FAR Research | Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI)

Resources

View the latest AIMI Survey of Cereal and Maize Areas and Volumes to 31 October 2023.

The New Zealand arable industry has suffered from unstable prices and markets in the past few years. The Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI), aims to provide good market intelligence, to enable growers to make informed decisions about planting and selling maize and cereals.

Latest AIMI survey reports:

AIMI Cereals Report to 10 October 2023

AIMI Maize Report to 1 June 2023

AIMI Cereals Report to 1 July 2023

Scroll down to read older reports

The Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI) was set up in 2010. Initially funded by the MAF Sustainable Farming Fund (now MPI SFF), and co-funded by FAR, Federated Farmers, Arable Food Industry Council (AFIC) and United Wheat Growers, AIMI was developed with the objective of ensuring future sustainability and improved competitiveness for the industry.

In order for the New Zealand arable industry to improve, it is vital that growers produce high specification products, with a specific end user in mind.

Here in New Zealand we are extremely fortunate to have access to excellent soil and water. This gives New Zealand an advantage in global markets. We are smaller than many other grain growing countries and are able to grow and change production relatively quickly. Arable production is also pivotal to the meat, dairy and horticultural industries, a fact which is often disregarded.

As part of the AIMI initiative, meetings with end users are held to ascertain their perception of the industry and their main concerns.

The New Zealand arable industry must ensure that it meets the demands of the end user. It's all too easy for them to get what they want from Australia; we need to make certain they can do that here. At the moment we have little concrete information about what is grown year, or what's stored in silos. We need to overcome these, and many other issues, before we can start to deliver what the end user wants.

At the time of AIMI's inception, the lack of up-to-date market information was seen as the most critical of a number of key issues confronting the industry. One of the prepared action areas of AIMI is to capture and report on market information that would not otherwise be available. A quarterly survey collects information on the major cereal crops grown in New Zealand including wheat, barley and oats. Maize data is also captured in a separate AIMI survey. The survey includes areas sown; areas harvested as grain crops and harvest volumes; volumes in storage at the end of each quarter; volumes sold; marketing channels and end users. The results from these surveys are attached below.

We need to ensure that growers, end users, and all market participants, are able to take advantage of world markets and business opportunities that arise. With efficient distribution, better information and appropriate contracts we should be able to do this.

Cereals

Maize

07 December 2023

Summer cereal and maize discussion field day booklet

If you missed our summer cereal and maize field day, check out the booklet here.

07 December 2023

Fall armyworm identification and background

A number of information sheets and brochures are available to help understand and identify FAW and its natural enemies.

07 December 2023

Kowhai Research Farm trials showcase booklet

If you missed our recent field day at our Kowhai Research Farm in Lincoln, check out the booklet here.

07 December 2023

AIMI cereals survey to 10 October 2023

The AIMI survey of New Zealand cereal growers, as at October 10, 2023 is now available online.

07 December 2023

Fall armyworm update November 2023

A fall armyworm update as of 10/11/2023

07 December 2023

Ryegrass and cereals 3: Spring management for cereals and seed crops booklet

In case you missed our latest spring field days check out the booklets here.

07 December 2023

Fall armyworm update 29 September 2023

The 2023/24 growing season has 0 confirmed reports to date.

07 December 2023

Ryegrass and cereals: saving money on early season management booklet

In case you missed our field days, you can find the booklet here.

07 December 2023

Cover crops and maize establishment update booklet

In case you missed the field day, you can find the booklet here.

07 December 2023

Cereal 218 Updated guidelines for use of DMI-Triazole fungicides for STB in wheat (2023)

DMI – triazole resistance appears to be driven by the number of applications, so risk can be reduced by minimising the number of applications per season.