Fertiliser Efficiency

Looking to reduce fertiliser spend?
Start with what is being used.

Fertiliser is one of the biggest cheques you write each year. Better nutrient uptake means more of that spend ending up in quality plant growth instead of tied up in the soil or lost out of the system. Read how AgriSea customers have built soil function and reduced fertiliser without losing production.

Fertiliser prices are rising, is your return?

Fertiliser remains one of the biggest input costs on farm. With costs increasing, it makes sense to look beyond how much you're applying and ask how effectively those nutrients are being used and your return on spend.

Rising input costs

Farmers are looking more closely at where every fertiliser dollar is going and what is being lost.

Nutrients already in your soil

Your soil may already contain nutrients that aren't readily available to plants.

Production still matters

Reducing inputs only makes sense if you're continuing to support pasture quality and farm performance.

How AgriSea fits your programme

Getting more from your nutrients with AgriSea

Backed by 30 years of on-farm experience, AgriSea has developed cold-brewed biological technology specifically for New Zealand pastoral farming.

A biostimulant is not a fertiliser. It does not replace your nitrogen, phosphate, potassium or lime. It works on the soil biology and plant function that sit behind how well those nutrients are cycled and taken up.

AgriSea biostimulants supplement and enhance fertiliser applications by improving their uptake and utilisation while reducing environmental losses. On top of that you get the direct effect on the plant and the soil itself: stronger root function, more active biology, and better tolerance through the hard parts of the season.

"The goal isn't simply to apply more fertiliser. It's to get more value from what you're already investing in."

30 years

On-farm research and development

NZ Seaweed

Sustainably harvested Ecklonia radiata

Science-backed

Evidence-led products and research

Whānau-owned

On-farm research and development

B Corp

Business used as a force for good

On-farm proof

Don't just take our word for it.

$484/ha saved

Miah & Jenny Smith

Atiamuri · Dairy

What changed: Moved from 150 kg N/ha plus DAP, superphosphate and potassium to zero synthetic fertiliser, replacing the whole programme with AgriSea liquid seaweed biostimulants.

Result: $484/ha saved annually (approximately $50,000/yr). Somatic cell count down 49%. Empty rate down from 24% to 3.5%.

"Change is coming whether we like it or not and we feel we are ahead of the game."

+45% milk solids

Chris Parry

Quixley Farms · Dairy

What changed: Replaced synthetic fertilisers apart from N with AgriSea biostimulants and reduced herd from approximately 285 to 228 cows. Fewer animals, less input.

Result: 40 kg N/ha applied down from >100 kg N/ha. Total milk solids up 45% (71,000 to 103,000 kg MS). Per-cow production up 78%.

"The soil's got bounce and life to it. You dig down and find worms everywhere."

45 kg N/ha

Matt Rout

Morrinsville, Waikato · Dairy

What changed: Cut nitrogen from 100–130 kg N/ha down to 45 over three seasons, replacing with biostimulants, chicory, plantain and diverse pasture mixes.

Result: 14 tDM/ha homegrown feed, above regional average. Emissions below the top 20% benchmark despite dramatically less N.

"I was looking for change. Things on farm weren't quite adding up, and the advice I was getting didn't line up with how I wanted to farm."

$7 per $1 spent

Peter Abrahamson

Darfield, Canterbury · Farming

What changed: Progressively cut synthetic inputs over 8 years using AgriSea Soil Nutrition as a foliar spray alongside small amounts of nitrogen.

Result: Fertiliser halved within 3 to 4 years. N budget: 59 kg N/ha vs regional cap of 190. $7 return per $1 spent on AgriSea.

"For every dollar I spend on AgriSea, I get a $7 return."

Want to get more from your fertiliser programme this spring?

Every farm is different.

Talk to the AgriSea team about your current fertiliser programme, pasture and production goals, and where AgriSea could fit within your system.

No hard sell. Just a practical conversation about your farm and where AgriSea may be able to help.

How AgriSea improves nutrient use efficiency

01

Activate your underground livestock

Our cold-brewed seaweed biostimulants support the microbial activity that drives a healthy, functioning soil that captures and mobilises applied or stored nutrients.

02

Improve nutrient availability

Naturally extracted seaweed compounds complex applied nutrients increasing plant availability through the leaf and keeping them in the available pool in the soil.

03

Building root surface area

Longer roots and finer root hairs explore more soil, intercepting more of what you apply and holding on longer when it dries off.

04

Better nutrient metabolism

Uptake is only half of the story. AgriSea biostimulants support the enzymes needed to turn nutrients into feed with substance, not just bulk.

What could better nutrient efficiency mean on your farm?

These reflect the potential of AgriSea's approach. Outcomes will vary by farm.

More value from fertiliser

Support more efficient use of the nutrients you apply.

Feed quality, not just cover

Support healthy, nutritionally valuable pasture rather than focusing solely on kilograms of dry matter.

Better conversion

More of what you grow ending up as milk, meat and condition, rather than passing straight through.

A more resilient system

Active soil biology, deeper roots and more organic matter buffer your farm when the season turns against you.

In the press

Others are taking notice too.

Marlborough App

5 March 2026

Seaweed boosts soil health and slashes fertiliser bills for Marlborough farmer

We're always on your side: keeping our loyal customers happy is our top priority and number one goal.

"I wanted to focus on soil health and what was productively available for the plant."

Kaituna farmer Bryce McIntyre cut his annual fertiliser spend by roughly half after switching to a soil-first approach centred on seaweed biostimulants, pairing liquid applications with a grazing management plan across his 100ha sheep and beef operation running 360 R2 steers.

~50%

Fertiliser cost reduction

100 ha

Sheep and Beef, Kaituna

"For every dollar I spend on AgriSea, I get a $7 return."

Peter Abrahamson — Darfield, Canterbury

Understanding the why

Why does soil biology matter?

Soil
Biology
Nutrients
Roots
Pasture
Animals
Production

Soils can contain nutrients that aren't always in a form plants can readily access.

Healthy biological activity plays an important role in cycling nutrients through the soil and plant system.

AgriSea is designed to support biological activity and plant function, helping create conditions where nutrients can be used more effectively.

Why Agrisea

Science-backed. On-farm proven.

AgriSea combines sustainably harvested New Zealand seaweed with biological science to support healthier soils, stronger plants and more resilient animals.

30 years

On-farm research and development

NZ Seaweed

Sustainably harvested Ecklonia radiata

Science-backed

Evidence-led products and research

Whānau-owned

On-farm research and development

B Corp

Business used as a force for good

Talk to the AgriSea team