increase font size
Water, soil monitoring, irrigation and weather systems will be hot topics at this year’s East Coast Farming Expo, as the region battles the effects of another summer drought.
Water, soil monitoring, irrigation and weather systems will be hot topics at this year’s East Coast Farming Expo, as the region battles the effects of another summer drought.
The two-day expo, on April 5 and 6, will again be hosted by the Wairoa A&P Society at its central Wairoa showgrounds.
The event is devoted to helping the region’s farmers and landowners explore new ideas for sheep and beef farming. It enables East Coast and Hawke’s Bay farmers to talk to industry innovators, especially trade exhibitors wanting to demonstrate and sell products and services.
Field hydrologist and director of Hydro Logic NZ Ltd, Matt Brown, exhibiting for a second year, says the Wairoa expo has the potential to grow into an important event for East Coast farmers.
“We like the fact that it draws interest from the northern end of the East Coast, right down to the Taihape area,” Brown says.v
“The larger field days around the country show agricultural products and services on a grand scale, but at the East Coast expo the feel is more relaxed, and shows technology, services and expertise that was unavailable until last year’s inaugural event.”
Brown says they felt they only “scratched the surface” in 2016 in promoting telemetry systems, soil moisture and weather stations. This year Hydro Logic NZ Ltd will exhibit water quality sensors, radio telemetry, water tank monitoring equipment, water quality probes, etc.
“We will show radio telemetry equipment that has low running costs and can be used to monitor many different applications, e.g. water tank levels and rain gauges. And we will display Davis weather stations.”
Water Right Ltd, of Hastings, also exhibited last year. Managing director Matt O’Kane says the Wairoa event gave many East Coast business people a good look at new technology and techniques.
“It is a specialised show with… technology that is life-changing to many people who simply didn’t realise that technology was out there,” O’Kane says. “Unlike A&P Shows it attracts genuinely interested people who want to know about your products for a reason.”
Water Right Ltd will exhibit automated irrigating equipment, pipe welding technology and European centre pivot systems.
“We had a huge amount of interest last year and as a result more people are thinking about irrigation and water systems,” O’Kane says. These include people farming areas typically not irrigated, particularly from Wairoa north.”
Another returning exhibitor is Hansen Products NZ Ltd, whose technical sales rep Simon Hayes hopes to build on the success of the inaugural expo.
The Hansen will include the firm’s own trough valves, ball valves, leveller valves, a level alert, Easy Fit fittings for alkathene pipe and Hansen True Fit threaded fittings.
Says Hayes, “We’re looking forward to showing farmers how using our products can help improve their farm output, and giving them input on existing product performance and opportunities for improvements and innovations.”
www.eastcoastexpo.co.nz
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
The grass may be growing again in the drought-stricken coastal area of Taranaki, but the outlook for many farmers there is far from rosy.
Limping towards the end of the season is how Richard Walker describes the situation he's facing due to prolonged drought in coastal areas of Taranaki.
Many contract milkers in badly drought affected regions around the country are coming under severe financial stress and farm owners are being urged to help them through a bad patch until the start of the new season.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
