Isherwood Research Station

  • 120ha Sheep & Beef farm, one hour from Christchurch.
  • Soil, plant & animal research.
  • Conventional or organic trials.

In-field leaching measurement

  • Under grazing or cropping
  • Directly measured, not modelled
  • You can't manage what you don't measure

Speaking and teaching

  • Clearly explain complex environmental & agricultural issues in everyday language.
  • Train farmers, industry and council staff, students, political groups.
  • Policy advice.

Isherwood Research Station

Soil, plant and animal research.
120ha Sheep & Beef farm, near Christchurch.
Conventional or organic trials.

Leaching measurement

Measure leaching losses under actual field management.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

Teaching and consulting

Speak to any audience on agricultural and environmental topics. Industry training and education. Policy advice and submissions.

GroundTruth Lysimeter System

Our premier product, measuring nutrient leaching loss in real time from grazed grassland.
Because you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

GroundTruth System

From our blog

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Isherwood Research Station

By Samuel on March 22, 2025

Grounded is very pleased to announce the launch of the Isherwood Research Station. Isherwood farm Isherwood is a 120 hectare sheep & beef farm, located in the Canterbury foothills, one hour from Christchurch. It has a flat to rolling contour, with a range of soil types from heavy clay to free draining. It is mostly sown in long-term permanent pasture, and is unirrigated. The farm is currently operated under a low input, regeneratively inspired sheep and beef breeding and finishing system.

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Overseer not fit for purpose

By Samuel on August 12, 2021

The use of the Overseer model as a regulatory tool has long been questioned by farmers and scientists. The government has tasked regional councils with the job of regulating nutrient losses to water, but nutrient losses are notoriously difficult to measure or even estimate. The Overseer model however existed, was already used by the industry - and produced estimates of leaching losses. Actual numbers, in black and white. Just what the councils needed.

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GroundTruth System statistics

By Samuel on August 6, 2021

26 active lysimeters, total 119 m2 The GroundTruth lysimeter system has been quietly growing for several years. To date, 27 lysimeters have been installed, of which 26 are presently active. The active lysimeters have a total area of 119 m2 (equivalent area to almost 600 standard column lysimeters). On an area basis, Grounded is therefore actively measuring leaching from an area that rivals the leaching research facilities of the largest universities and CRIs in New Zealand.

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The effluent that didn't smell

By Samuel on August 6, 2021

Farming is the management of complex biological systems, systems we do not fully understand. Agricultural science is the process of trying to understand those systems better, little by little. But there is much we still do not know. The most exciting science is when you have an interesting observation, and try to figure out what is behind it. The mystery of the missing smell Several years ago I was approached by a dairy farmer who had been applying extremely low rates of N fertiliser, yet achieving levels of production per hectare that were equivalent to high input conventional farms.

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