Hosted by Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture (TESA), the tour included 17 participants, with a mix of agronomists and growers who have been actively involved in the project.
Tom Jefferies, the extension agronomist at Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture, shared the diversity of crop types represented by the agronomists and growers created an environment conducive to outside-the-box thinking and unique discussions.
“Interactive sessions challenged current approaches, sparked new ideas for improvement and in many cases just reinforced our confidence in existing best practices,” Tom says.
“It’s evident the relationships built during this tour will provide long-term value to Elders, industry and growers’ businesses as we continue helping Australian horticulture do more with less,” he says.
Throughout the week, the group visited a range of leading operations, gaining insight into both production and processing.
A highlight was visiting two Simplot facilities, where participants saw how raw potatoes are transformed into frozen chips at Ulverstone, and how vegetables are processed into retail-ready frozen products at Devonport.
These visits offered valuable insight into large-scale processing and the role of value-adding beyond the farm gate.
The group also visited Harvest Moon at Forth, a progressive horticulture business producing a wide range of crops including carrots, lettuce, beetroot and broccoli, as well as Burlington Berries at Cressy, an intensive berry operation supplying premium markets.
These visits showcased different approaches to production, diversification and market positioning, while highlighting how businesses adapt to challenges and opportunities within the industry.
The tour also included a visit to the Hagley Ag Innovation Field Day, where participants observed a range of agtech tools and equipment in action.
This provided an opportunity to explore emerging technologies and consider how they could be applied to improve efficiency, productivity and sustainability on farm.
A key theme throughout the tour was the value of learning beyond individual industries.
Elders client and executive director, potatoes and irrigation for Longtrail Farms Nick Dabinett says he felt the study tour provided strong value across a broad range of agricultural businesses.
“Despite many of the enterprises being outside my direct industry, each visit offered relevant insights that could be applied back to our own operation, whether that be around scaling a family business, value-adding, or managing customer contracts,” Nick says.
“I found it particularly beneficial to observe how different operations approach on-farm agronomy and decision-making.”
The study tour is one of many activities delivered through the Innovation at Work Project, a pilot initiative co-funded by Elders and Hort Innovation through the Hort Frontiers program.
The project focuses on improving the extension skills of agronomists and supporting growers to adopt innovative practices through on-farm trials, demonstrations and knowledge-sharing activities.
The project is helping bridge the gap between innovation and practical application.
It also creates valuable opportunities for agronomists and growers to learn from each other and take new ideas back to their own businesses.
The Innovation at Work Project will continue with further activities planned across South Australia, Victoria and the Riverina.
Future initiatives will include workshops to help horticulture growers and agronomists learn how to measure their on-farm emissions, supporting them to meet evolving market expectations and reporting requirements.
More details at TESA@elders.com.au
