On the podium will be Lincoln University lecturer Hamish Gow, Align Farms chief executive Rhys Roberts, Grow Good founder Tim Jones, Criffel Station deer farmer and vet Mandy Bell and Gladfield Malt owners Gabi and Doug Michael.
Agricultural podcaster Sarah Perriam-Lampp will host the Ellesmere Sustainable Agriculture event at Lakeside Soldiers Memorial Hall near Leeston.
The talk is being held to celebrate three years of work by the farmer-led catchment group based in Leeston, and to inspire farmers in the region.
The group received funding from the Ministry of Primary Industry’s Jobs for Nature and Extension funds, which led to the creation of Project Tinaku in 2020.
So far, the project has completed more than 40 riparian planting projects on farms, totalling more than 40,000 native plants along 11 kilometres of rivers and streams.
It has also funded water quality monitoring along three lowland streams and tested bore water for nitrates.
Tinaku staff have organised events and workshops attended by about 500 people, and strong ties have been developed with catchment groups, local schools and other groups to increase awareness of farming successes and challenges near Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.
The group hopes the social event will encourage farmers feeling overwhelmed with new regulations to think positively about their farming futures.
Guest speakers will tell inspirational stories about how they have grown their own farming businesses and talk about growing global trends and what consumers are looking for from producers.
Mr Roberts manages six dairy farms and a dairy support unit between the Ashburton and Rangitata Rivers. Last year’s Zanda McDonald Award winner, he oversees a market garden and yoghurt business alongside the dairy farms and is running a regenerative trial on one of them. This is being compared with a similar sized 140ha farm run conventionally, and the results are put on a website.
Mr Jones is New Zealand’s first qualified B consultant and has helped more than 50 companies from around the world be assessed.
Dr Bell finds time in between helping to run a deer farm near Wanaka to be a director and business owner in primary, biotechnology and tourism industries. She is chairwoman of Deer Industry NZ and Wai Wanaka and holds other posts.
The Michaels are a fifth-generation family of barley growers in the heart of the Canterbury Plains and established a family-owned malting business in 2004 for beer, whisky and homebrews.
The ticket-only event includes dinner, a cash bar and live country and blues style music.
