Eric and Kathleen Sturgess

Farmer rating (pending assessment by the PFA): B
Supplying Food Connect since: 2006
Farm visited by Food Connect: Yes

I was genuinely shocked. I did not know that most of the citrus handled by the mainstream markets here in Queensland is dipped in Dimethoate (Rogor). This organophosphate penetrates into the citrus fruit so that any lurking fruit fly eggs are killed. As our citrus farmer Eric was telling me this information, I was wondering just how far this organophosphate penetrates an orange or a thin skinned mandarin. While I was surprised and horrified, I should not have been as I have heard this type of story many times before. What comforts me is that the citrus Eric supplies for our fruit boxes are not dipped in this chemical.

Eric and Kathleen Sturgess operate a citrus orchard at Gayndah. They have three children, with the youngest in his final year of school. In addition to their 1500 trees, they run a retail outlet called, ‘The Big Orange’. This seven by five meter orange sits next to their shop, where locals and grey nomads alike stop to purchase all sorts of citrus.

For years Kathleen had been operating a roadside stall because she and Eric were sick of both the way they were treated and the poor financial returns from the wholesale markets. Eric was particularly concerned about how the demands of these markets led to him producing citrus that was of inferior quality. The only problem with the roadside stall was that over time it became a litigation risk because they were responsible for managing road safety around the stall.

This led to the Sturgesses setting up a proper retail outlet – The Big Orange. And they have not looked back! Life at their retail outlet has been very busy. So busy in fact, that Eric and Kathleen have sold off one of their orchards so that they had the time to properly develop their business. This is a successful example of adding value to their product through making citrus jams and offering guided tours of their orchard where people can learn more about citrus and have a taste/sample of the goodies.

I asked Eric why his oranges, mandarins and the like are so popular. He explained that the vast majority of the citrus offered for sale is picked early and does not get the chance to ripen fully. His produce, on the other hand, are picked only when they are fully mature and have developed their complete nutritive value, not to mention their full sweetness. Eric commented animatedly that citrus is “now picked for the dollar and not for maximum flavour and nutrition”.

One of the best aspects about farming, according to the Sturgesses, is that they take a lot of pride in producing a high quality product. In fact, this was one of the reasons they retail their citrus through the Big Orange. They can produce a better orange away from the restrictions of the wholesale markets/supermarkets. It is also one of the great advantages of growing citrus for Food Connect subscribers. Food Connect does not require them to use harmful dipping chemicals and the like. Eric also commented that unlike elsewhere, his family feels fairly recompensed for their work through their relationship with Food Connect subscribers.

Kate and Eric are now both spreading the word about Food Connect in the farming community around Gayndah and keeping their ears close to the ground for news of farmers who have something that may be good for our boxes. Eric is also giving advice to other farmers on alternatives to chemical use and different ways to sell fruit other than through conventional markets. He is taking the lead to create a culture of farmers talking to other farmers, sharing secrets and hopefully creating a more secure food system in their area. Eric is growing some great early mangoes, grapes and is also trialling some low chill stone fruit for Food Connect subscribers.