Introducing John Ferens
I have been involved in agriculture most of my working life from shepherding to farm management on livestock properties. Graduating with a Diploma in Agriculture and Advanced Farm Management, I spent 15 years in the horticultural industry, both marketing vegetables and assisting growers with plant nutrition in the rural Auckland/Pukekohe area. I then helped develop the first (and now largest) tomato packhouse in New Zealand. For the last 10 years I have acted as an independent soil and fertiliser consultant to mainly large scale farmers in dairying/livestock and horticulture in the Franklin/North Waikato region. I am unapologetically passionate about care of the soil and the wise use of fertilisers and lime to assist production without damaging the environment.

 

Recently with the introduction of the ‘Overseer Nutrient Budget’ computer program, I have gained the Diploma in Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture from Massey University. A Nutrient Budget is now an official requirement for all dairy farms, and may well become a necessity for all farms in due course.

 

In recent years I am regularly asked to give this same personal service to smaller farms, which now make up such a large part of rural New Zealand. (In the 2004 census 753,000ha were called “Lifestyle” and rising by over 6,000ha per year.) However these are difficult farms to service affordably, but too big an area to allow to be neglected. Hence the advent of The Dirt Dagger and Wise Earth Solutions Ltd to make CUSTOMISED SOIL NUTRITION available and affordable EVEN FOR SMALL NEW ZEALAND FARMS .

I have lived on a small farm in Karaka for over 25 years where my wife and I have raised five children and have run a ‘Lifestyle Block’ since before the name was invented!