NZ gov spends $2.7M to test debunked theory on effect of lunar phases on plants
whyevolutionistrue.comI'm confused about timing.
It quotes the NZ Herald piece (at https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/pukehina... ) saying:
> “After I’d spent two years writing down my planting and the moon phases, I’d built a better relationship with my contractor, and I picked a better time to plant on, and now he’ll come then.”
It looks like the $2.7 million wasn't allocated until 2022, and the workshop was in July 2023.
How then has the farmer had two years of observations due to this funding?
> only time you hear anything about a control, and I'm pretty sure there isn't one
It doesn't appear the full $2.7 million is for that lunar phase research. I can't figure out much is earmarked for that, but https://ourlandandwater.nz/news/rere-ki-uta-rere-ki-tai-aims... matches the description of the project:
] “On-farm, the research considers whole-of-system wellbeing through metrics across soil health, animal wellbeing, milk and meat quality, and ecological and environmental health, as well as looking at financial measures of farm success,” says Clare Bradley.
] “Farming whānau wellbeing and insight is also integrated into the connected research, considering how on-farm changes affect our rural communities and individual farmers. Lastly, off-farm, the research will measure whether the connection to Māori values and tikanga can attract a premium in export markets.”
with a link to https://agrisea.co.nz/science-certification/rangahau-researc... which has several mentions of controls, like;
Experimental design and detailed project description
As part of the Rere ki uta rere ki tai work, we have an experiment on
10 hectares of the Lincoln University Sheep Farm from September 2022
to April 2023. A completely randomized experimental design features
treatments determined by a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of:
Pasture: ryegrass-based vs multispecies (Diverse)
Fertilizer: Conventional vs Seaweed (AgriSea biostimulants)
Note: each pasture will be split in half, with each half receiving
either conventional or seaweed, grazed by a total of 60 ewes with lambs
at 15 per treatment.
] The $2.7 million Rere ki Uta, Rere ki Tai trial has the potential to transform New Zealand’s farming industry. It tests whether using farming methods that enhance the mana and mauri of the soil create healthier, more resilient, more profitable farms that are better able to withstand environmental, societal and regulatory pressure. It is hosted by AgriSea New Zealand. ...
] The data captured in the trial is well beyond what’s normally calculated for farm soil health in New Zealand.
] A normal farmer does a basic soil test down to only 75mm and many rely on the measure of Olsen phosphorous to tell them how much phosphate is readily available for a plant to uptake.
] In this project, researchers from Lincoln University, Manaaki Whenua, AgResearch, specialist social science research consultants and farm economic consultants measure metrics across soil health from a much wider perspective - including animal and human wellbeing.
] Running concurrently with the study of 10 farms is research on 10ha of Lincoln Research Farm to investigate the connection between sheep milk and meat quality and soil and pasture health, including the impact of biostimulants and fertiliser use.
] Mohi says he is already noticing positive changes from cutting fertiliser, using biostimulants and diversifying the paddock crop.
] A core sample at the time he stopped applying fertiliser measured roots 500mm deep compared to 1.2 metres a year later, and potassium has risen despite adding none.
] “We went from 160 units of nitrogen to 30 last year which was a big saving, and we were probably the greenest farm in this area for most of the summer.
That's a far cry from spending $2.7 million on crop scheduling on the phase of the Moon!
I wasn't able to find anything on the project web site on using lunar scheduling as part of their research, so wonder how much of the article really reflects what the project is doing.
Can’t get rid of Labour Party fast enough. Jacinda trashed the country and then bailed.
Always downvoted by someone who doesn’t understand NZ politics lol.
I downvoted you. I live in NZ. I immensely dislike the "x party in power that I don't vote for trashed the country" rhetoric. We wouldn't be in a substantially different position under a right wing government. You overestimate what a govt is actually able to change. Consider covid... the economic effects were going to happen regardless, and left and right governments in similar countries made similar choices. Personally I think the mistake here was not shutting the border 2 weeks earlier when we could have had no internal lockdown and no covid for 18 months, but a right wing govt would never have taken that decision.
In any case, NZ is not trashed. There are major housing related issues but those are 30 year trends because of the policies of both major parties.
I don't like Labour, although I prefer them to National. What do you think National are going to change in power? I'll tell you, they'll abandon not yet implemented policies, make minor tax tweaks and not give public workers a raise. Life will continue the same because no one in politics will try out large changes to actually tackle the problems we face due to fear of pissing off the electorate.
If it makes a difference, both me and my parents and my siblings voted labour. And we all regret it. My friends still in NZ voted labour and regret it. Housing it just 1 issue. There’s co governance issue, three waters, education changes. If labour get voted in again you’re gonna see a lot of businesses leave NZ.
co-governance isn't an issue, it's a political hit and media frenzy based on recommendations made in a paper that were never committed to or brought near policy. As far as actual policies on Maori political representation, National by and large support them.
Three waters was a PR disaster for Labour, no doubt about it. But they had some good ideas in there and the rhetoric around it is ridiculous. We could sorely do with revising the water system. I do not understand the "local assets" argument, I don't give a damn if the local council or another state entity provides the water system. Local councils hate it because it's pretty much the only thing most of them actually do.
Education changes: every damn government messes about with the curriculum. I was going to mention it in my previous post but it got too long. National messed about with it, the previous Labour govt messed with it. No political party seems to be able to bear the idea of just leaving it alone for a few years and collecting some evidence.
> If labour get voted in again you’re gonna see a lot of businesses leave NZ
No, they won't. That's a ridiculous statement. Some people will leave NZ over the next few years and a subset of those will take their business with them, and the flavour of govt won't make a difference, we just have a particular economy and that won't change. Neither Labour nor National have the balls to make the necessary investments we could really do with to diversify away from tourism and agriculture to higher value industry like tech, which we're reasonably good at due to having an existing high income population and social systems in place. Labour did one good thing in that space, which was drive Fibre internet across the country.
Labour and National both pander to their bases - well of course they do, they're political parties. I'm sorry that you voted one way and regret it, but I'm puzzled what you expected of Labour, and what you expect of National. Neither of them will solve the housing issue until the majority of voters are renters seeking a better housing situation. One or the other is going to be forced to implement something like three waters (under a different name) eventually. Each of them will fiddle with the education system and people will be unhappy about it.
My advice - vote for TOP or another small party that won't ever get near power. Then you'll never need regret getting it wrong.