University of Waikato Masters student Rebecca Yeates is this year's recipient of the $22,000 NZ National Agricultural Fieldays Sir Don Llewellyn Scholarship.
In November, Rebecca will begin work on her Master of Science (Research) in plant physiology supervised by Dr Mike Clearwater at Waikato, and Dr Jim Crush and Dr Shirley Nichols at AgResearch. In 2015, she completed a Bachelor of Science (Technology), also from Waikato.
Rebecca's Masters research will involve assessing thousands of ryegrass seedlings to determine whether it is possible to select for seedlings with reduced root hair length and density that would decrease competition with white clover for soil phosphorus.
"This is important because in pastures sown with a mix of ryegrass and white clover, ryegrass out-competes white clover, absorbing more phosphorus from the soil and inhibiting white clover growth."
Longfin eels
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced changes to quota management for eels in the South Island which will see the current single stock split into two - longfin and shortfin eels.
"Longfin eels are more vulnerable to environmental and other factors, compared to shortfin eels. Therefore it's important to manage the two species as separate stocks with their own catch limits and sustainability settings," says Mr Guy.
"It means we can take into account the different characteristics and value of each species when setting limits, and take a more precautionary approach to longfin eels which are more vulnerable. It is also consistent with how eels are managed in the North Island and the Chathams."
Farm awards
New Zealand Farm Environment Trust general manager David Natzke is stepping down after a decade at the helm of the organisation that administers the highly successful Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
New Zealand Farm Environment (NZFE) Trust chairman Simon Saunders said Mr Natzke has made a huge contribution to the Trust since his appointment in March 2006.
"Under David's management the Trust has developed into a highly professional organisation that has grown the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA) into one of our primary sector's premier events."
New app
With the launch of a new app specifically tailored for New Zealand's farms, professional services firm Crowe Horwath is making it easier and more convenient to institute sound health and safety practices in rural workplaces. Dubbed "Safely.nz", the app is the result of a partnership between Crowe Horwath's Human Resources division, Progressive Consulting, and developer Peak Software.
Safely.nz is customised to Kiwi farms and agricultural support businesses, such as agricultural contractors, transport providers, fertiliser spreaders, vets and shearing contractors.
Safely.nz is available as a package for small (up to five staff at $50/month), medium (up to 50 staff at $75/month) and large (up to 200 staff at $250/month).
- http://www.safely.nz/
