Ag&Ed | June 12th, 2023

Educational resources for schools & students

Read, listen to, and watch what is happening in Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and fibre sector by scanning the QR codes or following the links. Answer the questions to complete the exercises.

How does a farm adviser contribute to decisions?

Ash Phillips is a farm adviser (kaitohutohu ahuwhenua) in Wairoa on the East Coast. Ash works alongside farmers investigating new opportunities. In this Opportunity Grows Here video, Ash talks about what she does and why she loves her role.

http://lnkiy.in/farmadviser

Have a go:

1. One of the farm projects Ash is involved with is fencing off waterways and riparian planting. What is riparian planting?

2. What are the benefits to the farm and the community from fencing waterways and riparian planting?

3. A key part of Ash’s role is reporting actual production against budget, and then identifying what?

4. What are the things that Ash loves about her role as a farm adviser?

Stretch yourself:

5. Check out Careers.govt.nz and list the steps you would take to become a farm adviser

Watch this

How does budgeting help a farming business?

Take a look at the DairyNZ video and see how budgeting helps farmers run a successful and profitable business.

http://lnkiy.in/dairy-budget

Have a go:

1. Why is developing a budget for your farm important?

2. What’s the first step in preparing a budget?

3. What’s the aim of a budget?

4. What’s the difference between an annual budget and a monthly forecast?

Stretch yourself:

5. What would happen if your monthly spending exceeded monthly income for a given month?

6. How would having an up-to-date forecast help?

How are smart collars changing the dairy sector?

In this episode of the Road to Rural podcast, Callum Woodhouse tells us his pathway to being part of the research and development team at Halter Ltd.

http://lnkiy.in/smartcollars

Have a go:

1. What would a typical day look like for Callum?

2. How does the technology of Halter make farmers’ lives easier?

3. What skills do you think someone working in research and development needs to excel at the role?

4. What is Callum’s tip for helping set secondary school students up for a career in agriculture?

5. Outside of the dairy sector, what opportunities can you think of for smart collars?

How can rapid antigen tests (RAT) help New Zealand’s agricultural industry?

Researchers have been developing a RAT for farmers to use to detect facial eczema in livestock.

http://lnkiy.in/RAT-Livestock

Have a go:

1. What is facial eczema and why is early detection important?

2. How much is it estimated that facial eczema costs the New Zealand economy each year?

3. How do farmers currently test for facial eczema?

4. What are the benefits of facial eczema rapid antigen tests?

Stretch yourself:

5. What funding and grants has Tokaora Diagnostics received to help research and develop the idea?

6. How does this support new companies and the industry?

How do we rebuild after Cyclone Gabrielle?

Rural communities (hapori taiwhenua) are still busy scraping up silt, re-fencing paddocks, and hammering out repairs following damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. Experts are looking at what is best long term for communities.

http://lnkiy.in/rebuilding-nz

Have a go:

1. Can you list some of the different ways farms were affected by Cyclone Gabrielle?

2. What is the first reaction of what needs to be done by individuals living in the area?

3. Thinking long term and at a community level, what options should also be considered?

Stretch yourself:

4. What makes these decisions for the future so difficult?

5. Climate and economic impacts are forcing some farmers to look at land use change. What types of advisory services would help farmers with these decisions?

In the news

Is there a better way to measure and predict the eating quality of red meat?

Five and a half years of research have resulted in the development of new technology to help both farmers and processors measure meat quality.

http://lnkiy.in/red-meat-quality

Have a go:

1. What does meat marbling, tenderness and intramuscular fat mean for the consumer and why is it important to measure?

2. What are the three products released by Australian company MEQ Solutions?

3. How do these products differ from earlier versions using ultrasound systems?

Stretch yourself:

4. What are some examples of on-farm decisions that could be based on the data that is captured?

5. The probe allows 14 to 15 carcases to be measured in a minute. Why is early grading of carcases a benefit for processors?

...is back!

Learn about on farm scenarios, use real life case studies and understand what it takes to work in the ag sector in New Zealand. Ag&Ed is published weekly, and is a handy tool for parents, educators or anyone interested in agriculture. Students will also have the opportunity to apply for our Ag&Ed Innovation Challenge, where 20 lucky students will work in teams to address key issues in the ag sector. Applications now open!

Brought to you in partnership with Ministry for Primary Industries

What is the future of farming?

The Netherlands is producing 20 times more food using a quarter of the water to make it the world’s number two produce exporter. See how this is being achieved.

http://lnkiy.in/future-food

Have a go:

1. What does sustainability mean to you and why is sustainable food production important?

2. How do greenhouses help grow plants more efficiently?

3. How many kilograms of tomatoes can be grown in this system during a season per square metre compared to an open field in Spain?

4. Why is water use such an important topic?

Stretch yourself:

5. How many different pieces of innovative technology/ideas can you list from the video?

6. How is AI used? What’s your opinion on the use of AI in food production?

7. ‘Innovations start by networking’. What does this mean to you and what is an adviser’s role with this?

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