Facility Design

Protected cropping industry comes together at HFF Conference 2026

Grownetics

12 May 2026 — 1 min read

Protected cropping industry comes together at HFF Conference 2026 Thanks! Protected cropping industry comes together at HFF Conference 2026 The 2026 Hydroponic Farmers Federation (HFF) Conference brought together growers, industry leaders and supply chain partners from across Australia for three days of connection, practical insights and discussion around the future of protected cropping and hydroponic production.

The Hydroponic Farmers Federation is the peak grower organisation representing Australia's commercial hydroponic sector, supporting growers through advocacy, education and collaboration. Held from 4–6 May at Pullman Melbourne Albert Park, the conference continues to play an important role in bringing the protected cropping community together to share knowledge, experiences and new ideas.

The Rijk Zwaan team connected with growers at their stand, highlighting concepts focused on reliability, crop resilience and consistent production outcomes for hydroponic and protected cropping growers. "It's an opportunity to share knowledge, learn from each other and focus on practical solutions that support growers both now and into the future." As protected cropping continues to evolve, events like the HFF Conference play a critical role in supporting innovation, collaboration and the ongoing development of Australia's hydroponic industry.

Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?

Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.

What is the operator takeaway from this trial?

If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.

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