increase font size
(Top L-R) Harry Singh, Will Milsom, Megan Fox, Bryce Morrison, and Emily Crum. (Bottom L-R) Melissa van den Heuvel, Katherine Bell, and Aurora McGee Thomas.
A diverse group of young fruit growers have stepped up to compete for the 2020 Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower competition.
“After MC Jackie Clarkes’ call last year for more females to compete, it’s great to see that five out of the eight contestants are female,” says chair of the Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Growers upskilling committee, Andrew Dawson.
The competition, which also accepts participants from the Northland region, is now in its 13th year of celebrating young and upcoming leaders of the horticulture industry.
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc. CEO Nikki Johnson says the competition is important to New Zealand horticulture and meeting labour demand.
“Horticultural industries such as kiwifruit are expanding rapidly and we need skilled young people to help lead the industry to meet this demand. The BOP Young Fruit Grower competition is an excellent chance to celebrate and showcase the talent that we have,” says Johnson.
The eight young growers vying in the competition are:
• Emily Crum, Orchard Manager, Total Orchard Management Services, Whangarei
• Bryce Morrison, Technical Services and Innovation, Fruition, Tauranga
• Aurora McGee-Thomas, Trainee Orchard Manager, Strathmurray Farms, Tauranga
• Melissa van den Heuvel, Industry Systems Associate, NZ Avocado, Tauranga
• Katherine Bell, Avocado Grower Representative, Trevelyans, Katikati
• Megan Fox, Orchard Technical Advisor, Southern Cross Horticulture, Tauranga
• William Milsom, Machinery Operations Manager, Oropi Management Services, Oropi
• Harry Singh, Orchard Manager, Prospa Total Orchard Management, Opotiki
The winner of the Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower competition goes forward to the national final of the NZ Young Fruit Grower on 26-27 August 2020 in Wellington.
The competition will take place from 9.00am to 3.00pm on Saturday, 8 February at the Te Puke A&P Show and is followed by a gala dinner and awards ceremony on Wednesday, 12 February at Trustpower Baypark in Mount Maunganui.
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
There is an appeal to New Zealanders to buy local citrus fruit.
Avocado growers are reporting a successful season, but some are struggling to keep their operations afloat following years of bad weather.
Horticulture and commercial vegetable growers in particular stand to be major beneficiaries of radical proposals by government to make sweeping changes to RMA regulations.
Lydia Goodman has been crowned the Central Otago 2025 Young Grower of the Year regional winner.
Red meat farmers and processors are welcoming a US Government announcement - removing its reciprocal tariffs on a range of food products, including New Zealand beef.
OPINION: As negotiations advance on the India-New Zealand FTA, it’s important to remember the joint commitment made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the beginning of this process in March: for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement.
Minister for Universities, Shane Reti, has opened the final new build in a ten plus year project to upgrade the veterinary facilities at Massey University.
As New Zealand experiences more frequent and severe flooding events, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging consumers to be honest and accurate when making insurance claims for flood damage.
A recently held arable field day in the Manawatu brought with it a timely reminder to be on the lookout for velvetleaf incursions.
In a significant shift for employers, wage theft is no longer only a civil matter but now also a criminal one.
