On The Land
25 October, 2025
Inaugural field days a success
THE inaugural Avocado and Horticulture Show held in Tolga this month was a vibrant, unique and fully supported event, according to NQ avocado grower and Avocados Australia’s chairman Matt Kleyn.
Held at The Pack Shed on 9-10 October, the show involved some 100 sites exhibiting a diverse range of farming services from finance to drones, fertiliser companies to harvesting equipment, and securing immigration access for overseas workers to product labelling.
“This first effort has been extremely well supported and hopefully will be an important annual event that brings together the largest regional network of avocado growers and the broader horticultural industry and their partners in Australia,” Mr Kleyn said.
The two-day industry gathering offered a unique opportunity for businesses and growers to connect, share knowledge, and explore the latest in horticultural innovation.
Mr Kleyn said that the critical networking would support not only the avocado industry, but other crops.
“This will provide great benefits in building our avocado and other cropping production and markets into the future and that will mean widespread benefits for the whole region,” he said.
“For instance, the North Queensland avocado industry represents around $175 million in annual production value – and the Avo and Hort show will assist growers and their staff and advisors who are actively looking for solutions to support efficiencies and operational improvements.”
Officially opening the event, Mareeba Shire Deputy Mayor Cr Lenore Wyatt told the crowd that the region’s avocado farmers across the Far North had exhibited strong bonds.
“I call this success evident proof of the three ‘Ps – People, Produce and Passion’,” she said.
Cr Wyatt said that with an estimated 100kg of avocados being produced by each mature tree each season, and hundreds of thousands of producing trees across the Far Northern region, there was no question as to how important avocados and other tree crops were to the region.
She paid tribute to dedicated local growers who provided economic stability for the region.
