Issue1 Fresh Focus JANUARY 2013 - firstfresh.co.nz

Issue Fresh Focus JANUARY
2013
1

The First Fresh Team

Bill Thorpe
Chairman
021 2220163

Ian Albers
Managing Director

021 2852596

Brian Pepper RESTED AND RARING TO GO
Product Manager
The whole team is back on deck at First Fresh this week with most of us having had a break
021 2852597 of some sort over the last month or so. Having the quieter time of the year during the sum-
mer is certainly a bonus! So with that out of the way and with the kids going back to school
Phil Croy this week and next its time to start looking at what the 2013/14 season will bring.
Product Manager
Over the next couple of months we will be working with growers to get crop estimates and
021 2897950 try and make some predictions around likely size profiles. Weather conditions will play a
large part in this and we all remember the period from February to April last year where
Stuart Mansill cool dull and wet conditions did nothing for fruit sizing and brix development. Yesterday I
Product Manager had a look at the Kaiaponi weather station and compared the last 4 months with the same
data from last year.
021 285 2005
2012/13 Rainfall (mm) Max temp Avg temp GDD
Robert Schroder
Product Manager October 24.0 27.8 14.0 124.4
November 145 26.8 14.6 139.9
027 285 2500 December 20.0 31.6 19.5 294.5

Dave McLellan January (month to date) 35.0 32.3 19.3 272.5
Technical Advisor

021 242 0051

Justine Hurlstone Totals & Averages 224 29.6 16.85 831.3
Marketing Administration
The same data for last year was as follows; Avg temp GDD
06 863 0631 14.4 135.3
2011/12 Rainfall (mm) Max temp 16.3 188.3
FIRST FRESH NZ LTD 16.8 210.2
265 LYTTON ROAD October 26.0 27.4 19.2 284.4
GISBORNE 16.67 818.2
Ph +64 6 863 0620 November 66.0 28.7
Fax +64 6 863 0623
Email: [email protected] December 56.0 28.4
Web: www.firstfresh.co.nz
January 86.0 30.0

Totals & Averages 234 28.6

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This data shows that there has been little difference between this year and last but remembering that 100mm of
the November rainfall fell in one 24 hour period. The interesting bit will be the next 3 months. Last year Febru-
ary, March and April were particularly wet and cool – over 625mm of rain and an average temperature of 15.9
Deg C and 404.2 growing degree days. Let’s hope we don’t see that again.
Once we have our crop estimates in place we will start to formulate our marketing plans for both export and do-
mestic supply. Our customers want and like certainty This is not always an easy task when you are dealing with a
natural product however it is important that we are as accurate as possible so that they can build their plans
around our supply.
There are good opportunities in both domestic and export markets to build on our successes from last year and
we are confident that we can market increased volumes across all of the crops we handle.
Guess what just turned up today…? Mainfreight our logistics partner recently took delivery of a new hard-sided
refrigerated truck which will be used to cart our produce to Auckland. They generously offered us the opportuni-
ty to have it sign-written as a First Fresh truck. Needless to say we are very happy with the result. Look for it on
the main highway in the near future!

Ps You might have noticed that one of my Christmas wishes (a Black Caps win in South Africa) came true twice!
Hopefully that’s a good omen for my other wish for 13 brix Satsuma’s!

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Product Report—Brian Pepper

BEANS AND SWEETCORN

We have completed our Bean and Sweetcorn programmes for this season. Both programmes benefited
from the good prices that were available in the early market but predictably prices came under pressure as
supply increased from other growing regions.

AVOCADOS

The domestic market has remained under supplied and prices have held at good levels. Prices will improve
over the coming months as supply becomes scarcer.

PERSIMMONS

Initial crop estimates suggest that the 2013 crop will be slightly down on last season with the largest reduc-
tion in crop on an orchard predicting 30% less fruit than last year.
A wider than usual range of fruit size is noticeable on most properties and this makes predicting average
fruit size difficult, but I’m confident it will be better than last season’s record small size. Growing conditions
for the next three months, and over harvest, will still have a big effect on the final fruit and crop size.

All growers should have received a Supply Agreement from us last month, thank you to the growers who
returned their agreement promptly, we will order packaging and are working on sales programmes based
on the crop that has been indicated.
The Persimmon Industry Annual General Meeting will be held in Gisborne this year on Monday 25th Febru-
ary. The A.G.M is will be held in conjunction with a number of presentations, including R&D, and an or-
chard visit.

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Product Report—Robert Schroder

MEYER & YEN BEN LEMONS

We have started the de-greening program for both Meyer and Yen Ben a bit earlier than normal this
year in an attempt to keep the interest of the buyers away from only selling imported fruit. This has al-
ways been a balancing act—maximising returns to growers whilst maintaining sales volumes that match
supply.
This is especially true when we are de-greening fruit as its not the product to be sitting on for to too
long.
Over the last 7-10 days demand has dropped off a bit and we are seeing some price resistance (there is
up to $0.80kg difference between the cost of domestic and imported fruit). For this reason we are go-
ing to bring our prices back a bit so that we re-claim some of that lost shelf space.
We will do our best to maximise grower returns through this period as we know Lemon growers benefit
from these increased premiums over summer.
Growers who will be continually harvesting their Meyers and Yen Ben’s over the summer months for
the local market will see the oncoming crop directly benefit from an increase in yield and average fruit
size. We will continue to de green fruit when necessary over the coming months until we start receiving
a good supply of tree ripened fruit.
Please bear in mind that de-greening carries a degree of risk given we are subjecting fruit to ethylene,
moisture and heat. It is vital that growers take all reasonable steps to harvest fruit so that it arrives at
the packhouse in sound condition.

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Meyer lemon goes on sale in UK

A naturally occurring cross between a lemon and a mandarin, the Meyer lemon, or Citrus meyeri, went on sale at
Tesco from Saturday 12 January.

The first sweet lemon to be sold in the UK is a surprisingly incongruous fruit, both in taste, shape and hue. Tesco citrus
fruit buyer Tim Battey told the Daily Mail: "This fruit is a cook's dream as it has all the zestiness of a lemon but with
the sweetness of a tart orange instead of a harsh sting."

The fruit, native to China, was discovered growing by Frank Meyer, an employee of the US Department of Agriculture
who was exploring the country at the turn of the last century. Meyer imported the fruit into America in 1908 and it
has gone on to become a popular culinary accessory, used in cakes and cocktails.

Although the sweet lemon tree is cultivated in the UK under protected conditions, the supplies are being shipped in
bulk from California to stock the supermarket giant's shelves.

seeded fruit, with its dark yellow flesh, can be eaten much like an orange, but it is most commonly used in thin slices.
Its thin skin means it can be consumed whole, peel, pith and pulp.

Source: Tesco

Publication date: 1/14/2013

© 2013 FreshPlaza. All rights reserved.

First Fresh note: We are discussing the opportunities for NZ Meyers to the UK with our UK customers.

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Product Report—Phil Croy

ENCORE MANDARINS

With a two week Gap in supply over the Xmas / New Year period we have started harvesting again and
have now filled the supermarket shelves back up, sales are steady but there are a lot of options out there
at the moment with stone fruit prices dropping and early apples appearing in the market there is plenty of
competition for sales.
Once school returns in a fortnight I expect demand to increase even more as the need for lunch box ‘fillers’
returns.
Quality overall is looking a touch scruffy with thrip damage showing up in a number of blocks, we are also
struggling with green fruit as the remainder of the crop is slow to colour up after re greening. Most blocks I
have seen this week are 10-12 days away from picking any reasonable volume of fruit.
It’s very important that we maintain steady supply into the supermarkets so that they do not find an ex-
cuse to fill the shelves with imported fruit.

TANGELOS

This seasons Tangelo harvesting and sales program was completed by Brian early in the New Year whilst I
was sunning myself on the West Coast of the South Island….NOT. (600mm in 24 hours on the last day, sun-
screen was certainly not required)
TAG 1 Pack house averages for this season were 65% up 10% on the previous season’s average, which was
pleasing to see. The noticeable difference cosmetically was a slightly lower incidence of Olleocellosis.
The main reasons for the down grading of fruit this season remain as normal, Olleocellosis and Sooty
mould. The latter being more controllable than the prior.
We still need growers to improve T1 pack outs to make this product viable to grow, as the combination of
T2 and T3 re-turns barely cover picking costs let alone what it cost to grow the product in the first place.
There is a niche for Tangelos in the market but quality is paramount. Please talk to Dave if you have had
these issues

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Product Report—Stuart Mansill

2012 NAVEL ORANGE SEASON SUMMARY.

The 2012 Navel Orange season commenced on 15th June with a number of blocks showing good Brix/acid de-
velopment. Opening prices were strong, but these soon levelled out as competition from Australian Imports
affected wholesale prices. Prices generally have been more even this year. We didn’t experience the real dips
during the winter as sometimes happens, but with more late fruit available we didn’t see the lift at the end
that we have become accustomed to.

The last fruit was packed on 11th January. That’s very close to 7 months, which is the longest that I have experi-
enced. Our marketing pitch has been very successful this year and we have cemented strong relationships with
the 2 major supermarket groups as well as continuing sales to independently owned stores. We packed and
sold over 4,000 tonnes of Gisborne Navel Oranges this year, lifting our share of the crop to 50%. Buyers now
recognise First Fresh as the major New Zealand Navel Orange supplier. Once again weather conditions played
a big part in the development of the fruit for this season. The full effect of the cool summer became very pro-
nounced once harvesting commenced, with fruit size and taste being affected.

Crop estimation is vital to allow pre-season planning with supermarket promotions arranged well in advance.
The majority of our customers are strong supporters of New Zealand growers and prefer to stock New Zealand
fruit ahead of imported Oranges. However, the New Zealand fruit is continually compared to the imported
fruit, with price, appearance and taste being the main quality comparisons. Fruit size is also important. We do
need to be able to accurately predict fruit size before the season commences. This is one area that we need to
research more both for domestic and export customers. The higher percentage of small fruit this season af-
affected our sales programmes, especially as the real extent of the small fruit only became apparent when
was harvested. Fruit size comparisons can be seen from the table below.

Fruit size comparison table.

Count 95mm+ 2010 2011 season 2012 season
85-95mm season
Extra Jumbo 80-85mm 2% 1%
Jumbo 75-80mm 4% 9% 5%
70-75mm 11% 21% 19%
Extra Large 65-70mm 23% 28% 24%
Large 60-65mm 28% 20% 24%
19% 15% 19%
Medium 11% 5% 8%
Small 4%

Super small

EXPORT FRONT

Our export programme to Japan has been highly successful. We exported a total of 416,034kgs (24,472 car-
tons) this season which represents 100% of NZCGI reported export shipments for 2012. There is still great po-
tential to develop this business further but we do need to improve taste and appearance of our fruit.

LOOKING AHEAD

Changes made to our marketing strategies proved very successful this season and we now have a strong plat-
platform from which we can grow the Gisborne Navel Orange Category for 2013. While the 2006 NZCGI Navel
Orange Production projections of 10,000kgs per annum by 2012 have fallen slightly short, the prediction of

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Product Report—Stuart Mansill

11,000 tonnes in this same model for 2015 will probably be achieved, judging by blocks to mature over this
time. This is a big lift in fruit to be sold into a relatively static market. So to ensure the continuing viability of this
category, it is important that we all work together to ensure sales can be increased. Australian Navel Orange
growers are facing a reported 50,000 MT oversupply with many growers being forced to exit the industry. They
are implementing the Australian Citrus Quality Standards and working to develop new export markets. But if
these don‘t work then more growers will be forced from the industry. While we don’t have production numbers
anything like those of Australia, we are facing similar problems. To ensure increasing sales we need to look to
export as well as increasing our fruit bowl share within New Zealand. To achieve this we need to ensure that
quality, both taste and appearance, are improved.

VALENCIA ORANGE SUMMARY

Our Valencia Orange programme was delayed because of the extended Navel Orange harvest. However, we
have seen steady sales of Valencia Oranges throughout January. Prepack sales have been very strong. Our cus-
tomers are enjoying the taste of the Gisborne Summer Oranges despite the slightly pale colour. The extreme
heat from the last month has caused some re-greening of the crop, so growers are having to select pick for col-
our to be able to continue harvesting. We have had good support from our customers for the Gisborne Valen-
cia Orange despite the large numbers of relatively cheap Californian navels being imported into the country.
Sales traditionally drop off during February once the new season Apples hit the market.

2012 EXPORT ASPARAGUS SUMMARY

Once again Japan has been our main export destination for 2012. We have seen steady demand from Japan for
both bunches and loose packs. This has become a very competitive market, receiving supply from Australia, Pe-
ru, Mexico as well as New Zealand during the period from October through December and buyers use this as a
means of trying to reduce prices. However the threatened large volumes didn’t really eventuate this season
and despite the exchange rate progressively working against us, grower returns were generally better than
those achieved on the local market.

The first shipments of Export Asparagus were airfreighted to Japan in early October. This was a very similar
start time to last season. The warm conditions experienced in September suggested an earlier start for 2012
but then a cold snap put paid to export until October

The cooler conditions experienced in the Waikato this year did affect the development of the crop. Many Wai-
kato growers struggled to achieve good spear size during the whole season and total crop suffered as a result.

Bay of Plenty production was similar to last season with excellent quality.

There are export opportunities for Large and Extra Large spears to other Asian Markets especially Singapore
and Hong Kong but with the current size profile of the New Zealand crop it is becoming harder to fill these or-
ders.

The out turns in Japan were generally acceptable this season with no reported problems from fumigations or
rots. All regions suffered from the cool but drier conditions and total exported volume was less than planned.
There are opportunities to develop the export Asparagus business if we can consistently produce spears of suit-
able quality and size.

Fresh export is still an important part of New Zealand Asparagus production and helps to provide a buffer for
the fluctuating fortunes of the NZ Domestic market.

8

Out in the Field - Dave McLellan

THINNING

Hand thinning gives growers the option to manipulate crop load and remove poor quality fruit from the tree in
one operation. This can lead to better fruit size and quicker harvesting and field grading.

Satsuma

Thinning of Satsumas has begun with a number of growers reporting variable crop loads and only average suc-
cess with chemical thinners meaning hand thinning needs to be carried out. You should aim to complete all ear-
ly Satsuma mandarin thinning by early February to ensure correct sizing and negate wind and pest damage.

Mandarin thinning should be well underway with staff being instructed clearly on what loadings are required. It
is advisable to spend some time doing some sample trees and counting what numbers of fruit are left after thin-
ning. The most common mistake with hand thinning is that most people under thin which results in disappoint-
ment at harvest time.

If Glomerella was evident on your Satsuma crop last season or this season, apply a spray of Dithane once hand
thinning has been completed to protect exposed peduncles which are an entry point for disease.

Navels

Navel growers should also consider removing excess fruit now if your trees are overloaded with fruit. As an ex-
ample a mature navel tree planted at a density of 1000 trees/hectare should only be allowed to carry fruit num-
bers in the range of 300-350 (depending on quality of fruiting wood and tree health). There are a large number
of new navel blocks which have been planted over the past few years and it is important over cropping does not
occur when these trees are young as this would increase the chances of developing the problem of ‘alternate
bearing’. If you are using the 0.5 m3 frame method to estimate crop loads then aim for a frame count of 10-12
fruit for oranges and for mandarins 15-20 fruit.

Encore

Thinning should focus on the spacing of fruit to avoid bunches which is a characteristic of encore mandarins. ‘On’
trees will be heavily laden with fruit and it is important these trees are thinned as soon as possible after natural
fruit drop has finished to minimise biennial bearing. Pruning prior to thinning will make the job easier and thin-
ning staff will be able to identify where the fruit is with ease.

Meyer Lemons

‘Bunch’ thinning on Meyer lemon blocks should be underway this month. Fruit left to grow in clusters will often
not reach target size and pest issues such as thrips and mealy bug will be more difficult to manage. Some hand
thinning of the main winter crop may be required especially on very young trees. Meyer lemons tend to have
fruit that are borne in terminal clusters on the ends of branches which can result in issues with broken branches
if they remain un thinned.

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Out in the Field - Dave McLellan

GA APPLICATION ON NAVELS

The growth regulator Gibberellic Acid (GA) should be applied to all mid and late season navel blocks. GA sprays
assist to reduce creasing and aid rind strengthening on export navels and late hanging local market oranges. GA
sprays are a proven management tool for improving the appearance and saleability of navel oranges. GA should
be used in conjunction with a calcium program for best results.

Here are some of the key points regarding GA application.

Apply to navels when oranges are ‘golf ball ’size. This is generally from late January to mid February.

The recommended rate is 10ppm. The higher rate of 20ppm can cause excessive colour delay with fruit
retaining a green appearance late into the season.

Definitely do not exceed 10ppm on fruit that will be harvested for early export picking in

July/Early August or on late navel selections such as Barnfield or Powell.

Use with a non ionic wetter.

When mixing ensure the spray mix is in the pH range of 4-6. Adjust high pHs with a suitable acidifying so-
lution and recheck after agitation.

To maximise effectiveness ensure good penetration. Thinning of bunches of fruit will improve effective-
ness of GA.

Spray in the cool of the morning. Avoid product application within 4 weeks of any oil spray as the oil re-
stricts GA uptake.

Typical volumes are 2,000 L/H for small open trees and up to 5,000 L/H on larger trees with dense cano-
pies.

For creasing reduction sprays to be effective, trees must be sprayed to runoff.

10

Out in the Field - Dave McLellan

BUG OF THE MONTH

Just a reminder on looking out for Serangium maculigerum ladybirds which are predators on citrus whitefly colonies. Serangium
has been found in orchards in Kerikeri, Matakana near Warkworth, Auckland and Katikati. We are trying to establish if it has
spread to Gisborne in particular.

See below photos which will help in identifying Serangium. Any queries or finds then please get back to me.

Halmus- steel blue Dorsal View Stethorus
Serangium

2.5 to 4.5 mm long 1.5 to 1.8 mm long 1 to 2 mm long
Hemispherical Hemispherical Body elongated sphere

Scale: Largest is the Steel Blue, smallest is Stethorus and middle is Serangium

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CLASSIFIEDS

~ I B Mackintosh Contractors ~

12 Tonne Excavator General Farm Work

D3G Bulldozer with P.A.T Blade Post Driving

Metaling Driveways Fruit Cartage

Bulk Truck & Trailer Units General Cartage

Metal Cartage

Ph. Bruce: (06) 867 8564 : 0274 439410

H A R V E S T TRANSPORT LTD

Eastland Region - 7 days, Bin / Hourly rates apply
For a free quote phone Dave on 868 7200 or 027 4572 437,

DAVE BURGESS CONTRACTING

BOBCATS— DIGGERS—TRUCKS
TRENCHING— AUGERING—METALLING & MORE

FOR ALL YOUR ORCHARD WORK
CONTACT: DAVE BURGESS (027)277 9661
OR (06) 862 5656

Parklands Compost.
Makers of Real Compost

Compost for sale!!
Suitable for citrus and kiwifruit to improve soil and tree health for greater returns.
To see a press release and research paper regarding research into yield increases in Australian citrus
after compost application using the following links:

http://www.sardi.sa.gov.au/information_and_news/media_releases/major_yield_increases_for_citrus_industry
http://www.envirofert.co.nz/assets/international-papers/compost%20in%20citrus%20can%20it%20make%20a%

20difference.pdf

Enquiries to Chris Parker 027 204 0433.

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