2024 Autumn round up series booklet

Ever wondered about your crop’s nutrient status? Grain nutrient analysis measures the final results of all the decisions you have made in growing your crop. FAR is again supporting growers who wish to submit grain and seed samples for nutrient analysis from the 2026 Harvest.

This arable extra outlines six steps to help you to reduce your nitrogen costs by factoring in what is in the soil using tests and tools available. 

This Herbage Update summarises findings from three seasons of irrigation on browntop trials in Canterbury, New Zealand.

This Herbage Update summarises three seasons of irrigation experiments investigating yield penalties from early versus late-season drought and identifying mechanisms to guide irrigation strategies for improved water-use efficiency.

This report outlines findings from the moisture probe trial including the performance of each of the systems tested in Year 2 (2024-25) and outlines key points to consider when choosing a moisture monitoring system based on findings from both year’s work.

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.

With Spark and One NZ decommissioning their 2G and 3G networks across the country near the end of 2025. FAR has contacted the companies involved with the moisture probe trial to find out how it could affect your farm.

Read the booklet for the 2025 autumn round up series here. 

FAR's technology manager Chris Smith gives you some tips and tricks to help you pick the best moisture sensor for your system.

In 2023, FAR set up a Moisture Monitoring project at its Kowhai Research Site in Lincoln to provide independent insights into the range of moisture monitoring systems available in New Zealand. This report covers findings from the first year of the trial and outlines key considerations when choosing a moisture monitoring system.