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Speaker Sessions

AVIS

Plenaries

Trade Show - Blue

Trade Show - Red

AVIS

AVIS25 - 1: Trans-Tasman Perspectives on Future Proofing Farms in Australia & New Zealand Panel

John Murphy – Vegetables NZ,
Michael Hicklin – LeaderBrand NZ,
Kim Ngov – The Australian Cambodian Growers Association of NSW,
Ed Windley – Kengoon Farming
Carl Larsen – RMCG

Session 2: VegNET - Your Levies Delivering Impact Panel

Zarmeen Hassan – AUSVEG,
Cherry Emerick – VegNET,
Garry Spotswood – Mt Alma Fresh Organics,
Richelle Kelly – VegNET

Session 3: Veg Mech (VG23003) Automated Seeding & Weeding of Brassicas: Does It Work? Panel

Ian Layden – QDPI,
Troy Qualischefski – Qualipac Produce,
James Terry – Cloudfarming

Session 4: Plus One Serve

Justine Coates – Plus One Serve

Session 5: Digital Remote Monitoring Project

Liam Southam-Rogers – Applied Horticultural Research

Session 6: An Integrated Disease Management Program for the Australian Potato Industry

Audrey Leo – Simplot Australia

Session 7: Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP)

Shakira Johnson – AUSVEG

Session 8: An integrated disease management program for the Australian Potato Industry

Distinguished Professor Brajesh Singh – Western Sydney University

Session 9: Targeted Pest Monitoring – Passive Traps in Potato Crops

Dr Nigel Crump – AuSPICA

Session 10: Tech Tools for Monitoring and Yield Mapping

Abraham Montano – Elders

Plenaries

Welcome Address

Julie Bird, Hort Innovation

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Assistant Minister for Agriculture Address

Senator the Hon Anthony Chisholm, Australian Labor Party

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Session 1: The Australian Vegetable Industry’s Journey Towards Automation and Mechanisation

Tom McCue, Hort Innovation

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Session 2: Learning How Regenerative Agriculture Can Work in Horticulture; Growing the Same Yields with Lower Inputs

Julius Joel, G’s

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Session 3: State of the Industry

Belinda Wilson, IFPA ANZ

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Trade Show - Blue

Thursday Session 1: The Future of Market Price Transparency is Here - Discover FreshData

Shane Schnitzler – Fresh Markets Australia
Gail Woods – Fresh Markets Australia

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Thursday Session 2: Hot Topics In Vegetables - Unlocking the Key Drivers Of Business Success

Donna Lucas – RMCG,
Lauren Jones – RMCG,
Adam Schreurs – Schreurs & Sons and
Thea Walker – Planfarm

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Thursday Session 3: Challenges and Opportunities in European Produce Markets; Our Efforts to Marry Profits and Growth

Julius Joel, G’s

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Thursday Session 4: Reposition your Agribusiness Asset-Base to Unlock Value and Maximise Returns

Rawdon Briggs – Colliers Australia,
James Nilsson – Colliers New Zealand,
Jesse Manuel – Colliers Australia and
Michael Noon – Next Rural Queensland

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Thursday Session 5: How to Get Your Story on the News: Insider Secrets for Media Success

Jemma O’Hanlon, Foodwatch

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Thursday Session 6: How The Use of AI and Machine Learning Can Help Farmers In Realtime to Better at What They Do

Charles Simons, BioScout

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Thursday Session 7: AI Panel

Fiona Wilhelm – Wilhelm Group and
Josh Smith – Caitlyn

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Thursday Session 8: Building Resilient Farm Systems for Unpredictable Future

Ram Kishore Savana, Enable Ag

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Thursday Session 9: Plus One Serve of Veg by 2030 - Driving Consumer Demand to Grow a Healthier and More Prosperous Australia

Justine Coates, Plus One Serve

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Thursday Session 10: Regenerative Horticulture – Fad or Fundamental?

Carl Larson, RMCG

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Thursday Session 11: Integrating Technologies to Achieve Sustainability and Profit: “Neo” Stimulants and Microbials

Pascual Bauset, Servalesa

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Thursday Session 12: Leveraging Global Connections for Horticultural Growth

Su McCluskey, Special Representative of Australian Agriculture

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Friday Session 1: Keeping up With the Latest Category Insights on Fruit, Vegetables and Nuts Using Hort IQ

Wendy Hubbard – Hort Innovation and
Shansel Sami – Nielsen IQ

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Friday Session 2: Next Generation Barcodes - Success for Consumer Engagement, Export, Certification and Anti-Counterfeit

Caroline Barrett, GS1

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Trade Show - Red

Thursday Session 1: Visual Inductions in Australian Horticulture

Mark Pullin, VEG Education

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Thursday Session 2: Strategic Immigration Solutions - Tackling Labor Shortages in Australia's Agricultural Sector

Samantha Norman, Mapien

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Thursday Session 3: Synergizing Hygienic Design & Operational Excellence for Advancing Food Safety

Lina Ashmore, Intralox

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Thursday Session 4: Funding Innovation and Automation in Horticulture

Alison Blanshard, NAB

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Thursday Session 5: How the Grocery Code Can Help in Your Price and Volume Discussions with Retailers

Neil Rechlin, NextGen Group

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Thursday Session 6: Horticulture's New Protected Cropping Program: Growing Horticulture Through Protected Cropping

Dr Gordon Rogers, Applied Horticultural Research

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Thursday Session 7: The Role of Advanced Sensory Science in Growing Demand for Horticultural Produce

Dr Djin Gie Liem, Deakin University

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Thursday Session 8: Regulating Agricultural Chemicals to Support Australia’s Horticultural Industries

Scott Hansen, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority

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Thursday Session 9: Packaging Without Packaging - How Digital Technology is Transforming Packaging

Michael Dosser, Results Group

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Thursday Session 10: Pathways for Safe Trade - Improving Access to Markets Through Science and Collaboration

Jane Muller, CSIRO

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Thursday Session 11: Global Fresh Produce Industry Developments: Implications for Australian Horticulture

Dr David Hughes, Imperial College London

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Thursday Session 12: Beyond the Burden - Reclaiming Value of Good Agricultural Practice in a Holistic Food Safety System

Jane Siebum – Freshcare and
Andrew Redman – Perfection Fresh

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Thursday Session 13: Who's Interested In Your Carbon Number?

Noel Ainsworth, Queensland Department of Primary Industries

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Friday Session 1: Navigating the New Normal and Redefining Value

Neil Moody, Focus Insights

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Friday Session 2: Harnessing the Power of AI in Horticulture

Elad Mardix – Clarifresh,
Josh Cross – Jane’s Weather and
Siddharth Jadhav – Polybee

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Friday Session 3: Seeka Marketer of the Year Award produced by IFPA and Produce Plus: Finalist Showcase

Tim Withers – IFPA A-NZ and
Liam O’Callaghan – Produce Plus

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  • • A fresh produce grower/business that is outstanding across all aspects of production, including: growing, product quality, environmental management and staff management.

    • A grower/business that is innovative, challenges convention and implements efficient practices (such as integrated pest management, minimising wastage, water conservation, precision agriculture, technology advances, and value-adding to product).

    • A grower/business that actively contributes to the broader industry (such as participating in industry committees, forums, international R&D tours, conferences or field days).