The 2025 Australian Citrus Congress will take a deep dive into where efficiencies lie for the Australian citrus industry, particularly labour efficiencies and efficiencies that save resources – time, money, energy and water. As Australia’s largest citrus growing region by planted area, the New South Wales Riverina provides the ideal backdrop to explore this topic through immersion.

Citrus Australia is diligently developing a program that combines traditional congress elements – a speaker program, exhibition and networking events – with opportunities to see innovation in action.

Event Program

Timetable

Tuesday 18 March

11:30am - 3pm:

Golf Event

Venue: Griffith Golf Club

Social Ambrose golf event & lunch.

3:30pm - 4:30pm:

Citrus Australia AGM

Venue: Woodside Hall, Griffith Showgrounds

Only registered Citrus Australia members and/or contributing levy payers can attend the AGM.

4:30pm - 6:30pm:

Exhibition Launch and Welcome Event

Venue: Woodside Hall, Griffith Showgrounds

Prime opportunity to network with fellow delegates and meet exhibitors.

Wednesday 19 March

8:00am:

Trade Expo Doors Open

Venue: Woodside Hall, Griffith Showgrounds

Hear from expert speakers and learn more about our exhibitors' products and services, including on-site equipment displays.

Lyndsey Douglas

Master of ceremonies / director writers who

9:00am-10:30am: Session 1

From global changes to local strategies: adapting and adopting for success

Hear experts discuss the pressure from global economic forces being faced by the Australian agriculture industry - including global political environment, foreign exchange rates, supply chain disruptions and production issues.

Speakers

Carol Kong

Associate Director, Economist and Currency Strategist Commonwealth Bank

Jesse Reader

Head of Investment Growth and Commercial Hort Innovation

Nathan Hancock

CEO Citrus Australia

11:30am - 12:30pm: Session 2

Labour efficiencies – productivity, precision, profitability

Hear experts discuss the innovations available to help lower labour cost and improve efficiency in production, harvest and packing.

Speakers

Sharon Chapman

CEO ABC Software

James Paterson

CEO Aerobotics

Nathan Hancock

CEO Citrus Australia

Peter O'Donnell

Executive Director, Southern Cross Farms

2:00pm-3:00pm: Session 3

Changing trends in crop protection: what is the future?

Hear experts discuss pest and disease management through traditional and new methods.

Speakers

Danny Thornton

General Manager, Agreva

Dr. Meena Thakur

Entomologist, NSW Department of Primary Industries

Robert Vitelli

Technical Manager Insecticides, Syngenta

Emily May

Horticultural Agronomist, Elders

4:00pm-5:00pm: Session 4

Fruit quality is just one part of the ‘premium’ puzzle

Hear about advancements in fruit packing technology and packaging to retain Australia's reputation for premium quality and improve grower returns.

Speakers

Craig Osner

Director, Reefer Air Flow Technologies (RAFT)

Clinton Jeffries

Area Sales Manager, TOMRA Food

David Bañon

Commercial Director, IPLA

Helen Aggeletos

Director, Venus Citrus

6:30pm-10:00pm:

Awards Dinner

Venue: Piccolo Family Farm, Griffith

Dinner to include presentation of Citrus Australia's Annual Awards.

Thursday 20 March

8:00am-4pm:

Field Day

Venue: Moricom Orchards, Leeton

In-orchard demonstrations and displays.

Exhibitors

G2 Netting

Delegates will learn about netting benefits, supported by data and testimonials. G2 Netting will showcase tailored solutions, commitment to client collaboration, and seasonal adjustments to minimise impact on operations. Additionally, they'll demonstrate how to use their structures to their maximum capacity, further enhancing growers’ yields and profits.

Hutcheon & Pearce

Hutcheon & Pearce's latest machinery includes the John Deere 5ML Cab tractors, the Pastro Double Stack Twin Fan sprayer specifically designed for high density orchards, the Smart Apply System delivering precision spraying and precision data capture and analytics to growers, and the Global Unmanned Spray System making spraying faster, safer, and easier.

National Rootstock Evaluation Program

The current program is looking to evaluate a range of rootstocks from the overseas breeding programs. An update of the program in relation to growers’ trials and specially the work on HLB tolerant rootstock will be presented.

Netafim

Netafim will be showcasing a number of new irrigation innovations. AlphaDisc™, Netafim’s cutting-edge disc filtration solution, is engineered to protect your irrigation system and maximize crop performance. GrowSphere™ takes the complexity out of managing irrigation and fertigation, delivering exceptional results with ease.

Schedule It

Schedule-it are excited to showcase their innovative horticulture solutions, empowering farmers by optimising water usage. Their advanced irrigation monitoring and scheduling equipment, along with their user-friendly software, enable hassle-free 7-day irrigation planning, real-time tracking of inline EC, inline flow rates, weather, fruit sizing and more. Discover how their solutions simplify and enhance irrigation accuracy, all driven by sound agronomic principles and real-time in field data.

Integrated Pest Management in Citrus

Explore sustainable pest management with citrus industry IPDM extension personal and researchers. Learn results from National IPDM demonstration sites that explored alternative management of key citrus pests. Understand the role of natural enemies, the differing impact of chemistries to balance pest control with ecological conservation for a healthier orchard.

Galaxy Group

The Tecnofruit CF105 from Galaxy Group is a multi-role orchard platform system purpose designed for high-density citrus and apple growing operations. It comes into its own during harvest, where high quality is assured through delicate handling of fruit, from the moment it is picked to the moment it is placed in the bin. By removing the need for ladders, the CF105 also makes picking safer, easier, and more enjoyable.

Omnia Specialties

Andrew Doecke, Innovation & Development Manager at Omnia Specialities Australia, presents advancements in the citrus industry. His focus includes improving young orchard establishment, enhancing root growth, and boosting soil health through biostimulants and next-generation biological products. These innovations empower growers to achieve sustainable, high-performing orchards and address modern agricultural challenges.

Gallard Group

See a Bonsai-enabled multifunction tractor pulling a hydraulically driven 4000L Airofan foliar sprayer. The Bonsai AI vision (camera) system enables greater performance (less stops) at lower cost, and is managed through a simple, intuitive user app. The AR500 delivers 130 HP beyond hydraulic flow, powering a high-flow Airofan sprayer with AgOtter monitoring and rate control coupled to the Bonsai App.

Aerobotics

See firsthand how Aerobotic's phone-based Grade technology is transforming the way growers and marketers measure, manage, and track fruit quality. Capture fruit size, colour, and blemish data non-destructively in the field, collect data 5x faster than traditional methods, access all your data in one place for better decision-making, and improve accuracy in yield forecasting.

Syngenta

See Syngenta's innovations in insect pest management. Visit them in the equipment display to learn about VERTENTO® insecticide, a new mode of action group offering exceptional control of key pests as well as good residual. Learn more at the field day where you can see VERTENTO® in action and learn more about application.

Guidolin Agrimac

Guidolin Agrimac have been manufacturing trailing sprayers for 60 years, focusing on longevity using high-quality Australian-made steel together with excellent workmanship. Their sprayers are designed for a range of farming applications, giving farmers confidence in reducing costs, saving time and maximising productivity.

Accommodation

Need accommodation?

Quest Apartments Griffith and The Gem Hotel are offering reduced rates and on-hold rooms for Congress attendees.

Quest Apartments Griffith

53 Railway Street, Griffith, NSW 2680

Apartment Type	Nightly Rate	Guests per Apartment
Studio Apartment	$199	1-2
1 Bedroom Apartment	$229	1-2
2 Bedroom Apartment	$309	2-4

To book, please call the hotel reception on 02 6969 2000 and quote ‘ACC2025’.

Gem Hotel

201 Banna Avenue, Griffith, NSW 2680

Room Type	Nightly Rate	Guests per Room
Deluxe King Room	$279	1-2

To book, please call the hotel reception on 02 6913 5050 and quote ‘ACC25’.

Questions?

Please contact us for more information.

Program

Timetable

Tuesday 18 March

11:30am - 3pm:

Golf Event

Venue: Griffith Golf Club

3:30pm - 4:30pm:

Citrus Australia AGM

Venue: Woodside Hall, Griffith Showgrounds

4:30pm - 6:30pm:

Exhibition Launch and Welcome Event

Venue: Woodside Hall, Griffith Showgrounds

Wednesday 19 March

8:00am:

Trade Expo Doors Open

Venue: Woodside Hall, Griffith Showgrounds

Lyndsey Douglas

9:00am-10:30am: Session 1

From global changes to local strategies: adapting and adopting for success

Speakers

Carol Kong

Jesse Reader

Nathan Hancock

11:30am - 12:30pm: Session 2

Labour efficiencies – productivity, precision, profitability

Speakers

Sharon Chapman

James Paterson

Nathan Hancock

Peter O'Donnell

2:00pm-3:00pm: Session 3

Changing trends in crop protection: what is the future?

Speakers

Danny Thornton

Dr. Meena Thakur

Robert Vitelli

Emily May

4:00pm-5:00pm: Session 4

Fruit quality is just one part of the ‘premium’ puzzle

Speakers

Craig Osner

Clinton Jeffries

David Bañon

Helen Aggeletos

6:30pm-10:00pm:

Awards Dinner

Venue: Piccolo Family Farm, Griffith

Thursday 20 March

8:00am-4pm:

Field Day

Venue: Moricom Orchards, Leeton

Exhibitors

Accommodation

Need accommodation?

Quest Apartments Griffith

Gem Hotel

Questions?

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Citrus Australia

Account

KCT / InfoCitrus