News
Media Release: Primary Industries Must Adapt to Climate Change Challenge
21/03/19
The ability of primary industries to successfully adapt to climate change is vital to securing New Zealand’s economic resilience. That challenge will be outlined by Nick Cradock-Henry, Senior Researcher in Social Science for Manaaki Whenua...
Media Release: Recent Events Signal Need to Prepare for Climate Change
14/03/19
This year’s Tasman fires and last year’s Cyclone Gita are giving the New Zealand public a taste of what could be coming as our climate changes. That is part of the message that Dr Judy Lawrence, Senior Research Fellow at the Climate...
NZAGRC welcomes independent review
19/02/19
The New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre welcomes independent review concluding centre a scientific success. “The NZAGRC has made fantastic progress,” says Neil Williams, Manager Sustainable Resources at the...
NZAGRC welcomes BERG report
06/12/18
The New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre welcomes the release of the Biological Emissions Reference Group summary report as a further step towards GHG mitigation in New Zealand’s agricultural sector. MR_181206_NZAGRC...
World Soil Day: New Zealand researchers remain committed to maintaining soil health and vitality to feed a growing population
05/12/18
World Soil Day is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources. More information at...
Country Calendar: From the Ashes
04/12/18
Onuku Maori Lands Trust, winners of the 2018 Ahuwhenua Trophy for Maori Excellence in Farming, featured on Country Calendar. Onuku is part of our Māori-focussed research programme. Watch (external link)
Turning pollution into profit
12/11/18
Work on Te Uranga B2 supported by the NZAGRC Māori focussed research programme was the focus of recent Māori Television's Native Affairs. Watch (external website)
Soil carbon research moves forward
03/09/18
Small changes in the amount of carbon stored in soils can have large impacts on the amount of carbon present in the atmosphere and hence help the effort to reduce global warming. New Zealand scientists, funded by MPI through the New Zealand...
Report: Contribution of methane emissions from NZ livestock to global warming
31/08/18
Executive summary This report provides information on the global warming that might occur from future emissions of methane from livestock in New Zealand under different assumptions and scenarios. Specifically, the report seeks to answer three...
Understanding the methane debate
06/07/18
Parliament will decide on the pathway for tackling our greenhouse gases (GHGs) after the current consultation on the proposed Zero Carbon Bill. The Bill presents three broad scenarios – net zero carbon dioxide by 2050, which would reduce...
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) on Māori-owned Farms
21/05/18
Scion, in partnership with AgFirst, are undertaking a research programme funded by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) looking at GHG mitigation options for Māori-owned pastoral farms. The research programme is...
Applying maths to methane
14/05/18
What does maths have to do with methane? Quite a lot, it turns out, with a research project combining the disciplines of biology and mathematics—funded by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre—set to boost...
Getting to the bottom of a beneficial bacterium
04/05/18
Growing up in a remote village in India gave Dr Sandeep Kumar a first-hand understanding of the significant impact that farming can have on a society. Even the small-scale farms of his tiny hometown, where families might each have one or two cows...
Media release: NZAGRC Director to take key role in Government
17/04/18
The expertise of the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre’s leadership has been recognised with the appointment of the Centre’s Director to a key role in the Government’s newly established Interim Climate...
Media release: NZ-led rumen microbial genome work published in prestigious journal
20/03/18
A global scientific project led by New Zealand researchers, which has generated a reference set of genome sequences of microbes found in the stomachs of sheep and cattle, has been published in the respected international scientific journal Nature...
Media release: NZAGRC leaders to contribute to next IPCC report
14/03/18
The Director and Deputy Director of the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) have been appointed to prestigious international scientific leadership roles for the next wide-ranging climate change report by the...
Video: Watching CO2 exchange and maize growth
17/01/18
A short time-lapse video of maize growing and the measured cumulative CO2-C exchange from eddy covariance. Down is a loss and up is a gain. There are initial C losses before maize growth is established and then gains as the maize grows. The net C...
NZAGRC scholarship forges future international collaboration
15/12/17
Congratulations to Nicolas Puche who has successfully defended his PhD at Massey University. Nicolas came to New Zealand in 2012 on a scholarship funded by the NZAGRC - his doctoral thesis, ‘Detailed temporal modelling of carbon and water...
The key role of science in mitigating global warming
15/12/17
Momentum is building in the climate change space, as politicians and the public alike look to the scientific community for solutions. The past year has seen a rapidly changing international situation with regard to the environment. Governments...
Cutting Down on Cow Burps to Ease Climate Change
30/11/17
Livestock has directly caused about a quarter of industrial-age warming. Scientists in New Zealand are working on an anti-burp vaccine for those methane-emitting cows. In a cream-colored metal barn two hours north of Wellington, New Zealand, a...
Dairy Tomorrow: The future of New Zealand dairying
23/11/17
From dairytomorrow.co.nz: Over the past 15 years the dairy sector has taken significant steps towards being more sustainable, but with the global and local operating environment changing at rapid pace, there is more to be done. Farmers, industry...
Countries seek to improve measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gase emissions and mitigation in the livestock sector
14/11/17
A new paper titled Measurement, reporting and verification of livestock GHG emissions by developing countries in the UNFCCC: current practices and opportunities for improvement has been released. The paper describes basic requirements for...
New research shows significant impact from livestock on actual warming
10/11/17
The direct contribution of livestock to global warming is significantly greater than estimates based on CO2-equivalent emissions would suggest, according to newly published research by two leading New Zealand climate change scientists. The Deputy...
Recognition for world-renowned animal geneticist
09/11/17
A major force behind many ground breaking advances in animal genetics is being recognised with a Science NZ Lifetime Achievement award this month. John McEwan, a principal scientist at AgResearch Invermay, has devoted his career to genomic...
Two roles at CSIRO available
09/11/17
Two roles at CSIRO are available. Fore more information please visit: https://jobs.csiro.au/job/Negotiable-Senior-Research-Scientist-Climate-change-and-agri-business/441431400/ and:...
Towards low emissions livestock: the GRA's Enteric Fermentation Flagship
01/11/17
The GRA’s Enteric Fermentation Flagship is beginning to take shape with four initial project proposals presented to the Council when it met in August. The Enteric Fermentation Flagship is being set up to support countries account for and...
Further international recognition for Andy Reisinger
19/10/17
The NZAGRC’s Deputy Director (International), Dr Andy Reisinger, has been invited to join an international scientific advisory panel that aims to address sustainable agriculture, food security and the impacts of climate change. Dr Reisinger...
NZAGRC: Global methane emissions discrepancy not applicable to NZ
04/10/17
An overseas report stating that global methane emissions from agriculture are larger than estimated previously does not call into question the accuracy of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas measurements, say the leaders of the New Zealand...
Laser has bright future in nitrous oxide emissions measurement
21/09/17
A modest-looking metal box sitting in a Waikato paddock may seem unassuming at first glance, but what’s on the inside has the potential to transform the way greenhouse gas emissions are measured. The box contains state-of-the art technology...
Congratulations to Dr Jack Pronger
14/09/17
Jack Pronger has completed his PhD defence to become a fully fledged scientist. Jack submitted his PhD investigating the water use and water use efficiency of mixed pasture swards at Troughton farm. Jack has taken up a position at Landcare...
Morning Rural News for 13 September 2017
13/09/17
Listen to Suzanne Rowe discussing current low methane breeding work at Invermay Listen (external website)
Two vacancies at INRA Paris
13/09/17
Scientific Officer of the international research program on ‘Soils for Food Security and Climate’ 1 year position, based at INRA, Paris, France. The global initiative ‘4 per mil. Soils for Food Security and Climate’ of...
Spikey receives prestigious environmental sustainability award
03/09/17
Spikey, a New Zealand innovation that is supported by the NZAGRC and the Global Research Alliance (GRA), has recently been awarded a prestigious environmental sustainability award by the professional body for engineers, IPENZ....
Low methane producing sheep could be way forward for NZ
30/08/17
Sheep giving off lower methane emissions are being bred by scientists now looking to see if they can produce leaner meat and more lambs. Methane from livestock is responsible for 33 per cent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions. As part...
New scholarship to support greenhouse gas research
29/08/17
A new $400,000 scholarship programme to build global expertise on climate change, agriculture and food security will boost New Zealand’s contribution to agricultural greenhouse gas research say Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett and...
OPINION: Farmers advocate takes wrong message from climate reports - Andy Reisinger
24/08/17
As a climate scientist, I strongly rebut Tuesday's opinion piece by Robin Grieve who claimed he was relating facts from the Motu Research report, Cows, Sheep and Science: A Scientific Perspective on Biological Emissions from Agriculture, that I...
GRA Livestock Research Group Newsletter: July 2017
13/07/17
Welcome to the July 2017 edition of the Livestock Research Group’s newsletter. USDA’s Acting Chief Scientist, Dr Ann Bartuska, remarked at the recent Livestock Research Group (LRG) meeting how much the group has grown in subject area...
IPCC AR6 Special Reports
02/07/17
During the next five years, the IPCC will publish several major reports of relevance to livestock greenhouse gas emissions. The table specifies the IPCC reports and the cut-off date for publications to be considered by the IPCC in preparing its...
Professor Louis Schipper talks about soil carbon
14/06/17
Louis Schipper talks to Bryan Crump on RNZ Nights about soil carbon. He talks about soil organic matter, soil density, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur), land use and the ways we can store more carbon in soil to reduce the amount of carbon...
GRA Livestock Research Group Meeting: April 2017
01/06/17
The annual meeting of the Livestock Research Group (LRG) of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) was hosted by the United States in Washington D.C. from 10- 12 April 2017. It was attended by representatives from 28...
Searching deep within for methane battlers
24/05/17
The role of microbes in producing methane is being studied by an Irish scientist, writes Jarrod Booker. While science is helping us discover vast new worlds beyond our own, the worlds explored by Sinead Leahy are far too small to be seen by the...
Sharing New Zealand's success story
17/05/17
The Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance is documenting countries’ successes in reducing on-farm emissions intensity of livestock production at the same time as addressing other concerns related to increasing...
IPCC AR6: Schedule
11/05/17
The IPCC is currently in its Sixth Assessment cycle. During this cycle, the Panel will produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report and the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). September 2018 Global Warming of 1.5 °C (SR15): An IPCC...
Sam McIvor: Farmers have made significant changes
05/04/17
Sam McIvor, CEO of Beef + Lamb NZ recently presented at the NZ agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation conference. Read more
Dr Andy Reisinger: livestock impact on climate change set to rise
03/04/17
The impact of agriculture on global warming could be as high as 14 per cent says an agricultural greenhouse gas specialist. But livestock may be even higher globally at 19 per cent. Andy Reisinger the deputy director...
Fonterra: there are opportunities if we all work together
03/04/17
Francesca Eggleton, Fonterra's Manager, Group Environment recently presented at the New Zealand agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation conference. Read more
Greenhouse gas awareness of livestock's contribution to emissions rises among farmers
29/03/17
More farmers are aware of the impact of livestock on global warming, says an agricultural greenhouse research expert. New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre director Dr Harry Clark said farmer awareness of their...
New Zealand-Argentina agricultural agreement signed
20/03/17
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has signed an Agricultural Cooperation Arrangement with Argentina today, aimed at building closer relationships between the two countries. Read more at...
China and New Zealand discuss climate change
22/02/17
17 February 2017 Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett says China and New Zealand have experience and expertise to share about responding to climate change. Read more at...
Producing a farm-scale soil carbon map
22/12/16
The study site is the Massey University Tuapaka hill country farm. This 470-ha farm, 15 km NW of Palmerston North, consists of two distinctive management blocks – the terrace flats and the hill block. A legacy soil map was digitised and...
NZAGRC welcomes PCE report on agricultural GHG mitigation
19/10/16
Wednesday, 19 October 2016 The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report into greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture highlights the need for a suite of mitigation solutions rather than a single silver bullet....
NZAGRC welcomes stocktake of New Zealand's action on climate change
23/09/16
Friday, 23 September 2016 The NZAGRC supports the New Zealand government’s commitment to progress action on climate change, summarised yesterday in the Ministry for the Environment’s stocktake document: “New...
Sheep & Beef work to identifying strategies to reduce GHGs
01/09/16
The NZAGRC team are working with two B+LNZ monitor farms. The farms now have substantial, robust data and baseline farm systems models which demonstrate the extent to which the key management decisions and efficiency drivers impact on current...
Collaborative work investigating GHG emissions from dairy farms
31/08/16
During 2015/16, the dairy component of the programme has continued progress towards understanding potential for practical mitigation options to result in lower GHG footprints for dairy farming. Methane and nitrous oxide measurements on dairy...
Global links strengthen agriculture research
01/06/16
A new round of research funding and the appointment of a Special Representative are big steps forward for New Zealand’s involvement in the Global Research Alliance, Ministers Paula Bennett and Nathan Guy say. “New Zealander Hayden...
Global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture should be reduced by 1 gigatonne in 2030, but less than half of this is possible with current options - international study
17/05/16
A global team of scientists, including one from New Zealand, has estimated that emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases from agriculture should be reduced by about 1 gigatonne (1 billion tonnes) annually by 2030 to help achieve the goals set...
PhD Opportunity: Stabilized carbon in Grasslands Management
19/04/16
Visit globalresearchalliance.org /n/phd-opportunity-stabilized-carbon-in-grasslands-management/ for more information
Improved productivity reduces GHGs and improves food security and livelihoods
01/04/16
Article at http://www.wfo-oma.com/farmletters.html Acknowledgements This project is a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (www.fao.org) and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research...
NZAGRC-PGgRc newsletter: edition 5
29/03/16
Edition 5 of the NZAGRC-PGgRc newsletter is available now. Click here to read
FACCE ERA-NET ERA-GAS call
24/03/16
ERA-NET for Monitoring and Mitigation of Greenhouse gases from Agri- and Silvi-culture (ERA-GAS) call for proposals is open. ERA-GAS aims to strengthen the transnational coordination of research activities and provide added value to research and...
Outcomes from the meetings of the Livestock Research Group and Integrative Research Group
24/03/16
Over fifty people attended the recent meeting of the Livestock Research Group in Melbourne, Australia recently. This was the eighth meeting for the group, held 19-20 February 2016 immediately following the international Greenhouse Gas &...
PICK OF THE COP: KEY OUTCOMES OF THE PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
24/03/16
History was made on 12 December 2015, when the gavel went down on a new global climate change agreement at the 21st UN climate change conference (COP 21) in Paris. For the first time in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)...
Sheree Balvert
24/03/16
Providing funding to students and early career scientists to increase capability in the agricultural greenhouse gas emissions mitigation research area and boost international collaboration is a key activity for the NZAGRC. The NZAGRC nitrous...
Pasture technology company receives greenhouse gas funding
21/03/16
Pastoral Robotics Ltd, founded by Aucklanders Geoff Bates and Bert Quin, has received a grant from the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Council (NZAGRC) to help optimisation and on-farm testing of its full-size ‘Spikey’...
NZAGRC-PGgRc Newsletter: edition 4
30/11/15
Edition 4 of the NZAGRC-PGgRc newsletter is available now. Click here to read
COP21 Agricultural Events
26/11/15
Overview of thematic events including agriculture and forestry: http://newsroom.unfccc.int/media/501938/lpaa_program.pdf Tuesday 1 December The LPAA "Focus on Agriculture" (learn more) at COP21 aims to show...
Andy Reisinger appointed to IPCC Bureau
24/11/15
Dr Andy Reisinger, Deputy Director (International) has been appointed as a member of the IPCC Bureau to provide guidance to the 195 country governments represented in the IPCC on scientific aspects and process for delivering a sixth assessment...
KuDos to Aaron Wall of Waikato University
24/11/15
University of Waikato technician, and a pivotal player in the NZAGRC-funded soil carbon programme, Aaron Wall was a winner in last month’s 2015 KuDos Hamilton Science Excellence Awards. The School of Science Technical Officer...
KuDos to Jiafa Luo of AgResearch
24/11/15
"Humbled and surprised” is how AgResearch Senior Scientist and NZAGRC Project Leader Dr Jiafa Luo describes his reaction to hearing his name read out as the winner of the Gallagher Agricultural Science Award at this year’s...
Highlights 2015
18/11/15
This publication summaries the NZAGRC annual report 2014/15. More information
Global solutions to reduce methane emissions from ruminant animals are feasible, because the microbes causing the emissions are similar around the world
12/10/15
The New Zealand-led “Global Rumen Census” project analysed the microbes responsible for ethane emissions from a wide range of ruminant animals around the world. The project found imilar bacteria and methanogens dominate in nearly all...
Two PhD studentships in New Zealand: Soil carbon stabilisation and resistance to loss
12/10/15
There are two PhD studentships available that will contribute to a wider programme of research funded by the Global Partnership for Livestock Emission Research entitled: MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR INCREASING SOIL CARBON UNDER GRASSLANDS. The PhD...
NZAGRC-PGgRc Newsletter: edition 3
23/09/15
Edition 3 of the NZAGRC-PGgRc newsletter is available now. Click here to read
Soil and pasture research that is sweet enough to eat
15/09/15
Scientific knowledge is usually communicated through text, diagrams and graphs, but the Waikato Biogeochemistry and Ecohydrology Research group (WaiBER) offers an alternative means of communication - via the medium of cake. Once a paper...
Science and Policy converge to discuss reducing agriculture?s environmental footprint
07/05/15
One hundred and thirty greenhouse gas (greenhouse gas) mitigation focussed scientists, policy makers and industry representatives made the trip to the Palmerston North Convention Centre to attend the first joint NZAGRC-PGgRc New Zealand...
Professor Sir Peter Gluckman addresses conference
29/04/15
The PMCSA addressed the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Conference in Palmerston North on 28 April 2015. Professor Sir Peter Gluckman provided an introductory session to the conference which included presentations covering...
Reducing New Zealand's agricultural emissions: How we measure emissions (edition 2)
28/04/15
This publication provides an overview of the particular measurement techniques used to provide us with more information on New Zealand's GHG emissions. For latest New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory data 1990-2016, go...
Reducing New Zealand's agricultural emissions: What we are doing (Edition 2)
28/04/15
This publication provides an overview of the GHG mitigation work been undertaken in New Zealand.
Media Release: 27 April 2015
27/04/15
New Zealand scientists have identified animal-safe compounds that can reduce methane emissions from sheep & cattle by up to 90 per cent. The announcement was made today by Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) Chairman and New...
NZAGRC-PGgRc Newsletter: edition 2
02/04/15
Edition 2 of the NZAGRC-PGgRc newsletter is available now. Click here to read
Assessment of the application of gibberellins to increase productivity and reduce nitrous oxide emissions in grazed grassland
25/03/15
Emissions of nitrous oxide from grassland systems are attributable largely to the use of nitrogen fertilisers and the excreta deposited by grazing animals. There is increasing interest in using gibberellins as a naturally-occurring growth...
Measuring, modelling and managing soil carbon for future farming
12/03/15
Increasing the quantity and stability of carbon stored in agricultural soils has real potential to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. However, realising this potential is not as straightforward as it might first appear....
New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre wins international contract
12/03/15
The NZAGRC, in partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), has been successful in obtaining funding from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) for a project to reduce methane emissions from enteric...
NZ Ag GHG Conference: Programme Available
12/03/15
For those of you waiting for a confirmed programme before registering your attendance at the 2015 New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Conference, it's now time! Visit www.nzagrc.org/conference for information on the...
NZAGRC nitrous oxide programme focussing on the bigger picture
12/03/15
It's been said that in order to see the whole picture, you need to step out of the frame. That's the approach that the Principal Investigators of the NZAGRC nitrous oxide (N2O) programme and their team took whilst planning the work out...
Reducing the GHG footprint of farming: demonstrating the impacts of steps available now
12/03/15
A core part of the NZAGRC's research programme is to develop new tools, technologies and practices to mitigate agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, there are a number of steps that farmers can take right now to reduce their...
NZ GHG Mitigation Conference - 28th April 2015
27/01/15
This conference will be a good opportunity for farmers and representatives from business, industry organisations, the science community and New Zealand government bodies to come together. The day will be an open public event at which key...
Job Opportunity: Post-Doctoral Scientist: Soil Carbon
14/01/15
Post-Doctoral Scientist: Soil Carbon: Three year fixed term Lincoln - Vacancy 9545 The Soil, Water & Environment Group works with land-based industries to develop the knowledge and tools needed to promote economically and environmentally...
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock: Best practice and emerging options
19/12/14
The publication is a joint initiative of the Livestock Research Group (LRG) of the Global Research Alliance and the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. It was commissioned by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research...
Conclusion of the IPCC 5th Assessment Report: Climate change threatens irreversible and dangerous impacts, but options exist to limit its effects
12/11/14
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded its Fifth Assessment Report on 2 November 2014 with the release of its Synthesis Report. The Synthesis Report distils and integrates the findings of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report...
Climate Summit 2014: Catalyzing Action
24/10/14
On 23 September 2014 in New York, global leaders from Government, business, finance and civil society came together to announce their commitment for action to limit global temperature increases. The commitment statements presented will...
Delving into rumen 'soup': identifying targets to mitigate methane
24/10/14
What's really in a rumen? It's probably something that most people haven't given much thought to. However, in the search for methods and technologies to mitigate methane produced from ruminant animals, this is a key question. The...
Global Warming Potentials and CO2-equivalent emissions
24/10/14
To report net emissions from sectors, it is necessary to convert emissions of each individual gas into a common unit (commonly called "CO2-equivalent emissions". The approach adopted in the UNFCCC is to use the so-called 100-year...
Low GHG feeds: latest research shows that forage rape can make a real impact
24/10/14
Could forage rape, a brassica crop, hold the key to understanding what and how to feed animals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions? A wide search has been carried out to date for animal feeds that reduce GHGs. For a long...
New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory: 2014 estimates
24/10/14
The New Zealand government submits its annual greenhouse gas inventory through the Ministry for the Environment on 15 April each year to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change. The most recent inventory, from April 2014, covers...
NZAGRC and PGgRc working together to create real on-farm solutions
24/10/14
The emissions intensity of New Zealand agriculture, that is the gases generated per unit of meat or milk produced on farms, has declined on average by about 1% since at least 1990. How? Simply because farm businesses have become more efficient...
The New Climate Economy Report
24/10/14
The Global Commission, which is headed by the former President of Mexico and includes former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, in its membership, has set out a ten point Global Action Plan for growth in a low carbon economy....
The search for plant species to reduce nitrous oxide emissions
24/10/14
Could plants be used to reduce nitrification rates in soils and hence reduce nitrate leaching and emissions of nitrous oxide? Results of screening experiments conducted by Dr Saman Bowatte and his team at AgResearch Grasslands campus in...
Major methanogen milestone
09/09/14
AgResearch scientists and US researchers are one step closer in their work to reduce methane emissions from sheep. They have identified microbial differences in the rumens of sheep with high or low methane emissions. The work is part of a Global...
Our problem, not our grandchildren's
21/08/14
Dozens of young people, sprawled in loose circles on the floor of Auckland University’s Business School, are trying to figure out how to make climate change action go viral. “We need 100,000 people on this Climate...
Tiny organism a big challenge to methane researchers
20/08/14
Much effort and intellectual grunt is going into solving the livestock methane emissions problem. Peter Burke reports on this science challenge facing New Zealand. A TINY micro-organism one thousandth of a millimetre long is proving a huge...
What can farmers do about climate change?
20/08/14
OPINION: It doesn't matter what your opinion is on climate change, it is happening. The challenge is what we can all do to slow it down. For farmers this is a particularly complex challenge because any mitigation that decreases...
Scientists work on methane solution
13/08/14
New Zealand scientists hope to have technologies that can be implemented on farm to help reduce methane gas emissions from farm animals such as cows, cattle, sheep and deer within about five years. That's the view of Mark Aspin, manager of the...
IDing Livestock Gut Microbes Contributing to Greenhouse Gas Emissions
17/06/14
“Increased to levels unprecedented” is how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) described the rise of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions in their report on the physical science basis of climate change...
Financial imperatives in reducing emissions
16/04/14
OPINION: The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms that agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. No group will therefore be more surprised than farmers, when they hear how much they are...
Mitigation of Climate Change - IPCC AR5 WG3 report released
16/04/14
"Concluding four years of intense scientific collaboration by hundreds of authors from around the world, this report responds to the request of the world's governments for a comprehensive, objective and policy neutral assessment of the...
NZ must face climate change flexibly
16/04/14
OPINION: Climate change is real. As a population, the majority of us understand this. But what is probably less understood is what climate change might "look like" for New Zealanders. The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on...
IPCC AR5 WG II: report released
31/03/14
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation, & Vulnerability) released today, 31 March 2014. NZAGRC Deputy Director is Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 25 covering the...
Funding opportunities on agricultural greenhouse gas research
08/02/13
The Ministry for Primary Industries has committed NZ$1.6million to a multi-partner call for agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) research through the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE - JPI)....
Agricultural GHG Research Receives Boost through PGgRc
04/02/13
The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) has secured funding from the agriculture sector and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to continue research to find tools for mitigating greenhouse gases. For...
NZAGRC Release of Information process now on-line
05/12/12
For all NZAGRC-funded researchers, the old paper-based Release of Information process has now been upgraded to an on-line system. The aim is that this will streamline the process for all involved. Please contact the Centre...
Agriculture dinner honours student achievement
17/10/12
NZAGRC pipeline scholarship recipients, Cameron Shaw, Calvin Ball and Samatha Edgar, were honoured recently at the Annual Massey Agriculture Dinner. Click to read more
GGAA 2013 Call for One-page Summaries Now Open
01/10/12
The GGAA 2013 Scientific Committee are now accepting one-page summaries for review. An example and template for the summary are available to download on the Greenhouse Gases & Animal Agriculture website. Format and content guidelines are...
PhD and Post Doc positions in Rumen Metagenomics
15/08/12
AgResearch is looking for a PhD student and a Post Doctoral Fellow to work in the area of rumen metagenomics as part of a larger programme which is deep sequencing the rumen microbiome to find means of reducing New Zealand agricultural methane...
Round Two Open: The New Zealand Fund for global partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research
05/07/12
MPI and the NZAGRC are pleased to announce the opening of the second round of the New Zealand Fund for Global Partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research. For more information Download presentation from recent targeted meetings...
Australian PhD scholarships available in GHG emissions
06/06/12
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)'s Institute for Future Environments (IFE) is offering a number of PhD scholarships that will support national climate change research programs. IFE is at the forefront of greenhouse gas emissions...
NZ Fund for Global Partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research to announce second round
05/06/12
The New Zealand fund for global partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research will announce a second round of funding in the coming weeks. The four Challenges to be addressed will in essence remain the same as in the current funding round...
MAF Pre Announcement of Priorities and Funding Levels for the 2012/13 SLMACC Funding Round
17/04/12
To enable research providers to consider projects for the 2012/13 funding round, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has today released a pre-announcement on research priority topics and funding levels for 2012/13. The full RFP will...
NZAGRC sponsors Best Science Communication Film at Reel Earth 2012
17/04/12
The NZAGRC is proud to be sponsoring the "Best Science Communication" award in the 2012 Reel Earth Film Festival. The Centre believes that good, clear communication of science is pivotal in today's fast paced world. It...
New look NZAGRC website goes live
16/04/12
The NZAGRC team are proud to welcome visitors to their newly updated website. The key goal of the new site is to make information about the Centre, its Members and its research quick and easy to locate. Please...
Emissions solutions attracts interest from across South East Asia
27/03/12
The Governments of Thailand and New Zealand jointly hosted a 2-day workshop on measurement and mitigation of greenhouse gases in South-East Asian livestock systems, on 14/15 March 2012. The workshop was sponsored by the New Zealand...
Two new PhD students welcomed by the NZAGRC
24/02/12
Funding capability development in the GHG emissions mitigation research arena is a key activity for the NZAGRC. Towards the end of 2011, the NZAGRC methane core programme welcomed two new faces to Massey University and the AgResearch labs...
UPDATE - NZ Government Funding in support of the Global Research Alliance
24/02/12
The New Zealand Government (through MAF) has committed a total of NZ$45 million over 5 years to support the work of the Global Research Alliance (Alliance) on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this investment directly supports...
Emission levels double on trampled soil
13/02/12
Direct losses of nitrous oxide from N fertilisers are relatively small. In grazed pastures, urine patches are the main contributor to these emissions, Lincoln University's Professor Hong Di told the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas...
"Think globally, act locally" the key message from the NZAGRC 2012 Annual Conference
01/02/12
One hundred and fifty greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation focused scientists, policy makers and industry representatives made the trip to the Travelodge in Palmerston North to attend the second Annual NZAGRC Conference. The conference provided...
NZAGRC 2012 Annual Conference - Media Advisory
20/01/12
New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre 2nd Annual Conference - "Moving towards solutions" Tuesday 31st January 2012 Palmerston North Moving towards solutions is the theme of the 2nd Annual Science Conference of...
New look LEARN website launched
01/12/11
LEARN is a collaborative, international network to facilitate the development of practical and cost effective agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation solutions. The Livestock Emissions & Abatement Research Network (LEARN) was established...
NZAGRC 2011 Highlights publication released
02/11/11
Welcome to the 2011 Highlights publication of the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC). After an extremely busy first full year of operation, I'm very proud to be able to present the attached NZAGRC...
2011/12 NZAGRC Pipeline Scholarships announced
01/11/11
We are proud to introduce the six recipients of the NZAGRC Pipeline Scholarships for 2011/12. Typically November is when many students are winding down for the long summer break, however these scholars are enthusiastically preparing for a...
The New Zealand Fund for Global Partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research
31/10/11
Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the New Zealand Fund for Global Partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research (the Fund) are now being called. The Fund is aimed at accelerating global research into mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from...
Dr Victoria Hatton appointed to Operations Manager (International)
15/08/11
Dr Victoria Hatton has been appointed to the position of Operations Manager (International) working with Dr Andy Reisinger Deputy Director (International). In this new position Victoria will work with Andy in leading New Zealand's...
Contestable international livestock emissions research fund launched by New Zealand
24/06/11
New Zealand has established a contestable, international fund worth NZ$25 million to support research on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from pastoral farming. New Zealand Agriculture Minister David Carter announced the New Zealand Fund...
New centre at Lincoln University gets the measure of greenhouse gas emissions: the Minister of Agriculture opens the National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement
01/04/11
The Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. David Carter formally opened the National Centre for itrous Oxide Measurement at Lincoln University today, which will see a tripling in New Zealand's capacity to easure nitrous oxide greenhouse gas...
New Zealand Government announces new award for senior scientists: LEARN GRASS Awards
10/03/11
Supporting research in Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Purpose To enhance collaboration and the building of mutually beneficial research partnerships between New Zealand and other Global Research Alliance countries Focus areas...
New Zealand Ruminant Methane Measurement Centre is opened by the Hon. David Carter, Minister of Agriculture
22/02/11
The New Zealand Ruminant Methane Measurement Centre (NZRMMC) was officially opened today by the Hon. David Carter, Minister of Agriculture. The NZRMMC is the largest purpose built facility of its kind in the world and provides New Zealand...
Media advisory: New Zealand Ruminant Methane Measurement Centre Opening and 1st NZAGRC Conference
21/02/11
Media are advised of the following events tomorrow Tuesday 22 February in Palmerston North 8.45am New Zealand Ruminant Methane Measurement Centre Opening 10am 1st New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre...
Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Centre awards contracts
20/01/11
The MAF funded New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Centre (NZAGRC) has announced on behalf of its nine partners, the first 18 science programmes that will receive long term funding through the Centre. The Centre’s science programme...
Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Centre boosts Global Research Alliance co-ordination
20/11/10
The New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) has appointed Dr Andy Reisinger as Deputy Director - International, to work specifically on New Zealand’s commitments as part of the Global Research Alliance (the...
New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre heating up
09/04/10
The New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre launched in March by Prime Minister John Key is hosting a visit of the Global Research Alliance officials this week and Director Dr Harry Clark says this is a busy time as the Centre...
New Zealand leads the way in tackling livestock-generated methane
05/04/10
Click here to view the video.
Broad science partnership to tackle New Zealand's agricultural greenhouse gases
03/03/10
New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre opened Increasing agriculture’s ability to create wealth for New Zealand in a carbon constrained world, is the mission of the Government’s New Zealand Agricultural...
Govt pledges $50M to reducing greenhouse gases
03/03/10
By Samantha Hayes The Prime Minister has re-affirmed his belief that humans are responsible for climate change. John Key has announced $50 million of new funding for research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture -...
AgResearch to host greenhouse gas research centre
15/10/09
Agriculture Minister David Carter today announced the appointment of AgResearch, in collaboration with eight other New Zealand research organisations, as host provider for the new Centre for Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research. The...
NZ pushes for Global Alliance on agricultural emissions
23/09/09
Prime Minister John Key says the New Zealand Government is pushing for a Global Alliance to research how to cut world-wide greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Mr Key has been participating with other world leaders at the United...
Leap forward for greenhouse gas research
02/06/09
The Government has announced it is setting up a greenhouse gas research centre targeting solutions for New Zealand's agriculture and horticulture emissions. Speaking in Christchurch today, Agriculture Minister David Carter said...
