2.45pm - 3.45pm Selection

Workshop: An introduction to how the Futureintech programme can  enhance Agribusiness learning and raise awareness of technology, engineering and science-rich jobs in the primary industries - Louise Tolenaars, Dairy Goat Co-operative and Stacey Bailey, Futureintech

The Futureintech programme is a free service for schools. We raise awareness of career opportunities in technology, engineering and science-based jobs and industries, including the primary industries. Last year we worked with more than 2,500 teachers around New Zealand and interacted with nearly 45,000 primary, intermediate and secondary school students. Our Facilitators recruit, train and coach early career professionals so that they can make engaging and relevant visits to students at all year levels. These Ambassadors share their workplace experiences, explain their qualification pathways, and relate what they do in the ‘real world’ to curriculum learning areas.

In this workshop you’ll experience an example presentation from one of our Ambassadors, Dairy Goat Co-operative food technologist Louise Tolenaars, and our Facilitator for the Waikato region, Stacey Bailey, will provide an introduction to the kinds of hands-on activities and engaging presentations that Futureintech can offer to your school.

Find out more about what Futureintech offers at www.futureintech.org.nz and schools.futureintech.org.nz.

Workshop: Implementing Agribusiness in your School – a session for Principals, Timetablers, and Senior Management.  

This will be covering the practicalities of the implementation of Agribusiness into schools, such as staffing, timetabling, rooming etc. 

Workshop: Climate change in Agriculture - Nicola Kloeten, AgFirst

The climate is in a continuous state of change with significant changes predicted in the future. This session investigates how these changes are predicted to impact the climate and therefore agriculture at a regional level throughout New Zealand. The challenge to farmers and agribusiness is to understand how this is likely to impact them at the farm level and ensure their farm systems are able to accommodate the predicted variances. 

Workshop: Cashflow Forecasting for Business Success - Glen Beal, Campbell Tyson

The purpose of this presentation is to give teachers an understanding of the importance of cashflow forecasting to ensure a successful business which will allow producers to have control over all spending decisions. It will help teachers understand what concepts are involved with cashflow forecasting, how this differs from other forms of budgeting and how they may go about teaching aspects of it. As this is a new achievement standard, it would also give teachers from other subject areas, such as technology, science, social sciences, an opportunity to ask questions on cash flow forecasting.  

4.15pm - 5.15pm Selection

Workshop: Farm Management - Dr Alison Bailey, Lincoln University

Agriculture occupies a substantial land area globally. Decisions made by farmers on farm are key determinants affecting changes in land-use.  Farmers, in turn, are influenced by policy and economic signals, most notably through world commodity market prices and regulation in production systems. Increased agricultural production through more intensive systems has had consequent implications for the environment.  Continued growth in the population and demand for food indicate that food production alongside environmental pressures are set to increase.  Policy is needed that encompasses both continued food production alongside environmental protection. To be successful, it also needs to be compatible with the motivations of the farming population. This workshop focuses on evidence from Europe regarding farmers’ business objectives, additional drivers and motivations, with specific reference to environmental management, and how this feed into management practices on farm. Presented by Dr Alison Bailey who is Professor of Farm Management at Lincoln University. Her interests lie in the financial analyses of the impact on productivity of alternative systems, technology adoption and agri-environment management. This includes the investigation of decision making processes and motivations associated with farm management.

Workshop: Food Markets and Branding – Sue Trafford, Lincoln University

The workshop will look at examples of how New Zealand food companies have developed brands to service their key markets.  The workshop will use case studies and will also demonstrate the case study teaching method that is used at Lincoln University.  The workshop will outline the benefits and use of the Harvard Case study approach as well as examples of New Zealand agribusiness. Presented by Sue Trafford, a Lecturer in the Agribusiness and Markets Department, Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Lincoln University.  As well as lecturing at Lincoln University, Sue teaches into a programme at Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, and was a judge for the International Student Case Study Competition at the 2016 International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) conference in Aarhus, Denmark.  She is also a partner in Charing Cross Sheep Dairy Co., a developing commercial and research sheep dairying business in Canterbury with an integrated value chain (plate to paddock) focus. It offers an economically, socially, ethically and environmentally responsible land use option for sheep farmers facing volatile and diminishing profitability that has resulted in declining sheep flock numbers, regionally and nationally.

11am - 12noon Selection

Workshop:Understanding the business side of farming - Mr Brendon Walsh, GrowFARM 

This “Being Ahead of the Game” workshop delivered by GrowFARM Owner and Founder, Brendon Walsh will help you to understand how successful farm business owners create the strong profitable businesses that form the basis of all agribusiness. You will examine how successful farm business owners think, how they analyse their businesses, how they make decisions and how they approach their strategic planning. Helping our future leaders understand this in the classroom will help prepare them to launch into their careers holding the notion that farmers are business owners first and foremost, and they hold the strength of the industry in their hands - they just need the right systems and support to deliver on that consistently!

Workshop: An introduction to dung beetles, the environmental and economic benefits and how the business of dung beetles has developed - Dr Shaun A. Forgie, Dung Beetle Innovations 

Until recently, New Zealand has lacked communities of pastoral dung-burying beetles to naturally recycle livestock manure. Without them we suffer from reduced soil health, pasture productivity and excess forage foul. We also have increasing helminthic  burden on livestock and water quality issues.   If we were to complete the recycle process with abundant populations of dung beetles we would eventually break our dependency on drenches for internal parasites, improve soil structure and soil health resulting in less pollutants entering our water ways, better pastoral productivity and nutrient yields in forage, less reliance on solid fertilizer inputs, less need to riparian plant. We would also get a 5-fold increase in pastoral earthworm numbers and biomass.  If you wish to make low cost, minimal to no maintenance, long-term sustainable improvements to your pastures and surrounding waterways then you need dung beetles.  If this caught your attention then you need to attend my workshop and listen to the benefits all backed up by scientific evidence.  If you don’t care about saving money long term and improving the water quality in your community and environment then don’t come along.

Workshop: AGRI SUPPLY CHAINS USING SysMap – Karl M. Rich, Lincoln University

Agribusiness value chains play an increasingly important role in influencing patterns of agricultural production and trade in New Zealand and globally. Understanding these dynamics is critical for developing future business strategies as well as the implications that value chain development has on the rural economy and environment. This workshop will provide insights on a teaching and facilitation tool developed at Lincoln University for understanding patterns of agri-food chain development. This tool, called LayerStack, uses GIS concepts to engage with stakeholders and help them identify characteristics of food systems at a regional level. Presented by Karl M. Rich who is an Associate Professor of Agribusiness and International Development and Director of the Lincoln University Centre for International Development at Lincoln University in New Zealand. He also holds appointments as Visiting Professor in Animal Health and Behavioural Economics at Scotland's Rural University College (SRUC) and Visiting Professor at the Business School at the University of New England in Australia. His research applies systems approaches and quantitative methods in the areas of animal and aquatic health, agribusiness and value chains, and agricultural policy, with nearly 20 years of experience in these areas.  

Workshop: Digital Horticulture - Dr Roger Williams & Use of technology in pollination research - Dr David Pattemore

Dr Roger Williams is the General Manager of Science - Sustainable Production at Plant & Food Research.  He is responsible for the overall direction and performance of multi-disciplinary science teams working on a wide range of programmessupporting sustainable horticulture arable cropping.  

The digital revolution refers to changes sweeping the consumer goods and services sector made possible by advances in data acquisition and processing, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. These offer the opportunity for a wide range of businesses to improve their operational effectiveness and they have enabled the creation of completely new, disruptive business models, e.g. Uber and Airbnb. At Plant & Food Research, we are challenging ourselves to imagine what New Zealand horticultural industries could achieve if they embraced, developed and applied these digital technologies. 

Dr David Pattemore leads the Pollination & Apiculture team at Plant & Food Research. Avocados, apples, the seeds for new carrot plants, cacao beans which are used to make chocolate and clover plants that provide essential nutrients for dairy cow pastures all have one thing in common: they require pollination by insects. Pollination is the process where pollen is moved from one flower to another, leading to fertilisationand the development of fruits and seeds. This critical process that we all rely on is a complex interaction between animals and plants, which makes the study of pollination difficult. We need to understand how insect pollinators move through orchards and fields so we can better utilisethese species for crop pollination. Recent advances in technology have allowed us to use miniaturisedradio transmitters to automatically track bumblebees as they fly through blueberry orchards, or tiny RFID chips (the technology in paywavecredit cards) on honeybees so we can track the arrival and departure of thousands of honey bees at their hive entrance. Tracking the process of pollination from the deposition of microscopic pollen grains on to a flower's stigma to the production of seeds that are often very small and numerous has required the coupling of microscopes and digital image processing to conduct automatic counts of pollen and seeds. This has allowed us to process many more samples than we could through manual counts. These technologies have already made a big difference to our ability to understand pollination; what new technologies might be just over the horizon to help us with some of the big remaining problems?

Discussion - What it takes to educate someone for success in Horticulture – Richard Burke, LeaderBrand

Traditionally Horticulture has been seen as a subject for dummies, when you have to take a science but you’re not that way inclined then Horticulture is the choice. Then we teach people like dummies, is it any wonder that we have a poor conversion rate into one of NZ’s leading export industries. An industry that is seeking $20 Billion in exports by 2020.

The rules have changed, the landscape is now different, so come along and join a discussion with the CEO of one of NZ’s largest Family owed Horticulture Business. Find out how one man, who left school at 16 having been told by the school that it was best if just went and drove tractors, has built a multi-million dollar business that is trading domestically and in a world market with value add products all based in a remote, but efficient, town on the East Coast on the North Island.