10 | Kotare station moves to liquid fertiliser The transition to liquid fertiliser involved investing in a liquid fertiliser spreader with a cyclone mixer from Chaos Springs. Karen Phelps RURAL PEOPLE » Kotare Station In challenging times of economic uncertainty and rising costs, farmers across New Zealand are seeking innovative ways to maintain profitability while promoting sustainability. Henry and Sofie Gaddum of Kotare Station, located an hour inland from Gisborne at Matawai, have found part of the solution by switching from solid to liquid fertiliser guided by the expertise of soil scientist Dr. Gordon Rajendram who has over 35 years of experience and a Ph.D. from Waikato University. “We were putting on urea in the spring and autumn to give us a lift at the edge of the season,” says Henry. “Gordon told us he was getting the same result using 30-40% of what we were putting on in granular fertiliser in liquid form.” This shift has led to significant cost savings for Kotare Station. “We are saving around half of the cost of what we were doing before and getting a similar result,” says Henry. “All the product is getting utilised to the maximum and there’s less risk of run-off, so it has environmental benefits as well.” For Kotare Station, the transition to liquid fertiliser involved investing in a liquid fertiliser spreader with a cyclone mixer from Chaos Springs. Henry says the equipment allows for more precise application, ensuring that the nutrients are delivered exactly where they’re needed most. The Gaddums, who are parents to Guy, 4 and Frankie, 3, are third-generation farmers on the 767ha mixed sheep, beef, and deer farm. The farm runs 1750 Romney ewes, 100 Angus cows plus 25 calving as R2s, 320 yearling bulls and 200 Red velvet stags. The Gaddums have also started buying in 50-100 Friesian bull calves at four days old and rearing them to lower the average buy in price. The move to liquid fertiliser is just one of several innovative approaches the Gaddums have taken. Kotare Station is also part of a pilot program with Toha, a unique global marketplace focused on climate and environmental impact. “We were concerned about the blanket planting of pine trees across the region,” Henry says. “We got introduced to Toha and wanted to show alternative or better solutions to what the ETS is currently pushing.” The pilot program aims to measure and prove the benefits of New Zealand’s native bush. Steve Sawyer from Ecoworks NZ has completed baseline measurements on around 150 hectares of the property, focusing on fenced-off bush, gullies, and freestanding natives. “We’re worried about what environment our kids will grow up in,” says Sofie. “Current settings are steering our regions towards a blanket of monoculture exotics, wiping out some of the best parts of rural New Zealand. The Gaddums believe that biodiversity is key and that New Zealand’s native bush could be a FERGUS RURAL LIMITED M: 027 421 1653 E: luke@fergusrural.co.nz www.fergusrural.co.nz Luke Bates Proudly supporting Kotare Station significant carbon sink. They’re not just talking about it; they’re actively working towards this goal on their own land. With part funding from the Natural Heritage Fund at the Gisborne District Council, they’ve recently cleared weeds out of a wetland, fenced it off and planted 1000 natives, to add to the 12,000 natives planted over the last 5 years. “We want people to know that the ETS in its current form is not the only way forward, and there is great work being done to provide alternative solutions,” says Henry. “We need to press pause on mass plantings of productive farms into exotics and focus on bringing value to what New Zealand already has and the work being done on the land around biodiversity.”
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