crops and horticulture

Arable crops such as wheat, barley, oats and maize cover approximately 6,300 hectares of Southland. Most of this production is centered in Northern Southland where the natural environment provides large flat areas of land and reliable rainfall. The unique climate and good soils result in Southland having higher crop yields than in other areas of New Zealand.

Traditional Horticulture crops do not cover a large land area in the Southland region. There are small areas of cut flowers, medicinal herbs, nut crops and berry fruit, but most of these industires are of a small scale. Although medicinal herbs are not grown widely in Southland the climate gives a competitive advantage for crops such as Arnica. A significant body of research is being developed and will be available on the CFS website and also the website of Crop and Food Research Ltd (www.crop.cri.nz).