Horticulture

Harvesting produce is a travel delight

GERMAN backpacker Nina Brueckner has been enjoying experiencing Murray River life in the Riverland by taking part in a volunteer workers’ exchange program. As part of the Workaway program she spent a week during January at Bruce and Susan...

Christine Webster

February 2025

Horticulture

The holiday drawcard of horticulture

RIVERLAND West certified organic horticulturists Bruce and Susan Armstrong are providing backpackers from Australia and overseas the chance to experience life on a block on the Murray River. For more than 24 years, the couple have hosted dozens of...

Christine Webster

February 2025

Horticulture

Transforming Riverland turmeric into a sought-after delicacy

NESTLED on Barmera’s south side, the 70-acre property looks unassuming, but once you realise what a husband-and-wife team are farming and how they are doing it, everything you see starts to dazzle the eyes. Barmera’s Peter and Anne Brooke are...

Sebastian Calderon

August 2024

Horticulture

Mother and daughter duo a buzzing success

A MOTHER and daughter duo has been converting people across South Australia into honey lovers with their unique and sweet infusion creations. Since its beginnings mid last year, Sweet Honey Fusions has been experimenting with a huge variety of...

Imogen Evans

May 2024

Winter Update

The lentil way

MORE lentils are being sown into the ground this year, with many local dryland farmers seeing the benefit of the crop in their rotations. After finding success with lentils last year, Taldra grain producer Travis Flight said he has doubled the...

Stephanie Thompson

May 2024

Horticulture

Breeding quality Angus cattle on the Barossa’s doorstep

SITUATED at Mount Crawford is a small but thriving Black Angus producer with a focus on breeding high-quality cattle that will go the distance. Barossa Angus began more than 20 years ago, when Julian and Jane Maul made the move to South Australi...

Jem Nash

March 2024

Horticulture

Dear oh deer: pest problems continue costing primary producers

FERAL deer are continuing to cause headaches in primary production as efforts to control their numbers in the landscape ramp up under a state-wide strategic plan. In late 2023, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) released its...

Aidan Curtis

February 2024

Horticulture

No gherkin around: Zimmy’s do things the right way

THE STORY of Zimmy’s Barossa Valley Produce dates back to the late 1800s when German couple Ferdinand and Bertha Zimmermann immigrated to South Australia. After searching for a location that reminded them of home, the Zimmermann family eventually...

Liam Phillips

February 2024

Horticulture

Telling the story of the Riverland

ONE-hundred-and-three years ago, Sue Heward’s grandfather returned from WWI to Monash as a soldier-settler, planting shiraz grapes on the block. Fast forward to 2024, the vines are now gone but in return flourishing fig and quince orchards have...

Alexandra Bull

February 2024

Horticulture

Providing quality vegetables to the Riverland

THE Riverland is well-known for its thriving citrus and almond industries, but located at Renmark North is a small-but-bustling asparagus farm. Going on 27 years, Renee Horvath and her family took over Renmark Asparagus from her brother-in-law last...

Alexandra Bull

November 2023

Horticulture

Tomatoes and cucumbers, grown to perfection at Two Wells

WITH the title of Australia’s biggest glasshouse, Perfection Fresh at Two Wells has the large-scale production and yield to match. More than 730,000 plants, including more than 10 commercial varieties of tomatoes, are grown across glasshouses...

Ellouise Crawford

November 2023

Horticulture

Sowing sustainability: The Food Forest’s eco-friendly farming revolution

ON a 15-hectare property in the heart of Gawler, The Food Forest grows an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, wine and produce, totalling almost 150 varieties of goodness. And it is a sight to behold. For the past 40 years, Graham and...

Staff Contributors

November 2023

Horticulture

Kelley family on mission to turn Barossa Valley into truffle town

SABINA and Ben Kelley of Barossa Valley Truffle Co had a clear plan in mind when moving from New South Wales to the Barossa Valley in 2019 – to grow world-class truffles in a famous food region. Truffles are considered the second-most expensive...

Liam Phillips

September 2023

Horticulture

Farm that adds the mix to your plate

THE Giangregorio family know a thing or two about patience, perseverance and commitment. Together Joe and Antonietta, along with daughters Juliet and Maria, are Rainbow Fresh – a salad growing business out on the Adelaide Plains. Their 300 acre...

Ellouise Crawford

June 2023

Horticulture

Mushrooms grow in former lion’s den

THE lion’s roar was heard for the last time in October of 2017 when the iconic Elizabeth Holden plant shut its doors. The Holden plant was operated on the business precinct site, now known as Lionsgate, since 1960 and was part of the development...

Imogen Evans

June 2023

Horticulture

Potato shortage clear as spud

REPORTS of a widespread potato shortage had chip-lovers in a panic last year, but the status of potato supply in South Australia may not be as clear cut as media reports suggest. While some growers have felt the pinch, locally run Mitolo Family...

Lachlan Dand

June 2023

Horticulture

Grown and packaged on the Plains

THE Pye family is known for growing its famous potatoes at Parilla, in the Mallee region, but it relies on the ideal growing conditions of Virginia and surrounds to keep up its year-round supply of fresh vegetables. Zerella Fresh, owned by the Pye...

Ellouise Crawford

April 2023

Ag News

Hands-free horticulture sees higher production

The full ABARES Labour use in Australian agriculture report and data visualisation can be found by visiting the website

SA Farmer

March 2023

Horticulture

Darrel and Charmaine found their Niche, and stuck to it

FROM a third-generation family fruit salad block to a successful dried fruit business, a husband and wife team are navigating the challenges and triumphs of growing 17 acres of fruit together. Darrel and Charmaine Size run Niche Fruits out of their...

Elyse Armanini

March 2023

Ag News

Spray drift a high risk after wet summer

RIVERLAND agricultural producers preparing chemical control measures for crops have been urged to minimise the potential for spray drift damage. Grain Producers SA last month launched its Keep Your Droplets to Yourself campaign, aimed at educating...

Staff Contributors

February 2023

Horticulture

Western Ridge redefines brewing

IS it a brewery or a scene out of a Clint Eastwood movie? The Western Ridge Brewing Collective is the passion project of five beer-loving mates who use small-batch brews in their western-themed cellar door to unleash their creativity. What once was...

Kayla Den Hollander

January 2023

Horticulture

You’re not dreaming! Hear Me Roar, Lucid Distilling says

IT started in a garage and with a love of experimenting. Add to that a desire to create simple cocktails plus the difficulty of finding two types of spirit on the market and Lucid Distilling Co. was born in Angaston. The dream of Rebekah Richardson...

Staff Contributors

January 2023