VEGETABLE industry stakeholders will gather in Melbourne’s CBD, the Gippsland and Bacchus Marsh regions at the end of April for a six-day horticultural showcase.

The Victorian Vegetable Innovation Days (VicVID23) was hosted at Butler Market Gardens’ Catani farm on Thursday and Friday this week, and the 10th International Spinach Conference and Field Day will be held on May 1-2 in Melbourne.

The spinach conference is a major drawcard and the first time this event has been held in the southern hemisphere.

Delegates from around the world will be attending and the program will be led by renowned spinach specialists Dr Jim Correll from the University of Arkansas and Dr Lindsey du Toit from Washington State University.

Experts will present and discuss research on global spinach production, spinach breeding, disease and pest management and genomics. Following the conference, delegates have been invited to attend a field tour of the Bacchus Marsh baby leaf spinach region.

Agriculture Victoria horticulture program manager, Ms Aimee McCutcheon, said the suite of events is an excellent opportunity for the industry to network, celebrate and be inspired by the latest innovation and research.

“These Victorian vegetable industry events support development of the industry through knowledge and technology sharing and also building community confidence in Victorian horticulture,” she said.

“We (encouraged) all interested parties from growers, breeders, researchers and across the supply chain to attend.”

“It (was) exciting to see VicVID23 return to face to face after the pandemic and (looked) bigger and better than ever.”

The Agriculture Victoria marquee discussed support programs for farm business, climate resilience and recovery and whole farm planning.

A big drawcard was the crop trials and the presentations running in the event hub marquee with growers interacting first-hand with experts across all areas of the industry.

“Agriculture Victoria is a proud sponsor of VicVID23 and the International Spinach Conference,” Ms McCutcheon said.

“AUSVEG Vic is also holding their Awards for Excellence dinner. AUSVEG Vic is celebrating its 100th year so what a great moment to shine the spotlight on our highest achieving vegetable growers.”

For further information visit the Spinach Portal Meeting Portal and the VicVID23 Facebook page.