vegetables

Editorial732Harvest FarmsIt was great for the team atVegetables Australia to catchup with so many vegetablegrowers and industry membersduring the National HorticultureConvention, Trade Show andAwards for Excellence, whichwas held at Jupiters Gold Coastfrom 25-27 June. A recordbreaking1,400 delegatesattended the three-day event thisyear and, for those who missedout, you can find a wrap-up ofthe Convention highlights onpage 9. The annual NationalAwards for Excellence GalaDinner also celebrated theachievements of outstandingmembers of the vegetableindustry, with a full list of awardwinners detailed on page 12.Two vegetable levy-fundedevents were also held oneither side of the Convention,addressing major topicsof interest to the industry.The Global Technologies inHorticulture Seminar on 25June gave growers a uniqueinsight into some of the leadingtechnologies from around theworld with untapped potentialfor use in the Australianvegetable industry (page 16),while the Exporting to SouthEast Asia Seminar on 28 Juneprovided key facts and practicaladvice on exporting Australianproduce to this lucrative region(page 22).The AUSVEG ExportDevelopment team was alsobusy during the Convention,facilitating over 40 internationalbuyers who took part in the2015 Reverse Trade Mission.It was encouraging to see somany local vegetable growersparticipating in the event,displaying their produce at theConvention and discussingpotential business opportunitieswith the delegates. Moreinformation on the mission canbe found on page 20.Back on the farm, our Younggrower profile for this editionfocuses on Kane Buschfrom Victoria, who providesan overview of his organicvegetable growing operationin East Gippsland (page 18).Meanwhile, we speak toLawrence Cowley at HarvestFarms about the challengesof setting up the vegetablegrowing operation in Richmond,Tasmania and the goals aheadfor the company (page 32).Also, our EnviroVeg growerprofile for this edition isBryce Henderson, who hassuccessfully introduced arange of environmentallyfriendlyfarming practices to hisproperty in Queensland, whichhave ultimately allowed him toexpand his business (page 40).There is plenty in store forreaders in the R&D sphere aswell, with the latest instalmentto the Veggie Stats series ofcommodities focusing on sweetcorn production (page 27). The202015 ReverseTrade Missionkey findings from an in-depthresearch project conductedby Euromonitor Internationalon vegetable innovations infresh and minimally processedvegetables across the globe isalso outlined on page 34.In a timely biosecurity update,red imported fire ants form thefocus of this edition’s Front Linecolumn, which outlines some ofthe most useful methods thatvegetable growers can use todetect and eradicate coloniesas the pest continues its marchfrom the Brisbane region (page36).Finally, readers can learn moreabout the key highlights from the2015 USA Industry Leadershipand Development Mission earlierin the year, which gave ninevegetable growers the chance tovisit some of the most successfulvegetable growing regions inCalifornia and Arizona, as well asthe World Agriculture Expo. Tofind out the key points of interestto participants, turn to page 30.Vegetables Australia July/August 2015FOR THEPROFESSIONALNo.1 GROWERContactWayne Millsto discuss theright machine tosuit your needs0417 945 5843 Endeavour St, Warragul.Vic. 3820•Carrots•Parsnips•Potatoes•Onions•Spring Onions•Leeks•Radishs•Fennel•Beetroot•Beans•Cabbage