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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.
Three New Zealand agritech companies are set to join forces to help unlock the full potential of technology.
As the sector heads into the traditional peak period for injuries and fatalities, farmers are being urged to "take a moment".
Federated Farmers says almost 2000 farmers have signed a petition launched this month to urge the Government to step in and provide certainty while the badly broken resource consent system is fixed.
Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) programme is underway with approximately 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.
Animal owners can help protect life-saving antibiotics from resistant bacteria by keeping their animals healthy, says the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
According to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), New Zealand red meat exports reached $827 million in October, a 27% increase on the same period last year.
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