Monday, 13 August 2018 13:10

Aiming to improve farmers’ profit and environment

Written by  Nigel Malthus
Midwinter drilling of oats, triticale, and Italian ryegrass in trial test plots at Craigmore Farming’s Te Awa farms in Te Pirita, Canterbury. Midwinter drilling of oats, triticale, and Italian ryegrass in trial test plots at Craigmore Farming’s Te Awa farms in Te Pirita, Canterbury.

Lincoln University-owned research and development company Lincoln Agritech says dairy farmers might improve their environmental footprints and profit through two research projects now underway.

Lincoln Agritech got hefty grants in the latest round of the Ministry of Primary Industry’s Sustainable Farming Fund for two three-year studies that began on July 1. 

One is looking into using winter catch crops to reduce nitrate leaching loss, and the other into using real-time optical sensors to direct variable-rate fertiliser application in dairy pastures.

Dr Peter Carey, who heads the catch crop study, said research already showed farmers could use nitrogen more efficiently while reducing their environmental footprint, by following grazed winter forage crops with a crop that can be lifted for green chop silage in November. The study aims to show how it could be up-scaled from research trials to commercial working farms, and done reliably and consistently, using various crops under various conditions.

“It can be a win-win situation. But traditionally, trying to sow a crop in the middle of winter is not usually encouraged. Often those paddocks have lain fallow until the next sowing of a winter forage crop or pasture in spring.”

Carey says that rain and leaching from grazed winter feed paddocks can cause a major loss of nitrate. 

“It may be only 10% of their farm area, but it may be 40% of their nitrogen loss over that year.”

He says some farmers are experimenting with winter crops but with variable results. They want confidence that it would work, and the study is aimed at producing workable guidelines.

Carey says contractors involved in the study are also enthusiastic, as winter sowing could bring them work at an otherwise quiet time of year.

The study will be trying out new technology -- a power spade plough imported from the Netherlands and designed to manage even wet soils. The spading action helps drive the tractor forward as it works, rather than it relying on tyre traction in muddy ground. 

More like this

Point of View

Dr Amber Parker was guest speaker at the 2024 Southern Pinot Noir Workshop in Hanmer, sharing insights on potential impacts of climate change on viticulture, along with adaptation opportunities, particularly with regard to Pinot Noir. Amber, who is Lincoln University's Director of the Centre for Viticulture and Oenology, shares some of her learnings.

Featured

NZEI unhappy with funding cut for teachers

Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa says that while educators will support the Government’s investment in learning support, they’re likely to be disappointed that it has been paid for by defunding expert teachers.

EU regulations unfairly threaten $200m exports

A European Union regulation ensuring that the products its citizens consume do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide threatens $200m of New Zealand beef and leather exports.

Bionic Plus back on vet clinic shelves

A long-acting, controlled- release capsule designed to protect ewes from internal parasites during the lambing period is back on the market following a comprehensive reassessment.

National

Machinery & Products

New Holland combines crack 50 years

New Holland is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the introduction its Twin Rotor threshing and separation technology, which has evolved…

Iconic TPW Woolpress turns 50!

The company behind the iconic TPW Woolpress, which fundamentally changed the way wool is baled in Australia and New Zealand,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Double standards

OPINION: Imagine if the Hound had called the Minister of Finance the 'c-word' and accused her of "girl math".

Debt monster

OPINION: It's good news that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has slashed $1.1 billion from new spending, citing "a seismic global…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter