Vegetable industry export strategy released

The Vegetable Industry Export Market Development Strategy 2020, delivered by Hort Innovation and developed in conjunction with AUSVEG, has now been released.

The strategy outlines a range of methods to help more growers and the wider industry export Australian vegetables to overseas markets, with the ultimate goal of increasing the value of vegetable exports to $315 million by 2020 – a net increase of 40 per cent on the industry’s current export levels.

Based on extensive supporting data, the strategy spans three volumes and includes snapshots of Australia’s main vegetable export categories and the markets which hold the most potential for the industry.

A summary of the strategy is available online for interested industry members. To read this summary, please click here. To access the full strategy, please contact AUSVEG on 03 9882 0277 or at export@ausveg.com.au.

The Vegetable Industry Export Market Development Strategy 2020 was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using levy funds and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Bayer renews as Leading Strategic Partner
AUSVEG is pleased to announce that Bayer has renewed its Leading Strategic Partnership with AUSVEG, with the international life science company signing up to continue its support for the Australian vegetable and potato industries.

Bayer is a global enterprise offering innovative products that serve the health of humans, plants and animals. With core competencies in the areas of health care and agriculture, Bayer takes on two of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century: the health and the nutrition of the growing population. This partnership renewal continues Bayer’s dedicated and valued contributions to the Australian vegetable and potato industries, and AUSVEG is excited to continue working with Bayer for the benefit of our great industry and its growers.

As part of its support for the industry, Bayer will be speaking to delegates at Hort Connections 2017. For more information about this exciting event, please visit the Hort Connections 2017 website. For more information about Bayer, please visit its website here.

 

AUSVEG Economic Confidence Survey

AUSVEG is conducting 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 will help 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 at COB Friday 3 February 2017.

To add your voice before the survey closes, please click here. This short survey will take approximately three minutes to complete. Thank you for your assistance.

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

 

Soil Wealth Farm Walk: Cambridge, TAS
Houston’s Farm will host a farm walk at their Cambridge farm on Tuesday 21 February, with attendees invited to view the recently established cover crop trial and seven different cover crops on display. Attendees can observe a range of cover crops and see firsthand how they can be managed to fit into vegetable production.

The control plot at the trial site uses conventional cropping, producing approximately two and a half baby leaf crops per year. The main treatments on trial at the site are:

  • Summer cover crops with winter baby leaf production
  • Winter cover crops with summer baby leaf production
  • Perennial pasture for 18 months, then cropping

Details for the farm walk are:
Location: 121 Backhouse Lane, Cambridge TAS 7170
Date: Tuesday 21 February 2017
Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm, followed by a BBQ

For more information, please click here for the flyer, see the Soil Wealth website, or contact Donna Lucas on 0459 047 478 or donnal@rmcg.com.au.

This farm walk is a joint activity between project VG15010 Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection and the National Vegetable Extension Network.

For more information on Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects, you can visit the website, or join the Community of Practice online. You can also follow Soil Wealth and Protecting Crops on Twitter.

Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects are funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

Last chance to provide feedback on the processing potato Strategic Investment Plan
The Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the processing potato industry is almost done! The final draft of the document has been published online by Hort Innovation, and you have until Monday 20 February 2017 to get in any final feedback.

To read the final draft SIP and use the simple online form to provide your feedback, visit Hort Innovation’s processing potato grower page: www.horticulture.com.au/grower-focus/potato-processing.

You can also provide feedback direct to Hort Innovation Relationship Manager Christian Patterson on 0433 896 753 or at christian.patterson@horticulture.com.au.

What is the SIP?
The final industry SIP will be used to help guide Hort Innovation’s strategic investment of the processing potato levy, ensuring that levy investment decisions align with industry priorities. It outlines these industry priorities and the core industry outcomes required by investments.

The SIP is designed to represent the balanced interests of the processing potato industry.

How will it be used?
The SIP will be used like a ‘roadmap’ by the processing potato industry Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP) in providing advice to Hort Innovation on potential levy investments.

What is the SIAP?
The processing potato SIAP’s key function is to provide transparent and robust strategic investment advice to Hort Innovation – helping guide the way the industry levy and Australian Government contributions are put to use.

The processing potato SIAP is made up of panellists from the processing potato industry. Most panellists are levy-paying growers, with appointments made based on skills criteria and considering geographic and sectorial diversity. The SIAP also has a chair, appointed at the end of 2016.

Visit www.horticulture.com.au/grower-focus/potato-processing to see the list of panellists and to access summary notes from the processing potato SIAP’s meetings to date.

How do ideas get to the SIAP?
Anyone is welcome to submit an idea for a potential industry project. To submit an idea, use Hort Innovation’s Concept Proposal Form at http://edms.horticulture.com.au/Forms/ConceptFormV2.

To learn more about the innovation process at Hort Innovation, visit www.horticulture.com.au/about/investing-is-our-business/innovation-concept-pipeline.

Any questions?
Contact Christian Patterson at Hort Innovation on 0433 896 753 or at christian.patterson@horticulture.com.au.

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

 

Vegetable Strategic Investment Plan: Complete the survey for a chance to win a $350 R.M. Williams voucher

As part of the process for producing a new Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the vegetable industry, Horticulture Innovation Australia has engaged specialist consulting firm Consulting & Implementation Services (CIS). As part of this process, CIS will seek industry feedback to ensure the SIP accurately reflects how to best spend the Vegetable R&D levy to maximise the industry’s funding priorities for the next five years, estimated to be worth over $100 million.

CIS has developed a short online survey for growers and industry members to provide feedback on what they think the opportunities are for the vegetable industry in the next five years (it only takes about 10 minutes to complete).

Just by filling out the survey you go into the draw to win a $350 R.M. Williams voucher.

It is important that we get as many growers providing feedback as we can, so please complete this survey and have your say on the industry’s funding priorities for the R&D levy.

To complete this survey and have your say on the future of investment in the vegetable industry please click here.

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

 

2017 Foodex Applications – last chance to apply – closes tomorrow

Levy-paying growers who are currently exporting are invited to attend and exhibit at the Foodex trade show in Japan. Funded attendance will give growers the chance to participate in the largest food trade show in Japan, gain an understanding of the Japanese market and establish new business contacts in North-East Asian markets. The Foodex trade show will be held from 7 – 10 March 2017, with anticipated travel dates for participants of 5 – 11 March 2017.

Applications close tomorrow Wednesday 1 February at 5:00pm. To download the application form, please click here. This form can be returned to AUSVEG at export@ausveg.com.au or via fax on 03 9882 6722.

Participation in the 2017 Foodex trade show is funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.

 

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 are looking to encourage consumers to increase their vegetable consumption. The episode features two interviewees:

  • Martin Kneebone, Managing Director of Freshlogic, who undertook market research around the opportunity to create more vegetable snacking options to quantify market size.
  • Mike Feely, from Horizon Research Corporation, who undertook market research that investigated opportunities for more vegetable meal occasions. The study aimed to identify new occasions, seasons, or ways to consume vegetables that have the most potential to increase demand.

To listen to this edition of the podcast, please click here.

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

 

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:

  • PT10001 – Native Psyllid populations and the distribution of Candidatus phytoplasma australiense
  • PT15004 – Review and Update of the National Standard for Certification of Australian Seed Potatoes
  • VG12109 – Management of insecticide resistance in the green peach aphid
  • VG15061 – Sensitivity study – Impact of increasing vegetable exports on the domestic market

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

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

 

Haifa Group: Grower fertiliser usage survey

Haifa Australia is seeking feedback from Australian vegetable and potato growers in their short survey on grower fertiliser usage and decision making.

The survey comprises 11 questions and can be found here.

 

BOM releases rain forecasts for February – April 2017

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast out of the ordinary rainfall over the next three months, with parts of Australia receiving much higher or lower amounts than they normally would between February and April.

A lower-than-average rainfall in eastern Australia is expected, with north-west Australia and parts of the Northern Territory expected to receive higher-than-average precipitation. For more information, please click here.

 

AUSVEG in the media

AUSVEG National Manager – Communications Shaun Lindhe and AUSVEG spokesperson Dimi Kyriakou appeared across print and radio this week commenting on the ongoing potato shortage affecting Australian retailers and food service outlets. They noted that growers are expecting a positive season which should bring an end to the shortage, barring any significant weather events.

AUSVEG spokesperson Jarrod Strauch appeared on radio this week discussing Australians’ perception of major retailers. Mr Strauch noted that according Project Harvest research, Australians are now perceiving Aldi’s value for fresh vegetable purchases as equal to Woolworths, and only slightly behind Coles. Mr Strauch also stated that the improved competition from Aldi’s increasing position in the Australian market will hopefully deliver benefits at the farm gate.

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.