Wednesday 7 December 2011, FAR Arable Research Site, Chertsey
9.30am – 5.30pm followed by BBQ supper
Now in its tenth year, the FAR Arable Research site will again host FAR’s major field event of the year – Crops 2011.
Crops 2011 will take place on Wednesday 7 December at the FAR Arable Research Site in Chertsey and will provide farmers with an excellent opportunity to view current trials and hear up to date research findings from experts from New Zealand and overseas.
This year offers an outstanding full day programme which will provide a mix of in-field presentations and the opportunity to view a number of live machinery and agronomy demonstrations from Platinum sponsors. Not only will the day focus on arable, but it will also include a number of dairy topics looking at forage cereals and maize and grazing canola and silage. For dairy farmers wishing to attend, these topics will be presented between 12.30pm and 2.15pm.
Keynote speaker is Robyn Murray, CEO of Go Grains Health & Nutrition Limited in Australia, amembership-basedorganisation which links the Australian grains industry value chain from grain growers to food manufacturers (on the health benefits of grain-based foods and legumes). Robyn will provide an overview of how Go Grains reviews the science and communicates the latest research findings about nutrition and health benefits to key opinion leaders (health professionals, educators, food processors, food manufacturers and the media) so that they can encourage consumers to include these foods in their diet.
With registration at 9.30am, there will be ample opportunity for delegates to attend presentations and demonstrations running throughout the day, sessions will include:
- Forage cereals – We will discuss species, cultivars and agronomy of autumn and spring sown cereal silages.Ross Hanson and Andy Hay – Plant & Food Research
- Forage maize – Where does forage maize fit into Canterbury rotations for dairy support / livestock? Single pass planting systems – is precision plant spacing important?Andrew Fletcher, Plant & Food Research and Diana Mathers, FAR
- Beans and lupins – Latest agronomy results on faba beans – effect of inoculants. Could new European lupin cultivars offer a new break crop option for New Zealand?Nick Brooks, PGG Wrightson and Tracey Wylie, FAR
- Grazing canola and cereals – Can we make more of our arable crops in early spring for grazing or silage? What are the latest dry matter results?Jen Linton and Richard Chynoweth, FAR
- Cultivation – yield results for this long term trial will be presented. How are cultivation practices changing and what are the opportunities and implications?Nick Poole, FAR
- N on ryegrass - New avenues for nitrogen management in perennial and Italian ryegrass seed crops.Richard Chynoweth, FAR
- Hessian fly – The role of natural predators and cultural practices on hessian fly. What have we learnt from last season?Abie Horrocks, Plant & Food Research and Nick Pyke, FAR
- Grassweed control – Getting the best of out of new active ingredients for grassweed control. Why did they work so well last autumn?Pramda Lalu, Independent Consultant and Nick Poole, FAR
- Arable and dairying – What qualities should dairy farmers look for in grain feed? How can arable assist with pasture renovation programmes and what can we do to ensure better relationships in the future?Dawn Dalley, Dairy NZ
- Disease – Why is Conquest wheat now susceptible to leaf rust and what are the implications for the cereal breeding programme? What diseases are currently on the move?Steve Shorter and Matthew Cromey, Plant & Food Research
- 20:20 – 20 tonnes of wheat per hectare by 2020.Rob Craigie, FAR
- Clover root weevil – A serious threat to clover seed production or a transient pest moving south?Mark McNeill, AgResearch
The day will also see the announcement of the FAR Researcher of the Year and presentations forother awards including FAR Studentships. The evening will conclude with a barbeque dinner and drinks and a presentation by keynote speaker Robyn Murray.
Nick Pyke, FAR’s Chief Executive says Crops is a key event in the calendar forfarmers andindustry personnel who are serious about the arable sector, “the day will provide arable growers and dairy farmers with the latest information on a broad range of topics which will helpthem farm more productively. As always, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for their continued support; their collaboration makes it possible for us to deliver a comprehensive programme with topics of importance for the future sustainability of New Zealand arable farming.”
Ongoing sponsors of the FAR Chertsey Arable Site: BASF, PGG Wrightson, Zelam, CASE, Norwood Agriculture, Plains Irrigators Ltd and Plant& Food Research.
Platinum sponsors of Crops 2011: Agronica, Ballance, Bayer Crop Science, CB Norwood, CASE IH, Landpower, Power Farming and Sygnenta.
Gold Sponsors: Dow Agrosciences, Orion Crop Protection, Ravensdown, Agronica, Agri Optics, Environment Canterbury, Agrecovery, New Zealand Seedlab, CRT and Viafos Importing Ltd.
Further details including a full programme can be viewed on the FAR website at www.far.org.nz