Thursday 4th December 2008 is FAR’s major field event of the year
This 'not to be missed' event held at the FAR Arable Site, Chertsey, has become an important date in growers' diaries with hundreds of growers and industry personnel passing through the gate each year.
Once again, FAR has developed an exciting programme which aims to update farmers and help them make more informed decisions, which in turn will add value to their farm business. The programme allows farmers to see the latest opportunities from the field research; and the line up of both local and international speakers will address a range of topics which are currently at the forefront of growers’ minds.
Dr Tom Wolf, Research Scientist, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada was a big hit two years ago, growers welcome him back to talk about the criteria for selecting the optimum spray quality and water volume for spraying crops.
This year in particular, water is extremely important. Dr Steven Raine, a Professor of Irrigation and Soil Science at the University of Southern Queensland will discuss irrigation and the adoption of scheduling technologies and new innovations. Also presenting on the principles of water use will be Dr Peter Stone, Programme Leader for Agricultural and Tropical Landscapes, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Australia.
Ronald Quiring, farmer and Chairman of the Oregon Seed Growers Ryegrass Bargaining Association will talk about ryegrass seed growing and marketing in Oregon and how it compares to New Zealand.
Finally Graham Lowe, former coach and rugby league icon will end the day with a motivating and entertaining speech over dinner.
A number of local speakers will also be joining us to discuss trial outcomes and a range of other topics which are relevant at this time.
Throughout the afternoon tea break, FAR will be presenting the FAR Researcher of the Year award along with other awards for FAR Studentships and Women in Arable.
Nick Pyke, FAR’s Chief Executive says Combinable Crops is a not to be missed event for any farmers of industry personnel who are serious about the arable industry. The day provides attendees with the latest information on a broad range of topics which will help growers farm more productively.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for their continued support; their collaboration makes it possible for us to bring along world experts in areas which are important for the future sustainability of New Zealand arable farming.”
Ongoing sponsors of the FAR Chertsey Arable Site:BASF, PGG Wrightson, Zelam, Rakaia Engineering, CASE, Norwood Agriculture,
Plains Irrigators and Crop & Food Research.
Sponsors of Combinable Crops 2008:Agrimedia, Amuri Helicopters, National Bank, Ballance, AgRecovery, Trimble,
Hydroservices, Biodiesel NZ and Meridian Energy.
The day will commence at 1pm and with presentations closing at 6.30pm, followed by a bar-b-q and drinks with guest speaker Graham Lowe.