Global interest in biological farming
An invited presentation from a New Zealand professor on Biological Farming was well received by the Hindu business community and investors from around the world.
THE DAIRY industry is funding a scoping study into biological farming systems.
DairyNZ will sponsor the study by New Zealand Biological Farming Systems Research Centre (NZBFSRC). The study will identify research interests and needs on biological farming systems in New Zealand. This will be done by contacting farmers, firms and other research organisations who have been working in the area of sustainable farming.
The scoping study will help to identify areas of research where biological farming will add to the sustainability of New Zealand farming. It will identify independently verified research that has already been done on biological farming systems in relation to New Zealand dairy farming and aim to put science behind the various claims around bio farming.
NZBFSRC's Gifford McFadden says stakeholder input is vital for this and for future research on sustainable farming systems.
Participants at last month's first national conference are being contacted for their input.
"The stakeholder list includes well known consultants among the farming community who raised interesting questions about biological farming," says McFadden.
Following the announcement of the establishment of NZBFSRC, there were a number of positive responses from farmers, companies dealing with biological fertiliser, researchers, and the general public, says the centre's senior scientist Guna Magesan.
The NZBFSRC is the trade name of the Rotorua Lakes and Land Trust Inc (RLLT), a joint venture between Te Arawa Federation of Maori Authorities and Rotorua/Taupo Federated Farmers.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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