The Carbon Positive project is progressing well. We harvested the first crop, sweetcorn for McCain Foods, on 11 April. It was planted just before Christmas and given the season we had, we were reasonably happy with an average yield of around 16 t/ ha. We have not had time to analyse all the data yet,…
Category: Weeds
Carbon Positive
Can we regenerate soil carbon in soils used for intensive field cropping? To scientifically test regenerative farming principles within a typical New Zealand cropping system, we have established a six-year trial on the Heretaunga Plains. The trial at the LandWISE MicroFarm is a collaboration with the Hawke’s Bay Future Farming Trust. The information produced will…
Herbicide Resistance Management
Weed Management Research Herbicide resistant weeds are a real and increasing issue globally and evident in New Zealand. Herbicide resistant ryegrass is for example, a problem in both arable farms and vineyards. We are working with Trevor James and AgResearch in a project focused on improved weed control and vegetation management to minimise future herbicide resistance. The…
Non-Herbicide Weed Management
Dr Charles ‘Merf’ Merfield is running an updated version of his non-chemical weed management workshop. Merf is an international researcher on non-chemical weed management. He has 30 years practical and research experience in non-chemical weed management including inventing a range of weeding machinery. Topics covered include: the context of weed management; essential weed biology and…