Why are we dedicating half a day to electrification at LandWISE 2025?

Part of the answer, of course, is in the conference title – “Getting to Carbon Positive”. If we want to get our emissions to zero, we need to stop using fossil fuels. But that is only part of it as Uttam Singh Floray, Community Kead at Electrify Hawke’s Bay will explain.

Solar electricity is now the cheapest form of energy and it is getting cheaper. The cost to generate a kWh ranges from about 4c from a farm-scale system to perhaps 12c for a home system. If you generate it on-site, there are virtually no transmission losses. If you have excess, you can store some to use when the sun isn’t shining. Or you can sell it and have another income stream. Or both. The price you get depends on the agreement you reach and possibly on spot-prices.

In “Unlocking the potential of farm solar and storage”, Rewiring Aotearoa reports that a Federated Farmers’ survey of 1,000 farmers showed that 70% of respondents would consider installing solar panels and the enthusiasm was evenly spread across different age groups, genders and farm types. Going electric is a clear win on the numbers, both at home and on the farm, but it can be complicated in practice. Our keynote speaker, Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey from Forest Lodge Orchard, is well versed in all this.

Lincoln University is establishing an electric research farm, a 1.5 MW solar installation that will comprise around 2800 photovoltaic (PV) panels, generating about 2.3 GWh of renewable energy per year. This will be described by Pieter-Willem Hendriks.

Another farmer with personal experience they are willing to share is Becks Smith. With her farm already set up, she now engaged in “Farmers supporting energy solutions on farm”.

One of the main issues facing those wanting to install solar at present is navigating the legal processes and regulatory requirements. Hopefully this will be quickly simplified, but electrical, building, resource management and utility requirements must all be met. Another is sizing the optimum system and allowing for future needs. We will use the MicroFarm solar system as a case study with Freenergy’s Aaron Duncan leading us through the various options modelled for economic optimisation, and the process of ticking boxes so our excess can be exported.

If you want to set up a totally off-grid system, some things will be easier. Electrical regulations must still be met, of course! Marc Dresser will discuss how simple a system can be, based on a lifestyle property. A remote building or electrical equipment could follow similar principles.

As someone who has driven a fully electric car for well over two years, I’m well aware of the questions I get most frequently. They are about range (I can get over 500km on a charge, weather and terrain depending), charging times (technically 350 km in 18 minutes on a fast charger or 50 km/h at home), cost of electricity (~12c/km on the most expensive charger, 0c/km at home), towing ability (my car has an 1,800 kg braked rating), and do I like it (YES!)

In Cyclone Gabrielle we plugged key home essentials – fridge, internet, electric jug – into extension cords from the car’s 230V vehicle to load (V2L) plugs. After about four days we had barely dropped the battery reserve.

Is it a 4WD ute suitable for hard farm work? (No)

But there are electric and hybrid ute options now. Some, like my car, have built-in 230V power outlets, very handy for using power tools a long way from home.

It might be a while before all farm machinery has electric options. In the meantime, it is possible to transplant an electric motor and power-pack into internal combustion engine (ICE) machines. You can see an example master-minded for Mountain Bike Rotorua by Ra Cleave from Ripple Tech. And because it isn’t just solar that enables on-farm electricity generation, Boyn Benton will outline some of the micro-hydro options available too.

We are setting up some physical displays at the Horizons Regional Council Field Session, so come along and learn about options for farm or home, car or machine, and whether electricity could be another income stream. And cut costs, emissions and your footprint at the same time.

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LandWISE 2025 Getting to Carbon Positive

Doing what we can to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions is not about meeting regulations, it is about meeting the expectations of our markets and others in our supply chains (and ourselves and the planet!). Most large companies must report on their own emissions and those of their suppliers and clients. We are part of their emissions profiles, and they want us to do our part.

What is it all about? What emissions are we talking about? Who is implementing changes to lower their impact? How do we start?

At LandWISE 2025: Getting to Carbon Positive, you’ll get these answers and more. You’ll hear and see examples, and hear that people are reaping benefits, because it isn’t all about adding costs, it can save money. And in another session, you’ll hear how it can even provide an alternative income stream.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol applies the measurement of emissions across three scopes. These are Scope 1, which includes the direct emissions from sources that the organisation owns or controls, such as fuel use for farm-owned vehicles, natural gas used for heating buildings and greenhouses, fertilizer use, leaks in refrigeration and cooling processes, as well as emissions from soil management. Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from purchased energy. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions in the organisation’s value chain, such as emissions from freight/transportation of products, business travel, waste, and emissions from purchased goods and services.

Pii-Tuulia Nikula (PhD)

Greenhouse Gas Accounting: Scopes Solutions Target Setting

Pii-Tuulia Nikula is an Associate Professor in the School of Business at the Eastern Institute of Technology (Hawke’s Bay), where she teaches courses on Sustainable Organisations and Research Methods. Her research has explored emission trajectories and climate disclosures of New Zealand businesses. Pii-Tuulia will cover key questions that apply to the application of the GHG Protocol, such as common issues and challenges with data collection and practical solutions available for emissions reduction across all three scopes. Finally, she will discuss how organisations can use their emissions baseline to start thinking about their emissions reduction targets. 

Uttam Singh Floray

Reporting for primary producers, processors and exporters

Uttam Singh Floray is a seasoned Sustainability Consultant with extensive expertise in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, carbon accounting, and compliance solutions. As Team Lead – Account management (Government) at Toitū Envirocare, he has headed the implementation of the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and guided organisations toward achieving emissions compliance and sustainable development goals. Uttam has a lead role with Electrify Hawke’s Bay, a regional Rewiring Aotearoa group promoting adoption of low carbon alternative energy sources.

Ron McFetridge

Minimising emissions at WaterForce

One of three founders, Ron McFetridge is the Managing Director at WaterForce. Established in 2002, WaterForce has operations throughout New Zealand, with a large concentration on the South Island, and about 250 staff. Ron is working to reduce the emissions footprint of the company through careful management of energy including establishing rooftop solar and electrifying the vehicle fleet. He is speaking about the process, seeking suitable equipment and changing culture in an organisation.

Dan Bloomer (PhD)

Carbon Positive progress – relative footprints

Dan Bloomer is the LandWISE Manager and an independent consultant. He brings a diverse set of interests and extensive experience in field trials and extension to his role overseeing the LandWISE research portfolio. Together with Olivia Webster, he will present a study comparing the emissions from the three farm systems that form the Carbon Positive trial. What are the main drivers of emissions in an intensive process cropping scenraio?

Of course, knowing our emissions is only a starting point. We also want to know how we can minimise them. And that is the subject of the Electrification and Alternative energy case studies sessions!

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LandWISE has three pilot projects being run with Te Ahikawariki, the Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence based in Pukekohe. The projects include cover cropping, soil stability testing and use of a device to read nitrate test strips more accurately.

Te Ahikawariki/VICE is a government-funded project that is setting up a cutting-edge vegetable research farm in Pukekohe. The project is a collaboration between mana whenua and vegetable growers that aims to create a central location for research to support the entire vegetable industry and protect the land.

Cover crop options for vegetable growers – preliminary scoping study

Over the last few years, we have been posting reports of trials and tribulations with our cover cropping activities at the MicroFarm. Growing a cover crop is easy. Growing a cover crop that ticks boxes for maximum species diversity, non-herbicide termination, and allows the land to be ready for a crop on a certain date specified by processing companies is quite another thing. Our discussions with growers in Tairawhiti and Canterbury confirm we are not alone!

The Te Ahikawariki project involves us and regional contacts interviewing leading growers and industry people with experience in or desire to introduce cover cropping in vegetable production systems. By including five regions, Hastings, Pukekohe, Levin, Gisborne, and Canterbury, we are seeking to compile findings to give a national overview that identifies regional and sector specifics.

A summary from interviews, a resource inventory and literature review will identify where suitable information is available and where key gaps lie. This will provide a base on which to develop a longer-term research strategy and work programme for VICE. 

Farmer Friendly Nitrate Testing

Since 2018, we have been using and promoting the Nitrate Quick Test from the University of California Davis (Hartz, 2010). The method was tested for NZ conditions under a previous SFF project through FAR and Plant & Food Research. The Nitrate Quick Test has much potential to help growers identify required nitrogen base and side-dressing rates and to justify applications.

Our Te Ahikawariki project is comparing results from Nitrate Quick Test strips using the current visual concentration assessment and estimate of soil moisture bands with the Nitrachek concentration and moisture determined by microwave drying soil and with commercial laboratory mineral nitrogen tests. A key part of the project is engaging with growers to demonstrate and support valid paddock sampling and correct use of the test methods, thus ensuring the knowledge is held within each regional community.

In parts of Europe, farmers must have approved soil nitrate testing completed before nitrogen fertiliser applications may be made. One accepted European methodology uses the Nitrachek device to read the test strips, removing the human eye variable and providing much more accurate readings. It also includes drying test-soil so there is no need to estimate soil moisture.

SLAKES: a cost-effective measure of soil structural stability

Soils with stable aggregates are usually found to be more productive than soils with poor aggregate stability. They typically have more organic matter present in the soil, which acts as a glue holding aggregates together, retain more moisture and have higher infiltration rates, and plant roots can penetrate deeper into the soil which means crops will be more drought tolerant and have better productivity. During rain events, soils containing unstable aggregates will disperse filling pore spaces and making the soil susceptible to erosion and compaction. Eroded soil will remove nutrients with it reducing soil fertility, compaction can cause aeration reduction, water logging and root disease which will affect crop health.

Many different methods have been used to measure aggregate stability, including Cornell University’s wet aggregate stability, Yoder’s wet sieving and Landcare Research – Manaaki Whenua’s (LRMW) wet sieving. However, these methods are time consuming and costly. The Soil Health Institute recommends testing aggregate stability with a smartphone app called SLAKES which was developed by the University of Sydney (Soil Health Institute, 2024).

Our SLAKES project is comparing results from SLAKES with the LRMW wet-sieve aggregate stability test and looking for correlations with VSA scores, bulk density, and total soil carbon levels. In March and April, we are trialling SLAKES with selected growers in Pukekohe, Gisborne, Hastings, Palmerston North and Levin. This will give us a range of soil and crop types to see how the methods compare in our young New Zealand soils.

We will report on our progress at LandWISE 2025! See you there.

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After a fun couple of years, I am leaving LandWISE.

My partner Mitchell and I are taking a big leap and moving to the Netherlands to start the next chapter of our lives and careers. I spent a year studying in the Netherlands in 2016 and I am very excited to be heading back!

I have enjoyed my time working for LandWISE, particularly on the Carbon Positive and post-Cyclone Gabrielle projects. I am so grateful to the community of clever people who engage with these projects and have helped them succeed. I have had lots of opportunities to share our work at conferences and connect with so many interesting people over the last two years. I have loved learning more about vegetable production, and hope to continue learning and contributing more in the coming years.

Our house is rented, and our flights are booked. My last day with LandWISE will be the 11th of August. If you are driving past the MicroFarm in the next couple of weeks, please call in for a coffee!

I look forward to seeing you sometime in the future.

Bye for now!

Alex

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Going to the Vegetables Big Day Out in Pukekohe was an amazing opportunity for me to meet people and to learn more about the research and innovation taking place in the vegetable industry.

Being able to see the biodiversity strips, native plant pods (insectaries), and cover crops that are a part of “A Lighter Touch”, then hearing about the differences they are seeing with all three working together was a highlight for me. LandWISE also has native insectaries and has planted biodiversity strips alongside our annual cover crops. It was interesting to hear Howe (Balle Brothers’ crop manager) talk about how he expected they would have to spray an insecticide due to an increased number of aphids. However, they left it for two weeks, and the aphid numbers dropped as the beneficial insects controlled the aphid population without the need for insecticides.

Water quality was a major topic of conversation in many courses I did at university. Therefore, it was very interesting to hear about the cultural indicator tool for water quality monitoring. It is used in evaluating the current state of waterways, as well as determining actions needed to improve the water quality. For me this talk also reinforced how important it is for Mātauranga Māori and science to be integrated.

I also enjoyed listening to the career session for students. It was interesting to hear how everyone ended up in horticulture and why they enjoy it. I particularly liked hearing about the experiences and successes of other young women in the industry.

Thank you, Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence (VICE), for hosting the Vegetables Big Day Out. It was great to be able to attend such an insightful and interactive event. I would also like to say thank you for giving me a VICE internship, as part of which I will be doing Slakes aggregate stability testing and nitrate testing with a Nitrachek device.

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Last year I joined the STAMP (Strategic Thinking Agri-Food Marketing Program) for young professionals working in the agri-food sector. The program is supported by Massey University, AGMARDT and FoodHQ. We meet four times a year to connect, and through workshops, case study analysis, and discussions, we are provided with a platform to gain insights into different parts of the primary sector, given networking opportunities and are supported to develop the skills needed as future leaders in the industry.

In June this year, I was chosen for one of two teams attending the 2024 International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) Case Study Competition and Conference in Almeria, Spain. The theme of the conference was Food Security Through Innovation & Sustainability. We were then invited to attend a weeklong food and agri-innovation tour to Bologna, Cologne and then through the Netherlands.

I am lucky to have been in a team with four clever individuals from across the New Zealand Agri-Food sector. Our team included Dan from Silver Fern Farms in Dunedin, Fatima from ANZ in Auckland, Braydon from Perrin Ag in Rotorua, and Katie from Auckland University. We brought a diverse range of skills to our case study analysis, as well as a diverse range of opinions and perspectives on agriculture.

We were incredibly excited to learn that we won first place in our division, with the other New Zealand team coming in second place. Not bad for a little country at the bottom of the world!

While travelling together after the conference we were able to explore food provenance and food culture in Bologna, agricultural research and development in Cologne, and agricultural and horticultural innovation in the Netherlands. We will all be spending the next few months digesting what we have seen, discussed and learnt, and how our experience links to food production back here in New Zealand.

Many thanks to LandWISE (Dan & Phillipa) for allowing me the time away to learn, grow and explore the agri-food sector at a global level.

Applications are open!

Applications are open for the 2024 STAMP intake so if you have talented young people in your business (under 27 at the time of application), encourage them to apply! Click here for more information. Applications close 31st Aug 2024.

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Alex wins in Spain

LandWISE is delighted to have supported our Project Manager Alex Dickson to be part of the 2024 IFAMA case study competition held in Almeria, Spain in June.

We were even more delighted by an immediate result, as Alex posted in LinkedIn:

“I’m thrilled to share that we have taken out first place at the IFAMA 2024 Student Case Study competition in the Early Career Professional category. I’m so proud of my unbelievably talented teammates Katie Henderson, Fatima Imran, Dan Ryan and Braydon Schroder. It came down to the final two, made up of both NZ teams. It’s brilliant that NZ took home both first and second place in Spain this year!

The case study explored the global seed industry, from the perspective of the International Seed Federation (ISF) and asked us to consider how to improve collaboration and communication between stakeholders throughout the value chain, in the face of changing European policy.

It has been a roller coaster of emotions; we are all so grateful for this amazing opportunity. Thank you to FoodHQ, Massey University, AGMARDT (The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust) for supporting us to get here!“

Their group developed a proposal for a food alliance which was powered by data and a governance model to help the seed industry collaborate and deal with regulatory pressures, such as the EU green deal.

Alex travelled as one of the members of the Strategic Thinking for Agrifood Management Programme (STAMP), and initiative of FOODHQ at Massey University supported by AGMARDT. The STAMP programme focuses on accelerating emerging leaders’ strategic thinking, broadening sector awareness and helping build local and global personal and professional networks.

After spending time in Spain, the group has been travelling, including visits to a number of food producers in other EU countries, and

As Dr Victoria Hatton, CEO of Food HQ noted, “The value of this experience can’t be underestimated. The exposure the cohort have been given to a real world challenge is fantastic. I am so proud of this amazing group of young leaders.”

We share that opinion and are justly proud of Alex’s and colleagues’ achievement.

IFAMA is an international management organization that brings together current and future business, academic, and government leaders along with other industry stakeholders—to improve the strategic focus, transparency, sustainability, and responsiveness of the global food and agribusiness system.

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Presented by Dr Charles ‘Merf’ Merfield.

9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday 26 July 2024

PIA Event Centre, Pukekohe, New Zealand.

In person only, there is no online version.

The purpose of this workshop is to give a complete overview of non-chemical weed management as part of Integrated Weed Management (IWM) and will include addressing herbicide resistance.

Merf is head of the BHU Future Farming Centre and Merfield Agronomy Ltd and co-owner and director of PhysicalWeeding. He is also the OrganicNZ 2024 Organic Leader of the year for excellence in science communication.

The primary audience is cropping (horticulture and arable) farmers & growers as it is these production systems that have the largest challenge with weeds. Perennial crop (e.g. vines, apples) producers will also benefit with one section dedicated to perennial crops (see below). For anyone dealing with herbicide resistant weeds, this workshop is the start of your solution. There are also some benefits for livestock / pasture systems in terms of the overall concepts of non-chemical and integrated weed management.

Consultants and advisors working with farmer and grower clients, particularly in cropping, will gain considerable benefit, especially regarding the latest technologies. Scientists, especially those dealing with herbicide resistance and working on the transition to non-chemical weed management, will gain valuable insights. The content assumes a reasonable level of understanding and practical experience of commercial agriculture and horticulture systems including weed management. This is a really full on and intense workshop – bring your thinking head! Plenty of caffeine is provided!

Cost is NZ$391.30 excl. GST = $450.00 incl. GST.

This includes a colour handout printout of the presentations. It also includes full catering includes tea, real coffee and snack on arrival, morning and afternoon teas and finger food lunch.
Registration is essential as places are limited.

To register please email charles@merfield.com including:

• Your / your business name and address for the invoice.
• The number of people from your business who will be attending and their names and emails.
• A bit of your background, e.g., farmer, grower, consultant, farm system, e.g., veg, apples, so I have an idea of who is coming.
• Any dietary requirements.

More information at Charles Merfield – One day seminar-workshop on non-chemical weed management

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Many thanks to everybody involved in our 2024 Annual Conference! All up we had 99 registrants who heard from 23 amazing presenters and saw 9 different practical demonstrations. Our special thanks to everyone who contributed by sharing their knowledge and experiences, and to delegates for their active interaction. Thanks to Pure Catering and our hosts at the Havelock North Function Centre and at the Centre for Land and Water which hosts our MicroFarm and the demonstrations.

Many thanks also to our conference sponsors and supporters. These organisations support us through the year as well as for the conference and we are very grateful. They are the most loyal of partners we could hope for.

Ka mau te wehi!

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LandWISE 2024 – Rebuilding Our Soils

Havelock North – 15-16 May 2024

We are looking forward to our annual conference this week.
We will report on our current work with industry, researchers and growers
seeking out and trialing best ways to rebuild soil.
Our invited speakers will present alternative practices and novel ideas,
some perhaps fringe, but all looking to be mainstream, on a range of topics.

The key topics in 2024 are:

Carbon Positive – Regenerative Cropping
Alternative Pest Management
A year on – Cyclone impacts
Data capture to understanding
New Zealand Agritech
Novel Technologies

We welcome presenters old and new and are most excited by
the breadth and depth of knowledge they offer on many topics.
We also have a great range of practical demonstrations lined up for
viewing at the MicroFarm.

The draft programme is available now, and registrations are open.

Draft Programme

Our Presenters

Registration

We are delighted that Apatu Group is continuing their sponsorship
to allow secondary students free conference attendance, and that
for 2024 they have been joined by Vegetables NZ and Onions NZ
so an even larger cohort can attend.

We view this as a vital element, as such students are indeed the future of our industry,
and feedback from previous years has been very positive.

Discount for our Financial Members = pay for one day, get the other free. See you there!

Thanks to BASF Crop Protection and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for continuing their Platinum Sponsorships. Both are long-term, loyal supporters and we are most grateful. Our other loyal supporters are also back with us, so please take time to look and give them your support in return.

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