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Mark Wynne.
Ballance chief executive Mark Wynne says criticism of the nutrient management tool Overseer is “very old-school”.
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.”
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has released its latest fertiliser outlook, detailing some of the current global trends influencing fertiliser supply. Ballance head of procurement Shane Crean takes part in a Q&A in the report:
Ballance Agrinutrients chief executive Kelvin Wickham says despite a tough year, he is pleased the business has returned to profit.
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.
OPINION: New Zealand agriculture has always been built on partnerships.
OPINION: For many Kiwi farmers, the nutrients our farmers need simply arrive when they are needed, get applied when conditions suit, and are largely viewed as one part of the rhythm of the farming year.
In Dacre, near Invercargill in New Zealand’s South Island, Bruce Dinnington is running a dairy operation unlike any other.
A free online platform aggregating governance vacancies across rural and regional New Zealand has been launched.
Environment Minister Nicola Grigg has announced details of a new rural plastics recycling scheme.
Agricultural drone operators say that a government decision to allow lower-risk drone work without certification won’t lower standards but drive innovation and efficiency.
OPINION: Warning bells are ringing in the arable sector.
Farmgate lamb prices are down by 8%, beef cattle by 4.5% and farm expenditure up by 4.2%.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.
