• Our Research
    • Research Strategy
    • Research Sites
    • Current Research Projects
    • Research Results
    • Research Collaborations
    • Research Resources
    • Seed Industry Research Centre
    Current Research
    Current Research
    Research Results
    Research Results
  • Resources
    • Biosecurity
    • Crop Action
    • Nutrient Management
    • Maize
    • Templates and Calculators
    • Cereals
    • Weeds
    • Pests
    • Seeds
    • Diseases
    • News
    • Environment
    • Soil
    • Schools
    Podcast
    Podcast
    Environment and Compliance
    Environment and Compliance
  • Levies & Returns
    • Arable Crops Levy
    • Maize Levy
    • Cereal Silage Levy
    • Farmer Annual Return Form
    • Wholesaler Annual Return Form
    Levies
    Levies
    Annual Returns
    Annual Returns
  • Events
  • News
  • About Us
    • Governance and growers
    • Business Strategy
    • Our People
    • Careers
    • Growers Leading Change
    • Women in Arable
    • Arable Ys
    • Arable Kids
    • Arable Research Groups (ARGs)
    Our People
    Our People
    Growers Leading Change
    Growers Leading Change
  • Ask FAR AI
  • Weather
  • Log In
Ask FAR AI
Weather
Log In
  • Homepage
  • Resources
  • 2016 Far Graduates Announced

2016 FAR Graduates Announced

Feature placeholder

Tim and sophie combined1After the successful introduction of the Foundation for Arable Research Graduate Programme this year, two new students have been appointed for 2016.

Sophie Blair and Tim Brooker will replace this year’s graduates, Hannah McCulloch and Angus McKenzie who were selected at the end of 2014.

Sophie is soon to graduate from Massey with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science and Agricultural Science and Tim is a FAR Post-Graduate Scholar finishing Honours at Lincoln, also studying Agricultural Science.

Having being selected for FAR’s Graduate Programme, the pair will spend their first year in the workforce gaining a hands-on understanding of the New Zealand cropping industry and its links with other primary sectors.

Sophie will begin at FAR in December in time for the busy trials harvest season, and Tim will begin in February.Both will be based at FAR’s Templeton headquarters, but will have the opportunity to work on trials all over New Zealand.

Current graduates Hannah and Angus say they arethoroughly enjoyingtheir time in the programme and have gained extensive knowledge about many aspects of the arable industry.

Hannah says the mix of various learning environments has been a highlight for her.

“Through working in the field with the research staff I have picked up the skills required to carry out a research experiment, and planning Women in Arable has allowed me to understand the knowledge and needs of others in the farming business.”

Angus has been particularly involved with understanding the role of forage within cropping farm systems and has been engaged with FAR’s interest group, Arable Ys, who travelled to the USA earlier this year.

FAR CEO Nick Pyke says like last year, the calibre of applicants for the programme was very impressive and meant that some capable applicants missed out.

“The Graduate Programme was introduced with the intention of attracting top students into the cropping industry, and it has been heartening to see such interest in our sector.”

Sophie, who says she is particularly interested in cropping and nutrient management, is looking forward to gaining the work experience that Uni doesn’t provide.

Tim says he is also excited to leave Uni and get his “foot in the door” as he starts his career.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting more people within the industry and learning all I can from them.”

Sophie and Tim will work with FAR for 12 months, and leave with a clear idea of their future with the arable industry.

Related Resources

11 September 2025

Moisture probe trial at Chertsey research site

The moisture probe trial is back for 2025-26 season. We have moisture probes from different providers installed at our Chertsey research site. View the different companies dashboards here.

Read more
11 September 2025

Maize Update 90 Maize pre-emergence herbicides and how best to use them

Pre-emergence herbicides have been the mainstay of maize weed management. This Maize Update discusses factors affecting pre-emergence herbicide success including application timing, modes of action and soil interactions. 

Read more
11 September 2025

From the Ground Up Spring 2025

Welcome to the spring 2025 edition of From the Ground Up

Read more
11 September 2025

FAR Board Vacancies

The FAR Nominations and Remunerations Committee (NRC) is calling for nominations to fill four grower director positions on the FAR Board from 1 January 2026. 

Read more
11 September 2025

Crop Action: Issue 16, 2025

Crop Action keeps you up to date with arable crop development and actions right across New Zealand.

Read more
11 September 2025

Extra 142 Nutrient management for autumn sown crops after a wet winter

Following a very wet winter, FAR has received a number of requests for information around managing yellow autumn sown crops. This Arable Extra outlines ways to distinguish between nitrogen and sulphur deficiencies and provides some information to support decision making around crop management.

Read more
11 September 2025

Extra 141 Options for replanting milling wheat (2025)

Wet conditions throughout winter 2025 have created challenges for growers across Canterbury. This Arable Extra addresses issues around 1) autumn sown wheat paddocks with drowned out patches and 2) considerations around sowing autumn milling wheat seed in the spring.

Read more
11 September 2025

Cereals update 231: Do T0 fungicides add financial value? Ten years of research says 'no'.

This Arable Update summarises yield and profitability results from 47 FAR trials since 2013, comparing programmes with and without a T0, to help guide your decision-making.

Read more
11 September 2025

Crop Action: Issue 15, 2025

Crop Action keeps you up to date with arable crop development and actions right across New Zealand.

Read more
11 September 2025

Maize Update 89: On-farm biosecurity: Invasive weeds in maize systems and how to avoid them

Farmers face three levels of biosecurity risk; regional biosecurity incursion risk; border biosecurity, regional biosecurity and on-farm biosecurity. This Maize update discusses the importance of on-farm biosecurity, the one factor you have control over.

Read more

Ask FAR AI

Discover the power of AI with Ask FAR. Our new intelligent tool provides instant, accurate answers to your questions by searching the vast resources on the FAR website and linking you to the original document for further information. It’s fast, easy and reliable.

Start Chatting
  • Research
  • Levies and Returns
  • Resources
  • Events
  • News
  • Contact Us
  • Schools
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

©2022 Foundation for Arable Research