Frank Goegan was the first to grow mini Roma tomatoes in a move which is still paying off, but when it comes to new technology he knows exactly who to turn to.
Nakita Goegan, 28, the eldest of his three daughters, is Mr Goegan’s right-hand woman. She is responsible for the imported Cravo hot-house that is run by a climate-controlled, thermostat-driven computer system and sits on 1.4 ha of their 404 ha at Cobram South.
Standing inside the toasty Cravo amongst the cables and shade cloth, there is a strong scent of soil as father and daughter talk tomatoes, markets and why it’s important to work with family.
“If you’ve got family in the business, they work for the right reasons. Nakita does an amazing job, I can trust her; she’s a very good tractor operator too,” Mr Goegan said.
‘The job’ he is referring to is multi-faceted and ranges from operating the Cravo to doing the books and every odd job in between.
Ms Goegan's day can include feeding cattle, fodder production and running the packing shed alongside her mum Kim.
Goegan Farms supplies packaged tomatoes for Woolworths and private distributors in the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane markets.
Ms Goegan, who has inherited her dad’s unassuming manner about the scale of her workload, admits, “I love being outdoors, in the tractor, when I’m on the farm I don’t have to worry, I know what needs to be done.”
What needs to be done is the annual planting, picking and packing of 120,000 tomato seedlings.
While Mr Goegan, 67, may have 40-odd years of tomato-growing wisdom behind him, it’s his daughter who holds the key to the future. Mr Goegan imported the Cravo from Canada and encouraged her to champion the three-month installation project in 2020.
The first season was a huge success, justifying the headaches of Ms Goegan learning the high-tech ropes.
There has been a remarkable 400 per cent increase in productivity with indoor plants averaging 16 kg of tomatoes as opposed the 4 kg per plant outside.
The growing season has doubled from 4.5 months to nine months and there has been a 33 per cent reduction in losses as the plants inside are better protected from weather and disease.
“Growing 1.5 ha under the Cravo is the equivalent of growing 20 ha outside,” Mr Goegan said.
Mr Goegan’s pride in his daughter and the structure is palpable as he handballs all queries about the system to her.
“You can set it to suit any condition — well, Nakita can set it, I don’t touch it,” he said with a laugh.
Mr Goegan’s expertise lies in the growing of tomatoes, with seed companies coming to him to trial and take up new varieties.
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