AUSVEG

Precision farming workshop (Ayr)
2018-07-25 | WA

ABARES Regional Outlook (Rockhampton)
2018-07-25 | Rockhampton Leagues Club, Cambridge St, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia
Join ABARES at the Rockhampton Regional Outlook conference on Wednesday 25 July as we examine the key issues for agriculture at sessions focussed on Creating value in an increasingly connected world; Creating value in the beef industry and Cropping in a changing environment. The opening address will be provided by Michelle Landry MP, federal Member for Capricornia.
Bring your colleagues – it’s a great opportunity to update your industry knowledge, network with delegates and industry experts, discuss regional trends and opportunities, plus access the latest ABARES commodity forecasts and economic data.
This one day conference is free to attend, but pre-event registration is essential. View the program and register on the ABARES website, or contact the ABARES Events team at conferences@agriculture.gov.au or phone 02 6272 2303 or 6272 2260.

Chemical handling workshop (Mount Barker)
2018-07-24 - 2018-07-25 | Auchendarroch House, 17 Adelaide Road, Mount Barker, SA, 5251, Australia
VegPRO is the skills and training program for the Australian vegetable industry, funded through the vegetable research and development levy and shaped by your input to deliver workshops that can upskill you and your staff to help your business succeed.
Its face-to-face chemical handling workshops are designed for the vegetable industry to raise awareness of the potential hazards and risks of chemicals and how to apply them safely.
Following a successful and highly popular series of workshops held around the country earlier in the year, the VegPRO team is returning to South Australia to deliver a second chemical handling workshop for vegetable growers in and around Mount Barker.
This free course includes training about safe chemical handling, storage and transport, as well as education about the safe application of chemicals using correct personal protective equipment and understanding chemical labels.
Successful participants become accredited with ChemCert Australia in the units AHCCHM303 Prepare and Apply Chemicals and AHCCHM304 Transport and Store Chemicals.
To register for this event, which is being delivered by AUSVEG SA through the VegNET project in South Australia, visit its Eventbrite page.

BOM climate and weather workshop (Bowen)
2018-07-24 | WA

NSW Farmers Hort AGM
2018-07-23 | WA

Process mapping training (Leongatha)
2018-07-18 08:30 - 12:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Leongatha Memorial Hall, 6-8 McCartin St, Leongatha, VIC, Australia
Process mapping is the act of defining the jobs done as part of your growing operation, who in your operation is responsible for each jobs, how jobs need to be completed and how you can gauge the success of each job being completed.
By sitting down and mapping out your processes from start to finish, you can get a more thorough understanding of how each job contributes to the overall success of your business.
Importantly, process mapping can also help you properly assess how each job is done in your operation and find ways of doing it more effectively and more efficiently.
By mapping out each job and defining standard operating procedures (or SOPs), you can help to ensure that every task is done in the same way and to the same standard, and you can more easily look for ways to improve the work done on your farm – improving your efficiency and saving you money.
As part of the levy-funded VegNET project being delivered in Gippsland, the East Gippsland Food Cluster is offering free expert training in process mapping for vegetable growers and other industry members who are eager to improve their business practices and increase the efficiency of their work.
This half-day session includes morning tea and opportunities to network with other vegetable growers and local suppliers.
To register for this great opportunity to learn how to remove costs from your business, get in touch with Industry Development Officer Shayne Hyman on 0417 330 081, or e-mail shayne.hyman@eastgippslandfoodcluster.com.au.

VegInnovations roadshow (Canning Vale)
2018-07-10 08:30 - 16:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Perth Markets, 280 Bannister Rd, Canning Vale, WA, 6155, Australia
Are you interested in new vegetable product development but don’t know where to start? Or have you already started developing new vegetable products but want to learn about the innovative technology and fresh approaches that are out there in the marketplace?
If you’re looking for insights, tools, resources and contacts that can help you develop value-added vegetable products that catch and keep consumer interest, save the date for the upcoming VegInnovations Regional Roadshow travelling around Australia across June, July and August.
Coordinated by the levy-funded VegPRO and VegNET programs and delivered by 2017 Churchill Fellow Hazel MacTavish-West, these free workshops host leading experts in consumer trends and the supply chain to help you and your business find new products that can capture fresh market segments and create alternative paths to market for your produce.
Each workshop will also feature local producers who have created value-added products, who will share their experiences and help provide practical insights into the process of new product development, from idea to implementation.
As well as being a great learning opportunity, these events also bring together like-minded industry members to workshop product ideas and discuss consumer trends, making them a great networking opportunity for growers interested in becoming more involved in the product development space.
To register for this workshop, click here.

Predicta Pt training (Adelaide)
2018-07-10 | Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) will be holding a training workshop in July to instruct agronomists, potato growers and processors on how to access PREDICTA Pt, the DNA diagnostic testing service for soil-borne pathogens of potatoes.
If you want to use or deliver the testing service, you’re required to obtain accreditation from SARDI by participating in a one-day training course.
Time/date: 9:00am – 3:00pm, Tuesday 10 July 2018
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
The workshop will cover the strategies and processes to sample paddocks, along with the interpretation of PREDICTA Pt results. For each pathogen included in the PREDICTA Pt service, information on symptoms, basic biology, drivers and importance of inoculum, factors conducive to disease and an overview of possible management strategies are provided.
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 is essential to attend this workshop. For further information and to register your interest in the workshop, please contact Michael Rettke at michael.rettke@sa.gov.au by Friday 29 June 2018.

SWP information session (Coolalinga)
2018-07-09 17:00 - 18:30 (Australia/Darwin) | NT Farmers Office, 460 Stuart Highway, Coolalinga, NT, 0839, Australia
The Chamber of Commerce NT invites industry members to an information session on the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme.
Guest speakers will include:

Melissa Denning – Assistant Labour Attaché for Timor-Leste
Ronan Mackey – Business Development Manager for Seasonal Workers Programme & Pacific Labour Scheme
Andrew Coldbeck – Director of the Job Shop

This session will give an overview and understanding of both Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme. Ronan Mackey will be able to help establish if you will be suitable for either programme. If there are any questions prior to the session please call Ronan on 0487 777 433.
Morning tea will be provided, limited spaces are available so please book to secure your seat.
For full details, see the event website. (Please note that some information on the linked page refers to a workshop in a different location.)

SWP information session (Darwin)
2018-07-05 10:00 - 11:30 (Australia/Darwin) | NT Chamber of Commerce, Suite 1/4, Shepherd St, Darwin, NT, Australia
The Chamber of Commerce NT invites industry members to an information session on the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme.
Guest speakers will include:

Melissa Denning – Assistant Labour Attaché for Timor-Leste
Ronan Mackey – Business Development Manager for Seasonal Workers Programme & Pacific Labour Scheme
Andrew Coldbeck – Director of the Job Shop

This session will give an overview and understanding of both Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme. Ronan Mackey will be able to help establish if you will be suitable for either programme. If there are any questions prior to the session please call Ronan on 0487 777 433.
Morning tea will be provided, limited spaces are available so please book to secure your seat.
For full details, see the event website.

Northern Australia Food Futures 2018 (Darwin)
2018-07-02 - 2018-07-04 | Darwin Convention Centre, 10 Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin, NT, 0800, Australia
This is a great opportunity to find out what is happening on the ground across the north in developing northern agriculture, in the Gulf and Cape of Queensland, the Ord and West Kimberley of WA, and the NT.
Northern Australia Food Futures Conferences focus on how public and private sectors can develop agriculture in the north operating:

43% of Australia’s land mass
60% of Australia’s available irrigation water
Australia’s largest Indigenous communities
1.4 million ha of arable soils

The 2018 Northern Australia Food Futures Conference brings again a down to earth view, led by the NT Farmers Association, by farmers who have succeeded in the north. The program of the 2018 conference has changed significantly and will include various workshops as well as farm visits within NT and traditional plenary sessions accompanied by a tremendous social program.
The 2018 Northern Australia Food Futures Conference will include:

45 speakers from across Australia
Including 6 Ministers from NT, WA, Qld, and federal cabinet
250 participants with over 50% attendees from private sector
Strong financial support from key public sectors and private organisations
Shared experience by successful farmers from all three northern state – WA, NT and Qld
Indigenous and environmental program components

For more information, see the event website.

Hort Connections 2018 (Brisbane)
2018-06-18 - 2018-06-20 | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Merivale St & Glenelg Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia
Combining the National Horticulture Convention and PMA Fresh Connections, Hort Connections 2017 brought together the largest number of growers, supply chain members, government stakeholders and industry service providers in the Australian horticulture industry.
Hort Connections 2018 will build on this incredible foundation to offer delegates the premier event in Australian horticulture, with the theme of halving waste and doubling productivity by the year 2030.
This year’s Hort Connections will have a massive range of world-class speakers, a Trade Show with nearly 300 booths full of service providers and supply chain members, and un-paralleled networking opportunities where you can meet your next industry contact to help your business grow and succeed.
Visit the Hort Connections website for all the latest on this huge event!

Chemical handling workshop (Wonthaggi)
2018-06-05 - 2018-06-06 | Workmens Club, 75 Graham St, Wonthaggi, VIC, 3995, Australia
In coordination with the VegNET program, VegPRO is delivering a series of workshops on chemical handling for vegetable growers around Australia, and a new workshop has now been announced for Wonthaggi in Victoria.
This free face-to-face chemical handling course is designed for the vegetable industry and aims to raise awareness of the potential hazards and risks of chemicals and how to apply them safely.
Dates: 5-6 June 2018
Location: Wonthaggi Workmens Club, 75 Graham St, Wonthaggi VIC
This course includes safe chemical handling, storage and transport as well as safe application of chemicals using correct personal protective equipment and understanding chemical labels. The course includes ACCHM303 Prepare and Apply Chemicals and ACCHM304 Transport and Store Chemicals. To register for the course, visit its EventBrite page.
This workshop is the latest in a series of events being coordinated by the VegNET program in Gippsland. If you grow vegetables anywhere between Phillip Island, the Bunyip River, Mallacoota and the New South Wales border, keep an eye out for future events, which include a negotiations and training course, a planned postharvest management workshop and the next round of the VegInnovations value-adding to vegetable products roadshow.
For more information about the VegNET program being delivered in Gippsland by the East Gippsland Food Cluster (EGFC), get in touch with EGFC Industry Development Officer Shayne Hyman at shayne.hyman@eastgippslandfoodcluster.com.au. For more information about VegPRO, the vegetable industry’s own levy-funded national training program, see the VegPRO website.

HARPS workshops (Stanthorpe)
2018-06-05 | TBC
The Harmonised Australian Retailer Produce Scheme (HARPS) is a retailer-led scheme designed to assist compliance with food safety, legal and trade legislation for suppliers to the major grocery retailers in Australia. The scheme has now been running for 18 months, and over 900 businesses are now HARPS-approved.
Established with the goal of providing a more practical and comprehensive approach, HARPS has the ability to streamline the amount of work undertaken during the audit process. While the overall amount of time and resources saved will differ between businesses, for those currently audited to multiple schemes for multiple customers, transitioning to the use of one base scheme plus HARPS will mean a reduction in audit duration and potentially overall audit costs.
New information sessions have been announced to help increase industry understanding of the scheme:

Wanneroo (WA) (1) – Tuesday 22 May 2018
Wanneroo (WA) (2) – Tuesday 22 May 2018 (Vietnamese translation available at this session)
Carnarvon (WA) – Wednesday 23 May 2018
Mildura (VIC) – Monday 28 May 2018
Robinvale (VIC) – Tuesday 29 May 2018
Stanthorpe (QLD) – Tuesday 5 June 2018
HARPS awareness webinar (including Q&A) – Monday 21 May 2018

These sessions will provide those who are already HARPS-approved with a refresher on the program and help those not currently involved with HARPS get an understanding about what it will mean for their business. They will cover essential details, including:

What is HARPS?
Does your business require HARPS approval?
How to implement HARPS?
How to register your interest in HARPS and what are the timelines?
What additional support and guidance is available?

There will also be the opportunity to ask questions about HARPS.
Growers who can’t make it to one of those workshops can also refer to a new factsheet on HARPS which is designed to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the scheme. More information about HARPS can be found on the HARPS website.

Negotiations course (Sale)
2018-05-31 | Criterion Hotel, 90 MacAlister Street, Sale, VIC, 3850, Australia
VegPRO‘s free two-day negotiations and influencing workshop will be held in Sale later this month, following a successful run of events in other growing areas since late 2017.
VegPRO is a strategic levy investment project under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund that is delivering targeted, tailored training for Australian vegetable growers. In this course, industry members who deal with people on a day-to-day basis (whether it be with customers, staff, transport and logistics companies or anyone else) can learn a wide range of useful skills, including:

increased confidence and effective communication;
managing emotional and difficult conversations;
controlling and influencing conversation to get better pricing outcomes;
preparing effectively to combat pushes from buyers; and
identifying other people’s tactics and having a strategy for responses.

This levy-funded workshop has received great reviews from growers who have participated previously, and is a valuable skills development opportunity for you or anyone else who represents your business in negotiations and other business discussions.
Please note that this iteration of the course has been split into separate weeks for scheduling purposes, but attendees will still be required to attend both days to complete the course.
To register for this free workshop or to see more information, click here.
For more information on the VegPRO project and how growers are shaping its training opportunities, listen to the VegPRO edition of the InfoVeg Radio podcast.

HARPS workshops (VIC)
2018-05-28 - 2018-05-29 | TBC

HARPS workshops (WA)
2018-05-22 - 2018-05-23 | TBC

Sweetpotato pest workshop (Atherton)
2018-05-17 14:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Atherton International Club, 60 Kennedy Highway, Atherton, QLD, 4883, Australia
Using the Vegetable Fund, Hort Innovation has invested in a project to coordinate the agrichemical needs of the Australian vegetable industry by identifying and prioritising potential gaps in growers’ access to the chemistry they need to maintain their productivity and protect their crops.
This information is then used to help growers in a number of ways, including by directing R&D funding for crop protection purposes, like Hort Innovation’s permit renewal and registration projects.
Patrick Arratia, who works at AUSVEG as the Project Coordinator – Agrichemical Pest Management Needs and Priorities, will be visiting Mareeba and Atherton in early May to meet with sweetpotato and pumpkin growers to discuss his pest and disease prioritisation process. If you’re in the region and you grow those crops, Patrick is eager to hear from you about your agrichemical needs!
Pumpkin
Time/date: 2:00pm-4:30pm, Wednesday 16 May 2018
Location: Mareeba Leagues Club, Doyle St, Mareeba QLD
Sweetpotato
Time/date: 2:00pm-4:00pm, Thursday 17 May 2018
Location: Atherton International Club, 60 Kennedy Highway, Atherton QLD
These workshops are being coordinated in collaboration with the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association as part of the levy-funded VegNET project being delivered in Bowen Gumlu and Far North Queensland.
If you’d like more information about these workshops or would like to RSVP to attend, use the following contact details:
Bowen Gumlu Growers Association
Cherry Emerick
0427 701 225
idm@bowengumlugrowers.com.au
AUSVEG
Patrick Arratia
0418 982 572
patrick.arratia@ausveg.com.au
If you’re not in the region and would like to contribute to the project, you can take part in the National Pest Survey, which is also being used to inform Patrick’s work and helps the project identify the industry’s priority agrichemical needs for further action.

Irrigation workshop (Angle Vale)
2018-05-17 08:30 - 15:30 (Australia/Adelaide) | Thorndon Park Produce, Cnr Gawler River Road & Heaslip Rd, Angle Vale, SA, 5117, Australia
VegPRO is an industry-funded national training program that delivers targeted training to growers and growing operations around the country to ensure that you have access to tailored training solutions that meet your needs.
In collaboration with the VegNET project, VegPRO is delivering irrigation skills workshops in Victoria and South Australia in the coming weeks. These workshops will give practical, hands-on training to irrigation operators in the vegetable industry, and will cover:

The relationships between water, crops and soil.
Understanding and managing the irrigation system.
Determining an irrigation schedule that matches crop water needs.
Measuring and interpretation of soil moisture monitoring information.
Strengths and weaknesses of soil, plant and weather based approaches for irrigation decisions.

These workshops are free for levy-payers thanks to a strategic levy investment by Hort Innovation.
To keep up with all the workshops VegPRO is delivering for growers around the country, use the program’s Eventbrite page!

Pumpkin pest workshop (Mareeba)
2018-05-16 14:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | Mareeba Leagues Club, Doyle St, Mareeba, QLD, 4880, Australia

Collaborate | Innovate 2018 (Sydney)
2018-05-14 - 2018-05-16 | Aerial UTS Function Centre, Level 7, 235 Jones St, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
Each year the Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA) holds its annual conference in a different city across the country. The conference is an ideal opportunity for researchers, educators and industry people to network with CRCA members while gaining valuable insights regarding the nature of cooperative research ventures.
networking
In 2018 the CRCA is holding the conference in Sydney at Aerial UTS Function Centre, UTS Building 10, Level 7, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo. This purpose-built conference centre has spectacular views of the city with sweeping balconies and is conveniently located near Central Station.
The Collaborate | Innovate theme highlights the CRCA conference as the leading conference on business-research collaboration and engagement. The conference will explore the importance of business and industry working with researchers to create innovation, and how to foster these relationships.
The CRC Association conference attracts upwards of 350 delegates, including some of Australia’s most influential people in government, industry and universities.
For more information, see the event website.

Crookwell Potato Festival (Crookwell)
2018-05-12 | Crookwell Potato Festival, East St, Crookwell, NSW, Australia
The 2018 Crookwell Potato Festival will celebrate over 150 years of growing potatoes high on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, and there’ll be something for all attendees to enjoy at the event.
This annual Festival is coordinated by the Crookwell Potato Association and celebrates the best that potatoes have to offer. This year’s event will be held on Saturday 12 May 2018, and will be hosted by Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, who’ll be bringing his unique insights and approach to all his Festival duties – whether that’s hosting the potato auction, opening the community garden, or delivering a special workshop for the kids who come along to the show.
Attractions at the Festival will include:

the Spud Auction, a highlight of the day and a chance to buy the very first available potatoes of a newly released variety;
an exciting range of cooking demonstrations at the Patata Café showing off the versatility of the beloved spud;
a musical performance by The String Family; and
a huge range of activities to entertain the kids.

For information on how to get to Crookwell, visit the Festival’s webpage. To keep up with updates about the Festival’s event and attraction line-up, take a look at the event’s Facebook page.

Negotiations workshop (Launceston)
2018-05-09 - 2018-05-10 | Tailrace Centre, 1 Waterfront Drive, Riverside, TAS, 7250, Australia
VegPRO‘s free two-day negotiations and influencing workshop is coming to Launceston, following successful events in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
VegPRO is a strategic levy investment project under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund that is delivering targeted, tailored training for Australian vegetable growers. In this course, industry members who deal with people on a day-to-day basis (whether it be with customers, staff, transport and logistics companies or anyone else) can learn a wide range of useful skills, including:

increased confidence and effective communication;
managing emotional and difficult conversations;
controlling and influencing conversation to get better pricing outcomes;
preparing effectively to combat pushes from buyers; and
identifying other people’s tactics and having a strategy for responses.

This levy-funded workshop has received great reviews from growers who have participated previously, and is a valuable skills development opportunity for you or anyone else who represents your business in negotiations and other business discussions.
To register for this free workshop or to see more information, click here. If you’re interested, you can also contact Sophie Lapsley from RMCG at sophiel@rmcg.com.au or on 0426 200 996.

Agrichemical workshop (Bundaberg)
2018-05-04 13:00 - 15:00, 2018-05-04 10:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Bundaberg Business Enterprise Centre, Cnr Quay & Tantitha Streets, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670, Australia
Using the Vegetable Fund, Hort Innovation has invested in a project to coordinate the agrichemical needs of the Australian vegetable industry by identifying and prioritising potential gaps in growers’ access to the chemistry they need to maintain their productivity and protect their crops.
This information is then used to help growers in a number of ways, including by directing R&D funding for crop protection purposes, like Hort Innovation’s permit renewal and registration projects.
Patrick Arratia, who works at AUSVEG as the Project Coordinator – Agrichemical Pest Management Needs and Priorities, will be visiting Bundaberg in early May to meet with sweetpotato and zucchini growers to discuss his pest and disease prioritisation process. If you’re in the region and you grow those crops, Patrick is eager to hear from you about your agrichemical needs!
Sweetpotato
Time/date: 10:00am-12:00noon, Friday 4 May 2018
Location: Bundaberg Business Enterprise Centre – Webb Room, Corner Quay and Tantitha Streets, Bundaberg QLD
Zucchini
Time/date: 1:00pm-3:00pm, Friday 4 May 2018
Location: Bundaberg Business Enterprise Centre – Webb Room, Corner Quay and Tantitha Streets, Bundaberg QLD
These workshops are being coordinated in collaboration with Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable Growers as part of the levy-funded VegNET project being delivered in the Wide Bay-Burnett region.
If you’d like more information about these workshops or would like to RSVP to attend, use the following contact details:
BFVG
Michelle Haase
0428 716 218
michelle.haase@bfvg.com.au
AUSVEG
Patrick Arratia
0418 982 572
patrick.arratia@ausveg.com.au
If you’re not in the region and would like to contribute to the project, you can take part in the National Pest Survey, which is also being used to inform Patrick’s work and helps the project identify the industry’s priority agrichemical needs for further action.

Leafy variety trials (Gingin)
2018-05-03 10:00 - 15:00 (Australia/Perth) | Loose Leaf Lettuce Company, 198 Ashby Road, Gingin, WA, 6503, Australia
Western Australian growers looking to learn more about managing problem soilborne diseases in their vegetable crops are encouraged to attend the vegetablesWA Leafy Variety Trial day, which will also see the WA launch of Phase 2 of the Soil Wealth/ICP projects.
Dr Doris Blaesing (RMCG) and Dr Len Tesoriero (NSW DPI) will be presenting a practical session focusing on damping off diseases and their control, with plenty of in-field demonstrations, tips and tools.
Hosted by Maureen Dobra and Kevan Dobra from the Loose Leaf Lettuce Company, the day will also offer attendees a chance to tour seed plots where new green leaf varieties are being trialed, including head lettuce and baby leaf varieties.
Growers will also have the chance to speak to representatives from participating seed companies, including Bayer, South Pacific Seeds, Seminis and Rijk Zwaan.
For more information on the trial, you can view the flyer online. To RSVP, contact vegetablesWA’s Christina Ford on 08 9486 7515 or at christina.ford@vegetableswa.com.au.

Soilborne disease farm walk (Carnarvon)
2018-04-30 - 2018-05-01 | TBC
A two-day series of workshops and field days is being coordinated for growers in the Carnarvon region of Western Australia who want to learn more about managing soilborne diseases in their vegetable crops.
Hosted by vegetablesWA as part of the VegNET program, these events will feature Dr Doris Blaesing (RMCG) and Dr Len Tesoriero (NSW DPI) delivering two workshops and undertaking field visits to cover some of the most common diseases affecting growers in the region.
The two workshops will provide information for Vietnamese-speaking growers in the morning, and English-speaking growers in the afternoon. The field days will cover disease issues like nematodes, fusarium, bacterial canker, phytophthora and sclerotinia. For more information, see the Soil Wealth website.
If you’d like to register your interest in attending the workshops and/or field days, contact vegetablesWA Industry Development Officer Sam Grubisa on 0427 373 037 or at sam.grubisa@vegetableswa.com.au.
Growers in southern WA who are interested in hearing from Dr Blaesing and Dr Tesoriero can attend the vegetablesWA Leafy Variety Trial day being held on Thursday 3 May.

Future Farming Masterclass (Bundaberg)
2018-04-27 - 2018-04-28 | Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, University Drive, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670, Australia
Vegetable growers in the Bundaberg region have a great opportunity to see the next wave of farming technology in action at the upcoming Future Farming Masterclass being hosted by Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable Growers (BFVG).
Automation and robotics in the horticulture sector continue to evolve at a rapid rate, and this two-day event will be showcasing some of the most exciting new developments with practical applications on vegetable farms, including:

A demonstration of “Harvey”, a robotic capsicum harvester (Queensland University of Technology)
Insights into vertebrate pest control with drones (CQUniversity)
New information about supporting weedbusting and beneficial bugs with drones (Aerobugs)

For more information about the full range of demonstrations and technical experts at the event, you can check out the program or take a look at speaker biographies.
If you’re not in the region, you can also learn more about some of the technology on show in a fascinating blog post by Michelle Haase, Vegetable Industry Development Officer at BFVG. Click through to read about CSIRO’s RapidAIM technology, which uses internet-linked hardware and software to automate pest detection and help growers and agronomists respond quickly to incursions.
To RSVP or to speak with someone about this event, contact Michelle Haase on 07 4153 3007 or at michelle.haase@bfvg.com.au.

2018 Women's LDM (Europe)
2018-04-21 - 2018-05-04 | WA
The 2018 Women’s Industry Leadership and Development Mission will provide growers in the vegetable industry the opportunity of a lifetime to visit vegetable growing operations and innovative agribusinesses and research institutions in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

TAPG Precision Ag EXPO
2018-04-19 | Hagley Farm School, 2508 Meander Valley Road, Hagley, TAS, 7292, Australia
Tasmanian growers and industry members are invited to this year’s Precision Ag EXPO, a great way to learn about the new technologies and practices that are shaping modern agriculture and helping growers maximise productivity.
This one-day event is hosted by the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group (TAPG) and is a fantastic opportunity to keep up with the latest industry developments, as well as to meet up with other growers and get some fresh perspectives on the industry.
It boasts an exciting line-up of speakers, in-field demonstrations and exhibitors that can help you identify new ways of tackling the challenges that affect your business, including:

In-field demonstrations of potato equipment
Field demonstrations of the RIPPA
Discussions about the economics of drainage with Frank Mulcahy (Simplot), Reuben Wells (Ag Logic) and Will Bignell (DroneAg)
An update on the tomato potato psyllid by National Tomato Potato Psyllid Coordinator Alan Nankivell
The launch of Phase 2 of the levy-funded Soil Wealth/ICP projects

AUSVEG Environment Coordinator Andy Shaw will have a booth at the event for any growers looking to learn more about how the levy-funded EnviroVeg program can help you attain Freshcare Environmental certification. He’s also available to chat to anyone looking to learn more about sustainable resource use in vegetable production, so swing by his booth on the day!
For more information about the TAPG Precision Ag EXPO, see the event flyer here. This is a free event, but if you’re interested in coming along, RSVP for catering purposes to terry.brient@gmail.com.
