NZ farmers face rising urea prices amid global shortage and weak NZ dollar
New Zealand farmers will face higher urea prices this year, mainly on the back of tight global supply and a weak Kiwi dollar.
Exploring the uses, benefits and recent developments of fertiliser will be a key feature of the East Coast Farming Expo next April.
Andrew Hogarth, managing director and chief pilot at Farmers Air, believes any information that assists in better productivity and better use of fertiliser spending can only be a good thing.
“Because we have a large geographical area in productive pastoral hill country, to maintain its productivity it needs fertiliser,” he says.
Farmers Air has recently teamed with an American autonomous unmanned vehicle (UAV) development company (PYKA) and they hope to show the capabilities of UAV aircraft at the expo.
“Farmers Air will have variable/constant rate technology installed in one of its aircraft by February next year and it will be expected along with GPS application technology,” Hogarth says.
“The huge rise of the UAV market could bring huge benefits to our industry, hence our involvement with PYKA.”
He also believes there will be major safety implications in the new technology.
“Increased safety -- not having someone operating an aircraft in the low-level environment and the use of electric engines -- will save money and have better environmental effects.”
The manager of PFP Fertilisers, Andrew de Latour, says farmers will see opportunities to reduce their fertiliser costs and raise farm production and profitability.
PFP plans to tell farmers how they can help them make well-informed and educated decisions about fertilizer; one example is the use of prilled fine particle products.
De Latour says fertiliser can often be the single biggest farm expense.
“Most farmers rely on someone walking up their driveway to tell them how to spend their money. Soil test results are not difficult to understand,” he says.
“Every farmer should be able to look at their soil test results along with any fertiliser recommendation and ask, ‘does it make sense?’ ”
He says it’s important to take the time to help farmers make sense of their soil test results.
PFP will be onsite at the expo with sample products, literature and personalised advice.
A farm nutrient advisor at Nutrilink, Melinda Turner, says she will be pleased to attend the expo for the first time.
“My role as an independent nutrient/fertiliser advisor is to guide farmers towards using the most suitable products to meet their farming objectives in a profitable and economically sustainable manner. Fertiliser makes up a large proportion of each farm’s total expenditure.”
Turner says she wants to ensure farmers limit risk and get value for money from their fertiliser spending by looking at the whole picture from the ground up.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…