Cantebury farmers planting special crops to limit nitrate leaching

16/12/2025 4 min
Cantebury farmers planting special crops to limit nitrate leaching

Listen "Cantebury farmers planting special crops to limit nitrate leaching"

Episode Synopsis


Some Canterbury dairy farmers are striving to limit nitrate leaching and their cows' environmental footprint by planting special crops and experimenting with new winter grazing systems. Researchers have pointed to dairy effluent as a primary cause of elevated groundwater nitrates, with the country's highest percentage in Canterbury. Anna Sargent has this report, the second of a three-part series about the region's nitrate emergency.