Pasture & Forage Testing

Pasture and Forage Testing

New Zealand's pastoral sector has been built on feeding stock with high quality pasture, supplemented at appropriate times of the year with additional feedstuffs to ensure optimal animal health and performance. Click here for more information

Pasture Testing

There are several dimensions to pasture analysis that farmers need to consider – energy, protein, fibre, dry matter and mineral content. And some of these dimensions are more important at particular times of the year than others.

For a more complete listing of our pasture testing options and the associated test details, simply download our services offered, specifically designed for pasture and feed testing.

Nitrate Feed Testing

The nitrate component of pasture or feeds is absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream of ruminant animals. When the level of dietary nitrate is high, some of the absorbed nitrate is converted to nitrite, which reduces the ability of the blood (haemoglobin) to carry oxygen. “Nitrate Poisoning” is actually a form of suffocation (anoxia). To ensure that the risk of nitrate poisoning is appropriately managed we recommend using our Nitrate Feed Testing services. Details of this service can be found in our technical note.

Feed Dry Matter Testing

Dry Matter (DM) refers to the weight of feed as harvested forage or silage after removal of all moisture, expressed as a % of the fresh weight. An accurate assessment of dry matter is important for three main reasons:
 • Forages are often traded on a dry matter basis.
 • Dry matter content is used to develop feed rations (along with other feed quality parameters).
 • Dry matter content is required to measure herbage production per area from field plot trials. 
Where forage is traded on a dry matter basis, there can be large financial transactions involved so it is essential that error in DM measurements is minimised. Our technical note explains more. 
DIY Feed samplings kits are available to order online, and include sampling instructions  or bulk supplies can be ordered for regular customers.

Latest Stories

Announcement: Hill Labs Broadens Food and Water Services with Acquisitions

We are pleased to announce that at the end of this month, a series of acquisitions will take place on the same day. Firstly, a new company jointly owned by Hill Labs and Sam Brooks will acquire the Canterbury-based sister companies ‘Food and Health Standards’ (FHS) and ‘Auditing Solutions’ (AS) from Ian and Gail Shaw. FHS and AS provide Environmental Health Officer services, food safety auditing services, and municipal water sample collection services to a range of customers within and beyond Canterbury. Secondly, the water operations within FHS, led by Lisa Shaw, will be carved out and moved into Hill Labs, while maintaining a close relationship with FHS.
  17 Feb 2025

Hill News February 2025 - Update From Our MD, Dr Jonno Hill

This, our first Hill News for 2025, has a couple of headline articles that I want to highlight. The first relates to a series of acquisitions that will be completed essentially simultaneously at the end of this month. There is some complexity in the deals that we are doing, but essentially there will be two main outcomes – increased capability within Hill Labs, and a partnership we will be entering into via a separate company.
  13 Feb 2025

Reflections from the NZSSS Conference

The New Zealand Soil Science Society conference was held in Rotorua in December 2024 and Erin McIlmurray, our Market Sector Manager - Agriculture, attended for the first time. She took away some new learnings and discovered some valuable insights.
  13 Feb 2025

What our customers have to say

"We've always found them to be responsive in getting results back and giving advice on problems we might be facing."

Andrew Hutchinson, Technical Manager, Turners & Growers

"We strongly recommend Hill Labs as a sound testing service provider to the honey industry."

Nick Walker, Technical Manager, Egmont Honey

"Their sample registration system has made things simple and seamless - collect, scan and send!"

Mathew Bannister, Compliance Manager, First Fresh New Zealand

Accreditations

As a New Zealand accredited laboratory by International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), Hill Labs' commitment to quality is tantamount to our overall operating philosophy. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work.