Agostinelli Farms – Beerburrum, QLD
3000 vines: 3 hectares: December 2023: Picked & packed 50 tonnes of 1st-grade fruit.

Henry & Jarrod Agostinelli have reported on the use of Best Farming System products in macadamias, strawberries and passion fruit over the past ten years, with continuing strong results.

On a recent service call, I found the Passion Fruit pack out staff surrounded by pallets of passion fruit and looking forward to a break following a season which can only be described as remarkable.

The block in current production consists of 1500 Sweetheart variety planted Oct 2022 and 1475 Flamenco planted Jan 2023. Planting density is approximately 1000 vines per ha. Picked and packed from those vines in the month of December 2023 was a staggering 50 tonnes of 1^st grade fruit.

16 + tonnes per ha is all the more astounding considering the average industry production is in the order of 7 tonnes per Ha/year.

Full details of the December and January “Summer” harvest

Premium Fruit: Flamenco: 3883 x T35 Boxes. Sweetheart: 2621 x T35 Boxes. 1st Grade: 395 x T35 Boxes.

Total Production for December and January
– 6894 x T35 Boxes – Just over 70 Tonnes.
– 23.3 Tonnes Per Hectare for Dec/Jan Harvest. (Average industry production is 7 TPH/Year.)

As with their macadamias, their nutritional program is kept simple. BEST TM Agricultural, + a biological N product and BEST Foliar as an extra boost. The vines show tremendous growth and reproductive energy at the same time, accommodating very little pest pressure. Previous experience also saw vine life extended beyond the normal two years.

Brice Kaddatz
Macadamia & Horticultural Services
Mob: 0438 861198