25 years……. “It’s been a blast ”

 

Lex Dillon, 64, retired last week; this article reflects on the past 38 years working in the horticulture industry.

Lex has worked for the NZ Hothouse group for the past 25 years.  NZ Hothouse is a massive success story, in the NZ greenhouse horticulture industry, and has been built up from a small family business into a company that employs over 350 employees. 

Born in Huntly, Lex grew up in South Auckland. He finished his college education at Otahuhu college, he then studied accountancy at Manukau Tech.   The skills learnt studying accountancy held him in good stead for the future.

In 1975 Lex began his working life as an assistant accountant in an engineering company.  A few years later Lex married Robyn, at the young age of 21.  Robyn and Lex decided to have an overseas experience, travelling to UK in 1978 and returning to NZ in 1980.  On their return to New Zealand Lex continued his accountancy work for Avon Cosmetics, initially involved with inventory control before moving into a warehouse manager position.  After several years Lex wanted a change and began a new role at Chep.  This was where Lex got his first taste, at the ground level, of horticulture.  Lex started in a rep-role, before becoming a regional manager, which evolved into a Market Development Manager.  Lex was heavily involved with the introduction of plastic crate pooling in NZ for the horticulture sector.   He later spent some time at Weckpack as Market Development Manager.

During the early 90’s one of Lex’s customers was Brett Wharfe, founder and Executive Chairman of NZ Hothouse.  From this connection Brett offered Lex a position to join his team in 1995.  Lex was initially employed to sell hydroponic lettuce before moving into many different roles as the business grew, eventually ending his career as Managing Director for the Glasshouse operations.  Lex was never afraid to adapt his role as the business evolved.  

 

What achievement are you most proud of looking back at 25 years working in this company?

“I started in a business that had many small growers mainly supplying one supermarket, now we are supplying customers all over New Zealand, in fact all over the world”. Lex is proud that he started working for a business which employed less than 30 staff but now, at busy times, has over 400 employees.   Lex has taken much satisfaction in watching other people grow as the business has grown.

I asked Lex how has he seen the greenhouse industry in NZ change in the past 25 years?

“It’s like most industries worldwide, there are fewer businesses but of a bigger size”.   To grow the business in the early days, Lex said there needed to be a consistency of volume and quality.  For example, many tomato growers would remove crops before Christmas leaving markets uncertain and short of volume.   This was the catalyst for building greenhouses, to give the markets certainty and continuity of supply.  This started the growing side of the business, first with tomatoes, then later expanding into capsicums and cucumbers.

Now that COVID-19 has occurred I wanted to know what Lex thought may happen to the industry moving forward?

He believes customers will reassess supply lines and security of supply.  “Fruit and vegetable growers were there when everyone else was shut down (supplying supermarkets) so there is a good future for our industry”.  Lex believes that compliance will continue to be a challenge and this may make it tougher for growers.  They will have to adapt, become innovative and find new solutions.  “The growers that do, will succeed”.  Lex also said COVID-19 has had a positive impact on hygiene protocols and the way we all look at further improving hygiene levels.

What is role of technology and what is the future for the NZ greenhouse industry?

“It has a great future because glasshouse production is the most efficient at using water, capturing fertiliser and using it again by recirculating.  The cost of labour continues to grow so automation is also going to happen.  When you look at international greenhouse production it’s just continuing to grow and grow around the world”.  Lex’s believes it will continue to expand in New Zealand because other (historically outdoor) crops will become greenhouse crops.  However, Lex strongly advised not to build a greenhouse without having a customer first!  There is more than enough area for traditional crops but an exciting future for innovators elsewhere.   

Lex believes new structures will be built replacing structures nearing the end of their economic life.  “This will allow growers to take advantage of new greenhouse technology advancements and or new varieties and where more efficiencies in production will occur”.

What will you miss working for NZ Hothouse?

“It’s been a blast and most days I have loved coming to work.” Lex will miss the people, the diversity and cultures of this industry because “it is a people industry”.  He has been able to travel and see some amazing growing operations around the world.  He says he will stop spending half his time at the supermarket looking at tomatoes but somehow, I think that will be easier said than done.

 

Tomatoes NZ:

Lex is also standing down as a member of the Tomatoes NZ Board which he started on in 1999.  His contribution has been immense and his vast experience will be missed.   Lex is modest when asked about his direct contribution but if you ask anyone, past or present on the Tomatoes NZ Board, they will tell you his input will be extremely hard to replace.

 

Retirement:

Lex has endured personal tragedy with the sudden and tragic passing of his wife and life partner Robyn in October 2016.  They had been together since he was eighteen and had raised three children. Spending more time with his children, grandchildren and his parents has been part of his motivation for retiring. Lex said he has learnt the one thing you can never get back is time.

Lex’s major passion is travel. He has been to many parts of the globe and has no intention to stop exploring.  COVID-19 has delayed his immediate travel plans so he will be spending the next few months working on his next big project – his garden and golf game. 

Personally, I would like to thank Lex for his support and guidance throughout my own career.  NZ Hothouse has been a major factor in my career progression and Lex has been part of that. I have fond memories of Lex, Luke Dillon (Lex’s son), Anton Hendricks (past tomato grower) and myself teeing off for Friday night Ambrose at the Waiuku golf clubs all of those moons ago.  I look forward to teeing off again one day.

 

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

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Article Written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic, Consultant, Grower2Grower

Article Edited by Marie Vogrincic, Editor, Grower2Grower

Earning Potential Reduced

 

Growing greenhouse crops, in an area surrounded by market gardeners growing onions and potatoes, is always going to be a challenge. The approach taken, by indoor and outdoor horticulture growers, to manage insect pests is going to be different.  Unless a greenhouse has insect screens, small enough to keep thrips out, then you will be pushing the proverbial up the hill.  HUGE capital investment is required for insect mesh not to mention how to manage the climate.

Last February I posted an article about a thrip population explosion but to have issues in early May is a reflection of our long summer and other factors.  news/post/hot-period-sparks-large-populations-of-thrips/

This week I’ve observed a fantastic telegraph cucumber crop completely savaged by thrip damage, bending countless cucumbers, rendering them unsellable.  This thrip damage occurred from the 3rd to 7th fruits in the first weeks of May.  Even though the thrips have been suppressed, for now, they will be back. Especially with a nice warm greenhouse to reproduce in.  The options for growers when a sudden, huge influx of thrips is quickly blown into your greenhouse is limited. Beneficial insects, like Amblyseius cucumeris, work well when they have larval stages of the thrips to feed on.  This is why growers possibly don’t see the need to regularly introduce this beneficial, as they don’t initially perceive they have an issue, the trouble is when the issue does suddenly appear, you’re behind the 8 ball. 

Using IPM to control thrip populations needs a collective approach.  I think it would be extremely beneficial to bring growers and IPM specialists together to discuss the options available to control this pest moving forward. With the aim of reducing the required reactive spraying.  Spraying is needed, we all spray crops, even organic growers spray crops, but I would like to collectively figure out how to reduce spraying not eliminate because that won’t always be practical.  I am certain that Amblyseius cucumeris could play an important role in controlling thrip populations and the damage they cause to cucumber crops.

 

I feel a workshop is required.

 

Below is a link to Koppert Website worth viewing.  Also below is Information about Zonda Beneficials product Thripex (Amblyseius cucumeris)

https://www.koppert.com/news/keeping-thrips-under-control-plenty-of-options/

 

Please let me know, via email, if you would be interested in attending a workshop to discuss our ongoing approach to thrip control.

E-mail stefan@grower2grower.co.nz

 

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Article Written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic, Consultant, Grower2Grower

Article Edited by Marie Vogrincic, Editor, Grower2Grower

 

 

Introducing Thripex:

As thrips populations can grow rapidly it is always best to introduce Thripex at either the first sign of thrips, or when the first flowers are to be left on your crop. Thripex should be introduced into a crop with a suitable pollen source, (such as capsicums or eggplants), as soon as there are flowers open, or at the very first sign of thrips.

For crops such as cucumbers or roses, without a suitable pollen source, repeated introductions will be required through the life of the crop.

Thripex prefers a higher humidity than thrips, so misting systems can be very beneficial in hot dry summer conditions.

Several applications of Thripex may be required through the growing system, depending on the thrips pressure.

Release Rates

First introduction – 2 applications, 2 weeks apart – 50 mites/ per square meter

Preventative / Previous introduction – 500-100 mites/ 50m2 (every 14 days)

Low infestation – 25-500 mites/ 100m2 (every 14 days)

Heavy infestation – 250-500 mites/ 100m2 (every 7 days)

Storage and Handling

Once received Thripex can be stored for 1-2 days in a cool, dark place at between 10-15˚c.

Biological beneficials should be introduced into the crop as soon as possible after receipt.

The ideal environmental conditions for Thripex are:

– Relative humidity greater than 75%

– Temperatures above 20˚c for some hours of the day. Optimal temperature is between 25-30˚c.

Temperatures above 30 have a negative influence on the development of Thripex. Therefore, Thripex do not generally perform well under very dry and hot conditions.

Before introducing Thripex to any crop it is very important to consider what insecticides or fungicides have been used in the crop within the last two months. Many chemical sprays can have a long lasting residual effect on biological control agents. There is a limited number of chemicals that can be used in a crop when using beneficial mites. Please check the compatibility of certain chemicals before introducing any beneficial. Please refer to the Koppert Side Effects Guide – www.koppert.com/side-effects/.

Photo from Zonda Website.

 

 

 

Improve light ingress

 

Light is the limiting factor in production in winter. Every step taken to improve light ingress is therefore welcome.  

If all climate factors except one are right, that one factor will determine the production result. That’s the limiting factor. In north-western Europe, the limiting factor in winter is almost always light. Therefore, every percent lighter in the greenhouse will lead directly to better production. So, it’s worth paying a little more attention to this.

There is a long list of steps you can take to increase light ingress in winter. Some of these are things that everyone can do and some are primarily relevant at the greenhouse construction stage.

 

Clean glass:

The first aspect is obvious but often seems to be underestimated in practice: keeping the greenhouse roof clean, both on the outside and the inside. Paying too little attention to cleaning the roof can cause light loss of as much as 10% during the course of a year.

The outside is easy to keep clean with a greenhouse roof cleaner, but the inside of the greenhouse roof can only be tackled properly in between crops. Mardenkro produces a relatively gentle glass cleaner for both the outside and the inside: GS-4 Xtra. No hydrogen fluoride in gaseous form is released and the product doesn’t affect the surface of the glass if it is rinsed off with plenty of water before it dries. GS-4 Xtra is not suitable for use on coated glass.

In winter, sunlight mainly enters the greenhouse at a low angle. There are two ways to handle this. The first is at the construction stage and the second is during use. At the construction stage, it’s important to choose the best orientation for the greenhouse roof. Ridges running north-south provide the best light ingress on an annual basis while an east-west orientation allows more-light in during the winter. Therefore, if the amount of winter light is a key factor for the crop, the latter option is a better choice. The shape of the greenhouse roof also makes a difference. A Venlo greenhouse lets more light through than a curved roof such as a polytunnel.

 

Condensation:

Condensation on the inside of the greenhouse roof can also cause a considerable amount of light loss. This is an important factor in winter as the roof is almost permanently wet. The type of condensation also determines the light transmission. Large droplets eliminate a lot of light – as much as 5-8%. A finely distributed film of water allows more light through. The new AntiCondens coating for glass acts like a wetting agent and creates a film of water over the glass. Initial experiences in practice have been positive: measurements taken at a tomato nursery showed that light ingress using AntiCondens was 6-7% higher than with uncoated glass.

Once the light is inside the greenhouse, as much of it as possible needs to be absorbed by the crop and not by the floor or the structural components. So, the interior of the greenhouse needs to be as reflective as possible: white plastic on the floor and a powder coating on all structural components. Powder coating reflects around 80% of the light. PipePaint from Mardenkro can be used to make heating pipes more reflective and prevent corrosion.

 

Winter light greenhouse:

The greenhouse horticulture business unit at Wageningen University & Research has for several years been working on developing a greenhouse optimized for winter use: The Winter light greenhouse. The first step was to determine which factors had the greatest impact (mainly the factors described above). The model greenhouse in Bleiswijk was opened recently. It has highly translucent, diffuse glass that has been specially etched to make it antireflective. An innovative, high-transparency screen is fitted in a W shape for maximum light transmission when closed. The greenhouse structure is finished with a special powder coating that reflects 87% of the light.

Model calculations carried out in advance of construction showed that the potential light gain could be as much as 10.5%, and measurements in the greenhouse have confirmed this. At the moment, cucumbers are being grown in the Winter light greenhouse. The crop ends in early December and production is currently heading towards 110 kg/m2.

 

Picture: Cleaning the greenhouse roof mechanically with GS-4 Xtra

 

For more information:

ReduSystems®
013 507 53 99
sales@redusystems.com
www.redusystems.nl

 

Mardenkro products are distributed by Horticentre Group in New Zealand
 

__________________________________________________________________________________

About ReduSystems®
ReduSystems® is a brand of Mardenkro B.V. ReduSystems enables growers to make optimal use of sunlight in the greenhouse throughout the year. The coatings influence the light and heat of the sun during every season to help optimise climate conditions for the crop inside the greenhouse. From a cooler climate in summer and more-light in winter, to diffusing the light and influencing the light spectrum

Tomato prices improve as restrictions ease

 

Impact:

The closure of eating establishments, farmers markets and many independent stores had a huge impact on the price growers were receiving for their tomatoes at the start of lockdown.   It is great to have most businesses back up and running now we are in level 2 and I have been told there has been improvement in returns.  Growers, on average, were selling for very low prices at the start of lockdown, I am not sure who was buying the produce but it was still moving.  There was no way the supermarkets were going to be able to flick a switch and facilitate the distribution of huge amounts of fresh fruit and veg meant for other markets, so I presume other fruit and veg was left to rot in the paddocks or harvesting deferred in some cases (potatoes).  Thankfully for some fruit and vegetable growers their produce was destined for export markets.

 

Purchasing Patterns:

I am fascinated to know what five million kiwis were eating during lockdown.  An observation is purchasing patterns changed during the period leading up to and throughout lockdown- people tended to purchase products with longer shelf lives, such as those in packets and tins to reduce the number of times they needed to venture out from home, reducing the risk of the virus to themselves and their families. Baking products such as flour, yeast and baking soda were hard to obtain as people had purchased them to enable them to make their own bread, and other fresh baked products at home. Home schooling has incorporated teaching kids how to bake, combining learning with fun activities. Teaching them to measure and weigh ingredients, temperatures and other hands on skills.

 

Where does my flour come from?

Around the second week of level 4 as I baked my next batch of chocolate chip muffins, while keeping a close watch on my fruit loaf rising, I looked at my empty flour container and wondered who produces flour in NZ for all that baking currently occurring.  I did think to myself “well at least one horticulture industry will do exceptionally well this year” but then my slow churning mind did start to ponder that if tomatoes are imported into NZ in the winter then how much flour is imported?  Well I have done a bit of research.  The following link has some interesting facts on flour (Three-quarters of the bread sold in New Zealand is made from grain grown overseas, primarily Australia).  It’s good to know we are supporting the Australian economy. There is some wheat grown in NZ so it must be economically viable otherwise we wouldn’t grow any.  https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/112503238/bid-to-replace-imported-grain-with-more-kiwigrown-wheat-in-bread

One of my friends had baked his way through 10kg’s of flour after the second week of the level 4 lockdown.  It’s fair to say a lot of cake was baked in that household.  I think my point is, and it appears I am just as bad, that during this lockdown potentially on average our diets may have taken a turn to the comfort food side. For the sake of this article I did jump on my scales and I am pleased to report my weight has remained unchanged.  Chasing two boys around each day burning off those chocolate chip muffins had its advantages.

 

A good read:

Last week I read another well written article by Chief Executive of Horticulture NZ Mike Chapman regarding the lack of lettuce supply – great read.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/food-supply-security-mcdonalds-lack-lettuce-mike-chapman/?trackingId=GWmMWDX2Tjy7EZqgGERRbQ%3D%3D

 

Empty crates in the fresh fruit and vegetable section of our supermarket was a common occurrence during level 4. 

 

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Article Written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic, Consultant, Grower2Grower

Article Edited by Marie Vogrincic, Editor, Grower2Grower

High tech or low tech?

 

Sooner rather than later I expect some very well-equipped greenhouses and factories to be growing Pharmaceutical grade Medical Cannabis (MC).  To become certified to grow MC the growing environments will have very high standards and be very expensive to build relative to a typical NZ high tech greenhouse vegetable growing operation.   Greenhouse vegetable growers like myself would absolutely love the technology and growing systems used in that particular industry.  Greenhouse vegetable growers don’t necessarily or currently need all of those bells and whistles but it would make growing an entirely more pleasurable experience in my view.

Many established NZ strawberry growers are considering changing growing practices and moving from growing in soil to substrates and also erecting greenhouse structures.  One Tauranga grower recently contacted me for advice on this particular subject.  My view will always be the higher the investment the better the growing outcomes, but initial investment and return on investment is putting growers off high tech.  From my point of view there is good arguments for both low or high tech and even though I do love the new technology available I understand the economics.

Recently I read the article, see below, that illustrates the high-tech options currently built in other parts of the globe.  Apart from the high-tech nature of the build the energy source used to heat the greenhouse, make electricity and provide the greenhouse with C02 is just as fascinating.

 

Do we have the know how?

If you are new to the protected cropping industry and wonder if we have the know how in NZ, I can assure you we do.  For example, NZ has fantastic greenhouse building companies like APEX Greenhouses that are able to build extremely high-tech structures, we have companies like F-Tek that build amazing greenhouse equipment and transport systems and we even have companies like PURE Led providing lighting solutions.  There are also many other fantastic companies in NZ that provide for both low- or high-tech structures required for each industry. 

 

New 6 ha LED-lighted strawberry facility to be realised in Lincolnshire, UK

Only recently it was announced that Beeswax Dyson Farming – Britain’s largest privately owned farming business – will realise a multi-million-pound state-of-the-art indoor strawberry production facility in Lincolnshire, UK.

750 tonnes
A new six hectare glasshouse packaging and cold store facility in Carrington, near Boston, will be able to produce 750 tonnes of strawberries at any one time – providing what they say will be ‘the highest quality local strawberries all year round’. In addition, project leaders say the development will be a ‘first of its kind for size, complexity, sophistication and green credentials’ in the UK horticulture market.

“It will see heat generated from the current onsite anaerobic digester biogas plant, where maize and rye silage is converted into energy, stored and used as and when required in glasshouse enabling major energy savings”, they explain. “Biogas will also be extracted, cleaned and converted into CO2, to be used to enhance the growing environment and improve crop yields inside the glasshouse.”

Methane gas, which is already created by the anaerobic digestion process, will be used to create electricity to power the glasshouse – and power over 7,700 homes – through a specially built Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system. The site will even be self-sufficient in terms of water usage, with the entire site harvesting rainfall to be reused in irrigation systems.

LED lights and energy curtains
While the energy is gained in a sustainable way, also everything is done to save as much energy as possible in the greenhouse. The glasshouse will benefit from energy-saving and light pollution screens to save heat for use at night and to provide shade during the day. The greenhouse will be equipped with LED lighting systems.

The plants will be grown on swinging hanging growing gutters to allow access for harvesting, and a self-sufficient water system will enable rain-water harvesting across the site.  

Source 

https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9199586/new-6-ha-led-lighted-strawberry-facility-to-be-realised-in-lincolnshire-uk/

www.beeswaxdyson.com

https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9196651/british-grower-adds-6-ha-soft-fruit-greenhouse/

 

 

Above photo of a Dutch greenhouse with a crane system that lifts alternate gutters up or down.  This system allows for maximum usage of floor space. This is just one of many high tech solutions.

 

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Article Written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic, Consultant, Grower2Grower

Article Edited by Marie Vogrincic, Editor, Grower2Grower