Growing resilience and meeting regional needs

Project Code

Short Summary

Victorian vegetable growers are facing mounting pressures across the board. Rising production costs, shrinking profit margins, prolonged dry conditions, ongoing workforce shortages, and growing regulatory demands are creating a tough environment for growers to navigate.

Year Published

2025

Project Provider

AUSVEG

VegNET Victoria Regional Update

Victorian vegetable growers are facing mounting pressures across the board. Rising production costs, shrinking profit margins, prolonged dry conditions, ongoing workforce shortages, and growing regulatory demands are creating a tough environment for growers to navigate.

In response, many growers have come to understand that success in this environment requires resilience. To not just survive, but thrive, it is essential that they actively build their capacity to adapt and endure.

Developing resilience equips growers with the skills and mindset needed to manage stress, embrace change, remain connected to their networks, and maintain a sense of purpose and optimism.

VegNET Victoria is stepping up with targeted support where it’s needed most—prioritising business resilience, workforce development, and region-specific initiatives shaped by growers themselves.

Moshi Business Training: funded through the VegNET Innovation Fund

This May, VegNET Victoria will host two free, hands-on business training sessions in partnership with a specialist consulting and Industry development firm, Moshie. This will be focused on building business resilience, continuous improvement, and longterm planning. These workshops are part of our continued commitment to deliver solutions tailored to grower feedback and have been made possible through the VegNET Innovation Fund.

Whether you’re aiming to improve profitability, reduce stress, prepare for succession, or take back your weekends, these sessions offer practical tools and 12-month access to Moshie’s proven strategy platform. They’re designed specifically for vegetable producers and will include insights from fellow growers and industry service providers.

Focusing on what matters most – 2024–25 Regional Priorities

This year, VegNET Victoria’s activities are guided by three key focus areas, identified through industry engagement and grower feedback across Victoria’s key growing regions:

Profitability: improving input-use efficiency and linking growers to relevant agtech and research initiatives.
Product Integrity: raising awareness of practices that maintain quality and reduce risk post-harvest.
Workforce & Skills: supporting growers to attract, retain, and upskill staff through tailored extension and workforce development activities.

These priorities reflect the realities growers are facing on the ground and will continue to shape VegNET delivery through 2025.

New RDO contact details – and what’s next

VegNET Victoria is currently transitioning between Regional Development Officers, with a new appointment expected to be in place from June 2025. During this period, growers are encouraged to reach out to the team via the updated contact details.