Federated Farmers Grain & Seed
Representing New Zealand's arable farmers
Federated Farmers Grain & Seed Industry Group represents the interests of arable sector farmers.
Information gathering has been particularly important for growers over the past year with high fluctuations in pricing causing concern for the Grain & Seed farmers on how to achieve the best price for their product.
Many Federated Farmers provinces have a Grain & Seed chairman who leads a local group of growers.
In North and Mid-Canterbury these groups meet on a monthly basis. In North Canterbury and the Waikato the maize section meets as and when required.
These groups tend to deal with local issues such as stubble burning regulations, Resource Management Act compliance and local product contracts. They also feed information back into the national network.
Federated Farmers Grain & Seed represents the interests of New Zealand's arable farmers through the Grain & Seed industry group council.
The industry group has a chairperson, an executive committee, provincial representatives and a policy advisor. To see who represents the Grain & Seed industry group, please click the link above.
To read more about the Grain & Seed industry group, download the PDF below.
Key challenges and campaigns
Key challenges facing the arable industry are issues around pricing, biosecurity, use and sourcing of supplementary stock feed and ensuring that growers are kept up-to-date with a flow of information.
New Zealand Seed Crop Isolation Distance Mapping Scheme - Cruciferous forage and vegetable seed production has increased significantly over the last 10 years. The market in 2008 was worth over 40 million dollars to the New Zealand economy. Most seed produced is for the export market.
Increasing the production area for this market will depend on the ability to utilise the available land resources. The availability of clean seed production land has come under enormous pressure from alternative uses such as dairying and more recently the worldwide interest in biofuel production.
The SCID scheme was developed to replace a manual isolation checking process, developed by a group of merchants involved in the production of high value Cruciferous forage and vegetable seed crops. The checking process was developed in 1998 to optimise pollination isolation distances between crops for varietal purity and minimise potential crop loss through cross pollination.
The SCID scheme was developed through a MAF Sustainable Farming Fund project under the direction of, and with co-funding from, the Foundation for Arable Research.
It is a web-based system, which utilises AgriBase software. (AgriBase is a rural mapping programme, which is owned by AsureQuality and is used for rural emergency applications).
Operators log onto the website and input crop sites. The system performs an automated isolation check and returns a conflict notice if or when other cross-pollinating crops have or are entered onto the system and fall within that crops entered isolation distance. An automated Email notification is sent to the merchants of the conflicting crops to alert them of the conflict and allow them to discuss a resolution to the conflict. The system also performs an automated paddock history check.
News and events
Grain & Seed Conference - The 2010 Grain & Seed Conference will be held from 25 - 27 May at Chateau on the Park, Christchurch. For more information and registration details please download the PDF below. Alternatively you can contact policy advisor, Carly Sluys, on 0800 327 646 or by clicking here.
Wheat Grower Awards - The Grain & Seed industry group work with Ravensdown Fertilisers to promote arable production. Federated Farmers Grain & Seeds hosts the Wheat Grower Awards at its annual conference.
Keeping you informed
Federated Farmers Grain & Seeds produces a newsletter for members called the Arable Bulletin.
Agreements To Grow
Federated Farmers has specialised contracts available for purchase. These include agreements-to-grow for silage and grains. Members receive a substantial discount on contracts.
