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The National Vegetable Extension Network has a new name: VegNET. The project is starting to deliver
important benefits to vegetable growers through its 10 regionally-based extension projects. Here are some
recent highlights from Victoria and North Queensland.
VEGNET: PROGRAM UPDATES FROM AROUND THE NATION
GROWING VICTORIAN VEG BUSINESSES
“Growing vegetable businesses” has been the key message for the
VegNET rollout in Victoria’s northern, western and south-eastern
regions, with profitability and cost of production a priority for growers.
Robot for Intelligent Perception and Precision Application (RIPPA)
trials in Clyde in the south-eastern region and Lindenow in East
Gippsland have generated a lot of interest. As well as weeding, RIPPA
provides crop-monitoring data including growth, yield estimation
and soil moisture levels.
Cost of production remains a priority issue, and the project team
will soon provide BizCheck assessments to growers to measure and
understand the main inputs of their business and how they interact
to determine farm profit.
Recent events included a farm walk in Werribee South on 8
March to talk about the yield results emerging from the compost
and reduced-tillage demonstration site (part of the Soil Wealth and
Integrated Crop Protection projects). A workshop for the Vegetable
Strategic Investment Plan was also held on the same day.
Meanwhile, a Port of Melbourne export facilities tour on 5 April will
enable a behind-the-scenes look at the facilities and their role in the
vegetable supply chain.
Project events, news, resources and shared lessons from other
growers across the region are included in a monthly e-newsletter
distributed to Victorian growers. To sign up, please contact one of
the field officers:
• Northern region – Ken Orr, 0428 502 936 or
• Western region – Clinton Muller, 0498 192 596 or
• South-eastern region – Carl Larsen, 0419 622 393 or
• Online: Twitter: @GrowingVegBizs
NORTH QUEENSLAND GROWERS TOUR INNOVATIVE
SA FARMS
Eight Bowen and nearby Gumlu (North Queensland)
vegetable growers learnt about marketing, irrigation technology
and precision agriculture during a three-day study tour of
innovative South Australian farming systems and technology.
There is value for growers of field vegetables to learn from other
industries and production systems such as viticulture and glasshouse
horticulture. The tour began at the South Australian Produce
Markets, facilitated by its CEO Angelo Demasi. Growers gained a
better understanding of the market system and the role it plays in
the state’s produce supply. Grower Dale Williams of Euri Gold Farms,
Bowen, found learning about improvements in packing and product
standards particularly useful.
After visiting several covered production growers, Jonathan Land
from Gumlu said that covered production tactics have helped him
to find potential ways to streamline his own operation.
Carl Walker (Phantom Produce, Bowen) visited Dominic Skinner
of Machine Engineering Australia in the Barossa and now believes
soil moisture probe technology would be very useful, particularly in
learning to manage water usage.
The study tour was arranged jointly by Bowen Gumlu Growers
Association and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
(QDAF), and was supported by VegNET.
The tour followed the Adoption of variable rate technology in
Queensland’s intensive vegetable production systems project, led
by QDAF, where 12 farms trialled and adopted a suite of precision
approaches. This project was jointly funded by QDAF and the Federal
Government’s National Landcare Program.
How to keep in touch:
• Industry development officer: Cherry Emerick, 0427 701 225 or
• Facebook:
• Online:
Growers inspecting the RIPPA robot on display
at Schreurs & Sons celery farm in Victoria.
Bowen and Gumlu growers recently visited
the South Australian Produce Markets.
To enable deeper insights into the production
and trade performance of key Australian
vegetable products, we have developed a
series of crop-specific Veggie Stats profiles.
The next instalment of this series provides an
update on carrot production.
The following Veggie Stats article has been developed
specifically to give readers a detailed snapshot of the
key facts and figures on carrots. Veggie Stats utilises
data from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and
Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), funded
by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the
research and development National Vegetable Levy
and funds from the Australian Government.
It is important to note the data itself provides a broad
indication of the performance of carrot growers and
should be interpreted carefully. The data is presented
at the national level and therefore does not account for
differences among jurisdictions.
In addition to this, the information provided is
not specific to every Australian grower since each
enterprise operates differently from one another.
VEGGIE STATS: CARROT
For more information on the National Vegetable Extension Network and
upcoming events, please contact Adam Goldwater on 02 8627 1040 or adam.
.
This project has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using
the research and development National Vegetable Levy and funds from the
Australian Government.
Project Number: VG15049
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