New pasture guide launched to support farmers in a changing climate
A new publication has been launched that offers a comprehensive and up-to-date resource on commercially available grazing pasture species in New Zealand.
More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.
Whenua Haumanu is led by Massey University and funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries though the sustainable farming fund and is now in year three of a seven-year programme.
The purpose of Whenua Haumanu is to measure multiple aspects throughout the farm system, exploring how different pasture mixes and management practices impact on such things as soil biology, diversity and structure. It is also looking at pasture growth, quality and persistence, nutrient leaching, methane and nitrous oxide emissions, animal production, health and welfare and the quality of milk, meat and wool products.
As part of this they are trialling contemporary and regenerative farming practices across both standard and diverse pastures on several research sites at Massey University.
Professor Danny Donaghy of Massey is heading the project and says he was delighted at the huge turnout for the field day which included scientists and students from Australia, South America and Asia. It also attracted huge interest from industry groups and rural professionals as well as farmers. It was a busy day for those attending the field day and buses were laid on to take people in the morning to the dairy farm where trials are taking place and after lunch to sheep plots.
Professor Donaghy says the constant question that he and his keep asking is ‘so what‘, meaning that they need to keep the focus of their research on gathering data that will ultimately benefit farmers.
![]() |
---|
Visitors to the Whenua Haumanu open day walking to the dairy farm. |
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…