ScienceEarth SciencesNatural Sciences

Cut the Crop!

Foundation for Arable Research (NZ)

keeping you in the know about everything you grow

Play

Open in

20 episodes
weekly
Avg 17 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

S7 · E42
Saturday · 10 min
Plenty of reasons to attend CROPS at Chertsey
FAR’s biggest annual event of the year, CROPS, is being held at the Chertsey research site on Wednesday November 25. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR’s Communications Manager Anna Heslop says the event will feature a mix of speakers from FAR and collaborative partners, as well as two visiting UK experts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E41
October 24 · 18 min
Working together a winning move for SCID
Confronted with the unexpected end-of-life of the Seed Crop Isolation Distance (SCID) digital mapping platform used to prevent cross-pollination between high-value vegetable seed crops, the industry swung into gear. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Seed and Grain NZ chief executive Sarah Clark and John Foley of PGG Wrightson Seeds describe how the award-winning team delivered a new system under significant time pressure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E40
October 17 · 20 min
Replacement RMA laws: who gains?
Irrigation NZ principal technical advisor Stephen McNally has closely followed the development of the two new laws replacing the 35-year-old Resource Management Act. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says that under the new law, food and fibre production is considered in balance and equal in priority to the environment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E39
October 10 · 16 min
Native planting for beneficial insects
A Canterbury guide, “Selecting native plants that attract beneficial insects”, has been developed to help farmers, growers and landowners establish native plantings that support pollination, natural pest control and resilient farming systems. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Abie Horrocks of FAR and Brad Howlett of BSI say arable crops particularly benefit. Find the guide here: https://www.bioeconomyscience.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/139225/plants-for-beneficial-insects_canterbury.pdf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E38
October 3 · 18 min
Are non-microbial biostimulants worth a try?
With fertiliser prices at high levels, some arable farmers are being encouraged by sales reps to try out biological alternatives such as seaweed extracts. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Ballance Agri-Nutrients science strategy manager Warwick Catto says a lack of replicated NZ data on these products means growers need to try them out for themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E37
September 26 · 16 min
Maize growing in an El Nino year
The maize planting season is rapidly approaching and with a strong El Nino weather pattern forecast for this season, what actions can growers take to maintain yields despite the livelihood of hot, dry conditions? In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR’s senior maize researcher Rene van Tilburg provides some advice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E36
September 19 · 29 min
2026 Arable Farmer of the Year John McCaw
2026 Arable Farmer of the Year John McCaw specialises in ryegrass and cocksfoot seed production as well as owning a seed dressing business at Methven. As a herbage seed industry leader he has been at the forefront of making growers and seed merchants aware of the full costs of growing grass crops and the impacts of a lack of profitability. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E35
September 12 · 15 min
Danish growers integrate non-chemical weed control
Danish arable growers have few ag-chem active ingredients available, so have no option but to adopt integrated weed management, says visiting Danish weed expert Mette Sonderskov who led a series of FAR weed workshops. In this episode of Cut the Crop, she says that weed management requires a long-term approach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E34
September 2 · 10 min
Lessons from NZ arable
Taylor McGill, a masters student from Oklahoma, has been working with the FAR communications team for her international experience. In this episode of Cut the Crop, she says that coming from a notoriously dry US state makes it hard to comprehend that some places need drainage tiles for excess water. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E33
August 29 · 15 min
Sprayers 101: hitting the spot
Two Canadian spraying experts Tom Wolf and Jason Deveau have just completed two weeks of FAR spraying workshops across NZ. In this episode of Cut the Crop, they reflect on how spray set-ups and coffee are different in NZ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E32
August 22 · 18 min
High-tech weed sprayers are here
FAR is running a series of weed workshops looking at all the tools available for weed control so growers don’t have to just rely on herbicides. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Kyle Baxter of Ecorobotix details a high-tech option, available in NZ, which can identify and spray weeds from about 2mm in size. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E31
August 15 · 23 min
Growing high-value crops under solar panels
A new solar farm at Lincoln University aims to show how productive land can be optimised to grow high-value crops while generating commercial-scale solar energy. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Lincoln lecturer in arable crop production Pieter-Willem Hendriks says that microclimate changes under the panels will be researched while growing arable crops, blueberries, Chardonnay grapes and even kumara. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E30
August 8 · 27 min
Taking time to connect with others
Craig ‘Wiggy’ Wiggins has numerous roles in the rural sector but is best known for being the driving force behind several rural health and wellness initiatives. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says that it is about connecting with and supporting people and not being afraid to ask someone if they are not feeling okay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E29
August 1 · 16 min
Fall armyworm: four years on
It is more than four years since maize pest fall armyworm was first detected in NZ. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR’s biosecurity officer Ash Mills, who leads an SFFF long-term management project, says one of the biggest knowledge gaps is fall armyworm overwintering. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E28
July 25 · 17 min
New FAR Strategy launched
FAR has just launched its new five-year strategy, setting a clear direction for the organisation. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR chief executive Scott Champion says the strategy reflects the organisation’s commitment to connecting growers with science and information to support successful arable farms and a valued arable sector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E27
July 18 · 11 min
South Australian grower goes from drought to rain
After battling severe drought, early-season rain means South Australian grower James Venning has had a perfect start planting this year’s crops. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says that while he hasn’t suffered the mice plagues of some areas, he still needs to lay poison bait when planting canola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E26
July 11 · 19 min
Visiting experts target spray accuracy
Canadian spray experts Tom Wolf and Jason Deveau are leading a series of Sprayers 101 workshops organised by FAR, in the first two weeks of August. In this episode of Cut the Crop, they say they will be discussing everything from water volume and droplet size to spray pressure, while raising a note of caution on drone spraying. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E25
July 4 · 18 min
Cereals UK 2026: what’s new?
Hawkes Bay arable and vegetable grower Hugh Ritchie was one of a contingent of NZ growers who attended the Cereals UK event, as well as some in Europe. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says that more accurate spraying equipment being widely adopted there, as well as AI weeding for specialist crops particularly caught his attention. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E24
June 27 · 11 min
FAR director Michael Tayler optimistic on arable
South Canterbury grower Michael Tayler is one of three new FAR board members. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says that while crop margins are tight at present, he’s optimistic about the arable industry’s future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S7 · E23
June 20 · 19 min
Arable under pressure, but full of possibility
Andrew Laming, a founder and director of farm finance and advisory business NZAB, recently wrote a report on the arable sector. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he says it is not a question of arable farmers’ capability to grow crops, but more about business management and positioning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes