NZ Farm Environment Trust

Hi <<First Name>>

What a year it has been for us all. Like many of you I’m looking forward to some quality beach time with the family over the summer break. Here’s hoping 2020 won’t bring us too many more surprises!

I’ve been enjoying the positive feedback we’ve received to Round the Farm Table - a campaign where chef Al Brown creates delicious recipes straight from the properties of Ballance Farm Environment Award winners. We're supporting our partners Ballance Agri-Nutrients to produce the series and it's great to be connecting some of our humble award winners with fabulous stories about the food they produce. Read the latest story below.

The Trust recently had its accounts signed off by the auditors – please take the time to look through our Annual Report which you can read here.

As we plan some refinements to the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, 2021 promises to be an exciting year for the Trust and the primary sector. I hope you enjoy the impending summer festivities.

James Ryan

General Manager
New Zealand Farm Environment Trust

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BFEA Field Days

Our field days are in full swing, with hundreds attending two last month in Taranaki and Northland, and four more on the horizon.

Free and open to all, field days are held at the properties of our 2020 BFEA Regional Supreme Winners - a great chance to see what goes on behind the farm gate to make these properties such success stories. Simply go to our website for RSVP details.

Upcoming field days:

Horizons - Wednesday, 2 December
Canterbury - Wednesday, 27 January
East Coast - Wednesday, 17 February
Greater Wellington - Thursday, 25 February

New-look Trust board

In October, the Trust held an election for three Board members, with Mike Scarsbrook being re-elected and Kate Taylor being welcomed to the Board table. Kate previously served as a regional co-ordinator for the East Coast Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA).

Current BFEA Waikato Regional Supreme co-winner, Mark Brough, was also elected to the Board. In order to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest, the Trust and Mark have decided it's best that he defers taking up his Trustee role until after March 2021 - when judging of all supreme winners is complete.

This means Mark and his wife Felicity will have the opportunity to experience national judging and the National Sustainability Showcase alongside the other supreme winners.

These circumstances have come about as a result of Showcase being postponed due to COVID-19 and we look forward to Mark joining our other Trustee s in 2021.

Trust in technology reaping rewards

A 50 percent drop in fuel consumption and a dramatic boost to accuracy are key benefits of using GPS-based technology, according to arable and finishing farmers Brendon and Rachel Williams.

The precision spatial management of soil testing, nutrient inputs, tillage and yield monitoring are among the GPS-based technologies used by these 2020 Horizons BFEA recipients.

“Essentially, it’s made things a whole lot easier,” says Brendon.

Read the full story.

Save the date!
BFEA National Sustainability Showcase - Thursday 25 March 2021
Te Papa, Wellington
Join us to celebrate all 2020 BFEA Regional Supreme Winners and find out who will be appointed National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming & Growing 2021.

Trees for the people - trees for the planet

This is the awesome vision driving Stephen and Sam Wade’s Lynwood Avocado Nursery in Whangarei - featured in this month's Round the Farm Table series with chef Al Brown.

Al discovers that half of all the avocados planted in New Zealand started their life at the nursery, plus gives us a delicious recipe for lentil, avocado and walnut salad with whipped feta. Read more and get the recipe.

Hosts needed for Open Farms 2021

We're proud to support the nationwide Open Farms day, with their team now recruiting farmer hosts.

Like Open Farms, we believe that reconnecting urban Kiwis with our land, food and farmers is best done on-farm and in-person.

If you’re interested in sharing your farming story and running an open day on Sunday February 21, simply register on their website.

Get in touch

We love to talk, so if you'd like to have a chat or ask us a burning question, please email us or get in touch with one of our regional contacts by clicking a link:

Northland • Auckland • Waikato • Bay of Plenty • Taranaki • East Coast • Horizons • Greater Wellington • Canterbury • Otago • Southland

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