Environment
Research builds on milk urea nitrogen links
Breeding a more eco-friendly cow can start by selecting cows on their milk urea nitrogen trait which is linked to urinary nitrogen. Words Anne Lee.
Predator Free 2050 fantasy or reality?
Predator Free 2050 is an ambitious goal for New Zealand to achieve in just 25 years. Is it merely a fantasy or could this become our reality? Words Rebecca Greaves.
Farm plantings to get credit for carbon removal
Fonterra will be mapping the trees and plantings across dairy farms this season and will be assigning a carbon value to demonstrate the CO2 being removed from the atmosphere.
Words Sheryl Haitana Photos Michelle Good.
Manage your patch Simple Farm Environmental Plans
The new government has put pause on the roll-out of Freshwater Farm Plans, but what should dairy farmers do now while the water is still going under the bridge with legislation and bureaucracy? Resource management specialist Tammy Deans highlights what dairy farmers should be focused on with their farm environment plans to ensure they’re bringing in freshwater focus. Words Tammy Deans
Going bush on the Canterbury Plains
The benefits could outweigh the complications of re-establishing some of the native forestry across the Canterbury Plains. From attracting native birds and bees for pest control and pollination through to animal welfare wins and market premiums; planting the right species on your farm is worth investigating. Words Delwyn Dickey.
Listening to the land
David Stewart was a displaced Highlander who decided to move his young family to New Zealand in the 1880s after contracting tuberculosis, in the hopes the climate would improve his health. He purchased 80 acres of land at Hiwinui and died soon after from TB, leaving his wife living in a tent with two young kids. Five generations later, the Stewart family remain at Hiwinui and in 2024 have been recognised for their commitment to farm stewardship, winning the Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Regional Supreme Award and the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award. Words Sheryl Haitana Photos Brad Hanson.
A lifetime of vision
Tapping into funding has helped a Northland farm expand on its planting journey.
Words Glenys Christian. Photos Malcolm Pullman.
Change Takes Time
The journey to organic dairy farming, building biodiversity, removing synthetic fertiliser and breathing life back into the soil does not happen overnight, but it starts by digging a hole.
Words Sheryl Haitana & Sarah Perriam-Lampp. Photos Camilla Rutherford, Sentient Imagery & Ella Bailey
Aquifer Puzzle
The Te Waikoropupū Springs has some of the clearest water ever measured and steps are being taken to protect it even further; yet little is known about how the aquifer system feeding it works. Meaning for those making improvements and refining practices to reduce nitrate, there is no scientific method to produce data that proves they are achieving the right results.