Your Levy at Work

Meet the new NGIA Plant Protection Officer

Monday, 23 September 2019

Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Celeste Cook as its new Plant Protection Officer based in Queensland and Northern NSW, under the levy-funded (NY15004).

With a background in animal and plant biosecurity, horticulture and teaching, Celeste has 10 years’ experience working both on-farm, and in a consultation and promotional services position for a major horticultural chemical manufacturer.

Celeste plans to help growers with the successful implementation of robust plant protection systems, such as BioSecure HACCP. These programs aim to improve crop management outcomes across a wide-range of areas, such as better pesticide selection and use.

“I look forward to working alongside Australian growers to develop and implement plant protection systems for the benefit of their businesses, and the industry as a whole,” Celeste said.

“My aim is to work directly with growers to promote increased Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and to share the benefits of consistent and frequent crop monitoring, to help inform business decision-making.

“Having an effective plant protection system has many benefits, including decreased pesticide usage, reduced crop damage and throw outs, as well as improved traceability and an understanding of what’s working well in the business.” More

Congratulations to the 2019 Green Leaders!

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Thursday, 19 September 2019

Fifteen nursery industry participants have successfully completed the 2019 Growing Green Leaders program, a professional development course that equips young people with the skills and knowledge to accelerate their careers and businesses.

Run by management consultancy firm, The Right Mind, the 2019 program concluded on 1-2 August in Brisbane. Together with their turf colleagues, the nursery cohort conducted a four-month study program to boost their management and communication skills, while undertaking a chosen workplace project.

There were some common themes in this year’s workplace projects, with many participants focusing their goals on the adoption of more productive behaviours in the workplace, in order to reflect their business’s values or the development of a new initiative or activity to boost overall performance.

At the concluding Leadership Forum in August, each participant presented their projects to the group; discussing their progress, key learnings, and future areas for development. Annette Thompson, Production Manager at Cameron’s Nursery, shared her experiences and key insights from the 2019 program. More

Nursery industry statistics survey to get underway in October

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

With the 2019 Nursery Industry Statistics (NY17008) survey happening between October and November, production nurseries are being encouraged to collate key business data and be ready to participate in the voluntary project if they are approached.

Now in its third year, the national project aggregates data from around 300 nursery growers to produce a more reliable and accurate snapshot of the industry’s size, value, production and employment.

The project aims to assist growers with business planning, resource prioritisation and provide longitudinal data to track industry trends and performance, as well as inform the development of a business-benchmarking tool for nurseries.

With the next survey just around the corner, the following guide outlines what growers can expect, and how to prepare, if their business is invited to provide data for the 2018-19 survey. More

Growing Together Tour heading to Brisbane

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

The final leg of the Growing Together Tour by 202020 Vision is taking place in Brisbane on Thursday, 19 September 20 at The Gardens Club.

The main event is targeted towards local government, developers, urban greening professionals and town planners. It aims to equip decision-makers with the latest resources and research from 202020 Vision on community attitudes towards green space.

Later that evening, growers and retailers are invited to attend an Industry briefing dinner, where the team will present the research, share insights from the event series to date, and provide an update on the next phase of 202020 Vision and Plant Life Balance.

Register for upcoming IPM Workshop in NSW

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

NSW production nurseries are invited to attend an upcoming biosecurity workshop on ‘Integrated Pest Management, Insect and Mite Identification’ on 9 October 2019 at Rouse Hill.

In collaboration with NGIA, the Queensland Department of Agriculture (QDAF) will deliver a workshop on how to prevent pests from damaging crops using IPM. The project is funded by Hort Innovation using the nursery industry levy and funds from QDAF.

Budget tool set to showcase costs & benefits of establishing trees in urban landscape

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

A new nursery levy funded project aims to develop a budget tool that can calculate the costs associated with a successfully planted urban tree over the course of its lifecycle.

The budget tool will be a valuable resource for industry and local governments to use in highlighting the costs and benefits associated with the successful establishment of tree-based urban greenspace.

Developing a more accurate way of determining the current costs to establish and maintain trees in an urban setting will allow industry to raise awareness and better communicate the value of more green life in our urban landscapes.

Greater urban greenspace is needed to increase the liveability of our cities, particularly with the associated health and environmental benefits stemming from cleaner air and cooler cities.

The aim is that by providing a tool which can quantify a cost-benefit analysis of establishing urban trees, the industry will be able to better promote its value. More