14% More Dry Yield. $873/ha Net Advantage.
Tom Fare ran a 25-hectare comparative trial of AgriSea against a conventional programme on a single maize-for-human-consumption block near Otorohanga. Both sides received identical fertiliser inputs throughout – despite AgriSea's programme recommending a 30% reduction. The yield advantage shown is therefore conservative.
The AgriSea area produced 14.09 t/ha dry versus 12.36 t/ha conventionally – an extra 1.73 tonnes of dry matter per hectare, worth $988 at the gate before treatment costs are deducted.
+14% Dry Yield (14.09 vs 12.36 t/ha)
Dry matter is the measure that counts at the weighbridge. The 14% lift goes directly to the bottom line – and this was achieved on equal fertiliser inputs, not a reduced programme.
+9.4% Wet Yield (15.94 vs 14.57 t/ha)
Wet yield also improved significantly, reflecting a larger, heavier crop across the full block – consistent with the dry matter increase.
Dry Yield Comparison (t/ha)
Dry matter yield – primary commercial measure
| Extra dry yield per hectare | 1.73 t/ha |
| Value of extra yield (at time of trial) | $987.84/ha |
| AgriSea treatment cost (2× Soil + 1× Foliar) | $114.75/ha |
| Net advantage per hectare | $873.09/ha |
All prices are at time of trial. Actual returns will vary with current commodity prices. Programme: AgriSea SOIL at 5L/ha at paddock preparation and again 12 days pre-sowing; AgriSea FOLIAR at 5L/ha post-sowing at 250–300mm crop height.
Further Evidence – Three More Cases
The Otorohanga results are not isolated. The same pattern of improved yield and crop health has been observed across very different growing systems – from certified organic farms through drought conditions to independent laboratory comparisons in the United States.
Totara Ridge Farm – Drought Trial
Nathan & Charlene Gardener · Certified Organic · Northland
Nathan and Charlene Gardener run a certified organic, non-irrigated farm on pipe clay soils in Northland. During the severe 70-year drought of 2012–2013, they grew 15 hectares of maize using only herd home effluent and an AgriSea programme – Soil Nutrition applied pre-seeding, and Foliar Nutrition applied at the 4–6 leaf stage and again at second node. No irrigation. No synthetic inputs.
Yield vs Regional Average – Drought Season
Non-irrigated organic farm vs all maize grown in the region that year
Schrader Family – Maize Silage
Bill & Mary Schrader · 20+ Year Silage Operation · Hawera, Taranaki
Bill and Mary Schrader have supplemented their feed system with maize silage for over 20 years. They decided to blend AgriSea's solid Zeolite product, Combo+, into their maize mix at cultivation – a straightforward addition to an established operation.
USA Corn Efficacy Trials
Independent US Fertiliser Company · Initiated by Doug Murray, Scientist & Orchardist
An independent US fertiliser company initiated trials to compare AgriSea's extracts against the best seaweed products available in the United States. The study was prompted by Doug Murray, an American scientist and orchardist who wanted to understand how AgriSea's New Zealand kelp extract performed relative to the leading US alternatives.
A Consistent Pattern Across Very Different Conditions
What makes these results compelling is not any single trial – it is the consistency across growing systems that could hardly be more different: conventional commercial cropping on equal fertiliser inputs, certified organic farming through an extreme drought, a long-established silage operation, and controlled efficacy testing against international benchmarks.