Mount Binga Orchards dumps 35,000 avocados

A farmer has shared the heartbreaking loss of 35,000 Hass avocados after they became spoiled because of a power supply issue, crushing his hopes of using them for oil production.

An avocado farmer has shared the heartbreaking loss of 35,000 avocados after they became spoiled, crushing his hopes of using them for oil production. Pictured: James, Michelle and Barry Trousdell.

A miscommunication between Ergon and two farmers in the South Burnett led to the loss of a 10-tonne crop intended for avocado oil production.

The Trousdell family, owners of Mount Binga Orchards, south of Yarraman, have been in the Hass avocado business for more than a decade and had been saving their non-sellable avocados in a cold room to be processed for oil.

James Trousdell, 40, said he was incredibly frustrated that he has been left with no option but to throw away 10 tonnes of avocados after the power was not connected in time to a new avocado oil processing plant in Blackbutt, which would have taken the produce.

“We have lost around $5000 in wages for farm hands and roughly 35,000 avocados themselves,” Mr Trousdell said.

“Avocados we would usually throw away daily were saved in a cold room and stocked up for a while.

The Trousdell family have been in the Hass avocado business for over one decade.

“Cherry Creek Estate in Blackbutt have bought a fantastic new avocado oil processing machine that would turn our non-sellable produce into oil, but we have been waiting for power to be connected to their property,” he said.

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Mr Trousdell said the avocados he dumped were “ugly” but could still be purchased by the public from an honesty box his children had set up on the farm at 213 Mount Binga Rd, Mount Binga.

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“We would like them to get taken if anyone would like them, it’s just very frustrating seeing it all go to waste,” he said.

Cherry Creek Estate owner Angelo Leonardo said he was looking forward to produce avocado oil as soon as his new machine was up and running.
“We’ve been waiting about 10 months for the power to be switched on,” he said.

“Ergon stipulates these kind of updates take up to 12 months so they have until the end of August 2023 to help us.”

Ergon was unable to comment due to privacy reasons.

Originally published as Mount Binga Orchards dumps 35,000 avocados