Bulmer Farms Process Innovation Technology and improvements

Who are we? We are a family run vegetable growing operation We crop 9 farms consisting of over 1200 acres in and around the Lindenow valley

Where are we? Lindenow is a small town located in Victoria, in the Shire of East Gippsland near Bairnsdale. We are 257km East of Melbourne which equates to approximately a 3.5 hour drive. Lindenow is serviced by a general store, a café a butcher shop, a rural supplies store and pub. We have a kindergarten and a school and a successful football team.

What do we do? Bulmer Farms supplies Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane domestic wholesale markets. We supply every major salad processing company in Australia. We supply Baby Broccoli into Coles through Fresh Select.

Stepping up the game In 2014 we decided we needed to improve all aspects of our baby leaf supply chain. We travelled extensively around the world looking at harvesters and washline equipment. We sent our Agronomist to attend international field days to scope out new trends and the best available seed varieties on the market. We made a commitment as a business to place ourselves at the forefront of worlds best practise.

Investment in infrastructure Ramsay Highlander (Baby Leaf Harvester) Sormac Washline (Continuous drying tunnel) New Packhouse facility Cool rooms/Staging Areas Irrigation infrastructure Controllers/drip/sprinklers/pumps

Investment in people Company restructure Field trips - Domestic International study tours Apprenticeships School information tours Growing leaders (vegetable industry leadership course) PMA executive course Young Farmers Ministerial Advisory Committee

Collaboration and changing the model East Gippsland Food Cluster Traineeship program Feast on East direct Cluster Values Collaboration Innovation Excellence Sustainability Fair Go

Collaboration and changing the model Green Acres Australia Four well established vegetable producers coming together to collectively market our produce for domestic and international markets

Opportunities Export into Asia, the Middle East and beyond. Continue to develop our brand domestically. Turn waste streams into revenue streams. Holiday food destination. New varieties. New farming techniques

What’s next? Robots to reduce manual handling. This is the Kawasaki fully automated celery robot in operation at Gazzola Farms.

What’s next? Drones to monitor crop, look at nutrient levels, crop moisture and risk assessments for pests, disease and foreign bodies. The ladybird was developed by the University of Sydney.

What’s next? Farm Factories for horticulture. Mirai in Japan can produce 10,000 heads of lettuce a day. Produce is grown under led lights in a factory with a floor plan of 25,000 Square feet. They claim plants grow twice as Fast and use 99% less water Than a conventional crop.

What’s next? Driverless tractors. These are prototype drawings. Real models exist that can harvest grain and disc a paddock.

What’s next? Country: France Product Description: Jimini’s Le Criquet Poivre & Tomates Séchées (Pepper & Dried Tomatoes Flavored Crickets) can be eaten whole or without the head and the wings. The crickets were raised in Europe, prepared in France, and are described as crispy and crunchy. “Although most CPG products made with insect protein use insect flour, we do see some branded products that leave the insect intact. This line of flavored crickets also includes a secondary line of flavored mealworms.” Different Customer Demands.

What’s next? World Population Expected to Reach 9.7 Billion by 2050 The United Nations released projections of global population growth over the coming century. In the year 2100, the world’s demographics will look very different from today’s. Technology, Innovation and thinking outside the square will all prove key to feeding an ever increasing population, that is demanding safe, clean, and sustainable produce for their consumption. Thank you