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Across Australia’s vegetable growing regions, Regional Development Officers (RDOs) are often the first point of contact when growers are facing change, pressure, or new opportunities. Whether it’s responding to seasonal challenges, exploring new practices, or navigating emerging issues, RDOs play a critical role in supporting growers with practical, timely advice.
The VegNET Innovation Fund is a key enabler of this work. It gives RDOs the flexibility and resources to turn ideas into action, supporting projects that address regional priorities with an innovative approach focusing on delivering real, on-farm solutions. Crucially, the fund allows RDOs to act when it matters most, helping growers respond to challenges and opportunities as they arise, rather than after the fact.
Having access to the Innovation Fund strengthens the impact of VegNET’s regional network by encouraging collaboration across vegetable growing regions. When local areas are facing shared issues, RDOs can work together to combine knowledge and deliver solutions. This collaborative approach helps amplify successful on-farm outcomes, strengthen relationships to support a more resilient and productive vegetable industry.
Here are some of the innovative projects currently underway in 2026 supported by the Innovation Fund.
We encourage you to reach out if a project sparks your interest.
Compliance navigation guides for Victorian vegetable growers
Helping growers spend more time on the farm and less on paperwork.
This brand-new project is tackling one of the biggest hurdles for Victorian growers: compliance. With multiple standards, costly audits, and increasing administrative demands often taking time away from day-to-day farm operations. This project is focused on making compliance clearer, simpler, and more manageable for Victorian growers.
Led by VegNET Victoria North, West and Southeast, the project is developing practical compliance navigation guides covering Freshcare, HARPS, Fair Farms, Sedex, and organic and biodynamic standards. Designed with growers in mind, the guides include easy-to-use checklists, templates, real farm examples, and practical tips to support audits and ongoing compliance.
To ensure the resources are accessible and useful, the project is being supported by workshops, webinars, and one-on-one assistance. While the work is currently focused on Victoria, the learnings and tools developed through this project have strong potential to benefit growers nationally, helping reduce compliance costs and support informed decisions around certification and market access.
VICTORIA CONTACT
Daniel Bosveld
Regional Development Officer
0459 519 733
L-R. Tayla Field, Tasmania Regional Development Officer and Prue Rothwell, Tasmania Regional Support Officer. Kirsty Kittle, VegNET Support Officer, Maria Colangelo (Rainbow Fresh) and Peta Coughlin, VegNET Regional Development Officer.
Flying precision:
Using drone imagery to inform on-farm decisions
Helping growers turn drone data into practical actions.
Drone technology and multispectral imagery have the potential to support smarter crop management, but many growers remain unsure where to start or how the technology could fit into their day-to-day operations. This project is helping Tasmanian growers explore how drone imagery can be used as a practical, decision making tool.
Delivered by VegNET Tasmania in partnership with the Tas Farm Innovation Hub, the project combines hands-on workshops, field demonstrations, and a real farm case study to show how data can be translated into practical decisions that reduce inputs and saves time.
This project aims to be the linkage between growers, agronomists and drone operators, aiming to reduce barriers to adoption and giving growers the tools to use precision technology with confidence.
Growing regeneratively:
Supporting young Tasmanian growers
Supporting the next generation to build resilient, future-focused farms.
This project supports young Tasmanian growers who are keen to better understand how regenerative principles can be applied in practical, commercially viable vegetable production systems.
VegNET Tasmania is delivering a 12-month Young Growers Program for participants under 45, with a strong focus on soil health, whole-system thinking and biological inputs. The program combines theory with hands-on learning, including composting demonstrations and on-farm trials.
Through monthly sessions, workshops, and industry events, participants are building knowledge, confidence, and valuable peer networks.
The project supports young growers to take practical steps toward strengthening the sustainability of their farming methods.
TASMANIA CONTACTS
Tayla Field
Regional Development Officer
0429 391 538
Prue Rothwell
Regional Support Officer
0477 182 408
Smarter soil solutions:
Managing cyst nematodes in South Australian brassicas
Turning soil test results into real on-farm solutions.
Cyst nematodes remain a significant challenge for brassica growers on the Northern Adelaide Plains. Building on previous work that developed a DNA-based soil test, this project is now focused on helping growers translate test results into practical, integrated management strategies.
Grower-supported trials are underway, testing integrated approaches that include biological, chemical, organic and cultural controls. The trials are measuring impacts on nematode populations, crop health, yield, and overall soil health to identify strategies that are both effective and practical.
The VegNET South Australia team is working closely with growers, agronomists, and researchers, delivering results to help mitigate risk and improve productivity. Successful outcomes will be shared via a fact sheet and distributed to growers.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA CONTACT
Peta Coughlin
Regional Development Officer
0409 029 745