Soil scientist’s contribution recognised
Dr Ants Roberts has been honoured for his contribution to farming. A prominent soil scientist and now Ravensdown chief scientific officer, he was been awarded the Ray Brougham Trophy at the Grasslands conference in Whanganui recently.
Nick-named ‘‘Dr Dirt’’ by his peers, Roberts was recognised for his excellence in more than 40 years of agricultural soil science and service to the industry.
‘‘I’m deeply humbled to be recognised amongst my peers in this way for effectively doing something that I love and am passionate about. A lot of very worthy recipients have gone before me so I feel very honoured and pleased to be recognised,’’ he said.
John Caradus, chairman of the NZ Grassland Trust, said, ‘‘Ants has developed though his working career an excellent profile that allows him to represent the grassland community effectively on issues related to fertiliser, soil and environment.’’
Roberts had contributed to over 65 referred scientific journals and conference papers, 70 scientific and extension papers, five book chapters and four extension booklets and eight educational YouTube videos.
‘‘If I had to compress 40 years into one highlight I’d say the best part of my career has been meeting the farmers of New Zealand on their farms and seeing how, and if, I can help them – that’s what gets me up in the morning – my why,’’ said Roberts.
‘‘Making soil fertility science as simple to understand and as effective as possible is where I have concentrated my efforts. If it is not done with the end user in mind then it renders less useful,’’ he said.
‘‘The next frontier for me is to ensure that our pastoral farmers can continue to have a sustainable and economically successful business, producing high quality food from our soils in a nutrient limited world.’’