Last year a survey was done on soil stability and disturbance in Waikato using aerial photographs taken in 2012. Here's what was found.

One teaspoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people in the world. Without this biological diversity there would be no life on earth.

The age-old practice of building barriers is useful in the modern context of protecting Waikato’s waterways, especially as we collectively move to beef up our guardianship of lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater.

With the winter tree-planting season just around the corner, it’s timely to look at the many farming ‘fruits’ they can provide -- besides any real ones.

Intensive farming practices can discharge lots of contaminants – notably nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and pathogens – into our waterways.

Winter is a critical time for livestock farmers, with increased risk of erosion and sediment getting into waterways.

Knowing the soil has always been the basis of good farming because the soil is the foundation of the production system.

Winter's end is a time for cultivating paddocks; this must be done well to prevent sediment and excessive nutrients getting into waterways from the land.

The spring months, as soils warm up, are when the work of fertilising begins.

Good soils are at the heart of farming in Waikato.