Mat Earle from Swan Hill Chemicals and Anthony Costa with some of the Haifa products used on the Costa family farm.
There can be a few challenges over four generations of fruit growing.
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So much so that when a flood occurred in parts of Swan Hill in 2011, followed by picking fruit in 45-degree heat during a hot summer, a younger member of the local Costa family decided to join Swan Hill Chemicals (SHC), where he enjoyed a 10-year period.
Now back on the farm, Anthony and his family continue to maintain a strong relationship with the business and have invested in future generations with a new packing shed and strong focus on producing higher volumes of premium range fruit.
Anthony farms with his brother, Joseph, and uncle, Vince, while their parents and grandparents also are still on the property.
After starting out with about 6ha, the family property now comprises around 400ha and grows white and yellow flesh peach and nectarines, plus plum and apricot stone fruit, as well as mandarins, oranges and table grapes.
Harvesting from November to August and supporting domestic and export markets, Anthony says rather than using third party packers, the new packing shed would allow them to effectively grow their business and better control their own production destiny.
The business is focused on getting more fruit into the premium range.
He says the challenges will continue to be the cost of inputs and labour in relation to the market prices of the day, however he says the family will not shy away from using high quality input products to achieve its targets.
Like many growers, they are aiming for increased yields and fruit size, as well as improved quality, particularly shelf life.
“We are searching for better and better varieties and are focused on getting more into the premium range and providing a premium brand the market appreciates and expects,” Anthony says.
“Now we have the packing shed, we can control the packing and grading more and we can definitely see the results.”
Stone fruit yields can range from 25 tonnes/ha in first picks of the early ripening varieties up to 60-70t/ha for later picks.
Fertiliser rates and applications differ between the crops, but the Costas don’t shy away from using high quality products, including Haifa Multi-K potassium nitrate, Haifa Cal calcium nitrate and chelated iron and zinc micronutrients, all applied via their MAIT Industries integrated monitoring and irrigation control system.
“We always prioritise higher quality fertiliser over Chinese product, which can block your emitters. Haifa fertiliser dissolves quickly and it is a clean and consistent product,” says Anthony, who works closely with Mat Earle at SHC for the family’s fertiliser requirements.
“Cheaper, inferior fertiliser can also turn your water black. With good quality fertiliser, your water quality doesn’t change. If it’s good in the tank, it’s good in the paddock.”
Matched to the physiological development stages of each crop, the Costas apply phosphorus and nitrogen early, calcium at cell division and potassium through the early flowering and fruiting stages.
“Early in the season, we might be applying 25kg of fertiliser per hectare and later it can be 60kg/ha,” Anthony says.
This feeds tree plantings ranging from 800-1000 trees/ha.
Anthony says Haifa’s potassium nitrate fertiliser is very well accepted and they also had previously used the foliar-applied Haifa Bonus high potassium fertiliser with great results and would look to use it again this season.
The Costas also generally use kelp throughout their nutrition programs, they are exploring the use of biological products, and they effectively apply the Haifa EDTA zinc and EDDHA iron chelated micronutrients.
Haifa’s iron chelate offers 6 per cent iron and, more importantly, is the most stable in soils, with an ortho-ortho (stability) percentage of 5.2.
The higher ortho-ortho level ensures more efficient use of the nutrient and improved production and quality, especially in high pH soils.
He says the family appreciates its long-term relationship with the SHC business for its input requirements, which dated back to his grandfather and the original founder of SHC.
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