Doug Edmeades

Douglas Charles Edmeades ONZM (born 1949) is a New Zealand soil scientist. He was involved in high-profile litigation in relation to the effectiveness of the Maxicrop brand of fertilizer.

Doug Edmeades

ONZM
Edmeades in 2013
Born
Douglas Charles Edmeades

1949 (age 70–71)
Hamilton, New Zealand
Alma materLincoln University / University of Canterbury
Scientific career
FieldsSoil Science
ThesisThe measurement of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in established pastures and some aspects of the nitrogen cycle in a sequence of pastures of increasing age (1976)

Academic career

After a Ph.D. from Lincoln College (awarded through Canterbury University due to Lincoln's status at the time) Edmeades worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries at Ruakura and then AgResearch after the 1992 reorganisation which created Crown Research Institutes. He left in 1996[1] and now runs his own consultancy, agKnowledge Ltd.[2]

In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, Edmeades was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to agriculture.[3][4][5]

Litigation

In 1989, while working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Edmeades appeared on the TV show FairGo expressing the view that seaweed-based Maxicrop didn't work.[6] Legal action was initiated by Maxicrop's New Zealand distributor, the Bell-Booth Group. In Bell-Booth Group Ltd v Attorney-General the Court of Appeal found for MAF and FairGo[6] after 'the country's longest civil court case.'[2]

Selected works

Widely cited peer review articles:

  • Edmeades, Douglas C. "The long-term effects of manures and fertilisers on soil productivity and quality: a review." Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 66.2 (2003): 165-180.
  • Edmeades, D. C., D. M. Wheeler, and O. E. Clinton. "The chemical composition and ionic strength of soil solutions from New Zealand topsoils." Soil Research 23.2 (1985): 151-165.
  • Blamey, F. P. C., D. C. Edmeades, and D. M. Wheeler. "Role of root cation‐exchange capacity in differential aluminum tolerance of Lotus species." Journal of Plant Nutrition 13.6 (1990): 729-744.

Books:

  • Science friction : the Maxicrop case and the aftermath. ISBN 0473068869
gollark: I do not think religions are very sensible and I reserve the right to UTTERLY mock beliefs I consider stupid.
gollark: Ah. Well, I still belittle it muahahaha.
gollark: What?
gollark: Not "a magical skyman will cure me of bad things if I worship them enough".
gollark: Like "objective reality exists", which you can't really meaningfully do things without.

References
  1. "Fertiliser fight back in court - Business - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  2. "Pastoral crusader's mission - farming - business". Stuff.co.nz. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  3. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2013". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. Matt Bowen (3 June 2013). "Fiercely backing science on the farm". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  5. Hawke's Bay Today, 6 Jun 2013; p.21; ISSN 1174-9792
  6. "Maxicrop case – Fertiliser industry – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
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