Tuesday, 23 April 2019 10:55

Grower urges people to eat their veges

Written by  Nigel Malthus
A family affair: Robin (left), Shirleen, Graeme and April Oakley in one of their broccoli paddocks. Photo: NZ Farm Environment Trust. A family affair: Robin (left), Shirleen, Graeme and April Oakley in one of their broccoli paddocks. Photo: NZ Farm Environment Trust.

A big Canterbury vegetable grower is hoping people’s buying patterns get back to normal and quickly after the upheavals of the last couple of weeks.

Robin Oakley says the biggest upset for his business brought about by the COVID-19 emergency was the change in shopping patterns and the way people rushed the supermarkets before the lockdown took effect. 

“If there’s a big demand for broccoli we can’t suddenly magic up more,” he told Rural News. “We ran out last week.”

He adds that then for the best part of a week people hadn’t been back to the supermarket, while the broccoli harvest has had to continue.

Oakley says he was very fortunate to have very good post-harvest storage to keep it in good condition. However, he warns that if people don’t return to the supermarkets “sooner rather than later” there was a danger of crop having to be left wasting in the paddocks.

With his wife Shirleen, daughter April and father Graeme, Robin runs Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables Ltd – a five-generation family business based at Southbridge. It also has leased blocks as far away as Amberley and Hororata, with a total of 350ha in vegetable production.

Oakley sells mostly through supermarkets in both the North and South Islands, including his own gourmet potato brands.

That puts him in a better position than many horticulturalists as only supermarkets have been allowed to be open and many growers have found their sales streams have dried up.

Nevertheless, the COVID-19 emergency has come at a bad time.

Oakley says they are in the middle of the main potato harvest and are flat out packing potatoes. They’re also flat out both harvesting and planting broccoli, about to start harvesting pumpkins. There’s also intermittent beetroot harvesting on the schedule.

“It’s the single busiest time of the year,” he told Rural News.

Oakley says the next potential impact of COVID-19, and the bit that worries him the most, is keeping his workforce healthy.

A week before the lockdown came into place, Oakley implemented his own policies around isolating different groups of workers. Depending on the job they do, where they do it and – in some cases – where the group is isolating at home together. 

Each group has its own smoko facilities and toilets, with six new toilets brought on site and handwashing facilities… “albeit set up outside and a bit primitive” … featuring lever taps that can be operated by an elbow.

Oakley admits it was more by good luck than by good management that he has groups he’s been able to keep together who were already in self-isolation together in his farm accommodation.

That includes one group of RSE workers from Vanuatu and a working holiday group who had been travelling together. 

Broccoli harvesting requires six or seven people cutting the heads and loading them onto a harvesting belt to carry them into a hopper. There was no way they could do that job while maintaining 2-metre distancing.

Oakley said he was using email and other methods to communicate in a very transparent way to keep all staff very well informed.

“It’s not only about having your people feel safe, it’s a matter of making sure you are doing things that they are safe,” he says. “I think we’ve done everything we possibly can.”

More like this

Covid's urban/rural divide

According to a new study from the University of Otago, there was a visible rural/urban divide in Covid-19 vaccination rates.

Covid inquiry to visit Northland

Better understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the people of Northland, and the role communities played in the pandemic response, will be the focus of a visit from the Covid-19 Inquiry, says inquiry chair Professor Tony Blakely.

Reflecting a challenging period

Damien O'Connor admits his six years in office were incredibly challenging, with Covid, droughts, floods, storms, M. bovis and volcanic eruptions to name a few.

Editorial: Time for change

OPINION: With election day only a few days away and advance voting well underway, there appears to be a mood for change in rural and provincial New Zealand.

More pain yet!

China's slower than expected recovery from Covid-19 and an oversupply of Australian sheep meat is causing problems for NZ sheep farmers.

Featured

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

Editorial: Passage to India

OPINION: Even before the National-led coalition came into power, India was very much at the fore of its trade agenda.

National

Bumper cherry exports in 2024

New Zealand cherry producer Southern Fruits International expects to send up to 340 tonnes of luxury cherries to the global…

Machinery & Products

Pollution into fertiliser

While the new government is sure to “tinker” with the previous administration’s emissions policy, a recent visit to New Zealand…

Smart money backs smart machine

Marlborough-based start-up SmartMachine claims its new machine is one of the most significant operational step changes for viticulture since the…

Robo packer hits a billion

New Zealand inventor and manufacturer Robotics Plus Limited’s fruit packing robot has hit a major milestone of one billion pieces…

Crop care business expands

Five years ago, agricultural machinery specialist Lemken acquired the Dutch company Steketee B.V and expanded its crop care product portfolio…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter