TECHNICAL
WISE LAND MANAGEMENT A WIN-WIN By Kristine Walsh
The only times he's seen resistance, he adds, is when a grower has thought it was all going to be too hard. “But we've found that if we offer good information in a form that makes sense, and if we take time to understand and answer their questions, they're very quick to adopt great practice.” In Horowhenua, LandWISE agronomist Luke Posthuma has worked with growers producing leafy greens or potatoes, while in the second trial area, Gisborne, process crops like sweetcorn and tomatoes have been more of a focus. Last year Gisborne had a really dry winter, so without rain washing out the nitrate, levels were higher than usual so much less fertiliser was required. Luke saw that in his data, so this season he’s working with growers to trial use of nitrate Quick Test strips to determine nitrogen requirements at side-dressing. “It's about responding to actual need, rather than just doing what has always been done, and in both Gisborne and Horowhenua we've been working with some great growers, corporate and otherwise, who are really interested in this kind of work, so that's fantastic,” says Luke. It is very hard to measure nitrate losses and modelling tools are not strong for vegetable crops, and Dan doesn't see that changing any time soon.
Connecting science and farming – researchers and growers cooperating in a field trial
Dan Bloomer has great faith in growers' desire to do the right thing in terms of nutrient management, and works hard to help them do it. “Over the course of my working life I've come to the conclusion that if I want farmers to be environmentally better, I have to show they'll be economically better off, too,” he says. “To me, it doesn't matter whether they want to save a bit of money while happening to do the right thing environmentally, or whether their focus is on sustainability with a bonus at their bottom line. The result is the same.” Founder of both Page Bloomer Associates consultancy and the farmer-driven LandWISE society to promote sustainable cropping, Dan's work encourages environmentally sound land practices through projects like LandWISE's Future Proofing Vegetable Production (FPVP), where it has partnered with growers and funders to develop and test nitrogen application and mitigation. “Horizons Regional Council was right behind us in putting together a research and extension programme which we have with funding from them, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Ballance AgriNutrients, Gisborne District Council and Potatoes NZ, along with the support of growers.”
50
NZGROWER : NOVEMBER 2020
Working with growers in Horowhenua and Gisborne, the three-year LandWISE trial focuses on four key areas: 1 working out how much nutrient is required; 2 ensuring the right amount is being applied; 3 ensuring leaching is minimised;
“But it is easy enough to consider on your farm and that is how the nutrient balance sheet can help,” he says. “If you are putting X kilos of nitrogen on a crop, and you sell produce containing Y kilos, then where did the rest of it go? If a fertiliser budget is out by hundreds of kilograms, then you need to do things differently.” Through the FPVP project LandWISE recommends a toolkit made up of “cheap as” nitrate soil testing strips, lab tests
where necessary, knowledge about good practice and the super easy nutrient sheet to help growers balance their nutrient budget. And it is that, plus other handy information, that they hope to take on tour once FPVP comes to an end in June next year. “We have all these lessons, we know how to effectively engage and share information and that – perhaps with some more regionally-specific demonstration trials – is what we'd really like to roll out around the country,” Dan says. “There is agreement that it is necessary so it's just a matter of getting the funding in place, and we're really keen to see that happen. “Workshops and demo days are great, but it's when you actually sit on a farm and engage that real change happens, and to me that’s the whole point.” But even farmers not involved with the FPVP project don't have to wait to get on board. “Any farmer can access our website, download the budget sheet, access the fertspread calibration site and so on. Some growers will learn that they need a little bit more fertiliser, but many will find they can use less, and that's potentially thousands of dollars that's not just washing away into the environment.” The best thing about the Future Proofing project, says Dan Bloomer, is that it has been embraced by “even the most unlikely-looking blokes.” “In general, I think everyone is on board with change as long as they are in control,” he says. “Tools and projects like ours are a way of handing them that control so they can grow better crops for less cost, and help the environment while they're at it.”
4 and recapturing nitrates that do move beyond the root zone by constructing wetlands and wood-chip bioreactors. “Growers can feel overwhelmed by the avalanche of regulations and consumer demands, so we want knowledge of best practice to be as accessible and usable as possible,” Dan says. “Growers needed nutrient budgets but there wasn’t a suitable template so we made one. It’s a one-pager that pulls together their soil test information, expected yields, the Nutrient Management for Vegetable Crops book information and their fertiliser options. “At the end of the season, they can repeat the process using actual yield and fertiliser and see how close the inputs and outputs matched. And now we’re working on an app so they can do it on their phones. “Similarly, calibrating a fertiliser applicator is simple once you know how, so we made the LandWISE calculator (www.fertspread.nz) to do the maths and print off a report.” NZGROWER : NOVEMBER 2020
51
