Mitchell Beulke

5.30 AM

Alarm sounds and I roll out of bed. Kettle on while I get dressed, stretch, and prepare breakfast and tea. I like to get up earlier than I need to so that I can do something before work. Typically, I will read an article and then practice guitar for 15 minutes. This gives me a sense of achievement very early on in the day and makes me feel more positive and relaxed throughout the day. My morning routine sets me up for a productive day.

6.30 AM

Time to go! Quickly brush my teeth, kiss my wife and I’m out the door. When I am driving to work, I like to listen to music that helps me reinforce my music practice in my mind. The mornings are cool and quiet, and I usually enjoy my drive to work as the landscape changes several times; often noticing something different each day as the rising sun illuminates something previously hidden. Sometimes I forget but every morning I try to practice ten deep breaths in and out while driving to work to make me more present and mindful.

7.00 AM

Drip and drain buckets with Tilachan. Comparing the direct irrigation drip level against the post-plant irrigation drain levels. We check the EC and pH in the four buckets of every glasshouse, two on the North and two on the South side. This check happens every morning. It’s a good indication of plant nutrient uptake.

8.00 AM

Crop registration with Gurpreet. Measuring cucumber and tomato crops for a variety of qualities and comparing growth to last week. We measure flowering and fruit numbers, weekly growth rates, stem diameter, harvest numbers, new truss, leaf length and width. We measure ten plants per glasshouse. This is done once a week, every Monday morning. This data is then put into an excel spreadsheet and is very useful for forecasting, creating labor and crop management regimes and future planning. We have a quick break at 9:45 and then get back into it.

Gurpreet is from India and is studying a Master of Agriculture here in Adelaide, so we always have a lot of interesting conversations. We also check bug traps for whitefly, comparing the numbers week to week and refill the water in the relative humidity sensors throughout the glasshouse.

11.00 AM

Drone Pollination Trial. Something is always being trialed here for potential implementation. Here in one of the glasshouses, a drone is being tested for wind pollination in the tomato plants. It’s early stages but the initial signs are a success. The grower, Heather, is from an agriculture science background and is one year into being a grower so it’s good to hear her experience, knowledge and tips to ease the steep learning curve. It’s cool to see the investment into innovation here.

12.00 PM

Grower Meeting. All the growers, team leaders and IPM leaders get together to walk through the glasshouses and assess different crops. This is about as good as it gets for me to learn all aspects of crop management. Each of the growers have their own methods so it’s a good way to understand things from different perspectives. It’s a lot to take in and I am still learning but I know I will keep improving and be able to ask more informed questions soon enough. Everyone collaborates in the crop assessment process, and we all share our observations. These knowledge-sharing sessions are invaluable. There is a lot of growing experience between the group, with many people having worked with these crops for 10 to 15 years.

1.15 PM

Lunch. A good chance to relax and eat but also chat with different people in the lunchroom. I enjoy getting to know people and the diversity in the workplace is fantastic. I get to work with and learn from people from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Africa, Fiji, Vanuatu. Normally I would have lunch earlier, but it depends on the day. I enjoy being able to plan my day and being flexible depending on what’s happening.

1.45 PM

Crop Scouting with Mangal. Inspecting the crop with Mangal, one of the IPM leads. We are scouting for diseases, particularly fungal pathogens botrytis and gummy stem blight. We don’t find any disease; however, we do find a few male tomato plants and remove them. This process is beneficial in helping me to get my eye in and spot any issues in the crop. Many of the IPM crew have worked here for 8 to 12 years, so they have a lot of practical skills and crop knowledge. It’s great to work with them and learn. Mangal is from Bhutan/Nepal and has been teaching me some of the history of that region.

3.30 PM

Working day done! If I have learned something valuable, then that’s a win for the day. There’s seldom a day where I don’t learn something new at work. This is important to me. I need to feel I am progressing in many aspects of life; my job is no different.

4.00 PM

Home to my beautiful partner and she normally is preparing tea for us to enjoy together and share our stories from the day. We may go for a walk, read, do some gardening or just relax. Two nights a week I go to kickboxing classes and two to three nights I lift weights at home. Again, this is important to feel I am not stagnating. It’s imperative to have hobbies and passions to keep yourself grounded and get the most out of yourself. I believe this carries over to my profession.

5.30 PM

Most nights of the week I like to prepare dinner. Sometimes the idea presents itself clearly, other times it’s this mad cacophony of ingredients flailing about that somehow, I seem to bring together at the last minute and produce something greater than the sum of its parts! (Usually)

6.30 PM

On the nights I am not at classes, I am working on an online diploma in sustainable agriculture. It’s good to keep up with the progress in that space and keep learning within my industry.

8.00 PM

Quick shower, prepare everything for work the next morning and jump into bed. Read a bit of a book I’m currently reading and that’s the day done!

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