Through education, persistence, and simply “having a go”, Rowan Berecry from Good Rich Fruit Company found that introducing new practices had many unexpected benefits, including reduced inputs, improved soil health and increased soil carbon. This not only reduced their on-farm emissions, but also led to an increased demand for their fruit, the Queen Garnet plum.
Farm: Good Rich Fruit Company
Size: 60 hectares of Queen Garnet plum trees; approximately 75,000 trees
Location: Inglewood, Southern Darling Downs, QLD
This case study is part of a series supported by the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub’s Land and Primary Industries Network, in partnership with Southern Cross University.
Listen to the full podcast (below).
The challenges
Rowan started work with the Good Rich Fruit Company in 2011 during its early establishment phase. Initial challenges included:
- Poor soil health: The orchard had historically been used for sheep and cattle grazing.
- Market issues: Queen Garnet plums were aimed at the nutraceutical market due to their potential health
benefits, but this market was not ready. - Significant tree losses from phytophthora
- Supply and demand: Early success in the fresh fruit market led to variety control issues, an increasingly
crowded market, and a push for larger fruit rather than fruit with the best flavour.
The turning point
Rowan had seen the impacts of conventional farming first-hand – at his own property on the Central Coast, they were “absolutely smashed” by pests and diseases.
“After a workshop with Dr Arden Andersen (an internationally renowned biological farming educator), we changed the growing system and all those issues disappeared, virtually overnight,” he said.
“We were producing way better-quality fruit as a result.
“That session transformed my thinking. So, I basically decided to introduce a similar system for the plums.”
Rowan knew a biological approach could be a gamechanger for the Good Rich Fruit Company, particularly as they shifted the focus to improving the farm’s resilience and hence producing the best quality fruit.
On-farm changes
Built a biological farming system
- Compost as a foundational input to build soil structure and biology.
- Fertiliser production through fermentation as well as other biological inputs are used through irrigation
and foliar applications. - Minimal use of insecticides: Fruit fly is the main issue. Other minor caterpillar damage such as light
brown apple moth and Helicoverpa sp. (nee. Heliothis), are controlled using Bacillus thuringiensis
(BT) which is brewed and scaled up to reduce costs.
Continual learning to grow skills and knowledge
- Podcasts, websites, courses, books, other literature, including information and insights from advisors
such as Bart Davidson, Kym Kruse, John Kempf, Graeme Sait, and Harriet Mella. - Built a network of like-minded people through a WhatsApp group that regularly shares ideas and
information.
Impacts
Increased soil carbon: Soil organic carbon started at about 1.8% across the orchard. Within eight years this
increased to 6%.
Reduced on-farm emissions: Increasing soil organic matter and groundcover, ceasing fungicide use and
other high-input sprays, is helping reduce Good Rich Fruit Company’s diesel use and overall emissions.
Increased groundcover: The farm was badly deteriorated from set-stock sheep grazing, but within
eight years, the orchard had almost 100% groundcover with legumes in winter.
Reduced inputs: Using biological inputs across the orchard has helped saved the operation money on conventional and synthetic inputs.
Improved product reputation: By refusing to sacrifice fruit quality for size, the business developed new market opportunities, i.e. China., where their fruit is sought after for its superior taste.
Increased understanding of health benefits: Research shows the Queen Garnet may improve cardiovascular and liver health and lower blood pressure. Further work is underway to understand other health
benefits of the fruit.
It's a big learning curve and once you start, you can just keep learning, jumping to new levels, trying different things. There’s no right or wrong way. There's a million ways to do it.
