Australia’s premier horticulture event Hort Connections 2018 welcomed leading thinkers from around Australia and across the globe and celebrated some of industries’ very best at the National Awards for Excellence.
Our Chief Advocate Rachel Mackenzie was awarded the Women in Horticulture Award and Frank and Dianne Sciacca, Growcom members from Pacific Coast Produce in Innisfail, received the Environmental Award for their commitment to sustainable farming practices on-farm. We also congratulate our members from Dicky Bill Australia who took out the title of the NAB Agribusiness Exporter of the Year.
Rachel has been a strong leader within the horticulture industry for over 12 years and we are honoured to have her diplomatic approach to challenging and influencing policy at a state and federal level.
Growcom was proud to participate as a co-host of this year’s conference alongside AUSVEG and PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited (PMA A-NZ). Nearly 3000 local and international delegates converged for the three-day event, which featured a trade show with around 200 local and global supply chain partners.
Our booth was a hive of energy and conversation, including visits from National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) chair Fiona Simson and growers from industry groups in Canada and New Zealand.
Our staff were on hand to answer questions about the Innovation Coach, Export Facilitator, Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network, Hort360 projects and the Fair Farms Certification scheme.
The leading ladies of Australia’s horticulture industry even painted the town pink for breast cancer at the Women in Horticulture event. Congratulations to Growcom director Belinda Adams for her key role in developing this program that highlights the crucial roles women perform in rural and regional communities.
As a new CEO of Growcom, it was a great opportunity to meet with key players in the industry and to better understand how the various organisations and individuals all fit together. It is clear our state is leading the way for horticulture in Australia and deserves all the recognition it receives and more.
Growcom looks forward to participating in Hort Connections conference in Melbourne next year and continuing to showcase the best our industry has to offer.
