Vegetable climate control infrastructure driving job growth in Lockyer Valley
Blistering summer heat impacting vegetable crops in the Lockyer Valley has forced Vanstone Produce to invest heavily in climate control infrastructure to ensure they can meet demand and grow their work force.
Vanstone Produce
Vanstone Produce at Crowley Vale is home to a salad bowl of small vegetable crops but growers have particular expertise in spring onions, silver beet, broccolini, broccoli and pumpkins for markets in the eastern states of Australia including major retailers.
A Rural Economic Development (RED) Grant will help the company invest in a new climate controlled packing area, an undercover concreted area for storage and new staff facilities, allowing for an improvement to the packing process year-round.
They’ll also need an extra 35 workers, including forklift drivers, farm hands, office staff and picking and packing roles.
Managing director Justin Vanstone represents the fourth generation of the business, including more than 100 years of vegetable growing.
He said the ability to pack all year round would ensure the retention of more long term staff and less reliance on seasonal workforce.
“As our customers are wanting all year production, this project will allow us to pack particular products that are extremely temperature sensitive,” Mr Vanstone said.
“The project and investment we are looking to make is a proven improvement to the packing process of the produce we grow.
“The completion of the project will allow us to pack produce in a climate controlled environment all year round giving us the ability to maintain cold chain, as well as provide our staff with a more comfortable and safe working environment.”
Mr Vanstone said there would also be benefits to the vegetable supply chain, including seedling producers, machinery supply and maintenance, consumables used to pack and produce and freight.
“A large component of the value chain is freight which uses many local staff and drivers associated with the transport of refrigerated produce from the Lockyer Valley,” he said.
The Rural Economic Development (RED) Grants program offers emerging projects up to $250,000 in co-contributions to build industry and grow employment opportunities across the agricultural sector. The $10 million grants program provides for three funding rounds over a three-year period ending 2021.
A total of 14 businesses have received $3.34 million under the second round of funding for the RED Grants program. Overall these 14 projects are expected to create more than 600 jobs across the agricultural sector in regional Queensland.
QRIDA offers a range of assistance to primary producers, small business and non-profit organisations. To find out what’s available visit Programs and Services.
The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) administer the RED Grant scheme on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
