Nuffield Scholarship Reports

“Decision making makes the farmer but the information they use to make the decision makes the profit.” The research in this report was gathered in order to determine how mobile technology can deliver improved on-farm and industry productivity gains now and in the future and also to understand technology adoption and how mobile could deliver positive outcomes.

Sometimes the purpose of a business is very clear, however many times it is below the surface, as businesses simply get on and “just do it”, but are driven by something in them that is great. Some themes come up frequently in terms of purpose – whether the businesses are outwardly successful or struggling. These … Read more

This paper explores the options available to manage effluent within the New Zealand Dairy Industry. It also clearly investigates why Anaerobic Digestion is not suitable at its current levels of technology to be an option for commercial dairy farms in New Zealand. Then it provides some practical, innovative solutions to manage the effluent. Using 3 … Read more

New Zealand potato growers produce on average 50tonne/hectare in the current farming system which on a global level within the potato industry is within the top spectrum. (www.fao.org) For New Zealand to move up the ladder and raise the bar in terms of production, further investment into technology and advanced farming systems not commonly used … Read more

Knowledge and skill alone does not result in practice change. Verbal persuasion, even well-articulated has low impact. Great extension is about a consistent focus on delivering to farmer needs that are self identified as well as those from gap analysis and doing it in a way that results in practice change. Seventy percent of change … Read more

The purpose of this study is to identify areas where the Arable and Dairy industries can continue to be industry leading and keeping the ‘sustainability stool’ upright. All of this, while fitting within the environmental framework we are likely to be faced with in the future.

Social media has given the power to the voice of the everyman, and whilst that may come with its challenges, the opportunities are there for the taking, especially when it comes to telling the story of New Zealand agriculture. The purpose of this report was to assess the value social media could have for the New Zealand agricultural industry to propel us into the 21st century.

Due to rapid advances in equipment, software and expertise, the Precision Agriculture industry will continue to progress and evolve helped by a greater uptake from farmers. The ever increasing environmental pressure now on farming means the ability to accurately apply, record and map any inputs will become more important than ever.

The ability of a business to compete in an ever changing world is linked into its ability to identify and adopt innovations. Introducing new ideas, alternate systems and different technologies enable a business to change and meet the market, it maintains competitiveness and relevance in an ever changing world.

Purpose of report To explore a vision for grower representation in the New Zealand wool value chain. Background Wool was once New Zealand’s most valuable export product – it was to our economy what dairying is today. Currently, however, the New Zealand wool industry is weak and fragmented to the point of being dysfunctional. This … Read more

In the last decade New Zealand (NZ) agricultural exports to Asia have increased 71% to NZ$6 billion, and China is now the largest of these Asian markets. This growth is set to continue as the Asian economies continue to outpace those of the US or Europe. An increasing proportion of Asia’s large population will develop … Read more

Over the past decade, water quality has become increasingly important to the New Zealand public.  The effect of 150 years of clearing land, developing and intensifying agriculture is taking its toll on the environment. Agriculture and tourism are among NZ’s largest export earners bringing in $22.3 billion (Statistics New Zealand, 2011) and $22.4 billion NZD … Read more

Irrigation and water storage Factors outside a farm boundary, play a large role in the farming system.  Irrigation water comes from the runoff from a whole catchment area.  Water also leaves the farm and can have effects on the quality of waterways if nutrient and or sediment goes with it. Water storage for future irrigation … Read more

This Nuffield Report seeks to answer the question “How do Dairy Cooperatives Grow for Farmers’ benefit?”  It is set in the context of New Zealand’s need to increase its earning capability to match Australia.  As New Zealand’s largest company, and second largest industry, Fonterra’s future plays an important role in our economy.  The question is … Read more

New Zealand Agriculture Education and Training (AE&T) has helped build a country that has been extremely successful – largely based on export of its primary industries, innovation and services to agriculture. Over time a multitude of providers and a plethora of qualifications have developed to meet the demand. There have always been challenges for education … Read more

The term ‘succession’ is usually used in the narrowest sense of asset transfer between generations with little attention paid to management succession in the case of a (family) farm business or succession of board members at a board and governance level. With agriculture contributing approximately 15% of GDP, New Zealand’s aging agricultural population is of … Read more

By introducing myself from the outset, I hope to help you understand where I’m coming from … my perspective, my personal bias, my motivation, my interests, i.e. an insight into why I may see the world differently from you. I am the current owner operator of our intergenerational family beef farm, which I hope will … Read more

I initially chose my topic as I believed that Maori farming is going through a renaissance and that we as a people are realising the potential of our immense land assets. Looking at New Zealand on a global scale I asked myself the question; how are other Indigenous peoples with bigger land area’s farming their … Read more

Food shortages and security concerns after the Second World War drove many countries to encourage agricultural production through various forms of subsidisation and protectionist measures.  These subsidies survived long after their intended usefulness ended, causing a huge over-supply of agricultural commodity products throughout much of the developed Western world.  As the mountains of product grew … Read more

Climate Change has become one of the crucial issues of the early 21st Century. Pressures are increasing on agribusinesses to reduce carbon emissions.  This drive for change is coming from an international level, not just nationally. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established in 1988 by the United Nations, has played a huge part … Read more

As you drive around the New Zealand countryside it is not uncommon to hear farmers talk about a widening gap between rural and urban people. They say, that the lack of non-farmer understanding of ‘all things rural’ has let to unrealistic consumer expectations and too much regulation. Farmers are feeling disillusioned by the lack of … Read more

There is little doubt that the environmental cost of food production is becoming a much greater concern to the general public. Since the change in land use of our own property here in coastal Southland from sheep and beef farming to dairying in 2002 there has been a highly effective campaign to highlight the negative … Read more