Season Success: Building Resilient Cropping Systems

Season Success: Building Resilient Cropping Systems

• Practical insights to set your 2026 season up for success, drawing on lessons from recent seasons and current agronomic trends.

• Expert-led discussion on key disease risks, how they develop through the season and what proactive management really looks like (including emerging testing tools).

• Clear, system-level thinking around soil health, biologicals and how biostimulants and inoculants fit into resilient cropping programs.

• An industry outlook on what’s changing now and what to expect heading into 2026, so you can plan with confidence, not hindsight.

• A collaborative, on the ground focus: applied science, practical decision-making and time for questions with experienced agronomists and industry specialists.

Workshop Agenda (4-6:30pm)

Welcome | 4-4:10pm:

• Open to the event with a brief welcome and outline how the day will support practical decision making for resilient cropping systems heading into 2026.

#1 Onion porject research update | 4:10-4:30pm:

• Dr Noel Knight and Ben Evert will provide an update on the Hort Innovation onion research project, focusing on fungicide resistance and new testing to support on farm management next season.

#2 Key disease concerns in horticulture | 4:30-4:50pm:

• Shane Fitzgerald will deliver a refresher on key disease risks, exploring disease lifecycles, practical management approaches and relevant testing, including emerging tools.

#3 Learning from the 2025 Season - agronomy Q&A | (5-5:30pm):

• Facilitated by Liam Riedy with local agronomists and growers, this session will reflect on key agronomic challenges and wins from the 2025 season through open discussion.

Short break

#4 Soil health, biologicals and system resilience | (5:30-6pm):

• Dr Neil Wilson will explore soil health and the role of biologicals in cropping systems, clarifying the difference between types of biologicals  and how agriculture and management decisions influence soil microbiology.

#5 Industry update and outlook for 2026 | 6-6:10pm):

• Cherry Emerick and Olive Hood from Hort Innovation and VegNet will share an industry update and what to expect heading into 2026.

Final Q&A and BBQ Catering