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COMPANIES AND products certified to Fertmark standards are at an all-time high, but a standard for product spread quality remains elusive, says Fertiliser Quality Council chairman, Neil Barton.
“We continue to try to find a way to get the industry to put on an SGN rating,” he told Rural News.
Barton believes the lack of such a standard stems from a cost of product focus among pastoral farmers, most of whom use contractors to apply nutrients and are either unaware or undervalue the importance of even spread.
“All they’re concerned about is the cost of product applied.”
If more spreaders charged a premium to apply poor or hard to spread material, it would encourage more attention to be paid to product spreadability, and help persuade the major manufacturers that a standard is needed, he adds.
As for Fertmark, which sets nutrient content standards, 14 companies and 51 products are now certified.
“To farm in an environmentally friendly, sustainable way, farmers have to know exactly what they are putting on their land. With Fertmark products they can do just that.
“There is some angst around the use of fertilisers in general but research has shown that our production will drop by up to two thirds if we don’t use fertiliser. That would be catastrophic for the country.
“The issue is to decide what fertiliser to use and farmers should insist on a product with the Fertmark tick before they put anything on their land.”
DairyNZ has pulled together tactics that will help farmers improve on-farm efficiency and have positive benefits for the environment. These tactics are based on research, data, and lessons from leading farmers.
New Zealand farmers will face higher urea prices this year, mainly on the back of tight global supply and a weak Kiwi dollar.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients is expanding its fixed price offer to help customers manage input costs with greater certainty over the coming season.
Research findings published in Europe support the concept of foliar fertilisation or foliar feeding in improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) while maintaining pasture productivity.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has launched SimplyFert, an ex-hub and therefore lower-cost offering said to give its shareholders choice and flexibility for purchasing nutrients.
Acclaimed fruit grower Dean Astill never imagined he would have achieved so much in the years since being named the first Young Horticulturist of the Year, 20 years ago.
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
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