Yealands Wines Leads Carbon Reduction Drive with Innovative Sustainability Strategy
Reducing emissions is a constant battle at Yealands Wines in the Awatere Valley, with nearly 20 years chipping away at carbon.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it is seeking research proposals to help improve New Zealand’s reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses.
The annual funding round for the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research (GHGIR) fund is now open, with $2.9 million of funding available for new GHGIR projects in the 2024/25 financial year.
MPI director of programmes and planning, policy and trade, Stephanie Preston says the fund focuses on improving knowledge of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure the best possible data is available to help manage New Zealand’s emissions and inform policy decisions.
“This year we’re looking for very specific proposals in 10 priority areas, ranging from improving liveweight estimation of sheep and beef to exploring remote sensing methods of collecting data, such as using satellite data to measure feed type and quality,” Preston says.
The priorities for this year’s funding round include non-forest land-use emissions model; a review and improvements to energy equations and intake; new afforestation and deforestation intentions survey; seasonal dairy supplementary feed data intake; and improved activity data and parameters for deer.
Preston says the outcomes will inform MPI’s reporting to the New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the United Nations under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory reports on human-induced emissions and removals of greenhouse gases for energy, industrial processes, agriculture, land use, land use change and forestry, and waste.
The inventory is produced by government agencies, with MPI responsible for producing the chapter on agricultural emissions. The report is submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat each year.
A Local State of Emergency has been declared for the Waikato for a period of seven days as the region prepares for Cyclone Vaianu to hit the area.
Farmers will get an opportunity to hear about the latest developments in sheep genetics at the Sheep Breeder Forum this May.
Specialist horticulture and viticulture weather forecasters Metris says the incoming Cyclone Vaianu is likely to impact growers across the country.
A group of old Otago uni mates with a love of South Island back-country have gone the lengths of Waiau Toa Clarence from source to sea. Tim Fulton, who joined the group in the final fun to the river mouth, tells their story.
Operating with a completely different format from conventional tractors and combine harvesters, the NEXAT prime mover combines all steps of crop production in one modular carrier vehicle, from tillage, through seeding to harvesting.
Reports of severe weather forecast to move over the vast majority of New Zealand’s kiwifruit orchards this weekend will be very concerning for a significant number of growers.

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