News

Seventeen Grower Liaison Officers (GLOs) representing nine macadamia processors gathered recently in the heart of the Glass House Mountains for a full day of knowledge-sharing, orchard visits, and strategic discussions. AMS staff — including Leoni Kojetin, Jacqui Price and Emily Grieve — joined the group to help facilitate collaboration and capture valuable feedback from the frontline of industry extension.

The morning kicked off with a welcome from regional host Chris Fuller of Nutworks, followed by insightful visits to two consistently high-performing orchards — owned by Garry and Julie Davis, and the Agostinelli family. Discussions centred on the management practices and factors that contribute to sustained high yields.

Back at Nutworks, Chris Fuller presented his research on broad mite and associated crop loss — a topic that will be explored further at the upcoming July MacGroup meetings.

The afternoon session was held at the QDPI Maroochy Research Facility, where GLOs participated in a wide-ranging forum. Presentations and conversations covered benchmarking data, regional productivity trends, regional variety trials, grower resources, and the long-term challenge of managing ageing orchards. Updates were also shared on high-density planting models and their financial implications.

AMS Industry Development Manager Leoni Kojetin said the day was a valuable step forward for the industry’s extension network.

“It was an incredibly productive day. The conversations were real, solutions-focused, and showed how invested our GLOs are in helping growers succeed. The feedback we received will directly shape the next phase of the industry’s innovation and adoption program,” Leoni said.

Our sincere thanks go Chris Fuller and our presenters and host growers.

The event was part of the levy-funded project MC20000 and underlined the value of strong regional connections, practical experience, and open dialogue across all sectors of the macadamia industry.