Waikato AgriBusiness News June 2021

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4 WAIKATO AGRIBUSINESS NEWS June 2021 WE ALWAYS KNEW OUR DIGITAL PIECE WAS A BIG PART OF OUR FUTURE. SO WE PUT A LOT OF TIME INTO OUR TICKETING SYSTEM AND OUR APP, AND WE HAD FIELDAYS TV ON THE SHELF AS A STRATEGY. AND OF COURSE, COVID ACCELERATED THAT. Stage set for bumper Fieldays From page 3 day. And we’ll livestream that out across New Zealand and around the world.” Fieldays online starts ahead of the physical event, featuring material filmed last year, and will also continue after the event, with exhibitors able to use the medium for advertising space. Nation said last year they had more than 90,000 unique viewers across 75 countries, despite limited opportunities to market the station. The stats showed their main viewing was between 6pm and 9pm. “So we were cutting across primetime news.” While the loss of up to 3000 international visitors will be felt, Fieldays is likely to be the largest agricultural show in the world this year, with other events closed because of Covid. Innovations are set to remain a drawcard Nation said the online presence would be important. “I think it does a number of things. It keeps our brand alive and our event alive around the world, it keeps the New Zealand brand alive and our customers’ brands alive in the innovation space and products.” They plan to host overseas speakers virtually, and Nation said the offering would include short documentaries on the likes of different farming techniques, innovations and alternative energy sources. “We’re trying to be ahead of the curve.” Meanwhile, the all-important physical event has been as big a drawcard as ever for exhibitors, with only the larger internationals absent. Nation said they remain focused on the core mission of advancing agriculture, which means careers and education, health and wellbeing, and the innovations hub will all be back. “It’s all about the whole vision of bringing people together and education and innovation.” Visitors will find some changes to the site, notably including the competitions being brought together by shifting the excavators. The app, which has become a feature of the event, is enhanced, while navigation will also be helped by vinylcut lines along the centre of the main roads, hopefully helping social distancing. Corners will include big letters denoting the street names, as well as arrows pointing to key areas including major precincts and toilets. “So you should be able to navigate your way just with your eyes,” Nation said. Each intersection will also have a Covid QR code for those who missed their chance at the entrance. Further change sees them switch to a dawn opening on the Wednesday, rather than the traditional noon, while Nation said they’ve parked a number of ideas for next year, given the shortened run they’ve had for this year’s event after Covid. “It’s a team effort. There’s a lot of thinking gone into this, and we’ve got a good pragmatic board. We know how important this is to the community. It will be good.” Family takes out top farm environment award The van Ras Family of Morrinsville have been named 2021 Regional Supreme Winners in the Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The awards, run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, champion sustainable farming and growing. The supreme regional winner, Waiorongomai Valley Farms, is a family affair with two generations of the van Ras family, Johan and Kylie and Richard and Truus, all living on the land that the family bought in 2010 after previously leasing the farm for six years. The 76ha farm has 215 cows and has stock health as a main priority. The family say they are constantly looking to improve their environmental impact and balance sustainability with profitability. They entered the Ballance Farm Environment Awards in the hope of learning from the awards experience and to help share positive stories from the farming industry. Supreme winners Kylie, Johan, Truus and Richard van Ras. The judges said that the van Rases are good adopters of technology who understand the value of using accurate data to inform good management practice and sustainable business decisions. “It is evident that the van Ras family work well as a team and have an excellent succession plan across three generations. We believe that this farm business offers many industry leadership opportunities for the van Ras family,” the judges said. As well as receiving this year’s Regional Supreme Award, they also received the: • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award • WaterForce Integrated Management Award • Synlait Future Leaders Award This year the Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards included a new award category for Catchment Groups. The 2021 winners of this award are Pūniu River Care. When it comes to catchment management, Pūniu River Care, (PRC), are big initiators in the Waikato. Established in 2015 to enable local hapū to be involved in the restoration of the Pūniu River Catchment, PRC work with their rural community, iwi, regional and central government to implement restoration work at scale. A main part of their work is training people from the community to propagate native plants at Mangatoatoa marae which are then planted around rivers, lakes, wetlands and erodible land. The organisation has grown rapidly since its inception and will deliver 500,000 native plants, planted into the Pūniu and Waipa River catchments in May 2021 and has the capacity to deliver in excess of 1 million plants each year in the coming seasons. The nursery and planting operation currently employs more than 30 people and the organisation is committed to building the skills and capability of their team, with a number of young staff members being supported into leadership roles. Encouraging the next generation is also a priority with an education programme running at the local whare kura to ensure the ongoing success of PRC, the improvement of the environment and the hope it gives marae throughout Aotearoa. The BFEA judges were impressed with the engagement of the team at PRC. “It was very evident that the staff believed in the vision of the organisation and looked to be really enjoying their work,” said the judges. OTHER WAIKATO 2021 BALLANCE FARM ENVIRONMENT AWARD WINNERS Michael and Susi Woodward - Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award and Norwood Agri-Business Management Award Russell and Mavis Proffit - Massey University Innovation Award and Waikato Regional Council Water Protection Award Murray & Janet Easton - Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award Peter Levin and Phil Barton - Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award and Waikato River Authority Catchment Improvement Award
See the best of agribusiness at Fieldays 2021 The future of the agribusiness sector is looking bright, with a wider range of products and services on offer than ever before. With over 1,000 exhibitors on site at Fieldays this year, there’s no better place to scope out the latest in the primary industries. As the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere, here’s just a small snapshot of what your ticket to Fieldays 2021 will get you. A trip to the Agribusiness area will indulge you with market leading agricultural specialists to learn from and network with, as well as an opportunity to check out the latest investments to help you maintain your farm. Whether you’re looking at herd management, calf nutrition, monitoring soil quality, effluent systems, irrigation, organic or regenerative farming, you’ll be able to find the latest in ag, alongside the tried and tested favourites, all within a short stroll of each other. If you’re looking for more heavy-duty equipment to get the job done, head to the Heavy Equipment Precinct. There will be a wide range of tractors, forklifts, excavators, mowers, spreaders, and cultivators to choose from. But it’s not just about the latest products. It’s about the services you can access to help you work smarter, not harder too. All the major banks will be on site with their financial advisors on hand to chat through your banking needs over a cup of coffee. To help you bear those chilly mornings, there is an abundance of durable gear that will withstand the elements, which you can find in the Rural Living Precinct. From all the Kiwi favourite farming clothing brands to the woolly socks, waterproof jackets, sturdy footwear, and warm clothing that will keep you cosy until spring. Fieldays being back on site at Mystery Creek also means you get to experience the iconic competitions once again. So, when you need a break from shopping around, head to the riverside, where all the competitions are now in one location. The boy racers of farming world will be back, going head-to-head in the Tractor Pull. New Zealand’s top fencers will be back too vying for the coveted Golden Pliers® and you can catch the test of skill and precision at the Civil Contractors New Zealand Regional Excavator Competition. Whilst walking around Fieldays this year, you will undoubtedly stumble across an innovation or two that piques your interest. But if you’re ready to immerse yourself with everything that’s about to shape the landscape of the primary industries, head to the Innovation Hub. You’ll get a glimpse into the future ranging from prototypes to early stages of commercialisation through to ideas ready to grow and scale globally. After you’ve headed home with all your new ideas and gadgets to tackle the next job on the farm, remember that Fieldays Online is back this year too. You’ll be able to tune in to segments with This Working Life, Fieldays Kitchen, and all the latest Future Focus talks and more. So, you can tune in on demand and tune out to milk the cows. IT’S ON SITE AND ONLINE Tickets on sale fieldays.co.nz JUNE 2021
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Waikato AgriBusiness News June 2021

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