Regional variation in the efficacy of fall armyworm pheromone-based lures in Australia
9 December 2025
VegNET NT: Supporting smarter pest management – delivering IPM and plant nutrition education and resources
9 December 2025
Regional Development Officers (RDOs), Regional Support Officers (RSOs), Partner Organisations, our National Extension Advisory Group (NEAG), key Hort Innovation and AUSVEG team members gathered together in September for the first time. It was a great opportunity to get to know the whole VegNET team.
Over the two-day gathering everyone shared their positive and, on the flip side, less positive experiences. (Known to our RDOs and RSOs as a Bloom or a Thorn) A strength of the VegNET program is that we are always looking, listening and open to continual improvement. There were several great outcomes, along with the opportunity for improvement in some areas and in general a united and fresh outlook on the project
We saw the strength in our RDOs as they spoke of their work in extension and the value of the process of working with people to enable change. Not only in their passion and expression of what they do and how they do it but, in the monitoring and evaluation of the project. Confirming that this is a time to celebrate everyone’s efforts and continue to keep the momentum going.
In our last milestone period, 673 vegetable industry and 302 onion industry members were actively engaged. The project team have engaged 45% of the vegetable industry over the life the project. The composition of this engagement was significantly weighted toward production, with 46 percent identified as growers and 11 percent as advisors and service providers. The RDOs maintained wide ranging and impactful extension. Their efforts included the successful execution of 162 vegetable and 11 onion events and 321 one-on-one vegetable farm visits, the latter of which provided tailored support and strengthened relationships with both growers and key onsite workers. Beyond in person activities, 40 vegetable extension resources were developed and disseminated to support knowledge sharing and on farm decision-making, including a variety of fact sheets, posters, videos, and training materials, whilst 40 resources have been developed for onion growers over the life of the project.
Communication was also a major focus, resulting in 423 targeted communications delivered to vegetable growers and industry stakeholders. Collectively, these activities were well received events, high-quality extension outputs, and strategic communications contributed to demonstrably stronger engagement across the sector.
Coming together for a celebratory dinner allowed everyone the opportunity to talk and get to know the different team players involved in our VegNET project.
We are all looking forward to 2026, the VegNET Program will meet a milestone of 10 years supporting and working with vegetable and more recently onion growers.
New VegNET Support Officer
Exciting news for our VegNET team. Emily Corbett has joined as a Support Officer based in the AUSVEG office. Emily supports our National Coordinator, Cherry Emerick and Zarmeen Hassan our Project Lead.
Emily Corbett is a young professional with agriculture in her blood. Growing up on her family’s apple orchard in the Yarra Valley, her passion for agriculture was ignited early. From a young age, she has learnt the value of hard work, resilience, and the dedication it takes it takes to succeed in agriculture. Those early experiences shaped not only her career path but also gave her a deep respect for growers and the many challenges they face every day.
Emily completed a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne. After university, she began her career as an agronomist specialising in plant nutrition. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for connecting research with real-world practice. Emily loved helping growers apply new ideas in ways that created meaningful outcomes on farm.
In her new role with AUSVEG, Emily channels her passion for knowledge sharing into supporting the national VegNET extension program. Working alongside the team, she helps coordinate activities that enable Regional Development and Regional Support Officers to connect growers with the latest research and best practice insights. In this role, Emily plays a part in fostering collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across Australia’s vegetable industry.
Australasian Pacific Extension Network (APEN Conference)
The VegNET RDOs recently attended the biennial Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) International Conference in Brisbane from 14 to 16 October. Over three busy days, they connected with extension professionals, producers, researchers and innovators from across Australia and the Asia Pacific, discovering fresh ideas and practical ways to support growers.
The conference had sessions ranging from innovative communication and engagement techniques to hands-on field trips and masterclasses.
One of the highlights for the VegNET RDOs was being able to connect with new industry extension professionals face to face. The conference gave them valuable insights, the ability to share experiences, while networking to further develop connections.