Conference heads north to challenged region

14-09-2009 | Not Specified

Northland is the future as climate change spreads south and 2009 Grassland Conference-goers have an opportunity to see it first.

This is the theme for the conference at Copthorne Hotel and Resort, Waitangi, Bay of Islands from November 3-5.

Northland is the first region in New Zealand to experience and adapt to changes in agriculture brought about by imported weeds and pests and the introduction of new livestock species or breeds. It is also the leading beef cattle farming region in the country.

Conference sessions are planned on managing pasture in a subtropical environment, the effects of global warming on agriculture, carbon farming, cropping options, managing pests, and feed quality.

The global warming session will feature NIWA scientist David Wratt, New Zealand's top delegate to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, and Williem de Lange, senior lecturer in earth sciences at Waikato University, who describes himself as a climate change "realist" because he believes it is predominantly, if not entirely, natural, not man-made.

The three-day conference will include two afternoon field trips to outstanding beef and dairy farms in the district, including an environmental-award-winning property with intensive beef production. Cattle management innovations like once-bred heifers that have been adopted in Northland will be highlighted.

For Northland farmers, the Grassland Conference is a great opportunity to hear from the pastoral experts and to focus on the needs of the region for scientific trials in the future.

The Grassland Conference will be joined for the first time by the annual conference of the NZ Association of Resource Management and some parallel sessions will focus on the unique resource management factors in Northland, plus widespread issues in NZ.

Conference registration details on the Grassland Association website - www.grassland.org.nz

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