The 2025 Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar (AVIS) kicked off on 4 June in Brisbane with a Soil Wealth ICP panel discussion featuring leading growers and industry members from Australia and New Zealand, who discussed their diverse approaches to future proofing vegetable production systems.

Facilitated by Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen, the panellists included Australian vegetable growers Kim Ngov and Ed Windley, and New Zealand growers and industry members Michael Hicklin and John Murphy.

From cover crops to laser weeders, the panellists shared their experiences in trialling new ways to build soil and plant health and ultimately a more resilient farming system – as well as the challenges faced along the way.

Michael Hicklin

For over 15 years, Michael has worked across crop management, agronomy and operations at LeaderBrand, a major vegetable producer and vertically integrated horticultural business in New Zealand.

When implementing changes to the business operations, Michael and the team only focus on what they can control.

“We have just completed the first round of regenerative farming in a commercial intensive vegetable production program … and I think we’ve seen some positive results,” he said.

“We don’t have livestock, so we’ve focused on what good parts we can take from regenerative farming and quantifying what happens as a result of using those practices. The next two to three years is about focusing on rotations, cover crops and disease reduction across the program.”

Building soil health is nothing new to LeaderBrand as the business has implemented key strategies such as controlled traffic farming and compost for many years. It held the farm in good stead following the devastating impact of recent cyclones in New Zealand.

“Prior to the cyclone we made a lot of gains. We used to be a very fuel-sensitive business for a long time. We increased our soil health and got a lot of yield for improving the soil, so we really understand the value of that. We always look to Australia and there are some really good resources for growers out there that we use as a point of reference,” Michael said.

“We’ve spent the last two or three years in recovery mode, resetting the ground and trying to get back into that mode of looking ahead to be more resilient and commercially viable. We found that more resilient soils can withstand changing weather and changing climates.”

In terms of new technologies, LeaderBrand recently purchased a laser weeder to help guarantee a continued supply of produce to market.

“We critically evaluated what we thought we were losing and then incorporated that into the argument (for purchasing the equipment). Hopefully, it’s going to reduce the weed burden across the farm and provide a continuous supply which will give the customer a better experience, and in turn create value for us. It can also provide opportunities around things like organic farming in the future.”

Kim Ngov

Kim grows a diverse range of vegetables under protected and open field cropping in Kemps Creek, NSW. Kim is passionate about sustainable farming and has hosted Soil Wealth ICP trials on a former property in Wedderburn including cover cropping as an alternative to plastic mulch to improve soil health, weed suppression and reduce environmental impact.

Kim has seen the financial and production benefits of cover cropping and is keen to integrate it further into his farming program.

“With cover cropping, it’s about timing. You need a two to three month window for it to be effective … but the weather dictates what we can do. It’s not like our greenhouses where I can grow whenever I need to.”

After having no choice but to move to a new farm, Kim is focusing on building soil health at the property to continue trials for alternatives to plastic mulch and prepare the farm for intensive open field production in addition to greenhouse production.

“We’re currently doing interrow cover crops. I did that a few years ago and it increased the organic matter in the soil and reduced the weeds, herbicide application and labour costs. The ground was just so much better to work on too.”

John Murphy

John is CEO of Murphy’s New Zealand, which produces premium garlic and shallots. A Nuffield Scholar and Chair of Vegetables NZ, John is committed to advancing research, innovation and practical solutions to ensure the sustainability and profitability of New Zealand’s vegetable sector.

For John, going back to basics and keeping it simple is a key starting point before implementing new approaches, paired with the understanding that the payoff from trials of new technologies and approaches can take time to be fully realised.

“Ten years ago we were looking at the biological space and we weren’t sure if it was working, but the technologies and improvements that we’re looking at have a medium- to long-term pay gap,” he said.

“Growers also want to see practical, incremental approaches that can be applied to current programs, rather than the show stopper, massive investments.”

Looking back, John can see the value of making those decisions over a decade ago, which provides confidence in the investment moving forward. He added that growers should keep their end customer – the consumer – in mind.

“Start with the market that you think needs your product, so be market-led. And I think you have to be realistic about the fact that consumers are price-sensitive, no matter how you’re growing.”

Ed Windley

Ed is a conventional and organic vegetable grower based in Kalbar, Queensland. With a background in agronomy, Ed has a wealth of technical expertise particularly in crop agronomy and integrated pest management.

“It’s about trying to grow better, healthier and more resilient crops. About five years ago we started organic production and that’s about a third of the operation now. It forced us to explore the health side of things and then roll it out across our conventional production area as well, which has been very beneficial,” Ed said.

Ed is a strong advocate for innovation in agriculture and has been an early adopter of controlled traffic farming and precision agriculture technologies and robotics, with the support of industry levy-funded projects.

“Things change so fast and the economics are critical to adopting new technology. I am really excited about some of the new things that are out there, but it’s not necessarily going to suit everyone. It’s about trying to make the right decisions – because they’re big decisions – and just trying to be confident that it’s going to work for you.” 

AVIS was funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Images courtesy of AUSVEG.