Horticulture Award: Fair Work Commission's New Piece Rate ProvisionsThe Fair Work Commission (FWC) published its decision regarding the piece rate provisions. The start date for the new provisions will be 28 April 2022. If you need assistance implementing the changes please contact vegetablesWA Human Resources/Industrial Relations consultant, Stephen Farrell on 0455 833 352 or stephen.farrell@vegetableswa.com.au. Stephen has produced a few templates and resources to assist growers with policy and procedure implementation. These can be found on the vegetablesWA website. Click here to access the website.
Spring Rights Exemption Information Forum - April 27Date | Wednesday, April 27, 5:00 pm
Location | 636 Seven Day Road, Manjimup Truffles South West Farmers are invited to attend the Spring Rights Exemption Information Forum, held in Manjimup on April 27. Hosted by the Western Australian Water Users Coalition, the event will cover a guideline overview, how it will affect property values, legal options, Fee for Service update and feature Industry groups for further input on the situation. vegetablesWA Acting CEO Manus Stockdale will be attending the event and be visiting growers in the Manjimup area from the 27th to the 28th of April. If you are interested in contacting Manus regarding this or other advocacy topics, please contact him on 0448 897 652 or manus.stockdale@vegetableswa.com.au. RSVP to the Spring Rights Exemption Information Forum is essential. Please contact Steve from the Western Australian Water Users Coalition on 0409 016 040 or wawateruserscoalition@outlook.com
Australian Agriculture Visa updateOn the 12th of April, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released new information and factsheets on the Australian Agriculture Visa Program (Ag Visa).
The new documents include: - Updated factsheet - Updated on the 12th of April.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
- Program settings.
Please visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website to view these factsheets and for more information on the Ag Visa. You can access the information here.
FEATURED ARTICLE
A Digital Presence: An Opportunity to Build Relationships with ConsumersIn the digitally connected world in which we live, it has become a norm to search or verify information using various online platforms easily available to consumers. With this ubiquitous connectivity, what does it mean to have a digital presence? Is it valuable for growers and food producers to have a digital presence? What value does it bring to your business? For businesses and brands of any size, to have a digital presence means that you can have a digital channel or ‘shopfront’ where your current and potential customers are able to reach you. While a website or social media may or may not be the first encounter with your brand, it could help to capture their attention and reinforce familiarity
with your brand. This is important to establish a degree of credibility and transparency. Read more
Close Contact Guideline ChangesYesterday the State Government announced WA’s close contact guidelines will change to bring them in line with the rest of the nation. These changes mean only household members and intimate partners of a COVID-19 case OR those with more than four hours of cumulative contact with a COVID-19 case without mask-wearing, in a residential setting will need to isolate. This applies to anyone staying in a residential or home-like setting, including residential care, congregate living, boarding school or house.
AUSVEG highlights top election priorities for vegetable industryWith the Federal Election having been called for Saturday 21 May 2022, AUSVEG has reiterated its top priorities for the upcoming Federal Election: - Investment in a behavioural change campaign to increase domestic consumption of vegetables and potatoes.
- Clear commitment to deliver and expand the Ag Visa to ease the labour pressures facing growers.
- Establishing a national labour-hire licencing scheme to help protect vulnerable workers and growers against illegitimate labour-hire operators.
This list has been the result of extensive consultation from growers and industry associations from every major vegetable production region. It includes a range of issues that will help the industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as help place the industry in the best possible position to tackle the future challenges that will emerge post-COVID. Click here for more information.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS APC PRODUCERS’ COMMITTEES
Through Producers’ Committees, the Agricultural Produce Commission enables investment into market growth, innovation, protection and biosecurity initiatives for the benefit of some 3,500 Western Australian agricultural producers. Producers’ Committees provide services to and on behalf of producers for the benefit of their industry. The Commission invites nominations from West Australian agricultural producers and relevantly experienced individuals for positions on the following Producer Committees: Beekeepers, Carnarvon Banana, Citrus, Pome Fruit, Potato, Stone Fruit, Strawberry, Table Grape, Vegetable, Wine. Terms of appointment will generally be for three years from 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2025. A nomination form and further
information is available from the APC website or by calling us on 08 9368 3127. Nominations close: 5:00pm, Friday, 29 April 2022. Click here to access the APC website.
We want your feedback – Ensure VegNET continues to meet your needsThe purpose of this survey is to seek feedback and input from vegetable growers, service providers and others who work in the industry, to ensure the national vegetable extension program, VegNET, continues to meet the needs of growers and industry. The survey will be open for a period of three (3) months from April to June 2022 to allow maximum responses and ensure a representative cross-section of the industry is reached. To achieve this, the survey distribution will be staged across different regions to best suit seasonal conditions and avoid peak production
times.
This is the first survey as part of VegNET Phase 3 and will be undertaken in years 1, 3 and 5 of delivery. Responses to this survey will remain confidential and no comments will be attributed to individuals. This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Complete the survey here or contact your Regional Development Officer, Michael Bartholomew on 0427 373 037, to complete the survey over the phone or in person.
Grow your career in horticulture in transport & logisticsTransport is considered the veins of the horticulture industry, helping to move millions of tonnes of fresh produce around Australia. With farms across Australia, Velisha Farms grows, packs, and distributes a premium range of vegetables.
As the Logistics and Transport Manager at Velisha Farms in Victoria, Amit Pandya is responsible for the timely movement of fresh produce too, from and within the company.
This video is part of AUSVEG's Grow Your Career in Horticulture video series. Click here to view the series.
Complete the annual AUSVEG Pest and Disease Management Survey for your chance to win!AUSVEG is seeking to identify Australian vegetable growers’ perceptions of, and approaches to, pest and disease management practices, impacts of pests and diseases on business risks, and concerns about potential impacts on crop health.
AUSVEG encourages all Australian vegetable producers to provide their views on pest and disease management practices by completing this survey by Sunday 12 June.
The AUSVEG Pest and Disease Management Survey takes approximately five minutes to complete. Upon completion, you will go into the draw to win a $200 Prezzee voucher.
Australia: Minimum wage for fruit and vegetable pickers to take effect this monthMajor changes are made to the way Australia's fruit pickers are paid. From April 28, changes to the Horticulture Award mean that farm workers typically paid according to how much produce they pick or pack must be guaranteed a minimum hourly rate. For casuals, that's $25.41 per hour. Workers can still be paid the piece rate, according to their productivity. The average competent worker must be allowed to earn 15 per cent above the minimum, almost $30 per hour. Read more
Drought Resilience Leaders Mentoring ProgramWe’re connecting more mentors and mentees to build leaders and resilience in our agriculture communities. Join the Drought Resilience Leaders Mentoring Program and get connected with a mentee or mentor today.
Through the mentoring program, we’ve connected more than 400 people from all parts of the country and industry to share trusted advice and build community leaders for challenging times.
Mentoring is such a great learning tool. Don’t miss your opportunity to be involved – make sure you submit your application before 19 April. Anyone with a strong connection to agriculture is encouraged to apply as a mentee or mentor. Apply here
Applications open: 2023 Nuffield ScholarshipsAustralia’s leading agricultural research scholarship is once again open to the next generation of growers looking to unearth innovative practices and cultivate the global networks needed to drive change in their businesses.
Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarships is a unique program that awards primary producers with a life-changing scholarship to travel overseas and study an agricultural topic of choice.
There are 20 Scholarships on offer, each valued at $30,000. To be awarded a 2023 scholarship, an application and interview process is held in 2022.
Applications close on Friday 17 June 2022. Click here for more information.
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