Agriculture & Pastoral
New Thinking
Farmers embrace healthy Bee campaign
An ongoing Landcare Research programme that highlights the importance of bees to agriculture and offers practical ways to encourage better bee health on New Zealand farms is proving highly popular.
Scientist honoured for animal health and parasite management
AgResearch parasitologist Dr Dave Leathwick has received the 2010 McMeekan Memorial Award for his work in parasite management and drenching practices in the New Zealand sheep industry.
New farms destroying native NZ
Intensive farming is destroying native plants at the fastest rate since European colonisation, Landcare Research says
Back welfare code with science, not emotion
Any refinement to the animal welfare code must be backed by science and not emotion. That’s the advice from the outgoing head of New Zealand’s largest crown research institute, Andy West.
Zinc protection essential for NI dairy cows
AgResearch is urging North Island farmers to continue ensuring that their cattle are protected against facial eczema and to monitor their herds for the serious animal health and welfare problem.
Farming confronting technical conundrums
AgResearch Pastoral Genomics scientist Michael Dunbier has warned that New Zealand's traditional pasture-based farming system faces a conundrum.
Changing farming climate AgResearch focus
A caravan that measures nitrous oxide emissions, software that helps manage soil nutrients and a full programme of measures to keep lambs alive is to be profiled by AgResearch at the Waimumu Southern Field days.
Soil value could be included in nations' accounts
The first steps have been made in placing a financial value on the soil and services it provides to any given piece of land.
New licensing deal could develop new animal health products
ParaCo Technology Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of AgResearch, has signed an international licensing agreement with leading Belgian Agro-Biotech company deVGen NG to access a range of small molecules that could facilitate development of active ingredients for new animal health products.
Grave time for sheep industry
Sheep farmers seem to have lost some of their nerve and enthusiasm in the wake of two years of low returns, AgResearch chief executive Andrew West says.
New Science
Bayer Animal Health and Paraco agree on access to lead molecules
Bayer Animal Health GmbH and Paraco Technology Limited, a 100% owned subsidiary of AgResearch, have signed an option agreement allowing Bayer exclusive access to Paraco’s current lead molecules for testing and development in animal health.
Work at Tokanui Dairy Research Farm progressing well
Research at AgResearch’s Tokanui Dairy Research Farm in dairy cow productivity is further examining the role and interrelationships that environmental and genetic influences play in milk production.
GE discovery promises higher farm productivity and improved environment
AgResearch scientists and the team from subsidiary company, Grasslanz Technology Ltd, believe they can improve white clover (Trifolium repens) to give grazing animals a higher intake of protein, while at the same time reducing methane emissions.
Farmers to benefit from high tech quad bike collaboration
Thanks to AgResearch, DairyNZ and Massey University scientists, farmers may soon be able to use their quad bikes to assess feed quality and pasture health.
Greenhouse gases measured remotely
AgResearch has come up with a way to measure nitrous oxide emissions from paddocks.
Breakthrough in livestock emissions
After eight years searching, AgResearch scientists have finally made a discovery which will likely lead to a breakthrough in mitigating livestock gas emissions.
GM grass trial aims to cut cows' gas
A plan to grow paddocks of genetically modified grass created to cut the greenhouse gases produced by cows is in the pipeline at Crown-owned company AgResearch.
Scientists discover low-methane sheep
AgResearch scientists have proven not all sheep are created equal, at least when it comes to belching greenhouse gases.
Unique science collaboration in agri-food research
In a collaboration of unparalleled scientific expertise in New Zealand, AgResearch and the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute are seeking to discover how nutrients in food affect animals and humans to improve body composition.
Trouble runs off the farm
A 20-year study by Niwa found waterways flowing through farmland have higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorous than those that flow through unfarmed land.
New Value
Spray chilling minimises venison weight loss
Spray chilling deer carcasses minimises weight loss without reducing the tenderness of venison, according to a recently released AgResearch study funded by DEEResearch and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST).
Genetic tools boost breeding
A raft of new genetic technologies developed by AgResearch in consultation with Deer Industry NZ, will soon be put to use to boost breeding in the New Zealand deer industry.
AgResearch scientist Wins Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr Rex Munday of AgResearch has won this year’s Kudos Award for Lifetime Achievement, which was sponsored by the University of Waikato.
Nitrogen Modelling Wins Scientist Kudos
Agricultural scientist Dr Stewart Ledgard of AgResearch took out the Agricultural Science Award at the Kudos Awards this month for his research and development of the Overseer model.
Take a trip to the future
An Open Day on 20 November at the revolutionary AgResearch Research Dairy Farm at Tokanui will give visitors a glimpse of the future of dairy farming.
Scientist returns after bovine cloning work
AgResearch Scientist Dr Christine Couldrey has led a believed world-first: a successful bovine genome-wide methylation scan.
Lead science provider appointed for Overseer
Owners the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, AgResearch and Fert Research have completed the Government tender process and appointed a lead science provider for the four-year, $4 million programme to develop the Overseer® Nutrients Budget Model.
High-tech trace of wool's origin
AgResearch-developed technology that can prove the origins of New Zealand carpet wool is being used to try to boost record low returns to wool growers.
Facial Eczema DNA test can save dairy industry millions
New Zealand’s leading DNA animal testing service, Genomnz™, a service of AgResearch, is about to launch a DNA testing service for facial eczema (FE) that could save the dairy industry millions of dollars per year.
'Cow bidet' wins 2008 Fieldays award
A drafting and teat spraying system developed by IRL and Rotorua company Technipharm has been awarded Innovation Centre Equipment Entry of the Year at the 2008 Mystery Creek Fieldays.
