The Group have been very active, and have hosted a range of events, workshops and webinars. One event they are very proud of was a co-hosted field day in early 2025, with DairyNZ. The field day brought together over 60 farmers, rural professionals and community members. The day was practical and farmer-led, with case studies developed by DairyNZ, with insights from Miranda Hunter, on local farming families and businesses. Each case study family shared what they’re trying on-farm to reduce nitrogen losses, and the trade-offs that come with different options.

The case studies showed that there’s no single silver bullet, but a “stack” of smaller actions works best. Lower fertiliser use, smarter effluent management, wintering changes, and adding plantain all help to bring nitrogen losses down, while keeping farms profitable.

One of the highlights was a session on plantain. Plantain in pastures has been shown to lower nitrogen losses by reducing the amount of nitrate in urine and slowing down how quickly it moves through the soil. The numbers are encouraging:

• When plantain makes up about 10% of a pasture, nitrogen losses can drop by around 7%

• When plantain reaches about 20% of a pasture, the reduction can be around 14%

Establishment tips: sow 3–4 kg/ha with new pasture mixes or add 3–4 kg/ha by direct-drilling/oversowing into existing pasture, and around 5 kg/ha if broadcasting. Pairing plantain with smarter fertiliser use is one of the simplest, most cost-effective ways to reduce losses.