Fashionfashion ag-style
AG ART WEAR is where fashion meets the farm. This prestigious competition encourages artists and designers from across New Zealand and Australia to delve into the depths of their imagination and create a piece of wearable art for the body from materials used in the practice of farming. This year the shows will move to a new central location on the Village Green stage. The shows will run each day with three categories – Designer Traditional, Avant Garde, and Classroom Couture – and there is a fantastic prize pool of over $7000 up for grabs.
Find out what it takes to be a farmer
FIELDAYS is big on education and it has created the Fieldays Careers and Education Hub, supported by NZ Young Farmers. The hub facilitates interaction between those wanting to find out more about ag careers and established agribusinesses and education programmes. You will be able to speak with career champions, take part in daily seminars from industry leaders, and relax with friends and NZ Young Farmers. Each day features a different aspect of the industry, with relevant people already working in the industry available to discuss options and answer questions.
Gorse is an especially hard plant to control once it is established due to its persistent nature.
Its nitrogen-fixing ability means that it tends to inhabit areas with poorer soils where other plants find it hard to survive. It also has very durable seed; researchers have found that it can remain viable in the soil for up to 40 years and even ploughing or burning of the soil won't help if it's not done correctly. In fact, these methods often provide even better conditions for gorse seeds to germinate in because there is little, if any competition from other plants that aren't so hardy.
A thick layer of gorse plants makes the underlying soil more acidic, so replanting efforts will need to take this into account – choose trees and shrubs that do well in acid soils.
1remove the root crowns or they will resprout.
Plants with a base diameter larger than 15cm should be cut using a saw or chainsaw. At this point you could use a chemical gel on the stump, otherwise you will need to pull out the root system to stop it resprouting.
The best time for this strategy is just as the plant starts to flower – the gorse's food reserves in its roots are low at this point, and there will be no seed spread to worry about. Large-scale gorse infestations can be cut back using heavy machinery, and big diggers are especially useful on steep terrain. However, you’ll still need to be diligent in controlling regrowth, and it can be hard to re-establish pasture on steep areas if you’re having to fertilise, lime and sow seed by hand.
3control regrowth over 4-5 years. Another option is to use cattle (to help trample the young gorse), then sheep (to eat down any good forage remaining), then goats (who will eat the young gorse, a very nutritious plant for them).
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