Precision of Soil and Water Conservation by Madelyn

 



                                                Robin Oakley using data to make soil decisions

            Sustainability and conservation are topics often discussed amongst the farmers of New Zealand. New Zealand has limited resources that must be utilized efficiently. When we visited a variety of farms, we discussed sustainable practices in order to ensure the land is used to its full capability and simultaneously to ensure resources are kept viable. Robin Oakley, a fifth generation vegetable farmer is an excellent example of this. While visiting his 400 hectare farm, he goes into great detail on his use of precision agriculture to ensure his farm is efficient and profitable. The combination of varying technology to ensure a sustainable practice is quite fascinating. Each piece of technology plays a vital role in sustaining conservation. For instance, moisture probes alert any change in water level within the soil, while GPS allows for exact soil management zones to be mapped out. GPS is extraordinarily important for many forms of sustainability. It allows the quality of soil to be tracked, and farmers can then determine if any changes are needed. Furthermore, the topsoil within Robin Oakley’s farm is extremely thin, demanding proper sustainable practices to conserve the soil. Crop rotation, soil cultivation, and soil testing greatly increase the rate of soil conservation. Additionally, Robin Oakley mentions he utilizes the natural water reserves nearby, giving him access to an extra water resource for his irrigation needs. Having a proper irrigation system is essential for growth and profitability within the farm.

            As I continued to travel to different farms throughout the trip, I noticed a common theme amongst them: creativity and experimentation. Agriculture is constantly adapting to become more efficient and profitable while staying sustainable. Farmers are very creative with trying out new ways to achieve these goals of efficient sustainability. The Lincoln Dairy farm demonstrates this creativity by working to solve the problem of nitrogen leakage into soil and groundwater. Plantain is worked into the cattle’s diet by supplementing some of the cattle’s feed with plantain. This integration then increases the rate of urination, therefore diluting the concentration of nitrogen produced by the cattle. This minimizes the leakage of nitrogen into the soil and groundwater. 

        Additional research is consistently conducted to advance sustainable practices even further. Once different methods and techniques are researched on demonstration farms, they are then taught to surrounding farms to spread modern practices of sustainable efficiency. To say the least, I am very impressed with the precision and organization within the farms we visited. The dedication these farmers have to profitable sustainability is admirable.


                                                                      Plantain for grazing

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Journey Ends by Francesca

Image
                                                                      Our Journey Ends Group Photo outside of the Lincoln University Library                                    And so our journey in New Zealand comes to an end … or does it? Throughout this past month, we have all learned and grown so much. As Dr. Griffiths and Susan warned us back in December, we will not be coming back home the same person we were when we left. Of course, we are returning a little tanner (or sunburned for some) and a lot of us with tattoos or piercings, but it’s not just a physical change. Not only have we learned more about agriculture and sustainability but we have also learned so much about ourselves. Each farmer left us with life lessons and messages that really resonated with us. One of the farmers, Scott McFadden, who we even recommended write a book to house all his inspirational messages, reminded us to “make each day a good day, have a good laugh because you gotta keep yourself going.” And tha
Read more

Today I met Hamish Marr by Erin

Image
Today, we had the pleasure of meeting a farmer named Hamish Marr. Hamish owns and  operates Longfield Marr Farms Ltd. along with his father, Graham Marr, his brother, Stuart Marr, and their families. Hamish and his brother are the fifth generation of the Marr family to operate the farm. Hamish does not believe his children have any interest in continuing the family farm, but he says he has other relatives who would.  Hamish is a very kind man, whose passion for farming is unmistakable. Throughout our visit,  several questions were asked about his farm and he was very eager to answer every single  one. The University of Delaware Study Abroad program has been visiting his farm for so many  years, that he even provided us with a sheet of facts about his farm upon arrival. This sheet included the breakdown of crops on the farm, why he farms the way he does, a bit about his family, and where he’d like to be in the future. Hamish stressed that in order to be successful as a farmer,  you have
Read more

The HUNT

Image
  One of the ways we start each program is with a scavenger hunt designed to take students to places they might want to visit while we are here - local restaurants, the post office, the classroom, the bus stop, the pharmacy, the grocery store, the urgent care, the police station, and more. The trek to town and back is about 2 miles! So Lilly and Jess (our Program Assistants) put the teams together and explained the rules: 1.     Members of each team had to stay connected in some way the entire time they searched for  the 18 locations on the hunt 2.      They had to creatively document (photo or video) that they made it to each location on the hunt 3.      They had to learn enough about each other to introduce them to the rest of the group at the last stop (the faculty directors’ residence)   Despite a few eye rolls (at the staying connected rule), off they went. It took them about an hour and a half but they rolled back in laughing and sharing and with some really creative
Read more