The Resilient Pastures Symposium (RPS), organised by the NZ Grassland Association (NZGA), comes 10 years after the association’s landmark Pasture Persistence Symposium.
With agriculture currently earning more than 40c in every NZ export dollar, those behind the event say pasture – and innovative thinking about its prospects in coming years – has never been more relevant.
Pasture is a significant global advantage for NZ, but faces increasing pressure from climate change, environmental regulation, and social and market expectations.
“The uniqueness of NZ’s high-value animal protein exports – their embedded naturalness and low per unit emissions compared with competitor countries – rests on our pasture base,” RPS organising committee chair and DairyNZ principal scientist David Chapman says .
“We want to make sure our market strength continues to grow from this base, because that is critical to NZ’s economic future.”
The 2011 Pasture Persistence Symposium gave rise to significant new pasture R&D and industry-led initiatives, including the highly influential DairyNZ Forage Value Index.
NZGA president and AgResearch senior scientist Warren King says 10 years on, climate change effects signalled in 2011 have intensified, and the physical environment for growing pasture is more challenging and volatile than ever.
But other challenges that barely registered then, are now competing for the attention of researchers, plant breeders and farmers alike.
Environmental regulations are putting caps on nutrient inputs and losses from pastoral systems. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are being considered, with emphasis on reduction.
King says the RPS will highlight current soil, plant genetics and management solutions, and look towards future opportunities, giving those who attend a chance to contribute to charting future priorities.
A key goal for the event is to achieve broad-based primary sector collaboration and direction for further pasture development.
The NZGA Resilient Pasture Symposium will be held May 11 and 12 at Karapiro. Early bird registrations open March 1 at www.grassland.org.nz
