Less Gas, More Grass: Rethinking Nitrogen

Pasture-based farming systems underpin New Zealand’s primary industries, yet the role of pasture in food production, stimulated by nitrogen cycling is often overlooked in debates about agricultural emissions and water quality. Much of the concern around nitrogen has been shaped by assumptions and extrapolations (often from overseas) that need evaluation before being applied in New Zealand.

In this VIBE session, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, who is also a Director on the boards of DairyNZ and Ravensdown, and is a member of the Scientific Council of the World Farmers' Organisation, will draw on decades of research from Lincoln University, Massey University, and other New Zealand science-based organisations  to examine the role of nitrogen in pasture-based systems... and in feeding the world. She will explore what happens when nitrogen enters the soil through grazing, how pasture responds to urine deposition, and how some of the misunderstandings of the role of nitrogen in the environment have occurred.

Using information from various New Zealand organisations, she will happily do her best to answer questions on whether different production systems (such as organic, regenerative or agro-ecological), or moving the global population to plant-based diets, would create a better future. 

Join us for a science-led discussion that reframes New Zealand production of high-quality protein from pasture as what New Zealand and the world needs. Productive, resilient pasture systems can support both environmental outcomes and the future of Aotearoa’s farming landscapes. 

Tuesday 19th May 2026
4.00pm-5.30pm
Stewart Building, Lincoln University

Timings

4:00pm – Arrival and networking

4:10pm – Welcome from Prof. Chad Hewitt, Provost, Lincoln University

4:15pm – Overview on what LU is doing in this space

4:20pm – Keynote presentation - Adjunct. Prof. Jacqueline Rowarth

4:45pm – Q&A

5:00pm – Networking

5:30pm – Event concludes

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