Bilpin’s lively apple picking season now lies in tatters as it battles the crisis. Local farmers are facing a serious double whammy with rapidly declining fruit production. Bill Shields, a farmer with decades of experience, typically sees his orchard brimming with thousands of apples at this time of year. This season has been particularly harsh. According to estimates, Shields has been able to only successfully harvest 5 to 10 percent of his typical crop yield.
This sinking isn’t just a temporary occurrence. As many as six of eight orchardists in Bilpin are seeing total crop failures. Once a booming hub for apple growing, the community is currently in crisis. It’s a reality that has scores of farmers across the country feeling uncertain and confused about their future.
The Impact of Environmental Factors
The intensity of the Black Summer bushfires in 2019 caused disastrous impacts on Bilpin’s farmland. These fires continue to shape the local agricultural landscape to this day. Incessant financial strains have driven some deeply-rooted family-owned orchards out of business, while others are desperately battling to keep these farmers in business.
Dr. Simon Tierney exploring Bilpin’s orchards. He has been watching bees disappear on an unprecedented scale since a tiny parasitic mite stormed America’s beehives. However, while this may seem specific, the mite was only recently recorded in New South Wales in 2022. This alarming discovery sparked one of the largest biosecurity responses in the history of the state.
“The number of honey bees are down by around 80 percent and that’s probably because of varroa mite knocking out feral bee colonies.” – Simon Tierney
The increased mortality of bees is a critical issue for fruit set.
Shrinking pool of pollinators
With declining bee populations, pollination is growing more challenging by the day. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is already ahead of the game! They are now working to determine the root causes of the low fruit set plaguing Bilpin orchards.
Farmers’ Frustrations and Hopes
For Bill Shields, the situation is disheartening. He shared his frustration about the unpredictability of farming with us when he said,
“It’s quite depressing. Anyone in agriculture who has a crop failure they say, ‘What have I done wrong?’” – Mr. Shields
In spite of the hard times, some farmers still see a future full of promise. Local grower Chris Tadrosse is counting on good weather producing abundant fruit in his orchard. Two years later, Williams thinks that not all producers are equally affected by the continuing crisis.
“But you can do the same thing year in year out and get different results.” – Chris Tadrosse
Tadrosse acknowledges that while growers can control many aspects of their operations, external factors such as weather can be unpredictable.
“When you’re growing fruit, with Mother Nature, it throws a lot of obstacles in front of you.” – Chris Tadrosse
Moving Forward
As Bilpin’s apple growers make the best of this difficult season, there’s a hopeful movement towards unraveling and addressing these systemic problems. A spokesperson from the NSW DPI said it’s important to pinpoint what the causal factors are. This information will allow growers to modify their management decisions for subsequent growing seasons.
“If we can determine the causal factor, then growers will be able to adjust management practices for next season.” – NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development spokesperson
Bilpin’s ongoing challenges are a touchstone example of what can happen when such a balance is not respected. Farmers and researchers have been working together to identify innovative solutions. Their tireless efforts give us hope that the region will continue recovering and will continue attracting apple lovers for generations to come.
