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Program Overview
Hort Connections 2026 will bring together the entire fresh produce industry for four days of learning, networking, and celebration.
Across the four days, there’s an unmissable program of:
Day 1 - 1 June
Day 2 - 2 June
Day 3 - 3 June
Day 4 - 4 June
Farm and Retail Tours
The Off-site Tour are a stand alone alone ticket and must be purchased separately to any Conference Passes.
Retail Tour:
A half-day curated retail tour connecting delegates with Category Managers, Operations Leaders, Fresh Buyers and Store Executives. Each retail site will include a structured 10-15 minute executive briefing covering category evolution, supplier expectations, sustainability priorities and digital integration.
- 08:15 – Guest arrival at ACC for an 8.30am Departure from North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
- 08:45 – 9.20 –Woolworths Brickworks (Torrensville)
- 09:25 – 9.55 Tony & Mark’s (Brickworks)
- 09:55 – Departure from Store 2 – Tony & Mark’s
- 10:30 – 11.00 – ALDI
- 11:25 – 11.55 – Drakes Wayville
- 12:25 – Arrival back at ACC
Northern Tour 1:
Join us on a tour starting at SA Produce Market. Over the course of the day visit Nicol Carrots, a surprise TBC location, and Apex Greenhouses to enjoy lunch!
- 5:20am – Guest Arrival
- 5:40am – Tour Departs from ACC
- 1:00pm – Tour Returns to ACC
Northern Tour 2:
Travel to Voco Fresh and then continue to Adelaide Hydrofresh. Our final visit, details to follow.
- 6.10am – Guest Arrival
- 6:30am sharp ACC (30 mins) – Tour departs
- 1.00pm – Returns to ACC
Eastern Tour:
Visit the team of AE Cranwell and Sons. Stop 2 will be confirmed shortly. The tour will then continue to Ashton Valley Fresh.
- 6.40am – Guest arrival
- 7:00am sharp ACC (30 mins) – Tour departs
- 1.30pm – Returns to ACC
Potato & Onion Tour:
Join us for a tour of Virginia Farm Produce’s potato and onion processing and packing facilities. Then we’ll go through the weed trialling facilities of Adelaide University with the discussion focussing on herbicide resistant ryegrass. The tour continues after this to Ridenti Farms to talk all things onions – post-harvest quality, disease management, waste management, pack out and more.
- 6:15am – Guests arrive
- 6:30am – Depart ACC and drive to Virginia Farm Produce (284 Taylors Rd, Virginia SA 5120)
- 8:30am – Depart Virginia Farm Produce and drive to Adelaide Uni, Waite Campus (19 Hartley Grove, Urrbrae SA 5064)
- 10:20am – Depart Adelaide Uni and drive to Ridenti Farms (1794 Two Wells Rd, Gawler SA 5118)
- 12pm – Depart Ridenti Farms and drive to ACC
- 12:45pm – Arrive at ACC
Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar
This project is delivering the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminars from 2025 to 2028 through a combination of in-person events, online webinars and video resources. All activities will be used to highlight outcomes from vegetable grower’s levy investments.
Plenary Sessions
08:30 – 08:50
Coffee available.
08:50 – 08:55
MC Welcome
08:55 – 09:00
Welcome to Country
09:00 – 09:10
Welcome Address: Julie Bird | Hort Innovation
Plenary Session 1 | 09:15 – 09:45
Ollie van Heusden – DP World
From Farm Gate to Global Markets: Building Smarter Trade Pathways
Plenary Session 2 | 09:50 – 10:30
IFPA State of the Industry: Re-igniting Fresh Consumption Driving Multi Generational Change Through Influence – Fruit and Veggies Yummy Yummy
- Belinda Wilson – Managing Director A-NZ, International Fresh Produce Association A-NZ
- John Tselekidis – Chief Commercial Officer, Mitolo Family Farms
- Carlo Ceravolo — Fresh Team Leader, Harris Farm Markets
- Luke Field — General Manager, Commercial, The Wiggles
10:30 – 10:55
Morning Tea
Plenary Session 3 | 11:00 – 11:30
Guy Debelle – FundsSA and previous Deputy Governor of the RBA
Plenary Session 4 | 11:35 – 11:55
Update From the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
- Secretary Victoria Anderson – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Plenary Session 5 | 12:00 – 12:30
Justine Coates from Plus One Serve, AUSVEG and renowned chef and farmer Matt Moran: Together we can add one more serve of vegetables by 2030.
- Matt Moran
- Justine Coates, Managing Director – Plus One Serve
Trade Show Opening Ceremony
Cutting of the Ribbon – Doors Open for 2026.
Trade Show Opens
Demonstration Lounge Partnered by CHEP
Welcome | 15:00 – 15:05
Giaan Rooney Welcome to the Demonstration Lounge
Session 1 | 15:05 – 15:45
Jose Marchetti – Ecorobotix
“Ecorobotix, Leading the Worldwide Revolution of PlantByPlant Spraying”
Session 2 | 15:45 – 16:15
Sim Penzo CEO/ Director – Codefish
Session 3 | 16:20 – 17:10
Robert Marguccio – Heat and Control
“Integrated Food Safety and Quality Inspection Solutions for Your Business”
Welcome Event 2026 Partnered by Coles
Kick off Hort Connections 2026 at the Welcome Reception at the iconic Adelaide Oval. Reconnect with industry colleagues, make new connections and enjoy an evening of networking, food and drinks in one of Adelaide’s most celebrated venues.
Hort Connections Breakfast Partnered by Nutrien Ag Solutions
Keynote Speaker Breakfast:
Ash Barty & Ben Crowe
Start your day at with the Hort Connections Breakfast partnered by Nutrien Ag Solutions. This premium breakfast event brings delegates together for meaningful networking, industry connection, and inspiring conversation, featuring a special keynote presentation designed to spark new thinking and energise the day ahead. With limited tickets available, this is a standout experience not to be missed.
Trade Show Open
Green Stream Trade Show Speaker Sessions
Session 1 | 09:05 – 09:25
Adrian Cullen – National AI Centre
“Not just another shovel: What AI can really mean Across the Hort value chain.”
Session 2 | 09:25 – 09:40
Justine McLeod – Chrrup
“Closing the Readiness Gap: A 25-Year data dive into solving the Horticulture workforce crisis”
Session 3 | 09:40 – 10:00
Zarmeen Hassan – AUSVEG
VEG Watch – Enabling better biosecurity outcomes for the vegetable industry
Session 4 | 10:20 – 10:45
Roots, Roles and Realities: Succession in Horticulture Family Businesses
Panel
- Catherine Sayer – Family business association
- Marisa Riccio – Hood Sweeney (accounting)
- Andrew Andreyev – ADLV law (legal)
- Catherine Sanders – Bower Place (family dynamics/psychology)
Session 5 | 10:45 – 11:15
Family Business Panel Session
- Andrew Muir – Muirs
- Renee Pye – Zerella Fresh
- Daniel O’Sullivan – ABBE
Session 6 | 11:15 – 11:45
Sam Beaton – Cobram Estate
Session 8 | 12:00 – 12:30
Stephen Annells – Fertilizer Australia
“Current State of the World – Global Conflict, Local Consequences”
Real-Time impacts on Horticulture
Session 9 | 13:30 – 13:50:
Frances Tolson & Stefanie Renaud – Rijk Zwaan
“Beyond Yield, How consumers shape vegetable breeding”
Session 10 | 13:50 – 14:20
Ben Palone – Agtech
Western Growers Association (USA)
Session 11 | 14:20 – 14:40
Charles Simons – Bioscout
Smart Stewardship: Protecting Crops and the Environment with AI-Powered Early Warning Systems.
Session 12 | 15:10 – 15:40
Hort Innovation Panel Session
“From social feed to field: How social media is driving demand in horticulture.”
Session 13 | 15:40 – 15:55:
Panel
- Shansel Sami – NIQ
- Angela Carter – NIQ
- Georgia Haenke – Horticulture Australia
“Age Isn’t the driver – Mindset is: Rethinking health, Snacking and Fresh Food demand.”
Session 14 | 16:05 – 16:25
Professor David Hughes
“Converting what consumers say they’re going to do into what they actually do”
Session 15 | 16:25 – 16:40
Jemma O’Hanlon – Foodwatch
“From TikTok Trends to Transformation: Driving Behaviour Change Across Traditional & Social Media”
Session 16 | 16:40 – 17:10
Panel
- Belinda Wilson – International Fresh Produce Association A-NZ
- Carlo Ceravolo – Harris Farm Markets
- Joe Manariti – Premier Fresh Australia
- Tom Millis – Flavorite Group
“Influence to Impact: Bringing Fresh to-life At Retail”
Blue Stream Trade Show Speaker Sessions
Session 1 | 09:05 – 09:20
Amanda Higgins
“Fair Farms – Labour Hire Compliance: Your Risk, Your Reputation, Your Responsibility”
Session 2 | 09:20 – 09:40
Panel
- Gail Woods – FMA
- Shane Schnitzler – FMA
- Brett Collins – FMA
“Protecting the Grower-Trader Relationship for the Next 10-years.”
Session 3 | 09:40 – 10:10
Mark Tucek – Panel Session
“From Niche to Mainstream: Commercialising Native Edible Plants at Scale”
Session 4 | 10:20 – 10:35
Chris Webb – Blue Ribbon
“High performance – Maximise your efficiencies and outcomes to true High Performance and be the best you can be!”
Session 5 | 10:35 – 10:55
Panel
- Joseph Batten – Nutrien Ag Solutions
- Nathan Price – Yara Australia
- Claire Kneller – Leading Harvest
- Lilia Jenkins – Cesar Australia
“Sustainability”
Session 6 | 10:55 – 11:10
Carl Larsen – RMCG
“From Principles to Practice: Regen Ag Toolbox for Productive Horticulture”
Session 7 | 11:10 – 11:30
Daniel Sutton – Vegetables NZ
“Tackling the Tomato-Potato Psyllid: Key insights from NZ”
Session 8 | 11:40 – 12:00
Mila Bristow – Hort Innovation
“The Future of Exports”
Session 9 | 12:00 – 12:30
Troy Cleaver – TOMRA Food
“Making Every Blueberry Count: How Emerging Technology Improves Allocation, Quality, and Pack-Out Value”
Session 10 | 13:30 – 13:50
Lucy Noble – Hort Innovation
Wendy Hubbard – Hort Innovation
“Inside Hort IQ: data that’s shaping Australia’s horticulture industry, from farm to consumer”
Session 11 | 13:50 – 14:10
MOYA Showcase 2026
- Tim Withers – IFPA
- Liam O’Callaghan – Produce Plus
Session 12 | 14:10 – 14:25
Steven Keyte – Quantium
“Inside the Basket: What Millions of Shopping Baskets Reveal About Fresh Produce Sales”
Session 13 | 14:25 – 14:40
Samrat Acharya – Binary Consulting
“Price Isn’t the Problem: What Consumers are Really Doing in Fresh Produce”
Session 14 | 15:10 – 15:40
Ashley Zamek – Hort Innovation
“Digging into diagnostics: How investment in biosecurity science is protecting trade and reducing disruption”
Session 15 | 15:40 – 16:00
“From Soil to Shelf – Insights from the Ground Up”
- Josie Zilm – NAB
- Pete Wadewitz – Peats oil & Garden Supplies
- Andrew Braham – Braham Produce
Session 16 | 16:05 – 16:25
Andrew Redman – Perfection Fresh
“Lessons Learnt from Combatting the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus”
Session 17 | 16:25 – 16:40
Richard Beaumont – Agovor
“Autonomous eTractors: What Automation Actually Looks Like on a Farm”
Session 18 | 16:40 – 17:00
Ameen Bou Diab – APAC Project Development Lead
“Future-proofing growth: Why on-site DAC is the circular CO2 Solution for CEA”
Panorama Rooms
Coles Retail Forum | 09:15 – 10:30
Women in Horticulture | 11:30 – 12:30
Fresh off another gold medal, Jakara Anthony is joining Hort Connections 2026 as the guest speaker for our Women in Horticulture session, proudly partnered by NAB.
The session will feature a live discussion moderated by MC and Olympian Giaan Rooney, exploring high performance, resilience and leadership.
Woolworths Retail Forum | 14:30 – 15:30
Demonstration Lounge Partnered by CHEP
Session 1 | 09:20 – 10:10
CHEP
“Demonstrating how CHEP NZ have empowered customers with data-driven insights across the supply chain enabling delivery of the best quality fresh produce from farm to fork.”
- Hannah Coring – CHEP Australia
- Jeisson Ruiz Peñaloza – CHEP
Session 2 | 10:30 – 11:20
David Marks – Levity Crop Science
“Nitrogen Use Efficiency: A Practical Guide to N Form and Less Loss”
This presentation examines why nitrogen form is as important as nitrogen rate. It explores how stabilised amine nitrogen improves uptake efficiency, reduces environmental losses, and drives higher reproductive growth and yield in horticultural crops. Attendees will gain insights into plant physiology and how smarter N forms can deliver more sustainable, productive outcomes for growers.
Session 3 | 11:40 – 12:30
Ismail Naim – Bio Gro
“From the Ground Up: The Case for Bulk Organics and Composts in Mordern Australian Horticulture”
Session 4: 13:30 – 14:30
Kim McDonnell
Session 5 | 14:40 – 15:10
BeeSTAR
Ray Kwon – Founder, BeeSTAR
Fiona Chambers – CEO, Wheen Bee Foundation
“Data-Driven Pollination for Better Crop Outcomes (Beestar) & Pollination Security Status Report (Wheen Bee Foundation)”
Session 6: 15:20 – 16:10
Dr. Hazel Parry – CSIRO
“Pest READI: Regionally-Enabled Agroecological Decision Intelligence”
Building resilience means making better pest decisions, together. The Pest READI team are co-developing practical digital tools with growers and industry to support coordinated, area-wide Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Using regional data, benchmarking and shared insights, these tools help growers plan ahead for pests, reduce risk, and protect productivity over the long term. Attendees will gain insights into Pest READI’s digital tools and how growers can use regional data, benchmarking and coordination to strengthen pest preparedness and farm resilience. Chemical pesticides remain important, but lasting control depends on integrating diverse options to protect existing tools while strengthening grower resilience and choice.
Session 7 16:20 – 17:10:
Professor Chris Blanchard – La Trobe University
Andrea Gallo – La Trobe University
“Growing the future of food”
Cooking Lounge Sessions
Session 1 | 09:30 – 10:30:
Simon Toohey
Session 2 | 11:00 – 12:00:
Michael Weldon
Session 3 | 13:30 – 14:30:
Laura Sharrad
Lunch
Ecorobotix Happy Hour
Trade Show Close
Trade Show Open
Light Breakfast Partnered by Harris Farm Markets
Blue Stream Trade Show Speaker Sessions
Session 1 | 09:05 – 09:20
James Turtle – MagrowTec
“The uncomfortable truth about spray efficiency – and what it’s actually costing you.”
Session 2 | 09:20 – 09:40
Gordon Rogers – AHR
“Next generation weed management: AI and robotics in Australian Vegetables production.”
Session 3 | 09:40 – 10:00
Dr Ross Gilmour – Novonesis
“Biocontrol of Crop Pathogens”
Session 4 | 10:20 – 10:40
Nathan Soich – VP – Marketing, Communications and Sales Operations – Yamaha Agriculture
“A practical view of autonomous technology in specialty crops.”
Session 5 | 10:40 – 10:55
Rod Gardner – Wyma Solutions
“Smart cooling + water treatment: boosting quality, sustainability and profit in post-harvest.”
Session 6 | 10:55 – 11:15
Damien Farrelly – Fresh Produce Safety Centre
“When disaster strikes: Protecting fresh produce food safety in a changing climate.”
Session 7 | 11:25 – 11:45
Horticultural Research at Waite Campus of Adelaide University
- Zhong-Hua Chen – Adelaide University
- Cassandra Collins – Adelaide University
Session 8 | 11:45 – 12:05
Hort Innovation
“Industry capability & productivity”
- Tom McCue – Hort Innovation
- James Haslett – 2025 Horizon Scholar
- Julia Strang – Australian Rural Leadership
- Courtney Lean – Australian Rural Leadership
- Andy Clarke – Nuffield Australia
- Belinda Wilson – IFPA
Session 9 | 12:05 – 12:30
“Learning lessons from global peers – Biologicals in the EU”
David McKeon – Elders
Jason Kirk – Farmer Group
Georgia O’Shea – Elders
Ashley Zamek – Hort Innovation
Demonstration Lounge Partnered by CHEP
Session 1 | 09:10 – 10:00
CHEP
“Demonstrating how CHEP NZ have empowered customers with data-driven insights across the supply chain enabling delivery of the best quality fresh produce from farm to fork.”
- Hannah Coring – CHEP Australia
- Jeisson Ruiz Peñaloza – CHEP
Session 2 | 11:00 – 11:50
VegNET
The Impact of Your Levies Through VegNET
Cooking Lounge Sessions
Session 1 | 11:30 – 12:30:
Sarah Pound
Green Stream Trade Show Speaker Sessions
Session 1 | 10:00 – 11:00
Harris Farm Market – Retail Forum
- Carlo Ceravolo
Session 2 | 11:50 – 12:30
Miriam M. Wolk, CAE – Chief Membership Officer, International Fresh Produce Association
“Global Conflict, Local Consequences: Real-Time Impacts on Horticulture”
Lunch
Trade Show Closes
Hort Connections Gala Dinner
Celebrate the best of the horticulture industry at the 2026 Hort Connections Gala Awards Dinner. This special evening features a premium dining experience, valuable networking opportunities and the presentation of the Horticulture Awards for Excellence.
18:30 Guest Arrival
18:45 Guests Seated
Gala Dinner After Party
Keep the celebrations going at the official Hort Connections Gala Dinner After Party at the Strathmore Hotel.
