Validation and Practical Implementation of the Nitrachek 404 Have you tried to match soil test strip colours against the colours on the tin, and found yourself wondering if you’re seeing the right shade of purple? Those days of guesswork can be over. The Nitrachek 404 is like having a portable lab right in your paddock….
Category: Nitrate
Cover Crops Survey
With funding from Te Ahikawariki, we teamed up with regional agronomists to ask a number of growers about cover cropping. We wanted to learn what the barriers were to new entrants, and what the ongoing headaches were for those who do use cover crops. Three-quarters of the 32 growers surveyed have been using cover crops…
Carbon Positive: Winter Cover Crops
The cover crops were direct drilled by Kettle Contracting on the 7th of April. The Conventional treatment was planted with Moata annual ryegrass. The Hybrid treatment also has Moata with crimson and Balansa clover added. The Regenerative treatment has the same cover crop mix as the Hybrid treatment with the addition of vetch. As in…
LandWISE Conference Summary – Day 1
The LandWISE Conference, Getting to Carbon Positive, attracted more than 80 people who heard speakers on a wide range of topics related to ongoing sustainability. Day 1 discussed ways to assess our emissions levels, how we can reduce our environmental impact through diverse farming techniques including regenerative practices and soil health, and new research around…
LandWISE Conference Summary – Day 2
The LandWISE Conference, Getting to Carbon Positive, attracted more than 80 people who heard speakers on a wide range of topics related to ongoing sustainability. Day 2 had a strong focus on electrification options to increase profitability and reduce emissions. New Zealand is reaching a point where solar power is the cheapest energy available –…
LandWISE Conference 2025
Getting to Carbon Positive Wednesday 21 – Thursday 22 May Havelock North Function Centre In 2025 we’re delighted to bring you a conference with focuses on regenerative crop production, carbon footprinting, and electrification. We’ll have new technologies to think about and see, we have speakers with proven track records, and we’re looking forward to catching…
Managing our footprint
LandWISE 2025 Getting to Carbon Positive Doing what we can to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions is not about meeting regulations, it is about meeting the expectations of our markets and others in our supply chains (and ourselves and the planet!). Most large companies must report on their own emissions and those of their suppliers…
Regenerative Cropping and Biological Factors
At LandWISE 2025 you’ll hear about regenerative cropping systems (however they be defined, or not), soil carbon and sequestration, and the use of cover crops in vegetable and arable systems. Add in the role of biology and ecology in pest and disease management, and some new systems and gadgets to monitor crop pests, soil nitrates…
LandWISE/Te Ahikawariki Projects
LandWISE has three pilot projects being run with Te Ahikawariki, the Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence based in Pukekohe. The projects include cover cropping, soil stability testing and use of a device to read nitrate test strips more accurately. Te Ahikawariki/VICE is a government-funded project that is setting up a cutting-edge vegetable research farm in…
February 2025 MicroFarm Update
McCain Foods Green Beans Planting Dwarf green beans for McCain Foods were planted in all treatments on the 28th of December. All treatments were planted in beans, Conventional and Hybrid treatments ex. peas, and the Regen treatment ex. cover crop/fallow. All treatments were disc ripped and rolled one month before planting and regrowth sprayed out…