Savvy Use of On Farm Resources to Boost Production and Sustainability Presentation to WFO Forum William Rolleston

We Live in an Age of Unprecedented Scientific Discovery

Issues Population Land Food Security Food safety Environment

Dual Challenge Increase Food Production for a Growing Population AND Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change Paris Agreement/FAO

Science Priorities for Agriculture Climate Change Increase productivity Increase production Build resilience Reduce our Environmental Footprint

MULTI-FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY INDEX BY SECTOR (1978 = 1000) [Source: Statistics New Zealand (2010), AgResearch analysis]  Lamb 7%  Sheep 55%  Meat 23%  Cattle 26%  GHG 1.3%/kg/yr  Crops  Water  Nutrients

Farmers Range of farming systems – Organics, conventional, IPM, no-till, biotech Precision Agriculture – right input, right place, right time, right rate

Precision Agriculture Components Measure and Track – crops, land and individual animals Manage – farm productivity, environmental impacts Precise application – water, seeds, nutrients and fertilisers Specific breeding/ genetic design – plants/animals

Precision Technologies GPS technology/remote sensing technologies for : – Field mapping – Precision guidance – Yield monitors Variable rate applicators for – fertilisers – other farm inputs – seeds, herbicides, pesticides Map based field scouting – weeds, insects, crop diseases Use of mobile technology – access to research, farm advice, abil

Precision Technologies Digital GPS technology/remote sensing technologies for : – Field mapping – Precision guidance – Yield monitors Map based field scouting – weeds, insects, crop diseases Variable rate applicators for – fertilisers – seeds, herbicides, pesticides Big Data – Weather, Water, Nutrient Flows, Animal Health Use of mobile technology – access to research, farm advice, ability to record farm data in the field

Precision Technologies Biological Conventional Breeding – Selection Breeding – Chemical/Radiation Mutagenesis – Embryo Rescue, Protoplast fusion DNA revolution – Marker Assisted Breeding Conventional, Organic – Transgenics – Cisgenics – Gene Editing

Challenges Adoption of new technologies – Social licence to operate – Shift bell curve – Good farmers can become great farmers – No substitute for poor decision making – Poor adoption/bad experience -> Discourage others

Drivers/Opportunities Tighter environmental controls Competition First adopters – Farming leaders who are looking to increase profitability – Word spreads – Route to uptake variable but Strong knowledge base in the scientific sense Excellent understanding of their own farming system Well developed sense of curiosity Desire to improve their farms and livelihoods Individual/Regional Scale – Technology specific Monitoring/genetics

Precision Technologies Better Information Better Decisions Better Use of Resources Farmer Resilience Lower Environmental Impact

New Zealand Examples Farm IQ Pasture Meters GPS – Precision water/targeted fertiliser Drones – Crop scouting, field mapping, farm surveillance, livestock monitoring Overseer Genetics – Plants/Animals