that looks a bit like an apple.  It is very sweet and juicy […]

JADE Quality Kiwifruit! Nestled beside the river in Victorias beautiful Ovens Valley ‘Jade Quality’ are growing kiwifruit.  The atmosphere under the cool thick canopy is other worldly with thousands of brown furry globes hanging like Christmas decorations. Jade Quality is using GrowData software to track their chemical applications as well as their cost of production.  In addition they are looking to […]

Send in the Sheep! Sheep in the vines – what a pleasant view driving in to Baileys Vineyard in Glenrowan, Victoria.  It set me to thinking if this and other organic vineyard management practices could be implemented in all vineyards whether they be organically certified or not.  Does sheep grazing provide a sustainable and practical alternative to […]

Keeping Track of Pomegranates Growing pomegranates is quite a new industry in Australia and Goulburn Valley growers Pomlife are leading the way as Australia’s largest growers. Pomegranates are slow to reach maturity  (up to six years) and can be challenging to grow.  Pomlife are not only growing for the fresh fruit market but are value […]

Take Care Picking Your Navels Oleocellosis is rind damage usually in the form of spots or dark areas resulting from rough handling of fruit when picked in poor weather conditions (too cold or too wet). To minimise oleocellosis, harvest in the warmest part of the day and pick from the northern side of the tree […]

Consignment Note Disclaimer I had some interesting feedback from a client last week regarding a consignment of vegetables sent to a client. A week after the delivery was made the client complained that the produce was of poor quality and refused to pay. There were many thousands of dollars involved. My client was convinced that […]

Tracking harvest bins from block to customer Traceability is a critical issue for all growers especially if they also pack their produce and sell direct to their customers. There are a number of ways of ensuring traceability and they vary depending on what existing processes are in place. (The last thing we want to do […]

This module has been designed to make record keeping easier when spray jobs extend over multiple days. The problem of tracking and recording big jobs is increased when multiple spray rigs are being used. In GrowData’s spray diary you simply create a master record which includes the tank mix to be used, (GrowData automatically applies […]

The horrific accident that occurred in a Goulburn Valley Packing Shed recently highlights the importance of OH&S and Compliance. Irish backpacker Annie Dunne wanted to gain a second-year on her working holiday visa so began working at the fruit packing job to meet the extension criteria.    No one realised the conveyor belt that Annie was […]