Key Advantages of Orchard Management

Seeka's orchard management services are designed to optimise your orchard profitability. Working with your orchard manager, a detailed operational plan and working budget is formulated to ensure your property reaches its full potential. Your plan is built around your specific needs and includes such factors as shelter, soil, vine and crop management, picking, packing, and potential improvements. Regular meetings plus quarterly budget reports ensure you are kept fully informed and in control of your investment.
Seeka's orchard management programme means you are actively involved in decision making while not having to do the day-to-day work to get the job done - you can even take an extended overseas trip!

10 Great Reasons to Contract Our Management Service are listed below

1. Crucial tasks completed on time

Your orchard joins a portfolio under one manager and labour team, thus ensuring crucial timing issues are met, and continuity of vine management is achieved; for example:

Fertiliser and spray programmes
Pollination
Pruning, especially timely summer pruning to maintain canopy balance
Thinning

2. Best contractors and supplies at best prices

Seeka's economies of scale ensure best quality and value from service and material suppliers including fertilisers, hi-cane and beehives.

3. Expert orchard management delivering optimum orchard gate returns per hectare

Through access to industry consultants and a large pool of knowlege, a constant focus is maintained on crop targets and product premiums such as Taste Zespri, fruit size profile, pest free and Kiwistart premiums (and what is there in the future?).
Our orchard managers, involving both Seeka's leased and contract managed orchards, are judged on their orchard by orchard results with detailed analysis and outcome comparisons on a zone basis.

4. Strict budget control and constant review of management and work standards

Seeka constantly strives to minimise costs, and senior orchard management maintains a close overview of on-orchard practices.

5. Best techniques and orchard management practices

Innovative orchard management practices are promptly evaluated and once proven are immediately introduced where they will benefit grower revenue. Examples include:

Summer leader management
Balanced low vigour pruning
Girdling
Staggered fertiliser applications to target specific seasonal vine needs

6. Full management of compliance and safety issues

As contract manager of your orchard, Seeka becomes responsible for OSH, public protection (Growsafe spray management), employment (PAYE) and industry (Eurogap) compliance issues.

7. Improved Cash Flow

By invoicing monthly for costs incurred, up to 6 weeks free credit can be gained depending on timing of payments to service/supply providers.

8. Efficient frost risk management

Pooling of information to assist with monitoring/operation of frost protection systems fall under the scope of our management contract.

9. Fully-managed harvest and crop monitoring

Your crop is automatically included in Seeka's pest monitoring, picking (including Kiwistart if appropriate) and packing programmes.

10. Great Results

On average, our orchard managers significantly outperform our private suppliers and the industry with regard to yields and revenues per canopy hectare.