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A vision for N with new N-loss project
News
N-Vision NZ, a new $22m innovation to help farmers reduce nitrogen (N) loss, is Ravensdown’s largest single investment in research and development. Established in partnership with the Government’s Sustainable Food and Fibres Future (SFFF) initiative, N-Vision NZ seeks to develop new N-based technologies that support farmers to reduce their N losses, while maintaining production and profitability.
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HawkEye eases the way with new reporting requirements
News
New reporting requirements mean dairy farmers will soon need to inform their regional council of annual nitrogen use.
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Help your clovers reach their full potential
News
With the N-190 cap in play now’s the time to ensure your clovers reach their potential. Molybdenum (Mo) is a trace element that plays an integral part in ensuring clovers can both fix and cycle nitrogen (N) optimally.
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New EcoPond tool a game changer for methane emissions
News
Dairy farmers have a new tool to reduce methane emissions with Ravensdown’s EcoPond technology cutting up to 5% of their farm's total methane emissions.
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Superphosphate – setting the stage for pasture production with the classic allrounder.
News
In an increasingly nutrient-restricted world, farmers are having to remain dynamic. Based out of the Taranaki region, Senior Agri Manager James Livingston has always been a fan of superphosphate both for its flexibility and for the role it has played in building New Zealand’s pastoral system. Here he talks about the strengths of superphosphate and why it remains the go-to option for pastoral agriculture.
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To eat wheat: local or imported?
News
Most of us eat grains every day, in bread, cereals, biscuits, pasta and more. But do you know where the grain in this food has come from – or more specifically, the wheat? Ivan Lawrie is Arable Food Industry Council (AFIC) Chairman, and Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) General Manager of Business Operations. He’s followed the story of milling wheat in New Zealand for many years. Here he sets the record straight about milling wheat in New Zealand and introduces a project aimed at improving grower returns by increasing consumer demand for New Zealand ‘grown’ bread.
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Can gibberellic acid substitute nitrogen fertiliser?
News
As farmers seek new ways to maintain pasture production and feed supply under ‘capped’ nitrogen (N) fertiliser, alternatives such as gibberellic acid (GA) should be explored. As part of a series of experiments exploring opportunities to use GA in dairy farm systems, Lincoln University PhD student Melanie Miller asked questions about the timing and application rate of GA and whether farmers can partially substitute N fertiliser applications for GA to maintain feed supply. Melanie’s research is supervised by Dr Racheal Bryant and Professor Grant Edwards.
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Hype gets in the way of cause and effect
News
Colorectal cancer surgeon Professor Frank Frizelle and researcher Dr Jacqui Keenan highlight the potential misconception in confusing ‘association’ with ‘cause and effect’ when it comes to nitrates and cancer.
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Your soils – a cornucopia of nutrients?
News
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the soils on your farm provided an endless supply of nutrients that you never had to supplement with any fertiliser? Imagine your farm was a highly productive and resilient enterprise producing highly nutritious, healthy plant and animal products, with little environmental impact, while profitably sustaining your family and local community. Unfortunately, this utopian vision and reality do not always align.
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The importance of having legume in your permanent pasture
News
New Zealand research in the 1970s and 1980s found that even wellmanaged ryegrass/white-clover pastures in New Zealand were nitrogen (N) deficient.
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Protein: The future of sustainable food production
News
There is no doubt that the world faces a major challenge in food production and environmental sustainability. It is estimated that the world needs to produce 70% more food by 2050, and not just more food but nutritionally better food.
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The search for transformation
News
We live in unsettling times, with much of our immediate focus on the impacts of Covid-19. This mega-disruption can easily camouflage longer-term trends in food, agriculture, and broader society, thereby distracting attention from needed strategic transformation.
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Improving nitrogen efficiency with gibberellic acid
News
With new regulations capping pasture nitrogen (N) applications to 190kg N/ha on the horizon, the focus now turns to making the most of the pasture production tools we have at our disposal – in this case gibberellic acid (GA).
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Waste efficiency makes lives easier
News
There’s no doubt that farming on the outskirts of a township comes with its own unique set of challenges. Victoria O’Sullivan talks to Geraldine farmers Neil and Margaret Campbell about the ClearTech effluent treatment system they use to reduce the impact of returning effluent back to pasture.
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Integrating Māori values with environmental solutions
News
Dr Selai Letica, talks about why the shift to Māori values is happening and why it matters.
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You can't compare apples to oranges
News
Environmental award-winning horticulture farming business Woodhaven Gardens is finding a positive pathway forward in a regulatory ‘no man’s land’.
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Covid-19: An essential time to innovate
News
In a world that has grown used to responding to change and volatility, Coronavirus has established a new gold standard for disruption. Orders to lockdown and shelter at home have impacted almost every facet of daily life as governments have sought to break the chain of transmission of the virus.
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Challenges farmers face
News
Coming out of the Covid lockdown, and not to mention drought for much of the country, there are many challenges that farmers face. How those challenges all interact with one another is a challenge in itself.
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Taking control with easy ordering
News
The Greensill Puniho Road Farm is a 90ha dairy farm, with 260 cows producing 450kg of milk solids on a pasture-only diet. Loren Greensill takes us through her approach to nutrient management.
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Mitigating P-loss on sensitive areas
News
In New Zealand’s soils, phosphorus does a great job at growing plants but unfortunately it does the same thing if it makes it into our water. Research aims to help farmers choose the right fertiliser for their type of land and apply it strategically, so it stays on the farm and out of waterways.
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