Vegetable growers of the region have been doing it tough over recent seasons, with flooding and higher than expected rainfall, increased input costs and domestic market challenges all hitting profits.
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While all of the above have been taxing on individual growers, and somewhat outside their control, local events are seeking to build grower knowledge and confidence to control crop pest and disease and build healthy soils using integrated, sustainable management strategies - possible as part of seasonal and daily operations on the farm.
AUSVEG will be running these field days in both the Bathurst and Cowra regions in April as part of the Australian and NSW Government's Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program.
Project Coordinator, Marguerite White, says the events will bring several expert speakers into the region, as well as local advisers, to conduct very practical sessions alongside growers.
The Bathurst field day is on April 10 with growers invited to the Cowra field day on April 11.
Both field days run 9.30am-12.30pm, followed by a social lunch.
To register for the Cowra event go to trybooking.com/events/landing/1182627
Simplot Australia will be hosting the Cowra event.
The company has been moving towards more sustainable integrated pest and disease management in recent years, including building beneficial predator populations to naturally combat unwanted pests.
The Cowra farm was also subjected to challenges caused by the Lachlan River flooding, causing spatial yield variations across flood effected blocks. The field walk will look at this area of the farm to chat about the challenges and how Simplot has managed these.
For sweetcorn growers, Fall armyworm will be a strong focus of the Cowra event, with members of the Queensland Government's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries extension response team presenting and providing in-field monitoring demonstrations.
"We have all learnt from the conditions we have been through, and now we are much more aware and have specific resources developed to proactively monitor and manage potential pests, diseases and soil constraints," Ms White said.
"Most management strategies covered will have win: wins. Potential management or control solutions will benefit other growing factors, for example nutrient availability, and importantly contribute to longer-term sustainability, efficiency and profitability outcomes."
"The field day programs include sessions on topics that growers have found most challenging since floods several years ago, and then higher than expected rainfall more recently," Ms White said.
"Soil structure issues have been a concern because of water inundation and compaction from machinery working on wet ground.
"These conditions have led to anaerobic scenarios that have increased the risk of certain soilborne diseases, such as Clubroot in brassica crops. In-turn, struggling crops have then been more susceptible to pests thriving in warmer, humid conditions attracted by weeds coming into the region. It can be a vicious chain of challenges."
Val and Sam Micallef of Alandale Produce, will be hosting the Bathurst field day at their 100-acre White Rock farm.
All attendees will take-home a diagnostics kit to submit pest and disease samples to the NSW Department of Primary Industries laboratory free of charge with an in-field demonstration on what to do.
