February 24 – The New Zealand Association of Ruminant Nutritionists brings together a group of innovative farmers to present information about nutrition, farm management and profitability at its Profitable Dairy Farming Conference in Ashburton. This year’s conference has been organised to meet increasing demand for knowledge and awareness in dairy nutrition and feeding and has some of the most experienced nutritionists in the country speaking on grazing, feed intake, feeds, feeding and efficient utilisation to optimise performance.
The programme includes How to get cows to eat more by Charlotte Westwood; Diurnal grazing pattern: its understanding and strategic management by Pablo Gregorini; How to get the best value out of forages by Jakob Kleinmans; Ensuring your silage is fit for purpose by Trish Lewis; Growing great cows: rearing heifers from weaning to calving by Natalie Chrystal; Condition management – how does it help fertility by Nigel Meads; Nutrition and management of close up dry cows – taking good care of our springers by Andrea Murphy; and Feeding supplements and practical feed balancing by Julian Waters. Farmers can register online at www.nzarn.org.nz or contact conference convenor Wendy Morgan at wjmorgan27@gmail.com. The cost for the day is $100 +GST, including lunch.
February 25 – The 2016 Ballance Farm Environment Awards begin on the East Coast, followed by Bay of Plenty on February 26March 16March 17March 23March 30March 31April 6April 7April 14April 15. For more information on the awards visit www.nzfeatrust.org.nz.
February 25-March 3 – Know where you are heading is a jointly developed workshop between DairyNZ and Dairy Women’s Network that will be held in Gore on February 25 and Lincoln on March 3. To register visit www.dwn.co.nz/events.
March
March 1 – Countdown Cheesefest hosts the NZ Champion of Cheese Awards. The awards are held on March 1 with samples at Cheesefest the following day. The event will be held at The Langham Auckland’s Great Room. Visit www.nzsca.co.nz.org.nz for more information.
March 2 – Owl Farm – the St Peter’s School and Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm – holds its first Focus Day for 2016 from 10:15am. The topics will include the recently established health and safety programme, a review of mating performance, and an overview of the chicory crop and discussion about future cropping options. For more information visit www.owlfarm.nz.
March 3-5 – Northland Field Days has i-tickets online to beat queues at www.northlandfielddays.co.nz.
March 14-20 – The inaugural New Zealand Agri Investment Week aims to create a time and place for people to meet to learn, collaborate and invest in New Zealand’s agri sector. Four key events are involved, including the Central District Field Days, the NZ Agribusiness Investment Showcase, the Sheep Milk NZ Conference and the New Zealand Future Farms Conference. For more details visit www.conferenz.co.nz.
March 16-17 – New Zealand Future Farms Conference is being held at the Palmerston North Convention Centre this year and is designed to provide insight into the corporate governance of farming. A detailed programme of speakers and topics is available at www.conferenz.co.nz.
March 17-19 – Central District Field Days at Manfeild Park in Feilding combines an agricultural trade show with competitions such as the popular tractor pull competition, and attracts more than 30,000 visitors every year. Entry is $15 for an adult, with more information on the event at www.farmonline.co.nz.
March 21 – Applications close for the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme’s mid-year course in 2016, which runs between June 14 and November 17. For further information and to apply for the course, visit www.kellogg.org.nz.
March 31 – Entries close for New Zealand Dairy Business of the Year awards. The awards enable farmers to take a robust helicopter view of their business and benchmark themselves against their counterparts. Judging is based 70% on profitability, 15% environmental and 15% on people productivity. Entrants receive a comprehensive individualised financial analysis. Entry forms and more details about the awards can be found at www.dboycomp.com.
April
April 5-7 – Irrigation New Zealand takes its 2016 conference to Waitaki. Early bird discounts for the conference in Oamaru close February 23. Pre-conference tours are back with a full day Waitaki tour, a half-day Southside tour, or a half-day Waitaki’s past and future wealth tour. For more information on the conference and to register, visit www.irrigationnz.co.nz
