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Placing catchment communities in the Ashburton District at the centre of decisions and direction on biodiversity, water quality and the environment is now possible thanks to the Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective (MCCC).

If you ask any expert about making time to take a ‘helicopter view’ of your business, they’ll agree it’s a good idea.

For the next three months we will look at the following: fodder crops, pre-emergence sprays on autumn sown crops, grass grub control in pasture, and use of gibberellic acid to increase pasture growth.

Look back and plan ahead to get the most from your autumn sown cereal crop.

Autumn is on its way following a favourable summer, especially for cropping farmers who have been able to complete much of their harvest with limited weather delays. There have been some extreme temperatures with some regular rainfall, particularly in late February, seen in time to provide relief for dryland farmers.

Replacing the nutrients removed by hay or silage keeps soil fertile and productive.

With significant changes underway for the primary sector, outgoing Ruralco chair Jessie Chan is urging farmers to remain adaptable. Her ascent as one of the country’s prominent rural leaders has been marked by her continued capacity to adapt and evolve.

As the world tries to haul itself closer to a zero-carbon position, farmers are increasingly coming under scrutiny for what their role will be in helping achieve that. With 37% of global emissions accounted for in food production, the pressure is on producers to have a pathway to lowering their contributions.

Horses were indispensable on farms until the advent of motor-driven vehicles and tractors in the early 1900s. By the mid-1950s, most farmers had traded up to a different type of horsepower. Though horses are rarely used today, some high- country farmers still prefer to use them to move stock or on properties where the terrain is too tricky for four-wheel-drive vehicles, quad and motorbikes.

Almost a decade ago Eiffelton dairy farmers Sara and Stu Russell, with farm owners Richard and Diana Bourke, took steps on their family farm that, even by today’s standards, were significant shifts in practice. The changes justified their nomination to enter Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2015, with them being awarded the LIC Dairy Farm Award.