FAR CEO, Nick Pyke, says SFF is integral to the overall investment the organisation makes into cropping research to benefit New Zealand growers. "SFF is focused, industry led and outcome driven, and operates within appropriate, cost effective reporting structures. Over the years, we have had considerable success in delivering benefits to farmers from SFF projects, with outcomes leading to the development of new extension groups and tools, significant changes in agronomic practices, and influencing policy.

"For example, our very successful Women in Arable and Arable Ys groups grew out of SFF projects, as did ProductionWise® which has since been introduced as an effective recording and reporting system on cropping farms. Other projects have led to changes in management practices around soil cultivation and pest and disease management, and in the case of a project on N management which commenced over ten years ago, provided some of the base information industry used to develop Good Management Practices for Nutrient Management last year. 

"For the return on investment to cropping farmers, MPI SFF is the most effective government research and extension fund and we would like to see further government investment redirected towards it."

Successful 2016 applications

FAR projects investigating barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), pests of stored grain and quick N tests have been granted funding totaling around $640,000 in this year's MPI Sustainable Farming Fund round. FAR will also be involved in a fodder beet agronomy project led by Plant & Food Research; a psyllid biocontrol project led by Horticulture NZ; a bee health project with the Bee Friendly Farming Group and a forage diversification project with the Northland Legume and Forage Group.

Pyke says that all of FAR's project applications were drawn up with the intention of developing solutions for common, costly on-farm issues. "BYDV can have significant impacts on wheat and barley yields. This project being funded by SFF will focus on identifying ways to reduce costly insecticide inputs by identifying BYDV tolerant wheat cultivars and understanding when wheat becomes tolerant of BYDV. Pesticide resistance management strategies will also be included in the work. In the end we hope to develop a management strategy to support farmers in their BYDV management decisions."

He adds that the second project, investigating pests of stored grain, also has a very practical focus. "Last year, a preliminary survey of grain stored in silos around New Zealand found that a high percentage of grain samples were infested with one or more species of insect or mite. This is despite many of them receiving some form of insecticide treatment. Internationally there have been significant changes in storage pest species and populations, the effectiveness of control practices due to insecticide resistance and stored grain management. Further surveys and resistance testing should give us a clearer understanding about what is happening in New Zealand silos, aid the development of improved methods for monitoring and managing stored grain, and identify alternative control options for insect pests."

The aim of the final project is clearly spelt out in its title, Nitrogen: measure it and manage it. This project will develop a simple Quick Test Mass Balance (QTMB) field guide that guides farmers through the process of deciding whether or not to apply nitrogen to a range of crops.

Pyke says, "The QTMB field guide will be a ‘How To’ guide for farmers and consultants. It will include look-up tables for the nitrogen demand for a range of crops; information about how and when to collect soil samples; and correction factors for the Quick Test results to enable improved fertiliser management decisions. The big aim here is for farmers to understand and have confidence in the QTMB approach, using the Quick Test as a proxy for more costly and time consuming soil tests to develop a simple crop mass balance budget. Nitrogen use efficiency will improve and production costs and nitrogen leaching will be reduced."