News & Media - Birdwood Nursery wholesale nursery supplying commercial growers and retain nurseries

Local nursery achieves Queensland first in accreditation

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Woombye-based Birdwood Nursery celebrated receiving its accreditation to the highly stringent BioSecure HACCP program this week, making it the first nursery in Queensland to be validated.

BioSecure HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is the world-recognised standard in risk management processes designed to assist growers in assessing their current and future pest, disease and weed risks which is critical for the success of every nursery.

Rory Cullinan, General Manager of Birdwood Nursery, said the accreditation was the result of the nursery’s long-standing commitment to being well equipped to identify and deal with any potential issues that it may face.

"In our industry we are constantly faced with new challenges as our products and the environment in which they grow are always evolving, thanks to Mother Nature. It is therefore essential that we have the right processes in place to help deliver on our commitment to providing customers with the cleanest tree possible," said Mr Cullinan.

"We are proud to be an industry leader in the Research and Development into early detection and prevention of soil borne diseases in fruit trees. At Birdwood we recently established a R&D company committed to continue testing rootstocks tolerant to soil borne diseases for the benefit of our clients and the industry at large."

In nursery production, biosecurity is essential for protection against the introduction of insects, diseases, weeds and other biological organisms that may adversely impact on the business and its products.

The BioSecure HACCP program provides growers with the decision-making tools to support on-farm biosecurity and guide them in identifying the risks and the steps they need to take to control them.

"Given the environment in which we operate, our ability to respond quickly and effectively to combat biosecurity issues is essential and our accreditation confirms how seriously we take these issues," said Mr Cullinan.

For more information on the BioSecure HACCP program, please click here

Local nursery celebrates big win

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -1100

Birdwood Nursery is celebrating taking home three awards at the prestigious 2011 Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland Awards held in Brisbane last weekend, including the highly coveted Best Large Production Nursery.

This is the second year running the Woombye-based nursery has won the major gong and this year they also added the Environmental and Marketing Awards to their collection.

“We are very proud to be recognised within our industry across these various categories and believe our dedication to delivering quality product, on time whilst maintaining our environmental responsibility is reflected in these awards,” said Rory Cullinan, General Manager of Birdwood Nursery.

“We look forward to representing Queensland in the national awards and would like to thank our team for their commitment to delivering excellence across the business. We really couldn’t have achieved this without them.”

Winners of the state awards will go on to compete in the 2010 Nursery & Garden Industry National Awards in April next year where Birdwood Nursery hopes to take home the national title in which they were runners-up last year.

The nursery employs over 50 Sunshine Coast residents and specialises in fruit tree production including avocados, mangos, passionfruit, kiwifruit and citrus. They supply commercial growers and retail nurseries throughout Australia and are looking to expand into export markets.

Biosecurity Farmer of The Year Finalist

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -1100

Sunshine Coast Shines Light on Better Biosecurity

Peter and Sandra Young’s holistic approach to biosecurity has rendered them champions of the Australian agricultural industry and finalists in the recent inaugural Australian Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Awards.

On-farm biosecurity protects livelihoods, industries and communities. This is a major reason why it has long been at the forefront of operations at the Sunshine Coast’s Birdwood Nursery Fruit Trees.

Birdwood Nursery Fruit Trees is a production nursery situated on 60 acres in Woombye, Queensland. The nursery was initially purpose built by owners Peter and Sandra to produce avocado trees tested free from root rot disease (Phytophthora cinnamomi).

The recent Australian Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Awards, proudly supported by Plant Health Australia (PHA), promoted an up-to-the-minute, positive image of farmers while recognising producers who inspire other farmers and encourage investment in Australian agriculture.

Peter and Sandra’s commitment to improving biosecurity practices on their property demonstrates a significant return for their efforts and highlights the fact that biosecurity makes good business sense. Following their lead, it is hoped that others too will see the value of implementing good biosecurity practices on their properties and to find out more about what can be done to manage pest, disease and weed threats.

Birdwood Nursery started operations during 1978, when Peter identified a need across the horticultural industries for high-quality, disease-free fruit trees. Peter and Sandra commenced growing all tree stock under the Avocado Nursery Voluntary Accreditation Scheme (ANVAS), in which they were foundation members. The couple has since attained accreditation from the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia and EcoHort Certification. During 2009, Peter and Sandra introduced biocontrol agents to the nursery to augment their integrated pest management system.

Weekly releases of beneficial insects are having profound effects, reducing chemical and labour costs, while their working environment has dramatically improved and staff efficiencies and attitudes have changed. Peter and Sandra aim to completely replace chemical insecticides with bio-control agents in their greenhouses to dramatically decrease their environmental footprint.

Peter and Sandra’s commitment to good biosecurity practices shows that protecting your property, no matter what your industry, doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be as simple as displaying pamphlets containing information relating to new pests and diseases on your notice boards, such as those continually displayed at Birdwood Nursery. Peter and Sandra also encourage their staff to keep a lookout for new disease symptoms and signs of pests. Management is informed if anything unusual is spotted by staff and the incident is immediately reported to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Another simple biosecurity measure implemented on Peter and Sandra’s property is ensuring that designated visitor parking areas are provided and no unauthorized vehicles are allowed to enter the growing areas. The loading surfaces of vehicles are also disinfected before use, an easy biosecurity measure that may be undertaken on anyone’s property, regardless of which industry you belong to.

If you’d like to learn more about implementing simple biosecurity measures on your property, feel free to take a look at The Biosecurity Manual for the Nursery Production Industry, recently developed by PHA and Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA). The manual has been designed to assist nursery producers and the industry from new and invasive pests by offering them six simple routine biosecurity practices. To download your free copy of the manual, visit http://www.phau.com.au/go/phau/biosecurity/nursery-and-garden.

Peter and Sandra’s holistic approach to biosecurity not only contributes to the success of Birdwood Nursery Fruit Trees, it also serves to educate and inspire other growers who are yet to realise the value of good biosecurity. Congratulations to Peter and Sandra for their continued commitment to good biosecurity practice and for being selected as finalists for this year’s Australian Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Awards.

Love of the Job

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -1100

Positive worker-bees achieve state recognition

Exceptional performance for the past year has earned Nambour's Birdwood Nursery the Best Large Production Nursery prize at the this year's annual Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland Awards.

Birdwood general manager Rory Cullinan said the award was evidence of what a positive workforce can achieve.

"We have some incredible people and the staff and skill set is of an exceptionally high standard," he said.

"This is a real recognition of the team and our commitment to providing a positive customer experience whilst enhancing those industries within which we work. We feel very privileged to be recipients of this award."

The Best Large Production Nursery award acknowledges producers with more than 15 full-time employees who display extraordinary business operation and dedication to work ethic on a daily basis.

Mr Cullinan attributes the nursery's success its owner Peter Young who started the business with his wife Sandra in 1978.

"We have a leader at the head of the business that has exceptional vision, combined with a wealth of technical knowledge and endless passion creating a very inspirational environment for all," he said.

Birdwood Nursery now advances to the national finals, with winners being announced in April.

Click here to view the copy from Nambour Weekly Newspaper.