Bill Bulmer is a highly respected third-generation Victorian vegetable farmer and Chairman of AUSVEG. He brings extensive industry knowledge and experience to his role, having been appointed to the AUSVEG Board in 2014 and elected as Chair in 2017.

As the owner and operator of the family business Bulmer Farms Pty Ltd, Bill supplies the processing industry in Bairnsdale, Melbourne, and Sydney, as well as the Fresh Markets all down the eastern seaboard.

Bill is also an active member of the vegetable industry and the local community, serving on various committees and boards, including the AUSVEG VIC Executive Committee and the Hort Innovation Vegetable Strategic Investment Advisory Panel. He has previously held roles on the VFF Hort Committee, Board of the East Gippsland Water Catchment Authority, Chair of the Mitchell River Catchment Agricultural Business Association, Chair of the Lindenow Irrigators Advisory Committee, and the East Gippsland Food Cluster.

Bill is known for his commitment to local community initiatives, making him a well-rounded leader in the industry.

Renee Pye is the Deputy Chair of AUSVEG and General Manager of Zerella Fresh, a leading potato, carrot, and onion packhouse. As General Manager, Renee oversees all aspects of the business. She has been instrumental in the success of Zerella Fresh’s Spud Lite range, which has contributed significantly to the company’s recent growth.

In addition to her role at Zerella Fresh, Renee is a dedicated industry representative, sitting on several boards, including the Murraylands Food Alliance and Hort Innovation’s Onion and Potato Strategic Investment Advisory Panels, demonstrating her commitment to the growth and development of the local industry.

Renee is also actively involved in political advocacy as the Chair of AUSVEG SA, working closely with state-level politicians to secure key infrastructure investments, and other outcomes for the industry. She is a respected and influential voice in the industry.

Andrew Moon from Moonrocks, farms alongside his brother David in the South -West Queensland town of St George. In the early 90s the brothers started growing rockmelons. Today they specialise in onions, garlic, and pumpkins.

Andrew’s key role in the business is post-farm production, marketing, and logistics. Their key customer base is broad, specialising in fresh and process product for both domestic and international markets.

Being involved with industry groups has always been important to Andrew. He served as Chair of Onions Australia from 2013 – 2016. Prior to that he was on the Onions Industry Advisory Committee for five years. He is now in an advisory role on the Hort Innovation Post-Farmgate Vegetable SIAP. Andrew was appointed as a Grower Director on the AUSVEG Board in November 2022.

Cowra, NSW grower Ed Fagan was elected to the AUSVEG Board in 2023.

Ed is a fifth generation NSW vegetable farmer running the family farming business Mulyan Pty Ltd. Mulyan comprises of three main enterprises – livestock, broadacre farming and intensive horticulture. The main vegetable crops grown are beetroot, corn and asparagus. The business has been growing vegetables since 1943 and processing vegetables since 2014.

Ed is an active member of the vegetable and irrigation industries, currently serving on the board of Lachlan Valley Water, and served from 2011 to 2022 on the Hort Innovation Pre-Farm Gate SIAP and Advanced Cropping Systems EAP. Ed is currently the Chair of the Water NSW Lachlan Customer Advisory Pannel and is a member of the Spark Labs Cultiv8 start up accelerator mentor panel.  He has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney.

Ed has been nominated for the Horticulture Awards for Excellence Vegetable Grower of the Year five times, and was the NSW Farmer of the Year in 2015.

Pennie Patane is a highly esteemed member of the AUSVEG Board, having been appointed in 2020.

With a background in banking, Pennie married into the horticulture sector and, together with her husband Michael, established a vegetable growing business in 1999, starting with potatoes and moving into carrots, onions, and broccoli. The couple’s vertically integrated business supplies the retail sector, export markets, and their own wholesale market floor.

Pennie is an active member of the horticulture community, having previously served as a committee member of the Potato Growers Association of Western Australia. She is currently a member of the vegetablesWA Committee of Management and Chair of the Myalup Coast Growers, as well as a member of the Harvey Agricultural College Advisory Panel.

Her key interest is encouraging more young people to pursue a career in horticulture. Pennie’s valuable insights and experience make her an asset to the AUSVEG Board.

Mark Kable is the co-owner of Harvest Moon, which is one of the largest vegetable growing businesses in Australia that operates across Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland. Harvest Moon Tasmania grows onions, carrots, beans, broccoli and cauliflower on a yearly basis, while its mainland branches in Victoria and Queensland source additional produce from more than 80 growers, giving the business nation-wide exposure through markets and retail networks.

Mark has held many positions within the industry, including currently serving as the Chair of the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group, which brings together primary producers, the food and non food agricultural manufacturing sector, plantation forestry, agribusiness (services to agriculture) and Government.

Mark was nominated to join the AUSVEG Board as a Grower Director in November 2022.

Elected to the AUSVEG Board in September 2020, Mitchael Curtis is the owner-operator of Kings Farms, a third-generation family farm based just south of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Established as the first commercial mango plantation in the Venn area, Mitchael now runs the farm with his family after taking over operations from his father. Under Mitch’s management, the farm has seen significant growth and expansion and now harvests pumpkins, eggplants, watermelons, cassava, bush honey and over five million mangoes each year.

Mitchael is a past board member of the Northern Territory Mango Industry Association. He is passionate about education and training as well as philanthropy projects in countries such as India, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.