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Welcome to the Chestnuts Australia Inc. website, you will find all kinds of good info, whether you are a member of the Association, a grower, an existing consumer of chestnuts or somebody who wants to learn more about our fascinating product. There are many recipes contained on the website, and you can contact our office for much more information and recipe pamphlets. CAI are pleased to announce that a three year National Landcare Programme Grant worth $300,000 for conducting research into the "Development of Sustainable Management Practices for Chestnut Orchards" has been approved by the Federal Government. The Committee wishes to acknowledge the hard work of Brian Casey in achieving this incredible result. A Committee of Management has been appointed by CAI to administer the project. Trial sites have been established in North East Victoria to research impacts on soil health and production from the application of alternate fertilizers and from water use efficiency strategies. Workshops and field days on irrigation management and soil health and nutrition are to be held and research findings will be communicated to industry and the community through newsletters and the media. The Official launch of the project will take place at the first NLP Presentation and Field Day to be held 21st Feb 2009. This initially was going to be a 2 day workshop but in the interests of gaining a large attendance it was reduced to one day. This day's theme will be "Soils" with 2 guest presenters, one discussing "Soil/Health Biology & "Soil Carbon" the other "How Soils Work" with John Niewenhuis and Ray Borschmann (Project Managers) delivering a 15 minute power point presentation on achievements to date. The mornings activities will be held at the Savoy Club, Myrtleford, NE Victoria starting from 8:30 am. After lunch we will head out to the Wandiligong Trial Site where soil, the irrigation system and soil pit will be inspected and discussed. Cost $20 p/p (which includes morning & afternoon tea and Lunch-Bargain!) Registrations will be coming in the post January 2009 or you can pick one up at Tafco Rural Supplies, Myrtleford. For your convenience payments will also be accepted at Tafco. Any members located in North East Victoria who are interested in having their orchard considered for a trial site should contact Tanya at the CAI Office. This Project is an exciting development for the industry as a whole, with benefits that will flow on for years to come. Another date to keep in mind is 17th January 2009, where a "Chestnut Rot" Workshop is to be held at Hoskinstown NSW, near the ACT. Please refer to the "News" section on the right hand of this page. The Association held it’s Annual General Meeting on the18th October in Bright. The meetings were conducted on one day, at the RSL Hall (a wonderful venue), and included the Annual Levy Payers Meeting as required under our agreement with Horticulture Australia (HAL). Many thanks to Dr Harvey Smith and David Ogilvy for their presentation covering their years of research into "Chestnut Rot". Also we all enjoyed a lovely evening at Sole e' Luna restaurant in the main street of Bright, they provided chestnut dishes for all 3 courses and a terrific night was had by all, we greatly appreciate the assistance of Frank Martinez and his staff. Please feel free to contact us with any queries or comments you may have. John Morton President  Thanks to Adam Luttick of Luts Images for his great assistance in designing our new logo.
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