Meet the Jurgens

Jamie and Melita Jurgens operate Vee Jay's Kalfresh, a fruit and vegetable enterprise near Bowen. Vee Jay's Kalfresh is a joint venture between the Jurgens family and Kalfresh Vegetables.

The business includes 1200 hectares under cropping, growing winter tomatoes, capsicums, pumpkin and beans.

The Jurgens began a path to organic production in 2007, achieving full Certified Organic status in 2018. The sustainable farming model encompasses every aspect of the production chain, starting from seed selection and extending to soil management, water usage, labour, packaging and delivery to markets.

They believe that long-term sustainability provides profitability as well. Now in its fifth generation with daughter Jessica and son Jacob, the family has been in the Bowen region since 1915.

Soil makes up the building blocks of any farm. High soil carbon improves soil fertility, retains nutrients and water, enhances soil structure, and supports diverse microorganisms. In Bowen, the average soil organic carbon sits anywhere between 0.7 and 0.8 per cent.

Through sustainable farming methods, Vee Jay's Kalfresh's properties now boast areas at 1.8 - 2pc. This lift is even more remarkable considering the hot, humid summers which take a toll on the land. According to the Jurgens, long fallows and crop rotations also help maintain soil sustainability. A grass cover crop is grown for a two-year fallow. The bulk of this is mulched, which helps maintain positive soil microbiology.

The Jurgens have embraced the use of compost, producing its own from farm green waste to heighten soil structure and in turn, feed the microbes. They have also adopted many improved practices, including controlled traffic with GPS-equipped machinery, minimising compaction and improving fuel efficiency.

Permanent roadways are distinguished from growing areas, which in turn provides more arable, moisture-enriched and productive soil.

They are also Reef Guardian farmers so minimising the impact of farm runoff is of critical importance. Water is caught in silt traps before leaving the property and recycled. This reduces the amount of sediment and agricultural run-off entering sensitive waterways. The business is constantly improving the way it does things to ensure it has minimal impact on the local environment.

The business has engaged with DAF over the years to investigate better water retention and improved farming methods.

Having both studied some entomology at university as part of their horticulture degrees, the couple built their own insectary to breed predatory insects.

Not content to sit still, the Jurgens continue to look for ways to do more with less. They have embraced technology as part of this, utilising various farm management software systems for such things as water and nutrient management and crop growth forecasting.

They use drones for monitoring plant chlorophyll via infrared images, while also using them to release predatory insects and for some chemical application. Remote probes feed information back on moisture status to help calculate plant health and yield.

They are also in the midst of testing a field robot for sowing sweetcorn and bean seed, and cultivating interrow for weed control. The next challenge is, how to attract qualified people who can operate these machines, to work in horticulture.