12/05/2026

 

Tyabb, Victoria, May 2026, The vegetable industry came together last week in Tyabb for the 2026 Victorian Vegetable Innovation Days (VicVID), held across 7–8 May.

 

Hosted by Taranto Farms and delivered in partnership by AUSVEG VIC, VegNET Victoria, and Stuart Grigg Ag-Hort Consulting, the event has continued to grow and evolve since its East Gippsland Field Days origins – expanding in scale, diversity and depth.

Officially opened with the ceremonial slicing of the leek, VicVID26 brought the sector together on Tyabb’s sandy soils to explore extensive crop trials, new varieties, ag-tech, machinery demonstrations, market insights and more.

 

While wet conditions, strong winds and overnight hail tested the event across the two days, the show went on — Thursday’s weather certainly didn’t leave attendees short of conversation. Coming after an unusually warm autumn, the conditions were a timely reminder of the increasingly variable conditions growers face each season.

 

Major sponsor Elders kept attendees fuelled throughout the wild weather, with the baristas and bacon-and-egg-roll makers arguably amongst the hardest working on-site.

 

This year’s event featured extensive variety demonstrations from seed companies and welcomed growers from across Victoria’s key production regions. It’s a rare opportunity for the vegetable industry to come together and see competing varieties performing side by side in real field conditions.

 

Vegetable breeding and seed company Rijk Zwaan was proud to take part, showcasing more than 80 varieties across lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, celery, spinach, rocket and chard. GroLink brought the extensive field displays to life, supplying seedlings for the event, with sowing beginning as early as December 2025.

 

Rijk Zwaan representatives joined the event to connect with growers and industry partners, highlighting a range of innovations including Gimli RZ, a mini celery bred for a compact, premium segment; Red Margarita RZ, a new fast-maturing red cabbage; Crunchy Cos varieties across small, medium and large segments; and year-round babyleaf spinach solutions.

 

International crop specialists from Rijk Zwaan, Wim in ’t Groen and Jos van der Knaap, were also on hand to share global insights and explore production trends, breeding developments and emerging challenges with local spinach and lettuce growers.

Jos joined industry representatives from Fragapane Farms, Mason Bros, Tripod and 3 Star Lettuce for an engaging panel discussion examining the evolving challenges facing Victorian lettuce growers, and the relationship between breeding, grower needs and retail expectations.

“We’re seeing similar challenges across growing regions globally, particularly with increasingly unpredictable climate conditions,” said Jos van der Knaap. “Modern breeding is about finding resilient genetics that can consistently perform across different regions and seasons — not only breeding for disease resistance, but for broader adaptability in the field.”

 

The event featured a diverse program, bringing together industry representatives from across the whole supply chain to deliver a snapshot of the innovation and collaboration shaping the future of vegetable production, alongside practical conversations in the field.

 

“VicVID is a unique opportunity to see varieties performing in real field conditions and to have direct conversations across the industry,” said Stephanie Knight, Rijk Zwaan Sales Representative & Crop Specialist. “Even with the weather challenges, it was great to see the level of engagement and the commitment from growers and partners.”

 

Rijk Zwaan extends its thanks to Stuart Grigg, Sam Taranto and the wider Taranto Farms team, together with AUSVEG Victoria, for the enormous effort involved in delivering another successful VicVID event for the vegetable industry.

 

Contact:
Name: Param Turna
Number: +61 417 355 804
p.turna@rijkzwaan.com.au