Science Snippet: The complexities of vineyard nitrogen nutrition
Di-ammonium phosphate is frequently added to grape juice at the start of fermentation to ensure yeast have adequate nitrogen to complete fermentation.
Australian dairy farmers are backing a new five-year research project looking into reducing the reliance on nitrogen fertilisers used in pasture production.
The High Intensity Grass-fed Herds (HIGH) project identifies positive outcomes for pasture-based dairy farms by reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and improving milk production efficiency from low-cost grazed pasture systems.
Other elements of the project are focused on adding economic value for non-replacement dairy cows, as well as the enhancement and development of people and skills.
The project has seen the construction of a purpose-built dairy at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Dairy Research Facility at Elliott in north west Tasmania and the establishment of four new farmlets (or mini farms), to research strategies for reducing reliance on synthetic fertiliser and its impacts under real farm conditions.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
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