Stanbridge

What’s the best part about being a grower?
Being outside working in the farm. My brother and I both prefer being outside in a hands-on environment. It’s different when you get to see the trees and fruits to maturity and know that it’s producing good fruit you’d be happy to feed to the children. 

Why do you grow what you grow?

This is what my father planted after the collapse of Letona Factory. Citrus was planted because the Leeton Citrus Juices processing factory was started in Leeton and we had a good outlet for our fruit. Plus citrus has always been in the family business, so this was passed onto me along with all the first-hand experience and knowledge inherited from my father so it just made sense to continue on. 

Are you hoping to pass on the farm to your kids/grandkids?
Yes, if the farming enterprise is viable compared to other alternatives that are available at that time. If the kids genuinely have an interest towards it and if they see a future in this industry, then yes, I would definitely hope so.

What has been your proudest achievement in your farming career?
When my brother and myself purchased our first property in our names and developed it planting citrus. It was our mark on expanding the business and is completely ownable to us. We appreciate taking on the family farms, but to also be able to build something of your own is very rewarding in itself. 

Quality is hard to produce, can you tell us the hard work that goes behind the cultivation?
Growing quality fruit starts from the correct rootstocks and budwood selection. We use soil test and leaf tests to determine our fertilizer and nutrition inputs so that we can maximise crop load and fruit size and most importantly the natural fruit sugar content. This comes from continually learning and years of experience. We’re working with a lot of factors we can’t control and is always changing, so about being able to adapt to new environments is important.