Wednesday, 21 August 2019

Delivering consistent export quality... are you nailing it?

Workshop at the Novotel Hotel, 200 Creek Street, Brisbane, Australia

9th October, 2019

Australian horticulture fresh produce has an international reputation for “clean and green”. However, other exporting countries are improving their “clean-green” image, and often have the competitive advantage of lower production costs. To maintain our international consumer demand we could embrace competitive advantages such as delivering “consistently safe and fresh” produce with strong supply chain service and support.

Recent advances in the ‘Internet of Things’ along with, for example, improving real-time monitoring technologies, launches of start-ups offering temperature monitoring services, improving air- and sea-freight temperature-related services, and prediction of fresh produce quality on arrival at the importer offer exciting prospects to optimise our supply chains by coupling cost effective monitoring with decision aid support tools.

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Monday, 29 July 2019

Quad bike safety

Did you know quad bikes are a leading cause of farm deaths?
Even if you travel the same speed, take the same path, complete the same routine, it only takes one thing different for disaster to strike. It could be a wash-out on the track after last night’s storm, lower tyre pressure on the left-hand side, an incorrectly packed load or unexpected vermin homes – like a rabbit hole. So even though you feel like today’s routine is the same as yesterday, some things may be out of your control.
In the examples above, your quad bike can tip or roll over even at the slowest of speeds, leaving you at risk of being trapped under the vehicle. For many this has led to tragic deaths from being crushed or from asphyxiation.
There are steps you can take to make your quad bike rides safer, such as wearing a helmet, appropriate loading, not taking passengers and performing regular maintenance checks.

There’s also the Victorian Government’s safety rebate, which offers $600 towards installing an operator protective device (OPD) or $1200 towards the purchase of an alternative vehicle, such as a side-by-side.

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Friday, 26 July 2019

Agriculture Victoria energy investment grants and farm energy saving assessment

Free on-farm energy assessments for any farmer with an energy bill of over $8,000 pa (includes diesel).
After assessment, a report with recommendations and an energy plan ffor the future are provided. Some recommendations can be implemented without incurring any costs.
The second stage include grants (50% co-contribution) for items identified in the assessment that could include items like solar panels, pumps, coolrooms or curtain cooling.

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