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.
Overseer FM now includes the beneficial effects of Plantain
Through a comprehensive research programme -- Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) -- OverseerFM has been updated to include the diuretic response in animals as a result of consuming plantain.
Plantain varieties have been used on New Zealand farms for some time, with positive effects on milk production and in reducing nitrate leaching. When plantain is entered as a part of a pasture mix in OverseerFM the model will derive the proportion of the diet plantain makes up for the enterprise and apply the response.
For the first time, farmers considering sowing plantain can compare estimates of their farm's nitrogen losses before investing time and money. Also, those who already use plantain can have it recognised in their farm plans. How large the effect is depends on the farm's situation. For example, scale of plantain use, amount of supplementary feed used, soil type and climate.
