A number of pests and disease have blown into New Zealand from Australia. We can’t stop them from arriving this way, but work is underway to provide us with a better idea of what might arrive, and when. In this episode of Cut the Crop, we hear from Ilze Pretorius, part of a Scion  team developing an Aerobiologial surveillance and prediction system (ASAP).

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Maize silage in the UK is not just grown for beef and dairy feed, it is also used as an energy crop to generate bio-gas and electricity. In this episode of Cut the Crop, visiting UK maize expert Jon Myhill tells Anna Heslop that challenges include a short growing season, loss of agchem including bird repellents, and a nitrogen cap.

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 Visiting US herbage seed researcher Nicole Anderson is here to test a new rapid seed moisture testing device for grass seed under New Zealand conditions. In this episode of Cut the Crop, she tells Anna Heslop that herbicide resistance and the grass seed market oversupply are issues globally.

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Populations of maize pest fall armyworm are two to three weeks more advanced than in previous seasons. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR biosecurity officer Ash Mills says that crop scouting is key, to assess not only fall armyworm, but also natural predator activity.

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Getting the best value from maize management is the focus of FAR’s premier annual maize field day at its research site near Hamilton on February 4. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Dirk Wallace of FAR says that it is a chance to catch up on the latest in maize nitrogen management and weed strategies, as well as with other growers, before the maize harvest starts.

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FAR has just implemented a new regional strategy aimed at increasing grower engagement and feedback in the regions. This will be based around FAR’s seven regional Arable Research Groups, with support from facilitators. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR Communications Manager Anna Heslop encourages growers to have their say on FAR activities.

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Arable growers are invited to supply samples of their harvested crops as part of the UK-YEN programme, which measures nutrients in grain and seed. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR regional facilitator Donna Lill tells Alison Stewart that this provides another way to measure the effectiveness of fertiliser applications and crop uptake.

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This year, FAR adopted AI to make it easier to search its website, had another successful round of combine set-up workshops, and initiated YEN grain testing, as well as continuing to provide a wealth of resources on agronomy, crop protection, biosecurity, soil health and the environment. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR ceo Alison Stewart wraps up the highlights of 2024.

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Arable farmers are experts at growing crops, but not as skilled at capturing value beyond the farm gate. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Federated Farmers arable group chair David Birkett talks to Alison Stewart about a new arable strategy which aims to assist farmers with the financial skills, quality assurance and infrastructure needed to get out of the commodity trap.

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The Government is ending New Zealand’s nearly 30-year ban on genetically modified and edited organisms outside the lab next year. So how informed are you on the topic? In this episode of Cut the Crop, Alison Stewart talks to Emeritus scientist at AgResearch Tony Conner about some of the potential positives and challenges for arable growers.

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