1. travel
2. tourist destinations
3. australia and new zealand

2015 National
Horticulture
Convention
Speaker
Brochure
Jupiters Gold Coast
QLD, Australia
25-27 June 2015
Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Blair Richardson
President & CEO,
United States Potato Board
President and CEO of the United States Potato Board
(USPB), Mr Richardson is regarded as one of the foremost
minds in North American horticulture, and will provide an
exciting international perspective for delegates.
Mr Richardson has strong roots in American horticulture,
with his family lineage and involvement in farming
extending back to the mid-1800s, when Texas was still a
part of Mexico.
Prior to his appointment as President & CEO of the United
States Potato Board in August 2013, Mr Richardson was
the CEO of WesPak, a successful grower organisation in
California’s San Joaquin Valley specialising in premium
fresh tree fruit, table grapes and citrus.
In 2005, Mr Richardson was recognized as a leader in
the produce industry when he received the Produce
Business “40 Under 40” award in both the domestic and
international categories.
Speakers
John Lloyd
opening
address
CEO
Horticulture Innovation Australia
Opening Address
John Lloyd is currently Chief Executive Officer,
Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA). HIA
is a not-for-profit, industry-owned company. It
works in partnership with Australia’s horticulture
industries to invest almost $90 million annually
in research, development and marketing programs
that provide benefit to industry and the
wider community.
John was appointed CEO of HIA in November
2009. Prior to this he held a number of senior
roles within the agriculture industry including:
Managing Director and Vice President
of Case New Holland ANZ
Chairman of Case New Holland Capital
General Manager Commercial at Incitec Pivot Ltd
General Manager Merchandise at
Wesfarmers Dalgety Ltd
General Manager Marketing at Wesfarmers Rural
John holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the
University of New South Wales and an MBA from
Macquarie University.
Speakers
Rob De Castella
friday
breakfast
Founder and Director
IMP - Indigenous Marathon Foundation
Rob uses the marathon to inspire change in
young Indigenous men and women from very
remote and regional communities and cities all
around Australia.
He selects a squad of 12 each year and in
6 months takes them from no running to
competing the biggest marathon in the world in
the biggest city in the world - New York City.
Things are never the same for them after that.
This event is proudly sponsored by Agricultural Appointments.
Agribusiness
Food manufacture & retail
Wine
Speakers
Tass Angelopoulos
Special Counsel
National Workplace Lawyers
Recent Issues/Developments in Australian Labour
Law and the Impact on the Horticulture Industry
Tass Angelopoulos has over 20 years experience
as a labour lawyer and advocate in Australia, as a
solicitor, barrister and in in house roles in industry
associations. Tass works on a range of matters
which includes advising on award and enterprise
agreement issues, contracts and dismissals as well
as industrial action. Tass regularly appears in courts
and tribunals including the Fair Work Commission.
Tass has an intimate knowledge of the horticulture
industry and has been representing the horticulture
industry in the 4 year modern review. He has
also been involved in discussions with the Fair
Work Ombudsman surrounding piecework. Tass
also frequently gives presentations to clients
including in the areas of bullying, harassment and
discrimination. Tass has been awarded the title to
Best Lawyer in the Human Rights (discrimination
law) category by his peers for 3 years running.
Tass will discuss recent issues and developments
in Australian Labour Law as they affect the
horticulture industry.
Speakers
Neal Menzies
Dr Debbie Hudson
Dean of agriculture
the university of queensland
Senior Research Scientist
Bureau of Meteorology
Horticulture education in Australia
Forearmed is forewarned: seasonal
forecasting for horticulture
Horticulture needs an educated
workforce, but as a sector it lags behind
the Australian workforce in general,
and tertiary educations programs across
Australia are attracting fewer students.
This paper considers the capacity
of Australian Universities to teach
horticulture, and the standing of the
discipline as a research field.
Neal Menzies has a passion for agriculture
and the environment, and has used his
role as a teacher and research leader to
bring others into this highly rewarding
field. While his research spans a range
of environmental chemistry issues, he
considers himself primarily a oil scientist,
and sees soil science as a central discipline
in the solution of many problems.
Debbie Hudson is a senior research
scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology
working on improving seasonal climate
predictions for Australia. She is currently
leading the effort to fill the gap between
weather forecasts and seasonal outlooks.
There has been increasing demand for
forecasts on this timescale, particularly
from the agricultural sector.
More detail about expected variations
in weather for the fortnight or month
ahead, would help farmers make better
management decisions, such as the
scheduling of planting, harvesting and
fertilizer applications. Her team are
investigating the science behind making
predictions on this timescale, and are
evaluating and developing new forecast
products for Australia.
Speakers
Gianluca Di Tommaso
Fiona Nash
Global Head of Crop Management
Valagro
assistant minister for health
The future of Biostimulants in Europe and
Australia
The issue of Ice in rural communities
Valagro pioneered the field of Biostimulants,
which are naturally-derived formulations of
compounds, substances and micro-organisms
that, when applied to plants, enhance yield
and improve nutritional quality. Valagro
develops, manufactures and sells a broad range
of Biostimulants and nutrient solutions that
complement conventional agricultural inputs.
As a resident and representative of regional
Australia, Minister Nash has a deep
understanding of the challenges faced by people
living outside metropolitan Australia.
Gianluca will cover Valagro’s proactive
approach in Europe to improve the legislation
and regulatory protocols in the development of
Biostimulants, with an emphasis on what future
impact this will have in Australia.
Use of the drug Ice has become a big issue in
rural and regional communities.
The Australian Crime Commission report,
released in March, states that rural and regional
communities are being targeted by organised
crime syndicates. It is logical enough to think
that this drug could be spreading its tentacles
into communities and groups on which the
horticulture industry relies for labour.
Minister Nash will talk about the Coalition
Government’s National Ice Taskforce; its rural
and regional awareness and the next steps in a
National Ice Action Strategy.
Speakers
Dr Peter Batt
Tobias Marchand
Principal
Peter j batt and associates
Chairman and Managing Director
Bayer Australia and new zealand
Understanding how and why
consumers choose to buy fresh vegetables in a
retail store
For almost 30 years, Peter J Batt was Professor
of Food and Agribusiness Marketing at Curtin
University in Perth, Western Australia. Today
he is the Principal of Peter J Batt and Associates,
an international agribusiness marketing and
rural development consulting practice that links
smallholder farms in Asia and Africa with high
value markets.
Tobias Marchand was appointed as Chairman
and Managing Director Bayer Australia
and New Zealand in March 2015. Tobias
joined Bayer in 1982 as part of its business
management training program and has since
had significant management experience across
the world including Europe, South East Asia
and South America.
From several market research projects
undertaken for the vegetable industry in Western
Australia, Peter will describe the factors that have
been found to influence the consumers decision
to purchase fresh vegetables in a retail store.
Tobias is passionate about the role Bayer plays
in Australia and New Zealand innovating,
supporting and promoting Science For A
Better Life. He believes transparency and trust
are essential to success in business. Tobias
maintains a strong work-life balance, spending
time with wife Barbara and two children and
looks forward to exploring the pristine oceans
and acclaimed restaurants of Australia and
New Zealand.
Speakers
Tristan Harris
Dr Ben van Hooijdonk
Co-CEO
Harris Farm Markets Pty Ltd
Scientist
plant & food research
Using sunlight better: designer trees
for higher yields
Tristan Harris is Co-CEO of Harris Farm Markets
P/L, Australia’s largest independent fresh produce
retailer.
Tristan and his team are on a mission to grow
the business by improving the total customer
experience with great stores, great products and
great people.
Tristan joined his brothers and parents in the
business in 2006 after first gaining a broad
spectrum of corporate and management
experience in global telecommunications and
then having run his own successful businesses in
telecommunications and retail.
Tristan holds an honors degree in Engineering,
an MBA, is a Member of the Australian Institute
of Company Directors and is the Deputy Chair of
PMA Australia New Zealand.
Ben has worked in the New Zealand horticultural
industry for 22 years, beginning on the land
where he gained experience in the cultivation
and management of pome fruit, stone fruit, wine
grapes and kiwifruit. His passion and interest
in fruit growing led him to undertake a PhD in
Plant Physiology at Massey University, which he
completed in 2009.
Ben’s research covers temperate fruit crop
physiology and optimising quality and
productivity of pome fruit for New Zealand and
Australia. Recently, he was a researcher within
the PIPS programme working to improve the
productivity of Australian pome fruit orchards.
Currently, he is a key researcher in the ‘Future
Orchards Planting Systems’ programme that aims
to double the productivity and profitability of
New Zealand pome fruit, kiwifruit and stone fruit
orchards by redesigning canopies to maximise
light interception. Ben’s presentation will provide
a glimpse of what orchard trees will look like in
the future.
Speakers
James Bond
Dr Steve McArtney
Director
equity economics
Product Development Manager
Valent BioSciences Corporation
Domestic and international drivers of
growth and exports
Spraying may be effective, but it sure isn’t efficient
James Bond is a Director at consulting
firm Equity Economics. Prior to joining
Equity Economics he was Chief Economist
at the Financial Services Council.
Steve has spent 25 years working for apple
growers in New Zealand and the USA in research
and extension. He was associate professor
at North Carolina State University, holding
a multi-state appointment as the Southeast
(US) Apple Specialist. Steve’s current role is as
Product Development Manager for plant growth
regulators. His interests and experience include
fruit abscission and evaluation of novel thinning
compounds, flower bud formation and stimulation
of return bloom, control of fruit skin defects,
and stimulation of branching in high-density
orchards.
James’ areas of expertise include
macroeconomics, international economics
and trade policy. James takes high level
international and domestic economic
conditions and draws conclusions for
specific industry sectors. He is also one of
Australia’s leading experts on trade policy
and is sought for comment on Australia’s
free trade agreements.
Plant growth regulators are applied to apples
during the first few weeks after bloom
for different purposes including crop load
management, fruit shape enhancement, or russet
reduction. Even if spray droplets reach the
intended target, uptake of many agrochemicals
into the plant can be low. Steve’s presentation
will discuss how estimates of the proportion of
active that actually penetrate the target may be as
low as 6 per cent.
Speakers
Andreas Steiner
Head of Vegetables & Specialty Crops
Syngenta, Asia Pacific
Tim Goodacre
Chairman
Nutrikiwi, New Zealand
Integrated Crop Management – Key to sustainable
and profitable vegetables production
“I want a Zespri”
– fruit marketing insights from New Zealand
Andreas Steiner was appointed to the position of
Head of Vegetables & Specialty Crops, Syngenta
APAC in May 2015. Through this appointment,
Andreas has overall responsibility for Vegetable
and Specialty Crops for ASEAN, Australasia, North
East Asia and South Asia.
Tim has worked in agribusiness for nearly 40 years
initially with the Commonwealth Government and then
the Australian Wheat Board. From 2003 to 2004 Tim was
CEO of Zespri International – New Zealand’s billion
dollar export marketer of kiwi fruit. Over the past four
years Tim has been the Chairman of Mr Apple – New
Zealand’s largest integrated grower, packer and exporter
of apples. He is currently a director of Scales Corporation
(which incorporates the Mr Apple business) and Prevar,
which is a joint Australian/NZ industry funded body that
contracts the breeding and commercialisation of new
apple and pear varieties.
Born and raised in Switzerland, Andreas graduated
from the University of Switzerland with a degree
in Agronomy and Marketing.
Andreas joined Syngenta in 1989 as a Development
Manager for Crop Protection products for Latin
America, Africa and the Middle East and has since
held general management, marketing, strategy and
commercial management positions for Syngenta’s
Crop Protection and the Vegetable Seeds business
at Territory, Regional and Global levels.
Andreas has extensive experience in various
regions, having worked for 12 years in different
Latin American countries, five years in North
America and eight years in Europe.
He has dedicated his entire career to the Vegetables
and Specialty Crop Business and is exceptionally
passionate about it.
Tim is also Chairman of NutriKiwi which is a recent
collaboration of NZ kiwi fruit packers marketing green
kiwi fruit on the Australian market under a new brand
based around the nutritional benefits of kiwi fruit.
Tim’s presentation “I want a Zespri” is about the factors
contributing to the outstanding success and market
strength of the NZ kiwi fruit brand Zespri. Tim will also
refer to how these factors are being incorporated as far
as practicable in other sectors of the NZ horticultural
industry and asks how they might be applied in
Australia.
Speakers
Alex Mills
Manny Noakes
Digital innovation manager
adama
professor & Research Director
Nutrition & health program, CSIRO
Trapview® –
A smart trap for smart farmers
Better health with apples and pears – the
scientific facts
Alex Mills is Digital Innovation Manager for Adama
Australia, and is responsible for the development
and execution of digital activities for Adama locally.
Formerly known here as Farmoz, Adama launched
last year with a distinct new brand and the
promise to producers around the world to focus
on introducing new technologies that will help
simplify the life of producers.
Manny is currently the Research Program Director
for Food, Nutrition and Health at CSIRO – Australia’s
national research agency. Manny has over 35 years’
experience in nutrition and published over 200 scientific
papers. She has a strong interest in translating nutrition
science for the community. Manny is co-author of several
commercial publications including the CSIRO Total
Wellbeing Diet, which has sold over 1 million copies in
Australia.
Mr Mills joins colleagues from around the world
now working together in the Adama Global Digital
Team. Innovations such as the Trapview Smart Trap
System are among the first examples of delivering
on that promise.
She is currently a member of the Australian
Government’s Food and Health Dialogue and member of
the FSANZ High Level Health Claims Committee. Manny
also is the co-author of the 2009 Apple Review and has
been involved in investigating the scientific evidence on
the health attributes of pears.
Trapview utilises revolutionary technology in a
fully integrated system to provide an innovative,
simplified solution for growers, agronomists and
researchers needing to monitor insect populations.
It works by capturing images and providing digital
recognition of pests in any given number of
traps. Pest populations and their dynamics can be
monitored on desktop and mobile devices in real
time, with the system providing analytics and rapid
pest alerts.
Manny’s presentation will cover the most recent
evidence regarding the health benefits of apples and
pears, how they fit into a healthy diet and identify areas
for potential innovation for the Australian apple and pear
industry.
Speakers
Dr Luís Teixeira
Chris Murphy
Product Support & Renewal, Insecticides
DuPont Crop Protection
Director
Independent economics
Resistance to insecticides
The Vegetable Industry and the
Australian Economy
Luís Teixeira earned a doctorate degree in
Entomology from Rutgers University, New
Jersey, USA, and worked as a postdoctoral
researcher at Rutgers and Michigan State
University. His research interests included insect
behavior and tree fruit pest management.
Luís joined DuPont in 2010 as a principal
investigator in insecticide biology were he
coordinates the characterization of new
molecules in development. His IRM activities
include research on insect susceptibility to
diamide insecticides, characterization of
mechanisms of resistance, and participation in
the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee
(IRAC), where he is currently the interim
leader of the Lepidoptera working group. In his
presentation, Luís will discuss recent findings on
mechanisms of resistance to diamide insecticides
and review global efforts to prevent diamide
resistance.
Chris has been the lead economic modeller
at The Australian Treasury, Access
Economics, KPMG and his own economic
consultancy.
His clients include the government of
Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.
He will highlight the major findings of his
recent study for Horticulture Innovation
Australia on the key policy drivers of the
vegetables industry and its linkages to
other industries.
Speakers
Panel forum: “free trade agreements”
Lisa McAuley
Scott Montague
ceo
Export Council of Australia
Manager of Sales and Procurement
Montague Fresh Business
Michael Coote
National Manager - Export development
ausveg
Speakers
great debate: The benefits of eating organic
produce outweigh those of vegetables grown
using conventional methods
great debate: Antonio
Proposition
Lobo
Associate professor of
marketing
swinburne university
of technology
great debate:
opposition
Aron O’Cass
professor
Tasmanian school of
business & Economics
Sheridan
Williamson
Nutritionist
Changing habits
Nick Miall
managing director
the organic farm gate
Dr Ian Musgrave Kevin ClaytonGreene
pharmacologist &
taxicologist
university of adelaide
This event is proudly sponsored by Haifa.
biosecurity advisor
ausveg
Speakers
Dr Michele Allan
chair
apple & pear australia ltd
Susie Daly
women in
horticulture
Daly’s gourmet potatoes
Speaking at Women in Horticulture
event
Speaking at Women in Horticulture
event
AUSVEG is pleased to announce that Dr
Michele Allan, Chair of Apple and Pear
Australia Ltd, is to be a guest speaker
at the Women in Horticulture event.
Dr Allan is one of the leading figures in
Australian horticulture, with many years
of experience across a wide range of
industries.
Susie Daly and her family have been
growing potatoes in the Dunalley region
for the last 25 years and these days, Susie
continues to put Daly’s Gourmet Potatoes
on the map with some innovative projects.
The Women in Horticulture event, proudly
sponsored by Steritech, has become one of
the highlights of the National Horticulture
Convention and this year will see that
trend continue. Guests will travel to the
Cedar Creek winery at the base of the
picturesque Mount Tamborine to celebrate
the significant contributions that women
play in Australian horticulture.
The seed of creativity was first planted
with the launch of the ‘Purple Gem’ potato
in 2011, a heritage variety with a distinct
purple flesh, which proved to be popular
among consumers. Susie has since turned
her attention to the 60 tonnes of potatoes
that would otherwise go to waste because
of their aesthetic appearance. Her latest
projects aim to not only find a use for
these leftover potatoes, but simultaneously
bring in some extra dollars for the
business.
This event is proudly sponsored by Steritech.
Information
For more information or to register for the
2015 National horticulture Convention,
Trade Show and Awards for Excellence
please go to:
www.ausveg.com.au/convention
AUSVEG Ltd
PO Box 138
Camberwell VIC
Australia 3124
Tel: (03) 9882 0277
Fax: (03) 9882 6722
Email: convention@ausveg.com.au