Making more fruit viable for greater cashflow.

JV Orchards started 25 years ago when brothers John and Jo Ventre bought their first orchard in 1992.

Today, JV Orchards grow lemons, pears and stonefruit across three locations around Cobram.

Oranges were being grown when they bought the block at Singapore Road. Fifteen years ago, they replanted in stone fruit and lucerne. Not long after the lucerne was replaced with lemon trees.

Before the days of lemons, they used to protect the stone fruit from frosts with water irrigation but John says that “wouldn’t have been enough to save the lemons. Over 2015-16, we had some cracker frosts. The fans saved us.”

JV Orchards have four FrostBoss® C49 fans protecting their crops, two on lemons and the others on stonefruit and pears.

“One fan on our lemon orchard protects a colder gully and has done a power of work this last winter clocking 180 hours.”

Because of the frost fans, JV Orchards are able to grow their lemons using the open vase system. This allows greater light penetration into the tree and the fruit develops on the outside of the tree making it easier to pick. With the trees more exposed using this system, frost fan protection becomes even more critical.

It’s not just the lemons though. John says a good frost on the pears at the wrong time causes ring marks on the skin. “We used to get that before we had the fans”, says John.

With frost fans making it viable to grow lemons, “it’s been good for us. Lemons provide cashflow through the winter months and the combination of lemons, pears and stonefruit means we’re picking most of the year providing consistent work for our pickers and packers.”