From the Ground Up: Issue 119, Summer 2024

Want to have more of a say in how FAR operates in Canterbury? We’re looking for growers to join the Mid-Canterbury (MC) and Northern South Island (NSI) Arable Research Groups (ARGs). ARGs work with FAR to guide research and extension delivery within their region. Each of FAR’s seven ARGs includes up to 11 growers and up to five appointed members (usually from industry). They meet three or four times a year to share regional ideas and information and discuss research and extension projects. 

With concerns about fuel and fertiliser prices increasing, FAR Technology Manager Chris Smith has some tips for doing your best to use inputs as efficiently as possible. 

Planning for the 2026 New Zealand Arable Awards is well underway...all we need now are your nominations.

A large-scale research project is establishing a diverse and sustainable toolkit of weed management strategies for cropping farmers in the face of rising rates of herbicide resistance. 

Read this autumn black grass update here. 

The Government has classified the past few months' of challenging weather conditions in Canterbury, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/Tairāwhiti, as a medium-scale adverse event.

A number of arable farmers are partnering in a Government project exploring the use of solar and batteries on New Zealand farms.

A single male brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has been detected in a surveillance trap in Ōrākei, Auckland. The find was made on Tuesday 3 February, during routine monitoring.

For two years after Cyclone Gabrielle, FAR spoke to a number of affected farmers and growers to learn how they , and their families, worked their way through the aftermath. Their answers were compiled into a lengthy report, then summarised into a poster outlining the most important things to consider and do in the daynewss and weeks following a disaster.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand are seeking South Island mixed finishing farms to include in their national Sheep and Beef Farm survey. The survey links physical production with financial returns and the capital structure of farms.