A new guide on growing resilient pastures is a first for New Zealand, the lead author says.

New Zealand Food Safety can’t say for sure when it will make a final decision on the proposed increase in Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for glyphosate in NZ arable crops, but expects to take the next steps in this consultation mid-2025.

Ravensdown has launched a pilot programme across 18 farms to trial HawkEye Pro – a new system that could reduce fertiliser costs, drive precision application and improve production for New Zealand’s livestock, dairy and arable farms.

Established pastures are just as important a ‘crop’ as any other when it comes to maximising land productivity, and keeping them clean and high yielding can pay big dividends.

Farmers have a new option for dealing with grass weeds and storksbill in high value swede crops this season, thanks to a new registration for Gallant Ultra.

A new project, with funding from the T R Ellett Agricultural Research Trust, has begun to research whether catch crops can be grown in particularly harsh winter conditions and what the benefit would be, not just to the environment but to the farmer’s back pocket too.

Several barriers prevent advisors recommending biological and ecological pest management practices to growers, a survey undertaken by A Lighter Touch (ALT) has found.

APTIVIS®, a fourth generation SDHI (Group 7) fungicide powered by the active ingredient ADEPIDYN® technology, gained registration in New Zealand in July 2024 and was widely utilised in the pipfruit market last season offering powerful and dependable control of key diseases.

Increasingly agriculture is a knowledge and science-based industry.

But there could be one area that needs looking at more closely to ensure better yields and ROI.

Marnco New Zealand, which entered the local fertiliser market last year, says it’s proud to announce it has officially achieved Fertmark accreditation.

This year marks 50 years since the signing of the seed production and distribution agreement between Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Philip Yates, who at the time was managing director of Arthur Yates & Co, and subsequently the founder of Genetic Technologies, a Yates family-owned business.

In a recent report, the RaboResearch division says due to minimal volumes of urea produced domestically, New Zealand is particularly sensitive to global events.

However, it also offers an opportunity for a shift in how we manage these costly pests, in a way that benefits farmers, our soils and the broader environment.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has proposed to ban chlorpyrifos, an insecticide from the organophosphate group that is used in New Zealand to control a broad range of insect pests on plants.

With weed control season for white clover coming up fast, it’s time to start talking to your growers about their options for keeping seed crops clean and high yielding.

That’s the advice from one of the country’s largest crop protection suppliers, which says the number and type of weeds covered by different herbicides is not the only thing to consider.

Goodnature’s world-first hi-tech Mouse Trap has been named one of 2025’s most innovative household products by Fast Company, the influential US publication that spotlights groundbreaking design, creativity, and technology worldwide.

The importance of robust programmes to control most pests and plant diseases is well understood — but rats could be the chink in our armour.

That’s the view of Pieter Van Der Westhuizen, UPL NZ Regional Manager for the upper North Island.

He says effective rodent control isn’t just about putting out bait — it also requires a plan.

A powerful, lightweight electric tractor designed by a New Zealand agtech start up may help kiwifruit growers reduce orchard emissions, a recent Zespri trial has found.

Further field trials and product optimisation are now underway as Ballance Agri-Nutrients enters final stages of testing a fertiliser breakthrough developed to reduce parasite larvae on pasture.

The technology has the potential to target all pasture based ruminant larval species, addressing an issue costing the sector millions of dollars, Ballance says.

Weighing his heifer replacements regularly is as much a labour of love as it has been a valuable eye opener for Ashburton dairy farmer Andrew Whyte.

He and partner Leigh run a980-cow dairy unit, and rear 220-250 heifer replacements each year.

Imagine applying blended fertiliser to your high value arable crops only to find one key element wasn’t landing where it was supposed to be but instead was potentially compromising yield or quality.

Researchers based in Canterbury say this is exactly what happened when they tested the distribution and spreading patterns of 25 different mixes of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.