Introduction
The record-breaking storms and flooding in New South Wales over three years – in February 2020, March 2021 and throughout March to July 2022 – had a catastrophic impact on communities across the state.
It resulted in extensive damage to agriculture, businesses, residential properties, public infrastructure and the
environment. Sixty local government areas (LGAs) covering nearly all coastal and tableland regions were declared disaster zones in NSW, with eight LGAs badly affected.

Introduction
Pests are a significant threat to vegetable production in the Northern Territory, like many parts of Australia. While aphids are a long-standing pest pressure in the Top End, new pests which have recently entered the region – such as fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW) and American serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza trifolii, ASLM) – are also a threat to vegetable production.
FAW is a caterpillar pest that feeds in large numbers on more the 350 plants including millet, cotton, sorghum and importantly vegetables. In March 2020 FAW was confirmed at several locations in the Northern Territory and since then, much work has been done to develop pest management systems.

Introduction
Salinity issues can appear in all major vegetable production areas naturally or due to management practices. Salinity can also fluctuate with changes in the weather and water quality.
VegNET North Queensland recently visited a grower in the Bowen region who was facing significant challenges in producing enough vegetables to make his operation viable. A large area of his existing property had salt inundation which made the ground unusable, with soil testing indicating the soil salinity was so high that vegetable crops were not viable.

Introduction
The supply of fresh produce to Australia’s domestic market, especially major retailers, was brought into sharp focus in the past 18 months following labour shortages, natural disasters and international supply chain issues for inputs such as fertilisers and chemicals.
With demand routinely outstripping supply in recent months, greater emphasis is being placed on improving efficiencies and production gains for available fresh produce.

Introduction
As the cost of production continues to rise and labour availability becomes an increasing issue for vegetable growers across the country, agricultural technologies (agtech) could play a key role in helping growers to increase on-farm efficiencies to make their business more
profitable and competitive.
In late 2021, VegNET SA led an innovative program to engage with agtech start-up companies in South Australia and improve knowledge sharing between growers and agtech companies in the state. These activities were a key priority under the “Efficiency Management” pillar of VegNET SA’s 5 Year Regional Extension Strategy and aimed to expose growers to new technologies.

Introduction

With strong roots in the Lockyer Valley’s farming sector, it’s no surprise that Julia Linnan made the move back to her family vegetable farm at Lake Clarendon in 2020 after a career in education.
Julia openly shares how she felt “the need to come home when COVID hit” and support the family through this tough time. Her father Tim is a fourth-generation farmer for the family business, Maragi Farms, and her mother Christine is the fifth-generation female working in farming
businesses in the Lockyer Valley.

Introduction

Soil testing is an integral part of cropping operations and helps to ensure that nutrition is applied as crops require it.
It allows growers to customise the supply of macro- and micro-nutrients that are critical to achieve the best results for the crop.
This testing is often completed on a full paddock basis; for example, taking a sample following a zig zag pattern or diagonal path across the paddock for subsampling.

Introduction

Using soil moisture monitoring on a vegetable farm is likely to result in more efficient use of water, building a farm’s drought resilience and reducing the risk of nutrient and sediment runoff into waterways from over or under watering.
However, soil moisture monitoring sensors have not seen a significant uptake in short-cycle vegetable crops, particularly in the Gippsland region.

Introduction

Beneficial insects are key to any integrated pest management (IPM) program and the role they play in pest suppression on farms is becoming increasingly clearer.
One way to boost beneficial insect populations is through the establishment of native vegetation insectaries (NVIs), which are areas of flowering plants on a farm. NVIs attract and maintain beneficial insect populations by providing shelter from highly disturbed crop areas as well as alternative food sources, namely pollen and nectar.

Introduction

As with most industries, the challenges and uncertainty around the way we do business has significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
In addition to the obvious health concerns, business risks have skyrocketed. Disrupted supply chains and border restrictions have led to increased input costs and decreased labour availability – it is undoubtedly a stressful time to be running a farming business.