July 2026 Grower Update: New Financial Year, Mid-Winter Operations
By The Yield Australia Team ·
Welcome to the new financial year. July marks the deepest part of the Victorian winter, and across the nursery our focus is on holding schedule through the cold — slower growth, shorter days and wet paddocks all demand a bit more planning from everyone in the supply chain.
Winter Production Status
Cold nights through late June have kept glasshouse heating running on more nights than the long-term average, and time-to-dispatch on winter brassica and leafy lines remains extended by roughly 10–14 days compared with the shoulder seasons. If your program depends on a specific transplant window, please build that buffer into your ordering — our team can help you back-calculate sowing dates from your target field date.
New Financial Year Housekeeping
- Horticulture Award changes are now in effect. The 1 July 2026 changes, including the piece-rate minimum guarantees, are live. If you haven't completed a payroll review yet, make it this week's priority — see our compliance checklist article for the details.
- Pricing and credit. FY2026–27 price schedules have been issued to account customers. If you haven't received yours, or you'd like to open a trading account, our credit application is available online and processed promptly.
- Fertiliser budgeting. Urea pricing has steadied into the new financial year while potassium products remain firm. Worth locking in forward positions where your cash flow allows.
Spring Order Book Is Open
It might be the middle of winter, but spring is already being sown. July is the month to confirm your early-spring transplant orders — brassicas, lettuce and alliums sown now will be hitting paddocks from late August onward. Early confirmation means we can guarantee your preferred varieties and dispatch windows before the spring rush fills the benches.
On the Radar for July
- Continued frost risk inland — keep an eye on the Weather Dashboard frost outlook before scheduling transplanting.
- Wet soil workability across the Western Plains and Gippsland — the Soil Workability Forecast tool can help you pick your windows.
- Seed rep trials continue through winter — talk to your representative about screening new season varieties in our trial program.
As always, if there's anything we can do to support your winter program, call us on 1300 094 353 or get in touch through the website.