A reminder about Pepino Mosaic Virus testing kits

No matter where you are in New Zealand, if you’re growing tomatoes and notice any strange colouration, please get in touch for a sample kit to test your crop for Pepino Mosaic Virus. TomatoesNZ will pay for this because it’s important for all of us to know how widespread this virus is. You won’t be shut down by MPI, rather you’ll benefit from the knowledge base that we are have to help manage and mitigate further spread of PepMV in New Zealand.

If you suspect PepMV,  please get in touch with us so we can help! There is more information on our website about PepMV here: https://www.tomatoesnz.co.nz/biosecurity/pepino-mosaic-virus/

Greenhouse energy efficiency guide

The coldest winter months may have passed but now is a good time to start thinking about what changes you can make to ensure your greenhouses are operating to maximum efficiency in time for next winter. With fuel costs set to continue increasing, improving greenhouse operating efficiencies will ultimately save you money and may even lead to improved yield.

Elly Nederhoff’s eBook for growers, ‘Greenhouse Energy Efficiency: Growing more and better with less fuel in commercial greenhouse’ was produced in collaboration with Vegetables New Zealand and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) with improving greenhouse efficiencies in mind. It has had great feedback from growers. Download your copy of the eBook here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/bb6l8oi4bg. Alternatively, email Dinah Cohen for a printed copy: tomatoes@hortnz.co.nz

Jobs in the tomato industry

Looking for seasonal or permanent workers? Advertise for free on the Pick NZ job board: https://jobs.picknz.co.nz/. The Ministry for Primary Industries’ Opportunity Grows Here campaign continues to direct job seekers to the job board and is promoting jobs in the tomato industry through its social channels at the moment.

Connecting with government policy makers

We are using our Key Concerns document to talk to media and politicians whenever we get the opportunity. TomatoesNZ joined Onions New Zealand for its ‘vegetables tour’ in South Auckland, taking representatives from the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Environment Protection Agency to see 3 growers and Bioforce, who supply beneficial insects to growers. It was good for people who normally sit in offices in Wellington, to see first-hand what the issues are. The messaging from all growers was loud and clear – problems with labour shortages and rising costs, whether they are growing onions outside, or tomatoes in greenhouses. Thank you to Onions New Zealand and Karen Orr for organising this event.

If you have the opportunity to talk to your local city councillors or Members of Parliament (MPs), please do take a copy of this document with you so that we are all pushing the same messages. Download your copy here: https://www.tomatoesnz.co.nz/about/key-concerns-of-tomato-growers/ or ask Dinah for a printed copy: tomatoes@hortnz.co.nz

Save the date – TomatoesNZ AGM, 2023

TomatoesNZ hopes to hold their next Annual General Meeting (AGM) as part of the combined Horticulture NZ Conference and Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Conference in 2023. The combined event is scheduled to take place in Christchurch from 1 to 4 August (1st & 2nd August for the RSE conference, 3rd & 4th August for the HortNZ conference).

Mark these dates in your calendar now as it’s sure to be a great four days of networking with like-minded growers!

Agronomy Society Symposium

Stefan Vogrincic, who is a co-opted member of the TomatoesNZ board, spoke at the Agronomy Society Symposium in September representing tomato growers.

Stefan presented TNZ’s Key Concerns document covering the issues the industry is facing with the cost of energy, rising production costs, shortage of labour and biosecurity concerns. He also covered new developments in our industry, including the FTEK prototype that was completed earlier this year and the A Lighter Touch programme that has recently restarted, working with growers to monitor the effectiveness of different beneficial insects. A full line up of sessions and presentations held at the Agronomy Society Symposium are available here: https://www.agronomysociety.org.nz/symposium-powerpoints