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November 02, 2023
Resources for
Farm Advisors
Paul Sutherland
As a rural professional, you can help farmers and growers understand the drivers for regulation and get ahead of the game. Be confident in trying new approaches, with case studies and evidence-based resources to inform on-farm decision making and reduce risk.
Journal Article
Trusting in the’Eye in the Sky’? Farmers’ and Auditors’ Perceptions of Drone Use in Environmental Auditing
Worldwide, the agricultural sector is under pressure to demonstrate environmental sustainability. In New Zealand, farm environment plans (FEPs) and their auditing were intended to guide…
Technical Report
Productivity: Indicators and associated methodologies to quantify production
The productivity of a farm can be looked at in terms of the quantity of food it produces – for both humans and animals –…
Video
Regenerative Agriculture: Climate Change and Soil Health
The 2nd webinar in a series of 5 about regenerative agriculture in New Zealand, held on 3 November 2021. Speakers: Clare Buchanan (Align Farms), Dr…
Video
Regenerative Agriculture: Biodiversity and Animal Welfare
The 3rd webinar in a series of 5 about regenerative agriculture in New Zealand, held on 9 November 2021. Speakers: Geoff Ross (Lake Hawea Station),…
Video
Regenerative Agriculture: Productivity, Profit and Food Quality
The 4th webinar in a series of 5 about regenerative agriculture in New Zealand, held on 17 November 2021. Speakers: Matt Harcombe (Silver Fern Farms),…
Video
Creating a Diverse and Sustainable Dairy Farming and Forestry Landscape (video)
This short video features Graham Smith, a Waikato dairy farmer whose farm played host to one of last year’s Rural Professionals Fund Projects. The project…
Summary
Project Summary: High-Performance Soils for Avocados
This article summarises the results of a Rural Professionals Fund project that aimed to collect leaf, fruit and soil samples from 29 different avocado orchards…
Summary
Project Summary: Does Improved Water Quality Increase Milk Production?
This article summarises the results of a Rural Professionals Fund project that aimed to investigate if providing high-quality (town supply) water compared with unfiltered bore…
Summary
Project Summary: Strip-Till Establishment for High-Value Hybrid Seed Crops
This article summarises the results of a Rural Professionals Fund project that aimed to see if strip-till would be suitable to produce hybrid vegetable seed…
Summary
Project Summary: Creating a Diverse Dairy Farming and Forestry Landscape
This article summarises the results of a Rural Professionals Fund project that aimed to assess the impact of trees in dairy paddocks on pasture production…
Summary
Project Summary: What are the Best Sediment Traps for my Hill Country Stream?
This article summarises the results of a Rural Professionals Fund project that aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three different sediment traps within the same…
Summary
Project Summary: Measuring Real-Time Nitrogen Losses in Vegetable Production
This article summarises the results of a Rural Professionals Fund project that aimed to find an accurate way to measure the amount of nitrate leaching…