Investor Information:
Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australia's horticulture industry. Its role is to advance Australia’s $16 billion horticulture industry by investing in research and development, marketing and trade to build a prosperous and sustainable future for growers.
Website: www.horticulture.com.au
Iain MacLennan
2025 Nuffield Scholar
Exploring how apple growers can benefit from carbon capture initiatives
NSW orchardist Iain MacLennan will investigate how apple orchards can operate profitably and sustainably when accounting for carbon.
Iain recently returned to working on his family’s apple orchard ‘St Albans’ in Orange NSW and has taken on the farm manager role.
He is spearheading the redevelopment of the 27-hectare apple orchard and has already seen yield improvements in his first harvest.
The family is undertaking major renovations in the orchard, and is also redeveloping a further 25ha that was cleared under previous ownership.
Before managing the orchard, Iain was a broadacre and pasture agronomist for seven years and also ran a first-cross lamb enterprise for three years.
“With this background I’m consistently looking at how industry leaders operate and engaging consultants to push my knowledge, business and looking after the land,” he said.
“One of the most enjoyable parts of being an agronomist was discussing new or alternative solutions in the paddock and discussing their merits and drawbacks.”
Through the Nuffield Scholarship, supported by Hort Innovation using the Apple and Pear R&D Levy, Iain hopes to gain more specific knowledge about how sustainability practices can influence the horticulture industry, seek out best practices internationally, and determine how to make practical use of the new knowledge.
“I also look forward to the opportunity to create a broader network of people who are testing the bounds of our knowledge and experience in this area which I consider invaluable for the future development of our industry.”
He considers sustainability to encompass environmental, economic and social aspects.
“Consumers both domestic and international are driving demand for products with evidence-based sustainability criteria.”
He says a key challenge of the framework for issuing Australian Carbon Credit Units is its restriction to ‘new’ projects, so cannot be issued for business-as-usual activities.
“This element of newness eliminates most orchard business from receiving credits, despite them being a huge carbon capture.
“This study aims to investigate options for recognition, carbon footprint reduction, new ventures and market opportunities that would allow orchard businesses to reduce carbon footprint and be able to operate in the carbon market.”
Iain plans to travel to Poland, New Zealand and the United States of America.
His Nuffield Scholarship will complement a project being conducted on the family’s property, funded by Hort Innovation and delivered by Australian Pear and Apple Limited (APAL), the University of Tasmania and NSW Department of Primary Industries.
“Here at St Albans, we have just entered a four-year project investigating methods to build soil carbon under the tree row using cover crops, different mowing techniques and the incorporation of mulches underneath the trees. The research project aims to see if there are measurable gains to fruit production, environmental health, and economic outcomes.
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