HBT - Rural Focus July 2019

RURAL

FOCUS Hawke’s Bay July 2019

Spotlight on our region’s rural sector

First with the Bay’s news

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

Welcome H

i and welcome to the winter edition of Rural Focus.

We have an interesting selection of thought provoking and

Index informative articles for you to browse at your leisure, perhaps while you’re curled up by the fire with a nice hot cuppa?

Page 3 Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay President Jim Galloway raises some interesting questions regarding forestry planting skewing the land use equation, along with a discussion on the Zero Carbon Bill.

Page 4 Simon Marshall of Vet Services Hawke’s Bay provides some useful information on the signs of nitrate poisoning in cattle and sheep, and testing services available.

Page 5 Recently Chris Hursthouse won the inaugural Rural Directions Hawke’s Bay Shepherd of the Year award.

Chris is chairman of Tikokino Young Farmers and keen on encouraging young people to consider careers in the primary sector.

Page 6

Mulching in a cover crop trial at the LandWISE MicroFarm, Hastings.

Simon Curran

Aaron White of Power Farming Hawke’s Bay introduces the latest Deutz-Fahr tractor ideally suited to orchardists and viticulturists.

Page 8

CEO of Horticulture New Zealand Mike Chapman discusses our water crisis and comments on four local water security schemes recently announced

by Government.

Page 10

Adam Jerram has just completed the last paper of his NZ Diploma in Agribusiness Management at EIT. He explains the benefits of his new knowledge.

Page 12

Susan Kilsby ANZ Agriculture Economist reviews the region’s strengths, looks at exports and opportunities for local horticultural diversification.

Page 12

Georgina Griffiths of MetService reviews the autumn weather and compares rainfall statistics.

Page 14

We review the work conducted by LandWISE and take a look at some of their ongoing research.

Cover photo Getty Images

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Subsidies, ETS skewing land use equation

By Jim Galloway, Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay President

T

here has been no shortage of local issues for the Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay province of late – there’s the Tukituki water issues, the looming decision on the Water Conservation Order and debates heating up in the countdown to local government elections, to name a few.

But I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about two (intertwined) issues that are hugely important not just in our region, but across the nation: the response to climate change, and the worrying trend of productive farmland being swallowed by forestry.

Federated Farmers and its members have no problem with trees being planted on marginal and erosion-prone land, for shade and shelter and being incorporated for harvest as part of a farm’s income diversification. However, the evidence from districts such as the King Country, Wairarapa, Tararua and Wairoa is that it is heading well beyond that.

It just goes to show that subsidies, however well-intentioned, can bring perverse outcomes. The government’s One Billion Trees planting grants, with the added incentive of carbon unit revenue that can be gained under the Emissions Trading Scheme, is skewing land use and purchase decisions. The result of productive livestock

farms being replaced by pinus radiata will be the hollowing out of rural communities.

An urgent review of the government’s policy settings in this space is needed.

Trees don’t go to school, don’t join the local rugby club and don’t result in nearly the same employment levels as livestock and arable farms (some suggest the difference is as high as 1 versus 7 jobs per 1000 ha).

Meanwhile, we’re urging local farmers and others who care about rural New Zealand to have their say on the Zero Carbon Bill before the deadline for submissions, 16 July.

It’s a puzzle and a frustration that farmers who plant trees in riparian strips, in gullies with small watercourses, and in other ways that protect the environment, so often don’t qualify for carbon unit recognition because the trees aren’t in one big clump, or are of a type that don’t grow tall enough to meet some bureaucrat’s definition. With LiDAR technology, we have the ability to measure such tree planting, and take it into account for carbon sequestering purposes.

While Federated Farmers supports the overall intent of the Bill, we do not agree with the current targets for methane (a 10% reduction by 2030, and up to 47% by 2050). The best available research indicates that because of the short half-life of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, a net 3% reduction of methane by 2030, and 10% by 2050, is all that is needed for it to have no additional warming impact.

Targets that go beyond that, in the absence of the mitigation technologies that are still

being developed, will lead to reduced food production on our shores – and that’s a loss not just for farmers and our economy, but the global warming battle. New Zealand is a very efficient producer of agricultural products. Any policy which reduces agricultural production in New Zealand will lead to greater production from less efficient nations, leading to increased global emissions. This is known as emissions leakage and must be avoided.

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

Nitrate poisoning – Be careful!

Simon Marshall-Veterinarian Vet Services Hawke’s Bay & Dannevirke

N

itrate poisoning can cause significant stock losses. A quick and easy test of plant nitrate levels in one of clinics can help avoid disaster.

Plants are the main source of nitrate to cattle and sheep. Usually plants take up nitrate from the soil and quickly use it, however when a plant’s energy supply is low; nitrate will accumulate within the plant. The sun is the major source of plants energy and thus it is on cloudy, overcast days that nitrate levels are likely to increase in plants.

Frost, application of nitrate fertiliser and wilting during drought can also lead to increased nitrate levels in plants. Ryegrass, cereal grasses and Brassica species (e.g. turnip and kale) are some of the plants commonly associated with nitrate poisoning.

Nitrate levels are highest in young plants and in the stalks and roots of plants.

Bacteria in the rumen of cattle and sheep rapidly convert nitrate however when this pathway is overwhelmed there is a build-up. This excess is absorbed into the blood stream where it lowers the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Essentially the animals can’t oxygenate their tissues properly and this is the cause of death.

Clinical signs of nitrate poisoning include: salivation, diarrhoea, urine dribbling,

rapid breathing, collapse, seizure and death. Abortions can occur in animals that survive.

Death can occur as quickly as one hour post eating the crop and up to one day post.

Stock should be removed quickly but carefully from the suspect source, don’t push them and stress them as this will exacerbate clinical signs. Contact your vet as soon as possible.

The nitrate levels of plants can be tested in our clinics. The full test takes about thirty five minutes to complete and will give you a quick up to date snapshot of whether the crop is safe to feed. Make sure that you provide samples of the whole plant- that way we can test both the leaf and the stalk and make a more accurate recommendation.

Remember that nitrate poisoning can also occur when livestock are grazing grass.

When moving onto new pasture; don’t move them hungry. A hungry animal is more likely to rapidly consume large amounts of new plant and is more susceptible to the effects of nitrate. Also, feeding later in the day allows the plants more sunlight hours to utilise the nitrate resulting in lower levels of nitrate in the plant.

If you aren’t sure if your crops are safe to feed, please, please get them tested!

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

5

Introducing Chris Hursthouse

By Chrys Ayley

C

hris Hursthouse, 22, was pleasantly surprised to hear that he was the winner of the inaugural Rural Directions Hawke’s Bay Shepherd of the Year award. The announcement was made on May 2 at the field day of Jason Daly and Louise Harvey, winners of the Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year.

Chris says he entered as a learning experience. “It was great to reflect on my career and what I had learned so far from my tutors, co-workers, my employers and others in the agricultural industry.

The competition helped me to be clearer about my future goals and I enjoyed being able to meet with the judges who are successful people in the industry.”

While his long term goal is farm ownership in the short term the young shepherd, who works for the R+C Buddo Trust in Poukawa, is eager to learn as much as he can. He says he’s lucky to have worked for people who are happy to share their knowledge. Chris has gained several certificates in agriculture and plans to return to study at a later date.

“My goals for the next 5 years are focused on continuing to develop my skills and farming knowledge through study and practical experience. I particularly want to further develop my

understanding of the business aspects of farming and my current position and my supportive boss, Rob Buddo, provides great scope for this.”

The team at Poukawa finish around 13,000 winter/spring lambs, 2,000 summer/autumn lambs and 500 bulls.

“We have a big emphasis on taking a high quality product to the market through significant use of forage crops.” Chris particularly enjoys ensuring that high quality products get to a top end market.

“I love working outdoors on the land and with animals, which is what drew me to farming in the first place.”

Chris is very involved with the Tikokino Young Farmers Club and is currently chairman, having previously been treasurer. Having been geographically and socially isolated in a previous job Chris knows how important it is for young people working on the land to have social contact. He knows what it feels like to be socially isolated having worked in Kereru on a no exit road with a long drive to town.

While working at Kereru he was encouraged to attend a meeting and has become very passionate about getting together with like-minded youngsters for “a beer, a yarn and a feed.” He feels it’s important to have time to develop off farm interests so that “you aren’t always doing, thinking and talking about work”.

The Tikokino Young Farmers meet on the first Wednesday of every month at the Sawyers Arms and all are welcome to attend. They try and make it as welcoming for people as possible so that it’s not too daunting for people on their own. Chris says that members come from all walks of life, although many are associated in some way with the land or primary industries.

He finds it a great way to connect with the local community and with other farmers, as well as learning about club administration.

Club members take part in fundraising activities to help Kereru and Tikokino schools and to bolster their own funds.

There are plenty of social outings too,

such as mid-winter functions, trips to see the Magpies and paintball games. Very shortly they will be attending a technical skills training day.

Chris believes that it’s a good idea to encourage youth to aim high and is keen to help promote next year’s Shepherd of the Year competition. He’s also somewhat of a champion for encouraging youth to the industry as it’s a great career path, rewarding, and there are plenty of opportunities, he says.

If anyone would like to chat to Chris about Young Farmers or anything related to the industry he’s happy to help.

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

Perfect for orchards and vineyards

P

ower Farming Hawke’s Bay Dealer Principal Aaron White is pleased to announce that the award winning 2019 Deutz Fahr 5D range has arrived in Hastings and there are two tractors at their Omahu Road facility ready to be inspected and test driven.

They have been specifically designed for vineyards and orchards and demonstrations can be organized on site with Aaron.

“These highly innovative specialist tractors will meet the most exacting demands of both vineyard and orchard operators in Hawke’s Bay,” Aaron says.

This exciting new series run the SDF Group FARMotion engine in 3 or 4 cylinder common-rail layouts with power ranging from 88 to 113hp. They also have electronic control, charge air cooling, DOC exhaust gas treatment and am eVisco cooling fan. In total there are 18 models available and in three configurations.

“They’re good looking and have a new style bonnet, an ergonomic cab with all new styling, a range of engines, a front suspension option, a range of different widths and a 40km road speed.”

“The front support has new geometry which ensures an axle steering angle up to 60 degrees. They also have the

shortest wheelbases in their class which makes the 5D range the most agile available.”

There are plenty of technical highlights like independent suspension on the front axle, ECO powershift transmission and diverse hydraulic options.

There are attachment areas at the front, middle and rear. With up to 2,800 kg lift capacity at the rear and 1,500kg at the front, all possible combinations of equipment can easily be moved and there’s plenty of scope for attaching sprayers and trimmers.

The cabs are comfortable and offer maximum visibility in every direction along with a one-piece windscreen and all round glazing.

Inside the engineers have managed to minimize noise. There’s a sophisticated air conditioning system and new seat options for the driver. The cab is slim and compact plus there are no sharp edges that could damage crops.

There’s an impressive array of features that are best appreciated in person, Aaron says.

Power Farming Hawke’s Bay has the back-up needed with field mechanics and service people. It’s a significant operation with 19 staff in parts, sales, administration and 11 in the workshop.

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

Water capture, storage and use

By Mike Chapman, Chief Executive, Horticulture New Zealand

P

aradoxically we are facing a water crisis in all of our key growing areas in New Zealand. Unlike most of the world our water crisis is not that we do not have enough water. Our water crisis is we do not capture, store and use our water to sustain our rural economy and meet the ever increasing urban demands. According to NIWA, 80% of New Zealand’s rainfall runs out to sea, 18% evaporates and only 2% is actually used. We therefore have virtually unlimited potential to make much better use of rainfall.

In many regions the prospect of water takes being compulsorily reduced is real, but unnecessary. Then there is the challenge to get new and renewed water consents. In addition we face the likelihood of increased droughts due to the impact of climate change. Water is a critical element to feed New Zealand. Getting this message across to Government is one of our top priorities at present: water capture and storage is a must for New Zealand’s future sustainability.

Therefore the recent announcement by the Government that $30.6 million has been allocated to four water security schemes across the Hawke’s Bay region is an excellent start to meeting the challenge of feeding New Zealand and for horticulture to continue to make vital export earnings.

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Water storage has many advantages including meeting the ever increasing demands from urban New Zealand for a reliable water supply. One the key advantages from water storage is its contribution to environmental sustainability. This is because during time of heavy rain fall water is captured and stored reducing the impacts of flooding and silting of rivers making it all but impossible for the survival of fish and aquatic species. Then when there is drought the stored water can be used to maintain river and stream flows to enable aquatic life and fish to survive. In addition, for horticulture it means that crops can continue to be grown and quality maintained.

There are many ways in which to store water and this grant from Government is a good example of that, with $14.7 million being allocated to develop a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project in Central Hawke’s Bay. The genius in recharging the aquifer is not only that expensive infrastructure does not have to be developed, but the aquifer also acts as a distribution system. The recharge operation is only doing what nature itself would do, but doing it in a faster and more efficient way.

Some of the funding has also been allocated to small-scale storage options in

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this case for the Heretaunga acquirer that supplies water to Napier and Hastings.

This demonstrates that water capture and storage options can take many forms depending on how they enhance existing supply options. Larger scale water storage options should also not be discounted but should be assessed, as with all storage options, on their merits and what enhancements and certainty they bring to current supply options and environmental sustainability.

As we meet the challenges of climate change and feeding New Zealand we will need to build many more water storage schemes. The cost and scale of what is required is such that only the Government working with local communities can

achieve what will be needed for our very survival. We therefore should see more water storage options being supported by our Government.

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The keys to building a successful agribusiness A

fter two and half years of studying, Adam Jerram has just submitted the last paper of his NZ Diploma in Agribusiness Management, a farm report on the commercial vineyard owned by his father in-law. “It feels like a real weight off my mind,” says the 37-year-old.

Adam is a qualified builder but growing up on a farm in Onga Onga ignited a passion for agriculture. While still working in the building industry he enrolled in a level 4 Certificate in Horticulture with the Open Polytec.

After he finished the qualification he was employed by his father-in-law to work in his vineyard. “I just love my job there. Being outside the whole day and working with people from all over the world, is very enjoyable.”

At that time, Adam started a twoyear viticulture cadetship programme at EIT. Out in his in-laws’ vineyard, however, he realised that he needed to learn more about how to actually run a business. The agribusiness management diploma seemed like the perfect fit. “You think that it is easy to manage a business, but it’s anything but easy. The course gave me great insight into resource consent processes, health and safety and financial skills like writing a budget, but most of all an

understanding of human resource management.”

For Adam the key to a successful business lays in the leadership of employees. This is one of the lessons Adam drew from the course. “Treating staff fairly and appreciative is not a liability, it’s an asset for better productivity and outcomes”, he says.

Many horticultural workers feel daunted about taking up a tertiary education but Adam’s advice is to give it go.

“I have the Irlen syndrome, which is why I struggle to process visual information, and reading from screens and white paper gives me a headache. I didn’t do well in school and have trouble with reading and writing but thanks to a special reading app, the support of my EIT tutors and my wife I exceeded all expectations.”

Juggling work, studies and family – Adam has three children, 11, 10 and 7 years old – was a mission, he says. His wife completed a nursing degree at EIT at around the same time and, on top of that Adam is engaged in community sports. He is the president of Hastings Anglers Club, a ranger for Fish & Game and a rugby trainer.

However, realising that his new skills made a major impact not only on his

Adam has completed a NZ Diploma in Agribusiness Management and is ready for new career adventures.

work but also on his personal life kept him going. “I can relate a lot of my new knowledge back to my work as a builder too,” says Adam.

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

Diversification brings opportunity to Hawke’s Bay

By Susan Kilsby – ANZ Agriculture Economist

A

s central North Island’s productivity engine revs up, Hawke’s Bay is proving to be the driver.

In recent years New Zealand has made strides toward a carbon neutral economy. While many regions across New Zealand are seizing the opportunities this movement creates, Hawke’s Bay is leading the pack.

Hawke’s Bay’s recent horticultural boom, thanks in large part to bumper pipfruit harvests, is driving diverse thinking. While the region’s strengths have traditionally been weighted toward sheep, beef and horticulture, Hawke’s Bay farmers and orchardists are starting to consider opportunities satisfying the balance between economic, environmental and social needs.

It’s spurring action too.

First, we are seeing increased collaboration across the farming and horticulture sectors locally. Some agri

customers are divesting sections of land traditionally used for grazing to horticulturalists, while others are seizing the opportunity for development and diversification for themselves.

On the back of four years of growth, the 2019 apple season is giving Hawke’s Bay growers plenty to smile about as intensive planting and high quality plants prove a winning combination. This season, the projected return on investment for apples is significantly higher per hectare than the projected return on investment for dairy, sheep and beef combined (see table below). Productivity is also increasing.

One of our local customers reported they are harvesting 20% more apples this year than they did in 2018.

New Zealand beef exports have held up well through this year’s peak processing season thanks to the Chinese market’s growing appetite for New Zealand beef. While beef exports to China are still low compared to our competitors,

meat returns remain strong which is encouraging for Hawke’s Bay farmers.

Not to be outdone, the kiwifruit industry continues to show signs of a promising future in Hawke’s Bay too.

Although we haven’t seen much planting yet, we are seeing land set aside or purchased for growing kiwifruit.

Many potential growers are spending considerable time researching green and gold kiwifruit trends and returns, and exploring possible planting opportunities showing significant interest in the sector remains.

Local farmers and orchardists are curious about potential horticultural returns and many continue to explore diversification into high value, highly sought-after horticultural products. While apples and kiwifruit remain at the forefront, cherries and blueberries are rising in value, which is exciting for the region.

Sustainable farms and orchards continue to be sought after and significant work is being put into achieving more environmentallyfriendly practices locally. Healthy water systems and a concentrated focus on land sustainability are proving beneficial within the Bay’s farming industry, particularly the red meat sector, which accounts for a large part of the regional economy.

Diversification and a steady run of improving returns provides opportunities for farmers to invest in the environment faster than before. While this is promising, it’s important to consider potential costs associated with land conversion.

Growing horticulture and farming activity in Hawke’s Bay is driving the central North Island’s productivity and we see this continuing for some time. The interest in diversification not only promises environmental sustainability but also projects good returns and ripe opportunities for individuals and the local economy.

EBIT Per Hectare (Average 2013 – 2017)* Source: ANZ Analysis

Land use Kiwifruit [Hayward & SunGold] (per canopy hectare) Apples (per effective hectare) Dairy (per milking hectare) Sheep and beef (per effective hectare)

Lower quartile

Median

Upper quartile

$10,685

$17,697

$26,418

$6,751

$14,976

$35,489

$684

$1,300

$2,074

$145

$337

$732

* Sample size: 63 kiwifruit orchards, 21 apple orchards, 2,000 dairy farms and 160 sheep and beef farms.

A drier autumn

By Georgina Griffiths - MetService – Te Ratonga Tirorangi

Persistent highs

High pressures prevailed over and to the east of New Zealand during the autumn period (Figure 1). Seasons like this are linked to a ‘quiet’ Southern Ocean, with an absence of Southern Ocean storms washing up and over the country. The Southern Ocean is just as important to what happens on the New Zealand weather map as the tropics is (aka El Nino Southern Oscillation), if not more so.

In the last few years, there has been a tendency for the Southern Ocean to

become “stuck” for an extended period of time (1-3 months) in its quiet phase at the end of the year, and through the first quarter of the New Year. There has been a shift towards extended dry and hot spells (and drought conditions) matching the persistence of Highs at the end of, and through the start of, the calendar year.

And of course, the late summer and autumn rainfall is particularly important to the growers of the Hawke’s Bay.

Figure 1: Mean sea level pressure anomaly (deviation from normal) for autumn (March – May) 2019.

Red colours indicate higher than normal seasonal pressures; blue colours depict lower than usual seasonal pressures. Image produced via NOAA/ESRL Physical Sciences Division.

A drier than normal autumn

Not surprisingly, the persistent highs during autumn (March to May) effectively kept most of the rain makers out. It was a drier than normal autumn nationally, particularly in the far north of the country.

While Northland experienced a recordbreaking dry first half of the year, with rainfall tracking at around one third (33%) of normal, Hawke’s Bay saw some ‘reprieve’ rainfall during June (Figure 2). To illustrate just how unusually dry it has been, the six month rainfall total of

275mm recorded at Napier Airport in the 1 January to 24 June period was only 69% of the January to June average (395mm) there. While this doesn’t rank in the driest 10 years for Napier, it has still been an unusually dry run for the first half of 2019.

FUN FACT: The driest January to June period in Napier occurred in 1998 (with only 137mm recorded at Napier Airport).

You can keep to date with the MetService long-range forecast at http:// metservice.com/rural/monthly-outlook

Figure 2: Napier annual rainfall accumulation (mm) for the last six years (2014 to 2019-so-far).

The annual average rainfall accumulation is shown in black.

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FOCUS FO F OC OCUS O CUS Hawke’s H wke’s Bay y uly 2019 July

The quest to maximise production with a minimum footprint Over the decades a number of projects have been completed helping to conserve soil, use water wisely and get environmental and economic benefits from new (and old) technology options. Below are details about some of the projects currently underway.

Dan feels privileged to work with excellent scientists and farmers. “I think what I’m doing is useful and it’s really interesting.”

Preparing a new onion trial.

storage and application are undertaken to code in accordance with NZ GAP. LandWISE tested the application rate and uniformity of a number of placement and broadcast fertiliser application machines.

The placement machines had very high application uniformity, although there is some question about the rates applied as hoppers empty. The broadcast machines were close to recommended performance and required only minor adjustments. By grower request, the equipment will be retested as they ready for the next season.

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They have also worked with vegetable growers to collect information needed to complete Overseer budgets. Overseer is difficult to use for fresh vegetable systems, particularly because cropped areas change regularly and do not fit a neat two-year cycle. In addition, there are very many individual budgets to complete for any farm.

We have seven case studies that show a wide range of results, due to the difference in growing systems, crops and soils.

LandWISE Manager, Dan Bloomer explains that their group is member driven and brings together farmers and their support networks such as scientists, technology providers, advisors and government. “LandWISE has always been farmer driven. The board numbers five and three are farmers.”

The project also investigates recapture of nitrates that may leach to prevent them reaching sensitive waterways. The key is to identify suitable locations for treatment interventions such as wetlands or woodchip bioreactors. As part of this, LandWISE is working with growers and councils to monitor nitrate levels in drains, trying to find where any hotspots might be and where interventions might be most effective.

uahapia Road, Hastings, has been home to the LandWISE Micro Farm since 1999. For the last twenty years farmers, researchers and industry have been working to understand, develop and share knowledge of how technology and better processes can improve farm businesses. A key focus of the MicroFarm is exploring cropping from a systems perspective.

Their aim is help producers make food production truly sustainable by linking farming with science, technology and policy. “Our central question is how we can maximise profitability with the minimum environmental footprint” he says.

While the MicroFarm is the key focus there is plenty of other ongoing research and recently the LandWISE 2019 conference Rethinking Best Practice was held in Havelock North.

Topics covered included The Vineyard of Tomorrow, Kiwi Quinoa, Hemp and its capabilities and lectures by guest speakers from the US, Brad Bernhard from the University of Illinois, and Frank Forcella from the University of Minnesota (now retired).

Another conference highlight for the LandWISE team was seeing Hugh Ritchie receive the inaugural LandWISE Sustainability Award, as well as being bestowed with the honour of Life Member. Hugh had been involved with LandWISE since its humble beginnings in a maize paddock in 1999. He was also chairman of the LandWISE board for over 10 years, and since stepping down has remained a staunch supporter of the work of LandWISE. As part of receiving Life Membership, Hugh was presented with an engraved shovel.

LandWISE was awarded four significant new projects that started in 2018. They cover enhanced GPS, precision drainage for orchards, nitrates in fresh vegetable production and herbicide resistance management. They were among the topics discussed at LandWISE 2019 and details of several of the projects appear below.

Testing fertiliser equipment.

Future Proofing vegetable production

Future proofing vegetable production requires ongoing rapid change in farm practice to meet cost pressures and increasingly stringent demands from regulators and markets for enhanced environmental performance and water quality. LandWISE is partnering with growers and our funders MPI, Horizons and Gisborne Councils, Ballance AgriNutrients and Potatoes New Zealand to develop and test new production and nitrogen mitigation techniques. The project draws on and supplements recent and current research to develop new generation good management practices.

There are four main areas of focus: • precise nutrient prescription (how much is required) • precise application (is it going where it is needed when it is needed) • maximising retention (ensuring leaching is minimised) • recapturing nitrates that move beyond the root zone (constructed wetlands and wood-chip bioreactors) Year 1 was focused on establishing benchmarks of current practice and, where possible, effects. Growers were interviewed about their current nutrient management practices using a survey based on the Code of Practice for Nutrient Management. While no vegetable growers reported using documented calculations to plan nutrient applications, most took into account the various factors that contribute to such decisions. Fertiliser transport,

grower practice. With low nitrogen levels measured, each treatment will receive 100kg of nitrogen per ha. The dry urea and calcium ammonium nitrate CAN fertilisers were applied in a single dressing.

The liquid urea and CAN treatments are being spread out over three equal rate applications of 33 kg N/ha.

The MicroFarm is sponsored by Ballance AgriNutrients and BASF Crop Protection and supported by many service providers, suppliers, contractors and farmers.

Frank Forcella with his abrasion weeder machine.

Managing Herbicide Resistance There is increasing awareness of herbicide resistance, loss of products from the market, and consumers seeking a reduction of chemicals in the food chain. LandWISE is testing non-herbicide ways to manage ryegrass in cereals and horticultural crops as part of a large AgResearch MBIE research project.

There are several techniques on their list including steam and hot foam, leaf abrasion with air-blast grits and electrocution. Each has been shown to have potential. The role of LandWISE is to assess effectiveness, when treatments are most effective and most cost efficient, and how to integrate them into production systems. While various flaming and steam machines have been used in Hawke’s Bay, the other systems are new.

Broccoli Trial at the MicroFarm

A crop of Broccoli was planted at the MicroFarm initiating a fertiliser trial looking at different application methods.

The aim of this trial is to compare dry and liquid fertiliser products applied to the base of the crop row. Some research suggests liquid applications can give higher yields with less fertiliser. Liquids may also be suited to multi-row sidedressing which could encourage the uptake of split fertiliser applications by growers, reducing the risk of losses after heavy rain.

The fertiliser rates were informed by soil testing and the Nutrient Management Guidelines for Vegetable Crops in New Zealand (2019), as well as standard

There are small electric weeders available, and a large machine in development in Canterbury. The electric systems have very high voltages (around 20 – 30,000V) and the electricity earthing through the plants is enough to boil them from the inside.

Dan and colleagues are not aware of any commercial grit weeders available in New Zealand. A prototype has been built by AgResearch to an American design that will be used for trials. In the US, they have been used with ground walnut shells, grape marc and corn grits – basically anything hard and sharp enough to remove the leaf surface and desiccate the plant. The team is looking forward to its first forays in spring.

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