New Company ASTEC to Supply Asparagopsis Seaweed for Methane Research
A new company set up to cultivate and supply seaweed for animal methane mitigation studies believes it could be a game changer for the dairy industry.
OPINION: Research across the ditch has found that seaweed doesn’t just make a tasty wrap for sushi rolls.
Australian researchers found that feeding it to cows can slash methane pollution from the animals’ burps by over 50%.
Researchers worldwide have been investigating different ways to make cows’ burps more environmentally friendly, and some, like the Australian researchers, have proven that red seaweed could be a gamechanger
As the Guardian reported, a 200-day trial at the Kerwee Feedlot near Brisbane, Australia — one of the longest commercial trials of the red seaweed additive so far — found feeding cows a supplement derived from Asparagopsis, a type of red seaweed, more than halved methane released from the cattle.
On day 29 of the trial, cows given the supplement produced 91% less methane — the largest reduction measured during the study.
Farmlands has reported higher operating earnings and a profit before income tax of $4.5 million, up 118.9%, for the year ended 30 June 2026.
AgriZeroNZ has invested a further NZ$17.7 million in methane vaccine developer ArkeaBio and NZ$5.1 million in BioLumic, a New Zealand-founded company that uses ultraviolet light to develop low-emissions pasture..
Good news for Fonterra farmers. The co-op has raised this season’s farmgate milk price mid-point by 25c to $9.75/kgMS.
OPINION: Political parties are getting plenty of advice and recommendations from sector groups as the election approaches.
In farming there are external factors that can influence behaviour of a whole herd, such as a bad weather event, triggering false positive heat detections or health attentions.
For Canterbury dairy farmer Cameron Henderson, supporting Meet the Need comes down to a simple question: how can the success of New Zealand farming benefit more than just those within the industry?
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.