Victorian vegetable growers are set to get a helping hand with their farm businesses, as a new industry program will help them focus on growing the business, rather than just the crop.
Growing VicVeg is one of 10 projects nationally to have been commissioned by Horticulture Innovation Australia and delivered as part of the National Vegetable Extension Network, using the vegetable industry levy and matched funds from the Australian government.
The program will see industry specialists working with vegetable growers to improve access and adoption of industry research and development, with an aim to benefit business profitability.
RM Consulting Group will be implementing the project across most of Victoria, with the exception of the Gippsland Region.
The group’s Anne-Maree Boland said there was a breadth of activities the program would work on to increase vegetable grower access to industry research and development.
“Priority areas for growers, including farm productivity and use of resources, will be targeted through this project, as well as support for overall business management, such as cost of production,” she said.
“A number of other emerging interest areas will also be supported, including market access, consumer preferences and emerging technology areas.
“New technologies, such as the use of robotics and drones in vegetable production are becoming increasingly popular.”
She said the intent of the program was to link vegetable growers to the best available information so they could make informed decisions.
The project will run for three years.
