{"id":859035,"date":"2026-09-24T14:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/859035\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T14:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:22:14","slug":"fall-creek-connect-day-highlights-genetics-plant-quality-and-regional-growth-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/859035\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall Creek Connect Day highlights genetics, plant quality and regional growth opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Fall Creek South Africa’s Connect Day brought growers and industry stakeholders together for a programme focused on genetic innovation, nursery quality, applied research and the commercial requirements in the Southern African blueberry industry.<\/p>\n

Welcoming attendees, Yolandi Copeland, Area Manager Southern Africa, emphasises Fall Creek’s focus on serving growers throughout the production chain. “We want to serve the industry and our customers and to give you the confidence in our production.” She also highlights the company’s grower-support structure and technical assistance across Southern Africa.<\/p>\n

For Herman Louw, Country Manager South Africa, the Connect Day represents more than a company event. “We are trying to create an annual event here on the farm, where we share interesting technical and market insights, where we create an opportunity to talk to each other and to connect.”<\/p>\n

He places the company’s role within the broader industry context. “We are operating in a complicated industry, but we are operating in an industry that has got a lot of potential. Our success depends on making the right choices,” adding that Fall Creek aims to provide information that enables growers to make informed decisions.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9 HortiDaily<\/p>\n

Genetics as the foundation
Jean Kotze, Applied Research Lead South Africa, shares about the long development cycle behind new blueberry genetics. “The future success of this industry is dependent on today’s genetic innovation.”<\/p>\n

With commercial varieties potentially requiring eight to 15 years of development, breeders must anticipate future production and market requirements well in advance. He stresses that this requires information from growers, marketers and consumers.<\/p>\n

Fall Creek’s breeding programme operates across Oregon, Mexico and Spain, while applied research evaluates promising selections across multiple environments. According to Jean, the programme currently involves approximately 300 crosses and 30,000 seedlings, with promising material progressing through increasingly extensive trial stages.<\/p>\n

Applied research then evaluates genetics under commercial conditions through partnerships with growers. “We rely on the observations of the grower as well as our own during this time.” This approach allows selections to be assessed against local climate, production systems and management practices.<\/p>\n

He also highlights the potential of genetic markers to improve the efficiency of breeding for specific traits.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9 HortiDaily<\/p>\n

Plant quality and nursery performance
Andries van Rhyn, Operations Manager South Africa, addresses the role of nursery production in establishing productive orchards.<\/p>\n

“A well-managed nursery production plant with the right genetics, strong root system, balanced growth and consistent uniformity gives growers a stronger starting point when establishing their orchard.” He adds that the South African nursery is one of the few premises in the country with its own Post-Entry Quarantine facility, shortening the timeline after material imports before commercial establishment. “This also gives us complete control of the plant material route.”<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9 HortiDaily<\/p>\n

The potential benefits include faster establishment, greater field uniformity, reduced plant replacement, and more efficient use of water and labour.<\/p>\n

He summarizes the relationship between planting material and production succinctly: “Quality plants do not guarantee a successful crop, but poor quality plants can limit the crop before production can begin.” Andries elaborates on the “Good Root Initiative” of Fall Creek, improving the root structure of the plants. Along with technology that helps with earlier transplanting, they have a “just in time” process with limited residency on each nursery format, so the plants have specific shelf life periods in which growers need to plant them to ensure optimum quality.<\/p>\n

He also outlines Fall Creek South Africa’s traceability and quality-control systems, including nine formal quality checkpoints, controlled propagation environments, disease monitoring and documented production processes. The plant production cycle can take approximately 14\u201318 months, making production planning and coordination with growers essential.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9 HortiDaily
Yolandi Copeland, Jean Kotze, Andries van Rhyn and some of the operational team members of Fall Creek South Africa<\/p>\n

Serving diverse markets
Yolandi highlights the different requirements across Southern Africa and the importance of matching genetics to production environment and market demand.<\/p>\n

Fall Creek currently has a presence in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya, with its first plants recently entering Zambia. “Each of our regions has got different requirements, different climates, and not everything works in the different regions.”<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9 HortiDaily<\/p>\n

She also points to changing supply-chain requirements and the need for varieties that combine production performance with quality, shelf life and consumer appeal.<\/p>\n

“The opportunity is not simply to grow more blueberries. It is to grow the right blueberries in the right place, for the right market, for the right time.”<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9 HortiDaily<\/p>\n

From trials to practical evaluation
The programme concluded with a nursery tour and test-block showcase, allowing attendees to examine production practices and evaluate selected genetics directly. Varieties were presented for tasting and discussion, linking the technical presentations with practical observations in the field.<\/p>\n

Across the day, a consistent theme emerged: genetic innovation, nursery quality, local testing, and grower support are interconnected components of commercial blueberry production. The company invites the industry to continue sharing knowledge and ideas to have better collaboration with its different stakeholders.<\/p>\n

For more information:\"\"
Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, Inc.
Stephanie van Rensburg
[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>
www.fallcreeknursery.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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