Cut the Crop!

Cropping opportunities and related companies may come and go and the weather is not always kind. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Mid Canterbury grower Brian Leadley reflects on the highs and lows of 40 years of mixed arable farming and how he has responded.

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FAR’s biggest annual event of the year, CROPS, is being held at the Chertsey research site on Wednesday November 25. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR’s Communications Manager Anna Heslop says the event will feature a mix of speakers from FAR and collaborative partners, as well as two visiting UK experts.

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Confronted with the unexpected end-of-life of the Seed Crop Isolation Distance (SCID) digital mapping platform used to prevent cross-pollination between high-value vegetable seed crops, the industry swung into gear. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Seed and Grain NZ chief executive Sarah Clark and John Foley of PGG Wrightson Seeds describe how the award-winning team delivered a new system under significant time pressure.

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Irrigation NZ principal technical advisor Stephen McNally has closely followed the development of the two new laws replacing the 35-year-old Resource Management Act. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says that under the new law, food and fibre production is considered in balance and equal in priority to the environment.

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A Canterbury guide, “Selecting native plants that attract beneficial insects”, has been developed to help farmers, growers and landowners establish native plantings that support pollination, natural pest control and resilient farming systems. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Abie Horrocks of FAR and Brad Howlett of BSI say arable crops particularly benefit. Find the guide here: https://www.bioeconomyscience.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/139225/plants-for-beneficial-insects_canterbury.pdf

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With fertiliser prices at high levels, some arable farmers are being encouraged by sales reps to try out biological alternatives such as seaweed extracts. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Ballance Agri-Nutrients science strategy manager Warwick Catto says a lack of replicated NZ data on these products means growers need to try them out for themselves.

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The maize planting season is rapidly approaching and with a strong El Nino weather pattern forecast for this season, what actions can growers take to maintain yields despite the livelihood of hot, dry conditions? In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR’s senior maize researcher Rene van Tilburg provides some advice.

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2026 Arable Farmer of the Year John McCaw specialises in ryegrass and cocksfoot seed production as well as owning a seed dressing business at Methven. As a herbage seed industry leader he has been at the forefront of making growers and seed merchants aware of the full costs of growing grass crops and the impacts of a lack of profitability.

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Danish arable growers have few ag-chem active ingredients available, so have no option but to adopt integrated weed management, says visiting Danish weed expert Mette Sonderskov who led a series of FAR weed workshops. In this episode of Cut the Crop, she says that weed management requires a long-term approach.

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Taylor McGill, a masters student from Oklahoma, has been working with the FAR communications team for her international experience. In this episode of Cut the Crop, she says that coming from a notoriously dry US state makes it hard to comprehend that some places need drainage tiles for excess water.

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