Friday, March 29, 2024

Arable growers back FAR into future

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Farmers have given a clear mandate they want the Foundation for Arable Research to continue to add value to their cropping businesses.
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Under the Commodity Levies Act growers got the chance to renew FAR levy orders every six years.

Over the past month arable, maize and cereal silage growers had their say to determine support for the continuation of the levy-funded organisation.

The FAR referendum covered three separate levy orders and the support for each increased on the 2011 referendum.

Arable crops gained 90% support, maize 78% and cereal silage 66% support.

FAR chief executive Nick Pyke said the results were a fantastic endorsement of the hard work and commitment of growers, FAR staff and industry colleagues.

Over its 20-year history FAR had moved as an organisation from its beginnings concerned with simple crop agronomy.

Five years ago it had started to look at the whole farm system, rotations and how they interlinked and looking at that big picture had delivered big gains.

FAR was now shifting to the next area of the whole farm business to address components outside the farmgate that had a big influence on how cropping businesses operated.

A grower survey last year confirmed environmental compliance as the biggest concern facing arable farm businesses and that was just one area were FAR was expanding its capability to provide information to help growers.

“We work hard to ensure research investment matches growers’ current and future requirements.

“Through feedback from our regional arable research groups and research and development advisory committee we identify areas of importance and then address them through research strategies and applied programmes,” Pyke said.

In recent years FAR had increased investment in research on a range of environmental issues that affected farmers’ ability to use their land effectively.

“Our research programme has been developed with due regard for sustainable farming practices and, as such, maintains a balanced portfolio of production, environmental and social research.

“The outcomes of this investment deliver benefits which can be measured through increased productivity and profitability along with the retention of or opportunity for the use of certain farm practices,” he said.

How it works

The Foundation for Arable Research collects levies on more than 40 arable crops, including wheat, barley, oats, maize, pulses, herbage seeds, brassica seeds and vegetable seeds at a rate of: maize $1 per 10,000 seeds bought, herbage and amenity seeds 0.9% of sale value, all other grain and seed crops 0.9% of sale value, cereal silage $10/hectare, open pollinated vegetable seed crops 0.9% of sale value and hybrid vegetable seed crops 0.6% of sale value.

FAR also got money from research grants, co-operative research and information sales.

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