Sustainable pineapple farming goes grassroots

Third generation pineapple farmer and supplier to Heinz Chris Fullerton has been digging deep to find the most sustainable farming practices for his 500-acre Sunshine Coast farm.

Third generation pineapple farmer and supplier to Heinz Chris Fullerton has been digging deep to find the most sustainable farming practices for his 500-acre Sunshine Coast farm.

For the past 15 years, Mr Fullerton has been closely working with the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) on a number of trials at his Elimbah farm (45 minutes north of Brisbane) that better conserve soil nutrients and guard against erosion and minimise farm run-off.

“Our trials confirm that saving the environment and saving money can go hand-in-hand, and as a farmer these are both top priorities,” Mr Fullerton said.

“An interesting finding during the trials conducted with DEEDI was that applying fertiliser before planting and prepping had no effect on root and plant growth.

“Our BRIX testing revealed there was no detraction in the quality of the fruit with no pre-plant fertiliser, so it was just as sweet.

“As pineapple roots only reach a maximum depth of about 15 cm after three months, it is likely that nitrogen could be leached beyond the root zone, and therefore ineffective.

“This is good news as there may be potential savings of up to almost $500 per acre on pre-plant fertiliser.”

Mr Fullerton said the fact Heinz was committed to best environmental practices provided additional incentive to seek out more sustainable practices.

“Heinz actively encourages its suppliers to embrace sustainable agriculture, but it’s also walking the walk by improving energy efficiency at our manufacturing facilities,” he said.

“We’re all part of the community and we all have a relationship with the land, so it’s in our best interests.”

Mr Fullerton said ultimately the Sunshine Coast’s natural attributes, in particular its sandy soils and warm climate, had contributed to the region’s reputation for producing some of the world’s best pineapples.

“Ironically, pineapple growers are one of the few groups of farmers who don’t get excited about large rainfall events,” he said.

“As part of the bromeliad family, pineapples thrive in well drained conditions, which is why our crop does well in quite sandy soil.

“One of our most productive years was a few seasons back when we were in drought.”

DEEDI Project Officer Zane Nicholls, who has been working directly with Mr Fullerton, said another one of the strategies they found particularly effective was living mulch, which significantly reduced erosion potential during rain events.

“Living mulch is a green cover crop, such as oats, sorghum or millet, which is planted in the inter-row space,” he said.

Mr Nicholls said where they had used inter-row mulching, the pineapple beds consistently retained their height, which enabled the inter-row to perform its principal role of water removal.

“While we haven’t yet tested it on high gradient land, during the trials we have done, this living mulch has been proven to retain soil nutrients, while at the save time controlling weeds and preventing pests and diseases,” Mr Nicholls said.

“Living mulch will also ‘soak up’ excess nitrogen, assist nutrient cycling and reduce herbicide applications.

“All of these factors lead to cost-savings.”