CROPS will go ahead on 2 December at the FAR Chertsey Arable Site.
Organiser Anna Heslop says all planning around CROPS went on hold in early-March, but after consultations with sponsors in June, the decision was made to go ahead and the team are now back in full-on planning mode. 2020 is FAR’s 25th anniversary, so CROPS will also be the focus of some birthday celebrations.
"We're delighted that our Platinum sponsors, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Bayer Crop Science, Corteva, Norwood and Syngenta were, like us, were keen to continue, as were Gold sponsors Ravensdown Seed Lab and Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings. There is still plenty of room for more Platinum Agronomy, Machinery and Gold sponsors, so if anyone is keen, just contact us."
Anna says work on the research plots at FAR’s Chertsey arable site, which hosts the CROPS event, has been going ahead as per usual since lockdown lifted, but that the industry demonstration sites have been impacted by the delayed decision.
“Many of the industry demonstration sites would usually have been sown in autumn, but this year, they will all be spring sown plots. This has required our sponsors to do some quick thinking around crop types, cultivars and treatments. We really appreciate their continued support.”
About CROPS
Since its inception in 2002, CROPS has developed into New Zealand's largest one day agricultural extension field event. A ‘must-do’ for cropping farmers and industry personnel.
CROPS is a full day event which allows farmers to view demonstration plots investigating everything from cultivars to cultivation, and to see and hear the latest research findings from New Zealand a team of experts. The aim is to provide every attendee with relevant new information to take away and apply to their own farming operation.
As in previous years, CROPS 2020 will focus on the future of New Zealand cropping, highlighting sustainable new technologies and market opportunities for grain, seed and supplementary feed crops.
CROPS is held at the FAR Chertsey Arable Site, a 13.5 ha mix of irrigated and non-irrigated land on SH1 just north of Chertsey. FAR has had demonstrations at the site for 17 years, providing a long-term show-case for a number of high-profile research projects, funded by grower levies and external grants, on a number of crops.