discuss UPFRONT 

Hort Connections Melbourne 2024

The Hort Connections conference, held in Melbourne in June 2024, provided many new doors to opportunity for Horticultural growers and industry to come together, share information, and explore ideas in a dynamic environment for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Words by Katrina Hill

HORT Connections 2024 emphasised the importance of networking in fostering innovation and facilitated numerous quality interactions among growers, industry and trade representatives together with regional VegNET extension officers through farm tours, trade floor and presentations.

One WA grower enjoyed successful networking with ‘new business opportunities arising’, and another new attendee was encouraged by the accomplishment of the young innovators in industry and found fresh inspiration to follow the same professional pathway.

The VegNET team met collectively throughout the conference and was instrumental in linking awareness of each other’s projects, region’s priorities, planning and partnerships to provide a common mutual approach with efficient networking, following up leads, products and contacts and supporting introductions to our colleagues most effectively.

By connecting the right people and resources together it has set the stage for meaningful future projects that benefit both individual growing regions and their businesses and to further initiate cross-regional relationship brokering for capacity building.

Growers are encouraged to attend these transformative events that can elevate your horticultural practices and connect with the industry network, and potentially bring new opportunities.

Contact your regions VegNET RDO for more information on registration and/or travel subsidies available for Horticultural production study tours and for Hort Connections 2025.

WA’s Zeke Zalsman Wins Young Grower of the Year — Hort Connections 2024

Zeke Zalsman, from Zaldeesh farms an innovative passionate young vegetable grower from Western Australia and has been named the 2024 Corteva Agriscience Young Grower of the Year from a list of ten other worthy finalists across Australia.

In response to Perth climate challenges and gas prices, Zeke was the first grower to investigate, trial and adopt the technology in Greenhouse production in Australia supported by the VegNET project and the innovation fund.

Zeke’s founding work with heat pump technology for greenhouse heating has not only reduced operating costs and enhanced production quality in the business but has also started a national movement by setting a new benchmark for sustainability and innovation in Horticulture.

Zeke pitched the initial seed sharing the issues that many growers would be experiencing and the concept to VegNET RDO which led to collaboration and the first successfully created Innovation funded project nationally within the VegNET program.

Zeke Zaldeesh with heat pumps installed at Zaldeesh Farms.

The project provided feasibility studies for three WA growers, assessing the Capex and benefits of PV Electric Heat pump technology vs the farms existing greenhouse heating systems. The findings of the study’s have since inspired many growers countrywide considering this technology in their production systems.

Zeke has now also joined the VegNET Regional extension advisory group (REAG) providing insight and advice to the region’s wider activities in vegetable Extension in Western Australia.

Zeke’s journey underscores the value of embracing new technologies and sustainability practices across the business and is a powerful reminder that with the right support and resources, we can drive sustainable growth and innovation in agriculture.

This initiative has expanded to include VegNET, and innovation fund supported Protected Cropping workshop series for growers commencing across regions in WA in August 2024.

The workshop series aims to meet the needs of different scales and stages of the businesses in WA. The new project responds to the growing interest in PC systems, due to land and water availability, climate impact, weather events and increased market competitiveness.

Upcoming workshops

Start up, scale up and transition workshops, New and emerging technologies, from low teach and low-cost options and considerations, A practical short masterclass for improving on farm efficiencies and a Advanced Masterclass. Finally high-tech business economics and value chains workshop (see page 28).

Growers are encouraged to leverage the support available through the VegNET project and the innovation fund to develop projects that benefit both business capacity and regional resilience especially with increased water challenges and access in some regions.

Explore opportunities with VegNET today and join the movement towards a more resilient and prosperous horticultural future.

WAG