Food, Farming & Whānau Roadshow – Darfield

Food, Farming & Whānau Roadshow:

Usable agricultural research for landowners

NZ Landcare Trust and Our Land and Water National Science Challenge are on the road, bringing to you a range of speakers to present practical science research for farmers and landowners.

You are invited to join this informative afternoon looking at how food, farming and whānau intertwine for the future of sustainability of our primary sector. Leading independent researchers will each give a brief outlook of opportunities, some threats, and current (and future) signals in our markets.

The afternoon offers an opportunity to delve into independent research discoveries and engage in thought-provoking discussions. The event will share researchers' expertise in a captivating manner, making complex concepts accessible to all attendees. Discussion areas and speakers list below.

With resources available and lunch provided, please RSVP:

Tuesday, July 11^th    |   12.30pm – 3:30pm
Darfield High School Hall, 7 McLaughlins Rd, Darfield

RSVP For catering purposes, please RSVP online here
or call Mark Woods on 027 656 0836  or Tracey Perkins on 027 344 8935

Discussion areas and speakers:

Connecting Food Producers and Consumers – Daniel Eb
Like it or hate it, increasingly, external influences impact how we are farming. This research project exploring new ways to connect producers, consumers, and citizens to constructively discuss, negotiate, share and communicate good farming practices. Farmers and catchment communities on the leading edge will find this valuable.

Land Use Opportunities – Robyn Dynes
Information about the land use suitability and production potential of a wide variety of crops became much easier to find, with the launch of the Data Supermarket. The Data Supermarket is a new online storehouse of data about the ingredients, food and fibre we can grow in New Zealand, now and in the future. It includes information about a wide variety of vegetable, fruit, arable, animal, plant and tree crops, plus climate and economic data.

Matrix of Drivers – Tim Driver
What we grow and produce is influenced and impacted by many external factors, or drivers. The Matrix of Drivers research team developed an overview of all the known drivers and issues that have the potential to affect agricultural land and water use in New Zealand. What opportunities can this present and how can we use this knowledge into the future.

Deferred Grazing and Regenerative Farming – Katherine Tozer
Katherine Tozer has worked on a variety of projects in the deferred grazing & regenerative space including looking at the effects of meat taste, summer forage options and how deferred grazing could offer pasture improvement and management advantages.

Solar energy integration with livestock farming – Anna Vaughan and Megan Fitzgerald
Solar farms are typically installed as a large-scale monoculture of photovoltaic panels. The opportunities for integrating solar with more traditional farming are usually presented from the viewpoint of how farming might complement an energy business, such as by reducing the need for mowing, rather than how an energy enterprise might complement an established farming business. This project looked at how to establish how solar arrays could be incorporated into livestock farms in the Canterbury region to provide environmental and animal welfare benefits by offering low-maintenance shade, while also generating renewable energy for financial benefit.

EU Farm to Fork – Tiffany Tompkins
Several areas of focus for the EU Green Deal are likely to pose significant challenges for New Zealand’s export sectors, not only directly in the context of the New Zealand-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) but also due to the potential for the EU’s practices and regulations to become de facto global standards for sustainable trade. The European Union’s Green Deal, especially the Farm to Fork Strategy, presents challenges and opportunities for New Zealand exports into the EU, and into other regions that adopt similar standards in response. What opportunities exist and how are we placed to capitalise on these now and into the future?

Available on the day will be a range of free guidance and tools to help farmers with freshwater management. Talk to the researchers as they show how they have worked alongside farmers and growers to achieve and identify common goals and opportunities.