Educational resources for schools & students
Read, listen to and watch what is happening in New Zealand agriculture by scanning the QR codes or following the links. Answer the questions to complete the exercises.
In the news
Why have a solar energy farm?
Interest in solar energy developments is building on the back of some highprofile projects.
bit.ly/solar-farming
Have a go:
1. How does solar energy differ from other electricity sources?
2. Name three of the solar energy developments mentioned in the article.
3. What percentage is solar estimated to be of NZ’s total energy supply?
Stretch yourself:
4. What are some things mentioned in the article that landowners need to consider when looking at long-term leases for solar?
5. As solar energy farms are a new concept, using advisers such as legal expert Joel Murphy is important. What skills do you think would be needed in the role when navigating legal agreements between solar developers and landowners?
Did you know?
How can we minimise farm waste?
A new initiative is available now to recycle animal feed bags atno cost to farmers. This will potentially save millions of bags ending up as landfill each season.
bit.ly/less-farm-waste
Have a go:
1. How many different feed companies’ bags are accepted by Agrecovery?
2. What happens with the bags collected?
3. What percentage of polypropylene plastic packaging is currently recycled worldwide?
4. What are the problems if feed, seed and fertiliser bags end up in landfill?
Stretch yourself:
5. Can you think of other ways farmers could minimise waste and be more sustainable?
6. What is a circular economy? What are the benefits?
For more see agrecovery.co.nz
Watch this
Who grows potatoes for your chips?
James Bowan grows potatoes for a nationwide paddockto-packet potato chip brand. Nearly a decade after the business started, he’s still happiest outdoors.
bit.ly/paddock-to-packet
Have a go:
1. How many hectares of land is farmed, and how much of that is used for growing potatoes?
2. What is James Bowan’s role and what does he enjoy about it?
3. Both fresh potatoes and storage potatoes are grown. What does this allow Heartland Chips to do?
4. What is ‘paddock-to-packet’ traceability? Why do you think it is a competitive advantage?
Stretch yourself:
5. Technology can make it easier for primary sector businesses to provide traceability. Can you describe ways you think this could be done? Can you find some examples?
Analyse this
How much beef does the United States need?
This graph shows the volume of NZ beef exported to the US. Have a go:
1. How many thousand tonnes of NZ beef was exported to the US in June this year?
2. How does this compare to year-ago levels and to the five-year average?
3. If July to September exports follow the same trend as last season and the five-year average, export volumes will go down. Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
Stretch yourself:
4. On July 1 this year the US beef cow herd fell to a 51-year low after a couple of years of above average slaughter levels. Aboveaverage slaughter levels are not sustainable for the long term; at some point there will need to be a herd rebuilding phase. What do you think a ‘herd rebuilding phase’ means, and what could this do to beef prices at the farm gate in New Zealand when this happens?