4th May 2026 // Rural News in partnership with Farmlands

NZ exporters in line for up to one billion dollar US tariff refund New slow-release fertiliser plant opens in Taupō Twenty years of good farming practice delivering cleaner water Rural News is in partnership with Farmlands as part of CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp - our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch / listen.   NZ exporters in line for up to one billion dollar US tariff refund New Zealand meat, dairy, fruit and wine exporters could be in line for up to one billion dollars in tariff refunds, after the United States Supreme Court ruled that President Trump's Liberation Day tariffs were unlawful. US Customs and Border Protection began processing refunds on April twentieth, covering tariffs paid between April 2025 and February this year. But EY New Zealand partner Paul Smith says the refund won't be automatic or guaranteed. Exporters need to actively assess their eligibility — and smaller businesses may struggle to access their share. Smith estimates sixty to seventy percent of the pool is likely to be recovered overall. Critically, other US tariffs remain in place, and Smith warns exporters should plan on the basis that elevated tariffs are a permanent feature of the current trade environment — not a one-off.   New slow-release fertiliser plant opens in Taupō A new fertiliser manufacturing facility in Taupō is promising to cut farm costs and reduce environmental impacts through controlled-release nitrogen technology — and it's the only plant of its kind in New Zealand. Tnue's facility, opened by Agriculture Minister Todd McClay on Friday, uses geothermal energy to coat urea granules in a membrane that releases nitrogen progressively over sixty to ninety days, rather than all at once. Co-founder Bruce Smith says that means farmers can apply every third round instead of every round — cutting the time and diesel spent on spreading. Smith says the slow release also protects against nitrogen leaching into waterways after heavy rainfall, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with rapid-release products. With global urea supply lines from the Middle East under pressure, Smith says having the capability to produce controlled-release fertiliser onshore gives New Zealand farmers greater certainty over price, supply and on-farm performance.   Twenty years of good farming practice delivering cleaner water Two decades of data from New Zealand dairy farms has confirmed what many farmers have long suspected — the good farming practices they've been implementing are working, and without hurting productivity. Research from DairyNZ, the Bioeconomy Science Institute, and Lincoln University analysed anonymous datasets from Fonterra and Open Country Dairy suppliers, along with DairyBase records, to assess the impact of better fertiliser use, effluent management, reduced cultivation and improved irrigation scheduling on water quality. The results show a clear link between widespread adoption of good farming practices and lower nutrient and contaminant losses from land to water. Crucially, the analysis found milk solid production was not negatively affected. DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Katrina Macintosh says farmers should take confidence that the actions they are taking on farm are having a real impact. Macintosh says fresh water management is a long-term game, and this research puts twenty years of farmer effort into clear perspective.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.