THE state's flagship agricultural conference, Growing SA, is the latest event to be postponed in the wake of concerning COVID-19 outbreaks in SA and interstate.
Hosted by Grain Producers SA and Livestock SA, the two-day event was scheduled to be held in Hahndorf on August 23-24, but has instead been rescheduled to Friday, February 25, 2022.
GPSA chief executive officer Caroline Rhodes said the safety of participants and compliance with SA Health requirements were top priorities, so the two organisations had taken the decision to postpone the event.
"The uncertainty surrounding the duration of current COVID-19 restrictions, both here and interstate, and the impact on subsequent weeks, has cast a shadow on attendance and the successful preparation and delivery of the conference and our ability to access interstate speakers and sponsors," Ms Rhodes said.
"We expect that postponing until February 2022 will give confidence to speakers, sponsors, and delegates so that we can maximise attendance, discussion and networking at the conference."
Livestock SA chief executive officer Andrew Curtis said the new timing meant Growing SA would be held three weeks before the state election, positioning it as "a pre-election forum for the agriculture industry."
"This will be agriculture's opportunity to communicate policy priorities and engage with political candidates during the campaign - a first for the event," Mr Curtis said.
"Growing SA 2022 will also provide insights into policy development, business and economic trends, and commodity research and the chance to network within the industry and with policy decision makers."
GPSA and Livestock SA's annual general meetings - which were planned to coincide with Growing SA on August 23 - will still go ahead at the Adelaide Hills Convention Centre on that date to meet governance requirements.
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