North Queensland specialities, ranging from banana disease management and tropical greenhouse production systems to remote monitoring systems for beef producers, will be under the spotlight of Queensland’s 2016 Nuffield scholars.
Of the five scholarships awarded to Queensland, three of the recipients are from northern areas.
They include William Harrington from Richmond, who will study the global use of remote monitoring technologies in agriculture; Matthew Abbott from Mena Creek in the state’s far north, who plans to study banana marketing, category diversification and export markets as well as how the industry manages diseases; and Ayr’s Ross Pirrone who plans to look at protected cropping systems for horticulture.
William Harrington says remote monitoring technologies are yet to be seriously embraced by the Australian beef industry despite big potential for improving efficiencies.
“Armed with knowledge, I can be involved in developing new technologies that are practical, reliable, cost effective and better match the needs of Australia’s beef industry to help lift efficiency and productivity.”
Matthew Abbott aims to research organic farming across Asia and South America, looking at banana varieties and systems to manage Panama disease Tropical Race 4, potential export markets for organic bananas and splitting bananas into categories for product branding and consumer marketing.
“Organic banana production makes up about 1-2 per cent of the total Australian banana market, but there is opportunity for a lot more growth,” he says.
Ross Pirrone hopes the development of flexible and resilient greenhouses, his area of study, will allow north Queensland growers to take advantage of high commodity prices in the wake of weather events affecting field-grown crops.
The potential for under-utilised plant species, such as Australian natives, bush foods, niche plants, and new ornamentals will be a focus for Mapleton’s Emily Rigby, who plans to examine greenhouse production systems specifically for sub-tropical climates.
Ben Edser, based at Graceville, will investigate waste management from intensive livestock production operations and alternative bedding used in poultry sheds.
