Why nutrient inputs demand a rethink, April 2013

There are a number of certainties we all live by and right now the two that spring to mind are: future weather patterns cannot accurately be predicted, and dry spells are eventually followed by significant rain. A philosophy that we adopted years ago and is the basis...

6 reasons why farmers require more money, March 2013

Based on a payment of $6.00 per kg of Milk Solids, a 114ha dairy property producing close to 1,000kgMS/ha will receive a total of $668,040 income from milk alone. Unfortunately even at this payout a significant percentage of dairy farmers have expenses that exceed...

What we can learn from the clover root weevil February 2013

With the gap steadily closing between the cost of producing a kilogram of milk solids and the amount of money received the arrival of the clover root weevil this season is unwelcome. Healthy clover in a permanent clover rye grass pasture is capable of fixing more than...

A summer moisture-loss solution 9th January 2013

Jon Morgan in an article in The Dominion late last year claimed that nitrate nitrogen was the “elephant in the room” with regard to water quality.  It is and will remain so until it is recognised and accepted that excessive use of nitrogen fertiliser brings about a...

Better quality with higher production, Dec 2012

There is a widespread misconception that improving the quality of what we grow and produce from the land will result in lower volumes. This argument is used by supporters and users of conventional growing systems to justify a regime that increasingly struggles with...