Foundation for Arable Research (NZ)

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Arable Awards, find out more and nominate those doing great things in the arable industry here: arableawards.co.nz/nominate

The next few round ups are coming up! For the Southland and North Island events you can join from the comfort of home. Find out more about the topics here far.org.nz/events

This week's podcast guest is Scottish arable farmer and agronomist Gordon Rennie. Listen as he tells Scott Champion that low crop returns and fewer chemicals are leading UK growers to look at other income streams. Watch📺 bit.ly/35ZJ9cS Listen 🔊 bit.ly/2D7RDQq

Join us next week at our first three autumn round ups, topics covered will include; cereal production, ryegrass cutting dates and strategies to manage hail damage. Find out more and register here ➡️ far.org.nz/events

Last night the Wairarapa Grains Initiative was featured on Seven Sharp. Great to see arable represented on a platform like Seven Sharp. Watch the episode here tvnz.co.nz/shows/seven-sh… (skip to 5:37 to go straight to the story)

Congratulations to Andrew and Amy Darling, Timaru, for picking up the FMG Risk Management Award at the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards last week. It’s great to see arable represented on the podium at events like these.

A sharp rise in aphid numbers in cereals in late October has FAR staff pondering if this led to yield losses due to YDV infection. Listen as FAR senior field officer Ben Harvey looks back at an unusual season. Watch📺 bit.ly/35ZJ9cS Listen 🔊 bit.ly/2D7RDQq

Autumn round ups are back! Still delivering you regionally focused research results, but this year we have made some events online hopefully making it easier to attend. Full details of times and topics for each location are on the FAR website. far.org.nz/events

Join FAR at the Hotel Ashburton, 4pm tomorrow (Wed 4 March) for a catch up on all things arable and harvest. Bring a mate and enjoy a couple of hours off-farm. Your first drink and the snacks are on us. RSVP admin@far.org.nz or just turn up.

Join FAR at the Dunsandel Pub, 4.30pm or the Makikihi Hotel 4pm, tomorrow (Tues 3 March) for a catch up on all things arable and harvest. Bring a mate and enjoy a couple of hours off-farm. Your first drink and the snacks are on us. RSVP admin@far.org.nz or just turn up.

Check out our latest YouTube video with Graeme Gardyne talking about the oat industry group, the oat breeding programme and the importance of oats to Southland. Subscribe to the FAR YouTube channel to stay up to date with new videos! youtu.be/ML2PkuaxsvQ?si…

Combine hygiene plays a key role in reducing the spread of weeds on your farm. Check out this short video with independent harvester specialist Brent Asphar with his harvester hygiene tips. youtu.be/2HD8_tPnjKk?si…

A Growers to Bakers programme has been initiated by FAR. FAR's Jo Drummond and NZ Flour Millers’ Association director Phil Jackson say that protein numbers aren’t everything when it comes to flour quality. Watch📺 bit.ly/35ZJ9cS Listen 🔊 bit.ly/2D7RDQq

Combine settings are important when you’re harvesting in wet conditions. FAR’s Chris Smith, along with our expert combine settings team have pulled together a summary of points to consider. Read it here ➡️ far.org.nz/resources/t002…

Thanks to the team at Cochranes who stepped in to harvest the ryegrass at FAR’s Chertsey Site. The machine we had lined up was unavailable when we needed it. Cochrane’s New Holland CR11 demo machine did a great job, and without it, we would probably have lost the crop.

It's important to know the value of the of the nutrients in your straw. Check out this handy calculator here. far.org.nz/resources/econ…

Crop Action gives you up to date information on seasonal issues. the latest edition covers plant-back issues after herbicides, aphids and YDV, white clover seed crop desiccation and much more! Check it out here ➡️ far.org.nz/resources/crop…

FAR’s Technology Manager Chris Smith surveyed growers on their 2025 harvest losses at the combine workshops. This showed that growers who measure with drop trays, record half the crop losses of those that don’t. Watch📺 bit.ly/35ZJ9cS Listen 🔊 bit.ly/2D7RDQq

Great turnout at last week's field day in Hamilton focused on growing maize on peat soils. If you want to learn more check out the handout here ➡️ bit.ly/4rDxCnv

The number of growers involved in the Grain Nutrient Analysis project is increasing each year. South Otago arable grower Craig Whiteside talks about the changes he's made to crop nutrient applications as a result. Watch📺 bit.ly/35ZJ9cS Listen 🔊 bit.ly/2D7RDQq