A series of weekly webinars, including a virtual farm tour, are being planned for the Grassland Society of Southern Australia's 61st annual conference.
Starting July 22, the webinar sessions will follow the theme 'Growing with Grasslands' and will be held every Wednesday evening for five weeks.
The conference was initially being held in Gippsland, before COVID-19 restrictions kicked in.
It will be the first time in the society's 61-year history that it hasn't held a face-to-face annual conference.
The weekly online sessions from 7.30pm to 9.30pm will look at projects in pastures, what lies below the ground, legumes, pastures abroad and a virtual farm tour.
Society president Meg Bell said this was a great opportunity to take advantage of the current situation by using a new mode of delivery for the society.
"While we won't be able to get together in person this year, people who join the conference will get the same valuable information that will help them to improve understanding of grasslands farming," she said.
"Having a virtual conference allows us to look further afield for international speakers and different subjects, so we're confident it will be a fascinating program."
At this stage speakers from New Zealand and Argentina are expected to be on the program, which will be finalised in the coming weeks.
People will be able to register to livestream the webinars, which will include opportunities for questions.
Recordings will also be available at a later date, along with a publication of the proceedings.
The online sessions will continue until August 19.
The society is planning to revive an in-person event in 2021 in Gippsland.
- Details: Registrations for the virtual conference at grasslands.org.au