Volume 136 – June 5, 2023
Ag&Ed Educational resources for schools & students
Read, listen to and watch what is happening in New Zealand agriculture by scanning the QR codes or following the links. Answer the questions to complete the exercises. In the news
In the news
Why is National Fieldays important? The largest agricultural event in the southern hemisphere is back in its usual spot on the calendar. http://lnkiy.in/building-better Have a go: 1. What is National Fieldays and why is it an important event on the calendar for many people in agriculture? 2. What can you learn about at the Opportunity Grows Here Hub? Can you name another Hub? 3. How do you think the economy affects events like the Fieldays?
Have a listen
How do we best use farm data?
Is there value in daggy wool? Wool innovation company Terra Lana is giving sheep dags a new lease on life as a weed mat. http://lnkiy.in/daggy-wool Have a go: 1. What usually happens to wool dags? 2. What does ‘biodegradable’ mean and why is it a good thing? 3. What are the benefits of the weed mats containing manure or dags? Stretch yourself: 4. Wool dags can be locally sourced, compared to a product such as coconut matting, which is imported. Why is this a good thing for the environment? 5. How do wool dags compare to recycled wool from the carpet manufacturing industry? 6. What could some other uses for farm ‘waste’ products be?
Analyse this
Lucie Douma talks about her Nuffield Scholarship and the need for improvements in the way we collect, manage and use information on farm. http://lnkiy.in/farm-data Have a go: 1. Data is collected by lots of different organisations. Why is this difficult for farmers? 2. Why do some companies want to keep their data private? 3. What are the on-farm benefits of data being more freely available? Stretch yourself: 4. What can we learn from the Australian mining sector and the way it handles data? 5. What were the benefits of having a data manager for the feedlots Lucie visited in Australia? 6. What data do you think farmers could collect and use on farm?
How much of a lift did beef export volumes get in March following a rise in demand from major markets?
NZ beef exports (thous. tonnes) 60 50
This graph shows total NZ beef exports to all destinations
40 30 20 10 0 Oct
Dec 5-yr ave
Feb 2021-22
Apr 2022-23
Jun
Aug Source: B+LNZ
Have a go: 1. How does the volume of beef exported in April 2023 compare to the same month a year ago? 2. How does the April export volume compare to the previous month? 3. How do these movements compare to the five-year average? 4. A large portion of New Zealand’s exported beef heads to the United States and China. Why do you think this is? 5. Supply of beef from Australia has been increasing after a herd rebuild in recent years. How might this affect demand for NZ beef? Source: AgriHQ