Grounded is very pleased to announce the launch of the Isherwood Research Station.

Isherwood farm

Isherwood is a 120 hectare sheep & beef farm, located in the Canterbury foothills, one hour from Christchurch. It has a flat to rolling contour, with a range of soil types from heavy clay to free draining. It is mostly sown in long-term permanent pasture, and is unirrigated.

The farm is currently operated under a low input, regeneratively inspired sheep and beef breeding and finishing system. In recent years there have been no chemical fertiliser inputs, no pesticides, limited strategic herbicide use, and few animal treatments other than anthelmintics. This gives a good starting point for either conventional or organically managed trials.

The farm is presently fully stocked with Romney and Wiltshire breeding ewes, plus an assortment of breeding and finishing cattle. These can be traded as necessary if different livestock are required for a trial.

Dr Samuel Dennis

I am a generalist agricultural scientist, with knowledge of all components but being most interested in farm systems as a whole. I have experience conducting soil, plant and animal trials, always with a mind to the practical, financial and environmental implications for the whole farm.

I studied a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (First Class Honours) and a PhD in Soil Science through Lincoln University. My PhD research was conducted in Ireland at Teagasc, and investigated nitrogen leaching losses from Irish dairy pasture. After graduation I worked briefly at Lincoln University as a research technician, then worked for five years as a research scientist at AgResearch in the Farm Systems team. I resigned to do private research and consultancy, and to develop the GroundTruth lysimeter system for direct field measurement of nutrient leaching losses.

I am now also farming Isherwood, which has been in my family since 1905, myself being the 5th generation. This puts me in the unique and very practical position of having both the expertise to conduct agricultural research, and land and animals to do research on. This is a surprisingly rare combination - even when working at AgResearch I had little direct access to either land or animals and had to negotiate with farmers for permission to use theirs for trials.

I can now be a one-stop-shop for all your farm research needs.

What I can offer

I can conduct trials on:

• Pasture or forage crop yields
• Animal production
• Soil fertility, biology and physical characteristics
• Nutrient leaching losses (either column or field lysimeters)
• Whole farm system questions

I can test & verify the performance of existing products, or assist with development of new products. I can also investigate management techniques.

I can conduct an entire research project from conception to publication myself, work with your existing staff, or collaborate with researchers from other institutions. I can conduct both fast turnaround trials and long-term research.

Whether you need some independent product testing for use in advertising, or have a more complex question to answer, just give me a call.

021 2534315

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