45 kg N/ha. 14 Tonnes of Homegrown Feed. Lower Emissions Than the Top 20%.
Matt Rout is milking 200 cows on 69 hectares north of Morrinsville and using less than half the nitrogen of farms around him – while growing more feed per hectare than the Waikato regional average. His emissions are below the top 20% benchmark. And the system keeps improving.
A Whānau Farm, a Clear Direction
Matt Rout farms just north of Morrinsville in the Waikato – a 69-hectare dairy unit milking 200 cows as a system 3 operation. He purchased the farm from his grandparents in 2023, continuing a family legacy. His parents remain involved, lending a hand at calving and through busy periods, making it a genuine whānau effort. As a one-man band day-to-day, Matt runs a tight, efficient system and likes to keep things simple.
When he joined the Rere ki uta rere ki tai project, he was looking for change – not because the farm wasn’t working, but because the advice he was getting didn’t sit right with how he wanted to farm. That desire for alignment between values and practice has driven a complete system shift over three seasons.
The Nitrogen Journey – Down to 45 kgN/ha
Before adopting biostimulants, Matt was applying 100–130 kgN/ha per season – already relatively low for the Waikato. He was mindful of the sector-wide need to reduce nitrogen use and keen to push further. Over three seasons of integrating AgriSea biostimulants into his programme, he has reduced systematically – without sacrificing pasture or production.
Matt loading AgriSea Soil Nutrition into the Tow and Fert – applied four times per season across the full 69ha.
What Biostimulants Actually Do
Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that enhance plant growth, stress tolerance and nutrient use efficiency by stimulating natural biological processes. They improve plant health indirectly – activating what’s already in the soil rather than supplying nutrients directly.
Replacing N – But Not Like-for-Like
Matt switched to biostimulants and foliar nitrogen, away from conventional synthetic fertilisers. The shift was supported by his AgriSea representative and the broader Rere ki uta rere ki tai project – with clear guidance on what to expect at each stage of the transition.
14 tDM/ha of Homegrown Feed – With Half the Nitrogen
Matt’s Fonterra Farm Insights Report data shows he grew 14.0 tonnes of dry matter per hectare of homegrown feed in 2024/25 – using just 45 kgN/ha to do it. That single comparison tells the story. Farms near him use an average of 86 kgN/ha and grow 13.3 tDM/ha. The Waikato regional average uses 88 kgN/ha and grows 12.4 tDM/ha. Matt is producing nearly 60% more dry matter per kilogram of nitrogen than the benchmark group.
Feed Grown per kg of Nitrogen – Matt vs Benchmarks
| Measure – 2024/25 | Matt’s Farm | Nearby avg | Nearby top 20% | Waikato avg | Waikato top 20% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homegrown feed eaten (tDM/ha) | 14.0 | 13.3 | 16.1 | 12.4 | 15.8 |
| N fertiliser used (kgN/ha) | 45 | 86 | 98 | 88 | 106 |
What Low N Means for Emissions
Less nitrogen in the system means less nitrous oxide. Matt’s total on-farm emissions for 2024/25 came in at 802 kgCO₂e per tonne of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) – 15% below the Waikato regional average of 939, and actually below the top 20% benchmark of 821. For a farm still producing 14 tonnes of homegrown feed, that is a compelling combination.
The emissions from nitrogen fertiliser specifically tell a stark story. In the previous season, Matt’s Nitrous Oxide (biological) from fertiliser was 0.20 kgCO₂e/kg MS – compared with a benchmark of 0.30. And his Carbon Dioxide (non-biological) was 0.30 when the benchmark was 0.50.
| Emission Source | Matt’s Farm | Region Avg | Region Top 20% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total emissions (kgCO₂e/t FPCM) | 802 | 939 | 821 |
| Methane (biological) | |||
| Dairy herd | 480 | 494 | 473 |
| Replacements | 71 | 88 | 79 |
| Effluent | 52 | 55 | 52 |
| Nitrous Oxide (biological) | |||
| Livestock | 81 | 93 | 88 |
| Fertiliser | 9 | 20 | 14 |
| Manure and soil | 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Carbon Dioxide (non-biological) | |||
| Fertiliser | 14 | 38 | 27 |
| Other | 37 | 32 | 28 |
What Actually Changed on the Farm
The transition wasn’t a single switch – it was a whole-farm rethink. Matt made a wide range of changes through the project, all reinforcing each other. Production held steady at around 14.5 tonnes of dry matter per hectare harvested – but with fewer cows, the system became more profitable.
Matt Rout among his herd on his 69ha farm north of Morrinsville – the same cows, healthier pasture, and dramatically lower inputs than when he started.
The Mindset Behind It
For Matt, the hardest part of the transition has not been the technical changes. It has been the mental shift – unlearning the conventional wisdom he grew up with and learning to see the farm as a connected system rather than a series of inputs and outputs to be optimised individually.
“The biggest challenge is changing your mindset to understand everything on farm is connected. Sometimes you have to unlearn conventional things to make change for good.”
“The constant learning and support from an awesome group of people with knowledge in so many different areas has been invaluable.”
“Get into it. Trial a small area first and trust your gut.”
“We’ve turned our farm upside down with change, and it’s been great fun to see results. Now I’m enjoying watching those changes build.”
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