Vegetable Feature Article

New edition of InfoVeg Radio podcast released

A new edition of InfoVeg Radio, the R&D podcast for the vegetable industry, has been released. This edition focuses on levy-funded research projects that looked at how growers can improve their on-farm food safety processes and implement best practice food safety techniques. The episode features three interviewees:

  • Richard Bennett, from the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia and New Zealand, who spoke about the importance of food safety in the vegetable industry, and how it is an industry-wide responsibility;
  • Dr Doris Blaesing, from RMCG, who undertook research on the most effective ways to foster and enhance food safety in the vegetable industry; and
  • Dr Robert Premier, from Global F.S. Pty Ltd, who undertook research into the postharvest chemical washing process of vegetables, and which methods proved most effective when it came to lowering the risk of pathogens.

Previous editions of the podcast have covered on-farm energy usage, ways to increase consumption of vegetables and soil health projects. To listen to the latest edition of the podcast, or any previous edition, please click here.

InfoVeg Radio is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Potato Feature Article

PreDicta Pt Accreditation Course

The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) will be holding a training workshop in August to instruct agronomists, potato growers and processors on how to access PreDicta Pt, the DNA diagnostic testing service for soil borne pathogens of potatoes. Those wishing to use or deliver the testing service are required to obtain accreditation from SARDI by participating in a one-day training course.

The workshop will cover the strategies and processes to sample paddocks, along with the interpretation of PreDicta Pt results. Information on symptoms, basic biology, drivers and importance of inoculum, factors conducive to disease and an overview of possible management strategies are provided for each pathogen included in the PreDicta Pt service.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Date/Time: Monday 7 August, 9:30am – 3:00pm

There is a fee for the course. Participants will be provided with a manual that covers the information presented, and a soil corer for PreDicta Pt sampling.

Registration essential
For further information and to register your interest in the workshop, please contact Michael Rettke at michael.rettke@sa.gov.au by Friday 28 July.

This communication has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the potato research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Tomato-potato psyllid workshop – Virginia, SA

AUSVEG SA and VegNET will run a tomato-potato psyllid (TPP) workshop in Virginia, SA on Tuesday 18 July. The workshop will discuss what would happen if TPP arrived in South Australia, how to identify and report the pest, and what the TPP incursions in both New Zealand and Western Australia have taught the wider industry.

The workshop will include speakers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia (PIRSA), University of Tasmania, Seed & Field NZ and AUSVEG.

For more information on the workshop and to RSVP, please click here.

VegNET is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Seasonal Work Incentives Trial

The Australian Government is undertaking the Seasonal Work Incentives Trial from 1 July 2017 to help address the seasonal labour demands of horticultural growers.

The two-year trial aims to encourage people to take up short-term seasonal work opportunities in the horticultural industry by providing them with an opportunity to earn more income without affecting their income support payment.

The Australian Government has released a range of resources for more information on the trial. These resources include information for growers, information for job seekers and a fact sheet on the trial.

If you want to participate in the trial you should contact an employment services provider to discuss your labour needs. Employment services providers are located across Australia, and their contact details are available at jobsearch.gov.au/providers.

Fruit fly master class – Lilydale, VIC

Queensland fruit fly is now widespread in northern Victoria and is threatening Yarra Valley fruit production. The Fruit fly – Be prepared master class is a forum for growers and businesses in the Yarra Valley to hear first-hand from industry experts, scientists and growers. Learn what damage Queensland fruit fly can cause and what your business and your community can do to prepare.

Come to our live lecture and Q&A session in Lilydale hosted by the Biosecurity Centre of Excellence and be part of the action or attend the event from the comfort of your home or office via webinar.

Date/time: Tuesday 8 August, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Location: Box Hill Institute, Lilydale Lakeside Campus. Jarlo Drive, Lilydale, VIC

The session is free, however registration is required. For more information, or to register, please click here.

Australian greengrocers here to stay

With a retail vegetable market share of more than 20 per cent, Australia’s greengrocers are a viable distribution channel that looks set to remain competitive in the long-term.

This viability levers off a set of strengths and advantages that these specialist retailers enjoy. Australia’s diverse local production base means they can readily source required stock from central markets, and retail real estate has them located at their competitor’s front door. Further advantages stem from greengrocers being close to their product, which means they buy well, can carry multiple product grades to offer value and highest quality, and have the skills to merchandise for maximum impact. Their agility in responding to changing market conditions can expose any weaknesses in retail competitor offers.

Consumers see greengrocers as providers of high quality product, and it is common for over 23 per cent of supermarket shoppers to also visit greengrocers on the one shopping trip. However, as retail intensity has lifted and convenience has become more important in recent years, the extent of their advantages has eased.

Market leaders leverage their reputation by expanding store footprints and ranging a selection of other fresh food, making them an ideal location for the top-up shop and for buying the key ingredients for tonight’s meal in one place.

Economic activities in the vegetable industry are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government. This article was provided to AUSVEG by Freshlogic.

Gippsland Growers’ Forum – Korumburra, VIC

The Gippsland Growers’ Forum will be held on Thursday 27 July at the Austral Hotel, Korumburra.

Featuring presentations on a number of topics (including VegNET – Gippsland’s Vegetable Capacity Building Project, VegPRO and OH&S in the veg industry), the event is sure to be of value to growers.

A range of speakers will present at the event, including AUSVEG Biosecurity Coordinator Callum Fletcher.

Tickets for this free event can be found here.

This communication has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Family Food Fight – Looking for growers!

Are you a grower who’s keen to get on TV?

A new prime-time family cooking show is in the works: Family Food Fight hosted by Matt Moran.

They are on the lookout for 20 farmers to enjoy a free lunch that will be cooked by the contestants. The lunch will take place on Monday 17 July at the Melbourne Showgrounds studio.

While it is a full day commitment, it is an opportunity to promote your business to a national TV audience.

If you would like to register your interest or find out more, please contact fff.events@endemolshine.com.au.

Riverina Vegetable Innovation Field Day

VegNET will run a vegetable innovation field day in Yoogali (via Griffith, NSW) to showcase the latest innovations in vegetable production and allow growers to hear from experts in the field.

The innovation day will include demonstrations of the RIPPA robot in the field and discussions on the use of drones in irrigated vegetable production, solar power technologies and growing vegetable businesses through VegNET. There will also be free glovebox guides on managing pest and disease disorders.

Presenters on the day will include Salah Sukkarieh (University of Sydney, Australian Centre for Field Robotics), Dr John Hornbuckle (Deakin University), John Cochrane (Glynncorp Electrical) and Matthew Plunkett (Local Land Services).

Date/time: Wednesday 19 July, 10:00am – 2:30pm
Location: 86B Hawkins Road, Yoogali (via Griffith) NSW

For further information, please click here, or contact Matthew Plunkett on 0428 978 390 or at veg.network@lls.nsw.gov.au. You can also click here to view the event flyer.

VegNET is delivered by Local Land Services in New South Wales and is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Collaborative Marketing – A Growing Leaders project

The Growing Leaders program of 2017 engages 18 developing leaders from throughout different components of the Australian vegetable industry. As part of the program, the group is working on a series of projects they believe in, based on a broader vision and mission for the industry.

The Collaborative Marketing project:
One project is entitled Collaborative Marketing – a proof of concept and is investigating the support for and methods by which the industry may benefit from a collaborative marketing effort. This investigation is based on anecdotal information that the industry would support and benefit from an allocation of funding to promote the industry, and that industry collaboration is very much the norm for marketing and engagement.

The project has developed a survey for vegetable growers, in order to capture a snapshot of information that can be used to inform the industry as to how to proceed. Click here to take the survey and help this investigation.

The project will result in a report for the vegetable industry’s research and development corporation Hort Innovation and peak industry body AUSVEG. For more information on the project, please contact the participants working on this project:
Alex Russell, Chris Friars, Katie Tierny and Andy Shaw.

Growing Leaders for the vegetable industry is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Current project opportunities with Hort Innovation

Hort Innovation advertises opportunities to become a delivery partner on research, development and marketing projects for Australian horticulture on its website and on tenders.net.

Join Hort Innovation’s delivery partner mailing list to receive email notifications of new opportunities by registering through its delivery partner registration form.

The relevant documentation for each opportunity is available on tenders.net. To access this information, you will need to become a member by registering on the tenders.net registration page.

Please find below a table of current project opportunities directly relevant to the Australian vegetable and potato industries. For more details on any of the projects, or for information on other project opportunities across horticulture, please visit tenders.net.

Request for proposal Export facilitators 12pm (Sydney time)
Friday 14 July 2017
Request for proposal Area wide management of vegetable diseases: viruses and bacteria 4pm (Sydney time)
Tuesday 18 July 2017
Request for proposal Vegetable business benchmarking 5pm (Sydney time)
Thursday 3 August 2017
Request for proposal Australia Fresh Collaborative Market Development Program 5pm (Sydney time)
Friday 26 April 2019
Request for proposal Asian market intelligence & data insights 5pm (Sydney time)
Tuesday 30 July 2019

 

Communication of levy-funded R&D is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable and potato research and development levies and funds from the Australian Government.

New Minor Use permits

Permit ID Description Date Issued Expiry Date Permit Holder States
PER82467 Actives: Buprofezin
Crop: Field and protected – cucumber, zucchini, squash/marrow, choko, eggplant, peppers, capsicum, lettuce (leafy varieties) and celery
Disease: Greenhouse whitefly, sweet potato whitefly, silverleaf whitefly, jassids and leafhoppers		 7-Jul-2017 31-Aug-2020 Hort Innovation All states except VIC

All efforts have been made to provide the most current, complete and accurate information on permits. However, AUSVEG recommends that you confirm the details of any permits at the APVMA website.

Users are advised that while the pesticide can be applied legally under the APVMA minor use permit, there can be a significant delay until the maximum residue limit (MRL) gazetted by the APVMA is adopted in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Until this occurs the MRL may not be recognised and a zero tolerance may be imposed for residues of the pesticide resulting from its use according to the APVMA permit.

Please be aware that in the absence of a MRL in the Food Standards Code, the use of the pesticide according to the permit may result in the suspension of the produce in the marketplace. Please check the FSANZ website or the Australian Government ComLaw website to confirm if there are MRLs established by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Please consult APVMA documentation before applying any product to your crop. For more information contact the APVMA on 02 6210 4701.

If an adverse experience occurs as a result of using the permit, please fill out a Non-Performance Reporting Form for Horticultural Pesticides and return to jodie.pedrana@horticulture.com.au. To download a Non-Performance Reporting Form for Horticultural Pesticides, please click here.

This communication has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.