WIDELY respected agronomist, Stuart Grigg, has been appointed chairman of the organising committee for the upcoming East Gippsland Vegetable Innovation Days.
The committee has formed to plan and run the event to take place at Lindenow, Victoria on May 3 and 4.
Organisers have already indicated the horticulture-focused event looks set to attract delegates from all states of Australia and overseas.
Bulmer Farms managing director and committee treasurer, Andrew Bulmer, said all 10 major seed companies in Australia will be participating and displaying their favourite, new and innovative varieties.
“The inaugural event, held in May 2014, focussed exclusively on leafy vegetables but the scope for this next event has widened to include a wide array of crops,” Mr Bulmer said.
The East Gippsland Vegetable Innovation Days are about showcasing innovation in vegetable production, extending knowledge and learning, and networking across the industry value chain.
The connections between paddock and plate will also feature at this year’s event.
Recently-appointed Vegetable Industry Development Officer of the East Gippsland Food Cluster and committee secretary, Shayne Hyman, said the event is very well supported by the industry with Boomaroo Nurseries as major gold sponsor and silver sponsors being EE Muir & Sons, DuPont, Elders Bairnsdale, South Pacific Seeds, Rijk Zwaan, Nufarm Australia, and Gro-link Nursery.
“My participation is funded by the National Vegetable Extension Network initiative thanks to Horticulture Innovation Australia using funds from the vegetable levy and the Australian Government,” she said.
“It is going to be first class.”
The organising committee has a wealth of expertise in horticulture and is dedicated to staging a valuable and informative event.
Noel Jansz (Elders), Daniel Hammond (Bulmer Farms), Samantha Strano (Bayer), Rob Philip (Rijk Zwaan) and Lachlan Dumaresq (EE Muir & Sons) complete the committee, with each assuming specific responsibilities for the Vegetable Innovation Days and the industry networking dinner to be held at the Lindenow Hall on Wednesday, May 3.
Mr Grigg said planting of long grow cycle brassica like Megatonne type cabbage in the demonstration sites has already been done and marked the beginning of the strict planting regime.
“Daniel Hammond, the Growing Operations Manager at Bulmer Farms will be personally overseeing the site guaranteeing it is in good hands,” Mr Grigg said.
“The organising committee anticipates in excess of 600 delegates to visit the Vegetable Innovation Days.”
The East Gippsland Food Cluster, a key contributor to the event, is a not-for-profit collaborative network of Eastern Gippsland agrifood businesses, which implements a range of projects to support the sustainable development of the region’s vital agrifood sector.
