March 12-15 – The National Rural Health Conference is being held in Rotorua with the theme “Close to home”. It focuses on equitable access to affordable, top-quality primary health care services for rural communities. Find information on the conference at www.nationalruralhealthconference.org.nz.
March 17 – Effluent Expo is a one-stop shop for information on effluent management solutions. Organised by Waikato Regional Council and sponsored by DairyNZ, the expo includes seminars on effluent storage options and nutrients, effluent system monitoring and system upgrades in tight times. Exhibitors will display specialist machinery and equipment, infrastructure, and design and consultation services focused on effluent management. A list of exhibitors and other details about the event at Hamilton’s Mystery Creek Events Centre can be viewed at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz.
March 18 – The country’s finest cheesemakers come together to showcase their award-winning creations at the MiNDFOOD CheeseFest hosted at The Langham Auckland’s Great Room. Buy tickets at www.nzsca.org.nz/cheesefest/.
March 18-19 – Dairy Women’s Network conference kicks off two days of speakers and workshops, with a tour, awards and dinner completing two days of information and networking. To register or view the programme visit www.dwn.co.nz.
March 20 – Entries close for the 2015 Dairy Business of the Year Award. Judging is weighted 60% on profit, 25% on environmental management and 15% on people management. All participants receive an objective financial business analysis, HR and environmental scorecard which benchmarks the business with other farmers and identifies the strength of the business as well as the opportunities for improvement. Visit www.dboycomp.com for full details and entry forms.
March 21-April 10 – DairyNZ’s two-day Cashflow Budgeting Workshops will be held throughout the country. Aimed at building budgeting skills, participants will develop a cashflow budget for 2015-16 for their business, as well as learn about farm management calendars, stock reconciliations, calculating milk income, estimating and tracking monthly expenses, scenario testing, estimating for tax and interest payments, predicting working capital requirements and forecasting monthly surplus or deficit. To register an interest visit www.dairynz.co.nz/cashflow. Locations and dates: Wellsford, April 21-22April 23-24March 19-20March 30-31March 17-18March 19-20April 22-23March 30-31March 19-20April 7-8 April 9-10.
March 23 – Applications close for the 2015 Kellogg Rural Leadership course, with forms and information at www.lincoln.ac.nz/About-Lincoln/Kellogg-Rural-Leadership-Programme/.
March 25-27 – More exhibitors and visitors are expected at this year’s South Island Agricultural Field Days which will be held at its new site on Courtenay Rd near Kirwee. This year 450 exhibitors have been registered which is 150 more than previous years. For further information visit www.siafd.co.nz.
April
April 29-30 – MobileTECH 2015 showcases the three key technologies having a major impact on primary industries including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), robotics and practical automation of equipment, communications, systems and processes in the field. This year’s event will be held at the Stamford Plaza in Auckland. For further information and to register visit www.mobiletech.events.
May
May 2 – Winners of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards will be announced at the national awards dinner in the Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland. It follows 11 regional competitions and awards to find the finalists from nearly 260 entrants for the national titles of NZ Equity Farmer-Sharemilker of the Year, NZ Farm Manager of the Year and the NZ Dairy Trainee of the Year. For further information and to order tickets for the awards dinner visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.
May 7 – Focus day at the Lincoln University Dairy Farm from 10.15am until 1pm. The focus days are an opportunity to review the farm’s performance and look at the challenges as well as opportunities in the coming months. For information on the farm visit www.siddc.org.nz.
May 12-14 – DairyNZ’s three-day interactive Mark and Measure Seminars take place in Taupo, then Queenstown on June 9-11. The seminars are designed for farmers who want to understand the performance of their business and plan for the future. For further details and registration visit www.dairynz.co.nz.
May 25-26 – New Zealand Primary Industry Summit brings together key decision makers in the agribusiness sector to explore strategies for value growth. The summit will be held at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of Wellington. For further information visit www.conferenz.co.nz/conferencec/primaryindustry-summit-0.
