Viewpoint

Read our monthly review of farming and agricultural issues facing New Zealand industry and farmers. Your comments and opinions are welcome!


There has been a lot of discussion and debate around the coronavirus recently. While it is important to have these discussions, it is also important […]

The Choice is Yours


Many farmers are experiencing a quite severe dry this summer and are looking forward to the relief of a lovely steady warm rain. As the […]

Revive after Drought


Soil testing is a major part of what we do at Fertilizer New Zealand. Before we can make any sort of sensible recommendations there needs […]

Why we Soil Test



Fresh Water The recent announcement from the Government over water quality shows that they are going to be proactive in changing the way we farm. […]

Reduce Leaching


Embrace the Change There is a saying that “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” As the Government progresses legislation to set emission […]

August 2019


Leaching is losing If somebody were to tell me that my money was slipping through the floorboards of the Bank and into the local stream, […]

July 2019



Targets and Practicalities It is totally understandable that there is a lot of concern in the farming community as the Government gets down to the […]

June 2019


Methane Targets and Diets Much is being made of the recently announced targets for agricultural emissions, with farming leaders saying that they cannot be met […]

May 2019


We all like a Varied Diet We all like a varied diet and this includes animals. Researchers are now finding that plantain in pastures helps […]

April 2019



Soil and Pasture Nitrate after a dry spell Farmers are aware of a flush of grass after a dry spell but reasons for this rapid […]

March 2019


Climate is what we expect – weather is what we get!Whatever your views are on weather and politics, one would have to admit that both […]

February 2019


Sustainability of New Zealand farming   You must know the past to understand the future.   Past history gives the stories of drought, floods, crop […]

January 2019



Growing food economically Whether you grow animals be they sheep, beef or dairy, or grow fruit and vegetables, there is a common thread and that […]

December 2018


Land Loss In New Zealand 192 million tonnes of soil are lost every year to erosion and amazingly 44% of this loss is from pastureland. […]

November 2018


Soil Fertility Soil fertility is a very important subject and one that is being discussed widely in many circles. I believe it is important that […]

October 2018



Using Combo-N this Spring Spring is well under way and the grass in many areas is growing well, but the focus now will be on […]

September 2018


Farmers Face the Choice Choose to change their farming practices or face the very real prospect that they will have change forced on them.  In […]

August 2018


Loss of Nitrogen The discussion of the loss of nitrogen is not a new topic.  It has been talked about frequently but sadly very little […]

July 2018



More milk with less cows It is interesting that the Government is talking about reducing cow numbers and some in the Dairy Industry are complaining […]

June 2018


There is no doubt that the present Coalition Government is going to pursue its election promise of making our waterways fit to swim in and […]

May 2018