PODCAST

Cut the Crop!

Foundation for Arable Research (NZ)

keeping you in the know about everything you grow

science natural sciences

All Episodes

14:41

FAR opportunity for graduates

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/07/26

FAR’s graduate programme provides an introduction to all aspects of arable, from research and agronomy to marketing. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Anna Heslop talks to FAR’s current graduate Catherine Harper and a past participant Sonja Vreugdenhil about how applying for the role has opened up many opportunities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22:27

Dame Alison Stewart reflects on her time at FAR

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/07/05

After seven years at the helm of FAR, chief executive Dame Alison Stewart has stepped down to pursue semi-retirement mixed with science advisory and directorship roles. Her tenure finished at FAR’s conference. In this episode of Cut the Crop, she reflects on her achievements and the biggest challenges facing the arable industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21:46

Native plantings boost crop yields

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/06/28

Research shows that native plantings on farms do more than support biodiversity, they can also boost crop yields. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Plant and Food Research scientist Brad Howlett and retired Mid-Canterbury arable farmer John Evans discuss the role native plants play in supporting pollinating insects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23:11

Irrigation NZ seeks long-term water vision

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/06/21

In this episode of Cut the Crop, Irrigation NZ chief executive Karen Williams says she wants a water strategy developed which brings together individuals and groups reliant on water, rather than it being a political football.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19:44

Ag drones: challenges and opportunities

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/06/14

New Zealand’s agricultural drone industry is doubling every year, with more than 100 drones now used for spraying and spreading. In this episode of Cut the Crop, NZ Ag Drone Association president Craig Simpson and FAR’s technology manager Chris Smith say that while drones offer plenty of potential, there are still unknowns, particularly for broadacre application and efficacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14:23

Cost of Production data shows tight margins

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/06/07

For the last three years, FAR has been collecting Cost of Production data on five key crops, based on a Mid-Canterbury irrigated arable farm case study. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR’s Ivan Lawrie says that the data shows margins are tight, so any cost savings will have a positive impact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23:03

Expanding options for spring-sown oilseed crops

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/05/31

Following interest from growers, Canterbury-based Pure Oil NZ has successfully trialled spring-sown oilseed rape using new imported varieties. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Pure Oil agronomy manager Keith Gundry tells Alison Stewart that sunflower yields and planting areas are also increasing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17:35

Cover crops for weed management in maize grain systems

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/05/24

As well as providing benefits such as protecting soil and reducing nitrate leaching, cover crops can also suppress weeds. In this week’s Cut the Crop, FAR senior field research officer Sam McDougall says that in a trial, use of cover crops successfully cut herbicide use from two applications to one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26:20

Award-winning farmer positive about arable

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/05/17

Hawkes Bay mixed arable and livestock farmers Simon and Lou White, of Ludlow Farms, have just won not one, but two prestigious farming awards. Despite the setbacks of Cyclone Gabrielle and a farm accident, Simon tells Alison Stewart that he is investing in value-add off-farm and is more positive than ever about the future of mixed arable farming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10:49

FAR conference tackles arable profitability

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/05/10

Profitability is an increasing concern for arable farmers, which is why FAR has chosen it as the theme of its two-day conference, starting June 30. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR Communications Manager Anna Heslop says speakers will discuss how farmers can potentially reduce costs, improve productivity, diversify and adopt new tools.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26:16

Alternative energy options for farmers

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/05/03

Solar farms are popping up across New Zealand, but is this an option on high-value arable land? In this episode of Cut the Crop, Anna Heslop talks to Alan Brent, Professor of sustainable energy systems at Victoria University of Wellington about how alternative energy technology is transforming rapidly and what factors farmers need to consider.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26:47

Opportunities and challenges for arable

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/04/26

Canterbury rural professional and farmer Thomas Holmes last year participated in the Kellogg Rural Leadership programme, focusing his study on opportunities and challenges for arable. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he tells Alison Stewart that arable growers need to collaborate more and consider co-ops.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16:17

Reducing the weed seed burden at harvest

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/04/19

Chaff decks, attached to the back of a combine harvester to reduce the weed seed burden, are widely used in Australia, but have not been adopted in NZ. In this episode of Cut the Crop, Chris Smith and Charles Merfield of FAR outline the results of a Canterbury chaff deck demonstration and why growers should consider using one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15:06

Future Farm project expands to Southland

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/04/12

After a second harvest, a FAR demonstration block at Chertsey is showing the potential gains from using more future focused approaches including direct drilling and fewer inputs where possible. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR researcher Owen Gibson talks about the latest results as well as detailing a second similar project in Southland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12:26

Get involved with your ARG

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/04/05

Levy payers wanting to have more say in FAR’s research priorities and activities now have a great opportunity to be more involved. In this episode of Cut the Crop, FAR Board chair Steven Bierema says nominations are open to participate in your local Arable Research Group (ARG), a direct communication link between growers and FAR staff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21:52

Identifying diverse herbicide options

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/03/29

With herbicide resistance rising in NZ, arable farmers are being warned not to continually rely on the same chemical products. In this week’s Cut the Crop, FAR senior field officer Ben Harvey tells Alison Stewart about the latest results from a multi-year trial assessing the efficacy of commercially available and experimental herbicides against a range of key grass weeds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27:39

Insights from US no-till and maize growing

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/03/22

Waikato dairy farmer and maize grower Alan Henderson shares some insights from a United States no-till conference he attended. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he tells Alison Stewart that US farmers’ expertise in growing maize is ahead of ours.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26:32

Delayed harvest keeps crop driers busy

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/03/15

In this week’s Cut the Crop, Alison Stewart talks to three growers in Wairarapa, Mid Canterbury and South Otago about how they are dealing with the delayed harvest and whether this is having an impact on crop yields and quality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18:22

What is the value of your farm data?

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/03/08

Visiting farm data expert Dr Sagi Katz talks about the value of farm data and the development of tools that can use it to support on farm decision making.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23:58

How to prevent and repair soil compaction

Cut the Crop! ·

2025/03/01

Visiting UK agricultural engineer and soil expert Philip Wright says soil compaction can cause significant yield losses. In this episode of Cut the Crop, he tells Alison Stewart that while roots and biology can do most of the repair work, sometimes mechanical action is also needed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

285 results

Cut the Crop!

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter