Future Hort Leaders Forum
About #FHLF
In its inaugural year, Future Farmers Network is proud to present the Future Hort Leaders Forum (FHLF) — bringing together the next generation of Australian horticulture to connect, learn and lead.
Designed by young people, for young people, FHLF welcomes emerging producers and people working across the broader horticulture value chain — from agribusiness and advisory services to research, technology and supply chain. The event is follows a similar format to FFN’s highly successful Young Beef Producers Forum.
Across two days, delegates will hear from industry leaders, explore new ideas, visit leading horticultural businesses and build genuine connections with other young people from across the sector.
READY TO GROW! Two days. Big ideas. New connections. Real-world horticulture.
For more information, visit our website: https://futurefarmers.com.au/future-hort-leaders-forum/
DAY ONE - Thursday 22 October - Forum
More than a conference, the Future Horticulture Leaders Forum is a day designed to connect, inspire and develop the next generation of Australian horticulture leaders. The program explores the issues and opportunities shaping the next generation of our industry — from career development, sustainability and alternative revenue streams to family business succession, workplace wellbeing, advocacy and emerging agtech. Delegates will hear from people with real-world experience, gain practical strategies they can take back to their businesses and careers, and discover new pathways for professional and personal growth.
With keynote presentations, interactive panel discussions and plenty of opportunities to connect throughout the day, the Forum is designed to upskill, inspire and connect the next generation of horticulture leaders — while creating space to share experiences, challenge ideas and build relationships across the industry.
Thursday 22 October - Networking evening - 6.00 - 10.30pm
Keep the conversations going at FHLF Sunset Drinks, a relaxed chance to get to know fellow growers, emerging leaders and people from across the horticulture industry, reconnect with speakers and turn the day’s ideas into valuable new relationships.
DAY TWO - Friday 23 October - Property Tour Brought to you by Carbon Robotics
On the second day we get out in the paddock and see some of the Lockyer Valley’s leading horticulture businesses in action. The property tour will take attendees through Campsey Ash Farms and Qualipac for a behind the scenes look at how fresh produce is grown, harvested, and packed as well as how technology and innovation are being adopted on-farm.
Hear directly from the growers, see their operations first-hand, and get an insight into the opportunities & challenges of running modern horticulture businesses.
At Qualipac, attendees will also be treated to a live ag-tech demonstration, featuring cutting edge technologies like Carbon Robotics' Laser Weeder, and Ecorobotix's ARA Spot Sprayer.
The day will also include a pub lunch, providing a relaxed venue to continue to connect with other attendees, growers, & industry.
Your ticket includes 12 months' complimentary Future Farmers Network membership.
As part of your registration, you will receive 12 months' complimentary FFN membership at no additional cost. Your registration information will be used to establish and administer your membership. Your membership will not automatically convert to a paid membership at the end of the complimentary period.
Lineup
Event MC: Rebecca Scurr
Rebecca Scurr is a fourth-generation member of the Queensland family behind Piñata Farms. Raised on her family’s pineapple farm on the Sunshine Coast, Rebecca is now sales and marketing manager at Piñata Farms, overseeing the sale of pineapples, strawberries, raspberries and mangoes to customers across Australia. A passionate industry advocate, Rebecca encourages young people to pursue fresh produce careers and helps consumers understand fruit production. In 2025, she won the berry industry’s Next Generation Award; this year, she showcased pineapples on MasterChef. A rising TikTok influencer, she also shares her love of fresh produce as Bec “pinatafruitgirl”, with nearly 40,000 followers.
Abby Templeton
Abby Templeton is a fourth-generation ginger farmer and biomedical scientist bringing research and practical farming together. Abby works with her family’s ginger business across the Sunshine Coast, Mary Valley and Fraser Coast, coordinating on-farm trials as part of its agronomy team. As a Nuffield Scholar, she is travelling in Australia and overseas to explore how horticulture can improve clean seed propagation. We’re delighted to have Abby joining the Future Horticulture Leaders Forum to share her perspective on innovation and the future of ginger growing.
Rachel Chambers
Rachel Chambers is Queensland Food Farmers’ Commissioner and a passionate advocate for the people who grow our food. Formerly CEO of Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers and a regional QLD Mayor, Rachel brings extensive experience in horticulture, regional leadership, and industry advocacy, with a vision of prosperous farmers and secure food for all Queenslanders.
Cody Dennis & Angelo Leonardi
From the military to building the “farm of the future”, Cherry Creek Estate’s story is anything but conventional. Founded by Australian veterans, the business is bringing a different mindset to horticulture through electrification, renewable energy, smarter farming and a drive towards zero waste. Explore what Cherry Creek have learned along the way and where they believe the next opportunities for horticulture lie. Angelo Leonardi (Leo) is a veteran, farmer and founder of Cherry Creek Estate, an avocado growing and processing business in Queensland’s South Burnett. His work brings together practical farming, technology and value-added production, including turning fruit unsuitable for the fresh market into avocado oil. Leo brings a grower’s perspective on adopting agtech and AI, reducing waste and building a stronger business from what the farm produces. Cody Dennis is Co-Founder and Operations Manager at Cherry Creek Estate. Working at the practical end of avocado production, he brings firsthand experience of adopting agtech and AI within a busy farming operation. Cody’s focus is on how new tools fit into everyday work, the challenges of implementation and what the team has learned along the way. He enjoys open discussion and sharing useful lessons with other growers and operators.
Craig van Rooyen
Craig and his wife Barbara have built a thriving family farming business through hard work, innovation and a passion for horticulture. As Director of the Van Rooyen Group in Bundaberg, Craig produces premium lychees and macadamias alongside their sons Devon and Connor. Fresh from winning the Hort Innovation Environmental & Sustainability Award, Craig will share the Sweet Sensations journey and his lessons in innovation, productivity and sustainable farming.
Mitch Brimblecombe
Mitch Brimblecombe is a fifth-generation farmer and Farm Manager at Moira Farming in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley. Working alongside his family across a diverse vegetable and cotton operation, Mitch combines generations of farming knowledge with a next-generation approach to innovation and productivity. Recently named the 2026 Bayer Cotton Grower of the Year.
Sophia Croker
Phia, ‘The Bee Drover’ is a fourth-generation commercial beekeeper chasing honey flows and pollination across Australia. After buying her first truckload of bees at just 18 years old, she’s been on the road with her swag ever since documenting her journey on socials.
Tina McPherson
Tina McPherson is a horticulture producer, agritourism operator and passionate advocate for finding new ways to remain viable and create value on our farms. Together with her husband Bruce, Tina owns and operates Tinaberries, a strawberry and macadamia farm near Bundaberg. Over 20 years, Tinaberries has evolved from a cane farm into a a diversified farming business combining commercial production, direct to customer sales, value added products and agritourism. Tinaberries welcomes visitors to the farm throughout the year, offering seasonal Pick your Own strawberries, real fruit ice-cream and other value added products. These experiences have helped create new income streams while building a much stronger connection between the people who grow food and the people who enjoy it. Tina has a particular interest in how horticultural businesses can use the assets they already have: their land, their produce, their people, their stories and their farming knowledge - to create new opportunities. She believes diversification does not necessarily mean moving away from farming, but can instead be about finding more ways to capture the value of what a farm already produces. Beyond Tinaberries, Tina is actively involved in the tourism and agriculture sectors and contributes to industry development and advocacy
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