BGA Agriservices Pty Ltd - BUNDABERG QLD
CATEGORY: SUSTAINABILITY
Simon’s role involves working with many growers who grow a very diverse range of crops, it could be anything from Sugar Cane, Tomatoes, Capsicums, Snow Peas to Strawberries and Nuts – to name but a few.
Simon enjoys the variability of the work, and is passionate about performing soil tests and providing the right advice on fertiliser recommendations, chemical spray programs. He also enjoys the challenge of problem solving with disease and insect identification and resistance management.
Simon was involved with the University of Southern Queensland with Nematode work in sweet potato with collection of samples and site selection and finding solutions involving soil health, he was also involved with two new products in the early trials and data collection and evaluation.
Simon is also involved in a number of grower groups and projects such as the Coastal Grower’s Solution Committee, Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers, and a VNet project to help quantify yield variability in vegetable crops that utilised electro-magnetic survey maps and variable rate technology. Variable rates of fertilizer were applied according to the various test zones and then yield was recorded using weigh cells on harvesting machinery. This was featured on Landline.
Simon was involved with the Burnett Mary Regional Group which provided funding to environmental groups and landholders to improve environmental stewardship on farms and collect and interpret soil test results after the massive flooding events of 2011 and 2013 in Bundaberg. Simon was nominated by and involved with Sugar Research Australia in an extension forum collaborating on a project to make the best use of extension services in the industry.