Increasingly we are seeing military and space aviation technology appearing in agriculture to grow better food using pictures from the air. It is part of a trend toward increasingly data-driven agriculture. But what if we could add to these capabilities the ability to more comprehensively assess the water content of soil, become more rigorous in our ability to spot irrigation and pest problems, and get a general sense of the state of the farm, every day or even every hour? Could this help us clean up our waterways and improve the quality of our soil?
We know our world is stretched to the limits and we have to act if we want healthy food, healthy people and a healthy world. Managing resources better and lowering the chemical load through reducing farm inputs—water, nutrients and pesticides—and maintaining the same output, we will be overcoming a central challenge. More and better data can help with these decisions. Seen this way, what started as a military technology may end up better known as a green-tech tool.
Join us to explore the latest in aerospace technology, the role it could have in tackling some of the fundamental environmental challenges we have and how you can get involved in shaping this future.
We are SOLD OUT! If your plans have changed and you are no longer able to attend, please cancel your registration via your confirmation e-mail or contact us at info@blincinnovation.com
We look forward to see you there!
What to Expect
8.45am : Tea / Coffee on arrival
9.00am : Welcome & introduction
9.10am : Perspectives from our Panellists
10.10am : Panel discussion / Interactive Q&A session
10.30am : Networking
11.00am : Event finishes
Meet our Panel
Craig Blackburn, Blackhills Farm
Completing a Diploma of Farm Management at Lincoln University set a strong base from which Craig launched into a career in the agricultural sector, and through his drive and determination, saw him awarded the Canterbury Young achievers award.
Farming and property transactions soon became a passion, and over the last 26 years Craig has been farming he has been involved in many property transactions and development projects. The most recent with assistance from industry experts and the adoption of latest technology developed a very complex gravity fed irrigation system to deliver affordable water to a 400-ha property he is a part owner of.
Mohamed Bayad
Mohamed currently a PhD student at Lincoln University and is exploring the use of remote sensing techniques to map soil water repellency and predict its effect on phosphorus mobility. This is key in New Zealand’s pastoral system as soil water repellency has been reported to affect water runoff, leaching, plants growth and phosphorus (P) losses in different studies. Phosphorus, which is a critical input in New Zealand pastoral systems, has serious water quality repercussions. Mohamed will share his early findings how remote sensing may help in solving this important challenge for agriculture and the future of farming that current conventional methods struggle with.
Diana Selbie
Dr Diana Selbie is a Senior Scientist in the Farm Systems and Environment Group at AgResearch. She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours and a Doctor of Philosophy in soil science from Lincoln University. Her research has primarily aimed to inform land-based decision making for improved environmental outcomes.
She has held technical and leadership roles in research programmes developing technologies to reduce nitrogen losses to water, including contributing to the development of the Overseer nutrient budgeting tool and programme leadership within the ‘Our Land & Water’ National Science Challenge.
Her experiences in research, farm upbringing and recent overseas travel have led to a strong interest in future-focused action that will transform NZ’s food production systems from reactive to dynamic.
Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom
Space entrepreneur, global change maker, and aspiring exponential innovator. Emeline is co-founder of SpaceBase and an Edmund Hillary Fellow. Emeline was most recently on the executive management team of Singularity University and served as the Space track lead for their 10 week Global Solutions Program for the past four years.
Emeline has a BS in Physics from the University of the Philippines and a MS in Earth and Space Science from York University, Canada. She attended the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program. In commercial space development, she has worked and consulted for several startups including serving as Director of Program Development and Research, and Director of Operations for Space Adventures Ltd, a space tourism company sending private citizens to the International Space Station; and Odyssey Moon and Moon Express, which plan commercial transport to the Moon.
Eric Dahlstrom
Eric is a co-founder of SpaceBase and an Edmund Hillary Fellow. Eric is a space engineer, astronomer, and consultant who has worked on spacecraft design and space science for 35 years, both for NASA and the commercial space industry. He studied physics, astronomy, and space systems engineering and is currently the chair of Space Science at International Space University, having taught in ten countries.
Eric worked on the design of the International Space Station including the Russian interface. He co- authored NASA’s “Lessons Learned from Challenger” report and the risk of Shuttle accidents. He has supported a dozen entrepreneurial space companies, served as project manager for commercial lunar spacecraft and payloads, and managed team projects at Singularity University. He is a planetary sciences mentor for the NASA Frontier Development Lab, applying artificial intelligence to the hazard of asteroid impact.
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