The challenge: Looking forward to 2025 and beyond

In recent days, NSW Farmers made headlines by walking away from the National Farmers’ Federation. It’s yet another sign that even the big players are feeling disillusioned with the state of advocacy. We’re being challenged—and that’s a good thing.

Across the country, Australian growers are pushing back. They’re demanding more from their peak bodies: more engagement, more alignment, and above all, more action. They’re asking: “How much money, effort, and bureaucracy does it take to truly advocate for farmers?”

It’s a fair question. One we constantly grapple with. Effective advocacy isn’t easy—it takes commitment, funding, and the ability to represent a wide diversity of growers. But when done well, it’s worth every ounce of effort.

At QFVG, we believe advocacy must be grower-first. That means listening, acting with urgency, and delivering real value—especially where it counts most: the bottom line.

We consider our members not just stakeholders, but friends—engaged, collaborative partners who stand with us. We’re grateful for every grower who contributes time, ideas, and energy to our advocacy efforts, our projects, and our shared future.

But what about the growers outside our membership? In other corners of agriculture, these individuals are often labeled as “disengaged” or “hard to reach.”

We don’t see it that way.

Instead, we ask ourselves: Are growers truly hard to engage—or have we made it too difficult for them to connect with us?

That question alone is shaping our thinking and actions for 2025 and beyond.

To better understand the grower perspective, we recently engaged an independent research firm to survey a broad cross-section of the industry—both members and non-members. The insights we’ve gained will guide changes to our membership model, offering greater flexibility and choice to suit individual grower needs.

At QFVG, we’re listening. We’re adapting. And we’re ready to do advocacy differently—with authenticity, transparency, and growers at the heart of it all. 

Because the future of horticulture depends not on doing what we’ve always done, but on doing what truly works.