Once a year, the entire VegNET team finds itself in the same place at the same time for Hort Connections. This year Adelaide played host, and it didn’t disappoint.

Across a jam-packed week, the team took to the stage for a national demonstration session, highlighting the success and impact of its work across the regions, while making connections with both new and existing members of the industry throughout the event. We learnt about new research and development outcomes through plenary and speaker sessions and upskilled through a professional development session all about building stronger relationships.

The week also marked a moment of reflection, with the National Extension Advisory Group meeting for the last time under VegNET 3.0, highlighting the success of the program and showcasing the strength of the Innovation Fund, which is designed to support more on-ground innovation in each of the regions.

For Regional Development Officers (RDOs) and Regional Support Officers (RSOs), Hort Connections is more than a conference – it’s an opportunity to learn, grow, and keep an eye out for anything that could benefit their region. On the trade show floor, the team spoke directly with suppliers, researchers, and innovators from across the industry, scouting new tools and ideas worth bringing home. The plenary and speaker sessions added another layer, connecting the team with the latest research and development shaping the vegetable and onion industries, the perfect opportunity to gather knowledge and bring it straight back to growers.

A highlight of the week was the ‘Impact of Your Levies’ session, where the whole VegNET team took to the stage to show growers exactly what their levy investment delivers on the ground. One by one, RDOs and RSOs shared success stories from their own regions, real examples of locally-led extension in action. As the largest levy funded initiative in the vegetable and onion industries, VegNET plays a critical role in turning that investment into impact, and this session gave growers in the room a direct look at what it looks like in practice.

The VegNET team took part in an upskilling session, taking a deep dive into building stronger relationships – both with each other and with the growers we support every day. The team walked away with practical tools to have more effective conversations, read a room, and know when to listen versus when to offer input – skills that don’t always come naturally but make all the difference out in the field.

For a team whose work runs entirely on trust, everyone left with at least a couple of things they could put straight into practice.

The National Extension Advisory Group for VegNET L-R. Andrew Craigie, Olive Hood, Carl Larsen, Donna Lucas, Zarmeen Hassan, Richard Cobbledick, Cherry Emerick, Kim Ngov, Greg Teske, Callum Hutcheson, Emily Corbett.

Your involvement helped shape a program that became stronger, sharper, and more connected to growers than ever.

Five years of the National Extension Advisory Group

Hort Connections 2026 marked the final meeting of the National Extension Advisory Group (NEAG) under VegNET 3.0, and it was a moment to look back on five years of governance and guidance that helped shape the program from the ground up. The conversation in the room reflected on everything the program achieved over that time: extension work driven by real regional need, and RDOs who listened closely to growers and carried their voice all the way to the decisions that mattered.

One of the standout outcomes of those five years was the Innovation Fund, a mechanism that gave regions a way to act fast when they spotted a real need. Since VegNET 3.0 started, the fund invested close to $1.7 million available to regions, backing 33 approved projects across the country. A further eight projects were elevated to the Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP), giving regional issues with national relevance a pathway to bigger funding and broader industry support, ensuring that what starts as a local need can grow into a national outcome. South Australia led the way with seven funded projects, while Western Australia and Tasmania followed closely with five each, turning local ideas into real, on ground impact for growers in every corner of the country.

None of it would have been possible without NEAG, made up of industry experts, hardworking growers and agronomists embedded within the vegetable and onion industry, who gave their time, insights, and guidance freely over the past five years. To every one of them, thank you. Your involvement helped shape a program that became stronger, sharper, and more connected to growers than ever, and that legacy carries forward into whatever comes next for VegNET.

CONCLUSION

Hort Connections 2026 reinforced the strength of the VegNET network and the value of bringing the national team together. From regional showcases to industry engagement and reflection on five years of NEAG guidance, the week highlighted the importance of collaboration across the program.

At its core, VegNET is about connection and ensuring levy investment delivers practical, on farm impact. The insights and conversations from Adelaide will continue to influence and strengthen delivery across all regions.

FIND OUT MORE
Please contact Emily Corbett AUSVEG on 0425 375 207 | emily.corbett@ausveg.com.au