CHARLIE'S FARM
Are you considering buying a piece of land or an established farm to grow fruit trees? The following is the result of a brainstorming session by members of the Townsville/Thuringowa branch to assist a member who wants to buy a farm.
Following are some of the points raised that might influence you if you face a similar situation. Be aware that this list is not comprehensive and that we are looking at our own area which has an average rainfall of approximately 1100 mm a year.
| Land | Access | ||||
| Contour maps of area. Land / area subject to flooding? Council regulations / requirements Size of holding, large enough for future expansion Holdings able to be expanded Restrictions on usage of land Problems with prior usage of land Land cleared or timbered Conservation / heritage values Listed Easements (present and future proposals) Future planning for area (DPI, Council, developers) Residential / rural zoning (present and future) Rates and charges Fences and condition | Fire hazards Distance to major towns Distance to shops Distance to suppliers Distance to markets Labour pool for picking Local gossip / knowledge Neighbours | ||||
| Road access | - all weather roads ? - dirt - gravel - wash-aways - culverts - creek flooding | Access to town/markets | in all conditions | ||
| Phone/Fax/Modem | - already available ? - already connected? - costs of connection | Power availability | - already available? - already connected? - costs of connection | ||
| Soil | |||||
| Sogginess in the "Wet" | Soil Test | - quality - fertility - problems - costs - previous results - improvements required needed suggested | |||
| Water | |||||
| Water now in "dry" | - should always have water - running creek desirable | Creeks | - should always have water - running creek desirable | ||
| Dams |
- present - allowable - licensed - position - size - number - condition - depth | Bores |
- present - allowable - licensed - test for - flow
- quality
- salinity
- number- size - condition - depth - type of pump - jet - submersible - windmill necessary
present
size
condition | ||
| Pumping from | - creeks - streams - wells, etc. - license fees - other costs | ||||
| Power Sources | Power already available? Cost of electricity connection Electricity guarantee charges | Solar Power | Possibility of solar power? Cost of solar power connection | ||
| Crops / Trees / Best Usage? | |||||
| Prior/current DPI research into | - trees - crops - best usage for area - soils - pests - problems | Hydroponics | - start up costs - problems - water - specialised knowledge required - labour intensive | ||
| Organic or spraying | - decide before anything is done | Fruit fly fruit area | - dipping or non-dipping | ||
| Star apples | - too cold in Townsville - smaller fruit - wrong type planted | Longans | - type suitable - timing of fruiting (Chinese New Year) - size of fruit / seed | ||
| Papaya | - nematodes - fruit fly problems and costs - quarantine area | Strawberries | - possible new industry? - pick them yourselves - labour intensive | ||
| Mangoes | - oversupply in future - current marketing practices - additional 1 million trees in production within 5 years - speciality markets a possibility - too small to compete - swamped by "named" brands | Prickly pear / Flowering cacti | - easy to grow - massive under-supplied markets in Melbourne - no pests - diseases - trellises / rocks / support required | ||
| Bananas | - overseas competition - no good prospects | Sweet potatoes | - growing market - easy to grow | ||
| Herbs | - winter crop - seedlings | Asian vegetables | - too specialised - Non-Asian problems (including language, cultural) | ||
| Pumpkins | - easy to grow - year round crops - water root area and forget | Bush tucker | - Wattle seeds - Tea tree - Quandongs - Other | ||
| Tomatoes | - Roma (egg) tomatoes, best possibility - constant prices (year round) | Dried Tomatoes | - market supplied from south - too small - value-adding | ||
| Dried Fruits | - market supplied from south - too small - value-adding | Beans/other sprouts | - growing market - small land size required - small start up costs required - current shortage | ||
| Cut flowers | - Mother's Day carnations - Australian Natives | ||||
| Capital Inputs | Marketing | ||||
| Plant and equipment Machinery Sheds / barns / machinery sheds / other buildings Training required Market research Stock and seedlings Specialised tools Irrigation systems - pumps
- bores
- dams
- licence
- permits
Improvements-land, water, power, phone,
-pasture improvement, housing. | Market analysis Market forecasts - DPI
- Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane fruit markets
Business planSharefarming options Picking options | ||||
| Financing Arrangements Banking / finance loans | State Govt Grants DSS Support | Planning | 5-year business plan Identification of markets | ||
| Training | TAFE courses Australian Correspondence School Work experience | ||||
DATE: July 1996
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