The Citrus Segment

The South Australian citrus season is underway, with early varieties now being harvested and growers turning their attention to fruit quality, market conditions and the months ahead. In this chair chat, Citrus SA Chair Mark Doecke provides an update on how the season is tracking, including the impact of recent rainfall, summer conditions and what growers are seeing in orchards across the Riverland...

In this episode of  Riverland Citrus Stories , we feature Mike Arnold from GM Arnold & Son at Waikerie, a long-standing citrus grower with more than seventy years in the industry. Mike’s experience spans generations, from early orchard practices through to modern production systems, and includes significant contributions to citrus propagation and variety development at a national level.  Mike...

In this episode of  Riverland Citrus Stories , we hear from Helen Aggelettos, Managing Director and Marketing Manager of Venus Citrus at Loxton. Helen shares the story of how her father established the business after moving from Sydney to the Riverland, starting with a small citrus property and selling fruit directly into the Melbourne market. Helen reflects on stepping into the business in 1989 u...

In this episode of  Riverland Citrus Stories , we look at the Yandilla Park story and pay tribute to its founder, Andrew Weigall. Through the recollections of former employees Phil Binder and Steve Burdette, the episode explores how Andrew built a major horticultural enterprise from modest beginnings and helped reshape the Riverland citrus industry. Phil reflects on Andrew’s early move from journa...

John Plush from Winkie reflects on more than a century of family involvement in the Riverland citrus industry. His grandfather, Cecil Plush, selected horticultural land in 1914 and began developing a mixed property of citrus and stone fruit in 1915.   In the early years, the operation relied on basic irrigation channels, manual land clearing and diversified production to generate early cash flow w...

In this episode of Riverland Citrus Stories, Jeff Knispel, Joint Managing Director of Nippy’s, outlines how a small ten-acre mixed fruit property at Moorook in the 1930s evolved into a vertically integrated citrus, juice and dairy business  Jeff explains how his father Alic began by growing, packing and wholesaling his own oranges in Adelaide, before industry regulation through the Citrus Board di...

David Ingerson represents the third generation of a Riverland citrus family that began with a small mixed orchard at Berri in 1930. From those modest beginnings, the family business has expanded across multiple site, now producing its largest ever crop and exporting the majority of its fruit. In this conversation, David reflects on nearly a century of industry change. He discusses the transition f...

This is the first episode in  Riverland Citrus Stories , a new special series on The Citrus Segment podcast for Citrus SA, examining how South Australia’s citrus industry developed and evolved over time. To set the scene, Barry Philp from the Primary Industries and Resources SA History Group provides a detailed historical overview of citrus growing in the state. From early Adelaide orchards to the...

Riverland Citrus Stories  explores the people, decisions and developments that have shaped South Australia’s citrus industry. From early plantings around Adelaide to the River Murray irrigation districts and modern orchard systems, the series follows growers, packers and industry leaders as they reflect on how the industry began, how it adapted through drought and changing markets, and how researc...

In our final Chair Chat for 2025, Citrus SA Chair  Mark Doecke  updates growers on what he’s been working on over the past couple of months, including fruit fly management, import concerns, industry advocacy, and how the season has wrapped up. He also shares insights on juice market prices and finishes with a Christmas message for growers. Citrus SA continues to push for effective fruit fly tools,...

Chair Chat with Citrus SA Chair, Mark Doecke In this episode of  The Citrus Segment , Citrus SA Chair  Mark Doecke  discusses: Season update  – late varieties still in demand, but fruit size and pack outs have been mixed. Juice fruit markets  – prices dropping back after last year’s highs. Fruit fly management  – how the industry is working with PIRSA to target hotspots in Renmark and push for reg...

In this episode of  The Citrus Segment , Kerrie Lush-Robertson sits down with Citrus SA Chair Mark Doecke for a timely update on the South Australian citrus season. Mark shares what’s currently being picked across the region—including early Satsuma mandarins and M7 navels—and why this year’s fruit quality is looking strong after a more typical Riverland summer. He also provides a detailed fruit fl...

Welcome to  The Citrus Segment,  the official podcast of Citrus South Australia, the peak body representing citrus growers in the region. In this episode, Kerrie Robertson sits down with Citrus SA Chair Mark Doecke for the latest instalment of  The Chair Chat,  covering the current state of the season, fruit fly updates, and insights from international industry visitors. Key Topics Covered: 🍊  Se...

In this episode, Kerrie Robertson chats with Mark Doecke, Chair of Citrus South Australia, to discuss the latest updates on the citrus industry in South Australia as the season wraps up.   Here’s what you can look forward to: Season Update : Insights into the final stages of the season, including Valencia orange sales and juice fruit trends. Juice Prices : Discover how global factors like Florida'...

This month's conversation between Citrus SA chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Lush-Robertson covers topics including: *Upcoming AGM and why it is crucial for growers to attend to determine the future of Citrus SA. *How the season is progressing *The pickers handbook has been translated to Punjabi and is now available *The Royal Adelaide Show - another successful year

The Citrus Segment: Episode Summary Host:  Kerrie (Lush) Robertson Guest:  Mark Doecke, Chair of Citrus SA In this episode of The Citrus Segment, we catch up with Mark Doecke, to discuss the current state of the citrus season in South Australia and other industry updates. Key Topics Covered: Current Citrus Season Overview: The season has seen good tonnages and high-quality fruit, leading to increa...

In this episode of the Citrus Segment, brought to you by Citrus SA we speak to Mark Doecke for his monthly Chair Chat. This month, fruit fly continues to be a hot topic. Particularly with the South Australian season about to kick off. We also cover immature fruit and why it's not helpful for the industry if fruit goes to market too early.

In this episode of The Citrus Segment, brought to you by Citrus SA , we’re back to normal programming with our monthly chair chat with Mark Doecke.  Mark shares what the committee has been dealing with over the past month or so.  These issues include:  ·       Fruit Fly ·       ICA 30 around fruit movement ·       Gall Wasp trap development ·       Freshcare citrus version update

Amanda Wells, is a PhD candidate, researching the environmental history of citrus growing in the Riverland between 1948 and 1970. In this episode, Amanda explains what she’s been exploring and why.

After every Citrus SA committee meeting, Chair Mark Doecke provides a comprehensive update on the committee's recent activities. In the latest update:   Harvest Highlights:  Mark reports the navel season has concluded and Valencia harvest is well underway. Growers are reporting a slight kick in prices for Valencia oranges. Fruit Fly Update:  The ongoing battle against fruit flies remains a pri...

Citrus SA held its annual general meeting and grower information day on Friday, October 13 at the Barmera Events Centre.  If you missed it – stay tuned because in this episode of The Citrus Segment – we’ll give you a snapshot of the day as I catch up with some of the guest speakers.   The day kicked off with the AGM – Citrus SA chair Mark Doecke shared what the committee has been working on over t...

Mike Arnold has been a fruit grower at Waikerie for more than seven decades and he’s been instrumental in the development of the citrus industry nationally, particularly in the areas of propagation and variety improvement.  Some of his roles over the years have included: Chairman of Auscitrus after the merging of the Australian Propagation and the Australian Citrus Improvement Associations in 2001...

In recent years orange juice has received some negative press due to its perceived high sugar content.  But researchers at  Nutrition Research Australia  have been able to provide data from a study, which shows there’s a need to look at the whole product and the benefits it can provide.  Tim Casserati is the director of translational science at  Nutrition Research Australia  and says while vitamin...

Interested to know what happens behind the scenes at Citrus SA. After each committee meeting (held on the fourth Tuesday of each month), join chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Robertson as they discuss the issues and activities of the committee over the past month. The latest episode discusses the European earwig project , a season update and much more.

Interested to know what happens behind the scenes at Citrus SA. After each committee meeting (held on the fourth Tuesday of each month), join chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Robertson as they discuss the issues and activities of the committee over the past month. In this chat we talk about the expansion of the Sterile Insect Technology facility at Port Augusta which will more than double the amount o...