Maize performance

“Fortune favors the brave.”

Two and a half years ago, when we launched Revive Soil Solutions NZ, JORDAAN CONTRACTING LTD took a bold leap as our first customer. They trusted a fledgling start-up with a vision: to empower Kiwi farmers by embracing cutting-edge technology and precision agriculture strategies.

Since 2010, Jordaan Contracting has managed the Mangatawa maize block in Welcome Bay—a challenging site with free-draining ash soil prone to burning off during droughts. Historically, yields struggled to exceed 20 tons per hectare (t/ha), with only one exception. Together, we set out to change that.

Here’s how we turned things around:

Precision Soil Insights 🧪: We ditched the single-transect soil sampling approach for a 0.5 ha grid system. Samples analyzed at Eurofins New Zealand gave us a detailed picture of the soil’s effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) at its current pH—unlocking a clearer understanding of its potential.

Smarter Tillage 🚜: We stopped damaging soil structure with power harrowing and excessive tillage, switching to strip-tilling. This shift boosted soil cover and moisture retention, laying a stronger foundation for growth.

Optimized Planting 🌽: We reduced plant populations from 105,000 to 85,000 per hectare. Less competition between plants meant better cob development and resource efficiency.

Tailored Nutrition ☘️: Variable-rate fertilizer applications replaced blanket approaches, targeting geospatial nutrient needs and capitalizing on existing surpluses.

Plant Sap Innovation 🔬: When Norman Ironside Higgins joined the team, he brought plant sap testing from NovaCropControl in the Netherlands. This allowed us to monitor available nutrients throughout the growing season with precision.

Nutrient Fine-Tuning 🌻: We applied limiting macro- and micronutrients strategically, keeping photosynthetic activity high and crops greener for longer—maximizing yield potential right up to maturity.

Future Soil Health 🪱: Next season, we’ll introduce a multi-species cover crop to boost biodiversity and microbial activity, setting the stage for even greater resilience.

The results speak for themselves. Last year, we smashed the 23 t/ha barrier. With the latest harvest data just in—harvested last week—we’re now pushing toward 25 t/ha. Alongside this, we’ve lifted the metabolizable energy (ME) of the crop to 11.9 MJ/kg DM. For those wondering about the green look in the harvest photos below, the dry matter (DM) tested at a solid 42.5%.