Soil pH and iron levels predict cadmium bioavailability, and offers solutions to farmers and ranchers, a new study concludes. Many of the country’s pasture soils have become enriched in cadmium. Grasses take up this toxic heavy metal, which is then eaten by the cattle and sheep that graze them. The concern is that if cadmium concentrations rise to unsafe levels in meat and dairy products, human health and New Zealand’s agricultural economy could be jeopardized.