Jonathan Brookes Email & Phone Number

Hawkes Bay New Zealand

I started as the Technical Services Manager that morphed into horticultural consultancy position due to my extensive years of practical service within the industry. My client base includes a number of grower groups and individuals both in New Zealand and overseas.Along the way I have been involved in many new variety development solutions for growers and marketers, with specific variety improvement projects on Jazz, Kanzi, Envy, Dazzle, Honey Belle, and Piqa working on maximising variety performance. AgFirst has allowed me the opportunity to try many different horticulturally focused projects. I have also covered applied orchard research and development trials, sprayer calibration assessments, irrigation and subsurface drainage monitoring and management, maturity testing for both Apples and Kiwifruit, and orchard fruit quality assessment programs as well an ongoing focus on improving sustainable profitability. Voluntary roles have had me focused on potential solutions to irrigation water supply issues in the Twyford and greater Hawkes Bay region. Assisting the HB Kiwifruit industry during the initial NZ outbreak of PSA and looking for managing the spread of the Kiwifruit disease within the region. I am passionate about helping growers to succeed and have a real drive to look for practical solutions that growers are able to implement. I have identified the destructive role that variability has on orchard orchard profitability and have a love for techniques, growing systems and grower groups that follow my same passion for ongoing improvement. I am also a keen user of good quality orchard performance data with the AgFirst OrchardNet software a key tool in the ability to make good with on orchard management decisions.

Hastings, New Zealand

This role began as the liaison person helping the grower suppliers for a large vertically integrated pip and stone fruit operation. I then branched towards the quickly expanding orchard management division with the role of field technical advisor. I became heavily involved in production planning and budgeting, pest and disease control, maturity monitoring management and was part of the team that created an in house spray diary system.

Hastings New Zealand

As a field sales representative for Fruitfed I gained valuable experience in the field of pest and disease options and techniques for pip fruit and stone fruit production. It was at this time that the New Zealand Integrated Fruit Production program was rolled out into the apple industry of NZ. I was involved in sprayer calibration and application work. My role also had a strong focus on plant nutritional requirements, chemical thinning of apples and I was heavily involved in some of the initial commercial work with Extenday reflective mulches to improve fruit size and fruit colour in apples and stonefruit.

Diploma Of Horticulture, Fruit Production

Nz Certificate In Horticultural Practice, Pip And Stone Fruit