Discussion

As published in Grower May 2011 Dan Bloomer and James Powrie – LandWISE Inc. Two days after harvest in poor weather conditions, worm castings covered the ground driven on by bean harvesters. We were at Hugh Ritchie’s farm in Central Hawke’s Bay.  It was one of those times when we see a farmer really benefit from changes they have ... READ MORE

As published in Grower June 2011 Dan Bloomer and James Powrie – LandWISE Inc. “Agriculture is the business to be in,” Hew Dalrymple told 115 delegates at the 9th LandWISE conference in Havelock North. Hew painted an exciting picture of high global demand for food and outlined some of the technologies he is adopting to be a better ... READ MORE

As printed in Grower February 2011 James Powrie and Dan Bloomer LandWISE Inc. In November LandWISE, FAR and Horticulture NZ held combined field visits to 7 cropping farms.  Visual soil assessments were performed at a range of sites and discussions held about what was seen. Each farm is experiencing common challenges with soil quality.  All of ... READ MORE

As published in March 2011 Grower Dan Bloomer, LandWISE Farmers are under constant pressure from the community. You hear and see it in the media everyday. “Cut food prices!” “Stop sucking our rivers dry!” “Produce more food!” We hear of fully allocated water, peak oil, peak phosphate, and rising populations with higher and higher ... READ MORE

Ponding of surface runoff from rainfall and irrigation can reduce crop production. The ‘Holding it together’ project addresses this. Plant & Food Research and LandWISE are working with growers on ways to reduce surface ponding, improve soil quality and increase returns. MAF Sustainable Farming Fund, Fresh Vegetable Product Group ... READ MORE

As printed in December Grower James Powrie and Dan Bloomer LandWISE Inc. Four tonnes less soil is going to the packhouse from each hectare of potatoes. It’s a result pleasing the team at A S Wilcox in Pukekohe. Over the past two years A S Wilcox has been working on a controlled traffic system for potatoes and onions.  Helped by high accuracy ... READ MORE

Last week LandWISE completed a national round of field discussions in conjunction with HortNZ and FAR. The round started at Lawson’s Organic Farms in Hastings and finished at Peter and Emma McCracken’s farm at Rangiora where they grow onions, cauliflower, pumpkins, lucerne and maize. Discussions were focused on soil care and cost ... READ MORE

As published in Grower November 2010 “We’re not buying GPS, it’s a — waste of money” said Gordon Sue to his sons Nigel and Travis on their family farm in Levin last year.  After the debate, they put their first high accuracy GPS and auto steering into one of their tractors.   It is paying off with better use of time, money and ... READ MORE

Scott Shaw, Plant and Food Research Maintaining soil pH within acceptable limits is important for crop performance. For most crops this is somewhere between 5.5 and 7.0, which ensures nutrients are freely available to plants and that mineral toxicities don’t occur. Equally, we know that soil conditions in paddocks can be variable and this ... READ MORE

Global pressure on agricultural land, water, nutrients and energy are all intensifying, while increased demand for food follows population growth.  LandWISE sees advanced farming systems as a key to improving sustainability and profit in the face of these challenges. You might decide to join LandWISE because: When you join LandWISE you join an ... READ MORE