Knock-on benefits

Current drinking water standard maximums are  11.3 mgNO3-N/L at all times of the year but most farms will not achieve this. There is growing pressure to reduce this standard with growing evidence the risk of getting colorectal cancer is increased when nitrates go above 4mgN/L. Excess nutrient runoff also encourages toxic algae blooms that are harmful to humans, animal plus plants – and NZ has growing issues with these. World wide fresh water standards have been dropped in many countries to below 2.4 mgN/L and NZ was following, (albiet possiblydelayed by a new government) – spoiler alert –  these issues aren’t going away!  Many smaller freshwater bodies in NZ are fed from water draining through farmlands.  Thus, farm nitrates need to be below the FWS.  That requires an 80-90% reduction in leaching for most farms.  WE CAN DO IT EASILY !

The world of soil microbiology is far from most farmers’ thoughts, yet it provides the best solutions to pesky environmental issues – with production gains.