Aphid and Beneficial Insect Numbers

Harvest Snippets provides a harvest season summary of the Cultivar Performance Trials. Find all the 2025/2029 season harvest snippets here.

Stem rust (Puccinia graminis subsp. graminicola) is the most damaging of the ryegrass diseases. This update discusses how different fungicide programmes and timings affect seed yield. It compares early versus late applications and offers practical advice to help growers improve rust control and maximise returns.

Welcome to the revised 2025 version of  The drying and storage of grain and herbage seed, first published in 1999. The book comprises six chapters that cover grain characteristics and their reaction to climate, the importance of seed moisture, the drying system, the storage environment, storage pests and their control, and construction considerations. These have been edited and updated by FAR staff and independent experts from the original chapters written by the late Murray Hill.

Between January and May 2025, FAR and harvester specialists conducted a comprehensive study to quantify the grain and seed left in the paddock by New Zealand growers and identify opportunities to optimise harvester performance. 

A review of New Zealand’s fall armyworm surveillance network has confirmed that crop scouting is the most reliable and informative tool for understanding fall armyworm (FAW) activity. However, it also acknowledges that scouting is time consuming and that industry personnel struggle to keep up in the height of the season.

This Cereal Disease Management Strategy summarises the results of FAR research conducted between 2022 and 2024. It provides an overview of the most important diseases currently affecting wheat and barley in New Zealand, and outlines a range of cereal disease management strategies and approaches derived from numerous FAR research trials. 

If you couldn't make it to ARIA this year, make sure you check out the booklet here. 

The AIMI survey of New Zealand cereal growers, as at 10 October, 2025 is now available online.

Read the full arable industry code of conduct here. 

This Arable Update outlines practical strategies for using SDHIs effectively in the field while protecting their long-term efficacy.