AUSVEG

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Griffith)
2017-10-20 10:30 - 12:00 (Australia/Sydney) | Griffith Ex-Servicemen’s Club, 6/12 Jondaryan Avenue, Griffith, NSW, 2680, Australia
Growers are invited to attend a series of information sessions regarding on the Australian Government’s Seasonal Work Incentives Trial, which commenced on 1 July 2017.
The Trial offers financial incentives to encourage unemployed people to take up short-term seasonal work opportunities in the horticultural industry to help address the seasonal labour demands of horticultural growers.
For a full schedule of workshop locations, dates and times, please click here. For more information on the Seasonal Work Incentives Trial, please see this fact sheet, or visit the Department of Employment’s website.
Growers who are interested in attending a workshop can register their interest by email at SWIT@employment.gov.au.

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Batlow)
2017-10-19 11:00 - 12:30 (Australia/Sydney) | RSL Club Batlow, 6 Mayday Road, Batlow, NSW, 2730, Australia

Workshop: WorkSafe seminars (Bentley)
2017-10-19 08:30 - 15:30 (Australia/Perth) | Technology Park Function Centre, 2 Brodie Hall Drive, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
The 2017 Safety and Health Workshops are aimed at anyone who is a business owner, employer, manager, supervisor, safety and health representative or an OSH manager.
You will have the opportunity to hear and learn from presenters with a wealth of occupational safety and health industry experience and expertise, as well as gain tools, techniques and strategies to take back to your workplace.
Morning session: This practical workshop is aimed at OSH advisors, managers and supervisors who deal with plant equipment in the workplace. The session will cover:

registration of plant using Form 101;
what type of plant requires registration;
maintenance of plant; and
record keeping

Participants will have the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on knowledge and experience utilising cranes, pressure equipment, forklifts and elevated work platforms (EWPs).
The workshop will conclude with the examination of a catastrophic pressure vessel accident that resulted in the death of two workers.

Afternoon session: Repeat of morning session.
For more information, see the event website.

PMA Fresh Summit (USA)
2017-10-19 - 2017-10-21 | Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA, United States
When Produce Marketing Association’s annual Fresh Summit Convention & Expo convenes Oct. 19-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, it will be a global affair with more than 1,000 fresh produce and floral exhibitors from nearly 30 countries, and attendees expected from more than 60 countries.
Fresh Summit draws diverse attendees from around the world who are looking for new products, suppliers and innovations. Participants include multinational retailers looking to source from suppliers, companies wishing to provide products to commercial growers, and solution providers with products to make the supply chain more efficient.
Reflecting today’s increasingly global produce and floral marketplace, this year’s convention theme is “Let’s Grow Together.” PMA’s Fresh Summit will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in the Crescent City of New Orleans.
For more information, see the event website.

Webinar: Pesticides and insect control
2017-10-18 12:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Sydney) | VIC
Chemicals have different modes of action that can affect both insect pest and beneficial species differently. It’s important to understand the risk profile of these modes of action, and how this influences resistance management as well as informing the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Join the ICP project team and guest presenter Dr Paul Umina from cesar for this interactive session.
Click here to register for the webinar, which is delivered as part of a strategic levy investment through the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund.
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 @SoilWealthand @ProtectingCrops.

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Yarra Valley)
2017-10-18 11:00 - 12:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | Memo Cultural Centre, 235 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, VIC, 3777, Australia

Workshop: Women in farm business (Caboolture)
2017-10-18 09:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Caboolture Hub, 4 Hasking St, Caboolture, QLD, 4510, Australia
In October, QFF is hosting workshops to connect with women in farm businesses. The workshops will look at the range of leadership spaces where women could have an impact and open discussions about the barriers that constrain women from stepping into wider leadership roles and the support or resources that would be useful to help them move ahead in business and beyond.
These workshops are an opportunity for women to pause for a moment, consider their options and aspirations, and plan their next move.
Jess Fealy, Mareeba mango and avocado grower and Queensland finalists in the 2017 Rural Women’s Awards, will talk about the strategies she has used to build her networks and influence, and there will be some other inspiring speakers as well.
These workshops are funded through the Office of Small Business under the Advancing Women in Business program and also supported by Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and AustSafe Super. The workshops will help QFF prepare recommendations for the best way forward for leadership development for women in Queensland’s agricultural sector.
For more information, see the event website.

Workshop: Workplace Essentials (South Johnstone)
2017-10-18 08:45 - 16:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | DAF South Johnstone, South Johnstone Road, South Johnstone, QLD, Australia
Enrol now to attend a Workplace Essentials workshop and get the information and resources you need to boost your farm business’ health, safety and people management skills.
These workshops are being funded the Queensland Government and facilitated by the Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN). They have been specifically tailored for farm managers, team leaders and supervisors and will include practical activities.
During the full day workshops, the following topics will be covered:
SESSION ONE: Workplace health and safety
• Update on Workplace Health and Safety laws and regulations
• WHS compliance checklist
• Understanding and managing risks and hazards
• When and how and to report incidents
• Overview of useful WHS services and resources available to businesses
SESSION TWO: People management
• Performance and behaviour management
• Handling conflict, bullying and difficult conversations in the workplace
• Supervisor responsibilities
• Update on workplace relations laws, regulations and programs
• Overview of further training and funding available
COST:
$30 per person – includes workshop, resources, morning and afternoon tea, and lunch.
For more information, please see the event website.

Workshop: WorkSafe seminars (Bentley)
2017-10-18 08:30 - 15:30 (Australia/Perth) | Technology Park Function Centre, 2 Brodie Hall Drive, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
The 2017 Safety and Health Workshops are aimed at anyone who is a business owner, employer, manager, supervisor, safety and health representative or an OSH manager.
You will have the opportunity to hear and learn from presenters with a wealth of occupational safety and health industry experience and expertise, as well as gain tools, techniques and strategies to take back to your workplace.
Morning session: This session provides Safety and Health Representatives with the opportunity to update their communication skills with Christine exploring challenging and engaging safety conversations. Participants will also hear from Kath about slips and trips, how they are caused, why preventing them is important and how to reduce the risk. This session is intended for safety and health representatives and is an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded people from other organisations
Afternoon session: Repeat of morning session.
For more information, see the event website.

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Cobram)
2017-10-17 15:30 - 17:00 (Australia/Sydney) | Cobram Barooga Golf Club, Golf Course Road, Barooga, NSW, 3644, Australia

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Swan Hill)
2017-10-17 10:00 - 11:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | Swan Hill Club, 5-17 McCallum St, Swan Hill, VIC, 3585, Australia

Workshop: Women in farm business (Toowoomba)
2017-10-17 09:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | QDAF Toowoomba, 203 Tor Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia

Workshop: Workplace Essentials (Mareeba)
2017-10-17 08:45 - 16:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Jackaroo Motel, 340 Byrnes St, Mareeba, QLD, 4880, Australia
Enrol now to attend a Workplace Essentials workshop and get the information and resources you need to boost your farm business’ health, safety and people management skills.
These workshops are being funded the Queensland Government and facilitated by the Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN). They have been specifically tailored for farm managers, team leaders and supervisors and will include practical activities.
During the full day workshops, the following topics will be covered:
SESSION ONE: Workplace health and safety
• Update on Workplace Health and Safety laws and regulations
• WHS compliance checklist
• Understanding and managing risks and hazards
• When and how and to report incidents
• Overview of useful WHS services and resources available to businesses
SESSION TWO: People management
• Performance and behaviour management
• Handling conflict, bullying and difficult conversations in the workplace
• Supervisor responsibilities
• Update on workplace relations laws, regulations and programs
• Overview of further training and funding available
COST:
$30 per person – includes workshop, resources, morning and afternoon tea, and lunch.
For more information, see the event website.

Workshop: WorkSafe seminars (Bentley)
2017-10-17 08:30 - 15:30 (Australia/Perth) | Technology Park Function Centre, 2 Brodie Hall Drive, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
The 2017 Safety and Health Workshops are aimed at anyone who is a business owner, employer, manager, supervisor, safety and health representative or an OSH manager.
You will have the opportunity to hear and learn from presenters with a wealth of occupational safety and health industry experience and expertise, as well as gain tools, techniques and strategies to take back to your workplace.
Morning session: Slips, trips and falls cause injuries in the workplace and accounted for approximately 23.5% of all lost time injuries in Western Australian workplaces over the last five years. During this workshop you will learn about slips and trips, how they are caused, why preventing them is important and how to reduce the risk. Presenters from various organisations will provide practical examples of what has been done to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls in their own workplaces.
Afternoon session: Managing asbestos issues can be complex and challenging and involve multiple government agencies. Good communication is a vital and key part of the process. This session will discuss the management of (existing) asbestos in workplaces, its removal and some of the common issues and problems that are encountered by WorkSafe and the Department of Health. The presentation will include a case study regarding a successful asbestos removal project carried out on a historic item of plant in a highly sensitive location.
This is a practical session where participants will develop and apply their knowledge of organisational risk factors that contribute to psychosocial hazards and learn how to conduct a risk assessment specifically for psychosocial hazards.
For more information, see the event website.

National Nutrition Week
2017-10-15 - 2017-10-21 | VIC
With beginnings more than 20 years ago, National Nutrition Week is Nutrition Australia’s annual healthy eating awareness campaign.
National Nutrition Week always coincides with the United Nations’ World Food Day, which takes place on 16 October.
The theme for National Nutrition Week 2017 is Try for 5, encouraging Australians to increase their vegetable consumption to the recommended five serves per day.
National Nutrition Week 2017 is 15-21 October 2017. For more information, see the Nutrition Australia website!

Workshop: Controlling weeds (Burdekin)
2017-10-14 12:00 - 14:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Farmacist office, 68 Tenth St, Home Hill, QLD, 4806, Australia
Growcom is presenting an innovative event with Dr Graham Brodie from The University of Melbourne. Dr Brodie will cover his development of the use of microwave technology to control agricultural weeds and update attendeeson the commercialisation of this equipment.
For more information, and to register, see the event website.

Women of the Land exhibition opening (Melbourne)
2017-10-13 11:00 - 12:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
Sunday 15 October marks the United Nations International Day of Rural Women, a chance to celebrate the important role of rural women throughout the world. To celebrate, Melbourne Museum will hold an opening event for its Women of the Land exhibition on Friday 13 October.
This installation is a collaboration between the Invisible Farmer Project and Her Place Museum, and celebrates rural women who work, protect and heal the land. It will run until Sunday 26 November.
For more information on the Women of the Land exhibition opening, please click here to view the event flyer.

Workshop: Hort Code of Conduct (Nambour)
2017-10-12 10:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Maroochy Research Station (QDAF), 47 Mayers Road, Nambour, QLD, 4560, Australia
Growcom, along with regional horticulture bodies, invites Queensland growers to attend free grower-specific regional workshops to help them understand how the Code protects their businesses and to make sure they meet their obligations.
These workshops will help growers understand types of trading arrangements and additional protections under the new Code. They will also help growers get the most out of the Code without being overwhelmed by paperwork and will describe the process for raising concerns and issues.
These workshops are sponsored by the HiveXchange and supported by the VegNET program, which is a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund.

For more information on this workshop, see Growcom’s website.

Workshop: WorkSafe seminars (Bentley)
2017-10-12 08:30 - 15:30 (Australia/Perth) | Technology Park Function Centre, 2 Brodie Hall Drive, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
The 2017 Safety and Health Workshops are aimed at anyone who is a business owner, employer, manager, supervisor, safety and health representative or an OSH manager.
You will have the opportunity to hear and learn from presenters with a wealth of occupational safety and health industry experience and expertise, as well as gain tools, techniques and strategies to take back to your workplace.
Morning session: Fatigue is more than feeling tired and drowsy. It can occur because of prolonged mental or physical activity, sleep loss and/or disruption of the internal body clock. This workshop will examine the science of sleep and the effects on mental and physical health. The workshop will also examine how fatigue impacts local commuting, office workers, construction, production and maintenance work, heat and hydration and occupational drivers.
Afternoon session: Andrew Sutherland will introduce the topic of human factors and its role in workplace safety, including:

Focus on ensuring human reliability in safety critical tasks
Understanding why and how people make mistakes
Introduction to the factors that influence human performance
Improving workplaces and equipment to prevent errors

For more information, see the event website.

Webinar: Risk assessment for pre-harvest water use
2017-10-11 12:00 - 13:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | VIC
Targeted at growers and Quality Assurance (QA) personnel, this event has been specifically organised by the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand with direct input from the horticulture (fruit and vegetable) industry.
Focusing on risk assessment of pre-harvest water, speakers will discuss common pitfalls and corrective actions. Risk assessment is the identification of hazards and analysis of potential impacts, and pre-harvest water includes all on-farm use of water, up to the point of harvest.
For more information, please see the flyer, or to register for this webinar, please click here.

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Bowen)
2017-10-11 09:00 - 10:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Grand View Hotel, 5 Herbert St, Bowen, QLD, 4805, Australia

ABARES Conference (Toowoomba)
2017-10-11 | Toowoomba City Golf Club, 254 South Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia
ABARES’ one day conferences are a part of sharing its commodity forecasts and research results directly with regional communities. ABARES works with local organisations to develop a tailored conference program and address key local agricultural issues and commodities.
At each Regional Outlook conference, senior ABARES economists present the economic overview and forecasts for key agricultural commodities and farm financial performance. A range of regionally based speakers and producers discuss industry challenges and strategies for growth, investment and innovation opportunities, natural resource management, labour and water issues, plus case studies from people taking innovative approaches in their businesses.
Delegates include farmers and other producers, bankers, consultants and other service providers, rural counsellors, local business owners, state and local government staff, regional development groups and many others with an interest in their region.
For more information, see the ABARES website.

Workshop: Hort Code of Conduct (Geraldton)
2017-10-10 15:00 - 18:30 (Australia/Perth) | DPIRD Geraldton, 20 Gregory St, Geraldton, WA, 6530, Australia
vegetablesWA CEO John Shannon will be going over the Horticulture Code of Conduct to explain some of the key details, including:

Why do we need a Horticulture Code of Conduct?
How does the Code apply to me?
What are “Terms of Trade”?
What are my rights and obligations, as a grower, under the Code?
Does this Code protect the Grower or the Buyer?

A Vietnamese translation of the presentation will be provided by Truyen Vo, Industry Extension Officer for vegetablesWA.
Also in attendance from the vegetablesWA team will be Claire McClelland (Market Development Manager) and Sam Grubisa (Industry Extension Officer).
For more information, see the event flyer.

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Home Hill)
2017-10-10 15:00 - 16:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Burdekin Memorial Hall, 77-79 Ninth Avenue, Home Hill, QLD, 4806, Australia

Webinar: Nematodes in vegetable soils
2017-10-10 12:30 - 13:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | VIC
Join nematode specialist Dr Sarah Collins from the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for an engaging webinar on Nematodes in vegetable soils – managing the bad and good ones.
This webinar will initially focus on the pest nematode, outlining the life cycles of the root-knot and root-lesion nematodes and how this can be used to target control measures.
The webinar will also touch on the beneficial free-living nematodes, discussing how these can be managed and used as soil health indicators.
To register for the webinar, click here. The webinar is delivered by project VG15010 A multi-faceted approach to soil borne disease management. This project has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the vegetable levy and funds from the Australian Government.

Workshop: SWIT Information Session (Ingham)
2017-10-10 10:00 - 11:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | TYTO Conference and Event Centre, 73-75 Mcilwraith Street, Ingham, QLD, 4850, Australia

Workshop: WorkSafe seminars (Bentley)
2017-10-10 08:30 - 15:00 (Australia/Perth) | Technology Park Function Centre, 2 Brodie Hall Drive, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
The 2017 Safety and Health Workshops are aimed at anyone who is a business owner, employer, manager, supervisor, safety and health representative or an OSH manager.
You will have the opportunity to hear and learn from presenters with a wealth of occupational safety and health industry experience and expertise, as well as gain tools, techniques and strategies to take back to your workplace.
Morning session: When friendships between co-workers go awry it can have a significant impact on the workplace. During this workshop, WorkSafe will examine leadership strategies that can assist managers and supervisors deal with these issues and examine ways to minimize the fallout of a friendship breakup at work. This workshop is intended for managers and supervisors.
Afternoon session: Unhealthy work related behaviours and stress can come in a variety of avenues, in person, via social media, email or via text/SMS. Stress that has such harmful effects is now being recognised as a major workplace issue with significant costs for organisations, individuals and their families. Work-related stress becomes a concern where it is intense or sustained for such a time that it causes ill-health, psychological injury and workers’ compensation claims. Where significant numbers of employees experience the effects of stress at work, the problem can assume organisational proportions.
This is a practical session where participants will develop and apply their knowledge of organisational risk factors that contribute to psychosocial hazards and learn how to conduct a risk assessment specifically for psychosocial hazards.
For more information, see the event website.

Workshop: Hort Code of Conduct (Devonport)
2017-10-10 08:00 - 10:00 (Australia/Hobart) | Edgewater Hotel, 4 Thomas St, Devonport, TAS, 7310, Australia
VegNET Tasmania is hosting an information session for vegetable growers about the new Horticulture Code of Conduct, including how it applies to growing operations, how to make sure businesses are compliant, and growers’ obligations under the Code.
This information session is free, being delivered through the strategic levy investment project VegNET as part of the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund. The session will be presented by Jill Briggs and Jacqueline Sutherland from Horticulture Code Consultants.
For more information, or to register for the event, please click here. Interested growers can also contact VegNET Industry Development Officer Emma Egan on 0448 214 745 or at emmae@rmcg.com.au.

Workshop: Negotiations and Influencing Course (Gatton)
2017-10-10 - 2017-10-11 | University of Queensland (Gatton Campus), 5391 Warrego Highway, Gatton, QLD, Australia
The VegPRO project, a strategic levy investment by Hort Innovation as part of the Vegetable Fund, is coordinating a course on managing negotiations and influencing people for vegetable industry members. Please note that this course (previously scheduled to be held in Bundaberg on 13 and 14 September) has changed date and location.
This course is suitable for anyone that deals with staff, suppliers or logistics companies on a daily basis. Topics covered in the workshop will include identifying tactical manoeuvres, managing emotional atmospherics, controlling the sequence of the influencing process and breaking deadlocks creatively.
For more information on this workshop, please see the event flyer, or contact VegPRO via sophiel@rmcg.com.au or on 0426 200 996. To register to attend the course, please click here.

Workshop: Hort Code of Conduct (Carnarvon)
2017-10-09 16:30 - 18:30 (Australia/Perth) | DPIRD Carnarvon, South River Road, Carnarvon, WA, 6701, Australia
