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Profitability is an increasing concern for arable farmers, which is why the Foundation for Arable Research has chosen it as the theme of its 2025 conference. 

Under the banner “Show me the money” a range of international and local speakers as well as FAR staff will outline ways farmers can potentially reduce costs, improve productivity, diversify into additional income streams and adopt new tools and technologies.  

The biennial event is being held at Lincoln University on Monday 30 June and Tuesday 1 July.

FAR Communications Manager Anna Heslop says that when organising the conference, FAR considered the key concerns that are front-of-mind for farmers. Regular feedback from growers is that Increasing input costs, flat crop contract prices, increased regulatory compliance and extreme weather events continue to challenge their profitability.  

The conference keynote speaker is New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy and Methven arable farmer Hamish Marr. 

Discussing how to make technology pay will be James Venning, a grain grower from the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Farming over varying soil types, he uses a wide range of technologies to aid in decision making and to micromanage areas in his cropping programme focussing on productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

As well as the day to day running of Barunga Grains, James chairs his local grower group Northern Sustainable Soils, is a board member of the Hart Field Site Group and is a grower director of Grain Producers South Australia.

Another speaker, United Kingdom arable farmer, entrepreneur and popular YouTuber Olly ‘Blogs’ Harrison left school at 16 having struggled with dyslexia. Since then, he has grown his farm from 70 to 600 hectares. His farming business has 14 different income streams including dog walking fields, chipping wood for biomass, sunflower mazes, and office and holiday rentals. He’s always seeking new ways to commercially exploit his land and assets. 

Olly will be outlining his farming journey via video link.

Professor Nicola Randall, the founding director of the Centre for Evidence Based Agriculture at Harper Adams University in England will also appear via video link to discuss whether regenerative agricultural systems add value.  

Farmer discussion panels will provide examples of the different approaches and technologies that growers are adopting to improve their farm business performance.  
A conference dinner will double as a farewell to FAR chief executive Dr Alison Stewart, who steps down at the end of June.  

Anna Heslop says that as always, prices for the event have been pared back to the absolute minimum, with early bird pricing sitting at $220 for two-day attendance. Early bird registrations close on 19 May, when the price goes up to $320.

To register for the conference, visit the FAR website, www.far.org.nz