Displaying items by tag: Bala Tikkisetty

OPINION: Soil is one of the most valuable assets that a farmer has. It is our collective responsibility to make use of soils without damaging either the soil or any other part of our environment, protecting them for our own use and use by future generations.

OPINION: Good nutrient management will keep nutrients cycling within the farm system and reduce losses to the environment to the bare minimum.

OPINION: One teaspoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people in the world and New Zealand loses about 192 million tonnes of soil to the ocean every year.

This should be the decade to focus on sediment loss to reduce its impact on the wider environment.

Waikato Regional Council senior technical advisor Bala Tikkisetty says soil is the most important resource to any nation, more importantly for farmers.

Decline in soil physical properties takes considerable expense and many years to correct, and can increase the risk of soil erosion by water or wind.

OPINION: Environmental and economic performance and sustainability of our agriculture, including forestry, can be greatly influenced by soil quality.

OPINION: Wetlands are like giant kidneys, protecting the health of waterways by helping dilute and filter harmful material.

Spring has sprung and with it comes an increased risk of nutrients leaving farms due to high rainfall, low pasture growth, lots of stock urine being deposited, soil compaction and pugging.

OPINION: Wet and wild winter weather can place increased pressure on the banks of waterways, increasing the risk of them being eroded. This can harm water quality and disrupt ecosystems that support biodiversity and water quality.