UPFRONT discuss

THE conference, held annually, is made up of tours, trade show exhibits, lectures, meetings, and general horticulture networking packed into 3 days. It’s also a who’s who of horticulture with past, present, and emerging all converging in the one place to draw information and technology solutions from industry.

vegetablesWA staff were in attendance so for those that couldn’t attend, here’s some take aways from HC24:

Focus Points:

Emphasis was placed on Quality Assurance and Food safety through lectures including discussions around the upcoming FSANZ Primary Production and Processing (PPP) Standards Roll-out for Melons, Berry, and Leafy Vegetables. Freshcare compliance, Fair Farms (ethical sourcing) and food safety/compliance technology was also discussed on many occasions. Time was well spent introducing WA attendees, primarily growers, to key stakeholders of importance.

Highlights:

It was great to see so many familiar faces from WA producers across all areas of production horticulture. Everyone was optimistic despite it being pretty obvious that times are tough, and business is hard right now.

It was fantastic to see WA grower, Zeke Zalsmann win the Young Grower of the Year Award! Zeke is a very worthy winner!

I’ve had the pleasure of engaging with Zeke for a number of years and seeing him walk away with this highly recognised award was a big highlight.

Interesting Observations:

WA is a long way advanced in the FSANZ PPP Roll-out (for Melons, Berries and Leafy Vegetables) when compared to the other starts and territories. Other jurisdictions were keen to hear about WA’s journey to date.

Many producers are finding the current business and growing environment a significant challenge, with more variables than ever to measure and manage as a primary producer during operations. Fortunately, there is an increasing number of ag-tech solutions available, many of which were on display, including autonomous sprayers and drone sprayers which are evolving rapidly.

The production technology available is cutting edge and ever evolving, providing great opportunities for WA growers, of which many of the WA contingent were investigating in Melbourne.

Concluding Remarks:

The Gala Dinner is where the national awards are presented for all the categories, and the next host city is revealed. Spoiler alert…its Brisbane, Queensland 2025. For those who have never been, we’d love to encourage you to attend.

More information

Be on the look-out for the latest communications. There are funds/subsidies available to assist producers to attend. If you would like more information, please see www.hortconnections.com.au or contact vegetablesWA.