Ravensdown researches, develops and promotes products and technologies that have reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved environmental outcomes to ensure that farmers have the tools they need to optimise value from the land while reducing environmental impacts.
Coated urea N-Protect is better for the environment because it releases less greenhouse gas emissions and because you can apply 9% less nitrogen for the same effect.
The special coating slows down the conversion of nitrogen in urea to ammonia gas. By slowing this process, N-Protect keeps more nitrogen in the soil for plant uptake and reduces the impact on the atmosphere and water environment. It also provides farmers with more options for nitrogen fertiliser application throughout summer.
Ravensdown has gradually reduced its storage of uncoated urea in favour of the coated alternative, N-Protect in a bid to encourage greater uptake of N-Protect and a reduced on-farm carbon footprint. While urea remains available to customers, it has now been replaced with N-Protect across 45 sites, and the results of this directive are being closely monitored.
Our team of certified advisors are farm nutrient and farm environmental experts.
Ravensdown has advisors qualified to prepare resource consent applications, farm environment plans, and nutrient budgets and advise on sustainable farming practices for optimised nutrient use. Our team undertake CPD regularly to keep up with the fast pace of change in the agriculture sector. Ravensdown is at the leading edge of this, having co-developed a training course to improve uptake and delivery of farm environmental plans in partnership with Massey University and in response to increased legislative requirements for freshwater quality, and having its own long-standing in-house graduate development programme.
We have experts who are industry thought leaders, presenting at conferences and publishing scientific papers to extend scientific knowledge and our advisors develop trusted relationships with customers so that they understand farmers’ and growers’ needs and priorities, and so that advice can be tailored to achieve those agreed objectives and trusted to deliver.
Technological solutions are focused on accurate planning and recording of precise placement of fertiliser for maximum efficiency and least losses.
Ravensdown has invested heavily in technology to improve the precision with which fertiliser can be applied only to where it is needed and at the optimum rates for plant growth without leaching into the environment. Computer-controlled topdressing aircraft doors adjust the spreading rate and avoid sensitive areas such as waterways; GPS-guided ground spreaders reduce the risk of under- or over-application of nutrients, and HawkEye, our spacial mapping tool improves decision-making and compliance.
Find out more here.
N-Vision NZ.
Our largest-ever research and development investment, N-Vision NZ, focuses on reducing losses of nitrogen (N). It comprises partnerships with Lincoln University, Plant and Food Research and the Ministry of Primary Industry’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund (SFF Futures) and is valued at $22million. N-Vision comprises three tools designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient losses to waterways:
- A test and decision support tool to help optimise the N already in the soil
- A nitrification inhibitor to inhibit specific soil microbes that lead to nitrous oxide emissions and N leaching
- A naturally occurring soil fungi to boost the efficiency of N use in plants and improve drought resilience.
Over a seven-year programme, N-Vision NZ will develop these solutions to the point where they can be widely applied in farming systems.
Find out more here.
Catchment-wide engagement and smart decision support technology is increasingly utilised to improve downstream environmental outcomes and select mitigation options for sustainable agriculture.
Ravensdown contributed to several pilot projects around the country to test various models for effective catchment management. Catchment engagement and the Land Use Capability Indicator (LUCI) tool have been used together to improve farm environmental management in Waikato, Hawkes Bay and Southland.
Ravensdown contributed in-kind modelling of LUCI-Ag and OVERSEER on the farms that participated. The results of the modelling showed the clear impact of farm-scale activities on water quality in the catchment, and the potential to increase water quality and improve flood mitigation with no negative impact on farm productivity through a carefully selected combination of mitigation options. It showed the value of modelling different combinations of mitigations using LUCI to find which combination has the potential to be more effective for multiple ecosystem services and also highlighted the importance of engaging with stakeholders and local communities to increase the quality of input data and understand possible options for best environmental outcomes.
Ravensdown can support catchment groups in a number of ways, such as the establishment of water quality monitoring and the provision of land for native tree propagation.