FAR Combinable Crops

Wednesday 8 December

1.00pm-6.00pm, FAR Arable Site, SH1, 2km north of Chertsey

Grain

2 FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Welcome

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research On behalf of the Foundation for Arable Research, we are delighted to invite you to the 8th Combinable Crops Event to be held at the FAR Arable Research Site, Chertsey.

This event, which is to take place on Wednesday December 8, has become a key event in arable farmers’ diaries in that in that it provides them with an excellent opportunity to view current trials and hear up-to-date research findings from experts from around New Zealand and overseas.

Once again we have allowed for a broad range of topics to be covered within the event and welcome you to fully participate in the discussions and deliberations that will occur throughout the day and challenge you to create new opportunities in your future successes in growing arable crops.

We are confident that you will leave the event with some very valuable information which will assist you in improving the economic and environmental performance of your current crop production systems and also provide you with some essential skills which will assist you when making critical farm management decisions.

Our keynote speaker is Mick Faulkner, Principal Consultant, Agrilink Agricultural Consultants. He will be speaking about what South Australian growers are doing to combat dry seasons.

With registration at 1pm, there will be ample opportunity for delegates to attend presentations running throughout the afternoon, covering a range of topics from biological farming to saving energy on farm.

Combinable Crops will also include demonstrations and discussions. A one hour time period has been allocated to allow you the opportunity to take a closer look at the research trials, with FAR staff and a number of local speakers on hand to discuss trial. A number of local speakers will also be discussing trial outcomes and a range of topics of foremost interest for farmers.

The day will also see the announcement of the FAR Researcher of the Year Award and plus an award for the FAR Student of the Year.

The evening will conclude with a light hearted and entertaining address from Mark Inglis, best known for being the first double amputee to stand on the roof of the world, Mt Everest.

Nick Pyke, FAR’s Chief Executive, says Combinable Crops is a key event in the calendar for farmers and industry personnel who are serious about the arable sector. “The day will provide attendees with the latest information on a broad range of topics which will help growers farm more productively.”

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for their continued support; their collaboration makes it possible for us to bring along world experts in areas which are important for the future sustainability of New Zealand arable farming.”

Ongoing sponsors of the FAR Chertsey Arable Site are: BASF, PGG Wrightson, Zelam, CASE, Norwood Agriculture, Plains Irrigators Ltd and Plant & Food Research.

Contents Programme

Page 3

Arable industry marketing initiative

Page 4

Fuel contamination

Page 5

Guest speaker - Mick Faulkner

Page 6

The latest technology Technology - Soil Sensors

Page 8

The art of growing hops

Page 9

Grasslands

Page 10-11

There is no free lunch - Conor English

Page 12-13

Sustainable farming fund

Page 14

Bees

Page 15

ADDING VALUE TO THE BUSINESS OF ARABLE FARMING

Are you

growing crops for

grain or seed?

If so and you’re not registered with FAR, contact the FAR ofce now or visit www.far.org.nz/subscribe so you too can benet from FAR’s research and extension activities.

The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is an applied research organisation responsible to New Zealand arable growers and is involved in funding of arable research and technology transfer. An Arable Commodity Levy is collected at the seed testing station or the rst point of sale for all grain and seed (excluding maize); the maize levy is collected at the rst point of purchase.

Foundation for Arable Research PO Box 80, Lincoln 7640, Canterbury, New Zealand Ph: +64 3 325 6353 • Fax: +64 3 325 6354 • www.far.org.nz

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research 3

Programme

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research Soil Sensors

A. Are there faster ways of characterising water holding capacity and pH in your soils?

B. Do you have more of a problem with pH in your arable cropping rotation than you realise?

Ian Yule, Massey University and Chris Nottingham, PGG Wrightson

Pollination

A. How can you be sure you’re hiring a good quality bee?

B. What goes on inside the hive and how can you determine hive strength?

Tony Roper, Assure Quality and Barry Hantz, Hantz Honey

Saving energy on farm

What can we do to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint?

Glenys Pellow, Agrilink NZ and Di Mathers, FAR

Drought proofing your cereal agronomy What are South Australian growers doing to combat dry seasons?

Mick Faulkner, Agrilink Agricultural Consultants Pty Ltd

Turning barley into bucks

What do we need to do to produce a top malting barley and where does it go?

Nike Pyke, FAR and Peter Molenaar

Irrigation on ryegrass

What does water stress influence seed yield in perennial ryegrass?

Richard Chynoweth, FAR

Milling wheat

Meeting our customers’ requirements - what do we need to do to maximise yield and quality?

Rob Craigie, FAR and Steve Shorter, Plant & Food Research

Non chemical forms of weed control

What can we use for weed control in our reduced tillage systems?

Nick Poole, FAR

Cultivars

Choosing the right cultivar to meet end product requirements.

Nike Pyke, FAR and representatives from the dairy, pork and chicken industries

Biological farming

What is it and what evidence is there to suggest it works?

Nick Poole, FAR, Willie Leferink, grower and Dave Mitchell, grower

Precision Agriculture Apply only what you need where you need it sĂƌŝĂďůĞ ƌĂƚĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ ͻ ^ĂǀĞ ŵŽŶĞLJ ǁŚĞƌĞ ůĞƐƐ Žƌ ŶŽ ĨĞƌƚŝůŝƐĞƌ ŝƐ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ͻ /ŵƉƌŽǀĞ ĐƌŽƉ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ďLJ ĚĞĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐ ƐŽŝů ĨĞƌƚŝůŝƚLJ ǀĂƌŝĂŶĐĞƐ ͻ /ŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚŝǀŝƚLJ ŝŶ ůŽǁ ĨĞƌƚŝůŝƚLJ ĂƌĞĂƐ ͻ &ĞƌƚŝůŝƐĞƌ ŝƐ ĂƉƉůŝĞĚ ďLJ ^ƉƌĞĂĚŵĂƌŬ ĐĞƌƟĮĞĚ ƐƉƌĞĂĚĞƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƉƌŽŽĨ ŽĨ ƉůĂĐĞŵĞŶƚ ͻ ĂƐĞ ƐƚƵĚŝĞƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĂƚĞ Ă ƉĂLJďĂĐŬ ŝƐ ůŝŬĞůLJ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ LJĞĂƌ

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Arable industry marketing initiative FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Andrew Ward-Smith, from Agrifax, says more detailed information about pricing, trends and planting area would help growers, even if they had to pay for it.

Information is the buzz word in arable industry circles, as New Zealand farmers try to reposition themselves at the top of domestic and global markets.

FAR and several farmer groups have just completed the first of what will be quarterly surveys of grain growers to gather data on stocks and crops planted, prices in New Zealand and internationally, contracts and grain moving opportunities.

“Every other grain marketing country in the world has this type of information. Research has shown that access to information does improve the way in which markets operate,” said FAR chief executive Nick Pyke.

The survey is part of an initiative borne from difficult times. December 2009 was the catalyst: prices had fallen, stocks were building up on farms, growers were concerned about selling and the level of imports coming into the country.

One of the key findings from the initial survey was that the total areas of all crops, with exception to oats, were higher in 2009 than in 2010. The estimated total areas of wheat and barley declined proportionately more than total crop volumes, reflecting higher average yields in 2010, while the estimated average yield of oats remained the same, but both the area and volume increased slightly. Maize grain experienced the largest estimated percentage reduction in crop area and in production between years, and average yield also declined in 2010. Survey respondents reported a 26% reduction in 2010 from the 2009 harvest in the area of maize silage harvested. Of the total area harvested, 81.2% had been contracted before harvest, 13.6% was sold at a free price after harvest and 4.6% had been

used on-farm. No comparative statistics are available yet to estimate year-to-year changes in areas of autumn-sown cereal crops, however, estimations based on the survey data suggest autumn plantings for the 2011 harvest to be 34,168 ha wheat, 21,408 ha barley and 438 ha oats. Most of the cereal crops harvested in summer/autumn this had been sold by September 1 although about 25% of all feed barley, feed oats and milling oats, and 20% of milling wheat remained unsold at that time. In total, 98,000 tonnes of feed barley, 51,000 tonnes of feed wheat and 27,000 tonnes of milling wheat remained uncommitted. Six percent of total wheat sales and 11% of malting barley sales between harvest 2010 and September 1 comprised stocks carried over from previous harvests.

Almost all milling and malting crops sold during the period were contracted for sale before harvest as might be expected (96% of wheat and barley and all oats and maize), and most of the free-price sales of these commodities were of stocks carried over from previous harvests. However, although only small quantities of feed oats and maize are traded at a free price, about half of all feed wheat and barley were uncontracted at harvest. Cereal volumes in excess of half the volumes harvested this year remained in storage on-farm as at September 1. Over 60% of wheat and oats, 56% of barley, but only 6% of maize (almost exclusively milling maize) harvested was still on farm at this time. However, in all cases more than half the volume stored on-farm had already been sold.

With the exception of milling wheat (11%), less than 8% of the sold grain stored on farm had been sold on pre-harvest contracts.

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Fuel contamination FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Mid Canterbury farmers worried about contaminated fuel damaging new hi-tech farm machinery are turning to plastic storage solutions.

Many farmers still use overhead steel tanks to store bulk diesel, but contamination from rust, water or algae can be a major problem.

The dodgy fuel can cause thousands of dollars of damage to the engines of combines, trucks, tractors or any other late-model vehicle.

Ed Harrison, of Ashburton-based Fuel Storage Systems, says there’s suddenly plenty of interest in his Sebco diesel stations, which not only store fuel safely but accurately monitor use.

The company’s trade display at the Canterbury A and P Show recently was a busy place, as farmers bought or wanted to know

more about the system. “We are plastic, so we don’t rot or rust.”

Mr Harrison said the latest engines on the agricultural market had a low tolerance for contaminated fuel. “The old Nuffield could run on anything, but today you can’t afford to give those new vehicles dirty fuel.”

He said some farmers were storing fuel in overhead tanks 40-60 years old. The tanks were exposed to hot and cold weather so condensation, and therefore water contamination, was almost inevitable.

“In old tanks, the water sits on the bottom of the tank and either it rusts or the diesel bug grows.”

The diesel bug is an algae that grows in the liquid, and can be transferred to vehicle engines. “It clogs up filters and injector pumps.”

Major damage could cost $20,000 to repair, he said.

“People often blame the fuel company, but more often it is their own tank.”

Paul Wederell repairs diesel motors at Gluyas Motor Group and said contamination from rust or algae could lead to physical blockages in engines. Farmers might notice engines cutting out.

Water was a more difficult problem. While some engines had water traps, fuel was often being consumed so quickly there was no time for the water to separate.

He said modern engines had little tolerance and insurance claims for damage could include an investigation of how fuel was stored.

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An optional extra is the Piusi MC 70 key controller pump. It has electronic keys that record the amount of fuel going into every vehicle. This system allows farmers to maintain a record of who took fuel, how much, when it was taken, and what vehicle has been filled.

Farmers can download information to their home computers and monitor fuel use to get the best out of vehicles. The system also provided security against fuel theft. Mr Harrison said the bunded tanks were double lined and insulated.

“This virtually eliminates condensation, which is the main way fuel is contaminated.”

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Guest speaker - Mick Faulkner FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

The latest technology

Hundreds of farmers turned out for last year’s Combinable Crops field day, when a main topic of discussion was precision farming.

Australian agricultural consultant Mick Faulkner is the guest speaker at this year’s Combinable Crops field day.

Mr Faulkner is principal consultant for Agrilink Agricultural Consultants, based at Penwortham in South Australia. The company works with farming businesses in the northern Yorke Peninsula, Mid North and Murray Mallee to produce profitable, resilient and adaptable farm outcomes.

Agrilink also conducts research, most notably in the areas of water use efficiency, understanding canopy management and plant growth, grazing and grain

recovery in cereal crops, nitrogen use and efficiency, wheat yield components, integrating cropping and livestock systems, amelioration of sandy soils and cereal hay production.

Specifically, he has conducted research for the export hay industry since 1989 and has developed the protocols for conducting research in this industry. The research has been collaborative with growers, state and federal agencies and suppliers of processed hay to the Asian markets. At Chertsey, he will be talking about what South Australian farmers are doing to combat dry seasons.

Mr Faulkner is one of two Agrilink consultants also managing the Mid North High Rainfall Zone Trial Site, a showcase

of innovation and natural resource management in the higher rainfall areas of South Australia.

The trial site was established in early 2006 to meet the needs of producers in areas that received an annual rainfall of 425mm or more.

Early projects included an evaluation of the decision support tool Yield Prophet, three hay related trials, as well as the work on canopy management of four new wheat varieties based on seeding date and nitrogen nutrition (modification of seeding date and rate for four varieties) and barley agronomy.

Mr Faulkner is also a part owner of vineyards in the Clare Valley where premium grape production is the ultimate outcome.

Dorie farmer John Evans is a field day fan from way back. He says they are a great way to learn about the latest technology that helps farmers farm economically and sustainably.

Mr Evans grows crops, sheep and beef on his property and started going to field days with his father when he was still a schoolboy.

“I have either come away with a new idea or confirmation that what I am doing is the best I can.”

He said gathering information and learning was continuous for farmers passionate about their work.

“But if you don’t want to learn about technology at this field day, then come along anyway to see the neighbours.”

Mr Evans was one of four finalists in this year’s South Island Farmer of the Year competition. He won the Implementation of Innovation Award for his use of GPS technology on farm.

He uses GPS systems to steer his tractor and implements independently, which is key to reducing operator fatigue while producing the benefits of much straighter cultivation.

GPS has also enabled Mr Evans to accurately spray his crops at night time for greater pest control while reducing the impact on pollinators such as flies and native bees who are responsible for 40-60% of crop pollination and dormant at night.

Judges said he was among a remarkable group of farmers successful because they had been innovative in their use of technology and brave enough to transform land use.

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8 FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Technology - soil sensors FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Rakaia farmer Bill Davey says soil sensors are worth their weight in gold . . . though they don’t actually cost that much.

He and son Nick farm 487 hectares on Somerton Road and have four soil sensors monitoring moisture and temperature levels around the farm.

Bill says while the Aquaflex soil sensors are a compulsory part of conditions of his water-take consent, they are invaluable tools for all farmers.

“We use the soil sensors particularly when the weather is marginal, if we have had a rain and want to know if there is enough moisture in the soil.

“We monitor them and see where we are at with soil moisture.

Anywhere below 25% soil moisture, we start to irrigate.”

The soil sensors are buried around the farm and powered by solar panels. A palm pilot that lives permanently in the farm truck is plugged into the sensor’s brain (attached to a fence near the sensor) and data downloaded.

“We have to be so mindful of the precious water resource we have and use it sparingly.”

Bill said the sensors cost around a couple of thousand dollars each when they were installed in 2003. All farmers should have them, he said.

“I think it is a very valuable tool when it comes to making decisions early or later in the season.”

The Daveys immigrated to New Zealand nine years ago. They currently grow a range of cereal crops, including wheat, barley, maize for dairy cows, white clover, grass seed, peas and borage. They are looking at hybrid carrot seed.

They also finish store lambs in the winter.

The Daveys operate a universal lateral irrigation system, the soil sensors allowing them to apply water only when needed.

This saves power as well as water.

The Daveys’ approach to water efficiency was recognised in 2004 when they won an award in the Ballance environmental farm competition.

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FAR - Foundation for Arable Research 9

The art of growing hops FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Top hop grower Ian Thorn, a key player in the production of New Zealand’s first beer able to trace its origins back to just two suppliers.

When it comes to growing hops, there are few who know more about the business than Moutere grower Ian Thorn.

He’s been growing hops for years and is a member of the 16-strong Nelson hop growers co-operative. But Ian Thorn has another string to his bow – he’s the sole supplier of hops for what is possibly the world’s first commercially produced beer that can trace its key ingredients back to just two sources. He’s the hop grower and Somerton farmer Bill Davey is the barley grower for the new brew, Single Source.

Ian’s a man who is passionate about hop growing. It’s been his livelihood for decades and he’s widely acknowledged as a man who grows the perfect brewers’ product.

It was logical when Monteith’s head brewer Tony Mercer went searching for just one grower to supply hops for his new single source beer, he knocked on Ian Thorn’s door.

Hops grow in just one region of New Zealand, Nelson. They’re a highly specialised crop, fussy about their growing conditions and painstaking to harvest. They’re also a rapid grower, with plants shooting up six metres in four – six weeks. They can grow as much as eight inches overnight.

Harvest takes place in March and there is just a three or four day window for optimum harvest condition. Like most hop growers, Ian uses an old harvest system and old gear that he’s modified to meet modern day needs.

The complete vine is cut and then leaves and hops are sorted mechanically. Ian chooses to carry out a manual sort as well to ensure the hops going into the kiln for drying are as clean as possible. Clearly, he’s a perfectionist.

Harvest is short, sharp and non stop.

Growers pick by day and dry their hops by night. Two-storey kilns are used to blow hot air through the hop cones over a 11 – 12 hour period. The cones are then cooled and baled into small vacuum packs to ensure they remain fresh for the coming brewing season.

Unlike many crops, the hop harvest still relies very much on manual testing – look and smell. Ian’s a third generation hop grower and knows that Southern Cross hops are the best there is when it comes to making good beer.

That’s the variety he’s grown for years and he’s delighted it’s been recognised in Single Source.

New Zealand’s hop producers are small in number and because the quantity of hop used in a brew of beer is small, only 10% of the co-operative’s crop is used in New Zealand, the rest is exported.

Hops have everything to do with the taste of a beer and the ability to vacuum pack the essential ingredient means that today, freshness is ensured in every brew. In the past, when a bale of hops was opened, the aroma and taste would evaporate with time and that meant beer brewed late in the year had a lesser hop presence, Ian said.

10 FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Grasslands

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research Mid Canterbury’s lush green grass was a spectacular talking point for Australian and Chinese visitors visiting Winslow Farm recently as part of the 72nd New Zealand Grasslands Association annual conference.

The conference, at Lincoln University, was held in conjunction with the Australian Society of Agronomy, the New Zealand Agronomy Society and the New Zealand Society of Soil Science – all focused on the theme of food security from sustainable agriculture.

Winslow Farm, owned by Grant Ludemann, but managed by Chris Mears and Ron

Patterson in Ashburton, is a 200ha intensive lamb finishing property, finishing around 35,000 lambs a year.

Mr Ludemann and his wife Eli own several lamb finishing properties in Canterbury, and have lambs killed most days of the year in South Island meat plants such is the scale of their operation.

The Oamaru farmer said the success of Winslow Farm was due to a simple, old school philosophy of doing the basics well.

Paddocks of tried and true, and experimental, grasses were grazed on rotation

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and staff were in the paddocks every day moving irrigation and checking on stock.

“I encourage all the farm managers to try new things providing they are backed up by science,” he said.

Lessons learned from grass growing experts in the dairy industry have also been helpful.

“They deal with different problems but they know how to manage grass and what grass quality means.”

He said the simple, but specialised nature of operation was key to its success. “These guys don’t do half a dozen different things.

The land has to be reliable in rainfall or irrigation, and if you haven’t got food when everybody else hasn’t got food you can’t take advantage of the opportunities that come forward.”

And in Canterbury, there was always stock available to buy.

Other Mid Canterbury farming operations showcased to conference attendees included Wakanui farmers Eric and Maxine Watson, and Methven farmers Craige and Roz Mackenzie.

Grasslands

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research 11

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Above: Ken McNally shifts k-line irrigation on Winslow Farm, casting an eye over both pasture and lambs.

Far left: Suomin Wang, from a Chinese university, takes a close look at one of Winslow Farm’s quality pastures.

The interaction between land and animals, managed and marketed, is a success story for the lamb finishing operation.

12 FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

There is no free lunch FAR - Foundation for Arable Research I went to a restaurant and had lunch recently. Unfortunately it wasn’t free. I had to pay for it. There is no free lunch. If you spend money, if you haven’t earned it, you need to borrow it from someone else who has. And they want you to pay rent for it (interest) and to pay it back. This makes it a more expensive lunch in the long run.

Right now the geopolitical balance is being inuenced by those who believe there is a free lunch and those that realise that not only is their no free lunch, but using another clichÊ, tomorrow does actually come.

People across the USA, continental Europe and the UK are having to adjust to a lower standard of living as their excess are catching up on them. They are now having to pay for the long lunch they enjoyed over the last decade. Recently the UK government

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Conor English, Federated Farmers CEO

announced half a million job losses in the public sector and social unrest is rising across Europe and the USA as unemployment rises and credit tightens. Some voters thought Obama would deliver the free lunch – he’s only done half the job and therefore lost in the halftime elections of his ďŹ rst term.

In New Zealand, over the next four years our public debt will double. This year we are spending about $13 billion more then we are earning. This is to knock the edges off the deepest recession we’ve had in over 70 years.

It is appropriate that governments operate deďŹ cits at the bottom of the business cycle.

However, it is critical that the fact there is no free lunch, and tomorrow does come, is not forgotten.

It was interesting, therefore, watching four recent protests in Auckland. The ďŹ rst against

just the idea of doing a stock take on the minerals that we have. Secondly the idea that a movie might be made in New Zealand on different terms than in some other countries.

Thirdly marching for more pay for teachers, and ďŹ nally, against New Zealand produced food.

I suspect that some people support all four marches. But they need to join the dots. Some one has to earn the money. It doesn’t grow on some tree out the back of the Beehive.

This is true of any business or household, and the country is no different. So if you are marching for “more pay from governmentâ€? then you should not also be marching against investigating our mineral potential, our creative ďŹ lm sector or indeed our food sector.

Right now our primary sector earns more then two thirds of our export dollars. Every export dollar matters, which is why the USA and

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FAR - Foundation for Arable Research 13

There is no free lunch FAR - Foundation for Arable Research others are trying to devalue their currencies.

But as a country we all need to do better, because governments only have three ways to get money; taxing or charging others who have earned it; by selling assets; or by borrowing it. Or if you are in the USA you simply print it, which reduces the value of all existing dollars and you get inflation – there is still no free lunch.

So we have some choices to make. They need to be informed choices.

In this context productive infrastructure spending is critical. Water storage and rural broadband should be the priorities because they help make the cake bigger. Roads are OK but for our food supply chain to international markets they form only a very short part of the journey.

Rural broadband is not only the next big enabler of productivity and production increases, but

it is critical to the social fabric of New Zealand. Rural people are people too!. But it isn’t just about rural communities - it will allow our growing population to be less concentrated on Auckland, thus reducing it’s infrastructure, taxpayer and environmental demands.

Attitudes to growth, risk, success and sustainability matter. The RMA’s four pillars of environmental, social, cultural and economic all should be considered when making those choices, not just one narrow aspect. The critical

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issue is getting the balance right. This isn’t always easy.

This year, Federated Farmers has been focused on getting the balance right with, environmental sustainability, infrastructure, water (its ownership, allocation, management, quality and storage), farm succession, energy, urban rural understanding, biosecurity, animal welfare, safe food, property rights, skills and human capability, research, and depth of capital markets to name a few, along with other issues that affect farmer’s

Conor English, Federated Farmers CEO financial viability through their impact on costs and incomes and possibilities.

New Zealand has some fantastic opportunities in the food production and agricultural technology space. It is one of the few areas that we are recognised as world best. We can make a significant contribution to humanity. We should be proud of this. But rather than celebrate and support that success and champion the exciting opportunities, we have people marching against them. They want to inhibit just the possibility of carefully and environmentally harvesting just some of our resources, inhibit our film production, inhibit our food production. What’s left?

If these marching groups don’t want our fantastic primary exports to be allowed to pay for the country’s lunch, who do they suggest will?

14 FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Sustainable farming fund FAR - Foundation for Arable Research The Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery’s Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) was set up 10 years ago to fund projects that contribute to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of New Zealand’s land-based primary industries.

Over a decade, the SFF has invested close to $100 million in nearly 700 farmer, grower and forester-led projects. This funding has been matched in cash and in kind, by industry, community groups and individuals.

Mid Canterbury farmers are among those to have taken part in SFF projects, exploring the use of technology and precision agriculture to improve their operations.

A report out earlier this month highlighted some of the innovation, research and environmental projects that have helped agriculture match consumers’ quantum leap in awareness and concern for the environment.

One of the projects featured in the report was an integrated pest management (IPM) system for horticultural and arable crops.

IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management.

Farmers and growers using IPM understand their ecosystem and take advantage of the benefits of predatory insects and parasites to reduce their reliance on chemical pesticides.

“IPM practices are widely used by fruit and vegetable growers, but eh concept is relatively new for arable farmers,” said FAR chief executive officer Nick Pyke.

“It’s not that we don’t care about the environment, but rather we have been stymied by the complexity of the system which involve a variety of crops in rotating locations.

Pest and disease control has been a major

challenge for arable farmers, so about six years ago we posed the question ‘could IPM work for us and if so, where to start’.”

The first step was the joint SFF and FAR project “integrated management of slugs in cropping systems”. Slugs are a persistent problem for farmers but little was known about which species were causing the damage and whether there was any control by predators.

Dr Paul Horne of IPM Technologies and Plant and Food Research entomologists worked with a small group of farmers teaching them how to monitor and identify slug species and other beneficial insects on their farms. After three years, a successful IPM strategy was developed and implemented and five years down the track one farmer noted, “we don’t often hear slugs talked about in the local pub these days”.

The farmers involved with this work realised that a widespread change to an arable IPM system wouldn’t happen until the financial and environmental benefits could be demonstrated. They joined forces with researchers and industry representatives to form the Canterbury Arable Farmer IPM Initiative, and in 2007 the group was founded

by SFF to take the next step.

The lead farmers in the group are working with researchers to develop an integrated approach for controlling aphids and the spread of viruses in cereals. A large focus of the project has been demonstrating the IPM approach alongside conventional systems so farmers can compare the benefits. Now a wider group is learning from the experience of the initial lead farmers.

The next challenge is an IPM system for brassica crops.

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FAR - Foundation for Arable Research 15

Bees

FAR - Foundation for Arable Research

Keeping a close eye

Mid Canterbury beekeepers are keeping a close eye on hives as some bees struggle with varroa and chemicals being used to treat the invasive mite. Varroa is now widespread in the district, and hive management is critical.

Beekeepers’ spokesman Geoff Bongard said experienced operators were noticing unusual activity in some hives undergoing treatment.

“We are finding an issue with the queens failing, queens that should normally be healthy. It is just a management thing and we are aware of what is going on.”

Damp overcast weather in winter and early spring has not helped hives and beekeepers are all on a learning curve facing their first full season with both mite and treatment.

“Varroa makes life tougher and so do the chemicals we are using. It is a totally new area for us and we are noticing unusual developments in hives while they are being treated for varroa.

“We need to be working them continually to ensure that the bees’ strength is maintained or increasing and the queen, the most vital part of the hive, is surviving.”

Mr Bongard said communication and good relationships between beekeepers and crop farmers were important.

Healthy hives and strong bees are crucial for pollination, but farmers are generally not experienced enough to spot a malfunctioning hive.

A simple test a farmer could do was park his truck in front of hives on a sunny day

and block the bees’ flight path. “Stay there for two or three minutes then move way, and watch. You can get a good idea of activity.”

Activity varies from hive to hive in a cluster, but farmers who suspect bees are performing under par can alert their beekeeper.

“If someone is concerned they should contact their beekeeper and we can go in and show them.”

Mr Bongard said farmers with long-time working contracts with beekeepers could feel confident they were getting what they paid for. Those not sure could seek an independent hive audit.

Beekeepers are treating hives twice a year for varroa. The treatment leaves hives mite-free for five months.

“If you go past that, you are compromising the bees.”

Beekeepers are currently building up hives to full strength for pollination. Mr Bongard said farmers had a role to play helping keep the bees healthy too.

Spraying should be carried out at night, when the bees were inside the hives. Hives should also be positioned carefully in paddocks so they were sheltered and out of the way of irrigators.

“Placement of hives is crucial for good pollination. You don’t want to put hives in a situation where they are going to get watered during the day.”

Farmers should consult with beekeepers over placement, he said.

Smart farming for healthy bees To ensure the future of farming, all farmers need to play their part in protecting the honey bee. The bee is one of the hardest workers in horticulture and agriculture; about $3 billion of our GDP is directly attributable to the intensive pollination of horticultural and specialty agricultural crops by bees.

In addition there is a huge indirect contribution through the pollination of clover, sown as a nitrogen regeneration source for the land we farm.

This benefit flows on to our meat export industry through livestock production and sales.

The beekeeping industry is facing some of its biggest challenge with increasing bee pests and diseases. This is of great concern because in terms of the food we eat, about a third of the calories

and three-quarters of the diversity rely on bees for pollination. The most important issue leading to a bee crisis in New Zealand is declining floral resources and the subsequent scarcity of quality pollen, which leads to bee malnutrition. The key to good bee health is a continual supply of diverse pollen and nectar from natural sources.

Bees consume pollen as a protein and vitamin source and nectar for energy. While gathering these resources, they move pollen from one plant to another thus benefiting the farm by pollinating crops.

Availability of quality pollen resources is critical during spring when beekeepers are building up bee populations for pollination services. Any shortfall leads to protein stress that weakens bees making them more susceptible to diseases and pests (like

the varroa mite); it is also dramatically slows the queen’s breeding output and this results in low field strength and under-performing pollination services.

Today, farmers can reverse this trend by choosing bee friendly trees and shrubs for planting in waterway margins, windbreaks, field edges, under pivots and along roadsides.

Fortunately a number of shelter and erosion control plants have abundant flowers to feed bees so selecting multi-purpose plants is smart farming for healthy bees.

Federated Farmers has a fact sheet of plants available at www.fedfarm.org.nz/ourcampaigns

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