Arable Ys staying true to its initial goals

Today’s arable farmers are constantly dealing with new technology, compliance and management practices… but that’s nothing new. In fact, as outlined in the quote below, it was the logic behind the formation of FAR’s Arable Ys programme in 2008.

WORDS BY ANNA HESLOP, FOUNDATION FOR ARABLE RESEARCH. IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME OR PROVIDED

“Arable farming is rapidly becoming an information and technology hungry industry in which farmers need to upskill on modern agronomy and management techniques and operation of a complex farming business.” FAR-MPI SFF Application 2008 FAR’s Richard Chynoweth, who was involved in Arable Ys 2008 set up, says a great strength of the programme is that it has stayed true to its initial goals of providing an opportunity for young arable farmers, their partners, workers and the wider arable workforce, to build confidence and improve their arable farming knowledge and abilities. “We set up Arable Ys when we realised that over 90% of the people attending FAR field days and events were over the age of 35. We did a bit of asking around and learned that many younger growers found attending these events a bit daunting. “The solution was quite simple…setting up a group where the topics, presentations and culture were tailored to that demographic. There was no expectation of technical or agronomic knowledge, and questions were encouraged at all times.” FAR Communications and Events Manager Anna Heslop says it’s hard to think of an agronomic, agri-economic or farm business topic that has not been covered by Arable Ys over the last 14 years. “We try not to repeat topics too often, but one that definitely comes up every couple of years is crop growth staging. Understanding crop growth stages is an absolute Arable 101. It’s the key to getting agronomic inputs like fungicides, irrigation and closing dates right. “In these workshops FAR provides plants straight from the field, scalpels and magnifying glasses and training guides, and staff work, with groups, through the process of dissecting plants and identifying key stages such as GS 30 stem elongation, GS 31 1st node formed and GS 39 flag leaf emergence.” All farmers like road trips and Arable Ys members are no different. Before COVID appeared on the scene, Arable Ys ran regular national and international trips. There have been two training tours to the UK and Europe, where members have attended the UK Cereals event, visited farms, flour mills, machinery manufacturers and chemical companies, and one to the USA where members learned about everything from grass seed production in Oregon, to cotton,

ABOVE: Overseas study tours were a popular Arable Ys option when such things were possible. Here are some young growers at Cereals 2018 in the UK

peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes in North Carolina. Closer to home, small groups have frequently attended the GRDC’s Innovation Generation conference in Australia and toured other growing regions in New Zealand—Southland provided lots of learning. Field trips, to members’ farms, seed cleaning facilities, vegetable processing plants and more recently, the Pure Oil plant in Rolleston are also well attended, extending knowledge of the arable value chain, and providing an opportunity to see why some of those annoying clauses in crop contracts are so important. But it’s not just about agronomy and agribusiness. Arable Ys has also proved a winner when it comes to people development, for FAR staff and growers alike. FAR’s Anna Heslop says it’s been fantastic to see younger staff and growers developing in confidence over the years. “Many Arable Ys newbies, whether they are young growers or company reps, start off very quiet. They sit in the back row, avoid making eye contact with speakers and definitely don’t ask or answer questions. However, as time goes by and they get to know others around them, they roll up, say g’day, move a bit closer to the front, start asking a few questions and volunteer to host farm walks. It’s great to see. For younger FAR staff, often straight out university, it’s a great opportunity to learn with their grower peers while developing some event organisation and public speaking skills. “Another key contribution of Arable Ys has been the identification of some of our future community and industry future leaders. Arable Ys alumni are represented on school and community boards, irrigation groups and within Federated Farmers. They’ve become Kellogg and even Nuffield Scholars, where the links they have formed with FAR and international researchers have informed their study plans. Brent Austin, from Mayfield, one of the original Arable Ys grower members, got involved to gain some direction on where to head with his farming career. He says while field days with older growers could be a bit intimidating, Arable Ys was very easy. “It provided an opportunity to talk to other people in the same boat about things like coming home to the farm, “battling with old man” and succession. Just knowing that other people are working through all the same issues is really good for your mental wellbeing. “The other key thing for me was the tours. They were a great way to learn so much about how other growers do things and to meet people from all around New Zealand and the world.” Tim Brooker, Sales Agronomist at Yara New Zealand and former FAR Graduate and staff member is another Arable Ys fan. “Arable Ys provided the opportunity to catch up with like minded people. The topics were interesting, the farm and factory visits always worthwhile and the end of year farm tour and barbecue was always a highlight.” So, if you are 35(ish) or under, involved in the arable industry and interested in up-skilling in all areas of arable farming in a relaxed and social environment maybe you should head along to Arable Ys. Meetings are generally held on the third Wednesday of the month, either at the Hotel Ashburton Hotel or elsewhere when trips are involved. FAR is very pleased to have Ruralco as their ongoing Arable Ys sponsor. Their support affirms the role Arable Ys has in the arable community.

BELOW: Crop growth staging is a frequent flyer on the Arable Ys calendar