The ever-popular Horticulture Field Day is returning for Hort Connections 2019, giving you the opportunity to visit some of Victoria’s leading growing operations, hear about innovative practices in our industry and network with peers from around the country.

This annual exploration of the horticulture industry in key growing regions around the country has become a must-attend event for any industry professional, with previous tours visiting industry sites in South Australia and south-east Queensland.

This year Hort Connections is being held in Melbourne, which is surrounded by some of Australia’s leading growing operations: the Port Phillip and Westernport region contains over 40 per cent of Victoria’s vegetable production by value. To make the most of this central location, we’re excited to announce that this year we’ll be coordinating two itineraries to give delegates the chance to visit industry sites to either the east or west of Melbourne!

After kicking off early on Monday 24 June with breakfast and a tour of the Melbourne wholesale markets in Epping, these tours will separate for the day before returning to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) with plenty of time for delegates to prepare for the official Hort Connections 2019 Welcome Reception.

To deliver value for all our participants, the separate tours will focus on specific areas of interest. We’ve broken down the itineraries for the tours below.

Participation in these valuable and informative tours costs $100, which covers full transport to and from the MCEC, a cooked breakfast, lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

Register for the Horticulture Field Day on the Hort Connections website.

If you didn’t get along to the 2018 Horticulture Field Day, which took delegates on a tour of south-east Queensland, read about it here!


Horticulture Field Day itineraries

At a glance
Monday 24 June 2019
6:00am – 3:30pm
Both tours depart at/return to Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Register online

Innovations: Machinery-part logistics, developing new food products and large-scale vegetable systems
Industries: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce and cabbage

Innovations: Pathogen reduction, hydroponic systems and supply chain logistics
Industries: Lettuce, micro and macro herbs, flowers and nursery

Both tours: Melbourne wholesale markets: Tour the markets and this part of the supply chain (breakfast)
John Deere: Transport, machinery-part logistics (tea/coffee) AgriBio research facility at La Trobe University: Pathogen detection (tea/coffee)
CSIRO: Food processing innovation and research (refreshments) Butler Market Gardens: Hydroponic herb and lettuce production (lunch)
Fresh Select: Vegetable production, processing and transport (lunch) Ball Australia: Plant breeder/researcher facility, seed and vegetative lines for flowers, vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and tissue culture

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 26 March 2019. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!

Hort Connections 2019 will be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre from 24-26 June 2019. Delegate registration is now open – click here for more information.