Josh Wing is a Senior Agronomist with Harvest Moon in Tasmania, bringing more than 30 years of agricultural experience to vegetable production. Raised on a mixed family farm conducting dairy, beef, potatoes and raspberry production, Josh developed a deep respect for the land and the environment from an early age. Reflecting this connection to nature,…
Category: Pests
Winter Cover Crops
After the 2025-2026 butternut crop was harvested, the Regenerative treatment received Omya Calciprills (150 kg/ha), Sulphur (30 kg/ha), Boron (10 kg/ha), and Humates (5 kg/ha). This mix has been applied annually to stimulate soil microbes for good soil health. Thanks to Websters Hydrated Lime for supplying the micronutrients again. All three treatments were then disced…
A Lighter Touch Biodiversity Field Walk
If you’re a grower or someone interested in biodiversity planting to support pest management, we’re hosting one of the A Lighter Touch (New Zealand) Biodiversity Grower Group Field Walks at the LandWISE MicroFarm on the 19th of March from 10-12 pm. We’ll look at our bio-strips which are made up of different mixes, were planted…
Biodiversity Strips Update
We established two new biodiversity strips on the MicroFarm in 2025, in addition to the two from 2024. One of the new strips, which is located under the irrigator wire, includes alyssum, calendula, and native ground covers. The other strip which is along a fenceline has the A Lighter Touch annual flower strip mix, which includes alyssum,…
Carbon Positive: Butternut Planting to Side Dressing
Planting The butternuts in the Carbon Positive trial were planted on the 15th of November. Before the butternuts emerged, there was a high weed pressure in the conventional treatment. Therefore, it was sprayed with Buster, while the other two treatments were not. Emergence When the butternuts started to emerge, we noticed there was cutworm damage…
MicroFarm Biodiversity Update
Moblie insectaries In 2024, mobile insectary pods were set up to provide a source of shelter, nectar, alternative hosts and pollen (SNAP) for beneficial insects. This was done by using the ‘how to’ guide from A Lighter Touch and with support from Olivia Prouse. The four pods have five native plants each, made up of…
Carbon Accounting in Carbon Positive
One way to track greenhouse gas emissions is through carbon accounting. Carbon accounting quantifies carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions. We have been tracking the relative emissions from each of the three different management systems applied in our Carbon Positive trial. There are three scopes within carbon accounting: Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope…
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…
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…
Events of Interest
LandWISE Events Carbon Positive Field Walks We hold regular open field walks for our community to visit the Carbon Positive research plots, hear updates and contribute to future plans. Our email LandWISE Updates give details – sign up to receive notifications. LandWISE Events Archive Others’ Events Merfield Agronomy Physical and Ecological Weed Management Workshop Tuesday…