Four-Year Trial Confirms Plantain Cuts N Losses 33%
A four year trial has reaffirmed that mixing plantain into dairy pastures can help reduce nitrogen losses to freshwater while maintaining milk production and profitability, say researchers.
Critics are not aware of where Overseer is today, he says.
“Overseer is moving rapidly into a much more user-friendly tool; the science remains the complex part but the user face is much easier.”
Wynne says New Zealand had a choice: either control the input of nutrients as in Europe, or model the output of nutrients.
“In NZ we’ve chosen the outcome approach that allows farmers to be more entrepreneurial; it’s a messy journey to get where we want to be but the trends are right.
“Overseer is the tool for the job; it’s a modeling approach and works well.
“We have hitched our wagon to Overseer; it will be the core measurement tool used in NZ for a long time.”
