Special Reports

Variable rate fertiliser application is a key component to reducing overall fertiliser volume and reducing overall spend.
Words Sheryl Haitana

Optimising soil fertility to support pasture growth is a first principles approach for Kieran and Leonie Guiney. They are managing fertiliser cost while meeting return expectations for themselves and their sharemilking partners.
Words Anne Lee

An effluent system upgrade at the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) is helping to make more effective use of the $13,000- $14,000 worth of nutrients cows deposit on the yard and farm dairy each year.
Words Anne Lee

A joint research programme between New Zealand and Ireland that started in February 2024 aims to better understand methane emissions from pasture-based systems.
Words Jane Kay

AgResearch is looking at how concentrates alter methane emissions.
Words Anne Lee

When times are tough on the farm, fertiliser may be one of the items left off the shopping list.
Words Kerry Dwyer

Finding a marker or proxy in a dairy cow that correlates with low or high methane is the big prize.
Words Delwyn Dickey

Dairy farmers wishing to phase out bobby calves will need to raise animals that will compete with other land uses. Sheryl Haitana reports.

While some fertiliser costs are softening, global volatility is not going away and neither are the inbuilt costs for the industry to improve its environmental footprint. Words by Sheryl Haitana.

If you measure it, you can manage it and in tighter times managing it well can mean significant savings. When reviewing your fertiliser policy, ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck, protecting the environment and highlighting areas where savings are possible.
Words Anne Lee