VegNET enters Phase Two

3 June 2020

Hort Innovation has commenced the second phase of VegNET, the vegetable industry extension program, which will fund ten regional development officers located across Australia to support vegetable growers in growing healthy crops and develop successful, profitable businesses. Shaun Lindhe reports.

What is VegNET?

In 2016 Hort Innovation invested in ten regional capacity building projects to effectively transfer R&D information to vegetable growers through regionally-based extension projects and associated coordination and training projects. These projects were contracted to delivery partners based in the ten major vegetable growing regions and were unified under a national brand – VegNET.

The first phase of VegNET finished in early 2020, with the regional development officers (RDOs) delivering R&D awareness and extension activities in their geographical regions.

The VegNET delivery partners are:

New South Wales – Local Land Services.
Northern Territory – NT Farmers.
Queensland – Bowen Gumlu Growers Association (Bowen Gumlu), Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers (Bundaberg) and Lockyer Valley Growers Association (Lockyer).
South Australia – AUSVEG SA.
Tasmania – RM Consulting Group.
Victoria – RM Consulting Group (south-eastern, western and northern regions) and Food and Fibre Gippsland (Gippsland).
Western Australia – vegetablesWA.

The delivery partners for Phase One will also deliver the project in Phase Two.

What is new in Phase Two?

Following grower consultation, the national vegetable extension strategy was developed in late 2019. The next phase of the VegNET project supports the extension approach from this strategy and will result in RDOs who are more focused on the development of regional plans based on targeted stakeholder engagement with growers, researchers and industry members.

RDOs will transition from acting as conduits of technical insight to enablers of knowledge from various sources. This will ensure they are an effective resource to address industry regional challenges. In this approach, extension becomes the key link to bring broad and diverse groups together to find solutions to problems in a strategic and focused way.

The most common challenges from the consultations carried out to develop the National Vegetable Extension Strategy were in relation to:

Water (availability, quality and cost).
Labour (availability, awards, HR and skills).
Input costs.
Biosecurity.
Pest management.
Market development (including export).
Post-harvest and marketing.
Urban encroachment.
Social license (environmental impact and chemical (mis)usage).
Business management.

Some or all of these issues may be raised during the development of the individual regional extension plans. Regional issues will be prioritised, and growers and other stakeholders will work with RDOs to identify which ones VegNET is best suited to target.

What will VegNET RDOs do during Phase Two?

Establish a regional extension reference group

VegNET RDOs will convene a regional reference group that will be responsible for developing a regional extension plan and strategies, as well as an annual review of progress and effectiveness in implementing the plan.

Develop a regional extension plan

With guidance and advice from the regional extension reference group, VegNET RDOs will develop a regional extension plan for the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2025. This regional extension plan will be collated into a single national document that will help ensure all growers receive extensive, coordinated extension services. The vegetable industry Strategic Investment Plan will be used as a guide, in assisting in this process.

This plan will include identifying each region’s key priority issues and key regional resources and links that will be critical in ensuring growers receive assistance, as well as information that will help them grow better crops and operate more efficient and profitable businesses.

Implement the regional extension plan using an innovation systems approach

Depending on each region’s specific plan, VegNET RDOs will deliver tailored and targeted extension activities to meet the needs of their region’s growers. Activities may include:

Field days.
Farm walks.
Webinars.
Workshops.
Fact sheets.

These events will include face-to-face and remote learning opportunities for growers to reflect the post-COVID-19 landscape.

VegNET RDOs will work closely with Hort Innovation’s Extension Team to ensure industry extension activities are delivering the expected outcomes and that the breadth of research commissioned by Hort Innovation is made available for adoption by growers.

Communicate to industry though AUSVEG and Hort Innovation

VegNET RDOs will work closely with AUSVEG and Hort Innovation to ensure their work reaches as many growers and industry stakeholders as possible. This will include content in industry publications, including Vegetables Australia, as well as videos, podcasts and newsletters made available to all growers.

How will VegNET help levy-paying growers?

Phase Two of VegNET will benefit vegetable levy-paying growers in the following ways:

Identify regional challenges to the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of grower businesses.
Growers and other stakeholders will prioritise these issues and with RDOs identify which ones VegNET is best to target.
Increased knowledge of the vegetable R&D program administered by Hort Innovation.
Improved adoption of outcomes from Hort Innovation-funded R&D projects.
Connect growers with industry partners to improve productivity and profitability of vegetable growing businesses.
Demonstrating the effectiveness of practice change to growers and industry to promote adoption of innovations.
Effective linkage between vegetable growers and levy-funded R&D service providers.

Get in touch with your VegNET RDOs

New South Wales

Local Land Services – Sylvia Jelinek, sylvia.jelinek@lls.nsw.gov.au, 0427 086 724

Northern Territory

NT Farmers – Simone Cameron, ido@ntfarmers.org.au, 0413 308 335

Queensland

Bowen Gumlu – Eilis Walker, idm@bowengumlugrowers.com.au, 0427 701 225
Bundaberg – Bree Grima, bree.grima@bfvg.com.au, 0403 616 702
Lockyer Valley – Zara Hall, ido@lockyervalleygrowers.com.au, 0456 956 340

South Australia

AUSVEG SA – Yanyu Liang, yanyu.liang@ausveg.com.au, 0432 742 896

Tasmania

RM Consulting Group – Theresa Chapman, theresac@rmcg.com.au, 0413 039 733

Victoria

South-eastern, western and northern regions – Hugh Wardle, hughw@rmcg.com.au, 0427 109 057
Gippsland – Bonnie Dawson, bonnie.dawson@foodandfibregippsland.com.au, 0407 683 938

Western Australia