Feedback from last year’s event has seen the NZ Effluent & Environment Expo – this year on November 19-20 at Mystery Creek Events Centre in Hamilton – tweak the way it runs it free seminars.

Expo organiser Amanda Hodgson says from feedback received on 2018’s seminars, her team has removed a 40-minute session each day, to allow more time for farmers and visitors to wander around and have engaging conversations with exhibitors.

“And this year we’ll be taking pre-registrations to each seminar – including the supplier-sponsored sessions – as a lot of them were over-full last year.

“So we really encourage farmers to register for the seminars they wish to attend – so we can accommodate numbers.”

Plus, for maximum attention and minimum distraction, they have moved all seminar sessions into what is called the Annex Room.

“Access to the Annex Room will be between industrial sites 75 and 76. And the Tuesday evening Networking function will also be held in here.

“Our keynote speaker Sir Graham Henry will be situated in the demonstration area of the pavilion and is free to listen too.”

This year’s draft seminar programme offer a raft of talks covering a range of topics.

On day one, Tuesday, November 19, the seminar programme begins with Fonterra’s general manager of sustainable dairying, Charlotte Rutherford, talking on ‘Sustainability and the future of Good Management Practice/Farm Environment Plans/Dairying for tomorrow strategy’.

A Challenging Everyday Thinking Session on biosecurity by DairyNZ follows. After a supplier session, soil and agricultural scientist Jacqueline Rowarth will present her talk: ‘New Zealand farmers are bug farmers – whether the bugs are in the rumen or in the soil, it is feeding them that drives the economy’.

Then there’s a DairyNZ seminar on ‘water use and efficiency on dairy farms, and the importance of water metering’, followed by a supplier session.

Later that afternoon, at 4pm, keynote Speaker Sir Graham Henry will make an address. And the day finishes with a drinks, nibbles and networking function, which can the public can attend for $50 per person.

On day two, November 20, you can catch Charlotte Rutherford’s talk before a Challenging Everyday Thinking Session by social licence consultant Penny Clark-Hall, followed by a sponsor session, and another CETS by author of book ‘The Lean Dairy Farm’, Jana Hocken.

An industry seminar will be presented by DairyNZ’s Logan Bowler on ‘The importance of adequately sized effluent storage and an insight into the Dairy Effluent Storage Calculator’, then a sponsor session concludes the programme. The full seminar programme is at: https://effluentexpo.co.nz/ under the ‘Industry Seminars’ tab.

Farmers are encouraged to visit the expo website to register for this free event, as well as each seminar – with spaces filling fast. To register, visit: www.effluentexpo.co.nz/farmer-registration