Contracting businesses often evolve in response to opportunity. A farmer asks if you can tackle another job while you're already on the property, a neighbouring contractor retires, or a piece of machinery opens the door to work that wasn't previously available.

Controlled-release fertilisers are not a new concept, but designing one that consistently delivers nitrogen when crops need it, while remaining commercially practical for large-scale agriculture, has proved far more challenging than simply coating a fertiliser granule. ring how and when nitrogen leaves each individual granule.

A new four-year research programme will investigate whether New Zealand beef cattle can be bred to become more feed efficient and produce less methane without compromising the productivity traits farmers rely on.