Better soils with Brett Petersen Kiwi Fertiliser & Golden Bay Dolomite About eight years ago MAF, Fonterra and the fertiliser co-ops started wasting $10m on nitrogen research. I don’t know how far they got, but if it needs...... Read More

Vet's vision with Phil Rennie Tauranga Vets Two quite different fly species produce most of the blowfly strike in New Zealand. Originally, it was the European Green Blowfly – more recently the Australian Green Blowfly...... Read More

Soil matters with Peter Burton Functional Fertiliser Ltd Change is inevitable, and we are entering an era of unprecedented change with currently-accepted farming practices under review with widespread reform already underway. Unfortunately,...... Read More

Beneath the surface with David Law Forward Farming It began 17 years ago with a passion, and a belief that more grass can be grown with less synthetic nitrogen. As a dairy farmer, I was using 150 units of synthetic nitrogen...... Read More

Hort Talk with Mike Chapman HorticultureNZ CEO We are facing a healthy food crisis in New Zealand – we don’t eat enough healthy food. A Ministry of Health study has found only 40 per cent of us are eating enough...... Read More

Todd Talks with Todd Muller National MP New Zealand is a country built on farming. Yes we are blessed with a benign climate, but the real reason we are the best food producer in the world is our people, and a tradition...... Read More

Finance with Don Fraser Fraser Farm Finance We were fortunate to study at agricultural college under a veterinarian, who’d describe trace element deficiencies in farm animals and then talk about the likely effects on humans. ...... Read More

Outlook with Bill Webb Bill Webb Feed Solutions The countdown till Christmas is on. Lamb prices are looking good, averaging $9 per kg, which is an all-time high; and bulls are just tipping over $6 per kg so the sheep and beef...... Read More

Fert Options with Robin Boom Agronomic Advisory Services Food production worldwide has grown by and large on a par with the increase in human population due to implementation of modern agricultural practices, some of which have...... Read More

Tony’s Take on avos with Tony Bradley Aongatete Avocados Ltd It’s important to get a ‘flush’, or you might call it the ‘spring growth’. This is because it carries next year’s flowers...... Read More

Soil matters with Peter Burton Functional Fertiliser Ltd The saying in the investment world: “You’re either a contrarian or a victim” could equally apply to the farming community. No-one I’ve spoken to...... Read More

Finance with Don Fraser Fraser Farm Finance Apparently, New Zealand is down with Italy and Greece as one of the lowest productivity countries in the OECD. This is frightening! The country has a good surplus of about $7.5 billion,...... Read More

Hort Talk with Mike Chapman HorticultureNZ CEO Current ways and means will not meet the challenges of improving freshwater quality and mitigating climate change. In other words, the current Resource Management Act, and central...... Read More

Beneath the surface with David Law Forward Farming As a biological farming consultant, there is nothing more frustrating than helping a farmer create a healthy effluent pond dominated by good bacteria – only to see someone...... Read More

Better soils with Brett Petersen Kiwi Fertiliser & Golden Bay Dolomite About two-thirds of world carbon emissions come from burning fossil fuels. Over recent time, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 280ppm to...... Read More

Outlook with Bill Webb Bill Webb Feed Solutions Fickle weather is certainly a challenge this year. Soil temperatures have been the lowest we’ve seen for a very long time in September and October. They were sitting at about...... Read More

Your land surveyed with Brent Trail Surveying Services Ltd Subdivision planning on rural land is becoming a much more complex process as the years pass by. It is not just about protecting the productivity of our land. There is...... Read More

Fert Options with Robin Boom Agronomic Advisory Services In recent years some smaller fertiliser importers have been bringing in high analysis phosphatic fertilisers such as triple super, pure dicalcium phosphate, RPR and DAP...... Read More

Todd Talks with Todd Muller National MP I’m currently travelling around the country listening to our frustrated farmers. The message is clear. These last two years have felt like an onslaught from a government that...... Read More