There has been a proliferation of ‘green marketing’ claims from all sorts of companies over the past few years. These campaigns have included airlines claiming to offset the emissions from your flight by planting trees, car insurance companies promising to help you offset your vehicles emissions and even cars companies attempting to sell ‘Carbon Neutral’ cars! Environmental claims can be an incredibly powerful marketing tool. Naturally there are many in our industry who feel we should be jumping on this ‘green wash’ bandwagon and trumpeting the many Carbon Offset benefits of our products and industry. Previous articles have suggested we think carefully before we leap into similar campaigns for our industry. It is so easy to say ‘we are green’; the reality is it is much harder to ‘back it up’ with credible science to substantiate our case.

Now that Australia has formally committed to Kyoto we are about to confront the economic cost of climate change. From the figures I have seen we have only been meeting our Kyoto emissions reduction target through the moratorium on tree clearing. What this means is something is about to hit the fan, we can’t count on that a second time. There is no doubt the world needs to drastically cut back CO² emissions. There is no other option. There is going to be a sudden demand to reduce emissions. To encourage us to reduce emissions, energy costs are already set to rise considerably this year and next. This is merely a precursor to unabated increases in coming years. What impact will a drastic increase in fuel, electricity and gas costs have on your business?

Most people are now aware of the issue of ‘Climate Change’. The 2007 federal election campaign and subsequent media coverage leaves no doubt it is one of the major impacts facing Agriculture in Australia over the coming decades. The groundswell of interest and demand for action internationally shows ‘Climate Change’ is no longer just a ‘fluffy’ statement when the very future of the planet is at stake.

There has been a great deal of media coverage about Professor Garnaut and his proposal for establishing a comprehensive Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) here in Australia by 2010. Whilst the issue of ‘Carbon Trading’ is not new, the recommendations that the scheme encompass ‘everyone’ has ‘everyone’ worried. So what role does the Nursery Industry play in an ETS?

Energy consumed in production nurseries is recognised as a significant expenditure by growers. Independent energy audits of nurseries have recognised irrigation and heating as two of the more significant energy consumption areas that can be targeted to provide business cost savings. Growers surveyed in Queensland have reported that currently energy costs represent between 2% and 7% of turnover depending on cropping and production systems, and with energy costs predicted to continue to escalate, energy savings could have an even bigger influence on a business bottom line.

Two of the most important inputs in plant production are the growing media and the irrigation water used to grow the crop. It is vital that the chemical and physical characteristics of these two inputs are known as they can have such a major impact on so many areas of the successful production of a marketable crop.

As winter continues to role on the ever present threat of frost hangs over production and retail nurseries throughout southern Queensland. Frost is caused by a drop in temperature at or below 0?C with wind speeds under approximately 10km/h. Temperatures below 0?C with wind speeds above 10km/h cause freezing which is a different phenomena to that of frost. It is very difficult to modify the environment, during freezing conditions, in an attempt to reduce crop damage whereas frost remediation through environment modification can be effective.

To grow and sell Australian native plants (Protected Plants) in Queensland it is quite possible that you will require some level of authorisation/licence under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 or its subordinate legislation. Australian native plants entering Queensland, from another state or territory, immediately come under the jurisdiction of the Queensland legislation irrespective of the originating state or territory’s legislation.

The NGIQ has been an active member of the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) for a number of years benefiting from a collective approach to regulatory issues and the sharing of information between member organisations. Through our association with QFF, and its member bodies (Sugar, Cotton, Fruit & Vegetables, Dairy, Chicken Producers, etc), we have had opportunities to involve our industry in a range of activities and projects directed at various strategic initiatives including drought declaration, biosecurity, natural resource management and environmental performance. Due to the above alliance NGIQ has been an active participant in a QFF/EPA Project – Enhancing Sustainable Primary Production.

One of the more enjoyable aspects of my new role with NGIQ is visiting production nurseries, meeting old friends and making new ones. So far, Steve Hart and I have visited at least 80 nurseries in SEQ, discussing the benefits of EcoHort™ (the nursery industry environmental management system) and NIASA (our best management practice system).

One of the more enjoyable aspects of my role with NGIQ is visiting production nurseries, meeting old friends and making new ones. So far I have visited at over 70 nurseries in SEQ, discussing the benefits of EcoHort™ (the production nursery environmental management system) and NIASA (our best management practice program). The response has been overwhelmingly positive from those who have taken the time to discuss and consider the opportunities that may exist through gaining environmental certification.

My first EcoHort™ site assessments have proved positive for the businesses concerned. Participation in an environmental management system is not about achieving some unreasonable benchmark; it is about analysing the current environmental performance of your business and identifying a list of priority areas for continual improvement. As a Farm Management System Officer, it is then my role to work with each operator to establish an action plan for the coming few years.

My first EcoHort™ site assessments have proved positive for the businesses concerned. Participation in an environmental management system is not about achieving some unreasonable benchmark; it is about analyzing the current environmental performance of your business and identifying a list of priority areas for continual improvement. As a Farm Management System Officer, it is then my role to work with each operator to establish an action plan for the coming few years.

EcoHort™ is the Environmental Management System for Production Nurseries and Growing Media Manufactures within the Australian Nursery Industry. The eighteen participants of the July EcoHort™ workshop held at Kallangur received a wealth of information to enable those operators to implement the EcoHort™ program in their business operations. The participants who attended the one day workshop will receive on farm visits over the coming weeks to provide further assistance with their natural resource management and environmental issues.

Some great presentations were again on offer at the NGIQ Technical Field Day at DPI&F Redlands Research Station last month. Water and irrigation again featured heavily in the program during the day. Mal Hunter, known for the development of his innovative container design, discussed the various forms of capillary matting available for use in nursery irrigation, along with their benefits, uses and shortcomings. Mal also presented findings from his current project.

Fertigation is the application of dissolved fertilisers to nursery crops through an irrigation system. This process provides the opportunity to:
? manage nutrient availability throughout the production cycle,
? supplement fertiliser supplied in the growing media,
? manipulate plant growth,
? alter the fertiliser program during the growing season,
? correct any nutrient deficiencies.