ABC Rural

Latest Report

Potato pressures force fresh market change

By Rosemary Grant

Tasmanian potato growers are anxiously negotiating processing crop contracts.

This week, both McCains and Simplot growers are meeting to hear the latest price outlook (the Simplot meeting is on this afternoon).

McCain potato growers are being asked to take a 10 per cent price cut and Simplot growers expect to be asked to follow suit.

While most growers contemplate the uncertain future, some are forging new markets.

North Motton potato grower, Glynn Williams has decided against growing potatoes for processing and instead is expanding the distribution of his Mr Kipfler brand of potatoes across the eastern states.

Glynn Williams says he's now working with three other local growers and has built a large cool storage and packing shed for fresh market potatoes on his farm.

"It's a 50m by 24m by 6.8m, which means that we can fit a lot of potatoes in it, which is just what we plan to do," he said.

"That's upwards of 400 tonnes at anyone time."

"When I really had to look hard at things, which is about five years ago, I realised that growing for McCains I was going backwards and backwards very dramatically.

"So we are literally landing our potatoes in Sydney, and now Melbourne and Brisbane, at competitive prices and its now offering us a return, as opposed to no return."

Furneaux sheds inspire coffee table book

By Rosemary Grant

A search is on for stories and great photographs of sheds and shacks of Flinders Island and the Furneaux Group.

A series of prizes are being offered for the best photos of the vanishing shed and shack heritage, which will feature in a book and permanent collection.

Ken and Carolyn Stockton have come up with the idea as a way to capture the area's unique heritage before it's lost forever.

"Pretty much everywhere you go there's a shack of some sort," Ken Stockton said.

"In the early 1800's we had our sealers that put together some pretty basic shacks on the foreshores; some of them made out of Cape barron pine are still in reasonable shape and some of them made out of corrugated iron.

"Then we have the birding shacks on the islands where the birders still continue to come every year for collecting the mutton birds.

"Then we have the original squatters buildings. We call them shacks but in fact they were homes, so there's an enormous variety."

"Then we have the old barns, the hay barns, so it's a matter of bringing them all together into the one exhibition.

Students discover agricultural careers

By Rosemary Grant

This week, in the lead up to the September break, 20 year 10, 11 and 12 students have been visiting leading farms, value-adding operations and service providers across northern Tasmania.

The Discover Agriculture program is a joint venture between the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association and Rural Skills Australia and its aim is to inspire young people and link them in to potential career paths in the industry.

Grace Mitchellson and Josh Squibb are in year 11 and 10 respectively and both are intending to pursue work in the industry