Page Bloomer Associates undertake and manage a wide range of projects for primary sectors. We care about sustainable land and water management. A common theme is “doing things better”, seeking to identify and support adoption of best on farm practice.

Our technical competence areas include irrigation and drainage, soil management, fertiliser application, mechanisation, automation and precision agriculture.  We are recognised for integrating these and other disciplines and relating them sensibly to real world issues for real world people.

We have a solid understanding of technology adoption in agriculture. Our interest is seeking solutions that enhance economic and environmental sustainability. We provide technical input in our specialist areas, teaming with other science and engineering providers as required.

We are proud to power LandWISE Inc, providing management and project services and running their annual conference. You can see more of our work on the LandWISE site: www.landwise.org.nz.

Following are links to a few of our projects: feel free to ask for more detail as required.

Example projects

Future Proofing Vegetable Production

Future proofing vegetable production requires ongoing rapid change in farm practice to meet cost pressures and increasingly stringent demands from regulators and markets for enhanced environmental performance and water quality. 

LandWISE is partnering with growers and our funders to develop and test new production and nitrogen mitigation techniques.  The project draws on and supplements recent and current research including our Fertiliser Applicator and Irrigation System Efficiency work to develop new generation good management practices. More….

Smart Tools for Orchard Drainage

Inadequate orchard drainage, highlighted during the 2017 autumn harvest period, is an extreme expression of a common problem that can occur anytime of the year. Muddy conditions increase disease, increase labour costs and hazards and increase storage fruit rots. Despite numerous attempts to rectify puddles and mud, the problem remains.

We are working with LandWISE and New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc in a project which has gained support from the MPI Sustainable Farming Fund. Over the next three years, this project will draw on experience from other sectors and access to new precision agriculture technologies to address the problem through precision surface drainage, particularly in established orchards where it is especially difficult. More on the LandWISE website>

Herbicide Resistance

Herbicide resistant weeds are a real and increasing issue globally and evident in New Zealand. Herbicide resistant ryegrass is for example, a problem in both arable farms and vineyards.

We are working with AgResearch and others in a project focused on improved weed control and vegetation management to minimise future herbicide resistance. The project is funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). More….

Fit for Purpose Accuracy:
SBAS for Horticultural Farm Management

This project investigated potential improvements in GNSS positioning accuracy using satellite based augmentation (SBAS) in various farming environments in NZ.

Put simply, SBAS is a system with a network of known land-based control points that provides correction signals to GPS units via satellite. The US equivalent is WAAS, the European equivalent is EGNOS. More….

Integrated Storm Water Management

The Arawhata is a small, intensively farmed catchment entering Lake Horowhenua. Sediments and accompanying nutrients can be carried by flood waters and overland drainage from farmed land into the Arawhata Stream and thereby the lake. This has adverse effects on the lake’s ecosystems. An integrated catchment drainage and sediment control plan was seen to have potential to increase farm production and profitability and decrease the loss of sediment and nutrients to the lake.  More….

Validating Field Robotics

This proof of concept project sought to validate a commercially available field robot as a viable autonomous platform on New Zealand farms. Our aim was also to develop experience and expertise in this advancing area of interest.

This project was focused on Oz440, a smaller robotic platform developed by Naio Technologies, that we purchased from France. More….

Irrigation Managers and Operators

An initiative of Irrigation New Zealand, Irrigation Managers and Operators is part of a wider programme to develop training resources and opportunities to upskill industry.  Dan Bloomer was lead author of the Irrigation Management series of booklets published in 2013.  We continue our involvement, developing more resources and facilitating workshops, seminars and other events. More here>

Versatile Soils, Productive Land

A small project discussing the relationships between soils and their properties, and the needs of a production system with particular relavance to the Heretaunga Plains, fruit-bowl, vegetable plate and wine glass of Hawke’s Bay. More here>

Quantifying Surface Ponding Losses

Used sophisticated tools including surface hydrodynamic flood modelling, EM38 soil scanning with RTK-GPS and GIS, and multiplexed TDR arrays to assess irrigation water losses that result when application intensity exceeds soil infiltration capacity.  More here>

Advanced Farming Systems

LandWISE supported and followed the development and adoption of a range of precision farming and controlled traffic technologies. Twelve focus farms across New Zealand, each a champion of an aspect of advanced farming systems, provided the base for the project and the question, “How can we use these new technologies and practices to farm better?” See LandWISE: Click here>

Controlling the Strip

Development of strip tillage for field crops and introduction of controlled traffic or tramline farming through our involvement with LandWISE: Click here>

Science for Community Change

Designing organic horticultural systems with local communities in the East Coast. More….

We put together a lot of fact sheets covering topics from soils to tamarillos, all avaiable for downloading. We set up a website panui.org.nz for this, but the resources are now here in our Tips section under Panui Tips