AUSVEG Weekly Update - 30 May 2017

Fresh look for the InfoVeg R&D database!

InfoVeg, the online R&D database for the Australian vegetable industry, has a fresh new look after being redeveloped as part of the vegetable and potato industry communications programs!

More than 1,400 levy-funded reports, tools, fact sheets and other research documents are available through the comprehensive InfoVeg database, which now has no password restriction, making it easily accessible to growers and all Australian vegetable industry members.

InfoVeg has been designed to bridge the gap between researchers and growers, and research available through the InfoVeg database covers all areas of levy investment, including biosecurity, farm productivity, resource use, market and value chain development and much more.

To use the database, simply enter specific keywords, search for a specific project code, or filter the database by your preferred areas of interest. In the coming weeks, AUSVEG will also be releasing an instructional video to help industry members navigate the database and get full value from the resources developed for the industry.

Other valuable information is also available under the InfoVeg tab on the AUSVEG website, including the InfoVeg Radio R&D podcast and levy-funded consumer research.

Click here to visit the InfoVeg database and take advantage of this great resource.

The InfoVeg R&D database is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable and potato research and development levies and funds from the Australian Government.

Tomato-potato psyllid surveillance update

Agriculture Victoria is reminding potato growers to be aware of signs of tomato-potato psyllid (TPP) and regularly check their crops.

There have been no detections of TPP in Victoria to date. TPP was first detected in Western Australia (WA) in February 2017 and Agriculture Victoria has imposed strict restrictions on the importation of any risk material from WA as a precautionary measure to prevent the pest from entering Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria began a state-wide surveillance program in May 2017 in an effort to confirm Victoria remains free of the exotic pest. Agriculture Victoria is using best practice diagnostic protocols through its state accredited laboratory AgriBio at La Trobe University to test the plant samples.

Confirming Victoria’s Area Freedom of TPP is of the utmost importance and will ensure Victorian growers are able to continue to trade.

Agriculture Victoria appreciates the support of industry as it conducts the surveillance program.

A factsheet is available for growers to help identify the signs of TPP on Solanaceae, Convolvulaceae and Brassica plants.

Growers and community members are reminded that it is an offence under the Plant Biosecurity Act 2010 not to report a suspect TPP outbreak. This can be done by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881, Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or by emailing plant.protection@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

This communication was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national fresh potato research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

AUSVEG Economic Confidence Survey – March quarter 2017

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. This survey helps AUSVEG identify the current business conditions that vegetable growers face and track grower sentiment of these economic factors over time.

Information from the survey will be collated in aggregate form and used to advocate strongly on behalf of the industry in various forums, including the media, and in regular articles providing commentary on such matters.

This quarter’s survey closes on Friday 9 June 2017. To add your voice before the survey closes, please click here. This short survey will take approximately three minutes to complete.

Economics activities in the Australian vegetable industry are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government

Protected Cropping Pest & Disease Workshops – New South Wales

VegNET is running workshops in protected cropping for cucumber and blueberry growers in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales on 28 and 29 June.

These workshops, to be held in Woolgoolga and Coffs Harbour, will focus on identifying and controlling mites in greenhouse cucumbers, cucumber green mottle mosaic virus and farm biosecurity planning, how to grow your business through VegNET, industry updates and integrated pest management for hydroponic berry production.

Woolgoolga
Date/time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm, Wednesday 28 June 2017 (light supper provided)
Location: CEX Woolgoolga Bowling Club, 18 Boundary Street, Woolgoolga NSW

Coffs Harbour
Date/time: 11:00am – 1:00pm, Thursday 29 June 2017 (lunch provided)
Location: Park Beach Bowls Club, 60 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour NSW

The workshops will feature presentations by Andy Ryland (Integrated Pest Management Consulting), Wade Mann (Roses 2 Go), Dr Jessica Lye (AUSVEG), Melinda Simpson (NSW DPI) and Matthew Plunkett (Greater Sydney Local Land Services).

For further information, please contact Matthew Plunkett on 0428 978 390 or email veg.network@lls.nsw.gov.au. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Renee Pearson by Monday 26 June on (02) 4724 2121, or to Melinda Simpson on (02) 6626 1350 or at melinda.simpson@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

VegNET is delivered locally by Greater Sydney Local Land Services and funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

VegInnovations workshop: Developing valued, visible vegetable products

Have you got a ready supply of vegetables and wonder how you can make more profit from them? Maybe you want to know how to process kohlrabi to make a product as sexy as cauliflower rice? Well, this is a workshop that may have the answers for you:

Date/time: 8:30am – 4:00pm, Friday 4 August
Location: Food Innovation Centre, Monash University Clayton Campus, Level 2 (217) Green Futures Building, 13 Rainforest Walk, Clayton VIC

Speakers at the workshop will include Dr Hazel MacTavish-West (MacTavish West P/L), Dr Angeline Achariya (Food Innovation Centre, Monash University), Susie White (The Ideas Catalyst), and other industry experts. Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the Food Innovation Centre, including the Virtual Supermarket Theatre and the 3D Prototyping Packaging Design Centre.

This workshop has been made possible by VegPRO and is free to Australian vegetable levy payers only, but others may attend for a fee. Register for details by clicking here, or email sophiel@rmcg.com.au or hazel@mactavishwest.com.au. You can also click here to view the event flyer.

VG15028 Vegetable Industry Education and Training Initiative is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the research and development National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Hort Connections 2017 – Feedback requested

Did you attend Hort Connections 2017? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

A short survey on the event is now online, and the responses will help us shape next year’s event.

Receiving as much feedback as possible means we can build an even bigger and better Hort Connections for 2018, and ensure that all delegates feel as though they have fully benefited from attending.
To complete the survey, please click here.

New Nielsen reports available

Horticulture Innovation Australia has engaged Nielsen to carry out consumer research to allow the Australian vegetable industry to better understand the shopping habits of Australians. The results of the commodity-specific data collected aim to assist growers to better understand consumer preferences and deliver products that best meet consumers’ needs.

Nielsen Homescan electronically records 10,000 demographically and geographically representative Australian households’ purchases of all take-home grocery goods (fresh and packaged).

A fresh batch of reports using this data is now available for levy paying vegetable growers! Specific commodity information is available for a number of vegetables, including Asian vegetables, beans, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, fresh salad, lettuce, pumpkin, sweet corn, sweetpotato, and zucchini.

Growers interested in these reports can contact AUSVEG by e-mail at info@ausveg.com.au.

R&D Adoption Award video

In April, Andrew Fragapane of Fragapane Farms received the inaugural R&D Adoption Award at the AUSVEG VIC Awards for Excellence. The award, developed by VegNET, recognised Andrew’s adoption of cover cropping and reduced tillage techniques in his operation’s vegetable production.

The video profiles Fragapane Farms and its participation, through hosting a demonstration site, in the national Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects. It also provides a case study of the benefits that Fragapane Farms has enjoyed by adopting R&D. To view the video, click here.

VegNET and the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Bowen Gumlu Growers Association holds Gala Dinner

The Bowen Gumlu Growers Association (BGGA) has held a glamorous and memorable Gala Dinner at the Grand View Hotel Bowen, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Member for Dawson Mr George Christensen MP attending as special guests of the industry. Other dignitaries included Mayor of Whitsunday Regional Council Andrew Willcox and his wife, and Australian Army Brigadier Christopher Field, AM, CSC, who coordinated Queensland’s recovery efforts following Cyclone Debbie.

The dinner was attended by growers and industry members from the Bowen and Gumlu regions, as well as industry members from around Australia, including AUSVEG representatives. At the event, the BGGA auctioned off items to raise funds for cyclone relief following the impact of Cyclone Debbie, as well as to help the Gumlu State School buy a school bus.

AUSVEG congratulates the BGGA on holding such a successful event and for their great work in supporting the horticulture industry in Bowen and Gumlu.

Crawford Fund scholarship opportunity

The Crawford Fund is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that promotes research, policy and training for world food security. The Fund is offering scholarships for young Australian agricultural scientists to attend a program of activities and engagement at its 2017 conference, to be held in Canberra on 7–8 August.

Applicants must:

be under the age of 35 or 40 (as stipulated by the relevant State or Territory coordinator) as at 1 July 2017;
be either a full-time student at a university located in the relevant State or Territory, or be working in agricultural science or an allied industry; and
be able to demonstrate an interest in international agricultural development.

The scholarship will include the conference and two half days of activities on 7 and 9 August. Eligible costs to be met from the scholarships include conference registration fees and related reasonable transport, food and accommodation costs.

Applications close on Tuesday 16 June 2017. Applications must be submitted to the Crawford Fund Coordinator for the relevant State/Territory, who can also provide more background or answer any queries. Their details are on the contacts page of the Crawford Fund website.

For more information on the Crawford Fund Scholar Program, please click here.

New R&D report 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 research and development levies.

The following report was published recently on the InfoVeg database:

VG13052 – Confirmation of ultra filtration as a viable low cost water disinfection and nutrient solution recycling option

Please click here to access the InfoVeg database.

The InfoVeg R&D database is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

2018 Nuffield Scholarships – Applications now open!

Applications for the 2018 Nuffield Scholarships for Australian Primary Producers are now open.

Aiming to develop current, emerging and future leaders within Australian industries, each scholarship offers a $30,000 bursary to enable the successful applicants to study cutting-edge global agriculture.

A range of scholarships are available across multiple industries, including a vegetable grower scholarship supported by Horticulture Innovation Australia.

For more information on these scholarships and information on how to apply, please click here.

The 2018 Nuffield Scholarship for the vegetable industry is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

AUSVEG seeking Agrichemical Project Coordinator

AUSVEG is seeking an Agrichemical Project Coordinator to work on the Agrichemical Pest Management Needs and Priorities project.

This project’s objective is to coordinate vegetable industry agrichemical pest needs by identifying and prioritising potential gaps through implementation of an effective prioritisation process for the industry. Successful roll out of the program will result in an effective agrichemical prioritisation process for the vegetable industry through a high level of industry engagement and input.

For more information, please refer to the job advertisement. Please email employment@ausveg.com.au to request a full Position Description.

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

Seasonal Work Incentives Trial

What is the Seasonal Work Incentives for Job Seekers Trial?

The Australian Government is introducing the Seasonal Work Incentives Trial on 1 July 2017 to help meet the seasonal labour demands of horticultural growers. The two-year Trial aims to encourage job seekers to take up short-term work placements of six weeks by providing them with an opportunity to earn additional income, without affecting their income support payment.

Job seekers can also receive a travel and living away allowance if the work is located more than 120km from their home.

How can I participate in the Trial?

The Trial will be managed from 1 July 2017 by jobactive, Transition to Work and Disability Employment Services providers. Providers will receive a weekly incentive payment for up to six weeks for placing an eligible job seeker into seasonal horticultural work. They will work closely with you to ensure that they are matching the right workers to your jobs.

If you want to participate in the Trial you should contact a provider to discuss your labour needs. Providers are located across Australia, and their contact details are available at jobsearch.gov.au/providers (search by provider type and location).

Where can I find more information?

The Department of Employment is conducting morning and afternoon tea information sessions during May and June for horticultural growers and employment service providers across Australia. These sessions will provide further information on the Trial as well as a great opportunity for growers to network with employment service providers to discuss their labour needs.

The sessions are expected to run for around 1.5 hours.

A full schedule for the sessions can be found here. To register your interest, please contact info@ausveg.com.au or directly to the Department of Employment at SWIT@employment.gov.au.

Australian Supplier Payment Code launched

The Australian Supplier Payment Code, launched on Monday 29 May by the Business Council of Australia, is an industry-led initiative that aims to ensure small business suppliers are paid within 30 days of issuing a correct invoice.

Many small businesses still report that they are facing unsatisfactory delays in payment of up to 120 days. The code aims to respond to this by requiring signatories to commit to paying small business suppliers within 30 days, pay all suppliers on time, provide clear guidance about their payment procedures and other actions.

For more information about the code, please click here.

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.

Type	Title	Closing date
Request for proposal	Tools and interventions for increasing children’s vegetable consumption	5pm (Sydney time) Friday 9 June 2017
Request for proposal	Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection – Phase 2	4pm (Sydney time) Friday 16 June 2017
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 national 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
PER14474 V2	Actives: Methoxyfenozide (Prodigy) Crop: Sweet Corn Pest: Lepidopteran pests, including Helicoverpa spp.	25-Nov-2014	31-Mar-2019	Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited	All states

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 national vegetable research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government.

AUSVEG in the media

AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside appeared in print media this week congratulating Queensland grower Anthony Staatz on receiving the Grower of the Year Award at the 2017 Awards for Excellence, held at Hort Connections 2017. Mr Whiteside said that Mr Staatz is constantly looking for new technologies and practices to adopt on-farm, and noted that to reach such a high level of recognition is an impressive achievement.

Mr Whiteside also featured in print media reports of the State of the Industry panel at Hort Connections 2017, with coverage including his comments on the need to make sure consumers can easily incorporate fruit and vegetables into their lives by making them more accessible and fun.

AUSVEG National Manager – Communications Shaun Lindhe appeared on radio this week discussing the Mental Health Panel held at Hort Connections 2017. Mr Lindhe noted that the panel aimed to break the stigma of mental health issues and encourage members of regional communities to speak up when they’re feeling down.

Mr Lindhe also appeared in print media this week discussing research from the University of Newcastle suggesting that Australian young adults perceive the glowing skin attained by eating vegetables as appearing healthier than skin tanned by sun exposure. Mr Lindhe noted that this is just one of the many benefits to eating vegetables.

AUSVEG National Manager – Science and Extension Dr Jessica Lye appeared on radio discussing the $21 million investment in biosecurity secured by Horticulture Innovation Australia this week. Dr Lye said the money will go towards technology development and pest surveillance, and noted that the investment will ensure the industry has the technology and expertise to deal with future biosecurity issues.

AUSVEG SA State Manager Jordan Brooke-Barnett appeared on radio discussing the proposed rates hike in Playford council, saying it could cost growers tens of thousands of dollars. Mr Brooke-Barnett said that the council would be unwise to make the proposed change to rates.

AUSVEG Weekly Update – 30 May 2017