Science in Action: Our Key Themes
Pāmu is excited to return to Fieldays 2025 as a lead partner at the Science for Farmers site — and we’d love for you to join us at Site E38 from 11 to 14 June.
Held at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Fieldays is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event, bringing together innovation, insight, and action from across the sector. This year, we’re showcasing how science-backed solutions are delivering measurable outcomes on-farm — from reducing emissions and building climate resilience, to developing future-ready livestock and talent.
You’ll find us at the Science for Farmers hub (Site E38), located at the corner of E Street and M Road, opposite the Village Green. Alongside MPI, LIC, AgResearch, Massey University, AgriZeroNZ, and DairyNZ, we’re presenting practical tools, research insights, and collaborative programmes helping farmers meet the demands of a changing world.
Throughout the event, we’ll be sharing knowledge from our latest innovation and R&D — including methane-efficient breeding, integrated farm systems, climate adaptation strategies, and digital platforms such as FarmIQ and SafeVisit. You’ll also be able to explore video content and live demonstrations showcasing how we’re applying science on the ground.
The Pāmu team will be on-site daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, ready to connect and kōrero. Whether you’re passionate about sustainability, curious about systems change, or exploring career pathways in agriculture, come by for a chat.
We look forward to welcoming you to Site E38 and sharing a vision for farming that’s both future-focused and grounded in practice.
Sheep of the Future
In partnership with MPI, Focus Genetics, and AgResearch, our Sheep of the Future programme is breeding animals that thrive under pressure. These sheep are selected for heat tolerance, parasite resistance, feed efficiency, and low methane emissions. The core flock is based at Kapiro Station, tested in real-world subtropical conditions.
Join Head of Innovation & Extension Paul McGill and Digby Philip (Focus Genetics) on Wednesday, 11 June, 3:00–3:30 PM
Topic: “Breeding Resilience: Sheep of the Future”
Dairy-Beef Integration
By 2030, Pāmu aims to rear 100% of dairy-born calves for beef, reducing waste and improving emissions intensity across our supply chain. Already at 63%, we’re transforming farm systems to support large-scale calf rearing, efficient finishing, and better alignment with processor and market expectations.
Hear from CE Mark Leslie and COO Will Burrett on Saturday, 14 June, 12:00–12:30 PM
Topic: “Dairy-Beef: Redesigning Systems for Impact and Efficiency”
Adapting to Climate Change
Pāmu has completed vulnerability assessments across all 112 of our farms, helping us implement place-based strategies for water resilience, infrastructure upgrades, and land-use adaptation. Whether it’s drought, heat, erosion, or pest pressure, our team is developing practical responses informed by local conditions and climate science.
Join Pāmu Head of Sustainability Sam Bridgman on Thursday, 12 June, 2:00–2:30 PM
Topic: “A Changing Climate — Practical Adaptation on New Zealand Farms”
Managing Parasites Sustainably
We’re addressing drench resistance with an integrated strategy — combining mixed-species grazing, FEC testing, targeted drenching, and genetics. This approach has already boosted calf weight gains to an average of 750g/day on some trial farms while reducing workload and improving team morale.
Hear from Rangitāiki Station Pāmu Farm Business Manager James van Bohemen, Thursday 12 June 3pm-4pm at the Waikato farmers panel, where local farmers discuss their farming enterprises, and how they are achieving good results.
Growing capable people
Pāmu is deeply committed to developing talent for the future of agriculture — from apprenticeships to sharemilking opportunities. We’ll be sharing stories of progression from within our teams, including apprentice Ashlee Robertson and sharemilker Val Schimmelpfennig, who started as a farm assistant and is now building equity sharemilking for the company.
Come meet our apprentices at the FMG Young Farmer Regional Finalist Panel
Friday, 13 June, 10:30–11:30 AM
As Ashlee Robertson says:
“My dream is to be a Head Shepherd on a hill country farm with a big team of dogs.”
Wāhine Toa o te Whenua — Spotlighting Young Women Leaders
Join this inspiring panel session led by Pāmu Chief Sustainability & Risk Officer Annabel Davies, as wāhine across the sector discuss leadership, innovation, and the diverse future of food and fibre in Aotearoa.
Thursday, 12 June, 10:30–11:30 AM
Location: Science for Farmers, Site E38
See You at Fieldays
Pāmu’s presence at Fieldays 2025 is more than a display — it’s an open invitation to see how science, sustainability, and systems thinking are shaping the future of farming. Whether you’re on the land, in the lab, or just passionate about what comes next for Aotearoa’s primary sector, we’d love to see you.
Come find us at Site E38, talk to our team, and be part of the conversation. Together, we’re growing a more resilient, productive, and future-focused food and fibre system.
