Costa is a global leading grower, packer and marketer of premium-quality fresh fruit and vegetables.
Our success is built on a commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability across every part of our business.
Costa's Berry Category operates farms across Australia, producing premium-quality berries for customers and consumers.
Our Far North Queensland operations form an important part of our growing network, supported by experienced farming, horticultural and technical teams.
Costa is a global leading grower, packer and marketer of premium-quality fresh fruit and vegetables.
Our success is built on a commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability across every part of our business.
Costa's Berry Category operates farms across Australia, producing premium-quality berries for customers and consumers.
Our Far North Queensland operations form an important part of our growing network, supported by experienced farming, horticultural and technical teams.
At Costa, our people are our strength.
When you join us, you'll enjoy:
Permanent full-time employment with a leading Australian horticultural business
Hands-on technical experience across crop health, nutrition, irrigation, pest and disease management and IPM
Variety across multiple farms, working throughout the Atherton Tablelands
Opportunities to grow your horticultural expertise through field trials, monitoring and improvement programs
A practical, field-based role working alongside experienced horticultural and farming teams
Tools to support the roleincluding a full IT kit
Paid parental leave – up to 14 weeks for eligible primary carers and 6 weeks for eligible secondary carers




The role is primarily field-based, with flexibility required during peak periods, including early starts and occasional weekend work where required to support critical pest, disease and spray timing requirements.
What we are looking for
We're seeking a Horticulturist to join our Berry team in Far North Queensland.
Reporting to the Horticulture Manager, you'll support the delivery of horticultural programs across our FNQ farms, with a robust focus on crop health, pest and disease management, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), nutrition, irrigation, crop vigour and yield.
This is a permanent full-time, field-based role suited to someone who enjoys being out in the crop, using data and observations to identify issues early and turning technical information into practical recommendations.
What you'll do
Monitor crop health, nutrition, irrigation, pest and disease, growth stages and pollination across farms
Lead and implement IPM strategies, using scouting data to support timely pest and disease control decisions
Coordinate and support farm scouts, including training and consistent collection of field data
Schedule spray requests based on field scouting and crop requirements
Assist with horticultural trials and improvement programs to enhance crop performance and return on investment




Analyse and communicate monitoring, trial and crop performance findings to horticultural and farm teams
Support horticultural activities while ensuring chemical and IPM programs operate within seasonal budgets
Work closely with the Horticulture Manager and broader farm teams to proactively identify risks to crop health and yield
What you'll bring
A Bachelor's degree in Horticulture or equivalent
Experience in commercial horticultural production, ideally berries or other high-value crops
Sound knowledge of crop scouting, pest and disease identification and Integrated Pest Management
Knowledge of crop nutrition and irrigation in soil and/or substrate production systems
An understanding of chemical labels, permits, withholding periods, MRL requirements and mode-of-action rotation
The ability to interpret field and crop data and turn findings into practical recommendations
Strong communication, organisation and problem-solving skills
A current driver's licence
Current chemical accreditation, such as ChemCert or AQF Level 3 chemical application, or willingness to obtain it
The ability to work independently and travel regularly between farms across the FNQ region
Experience running horticultural field trials, working with beneficial insects or applying IPM principles in tropical or subtropical production will be highly regarded.
Knowledge of food safety and quality systems such as Freshcare or GLOBALG.A.P. would also be advantageous.
Costa is seeking applicants who can demonstrate their behaviour in line with the Costa Values About - Costa Group
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📌 Horticulturist (Townsville)
🏢 Costa Group
📍 Townsville