January 28-30 – The New Zealand Dairy Event is held at Manfeild Park Stadium in Feilding and brings cattle from around the country for its national show and sale. Visit www.nzdairyevent.com for full details.
February 1 – Nominations close for Dairy Women's Network Dairy Community Leadership Awards which recognise members who make a significant contribution to their local community through leadership and support. Visit www.dwn.co.nz for further details.
February 16-18 – The Australian Dairy Conference Forum takes place in Launceston, Tasmania. A detailed programme is available at www.australiandairyconference.com.au.
February 19 – Lincoln University Dairy Farm has a field day between 10.15am and 1pm at Shands Rd, Springston. Visit www.siddc.org.nz for details about the farm.
February 26 – Southland Demonstration Farm has a focus day on the farm between 10.15am and 1pm. Visit www.siddc.org.nz for details about the farm.
February 26-28 – Tickets for the Northland Field Days can be bought online to beat the queues. The three-day event is held near Dargaville. To find out about events and exhibits at the field days, visit www.northlandfielddays.co.nz.
March 12-14 – Central Districts Field Days are held at Manfeild Park in Feilding with more than 540 exhibitors and 38,000 visitors over the three days. For more details visit www.farmonline.co.nz/events/cdfielddays/.
March 17 – The 2015 Effluent Expo at Mystery Creek Events Centre in Hamilton is aimed at those involved in the design, operation or monitoring of effluent. For details about the event or to learn about last year's expo, visit www.waikatoregion.govt.nz.
March 17 – DairyNZ's Cashflow Budget workshops kick off around the country to provide budgeting skills and confidence for managing money. Registrations open in early February. Visit www.dairynz.co.nz/farm/financial/budgets/cashflow-budgeting-workshops/.
Locations and dates: Dargaville, April 21-22April 23-24April 28-29March 19-20March 30-31March 17-18March 19-20April 22-23March 30-31March 19-20April 7-8April 9-10.
March 18 – Cheesefest brings together the country's finest cheesemakers to showcase their award-winning creations. The event will be held in the Langham Hotel, Auckland. For details, visit www.nzsca.org.nz.
March 18-19 – Earlybird registrations for the Dairy Women's Network conference in Invercargill are available until February 28. Themed Entering Tomorrow's World, key speakers include Fonterra Global Brands and Nutrition managing director Jacqueline Chow, award-winning author and corporate anthropologist Michael Henderson, and New Zealand's first female prime minister, Jenny Shipley. The conference includes the 2015 Dairy Woman of the Year award at a gala dinner. For the full programme and registration, visit www.dwn.co.nz.
March 19 – Irrigation operator and manager one-day training courses begin with Irrigation NZ, mixing classroom learning with practical paddock application. Topics include irrigation regulation, how to schedule irrigation, operation and maintenance, and irrigator calibration. The cost for non-members is $250 plus GST. For more information and registration, visit www.irrigationnz.co.nz.
Locations and dates: Leeston, March 19March 20April 2April 15.
March 20 – Entries close for the 2015 Dairy Business of the Year award. Entrants can be owner-operators, sharemilkers, property owners, lease farms, equity partnerships or companies. The competition includes regional awards, most profitable low-, medium- and high-input business, lowest environmental footprint, best people management and one supreme winner. For full details visit www.dboycomp.com.
March 23 – Applications close for the 2015 Kellogg Rural Leadership course that runs from June 23 to November 20. For an application form and further information visit www.lincoln.ac.nz/About-Lincoln/Kellogg-Rural-Leadership-Programme/.
March 24-27 – The Queenstown Agribusiness Symposium has added a climate policy workshop to the programme, led by global expert in carbon development mechanisms, Philip Cohn. His diverse background in sustainability and carbon markets includes RAMP Carbon and advising the development and methodologies for Australia's Carbon Farming Initiative. The AbacusBio-hosted symposium is a development programme that uses case studies based on innovation leaders. For details about the symposium and the programme, visit www.queenstownagribusiness.co.nz.
March 25-27 – The 2015 South Island Agricultural Field Days are being held at their new site on Courtenay Rd near Kirwee, 25 minutes from Christchurch. The oldest field days in the country are an opportunity to view the latest in agricultural developments in practical working conditions and static displays. Visit www.siafd.co.nz for further details.
