Williams will join the Northern Loop (Stanthorpe, Batlow, Orange and the Goulburn Valley) of the walks alongside AgFirst’s Ross Wilson.
He is a leading research entomologist with Agriculture Victoria at the Horticulture Centre of Excellence, Tatura, Victoria. Having worked with Australia’s apple and pear industry for many years, his work has improved the knowledge and management of many insect pests in Australia. David’s continuing research in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is part of the Productivity, Irrigation, Pest and Soils (PIPS) program funded by apple and pear levies.
Williams’ presentation will be on ‘Enhancing the robustness of IPM programs for apple and pear orchards’. He will share his most recent work to manage codling moth and will also share his ideas for how other key pests, such as Woolly Aphid and regional specific insects, can be addressed.
In an environment where consumers are increasingly demanding less pesticide use and fewer chemical residues, his presentation will be very timely because growers will need to deploy effective IPM strategies to meet this need.
Joining the Southern Loop (Manjimup, Adelaide Hills, Huon Valley and Gippsland) will be AgFirst’s Craig Hornblow with APAL’s special international guest Dale Goldy, Assistant General Manager of Stemilt, USA.
Goldy specialises in orchard production and particularly improving young tree development from growing the nursery tree through to ensuring the orchard reaches full production as early and efficiently as possible.
His presentation, ‘Young tree development, brand promise and profitability’, will explore how to efficiently fill space and produce high quality fruit on balanced trees at a profit. Too often, the industry is producing new varieties on highly vigorous young trees and trying to go to the market with the worst fruit the orchard will ever produce.
Goldy will share his ideas to help growers cut the number of years that the young tree is producing poor quality fruit and how to maximise high volume, efficient production.
Schedule of Future Orchards walks – Autumn 2017
Southern Loop
Northern Loop
Classifieds
