Welcome to the fifth edition of Ground Effect

Download your copy of Ground Effect Edition 5 - Spring 2017

This edition of Ground Effect® coincides with the anniversary of Ravensdown’s inception in August 1977. The co-operative idea came about through forward thinking farmer pioneers getting together - determined to shake things up for the long-term benefit of themselves and New Zealand.

Ground Effect® #5 shows you how much has changed in the agri-sector since then. But that fierce passion for farming’s contribution and the imagination to picture how things could be better is as important now as it was 40 years ago.

In an election year, the detractors of farming are bound to make some noise. But everybody can agree - when it comes to reduced environmental impacts, stronger communities and national prosperity - smarter farming must be part of the solution.

So what do we mean by smarter farming? In this issue, there are several people who embody smarter farming; from Hayden Lawrence in Taranaki to the Bowen family near Timaru.

To command a premium for NZ Inc’s pasture-based story; it needs to be proven. We’re proud of our new HawkEye® decision support technology, which will help the sector improve its traceability and farmers to easily see the impacts of their nutrient actions.

Outgoing Fish and Game CEO Bryce Johnson shares his viewpoints on what lies ahead. This should start some interesting conversations as we look at how we challenge our thinking on
topics such as farming’s social licence.

Social licence is an important part of smarter farming and Ravensdown’s team is helping in this area. Our own experts explain how to avoid unplanned nutrient transfer, how cadmium in fertiliser is reducing and how targeted aerial application ensures fertiliser is not applied on the 9% of hill country land that doesn’t need it.

Here’s to all the people devoted to smarter farming!

Ravensdown Round Table:
Doubling the value of our exports by 2025