Latest news with #LincolnUniversity
Scoop
4 days ago
- Science
- Scoop
Congratulations…Dame Alison Stewart
Press Release – Foundation for Arable Research – FAR This Honour, which recognises her pre-eminent contribution to plant science and the arable sector, is well deserved and recognises years of commitment. It seems fitting that it is announced just a few weeks before she steps down from her role with FAR. The Board and staff of the Foundation for Arable Research are delighted to congratulate FAR CEO, Alison Stewart, on her appointment as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This Honour, which recognises her pre-eminent contribution to plant science and the arable sector, is well deserved and recognises years of commitment. It seems fitting that it is announced just a few weeks before she steps down from her role with FAR. In response to the appointment, Professor Stewart, whose full title is Emeritus Distinguished Professor, says she is absolutely thrilled. 'It seems redundant to say it, but it really is a great honour. And it's an honour I'm pleased to share with the plant science community and the arable sector, both huge, but often unrecognised contributors to New Zealand's agriculture and horticulture industries. 'I've been involved with plant science and plant pathology for my whole working career, with the shift to arable coming about when I joined FAR in 2018. Working in the arable industry has been an absolute pleasure and privilege. The sector is an exemplar of a sustainable and resilient farming system, and we should be really proud of it.' Dame Alison was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of services to biology in 2009. Other career honours and achievements include: PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Stirling (1984) First female Professor at Lincoln University (1998) Bayer – NZ Innovators Award (2012) Founding Director of the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University (2003-2011) AgResearch Technology Transfer Award (2002) Agricom Significant Achievement Award for Research Excellence (2001) MAFBNZ Biosecurity Award for Excellence (2008) Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology, Lincoln University (2011) Fellow of the NZ Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Science (2006) Fellow of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society (2011)
Scoop
4 days ago
- Science
- Scoop
Congratulations...Dame Alison Stewart
The Board and staff of the Foundation for Arable Research are delighted to congratulate FAR CEO, Alison Stewart, on her appointment as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This Honour, which recognises her pre-eminent contribution to plant science and the arable sector, is well deserved and recognises years of commitment. It seems fitting that it is announced just a few weeks before she steps down from her role with FAR. In response to the appointment, Professor Stewart, whose full title is Emeritus Distinguished Professor, says she is absolutely thrilled. 'It seems redundant to say it, but it really is a great honour. And it's an honour I'm pleased to share with the plant science community and the arable sector, both huge, but often unrecognised contributors to New Zealand's agriculture and horticulture industries. 'I've been involved with plant science and plant pathology for my whole working career, with the shift to arable coming about when I joined FAR in 2018. Working in the arable industry has been an absolute pleasure and privilege. The sector is an exemplar of a sustainable and resilient farming system, and we should be really proud of it.' Dame Alison was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of services to biology in 2009. Other career honours and achievements include: PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Stirling (1984) First female Professor at Lincoln University (1998) Bayer – NZ Innovators Award (2012) Founding Director of the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University (2003-2011) AgResearch Technology Transfer Award (2002) Agricom Significant Achievement Award for Research Excellence (2001) MAFBNZ Biosecurity Award for Excellence (2008) Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology, Lincoln University (2011) Fellow of the NZ Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Science (2006) Fellow of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society (2011) Lincoln University, Excellence in Rersearch Award (1997)
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Kale crop above the rest — literally
Sheep and beef farmer Ken Bain, of Hindon, stands in his kale crop, which won him the top prize at the 2025 Taieri Winter Crop Competition. PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE Taieri Winter Crop Competition Strath Taieri farmer Ken Bain's homecoming features an award-winning kale crop. The Hindon sheep and cattle farmer was crowned the winner of the 2025 Taieri Winter Crop Competition, taking out the section for a kale crop cultivated on a hill. His kale crop was easily the best he had ever grown but he was surprised to win. He had expected a farmer growing a crop on flat land to take out the top honour. "Their ability to grow crop and their tonnages is so much better down there." He had entered the competition for the past two years and it was first time he had won a prize. SovGold kale seed from Agricom was sown across more than 6ha at the start of November last year. Consistent rainfall throughout the season had helped growth. "This season has been phenomenal." Dairy bulls and cows would begin eating the kale next month. Sheep would be kept out of the top crop. "It's not really a sheep crop, it is reasonably high." The success of the crop was also down to the quality of the paddock, which had not been ploughed for 25 years or more. "This paddock may be old but it has never faulted in growing grass." He liked ploughing paddocks and this one was due. "I'm old school; ploughing has always worked for me." He was planning to test the soil to find out why the paddock performed better than others on Willowlea. A shelter belt of pine trees protects the crop from a cold westerly wind and helps keep the soil temperature up. Mr Bain and his wife Alison bought the 160ha farm Willowlea in Hindon two years ago. He was raised on the farm, which was then more than 1800ha, owned by the government and called Parero. His late father Graeme Bain was a manager on Parero, working for a salary from the Department of Lands and Survey. To buy the farm where you lived as a boy was satisfying. "I've worked for other people all my life and now it is just Alice and I that I have to worry about. "You don't have to please anyone else — it is good." On Parero, his family lived in a house which had since been demolished. "I used to get on a bus at that gate over there to get to primary school at Lee Stream." Parero became three ballot farms in 1978. "When this was settled, Dad drew his own ballot farm at Black Rock." His mother Lorraine died about two years ago. "She knew we bought this place before she died." His path to owning Willowlea included studying at Lincoln University, working as a PGG Wrightson stock agent in Owaka for more than two years, managing Stoneburn Station, in East Otago, for five years and entering an equity partnership in a sheep and beef business in Kyeburn. The equity partnership ran its course and allowed them to buy Willowlea. Willowlea was "in good heart" and there were no plans for any major development, thanks to work of past owners including Graham White. Livestock set to spend this winter on Willowlea were about 200 rising 1-year-old dairy bulls, mostly Holstein Friesian, 120 dairy cows, 750 quarterbred lambs and 200 in-lamb ewes. "Our system is reasonably simple." The farm operation includes another 120ha lease block in Berwick. About 160 rising 1-year-old Holstein Friesian and Hereford cross bulls, weighing about 215kg each, were set to be sold privately to make the most of the buoyant beef market. Many of the bulls were from dairy farms owned by Mrs Bain's brothers on South Taieri, the Sutherlands. "There is a shortage of stock out there, that's why we are getting rid of 160 bulls. That's the beauty of bulls, unlike lambs, where you've got a maximum weight you can take them to. With bulls you can keep putting the weight on them." • The crop competition and auction raised $84,000 for three rural study scholarships ($6000), Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust ($27,200), Otago Community Hospice ($29,000), Outram School hall audio visual equipment upgrade ($6100), Outram Historic Path shared pathway ($6600) and Outram Lions and Rotary clubs ($9000).
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Arable farm boasts 14 income streams
An English farmer is proving there's more than one way to squeeze every cent out of an arable operation. Lancashire's Olly Harrison has become a successful farmer and entrepreneur as well as being a popular YouTuber since leaving school at 16 after struggling with dyslexia. He's grown his farm from 70 hectares to 600ha and used earnings from his YouTube channel — OllyBlogsAgricontractfarmer — which has nearly 150,000 subscribers, to build up his machinery fleet. Over the past month, he's put out posts about "flailing off" a roadside verge, inspecting emerging millet and canary grass crops in a drought year, oil leaks in a tractor and the minutiae of farming life. His farming business has 14 different income streams including cropping, dog walking fields, chipping tree waste for biomass, sunflower mazes and office and holiday rentals. The farmer always seeking new ways to commercially get the most out of his land and assets will be one of the main speakers at Foundation for Arable Research's (FAR) two-day two-yearly conference at Lincoln University from June 30. Mr Harrison will be outlining his farming journey via video link. The conference theme of Show Me the Money,will tackle the ongoing concern of profitability as farmers balance greater costs with trying to bring in more income. A range of international and local speakers will combine with FAR staff to outline ways farmers can reduce costs, improve productivity, diversify into additional income streams and adopt new tools and technologies. FAR spokeswoman Anna Heslop said growers provided regular feedback on the financial challenges of increasing input costs, flat crop contract prices, increased regulatory compliance and extreme weather events. Keynote speaker will be New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy and Methven arable farmer Hamish Marr. He will be accompanied in the lineup by South Australian grain grower James Venning talking about how to make technology pay. Over varying soil types, he uses a wide range of technologies to help his decision-making and to micro-manage areas in his cropping programme focusing on productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness. The chairman of his local grower group Northern Sustainable Soils, is a board member of the Hart Field Site Group and a grower director of Grain Producers South Australia. Also appearing via video link will be the founding director of the Centre for Evidence Based Agriculture at Harper Adams University in England, Prof Nicola Randall, to discuss whether regenerative agricultural systems add value. Farmer discussion panels will provide examples of different approaches and technologies growers are adopting to improve their farm business performance. A conference dinner will double as a farewell to FAR chief executive Dr Alison Stewart, who steps down at the end of June. Who is Olly Harrison? United Kingdom farmer and entrepreneur Olly Harrison is the face behind popular YouTube channel OllyBlogsAgricontractfarmer. Daily videos starting in the Covid-19 lockdown provide an insight into the challenges and triumphs of farming, marked by humour and diversification stories to fund his "tractor addiction". His online presence reaches an audience of more than 350,000 followers across his social channels, with 110,000 of them on YouTube. The farmer's 1500-plus videos have been watched more than 77 million times with his content resonating with farming enthusiasts and urban people curious about rural life. Mr Harrison was named the International Agricultural Influencer for YouTube by the German Agricultural Society and recognised by the National Farmers' Union as a Community Farming Hero. His ability to explain the complexities of farming in straightforward language has made him a regular contributor on BBC News and BBC Radio 4. By last year his farming business had 14 different income streams, including a merchandise operation grossing more than £100,000 in 2023. After vowing he would own a brand new combine harvester by the age of 40, and achieving the goal, he decided to drive his Claas Lexion combine from John O'Groats to Land's End for charity. His charitable contributions so far total more than $1 million from events ranging from tractor runs through Liverpool to YouTube fundraisers. He has promised to leave a farm to each of his three children as he continues to build his farming business.
NZ Herald
27-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Listen to The Country online: Professor Alan Renwick on the future of land use
Today on The Country radio show, host Jamie Mackay catches up with Professor Alan Renwick, of Lincoln University, to learn more about his report, The Future Use of Land and How to Fund It. On with the show: Damien O'Connor: We find Labour's trade spokesman at the E Tipu conference in Palmerston North, but is it a woke talk fest? We also preview tomorrow's 'Love in' with Federated Farmers in Masterton, but is it a waste of time?
