Massey University to upskill teachers amid rising ag subject demand
There's been unprecedented demand from secondary school students across the country to study agricultural related subjects.
Massey University has come up with a simple and cost effective way of stopping sediment and phosphorus getting into rivers and lakes.
Professor Chris Anderson demonstrated the solution at Fieldays, using a model to show how it's done. It involves creating a bund or small wall at the bottom of a slope where water off a hillside flows.
For example, this could be at the bottom of a gully where there isn't a stream.
He says the model gives the impression of a small creek, but in reality this is not the case.
Rather, Anderson says it's a depression where heavy rain water flows but it is not permanently wet and water just soaks away over a short period of time.
"The aim is to show in simple terms that one of the big problems when we lose soil from our landscapes in NZ is that this sediment also contains phosphorous," he explains.
Anderson says the 'containment bund' detains the rain water for a short period only - maybe three days - and then it drains away leaving the sediment behind. He says the good news for farmers is that because it is just a bund and not a dam, farmers don't need to get a consent.
Anderson adds that because the water contained in the bund is only there for a few days, there is also no need to fence the area.
"When the water behind the bund dries out, the sediment that is left behind can be grassed over or a cover crop planted and nutrients left behind can be used to good effect."
He says the idea is not new, but Massey University has been promoting it because it provides a simple and effective solution to a significant problem. Anderson says a catchment group of farmers in Rotorua have been using this approach as part of a project to better understand landscapes and improve environmental outcomes.
He says the good news is that the system meets all the requirements of the Government's water regulations and is simple to implement.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
From 1 October, new livestock movement restrictions will be introduced in parts of Central Otago dealing with infected possums spreading bovine TB to livestock.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.