Ballance expands specialist science extension team

17 October 2011

Ballance expands specialist science extension team

Ballance Agri-Nutrients is filling a growing market void by providing more technical extension specialists to support its field representatives in offering targeted, farm-specific nutrient management advice.

Science Extension Manager Aaron Stafford says farmer demand for accurate, timely and specific technical advice and practical solutions to farm system nutrient management problems is growing.

As a result two new Technical Extension Officers have been added to the Ballance Group team to take the team total to five.

“Farmers have increasing environmental responsibility and drivers on their farm systems,” Mr Stafford says.

“Farmers still need to know how to boost their farm productivity and profitability especially as they become more heavily influenced by these external pressures that perhaps did not exist five or 10 years ago.”

This need is reflected by the Government’s recent announcement to provide $9.75 million of funding through its Primary Growth Partnership programme to Ballance to enable it to launch a $32 million programme to increase the productive capacity of New Zealand’s primary sector while minimising environmental impacts.

“Through more efficient use of agri-nutrients, farmers will be able to produce more with less. This is a win-win for farmers, the environment and for New Zealand as a whole,” said Ballance Chief Executive Larry Bilodeau.

Complementing the research programme, Ballance is aware there is no “one size fits all” farming model and the general information that is widely available from many sources doesn’t always go far enough to provide answers to what are sometimes very localised problems.

“There’s a shortage of technical specialists in the market and we’re excited to be able to fill that gap,” Mr Stafford says.

“We are developing a team to cover a range of skill sets that compliment each other. As a company, we need to ensure that farmers get the level of information, advice and direction when and where they need it – farmers are demanding more than just expertise in fertiliser management these days.”

Mr Stafford says the Technical Extension Officers provide on farm support for both the Ballance and Altum sales teams and have expertise in general agronomy, soil science, fertiliser and nutrient management, along with environmental management and best-practice systems.

“Our farmer customers can use the skills our extension team provides to dig into the issues they need answers to, for example whether they’re looking at working out the economically optimum fertiliser management programme for the farm, or the best seasonal forage crop sequence to increase production, or whether it be appropriate riparian management to reduce farm system sediment and phosphorus loss”

ENDS

© Scoop Media