2026 WA Avocado Grower Regional Forum summary

2026 WA Avocado Grower Regional Forum wrap-up

How can avocado growers improve productivity, strengthen fruit quality, and build more resilient orchards?

That was the focus of the WA Regional Avocado Forum this week, where growers, presenters, and industry stakeholders came together to share practical insights and industry updates on 24 June in Manjimup.

The agenda explored:

• national production, market growth and export trends, including the opportunities created by year-round Australian supply
• export development and the importance of consistency, quality and shelf-life tools to support premium fruit in market
• orchard performance, costs and profitability, with a focus on saleable trays, labour efficiency, fruit size and premium packout
• fruit robustness and how calcium, nitrogen balance and healthy root systems can influence fruit quality and resilience
• pollination research and practical approaches to supporting better yields in south-west WA.

Round robins and grower discussions throughout the day created valuable opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and sharing practical insights from across the region.

A big thank you to Vick Grozotis for hosting the orchard walk at Applewood Orchard, our speakers and organisers:

• Brad Rodgers
• Dario Stefanelli
• David Cook
• Declan McCauley
• Flora Zhang
• Gemma Burger
• Hayleigh Dawson
• James Beveridge
• Milton Bazley
• Rachelle Johnstone
• Shanara Veivers
• Stuart Irvine-Brown

And to everyone who came along to join the discussion!

Resources

You can now access the presentations and video recordings in our Best Practice Resource Library under Event Proceedings.

Acknowledgements
The forum was organised and delivered by the Avocado Industry Development and Extension Project team (AV23010), funded by Hort Innovation using the avocado research and development levy, co-investment from QDPI, WA DPIRD and NSW DPIRD, and contributions from the Australian Government.

This article appears as part of the 3 July 2026 issue of Guacamole, our e-Newsletter.