HALL OF FAME AWARDS
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Look back on our Hall of Fame inductees , whose efforts and commitment have helped shape the Australian almond industry .
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From page 11 commercial focus to farming ,” Paul said . There were concerns that the new development in far northwest Victoria was going to flood the market , but Paul said this never eventuated . “ The crop seemed to sell alright , the price was reasonably good and consistent ,” he said . from California resulted in better pollinators being planted , the use of different rootstocks and an enhanced fertiliser regime . This led to Paul aiming for four tonnes to the hectare . “ It was a matter of picking people ’ s brains who knew better ,” Paul said . Californian ag extension officer Don Rough visited Australian almond growers on three occasions and provided many pearls of wisdom . “ Don told us that you know when an almond orchard needs replanting when it outlives the ability of the owner to keep it young ,” Paul said . The other quote from Don that has stuck with Paul over the decades is ‘ nothing replaces the shadow of the owner in the orchard ’.
Almond production The first two crops were harvested with mallets and canvas sheets . “ My wife and I would then rake the almonds out to dry , load them into a shed and then load them onto the truck for processing ,” Paul said . “ Buying harvest equipment was fairly expensive , so we didn ’ t rush that .” Paul recalls the early yields were much lighter than those we produce Industry involvement now .
Paul was also involved with the “ Both 1973 and 1974 had been fairly Australian Almond Growers wet years , and we thought we were Association when the growers only good irrigators ,” Paul said . body evolved into the Almond Board “ But by 1975 the almond growers of Australia , which enabled growers at Lindsay Point needed to become and marketers to have a seat at the better irrigators .” table . Paul ’ s orchard was initially irrigated “ From an organisational point of view with overhead sprinklers , followed by the industry hasn ’ t looked back ,” he low pressure under tree sprinklers , said . then drip irrigation .
Paul said a pivotal meeting was held “ It was always good to get a crop at a hall in the then Adelaide Railway and the harder we tried , the more Station where Chris Joyce and Adrian improvements we got ," he said . Lacey spoke about the need for The expertise and technology better funding for research and a
In A Nutshell - Summer 2024 Vol 25 Issue 4 need to educate people about the nutritional benefits of eating almonds . Paul moved to Renmark seven years ago and retired three years later . His son Brent now owns the property and has also acquired some of the nearby orchards . Paul still chairs the body that runs the Lindsay Point irrigation system . While he enjoys having a cup of coffee with the staff , he ’ s wise enough not to offer too much advice . To ensure the history of Lindsay Point isn ’ t forgotten a book called Without Peer is being launched on 17 December . Paul has been working with the Renmark Irrigation Trust ’ s historian Geoff Bull on the project . The book about the unique horticulture development centred on a single crop has been 50 years in the making . In the early 1990s an Adelaide historian interviewed everyone involved in the establishment of the Lindsay Point project . These notes became the basis of the start of the new history book . “ It is good to recognise the history of the development in the history book and give credit to the current generation who are making a success of almond growing ,” Paul said .