New DairyNZ research shows farmers can identify ways to increase efficiency and reduce environmental footprint – but there will be challenges for some. The Greenhouse Gas Partnership Farms research project worked with farmers to identify and model how their farms might reduce both nitrogen loss and greenhouse gas emissions. “Making these gains will be the […]
environment
NZ Dairy is ready for a decade of change, opportunities
In his address as Chairperson to the Federated Farmers Dairy Council in Wellington on Tuesday, Wayne Langford canvassed where he thinks the sector is heading and what challenges are coming over the horizon… We are entering a new era for New Zealand dairy, in a decade where the world will never see change as fast […]
White paper sets out pressing regenerative agriculture research priorities
A new white paper says there is significant overlap on the continuum of practices between mainstream and regenerative agriculture. Among its conclusions is that there is a pressing need for scientific testing of the limited evidence and anecdotal claims being made by regenerative agriculture practitioners and proponents. Lead author Dr Gwen Grelet, a senior researcher […]
NZ needs its own Project Warp Speed on climate change
by Peter Griffon, founding Director of the Science Media Centre. This article was first published in BusinessDesk. OPINION: The good news about the Climate Change Commission’s draft plan to meet our Paris Agreement commitments and avoid the worst of climate change is that it doesn’t hinge on technology yet to be developed. The commission has […]
Knowing your fertiliser includes understanding how it spreads
With the summer season being a busy time for farmers and growers keen to get the fert’ on, there’s often a tendency to focus on getting the job done, rather than think too much about what’s in the product or how it’s being applied, says the Fertiliser Quality Council. The organisation, which overseas Fertmark and […]
Wairarapa farmers leading the way with wetland restoration
A partnership of Wairarapa farmers is a part of a growing wetland restoration movement to build community resilience against flooding, drought, landslides and water pollution. Since 2016 the partnership has been proactively fencing off stock, planting native plants and trapping pest animals to restore wetlands and surrounding areas on Hapua farm. However, restoration work began over a decade ago. The Hapua […]
Glyphosate – a tool that requires care
Colin Hurst, Federated Farmers Arable Industry Group Chairperson The news that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) requires all honey exports to Japan to undergo glyphosate testing, has again generated media comment about the safety of its ongoing use. Those in the primary sector are glyphosate’s primary users, but it is also commonly used […]
Harnessing the power of catchment groups
Policy aimed at changing practices on individual farms isn’t working, writes Jim Sinner from the Our Land and Water Collective Responsibility research team. Could collective management, through catchment groups, achieve better outcomes for our waterways? (This article was first published on the National Science Challenges website.) Over the past several years, I’ve had a growing […]
The underground army
New Zealand is recognised as the world’s leading pastoral agricultural producer. Pasture-based exports account for almost half of our total exports and given the state of the rest of the world, we are quickly becoming globally recognised as gold standard food producers. Unfortunately, all that productivity puts us in the shit…. tonnes of it. It’s […]
Imagine if we could store ALL that water
We cannot control the weather, but we can make the most of it and catch it while we can. Jared is passionate about protecting river ecology and fears without a local community water storage solution it’s going to get harder and harder to balance everyone’s calls on a limited resource. “It’s about the certainty to […]