With so many events being cancelled due to COVID restrictions, FAR is very pleased to be going ahead with its annual field day at the Chertsey Arable Research Site, on Wednesday 24 November.
Organiser Anna Heslop says they were determined to find go ahead under Level 2 restrictions, and have ended up with a plan for a scaled back, half day event.
“We’ve worked out a colour coded ‘bubble zone’ approach that will still allow up to 300 people on site. The main difference from previous years will be in the number of talks and how growers choose which ones to hear. We have had to reduce the number of talks from 12 down to six, and instead of attendees picking and choosing which presentations they wish to hear, they’ll be escorted, in their bubble groups, from talk site to talk site. All attendees will hear all six talks and they will all have the opportunity to see all trials as they progress around the site.
“It will be a bit different, but we’re all getting used to doing things differently now; the recent, very well-run Ellesmere and Ashburton A&P Shows have proved that with a bit of innovation, the rural worthwhile events can still go ahead for the rural community. The safety of attendees and our staff is our greatest priority.”
“It will be a bit different, but we’re all getting used to doing things differently now; the recent, very well-run Ellesmere and Ashburton A&P Shows have proved that with a bit of innovation, the rural worthwhile events can still go ahead for the rural community.”
The gates at ARIA will open at 9.00am for registrations with the first talks beginning at 10.00am. Early arrival for registration is recommended to allow time for bubble group parking and allocation. Lunch will be provided after the final talks are completed at 1.00pm, and attendees can choose to stay and eat, with their bubble group, or take the food with them.
ARIA 2021 topics and speakers:
Nitrogen use in ryegrass seed crops: Richard Chynoweth & Turi McFarlane, FAR
Deliberate decisions for arable crops: Dirk Wallace, FAR; Mike Beare, Plant & Food Research
Biodiversity for beneficial insects: Brad Howlett and Melanie Davidson, Plant & Food Research
Biopesticides: knowing where to start: Jo Drummond & Alison Stewart, FAR
Managing grassweeds in cereals: Ben Harvey & Phil Rolston, FAR
Technology for managing bird damage: Owen Gibson, FAR