Vly News - Professional news Platform

Winter coats are removed inside Tatura’s new multi-million dollar greenhouse. The temperature is 28 degrees Celsius and smells of 150,000 stems of tomato plants. Key points: Greenhouse tomato grower expands operations in Tatura A 6-hectare greenhouse will create 60 new jobs The company has been financially supported by the Victorian government The new six-hectare greenhouse will produce 4,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year and create 60 new jobs for the site. Flavorite chief executive Mike Nichol said, due to high demand for the product, the company will expand in four Victoria locations. “We have one here in Tatura, one in Katunga, Mansfield and our base in Warragul,” he said. “Warragul is the biggest at the moment, but in Katunga we have room for another 30 hectares. “We have space to house three other greenhouses in Tatura as well as a very large packing warehouse, which allows us to ship products directly from here.” The company grows tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum all year round.

When the price of lettuce jumped to $10 due to extreme weather in New South Wales and Queensland, it caused a shockwave across the country, but some farmers in the flood zone were left relatively unscathed – as they grew in the shade. Key points: Protected crops have seen significant growth in Australia over the last 10 years Two Lockyer Valley farmers say protected plantings reduce flood damage on their property Experts say farming under cover is inevitable with more extreme and varied weather events Now experts say protected plantings could be key to keeping cabbages away from burgers and spring rolls in their place and getting farmers back to planting after extreme weather. What are protected plants? Protected crops are the production of horticultural crops under or within structures. It’s more than just a greenhouse according to Paul Gauthier, who is professor of protected plants with the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. He said there are three types of prot