Who We Are
How FAR is funded
Crops FAR collects levies from:
Structure
Objectives
Areas of Research Funded
How is information transferred?
Links to Arable Research Centres (ARC) U.K
Why do research in N.Z?
Benefits FAR offers
Research, Information Transfer and Education Strategy

Who We Are

The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is an applied research organisation responsible to New Zealand arable growers and is involved in funding of arable research and technology transfer. FAR was formed in 1995 and operates under the Commodity Levy Legislation. FAR needs to hold a referendum of growers every five years and in the referendum in 2005, FAR received over 80% support from arable growers who voted and 60% support from maize growers who voted.

How FAR is funded

An Arable Commodity Levy is collected at the first point sale for all grain and seed, with the exceotion of maize which is collected on the seed purchased. The levy rates for 2007 are:

• Maize - 90c per 10,000 seeds purchased;
• Herbage and amenity seed - 0.8% of sale value;
• All other grain and seed crops (cereals, pulses, etc) - 0.8% of sale value;
• Hybrid vegetable seed crops - 0.3% of sale value.

FAR also receives funds from research grants, co-operative research and information sales.

Crops FAR collects levies from:

Wheat, Barley, Oats, Maize, Pulses, Herbage seeds, Brassicas, Borage and other arable crops. Vegetable seeds.

Structure

Arable Research Groups (ARG's)

Groups of growers elected by growers in six regions, responsible for organising local activities (eg. Seminars/field days), updating mailing lists, and identifying research priorities.

Research Committees

FAR has research committees for cereals, maize, pulses and herbage.

Each committee is made up of nominated ARG members, industry and science representatives.

The research committees are responsible for developing research priorities and determining which projects are funded.

FAR Board

Consists of the chairperson of each Arable Research Group and commodity/industry representatives.

Objectives

• Develop and maintain an accurate mail list.
• Develop a technical information database - this includes FAR funded research, ARC data, data from other NZ sources, information from HGCA and GRDC, data from overseas researchers.
• Communicate with growers using the most effective medium - Arable Updates, Arable Extras, newsletters, books, ARG and Research Committees, media (newspapers, radio, television), internet, email, video, field days and seminars, discussion groups and workshops, conferences, training courses and demonstration research.
• Develop effective communication strategies - with researchers, ARC, MRST, FRST, industry groups (seed companies, chemical companies, grower groups etc), both in NZ and overseas (including levy funded groups) and, where possible, develop cooperative research programmes.
• Develop effective communication with other related sectors such as the pastoral industry, vegetable industry etc and identify and cooperatively fund joint research and information transfer initiatives.

Areas of Research Funded

1. Cultivar management trials - wheat, barley and peas.
2. Disease/weed/pest management trials.
3. Grain quality, grain and seed drying and storage.
4. Management - fertilisers, sowing times and rates, irrigation etc.
5. Soil quality and soil management - crop residue management, cultivation etc.

How is information transferred?

• Mail-outs - quarterly newsletter, Arable Updates (over 400 since 1995).
• Seminars
• Field-days and Discussion Groups
• Workshops
• Media eg. press releases and farming magazines
• Web site at www.far.org.nz.
• Books
• Conferences
• Weekly email updates

Subscriptions to FAR information for industry or non-arable growers are available at a cost.

Links to Arable Research Centres (ARC) U.K

• FAR has an information agreement with ARC, an independent grower funded research group in the United Kingdom.
• FAR are the sole recipients of ARC information in New Zealand.
• FAR is involved in collaborative research with ARC.

Why do Research in NZ?

Research in New Zealand:

• Can be very cost-effective due to exchange rates, availability of quality cost-effective research providers and land.
• Can allow you to produce two season's data in one year.
• Can help to develop a data set which will aid the registration, promotion or release of new products for the New Zealand market.
• Can be effective in early screening for suitability of products for New Zealand conditions
• Will be in a GE-free field environment.

Benefits FAR offers

• FAR can provide a total, independent New Zealand research management service - this includes identifying the best research provider, developing research contracts and effective costings, monitoring research planning and trial design, monitoring in-field research quality and progress reporting, interpreting data and ensuring reporting requirements are met and determining the correct conclusions are reached.
• FAR can often keep the costs of research to a minimum by incorporating treatments, such as the evaluation of agrichemicals or cultivars, into existing or planned research projects.
• Research results from FAR trials are viewed as independent and credible by New Zealand arable farmers, aiding the marketing of products to this group.
• FAR can ensure confidentiality of results from research where required.
• FAR is successful in communication and technology transfer to user groups.

For further information please contact: Nick Pyke, Chief Executive (PykeN at far.org.nz)

Research, Information Transfer and Education Strategy

This research and information transfer strategy:

• Clearly defines for researchers the areas where FAR will consider funding research proposals.
• Identifies to science funding bodies the areas where FAR is prepared to commit funds and defines the importance of those areas.
• Identifies to other industry research funding groups and companies the areas where there are common research themes or priorities.
• Identifies to overseas researchers and science funding groups areas where there are opportunities to enter into cooperative research projects.
• Defines the priorities for information transfer and education to NZ arable farmers.

Principal Aims

• To co-operatively invest in, manage and deliver outcomes from a proactive, cost effective portfolio of research and development that will meet the needs of the arable industry and related industries to deliver benefits to New Zealand arable growers. 
• To facilitate the flow of ideas and outcomes from New Zealand grant funded and international research either to New Zealand arable growers and the industry or to applied research programmes.
• To undertake and / or promote two-way information and technology transfer between industry, growers and researchers with due regard for the market and market trends.
• To improve the knowledge base of New Zealand arable growers.
  

Policy for FAR Research and Devlopment

Levy funds will be invested in applied research, transfer of information and technology and education. The emphasis will be in developing a balanced investment portfolio that is designed to deliver outcomes to New Zealand arable growers to address the issues in both a short (3 years) and long (3-15 years) time frame. Product development work and plant breeding is the responsibility of individual companies but FAR does have a role in the evaluation of cultivars, products for a new use and research to compare products.

FAR occupies a vital bridging position as an investor in applied research and in the delivery of information and technologies developed from both government and industry investment in research.

The FAR research, information transfer and education portfolio will be developed with due regard for sustainable farming practices so a balanced portfolio of production, environmental and social research will be maintained at all times. The outcomes of the investment will deliver benefits which can be measured in the increased productivity, increased profitability and the retention ot opportunity for the farm to certain practices.

FAR encourages the cooperative funding of research and information transfer with other industry groups or companies both nationally and internationally.

This strategy has four distinct reasearch goals and has an additional, and an essential goal of delivery of outcomes to farmers.

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Goal 1: Improved efficiency of production

• Optimise and integrate inputs - evaluation of new products to determine efficacy, optimise and integrate rates or timings (pesticides, fertilisers, plant growth regulators, water and nutrients), determine most effective seed rates, timings and placements by cultivar, evaluate new crop options Priority A.
• Maximising production - improves understanding of crop physiology, improve understanding of disease, pests and weed epidemiology, pollination systems and development and utilise this information to improve production. Evaluate cultivars and develop management packages for groups of cultivars. Priority A.
• Optimise farming systems - understanding of crop rotations, break crops, under cropping, establishment systems, animals or fodder in the farming system. Priority A.
• Optimise yield and quality through effective utilisation of new electronic and machinery technologies - development and evaluation of new cultivation, sowing, harvesting and field mapping technologies. Priority B.
• Maximise plant response to environment - understand cultivar environment interaction, link farming practices to climatic events, evaluate the value of long range forecasting. Priority B.

• Novel disease, weed and pest management practices, efficient crop protection using integrated management practices, prediction and decision support tolls (diseases, pests, weeds), targeted pesticide placement; minimise biosecurity risks and impacts of incrsions (varroa), resistance management strategies. Priority A.
• Effective management of the soil resource - understand impact of soil quality on production; how cultivation / management practices, crop rotation, animal grazing, nutrient inputs etc impact on soil quality, availability and plant responses. Targeted inputs - nutrient requirements, soil management strategies, development of decision support or simulation models, nutrient placement in relation to needs. Priority A.
• Energy efficient farming - influence of cultivation practices, irrigation management, water use efficiency, efficient machinery operation, energy input / output ratios. Priority A.

Goal 3: Producing products for the end user

• Producing quality - develop sustainable management practices to produce and protect grain and seed quality and minimise food safety risks (disease management, sprouting, mycotoxin development, colour, grain composition, viability, harvesting, storage conditions). Priority A.
• Retaining quality - develop and use effective grain and seed drying and storing practices, develop practices to identify or predict the storage life of grain and develop new methods for post harvest insect control, develop integrated management practices for stored grain or seed. Priority A.
• Predicting quality - develop or refine methods to predict the quality of grain and seed (nutritive, anti-nutritional factors and processing/end use options), develop identity preservation and traceability systems. Priority B.
• Defining, measuring and matching quality to end-user requirements - define the quality characteristics of cultivars required for existing and new cereal uses, develop methods to measure quality. Priority C.

• Develop new and novel products - develop new products from new crops, new processing options or extract components from arable crops. Priority C.

Goal 5: Delivery of Outcomes / Communications

• Develop and deliver usable outcomes to arable farmers using the most cost effective medium - Demonstration research, Arable Updates, Arable Extras, Newsletters, Email, Books, ARG and Research Commitees, media (newspapers, radio, television, specialist trade press), internet, field days and seminars, discussion groups, workshops, conferences. Priority A.
• Co-ordinate and develop ideas from farmers, researchers, national and international trends into future research investments, portfolios and strategies. Priority A.
• Develop educational and training packages to upskill farmers in farming and farming related businesses and to encourage students into careers in the arable industry. Priority A.
• Develop effective communication strategies - with researchers, ARC, MRST, FRST, industry groups (seed companies, chemical companies, grower groups etc), both in NZ and overseas (including levy funded groups) and where possible, develop cooperative research programmes. Priority A.
• Develop effective communication with other related sectors such as the pastoral industry, vegetable industry etc and identify and cooperatively fund joint research and information transfer initiatives. Priority A.
• Develop and maintain an accurate mail list. Priority A.

FAR encourages farmers, researchers and industry to respond to these goals and devlop innovative programmes to deliver outcomes to farmers.