A new initiative to address the critical labor shortage in Australia’s horticulture sector was launched today.

The Horticulture Industry Internship Programme, launched by Hort Innovation in partnership with Western Sydney University, will provide industry-based training and hands-on experience to the University’s undergraduate and postgraduate students. The program aims to equip the next generation of horticulturists, agronomists, pathologists, entomologists and farm managers with the skills needed to contribute to the future of the industry.

Fellows will be drawn from Western Sydney University’s Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Sciences) and Master of Science (Agriculture, Agri-Horticulture) programs, including prospective students at the new India campus opening in 2026, helping to address skills gaps in Australia by integrating global talent into the local workforce. Through a robust framework of industry-funded and industry-based internships, these students will gain hands-on experience tailored to industry needs, boosting employability and supporting the availability of skilled workers in the sector.

© Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Horticulture Innovation)

Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield said the program represents a significant commitment to building capacity and supporting the future of Australian horticulture. “By investing in hands-on training and industry partnerships, we are ensuring our sector remains competitive and resilient, with a workforce ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

University of Western Sydney Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Professor George Williams AO said: “This program reflects our commitment to agriculture and horticulture education, research and industry engagement. It is about creating real-world opportunities for students and strengthening our links with industry.”

Commenting on the wider workforce challenges facing the sector, Tim Archibald, CEO of White Prince Produce, added: “One of the biggest challenges we face in the horticulture industry is attracting and retaining skilled people. That’s why initiatives like this are so exciting; they’re not just building a talent pool, they’re strengthening the future of our industry, they’re helping to directly supply our individual industry programs to meet the evolving needs of the sector.”

Each internship will be tailored to meet the specific training and staffing needs of the host companies, will be internships lasting between three and twelve months and is designed to support the transition of students to employment in the horticulture sector after graduation.

For more information:
Hort Innovation
Email: (email protected)
horticulture.com.au/

An Idaho campaign has introduced a new certified initiative to put medical marijuana legalization on the state’s 2026 ballot.

The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho (NMAI) on Wednesday announced the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act, which will give patients with qualifying conditions access to marijuana from a limited number of dispensaries and provide a regulatory framework for the market.

After Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador (R) told the secretary of state that the initiative’s short and long ballot titles provided a “truthful and unbiased” view of reform, the campaign is now allowed to circulate petitions.

“It’s about giving families and individuals options when nothing else has worked,” said Amanda Watson, NMAI communications manager, in a press release. “This initiative was created with Idaho values ​​in mind. It would require strong oversight, measures to prevent recreational use, and most importantly, it would provide relief to thousands of Idahoans with serious illnesses. It is a compassionate and conservative approach to health care.”

Here are the main provisions Idaho Medical Cannabis Law:

• Healthcare practitioners may recommend medical cannabis to patients with conditions including cancer, anxiety and acute pain.
• Medical marijuana patients or designated caregivers can purchase up to 113 grams of cannabis for smoking or 20 grams of THC extract for vaporization per month.
• The state would issue three vertically-integrated cannabis business licenses, and then potentially six licenses in total.
• Marijuana would be reclassified under state law, Title II.
• State and local law enforcement would be prohibited from assisting in drug enforcement activities related to the state’s illegal cannabis program.
• There would be anti-discrimination protections for those who use or sell marijuana in compliance with state laws, preventing adverse actions by employers, landlords and educational institutions.
• There does not seem to be any equity-based reform, nor will the initiative be given the opportunity to grow at home.

To get on the ballot, the campaign must collect 70,725 valid signatures, including 6 percent of registered voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. NMAI is recruiting paid applicants to carry out the plan.

In response to the new medical cannabis initiative, a separate campaign launched late last year, Kind Idaho, told supporters on Wednesday that it would cancel its signature drive. ballot initiative to legalize the personal possession and cultivation of marijuana the adults

“In the spirit of working together to ensure we have a pro-cannabis measure on the ballot in 2026, we will not be releasing the #DecriminalizeCannabisNow petition until we have collected 70,000 signatures,” Kind Idaho said via email. “We will support their signature collectors until then.”

Pleasant Idaho previously put medical marijuana ballot measures before voters Both in the 2022 and 2024 elections, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, next year voters will see a different type of proposal on the ballot: the constitutional amendment approved by the Legislature to make it so. only members of the legislature can legalize marijuana or other controlled substances.

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Lawmakers held a separate hearing to discuss it in March bill to legalize medical cannabisbut in the following months there has been no significant action on the matter.

Separately, it would be a bill from Republican Bruce Skaug (R) earlier this year set a mandatory minimum fine of $420 for possession of cannabisremoving judges’ discretion to apply lower sentences. Skaug said the bill, which ultimately stalled in committee, would send a message that Idaho is tough on marijuana.

Members of the House of Representatives were also admitted bill to ban marijuana adsalthough the Senate later defeated the measure.

Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

Dutch photographer Kadir van Lohuizen has captured the stories of people who were exposed to pesticides and then developed Parkinson’s disease. The Dutch newspaper Trouw highlighted his work this week. On Wednesday, October 15, the traveling exhibition “The Hidden Impact of Pesticides” was inaugurated at the Wageningen Campus.

Van Lohuizen, best known for his first photo series portraying the global horticulture industry, photographed nine people who lost their lives due to pesticide exposure. The project was commissioned by the unions ParkinsonNL, Parkinson Vereniging, Natuur & Milieu and FNV. The exhibition will be on view in Wageningen until the end of November and will then tour the Netherlands for the next two years.

In Trost, the threat parties have their star: Nico Dirk-swager (78), Jacqueline Assume (61) and Marcel Kovonhoven (62).

Nico remembers picking tomatoes as a teenager, as did four of his five friends—four of whom have also developed Parkinson’s in recent years. “We all came from different backgrounds and went on to do completely different jobs. But as teenagers, the five of us spent the summer picking tomatoes in the local greenhouses to make a Tomos or Puch moped.”

Jacqueline grew up as the daughter of a flower bulb grower and remembers being around crop protection products from an early age. “I was the unlucky one in the family, the only one to develop Parkinson’s,” he says.

Marcel, who worked in the flower shop, also fell ill. “I joined this project to raise awareness among florists. Know what is going through your hands. A single flower on the table will not make you sick, but we are constantly exposed to an accumulation of pesticides. Wear latex gloves, wash your hands often. I do not blame the producers, they follow the law, but I think what is important in these products.”

The exhibit sheds light on the often unseen human consequences of pesticide use in agriculture, and aims to spark a broader conversation about safety, awareness and responsibility in the horticultural chain.

the source: Trouw (€)