Feb 20, 2022 | Articles
It isn’t hard to understand how those representing the best interests of this country’s pastoral farming industry have come to accept that pastoral farming is a net emitter of greenhouse gasses. The public at large appear to have bought the narrative that it is the...
Jan 20, 2022 | Articles
The short and obvious answer is to stop buying it. Where then does nitrogen come from? The atmosphere that we breathe is 78% nitrogen so there’s absolutely no shortage of it. How then do plants get enough of it for maximum growth. Plants grew abundantly long before...
Dec 19, 2021 | Articles
The cost of imported fertiliser products, particularly those containing soluble phosphorus and potassium have lifted sharply in price in the last six months and there is a strong likelihood they will again be more expensive in autumn. After debt servicing fertiliser...
Nov 19, 2021 | Articles
The parallel between the farming situation now and the late 1970’s is eerily similar and comes with a cautionary message. Meat, milk, and wool prices are steadily climbing, however if the pattern follows farmers may still struggle to generate a worthwhile surplus at...
Oct 27, 2021 | News
With supply of fertiliser inputs from overseas becoming increasingly expensive and erratic, it’s worth focusing on our own resources. Magnesium is an essential input on virtually all intensive dairy farms and there is no guarantee that magnesium oxide products, all of...
Aug 4, 2021 | Articles
Every day there are new reports proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that the world is warming at a faster rate than ever before, and although reversible we are getting close to the point of no return. The only way we’re told that the warming process can be reversed is...
Jul 4, 2021 | Articles
Dr. Graham Sparling in his lecture to a packed theatre in 2004 stated, “It’s a sobering thought that our entire high-tech world is ultimately supported by life in the top 20cm of the soil.” Dr. Sparling, then a leading Landcare Research scientist, went on to say that...
Jun 10, 2021 | Articles
Jargon is a mode of speech familiar only to a group or profession. Its widely used by the scientific fraternity, particularly with respect to agriculture, and its effect, whether deliberate or otherwise, has been to limit open discussion. When you are unsure of the...
Apr 3, 2021 | Articles
What should be bothering you most, methane, nitrous oxide, nitrate-nitrogen levels in ground water, carbon sequestration, or the politics of it all? Making sense of any complex situation requires a clear vision of the big picture. With that in place the detail can be...
Mar 10, 2021 | Articles
Below is a recently taken photograph of a Functional Fertiliser client’s property from 2,500ft. The move to organic certification was made in March 2013 with all required nutrients applied annually. Without accurate rainfall data it’s not possible to know whether it’s...
