Feeding the world’s growing population
New Zealand’s reputation as a quality food producer is growing.
The Fertiliser Association of New Zealand promotes and encourages responsible and scientifically-based nutrient management.
Wise use of N on hill country
A Sustainable Farming Fund Project
Completed 2012
Introduction
The ‘Wise Use of Nitrogen Fertiliser on Hill Country Pastures’ (Wise N Use) field programme ran from August 2004 until March 2008. It aimed to demonstrate the best use of fertiliser nitrogen (N) under commercial conditions in a range of hill farming situations. The programme focused on enhancing long-term farm profitability, with minimal environmental impact.
There were two components to the project. One was the commercial applications and lessons learned on a series of monitor farms. The other involved detailed site-specific studies on research farms, run by AgResearch.
The focus farm component of the Wise Use of Nitrogen programme ran for three years, during which time local community groups designed, implemented, monitored and reported on 31 demonstrations on 16 commercial sheep and beef farms throughout New Zealand.
The research farm component of the Wise Use of Nitrogen Programme used paddock scale trials at Ballantrae and Invermay, to investigate the effect of various rates of N-fertiliser on pasture performance and some aspects of environmental performance.
This project was funded by Fert Research (now Fertiliser Association of New Zealand), MAF SFF (now MPI), Meat & Wool New Zealand (now Beef + Lamb New Zealand), Ravensdown Co-op Ltd, Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd and PGGRC.
Visit the WiseNUse website to learn more about the project.
Read more
- Nitrogen use on hill country: Lessons from the national Wise Use of Nitrogen focus farm project
M. G. Lambert, A. H. C. Roberts, J. D. Morton
This paper was presented at the Massey University, Palmerston North, Fertilizer & Lime Research Centre’s 25th annual workshop: Advanced Nutrient Management: Gains from the Past -Goals for the Future (Eds L.D. Currie and C.L. Christensen. Occasional Report No. 25).
- Nitrogen fertiliser application rates and nitrogen leaching in intensively managed sheep grazed hill country pastures in New Zealand
C.J. Hoogendoorn, M.G. Lambert, B.P. Davantier, P.W. Theobald & Z.A. Park
This report was published in the New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol 60, 2017 - Issue 2.
- Poster papers, specific to each monitor farm experience, were presented at the 2007 ‘Wise N Use’ Conference.
