E.E. Muir & Sons renews Strategic Partnership with AUSVEG

AUSVEG is proud to announce that E.E. Muir & Sons will continue to be a Strategic Partner throughout 2016.
A family-owned and operated company, E.E. Muir & Sons is a major distributor of fertilisers, crop protectants, seeds and other farm supplies to the Australian agriculture industry. The company also employs highly qualified and experienced field staff who are able to advise growers and assist them to achieve optimum yields and maximum profits.
The renewal of this partnership will mark five years of consecutive support for the Australian horticulture industry. AUSVEG looks forward to working closely with E.E. Muir & Sons on a range of industry issues over the coming year.
For more information on E.E. Muir & Sons, please click here to visit its website.

 

Win a trip to Hamilton Island at the 2016 National Horticulture Convention!

AUSVEG is pleased to announce that all growers attending the National Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner are eligible to win a fantastic prize from AUSVEG Strategic Partner Adama.
Simply book your seat at the Gala Dinner, then visit the Adama stand at the Trade Show and register for your chance to win a seven-night holiday at the stunning Hamilton Island! If you have already registered to attend the Gala Dinner, simply visit the Adama stand at the Trade Show and register for your chance to win.
For more information, click here to read the full competition flyer. To register for the 2016 National Horticulture Convention, please click here.

Export-ready vegetable growers invited to display at the 2016 Reverse Trade Mission Produce Display

All export-ready vegetable growers are invited to register with the AUSVEG Export Development Team to display their produce to 40 international fresh produce buyers at the National Horticulture Convention.
The Produce Display at the 2015 National Horticulture Convention.
AUSVEG will be bringing leading buyers from across Asia and the Middle East to Australia to attend the National Horticulture Convention and to participate in a range of farm visits that will showcase the Australian vegetable industry.
Growers from across the country will have the valuable opportunity to display their produce to these delegates at the Produce Display event, to be held on Friday 24 June from 10am to 1pm.
Places at this exclusive Produce Display are filling up, and AUSVEG encourages interested growers to sign up now to avoid missing out on this fantastic opportunity to establish relationships with the region’s leading buyers.

To download the registration form for this event, please click here (file will download in Word document format). Register to participate in this exciting event by returning the registration form to export@ausveg.com.au or call (03) 9882 0277 for further information.

Vegetable export market development activities are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Pesticide-resistant strains of Green peach aphid spreading across Australia

Insecticide-resistant strains of Green peach aphid, a potato pest and vector for numerous potato viruses, are moving freely across growing regions and dominating landscapes across Australia, according to researchers.
Researchers from scientific consulting company cesar have used genetic testing to explore the movement of Green peach aphid across Australia and the spread of insecticide resistance.
Aphids can cause direct feeding damage to potato plants when large numbers build up, leading to water stress, wilting and reduced growth rate for the affected plants.
While there is an existing general resistance management strategy for Green peach aphid, cesar is also developing additional resistance management strategies. These include avoiding repeated applications of products from the same pesticide group, and encouraging beneficial insects early in the season to reduce broad-spectrum sprays.
More information on this research is available in the latest edition of Potatoes Australia magazine. To read this edition, please click here.

This communication was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Potato Levy and funds from the Australian Government. Researchers from cesar are also conducting project VG12109 – Management of insecticide resistance in the green peach aphid, which is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Seed potato certification

Hort Innovation has commissioned two projects on potato seed certification. These two projects are complementary; they are designed to build on the strengths of current arrangements and benefit all with a stake in the industry from minituber production to trade.
Project PT15005 is looking at governance arrangements and PT15004 is conducting a technical review and update of the current National Standard for Certification of Australian Seed Potatoes (2007).
Both project teams have been consulting with industry and key stakeholders over the past two months. Interested parties should make submissions or provide feedback by 21 May 2016 – see contact details below.
An earlier review (PT13010) and subsequent meeting of stakeholders in Melbourne in September 2015 has provided the starting point for these two projects. Further information on the background can be found here (see page 16).
At the completion of the two current projects it is anticipated that Australia will be able to further enhance its seed potato certification system.
Project PT15005 is looking at governance arrangements across the existing certification system to ensure they continue to meet the needs of regulatory authorities and all industry participants into the future. This project led by RMCG welcomes input from interested stakeholders.
Interested parties can contact Donna Lucas at donnal@rmcg.com.au.
Project PT15004 which is operating in parallel to PT15005 is looking at the technical criteria of the current standard and a website has been created for people to make submissions. To access this website, please click here. Interested parties can contact Russell Pattinson at miracledog@bigpond.com.

Hort Innovation will host a workshop on 2 June 2016 to further consultation on these two investments. If you are interested in this workshop, contact Anthony Kachenko, the Hort Innovation Project Manager at Anthony.Kachenko@horticulture.com.au.

Seed potato certification projects are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Potato Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

New ICP fact sheet: Managing blindness in lettuce seedlings

 

Blindness occurs when the main apical shoot or growing tip of the lettuce is lost during the seedling’s early growth. It is also sometimes called multiple heading or apical meristem decline.
The ICP extension team has developed a fact sheet that covers key information, such as:

  • How much of a problem is this disorder?
  • What does a blind lettuce look like?
  • What causes blindness?
  • How to control blindness.

Click here to view the fact sheet.

To find out more about the ICP project or protecting crops visit the ICP website, or join the Community of Practice online. You can also follow the project on Twitter @ProtectingCrops.

The ICP program is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Global Innovations in Horticulture seminar – speaker list now available!

Australian levy-paying vegetable growers will have the chance to listen to presentations from the world’s leading innovation experts at the 2016 Global Innovations in Horticulture Seminar on Thursday 23 June at RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast.
The Seminar will take place prior to the 2016 National Horticulture Convention, which will be held at RACV Royal Pines from 23-25 June.
The Seminar will feature nine expert speakers from around the world on topics including precision agriculture, processing machinery, robotic technology, genetic modification, agriculture innovation research and plant breeding. The speaker list for this event is now available – please click here to download the speaker list.
Funded positions are still available for attendance at this Seminar for levy-paying growers. Interested parties can contact AUSVEG Global Innovations Coordinator Dylan Komishon on (03) 9882 0277, fax on (03) 9882 6722 or by email at info@ausveg.com.au.

The Global Innovations in Horticulture Seminar is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Join us for a Masquerade!

Come and join us at the National Horticulture Convention for a Masquerade Night, proudly sponsored by DuPont.
Previous theme nights at the Convention, including last year’s Mexican Fiesta, have been fun-filled evenings with great networking opportunities. Tickets to the Masquerade Night are included in a Full Delegate registration or can be purchased separately. For more information about this event, please click here to view the flyer.
To find out more about the 2016 National Horticulture Convention, view the delegate registration brochure. To register for the Convention, please click here.

 

ACCC regional horticulture workshops

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced that it will be holding a number of workshops across Australia focusing on the horticulture and viticulture industries.
This series of workshops will facilitate the ACCC’s consultation with the Australian horticulture and viticulture industries to discuss competition and fair trading issues. The scheduled events are:

  • Monday 6 June 2016 – Shepparton, VIC
  • Friday 10 June 2016 – Toowoomba, QLD
  • Thursday 30 June 2016 – Bunbury, WA
  • Monday 4 July 2016 – Griffith, QLD
  • Monday 18 July 2016 – Murray Bridge, SA
  • Thursday 1 September 2016 – Devonport, TAS

To register your interest in attending the workshops, or for more information on the ACCC’s consultation with the horticulture and viticulture industries, please click here.

 

New R&D reports available on InfoVeg

InfoVeg is a comprehensive database that has been designed to bridge the gap between researchers and growers. It acts as a resource for growers to easily access technical information and research funded by the National Vegetable and Potato Levies.
The following reports were published recently on the InfoVeg database.

  • National Vegetable Industry Communication Strategy (VICS): management and implementation (VG12014)
  • Growing Leaders 2013-2015 inclusive (VG12053)
  • Generation of residue data for pesticide minor use permit applications in vegetable crops 2013 – CPR (VG13028)
  • Women’s Grower Study Tour 2014-2016 (VG13706)

Click here to sign up or log in to your InfoVeg account to access the reports.

InfoVeg is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy, National Potato Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

2016 AusChem Annual Conference

The 2016 AusChem Annual Conference will be held on Thursday 26 May at Dookie College near Shepparton, Victoria. Planned topics to be covered at the conference include storage facility designs, compliance with QA standards (including FreshCare) and working with growers from non-English language groups.
To download the flyer for the event, please click here. For more information on the Conference, please contact AusChem at office@auschemtraining.com.au or on (03) 5622 2055.

 

New Minor Use permit

 

Permit ID Description Date Issued Expiry Date Permit Holder States
PER81244 Active: Fluazifop-P-Butyl
Crop: Brassica leafy vegetables, chicory, coriander, endive, parsley, radicchio, silverbeet, spinach, swede & turnip
Pest: Grass weeds		 1-Jul-2016 30-Jun-2019 Growcom All states except Victoria

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 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 an maximum residue limit (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 MRL 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 or Growcom on (07) 3620 3880.
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.
Minor use plays an integral role in the Australian vegetable industry. Please register your details on the Minor Use Database. For more information, please contact the AUSVEG Minor Use and Agronomy Coordinator Scott Kwasny on (03) 9882 0277 or email minoruse@ausveg.com.au.

 

This communication has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

AUSVEG in the media

AUSVEG Manager – Communications Shaun Lindhe appeared across broadcast media this week commenting on new research that has revealed insecticide-resistant strains of Green peach aphid are dominating the landscapes of Australia. Mr Lindhe said that Green peach aphid is a major pest that needs to be controlled to prevent damage to potato crops and the Australian potato industry.
Mr Lindhe also appeared in print media this week discussing new findings which show that fewer than 10 per cent of children eat their recommended daily servings of vegetables. Mr Lindhe said that the research, conducted by the University of Adelaide, paints an extremely concerning picture of the diets of Australian children at an essential stage of their development process.

Communication of levy funded R&D activities is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy, National Potato Levy and funds from the Australian Government.