NEW varieties of mandarins have failed to impress at Cordoma Farms, near Emerald, with the trees to be removed this year.
Brothers, Joe and Ross Cordoma, moved from Victoria to the Central Highlands in 1995 and gradually built up their 325ha operation to include 140ha of grapes and 120ha of citrus.
The Cordoma brothers grow lemons and Imperial mandarins which are the first to be picked, and some low-seeded varieties.
The later mandarins, the Honey Murcott’s, will be picked in late July.
It was the Imperials that failed to impress.
“We’ve just finished our Imperial season. It wasn’t a good year, the prices were very poor, but we’re going to remove those trees this year,” Ross said.
“There was a lot of new varieties that came out, but a lot of them don’t perform.
“But if you don’t try them you don’t know, so now we’re going back to the basic ones.”
The Cordoma family started with just 10ha of grapes at their Emerald farm.
Each year they planted another 10ha, and in 1997 they put their first citrus trees in the ground.
In 2005 disaster struck, when citrus canker hit the region and all 40ha of trees the brothers had planted had to be removed.
Two years later, in 2007, they began gradually re-planting the mandarins and lemons.
Cordoma Farms supply grapes into local markets, which end up all around Australia, and while some of the early mandarins are local, Ross said about 90 per cent of the late crop are exported.
The brothers employ eight permanent staff, and through any harvest or picking period they employ between 80 and 90 casuals.
Pruning has begun on the grape vines, which will take them through until the end of July, when the late mandarins will be picked.
“It never stops - we’re pretty busy all year around,” Ross said.
Expanding the current operation is limited to the 50ha of undeveloped land on the road frontage.
Ross said there is “potential” for that land to be under irrigation in the next few years.
Cordoma Farms have recently taken on a local youngster as a Certificate III in Production Horticulture student (see story here).
Lleyton Cave, a Year 11 student at Emerald High School, works for the farm on the weekends, and will now spend one day per week completing his certificate.
Ross said it was vital for the industry to encourage the next generation to get involved.
“You need to bring in the younger generations to learn about (horticulture), and to keep producing product for Australian consumers and export as well,” he said.
“There’s not too many people who like this sort of game, but there is some who are keen and want to have a go, which is good - we need more of them.
“Lleyton has been good, he came over and asked for work, and we were keen to put him on - he’s enjoying it I think, and he’s very reliable.”