What do soil, farming and science have to do with each other? Actually, they are inextricably related. For centuries, humans have used science to improve soil productivity and crop yields. The ...
Phosphorus is a chemical element found on Earth in numerous compound forms, such as the phosphate ion (PO43-), located in water, soil and sediments. The quantities of phosphorus in soil are ...
An interactive showing the main components of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle. Select one of the buttons to find out more.
Scientists at AgResearch in New Zealand have successfully produced healthy transgenic cows that make modified milk or human therapeutic proteins in their milk. What is a transgenic cow ...
Silage is preserved pasture. Making silage is an important way for farmers to feed cows and sheep during times when pasture isn't good, such as the dry season. Find out how silage is made below ...
Cows are ruminants. They have especially adapted digestive systems that allow them to only eat plants.
Radioactive isotopes have many useful applications in a wide variety of situations, for example, they can be used within a plant or animal to follow the movement of certain chemicals. In ...
New Zealand has a wide variety of landscapes. A day’s sightseeing journey might include volcanic plateaus, rolling hills, river basins and coastal lands. It is easy to notice how the scenery ...
Ruminants are mammals with specialised digestive systems that use fermentation processes to gain nutrients from plant material. Cattle, sheep, deer, goats and camels are all ruminants. They are ...
AgResearch scientists have generated transgenic cows with biomedical and agricultural applications. Here, we list potential applications of transgenic cows and describe how a transgenic farm ...
It’s a misunderstanding that methane emissions come from the back end of cows. Fortunately, they are burped out, which means we can target the start of the digestive system to find ways to reduce ...
The three most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). While carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas we hear the most about ...
Easy care sheep developed by AgResearch were produced using selective breeding. Find out more about selective breeding and why scientists use this method to breed the easy care traits. Rights: M ...
Ruminants like cows have an amazing digestive system. They are able to digest cellulose found in plant material – something humans cannot do. Drag and drop the text labels onto the boxes next to ...
Dairy farming has changed significantly over the centuries from hand milking to machine milking. The size of farms and the expectations on farmers have also changed with time. Could fully ...
New Zealand has had a reputation for being ‘clean and green’ – a country of environmental beauty. Compared to many countries in the world, this is true. However, it’s becoming apparent that New ...
1080, or sodium fluoroacetate, is a poison used to control pest species. It is the salt form of a naturally occurring toxin found in poisonous plants in South America, Africa and Australia. New ...
This timeline explores the history and science of mammalian pest control in New Zealand. A full transcript is underneath the timeline.
Farming is a way of life in New Zealand. Farms cover about half of the country’s land and are important to our economy. Agriculture has shaped who we are as a nation, but it has also had a big ...
Easy care sheep, developed by AgResearch, have been selectively bred to be more productive and less labour-intensive for farmers. Our collection of resources on this reveals more about these ...
Magnesium is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is Mg, and its atomic number is 12, which means that magnesium has 12 protons in it ...
Cows are ruminants – mammals with specialised digestive systems that use fermentation processes to gain nutrients from plant material. Cattle, sheep, horses, deer, goats and camels are also ...
Dairy farming is New Zealand's biggest industry. However, the labour-intensive nature of dairy farming could limit productivity gains. Will automatic milking provide a solution? The importance of ...
Earthworms are useful indicators of soil health. This project aims to capture information on earthworm abundance and species distribution throughout New Zealand. Information provided will be used ...
