The annual LandWISE agritech conference is all the better for the stability of its key sponsors. Who are they and what are the links?

In 2003 we ran our first ever two day conference with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council the main sponsor. This support has continued throughout with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council one of our three platinum sponsors again in 2017, our 15th Annual conference.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is charged with responsibility for the environmental and economic well being of our region. LandWISE has always had this twin focus at farm scale. Our projects typically consider how we can help farmers be financially sustainable in the short term and in environmentally sustainable in the long term. It seems to us these two are interlocked.

In 2013 John Deere became a conference Platinum sponsor and 2017 marks their fifth year in this role. We are delighted that John Deere is once again a Platinum Sponsor of LandWISE Annual Conference.

This long term support  from a company focused on helping farmers through provision of leading technologies also fully matches our society objectives and the theme and purpose of Conference 2017: Are we ready for automation?

BASF Crop Protection joined the Platinum Sponsor group in 2014, the same year they took up sponsorship of the LandWISE MicroFarm. Once again we see a clear alignment with a company focused on developing and supplying products to help farmers achieve their goals.  We experience this at the MicroFarm with BASF Crop Protection and FruitFed Supplies combining to ensure our research crops are  maintained as effectively and efficiently as possible.

We have many other core supporters, not least Ballance AgriNutrients, a conference supporter since 2010 and sponsor of the MicroFarm since 2014.  We value their sponsorship which includes significant input from Horticulture Specialist Mark Redshaw, currently a LandWISE Board member.