Spotlight on horticulturalists

Representatives from TNQ Drought Hub, JCU Soil Sciences, and the CEO of GrowCom Rachel Chambers took part in the event on April 4, which was facilitated by Cape York NRM.

“It was a great turnout, with about 26 attendees and we covered a lot of ground, from water quality and drone use, to converting low quality produce into shelf stable products, ” Cape York NRM Project Officer Sienna Thomason said. 

David Orr from the Department of Environment and Science reviewed the Lakeland Water Quality Monitoring Program results and Reef targets within the Normanby Catchment, and the changes to management practices through the government’s Paddock to Reef program. 

He noted there was significantly more sediment running through catchments during wetter years than dry, but sites monitored were within a healthy margin.

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Marcus Bulstrode provided the latest insights into drone mapping and weed spraying technology aimed at Improving practices and enhancing productivity in the agricultural workspace. 

Lara Wilde from FNQ Food Incubator talked about alternative shelf stable income streams and minimising food waste.  FNQ Food Incubator is a food manufacturing hub creating recipes for businesses for shelf stable food products, 

The groups also heard from Tropical Agri Food Industry Network which discussed the circular economy and value-adding opportunities on farms.

The event was supported by Cape York NRM, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.