In this episode, Pukekohe vegetable grower Howe Young talks about the changes he’s made in the way he manages pests and diseases in his crops over the course of his almost 60-year career.

Listen as Howe describes his journey from agrichemical reliance to integrated pest management decision-making, informed by crop scouting and use of biodiversity plantings as part of a crop protection strategy.

He and advisor Olivia Prouse reflect on the importance of a strong grower-advisor partnership, and discuss how this has impacted on the management of crops at the Pukekohe Research and Demonstration Farm, where marketable crops have been harvested with fewer or in some cases no post-transplant spray applications.

In the face of developing agrichemical resistance, incorporating biodiversity to enhance natural enemy populations isn't just about being more sustainable. It's about developing another tool to help maintain the ability to grow vegetables commercially in the future. 

Grower resources supporting implementation on biodiversity as part of integrated pest management (IPM) mentioned in the episode are available here, including "how to" guides, monitoring templates, case studies, plant species lists, and video resources from this project .

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second episode, more detail on the results from the four-year Zespri- Bioeconomy Science Institute, Plant & Food Research group, project, aligned with A Lighter Touch is shared. The project, brought together scientists, industry and innovative growers to develop an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy for managing Passionvine hopper in commercial orchards.

Listen to learn more about how the three-pronged IPM strategy worked, the mindest shift for growers and the ongoing extension and knowledge sharing via multiple communications channels.

Speaking during the episode are Mel Walker and Jessie Fea from Zespri, Cathy McKenna formerly of Bioeconomy Science Institute, Plant and Food Research group, and Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growers Lynda Hawes and Ian McBride.

Grower resources on integrated pest management (IPM) mentioned in the episode are here. Visit the PVH project page here, where you'll find a video case study and more information on project results.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the first of a two part series, we explain the Zespri and Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI), Plant & Food Research group, project, aligned with A Lighter Touch, it brought together scientists, industry and growers to develop an integrated pest management (IPM) programme, that's changing the way growers approach Passionvine hopper (PVH) control.

Listeners will hear from Mel Walker and Jessie Fea from Zespri, Cathy McKenna, formerly of BSI, Plant and Food Research group, and kiwifruit growers Lynda Hawes and Ian McBride, all of whom have been part of this pioneering project. 

Grower resources on integated pest management (IPM) mentioned in the epsiode are here. Visit the PVH project page here, where you'll find a video case study and more information on project results.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode, of the two part series, focused on the TomatoesNZ-A Lighter Touch tomatoes biocontrol project, we tell the story of this five-year project which has seen an industry shift from agrichemical reliance to biological controls.

We follow the project journey, taking a native bug found in the New Zealand bush and trialling it in commercial greenhouses to develop a sustainable crop protection programme for two major industry pests, tomato-potato psyllid and greenhouse whitefly. 

Find more infomation on the Tomatoes biocontrol project page of the ALT website.

Grower resources on integated pest management (IPM) mentioned in the epsiode are here.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the first of a two part series, we explain the science of augmentative biocontrol using a native insect.  

This science underpins the A Lighter Touch and TomatoesNZ project to revitalise biocontrol of greenhouse pests, which was disrupted by the arrival of a new pest, the tomato-potato psyllid. 

Find more infomation on the Tomatoes biocontrol project page of the ALT website. Grower resources on integated pest management (IPM) mentioned in the epsiode are here.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This second episode of a two-part series explores how introducing more biodiversity into the orchard can increase beneficial insect populations to help sustainably manage insect pests, and cut down on agrichemicals. This episode discusses the practical demonstration of the science on two citrus orchards in Gisborne.

Links to the grower guides referenced in this episode:

Guide 1: Establishing floral resources for improved biological control

Guide 2: Insect monitoring of perennial crops

Guide 3: Management and evaluation of beneficial planting

Plus, you can find many other resources, video tutorials and presentations relating to this topic here.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first of two episodes exploring how introducing more biodiversity into the orchard can increase beneficial insect populations to help sustainably manage insect pests, and cut down on agrichemicals. It’s a look at farming that works with nature, not against it.

Links to the grower guides referenced in this episode:

Guide 1: Establishing floral resources for improved biological control

Guide 2: Insect monitoring of perennial crops

Guide 3: Management and evaluation of beneficial planting

Plus, you can find many other resources, video tutorials and presentations relating to this topic here.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode two in a two-part series inspired by a forum we hosted at our demonstration farm in Pukekohe, Auckland. In it, we’ll be exploring why biodiversity matters on farm and the role it plays in pest and disease management.

Links to the full presentations referenced in this episode:

• Dr Charles (Merf) Merfield – Why a biodiverse landscape is important
• James Gardiner – Implementing biodiversity projects on NZ farms
• Dr Brad Howlett – Native plantings that support beneficial insect biodiversity
• Olivia Prouse – Boosting beneficials using biodiverse planting on vegetable farms
• Michael Arnold – “A Lighter Touch,” the LeaderBrand story

Plus, you can download a plant species list from the biodiversity planting in vegetable farms project here.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is episode one in a two-part series inspired by a forum we hosted at our demonstration farm in Pukekohe, Auckland. In it, we’ll be exploring why biodiversity matters on farm and the role it plays in pest and disease management.

Links to the full presentations referenced in this episode:

• Dr Charles (Merf) Merfield – Why a biodiverse landscape is important
• James Gardiner – Implementing biodiversity projects on NZ farms
• Dr Brad Howlett – Native plantings that support beneficial insect biodiversity
• Olivia Prouse – Boosting beneficials using biodiverse planting on vegetable farms
• Michael Arnold – “A Lighter Touch,” the LeaderBrand story

Plus, you can download a plant species list from the biodiversity planting in vegetable farms project here.

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the final episode in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.”

In the episode, we walk through how to define the target audience for your Extension programme. We hear predominantly from Dr Geoff Kaine, Senior Researcher at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research as he describes the 'farm context' for your innovation, and how to establish unique audience segments for better targeting.

Resources from this episode:

• Webinar recording by A Lighter Touch

Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.