An engaging online presence allowed the East Gippsland Vegetable Innovation Days (EGVID) to deliver significant benefits to the horticulture industry last week.

Held from 5-7 May, the event incorporated a national demonstration and data collection site.

There were a series of regular events livestreamed daily on social media, connecting thousands of people virtually to the expansive in-field grow site and seed and ag-chem trials.

Spread across two hectares in Lindenow, the EGVID field site featured over 1,500 lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, baby spinach leaf, kale and celery lines, as well as a variety of herbs.

Through careful consultation with relevant authorities, permission was granted to allow a maximum of 50 people on-site at a time.

Together with the participating seed and ag-chem company representatives, growers indicated that the limited number of attendees allowed them to engage in longer, more open conversations about varieties and data that was on show.

A series of videos capturing footage, learnings and insights of the extensive trial site will be hosted on the AUSVEG website in the coming months — making it a valuable resource long after the crops are gone.

The evergreen content will include in-depth discussions about varieties and products, accompanied by virtual tours of individual company plots.

AUSVEG congratulates the EGVID Committee for its tireless work, particularly over the past two months. Its ability to adapt the program in line with the current circumstances meant it was still able to deliver the event for the benefit of the entire vegetable industry.

The 2020 event was generously sponsored by Hort Innovation, Corteva, Agriculture Victoria, East Gippsland Shire Council and AusIndustry.

The production of the videos has been made possible thanks to the support of the Victorian Farmers Federation, OneHavest, Nufarm, East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Enza Zaden, AgCo, Boomaroo and GroLink.