Author: Fieldco Ltd

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Seedless Watermelons

Say goodbye to seeds…introducing our Seed-less watermelons!

Skip the pips and try our new variety of watermelon which has small white pips, nearly invisible when eaten…

And no, these small white seeds are not underdeveloped seeds that will grow in your stomach.

Like all fruit, seed-less watermelon cannot reproduce without the need for some seeds but we are talking the large mature black seeds.

So how are Seedless melons grown? Chromosomes are the building blocks that give characteristics, or traits, to living things including plants and watermelons. According to Watermelon Org, breeders discovered that crossing a diploid plant (bearing the standard two sets of chromosomes) with a tetraploid plant (having four sets of chromosomes) results in a fruit that produces a triploid seed. (Yes, it has three sets of chromosomes.) This triploid seed is the seed that produces seedless watermelons.

In other words, a seedless watermelon is a sterile hybrid which is created by crossing male pollen for a watermelon, containing 22 chromosomes per cell, with a female watermelon flower with 44 chromosomes per cell. When this seeded fruit matures, the small, white seeds inside contain 33 chromosomes, rendering it sterile and incapable of producing seeds. And to be clear on the subject, this is not genetic modification. Cross-breeding is two parents and their offspring.

Its interesting to note that seedless watermelon still need to be pollinated by their seeded parent, so often this means growers will plant a mix of seeded and seedless melons in one paddock.

This variety of Watermelon has taken off in the United States and is now a preferred variety by both stores and customers.

New to the New Zealand market, these are becoming more recognized as consumers are exposed to them. Sweeter and firmer in flesh, these rate among the top tasting varieties amongst our team!

Interested in hearing more? Contact one of our team on sales@fieldco.co.nz to find out more.

Source: Watermelon Org, Florida

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Fresh melons

Pollination for Watermelons

Bees play a vital role in our ecosystem.

They also pay a vital role in the pollination of watermelons – both for plant yields and to ensure the melons are healthy, sweet tasting and a good shape.

Watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew melon are all dependent on insect pollinators to help produce the high quality, large fruits.

On a watermelon, each variety produces separate male and female flowers on one plant. Pollinators, or in this case, bees, are needed to transfer pollen from the male to female flowers for fruit to be produced.

Watermelon flowers open in the early morning hours and close in the afternoon. The weather also plays a part in a good pollination of the watermelon flowers as if it is grey and rainy weather on the days the flowers are open, the bees won’t be as active in the field. This causes lower yields and the fruit won’t be as sweet.

With Rockmelon and Honeydew varieties, each vine contains a mix of male flowers and fruit-producing flowers. They flowers don’t need other plants to cross-pollinate, but they do need pollinators, such as bees, to dislodge the pollen and move it onto the stigma for seed set and fruit development. Flowers that are cross-pollinated have been shown to produce heavier fruit than those pollinated from flowers on the same plant.

Good pollination is a result of a few different factors:

Weather –  The weather plays a key part in a good pollination of the watermelon flowers as if it is grey and rainy weather on the days the flowers are open, the bees won’t be as active in the field. This causes lower yields and the fruit won’t be as sweet.

Health of the Bees – it requires careful management of the hives to ensure the hives are healthy.

Land Management – some bees will visit other preferred crops or plants if they are also in flower on the same block.

HIVE MANAGEMENT

Fieldco has their own bees and hives [pictured] that are managed by Denver, one of our Field Team leaders. This gives us greater control on our pollination rates and ensures our melon fields are healthy and thriving.

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melons

Water as a Key Resource for Watermelons

There are 3 main resources watermelons need to grow: Sun, Good soil nutrients and of course, Water. Bees also play a vital part ensuring good pollination and a quality crop.

 And we have to remember, they aren’t called watermelon for no reason! A lot of varieties are up to 92% water. This is why they prefer a tropical or sub-tropical climate, and in a spot with little to no wind.

In a tropical climate, the humid air helps to keep the soil moist and stops them from drying out, especially during the hot summer months when they are in their growing phase. While they love the humidity, diseases tend to thrive under wet and humid conditions as well, so extra care has to be taken. Diseases such as Fusarium Wilt have the potential to wipe out the entire crop before they get a chance to produce any fruit.

Watermelons are a very delicate fruit to grow when they are first starting to grow as they have very shallow roots, meaning in a hot, dry climate the plant can wilt and dry up very quickly. These shallow roots are very thirsty and require careful attention by our field teams to keep them damp without drowning them early on.  

While the fruit starts to form, it is also important to keep a steady supply of water to help the fruit fill out. This will ensure a fill melon with maximum juiciness.

Here at Fieldco, extra care has to be taken to grow our melons on farm blocks where there is abundant natural supply of water.

Water management is a big part of our Sustainability program as Water is life for Humans, and the same is true for plants. The use of water storage lakes and preserving the water when we do get the rain, helps provide protection from weather events and provides storage for irrigation and wash water for our packing plants as well.

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melons

New Melon Technology

We know summer has truly arrived when our melon fields are humming with activity!

Watermelons grown in the North of New Zealand – the right location for the tropical weather they love!

We have had a few wet spells during the last few weeks which has delayed the ripening of our melons but also given them time to fill out to their full size.

This year, we have our new melon technology up and running to help bring you the best in the field (scuse our pun).

Fieldco has invested in a new melon grading equipment which incorporates world leading optical sorting, which means we can now bring a much more consistent quality and size of melon to the market. This also helps us in the ability to deliver specific size requirements and specs from our customers.

Size graded, checked for defects and nicely polished, we are here to help your instore melon display look the best it possibly can this summer!

Our goal is to be the best, to bring you the best and we plan on delivering on that.  

Interested in getting consistent, quality melon supply for your store?

Go to our contact page to get in touch with one of our team.

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Steptember

This month we’re replacing our redbands with our runners! Put a spring in your step this month by joining our Steptember challenge!

The goal is 8,000 steps each day for the 30 days of September. Whether the reason for joining is for health, losing weight or to join in the fun…our team are stepping it out!

We are adding a bit of healthy competition to this challenge with each of our teams combining their steps. Vote for the team of your choice that are taking part in this challenge:

Production | Planting Powerhouse

Packhouse | The Race Pack

Process | Logan St Legends

Office | Armchair Army

Far North | The Thompson Troopers

Want to join us in this challenge? Ways to get your steps up:

Get out in the sun and take a walk in your smoko break, park your car a little further away in the parking lot, walk to the shops or supermarket, take a hike on the weekend – the options are endless!

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Introducing….Humble Heroes

Humble Heroes Kumara
These kumara have been out battling the elements and might look a little worse for wear.
But you can be sure they still taste just as good inside!
Available in both Red and Orange kumara prepacks, these 900g pack sizes are perfect for your customers.

With some of our kumara looking a little battered after some extreme weather conditions, we launched our Humble Heroes range – little heroes that have come through it all looking a little scraped, but just as good inside!

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Affects of Cyclone Gabrielle

They say a week is a long time in politics, I was thinking of that statement as I watched our fields get inundated with the waters of Cyclone Gabrielle a week or so back. How much things can change in a single week when you are a grower too! The amount of water that flowed through some areas where we had never seen it flow before, was mind boggling.

However, we feel very lucky compared to Hawkes Bay and East Coast. The floods around Dargaville and Ruawai didn’t carry the volume of silt or slash and there was no loss of life here. We feel for the people in those regions, especially those who have lost loved ones, and we applaud the amazing work of the response teams.

There would not be one kumara grower in our region that didn’t see his or her hard labour swamped by the floodwaters, and we were all left feeling how long will it be until our industry recovers? One particular issue will be finding good seed kumara for next years crop. Almost 100% of growers are yet to start harvest and would have initially intended to begin harvesting within the next two weeks. The situation now is still evolving but it appears some growers have lost their entire 2023 crop and almost all others will be affected badly by rot.

2023 will be a challenging year for kumara supply and our volumes will be massively down but Fieldco are thankful to have a spread of plantings at various stages and we will be working hard to keep finding solutions for our customers in both fresh and frozen.

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Delivering Aid to Ukraine

A massive THANK YOU to all our customers who bought from us over the month of August. Every little bit helped us to reach our target of $10,000!

With their help we raised a total of $10,008.50 for the oppressed people of Ukraine. We were determined to hit our target so we rallied to the cause and donated $1445 ourselves.

We have all watched in horror as so many innocent people have had their whole livelihoods ripped away and their families torn apart. The stories of defenseless civilians killed while waiting in line for food, of ordinary people like you and me denied what we regard as normal necessities such as food, hygiene, water and electricity. The escaping mother who walked for 24hrs in sub-zero temperatures carrying her twin babies. These are people who are isolated from the world due to no internet, often not even knowing the whereabouts or welfare of their own loved ones. Ordinary people, forced to endure extraordinary hardship through none of their own making.   

In response to this crisis unfolding in Ukraine, RRT launched Operation 322 to deliver emergency food and personal care supplies to those displaced.

With essential food and personal care products in high demand, RRT is loading trucks with Food Boxes filled with non-perishable food items, Care Kits equipped with personal care products, Baby Care Kits containing formula and nappies, bottled water and blankets.

At Fieldco we really care about people. That is what has moved us to support the people of Ukraine in this special way, via RRT.  You can help us support them too when you purchase Fieldco fresh kumara in August or by donating directly through the link below.

Many thanks, together we know we can help ease someone’s pain in a very small way.


OUR GOAL: $10,000

So how did this work? 

For Fieldco’s Finest kumara grades sold, we donated 10c p/kg towards the Operation 322.

Customers were able to access our Fresh Kumara ordering sheet to work out how many dollars they were giving back to families in need in Ukraine.

Would you like to give extra donation to this worthy cause? Click on the link below to view more on our GiveaLittle page.

make a donation
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Reflections on the Rising Production Costs

We’d like to extend a big thankyou and shout out to all the efforts going in with the produce teams across the country. What an interesting game we get to play – every day is a fresh opportunity, a chance to do something different, and a brand new challenge.  Dynamic, we call it  – yesterdays fresh produce could be tomorrows’ waste and the difference between good and bad, happy and sad, or profit and loss.

We have been reflecting on our 46 years of growing produce here at Fieldco and the many changes experienced – never more so than in the last 3 years. On top of ever increasing environmental and social responsibilities, there are a few costs in particular that directly affect the produce industry globally and would be keeping food producers all over the country, awake at night.

I thought you may be interested in just a few of our findings:

  • Labour is up 35% in the last 5 years. (Remember our kumara are handpicked to preserve quality.)
  • Fuel has is up 154% in the last 18 months with no end in sight. Some larger tractors will consume $120hr in fuel alone – no electric options available here. (A fuel invoice we received end of June was 14% higher than the one we received 3 weeks prior ) – where is this heading? 
  • Fertiliser has increased by 56.52% in the last 12 months.
  • Freight per kg has increased 6.6% year on year.
  • A new tractor priced recently at 40% higher than we had anticipated. 

Talking about high cost of food in the supermarkets, it is obvious we can’t lay all the blame at the retailers feet. Input costs everywhere are increasing incredibly fast and unfortunately that just means a higher price for us all to pay as consumers.  As costs rise, scarcity usually follows as producers look to more viable crop alternatives or simply go out of business altogether.

Kumara pricing recently has been quite a bumpy ride but the facts are, as with all Food & Beverage items, we will see increases to continue going forward. We are also very mindful of the true cost of sustainability. 

A very good point to remember and sometimes discuss with our friends, Almost everything we eat was grown by someone, somewhere on a farm.  

-Rick Simpkin | Director

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Kumara for Older Adults

A hidden gem!

As we age, eating well takes on new significance. Requirements for many nutrients increases.

However, due to several changes that occur during our older years, older adults may find it more challenging to meet their nutrient needs than ever before. While appetite and energy requirements decrease, there can be also be a reduced ability to purchase and/or prepare foods independently in the home. Combined with age-associated changes to dentition (affecting the ability to chew and swallow), taste and smell, all these factors can all influence food intake and the ability for older adults to get all the nutrients they need. Therefore, it important to make every eating occasion count, by providing as much nourishment as possible.

Enter the mighty kumara!

Kumara Nutrition for Older Adults

This often-underrated vegetable has been a staple of the Kiwi diet, dating back to the 10th century when Māori first arrived in New Zealand. While we often only think of kumara’s carbohydrate content when it comes to nutrition, kumara provides a range of health promoting nutrients, which are important as we age:

Carbohydrate:

Being one of the most carbohydrate rich vegetables, kumara is an excellent source of energy. Kumara has a lower Glycaemic Index (GI) than potatoes. This means the energy (in the form of glucose) from kumara is released more slowly – giving less of a sugar spike – compared to potatoes.

Fibre:

Kumara is a source of fibre. As we age, it’s important to eat a diet rich in fibre to help alleviate constipation and keep you regular. Including plenty of dietary fibre may also help to keep your heart healthy. When increasing fibre intake, also make sure to drink enough fluids throughout the day.

Potassium:

Watch out bananas, kumara are also a rich source of potassium. To help support the health of your heart, it is recommended you ensure you’re getting enough potassium, along with reducing your salt intake.  However, those with kidney disease can find too much potassium harmful and will need to be mindful of how much potassium they have in a day.

Vitamin A and C:

Kumara is a good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. These powerful antioxidants can help to support our immune system. As we age, our immune systems don’t work as effectively as they once did. Therefore, having a diet rich in antioxidants, is just as important as ever to help keep older adults healthy and well. Vitamin A can also support our vision, which can decline as we age.

B Vitamins:

Our requirements for many B vitamins increase as we age. While B vitamins are often thought about for the roles they play in energy production, vitamin B deficiency has been linked to heart disease, cognitive dysfunction, and osteoporosis in older adults. The good news is that kumara is a source of B vitamins. Depending on the variety, this includes thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and vitamin B6.

Phytonutrients:

Each beautiful colour of kumara, provides us with a different array of phytonutrients. Anthocyanins are a group of phytonutrients which are found in the skin of red and purple kumara varieties. Kumara with orange and yellow skins and flesh, are rich in beta-carotene. These phytonutrients have antioxidant and anti-flammatory activity which can help to keep us healthy by supporting our immune system and overall function of our body.

How can I include kumara in my residents’ meals?

To cut the hassle out of food prep, Kumara Portions and Diced Kumara are both convenient products, which make it easy to include the kumara into meals for your residents are aged care or retirement homes.

Use kumara as a replacement for potato in your favourite recipes. Some quick and easy ways to include kumara are:

  • Use kumara in mash in place of potato. Kumara mash can be included as a side or as the topping for Shepard’s or other pies.
  • Add kumara into casseroles, soups, and pies.
  • Baked/microwaved stuffed kumara in its jacket. Fill with baked beans or vegetable mince, topped with sour cream and cheese.

The Eating and Activity Guidelines recommend adults over the age of 70 aim to eat at least 5 serves of vegetables every day. Half a medium piece of kumara is equivalent to 1 serve of vegetables.

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