 The Coes Creek Orchard is a 54,000 tree macadamia orchard run by Allen and Jodie Morgan. It's located east of Gympie in Queensland.
Orchard
The two main varieties grown are 344 and 246. The orchard was originally a dairy on one half and a small crop farm on the other half. The dairy side was purchased by William Hayward in the early 1980’s when the infrastructure building began and trees were planted at the then industry standard of 10 by 4 metres. Large irrigation dams along with a series of frost prevention dams were built by scrappers on both sides of the farm.
The second half of the farm row spacings were reduced to 7 x 4 metres. After a new manager was appointed in 2000 the irrigation was removed from the entire orchard. The orchard has suffered from the last ten years of drought.
Right: The Morgan Family - Allen, Jodie, Jayden and Lucas.
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Current
At the end of the 2010 harvest, the dehusking shed began to be remodeled to achieve a three fold increase in productivity. Allen completed the upgrade prior to the 2011 harvest season and has been drying the nuts down quicker so they can be sorted and sent to the processors in under a week. This is being achieved by using dehumidifiers.
Future
The drought has apparently broken and the orchard is looking much better. The fertiliser program has been revised and the crop should double this year. It is hoped this trend will continue until the long term average is 750 tonne. Allen and Jodie plan on employing 2 permanent workers in the near future to relieve Jodie's mother and father. The Morgans are proud of the quality of the macadamias they produce and are optimistic about the future of the Australian macadamia industry. |
Coes Creek Macadamia Orchard |
Environment
Coes Creek Orchard manages pest damage using economical means which have the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment. To assist with weed control all spraying is done using a Spray Gator. Allen feels that the Gator has been his best investment as it has the advantage of being more target specific and economical for spraying than the use of a tractor.
The Coes Creek philosophy is that the orchard, and its produce, will be more productive and healthy if managed within the context of a healthy balanced environment. The dams on the property support a significant amount of wildlife including fish, tortoises and a wide range of birds, including sea eagles. |
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Black swan on a farm dam at Coes Creek Orchard |
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Monchiero Harvester
Allen is a third generation macadamia grower, has built and patented a dehusker and has driven and used a wide range of equipment. When he took over the farm Allen sought a self-propelled harvester as the finger wheel system that had been used was too inefficient.
Allen chose the Monchiero harvester as being the best in its field and he and Jodie are now the Australian agents for Monchiero. 2011 will be the maiden harvest year for the Monchiero in Australia, and in the macadamia industry.
See the Monchiero Products page for details of the Monchiero Harvester. It will play a significant role in the future of the Coes Creek Orchard where it is planned to increase efficiency and quality, and decrease input costs by 30%.
Left: Monchiero Harvester at work at Coes Creek Orchard |
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