West Coast farm trials target wet soil nutrient challenge

Ballance Agri Nutrients tests soil management scenarios tailored to the region’s rain-soaked ground.

A new on-farm trial programme has launched on the West Coast to build practical knowledge about soil nutrient performance in the region’s characteristically wet soils. 

With West Coast farmers typically managing environments where wet soils and rapidly changing weather can narrow the opportunities to apply nutrients, Ballance Agri-Nutrients has partnered with the West Coast Focus Farm Trust to establish the trials.  

Ballance science strategy manager Warwick Catto said the programme is driven by West Coast farmers wanting clearer, locally relevant evidence about managing nutrients when soils are wet and application windows are limited.  

“This need is becoming more pressing as farmers navigate increasingly volatile weather, including the current El Niño weather pattern and the longer-term effects of climate change,” he said. 

“As weather patterns become more variable, it’s important that we can support farmers to make informed decisions based on evidence relevant to their own soils and farm systems. 

“By testing these scenarios in the right place, we can also share what we learn with the wider farming community, such as Southland, which often faces similar conditions.” 

The trials build on initial Ballance research conducted in 2025, testing whether nitrogen applied in wet spring soil conditions generated an adequate pasture response and whether sulphur was also required.  

Catto said that this year’s programme extends that work by testing how much sulphur may be needed to support nutrient performance in these conditions through the West Coast Focus Farm Trust’s network of data-providing farms.  

“The trust has installed a weather station on each farm in the network to provide local weather data, which will help us interpret the results in the context of each farm’s conditions,” he said. 

Farmers and West Coast Focus Farm Trust members will have opportunities to view the sites as the programme progresses, with the first visit held in early September to look at work completed so far and what is planned ahead of the first harvest cut. 

Ballance representatives will also attend the upcoming Greymouth AgFest in October to discuss the trial, and findings will be presented to farmers in the new year once all results have been compiled. 

Article link: https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/farm-management/west-coast-farm-trials-target-wet-soil-nutrient-challenge/