Australian Macadamia Society

Working in the heat

2020 | Australian Macadamia Society | Fact Sheet

With the Australian summer’s highest recorded temperature records regularly being broken, it’s a timely reminder to be aware of the risks of working in the heat, particularly for those working outdoors. This fact sheet is a guide to the responsibilities of property owners, managers and workers under Work Health and Safety laws of managing the associated risks.

Macadamia, the environment and orchard adaption (Feb/March 2020 MacGroup)

2020 | Kojetin L | Presentation

From drought and bushfires to floods and damaging hail storms the Australian 2019/2020 growing season has been one of extreme weather events. It is essential to understand the environmental impacts on the crop and build orchard resilience through the use of available mitigating practices and monitoring tools.

Lessons from the drought for macadamia growers

2020 | Bright J | Fact Sheet

The NSW north coast has a large proportion of the countries’ macadamia farms. It is normally lush, green and beautiful, but during 2019, it turned brown, dry and smoky. With very limited rainfall, dams were getting low and fires were burning almost everywhere.

Understanding macadamia water transpiration (PRESENTATION PDF Oct 2019 Tree water management course)

2019 | Smit T | Presentation

Summarising years of research, internationally acclaimed water relations expert Theunis Smit examines the essential role of water management in macadamias in both dryland and irrigated orchards.

Weather stations: a sound business investment

2019 | Andersen D | Article

This article, based on a presentation by Shauna Hack, outlines why weather stations are important in farm management and the most important features to have in an on-farm weather station.

Fans to reduce impacts of frost this winter

2019 | Andersen D | Case Study

Chris Cook, manager of Dymocks Macadamia Farms near Macksville on the NSW mid north coast, explains the decision to install frost fans in the orchard after a harsh 2018 winter damaged trees and reduced nut set. Based on the orchard's location and topography up to ten fans will be needed, with two having been purchased so far.

Environmental monitoring to improve orchard management

2019 | Andersen D, Kojetin L | Article

Explains the importance of incorporating on-farm environmental monitoring into farm management as a way of making decisions based on objective evidence. The five environmental conditions essential to successful plant growth are described, as are the tools that can be used for on-farm environmental monitoring.

Frost protection for macadamias

2019 | Erasmus J | Case Study

This case study introduces a range of methods for protecting trees against frost damage. Methods described are: using fans, physical barriers around young trees, foliar frost protectant products, and overhead irrigation.

Anemometers, wind meters and weather stations (Aug 2019)

2019 | Anon | Article

The AMS recommends growers have envrionmental monitoring equipment to measure wind speed and direction. This information can be used to check conditions, record information and meet legislated requirements in New South Wales.

Anemometers, wind meters and weather stations

2019 | Australian Macadamia Society | Fact Sheet

The AMS recommends that all growers have a functioning anemometer that can measure wind speed and direction, store data over time and download the logged data to your smartphone or laptop or automatically upload online, allowing you to check live the current conditions. This fact sheet outlines some of the varieties available on the market.

In The Orchard

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