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Hi <<First Name>>

I’ve had the opportunity to get out of my man-cave recently to attend some of the field days we’ve held at the Supreme Winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. It’s been great to see and hear first-hand some of the inspiring stories of the award winners.  

The recent release of the Climate Change Commission’s report has highlighted the importance of showcasing examples of farming and growing practices that are good for the environment and profitable. As our food and fibre producers continue to deal with change, we’ve been looking at ways in which we can strengthen the feedback we provide to participants in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The Trust feels it is important that we play an enhanced role across the sector to help provide farmers and growers with feedback that supports them on their sustainability journey. That is why we’re making some refinements to our programme to ensure the feedback we provide to participants builds confidence to invest in environmental improvements in a changing world.  

I’m looking forward to catching up with many of you at our national event, the National Sustainability Showcase, in Wellington at the end of March.  
 


James Ryan

General Manager
New Zealand Farm Environment Trust
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Showcase is coming   

We’re excited to be hosting our national event at Te Papa on Thursday 25 March. 

The focus of the evening will be learning more about the supreme winners from the 2020 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. 

We’re thrilled to confirm that Minister of Agriculture, Hon Damien O’Connor, will be attending to announce one of the Supreme Winners the Recipients of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy and the next National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing. 

Tickets are available here

National on-farm judging underway

Ahead of Showcase, all of the Supreme Winners will be visited by two of our national judges, Warwick Catto and Jamie Strang. We will be sharing content from this national road trip, so keep an eye out on our Facebook page to see Warwick and Jamie meeting up with these farmers and growers.

Supreme winner farm field days

Field Day events at the Supreme Winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards are happening all around the country. These events provide a fantastic opportunity to learn from each other, what’s happening in the industry and catch up with friends and neighbours. 

The 2021 season started with the Canterbury Supreme Award Winners Tony and Dana from Canlac Holdings. In a scorching 36 degree Canterbury day, visitors to this field day heard all about Tony and Dana’s holistic approach to sustainability including management of the environment, animal welfare and looking after their people.

Unfortunately we had to postpone three field day events due to the recent change in alert levels. Southland and Auckland have set their new dates however, with Southland going ahead on 1st March and Auckland on 19th March. We also have the Wellington and Otago events on the 25th February and 5th March. To find out more about these field day events, Click here or visit the NZ Farm Environment Trust Facebook.

Sustainable agriculture finance initiative

A number of banks are involved in an initiative to support the flow of sustainable finance to the primary sector. 

The Trust has been having conversations with our partner, Rabobank, about the potential for gaining insights from the project into the activities of the Trust. There’s a great podcast (link below) about the initiative from Blake Holgate of Rabobank.

http://raboresearchfoodagri.libsyn.com/cashing-in-on-sustainable-agriculture

Striking the sustainability and productivity balance

Dan and Billie Herries from Taramoa sheep and beef farm on the East Coast were finalists in the 2020 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. They have managed to increase productivity whilst retiring land, proving that sustainability doesn't have to come at an economic cost. Watch the video to hear Dan share his tips for native planting and predator trapping. 

Latest recipe from Round the
Food Table


Chef Al Brown catches up with Canterbury vegetable growers Robin and Shirleen Oakley as part of our Round the Food Table series. Finalists in the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards, the Oakley's who are 5th generation growers, share their thoughts on the importance of maintaining a healthy growing environment, and this delicious recipe for smashed griddle potatoes. You can read more and find the recipe here.

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:

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