Consultation for Vegetable Strategic Investment Plan – update

As part of the process for producing a new Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the vegetable industry, Hort Innovation has engaged specialist consulting firm Consulting & Implementation Services (CIS). As part of this process they will meet with growers and industry to ensure the SIP accurately reflects how to best spend the R&D levy to maximise the industry’s funding priorities for the next five years.
Over the course of the consultation, CIS will be hosting grower workshops in over 30 locations around the country to provide growers with an opportunity to share their views on what they believe are the most important areas for R&D investment.
The locations for the South Australian, Tasmanian and New South Wales consultations have now been confirmed. Workshops will be held in these areas in the coming weeks:

South Australia:
Technology Park Adelaide
Innovation House, Mawson Lakes Boulevard
Technology Park, Mawson Lakes SA 5095
4.00pm – 6.00pm, Monday 24 October 2016

Tasmania:
Ulverstone/Forth – 6.00pm – 8.00pm, Thursday 27 October (Gateway Inn Hotel, Devonport)
Hobart/Cambridge – Friday 28 October (Mornington Inn, Mornington)

New South Wales:
Bathurst – 6.00pm – 8.00pm, Wednesday 2 November (Bathurst City Community Club, Bathurst)
Cowra – Friday 4 November (TBC)

RSVPs can be sent to veg@consultingis.com.au.

More detailed information for the confirmed workshops and locations and times for workshops in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland will be published in the coming weeks. The workshops in Victoria have now concluded.

Growers are encouraged to attend their local workshop so that they can have their say on where the levy funding should be spent. These workshops will also provide a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues and hear about developments in the vegetable industry.

A survey will also be released soon for growers who are unable to attend these workshops. Please keep an eye on future editions of the Weekly Update for more information about these workshops and the survey.

This consultation is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

AUSVEG Economic Confidence Survey – September Quarter 2016 closing soon

AUSVEG conducts a quarterly economic confidence survey to understand and then communicate the impacts of various economic factors on the business operations of vegetable growers. The survey covering the quarter ending 30 September 2016 is now being conducted, and will close this Friday 21 October.
This survey helps AUSVEG to identify the current business conditions that vegetable growers face and tracks grower sentiment regarding relevant economic factors over time. All responses are anonymous. The survey can be accessed online here.

Economic activities in the vegetable industry for the vegetable industry are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Targeting potatoes to younger consumers for long-term growth

The United Kingdom’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) consumer tracker study has highlighted clear differences between consumer age groups when it comes to their attitudes towards potatoes and health.
The results of the online survey, conducted by UK market research company YouGov, show the need to communicate the health benefits of potatoes to younger consumers.
The latest survey found that 65 per cent of those aged 25-34 think that potatoes are healthy, compared to 76 per cent of those aged over 55. The younger age group is also the least likely to know that potatoes are salt-free, low in sugar and naturally fat-free.
Potatoes may also be affected by the reputational issues suffered by carbohydrates as a whole among younger age groups, with 48 per cent of consumers aged 18-24 agreeing that carbohydrates are fattening, compared to 35 per cent among those aged 55 and over.
More information and detailed discussion of the findings of the latest YouGov survey can be found in the latest edition of Potatoes Australia magazine. To read all editions of Potatoes Australia, please click here.

This communication was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Potato Levies and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Potato Strategic Investment Plan Roadshow to begin in mid-October

As part of the process for producing a new Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the potato industry, Hort Innovation has engaged specialist strategic planning consultancy McKINNA et al to meet with growers and industry to accurately reflect the industry’s funding priorities for R&D in the next five years.
McKINNA et al will be hosting consultations in each Australian state in mid-to-late October to allow growers to share what they believe are the important areas for R&D investment. These consultations are a great opportunity for growers to have their say on the priorities for levy investment in the potato industry. There has already been much discussion around industry profitability, business skill development and exporting, as well as the traditional R&D and extension areas.
If growers are unable to make it to a consultation, McKINNA et al will be interested to hear your views on priority areas for levy investment in the potato industry. Interested growers and industry members can email strategicinsights@mckinna.com.au to have their voices heard.

This consultation is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Potato Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

New Nielsen consumer research available

New reports from Nielsen consumer research into the fresh vegetable market are now available on InfoVeg as part of Hort Innovation’s research project VG15019 Baseline Demographic Research for the Vegetable Industry. The results of research covering the year to September 2016 are now available, including regular analyses, reports, and deep dives.
Nielsen’s Homescan service records the vegetable purchases of 10,000 Australian households, with the data on these purchases then collated into monthly reports which can help the vegetable industry deliver products that best meet consumers’ needs. A wide range of vegetable commodities are covered by these reports.
These reports are available to registered users of the InfoVeg database. Please click here to read the latest reports, or click here to read all Nielsen reports from 2016.
Additionally, the final presentation in a series delivered by Nielsen, organised with the assistance of the National Vegetable Extension Network, will be delivered tomorrow in Victoria. This presentation will briefly explain the project, its data and the resulting analysis, with case studies of how the analysis could be applied to a growing operation. There will also be a brief opportunity for any interested growers to speak with the Nielsen data team one-on-one.

Location: The Top Paddock, Maffra Community Sports Club (Upstairs), 122/126 Johnson Street, Maffra 3860
Date/time: 2:00pm – 2.45pm, Wednesday 19 October
Focus commodities: leafy veg, brassicas, snow peas
RSVP contact: Email – click here

Nielsen Homescan data for the vegetable industry and the National Vegetable Extension Network are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

2016 Growing Leaders participants graduate in Canberra

The Growing Leaders class of 2016 graduated from their seven-month leadership program last week, following a three-day residential in Canberra in which they met with leading parliamentarians and decision makers.

The Growing Leaders class of 2016 graduates in Canberra on Thursday 13 October (Image credit: Good Fruit and Vegetables)
Growing Leaders, delivered through funding from Horticulture Innovation Australia, is the only national Australian vegetable industry leadership program. The program develops the leadership capacity of the next generation of Australian vegetable growers.

Participants in the program took part in three residentials, previously visiting Melbourne and the Gold Coast before the final residential in Canberra. Throughout the 2016 Growing Leaders Mission the group developed projects focused on the future sustainability of the Australian vegetable industry, including community engagement and minimising food wastage.

AUSVEG congratulates all graduates of the 2016 Growing Leaders Mission, and looks forward to seeing them make their mark on the industry in the years to come.

The 2016 Growing Leaders program was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Masterclass to give insights into value-adding for fresh produce and food safety

A masterclass will be hosted in Hobart on 30 November 2016 by two food safety research centres – the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture Food Safety Centre, and the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand.
This masterclass will give food safety professionals, product technologists and food product entrepreneurs insights into tools which can be used to add value to fresh products and take their products into new categories.

Date/time: 9:00am – 1:00pm, Wednesday 30 November 2016
Location: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture – Hobart campus

For more information on the event, please click here.

 

Understanding vegetable imports into Australia

Funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia, RM Consulting Group (RMCG) undertook project VG12083 Understanding the Nature, Origins, Volume and Value of Vegetable Imports to determine the factors driving vegetable imports into Australia and responses available to the domestic vegetable industry.

As part of the project, RMCG have produced five fact sheets summarising key data about recent imports of:

These levy-funded fact sheets provide valuable insights into the overall volume, value and source countries of vegetable imports into Australia, including preserved, dried and frozen vegetables.
The final report from this project, summarising all findings, will become available to industry in the coming weeks.

VG12083 Understanding the Nature, Origins, Volume and Value of Vegetable Imports was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Webinar: How to manage Sclerotinia in vegetable crops with Dr Len Tesoriero

Learn the latest techniques in managing the soil borne disease Sclerotinia in vegetable crops including lettuce, brassicas and beans. Interact with leading vegetable pathologist, Dr Len Tesoriero, Senior Plant Pathologist, Department of Primary Industries NSW, to understand the latest techniques to save money and improve pack out rates.

Date: Thursday 27 October 2016
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm (AEDT)

Click here to register for the webinar.

To find out more about the Soil Wealth and ICP projects visit the website, or join the Community of Practice online. You can also follow the projects on Twitter @SoilWealth and @ProtectingCrops.

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

 

Webinar: Rediscovering cover crops

Cover crops are being rediscovered by vegetable growers as practical ways of improving soil productivity and health. While cover cropping is a simple concept, it can be complex to implement in today’s intensive production systems. In this webinar, Dr Kelvin Montagu from the Soil Wealth – ICP team talks about the use of cover crops in vegetable production and the practical issues which need to be considered.

The webinar will cover:

  • What is your objective for the cover crop?
  • What cover crop to use
  • How to integrate cover crops into vegetable production

Date: Thursday 10 November 2016
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm (AEDT)

Click here to register for this webinar. For more information on this event, please click here.

In a follow-up webinar on Thursday 1 December 2016, Julie Finnigan, technical Agronomist with Serve-Ag in Tasmania, will look at the use of biofumigation cover crops in vegetable production.

The Soil Wealth project is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

AUSVEG attends meetings in Canberra to continue fight on backpacker tax

AUSVEG representatives visited Canberra last week for a series of political meetings to continue discussions about the backpacker tax and other key issues of importance to the Australian vegetable industry.

These meetings included discussions with:

  • Mr Scott Buchholz MP, Member for Wright (LNP)
  • Ms Lisa Chesters MP, Shadow Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Australia (ALP)
  • The Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (ALP)
  • Senator Pauline Hanson, Senator for Queensland (One Nation)
  • Advisors to the Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources (Nationals)

AUSVEG was joined by representatives of state members Growcom, the New South Wales Farmers Association and vegetablesWA throughout the trip to Canberra, and discussed a range of important industry issues, including:

  • the industry’s ongoing uncertainty over the backpacker tax,
  • the need to crack down on rogue labour hire firms,
  • access to labour for the horticulture industry, and
  • the ongoing negotiations over reform to the Horticulture Code of Conduct.

Have your say on current campaigns

AUSVEG is passionate about supporting the Australian vegetable and potato industry through our public affairs and media campaign work and fighting on key issues.

Interested growers are always welcome to call AUSVEG National Manager – Public Affairs on 0404 772 308 if they would like to discuss our current campaigns or bring emerging issues to our attention.

 

Working Holiday Maker reforms referred to Senate inquiry

The Australian Government’s full package of reforms to the Working Holiday Maker program, including the revision of the incoming “backpacker tax” to a rate of 19 per cent, has been referred to a Senate inquiry.

The Senate Economics Legislation Committee is currently considering the reforms, and is due to report on 7 November 2016. Public submissions to the inquiry are open until Friday 21 October 2016.

For more information on this inquiry, including how to make a submission, please click here.

 

Save the date: AgFutures – Innovation and Investment Conference

The AgFutures – Innovation and Investment Conference will be held at the Brisbane Convention Centre across 22-23 November 2016.

The event offers an exciting line-up of national and international speakers over the two-day conference, showcasing two critically important areas driving industry development and expansion: agri-tech opportunities and global investment within the sector.

For more information on the conference, or to book tickets, please click here.

 

AUSVEG in the media

With the backpacker tax featuring heavily in national politics this week, AUSVEG National Manager – Public Affairs Jordan Brooke-Barnett appeared on radio and in print media calling on the Government to push back the deadline for the commencement of the tax to give growers certainty during the coming harvest period while the tax is under review by a Senate committee.

Mr Brooke-Barnett noted that both major parties should work together to end the ongoing uncertainty about the implementation of a finalised tax rate to prevent further damaging impacts on Australian growers.

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.