4 minute read
Foundation for Arable Research
If you grow maize, you’re a FAR levy payer!
Anna Heslop, FAR
That may come as a surprise to you, but it is true. The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is the levy funded applied research and information transfer organisation for all New Zealand arable growers, and this includes anyone who grows maize grain or silage.
The maize levy, calculated at $1.00 per 10,000 seeds, is built into the price that you pay for maize seed, and is paid to FAR by the company who sells you the seed.
As a levy payer, you should receive invitations to FAR’s maize agronomy, environment and business focused field days and events, as well as extension material.
However, as the levy is forwarded in bulk by your maize seed retailer, we may not know who you are. If you haven’t heard from us, please get in touch!
Maize and the environment
Maintaining social licence and meeting regulatory compliance is essential for all New Zealand farmers. As such, FAR has a strong environmental research focus with a number of projects targeted at identifying and promoting good management practices for a range of arable crops, including maize.
For example, FAR has resources outlining the nutrient value of dairy shed effluent, the pros and cons of a range of maize establishment techniques and the efficient use of herbicides to control weeds in maize. FAR has also developed a Farm Environment Plan (FEP) template for use on cropping farms.
This template has been approved by several regional councils, so check and see if it’s relevant in your region. The FEP and all other resources are available from the FAR website or by contacting FAR directly.
Nitrogen management with AmaizeN Lite
AmaizeN Lite is an online maize nitrogen calculator. Based on information that you supply e.g. soil type, soil test results, planting rates and predicted crop yields, AmaizeN Lite will forecast your crop’s fertiliser nitrogen requirements and help to maximise gross margins and minimise residual soil nitrogen at the end of the season. AmaizeN Lite can be accessed via the FAR website, or at www.amaizenlite. org.nz
Maize Hybrid Performance Trials
The Maize Hybrid Performance Trials (MPT) were established in 2014 to provide independent information of how different maize hybrids yield around New Zealand. The results of these trials help growers to make informed decisions around maize hybrid selection.
The trials are run each year, and the results are published in a booklet which is sent out to maize growers, contractors and companies. It is also available on the FAR website.
The latest, 2018/2019, results include data from several years of trials. Data from multiple seasons for a maize hybrid’s performance are more valuable than results from a single season as they show the hybrid’s ability to perform under different weather patterns. Ultimately, the most consistent performers will rise to the top of multi-year results.
Monitoring maize supplies
The Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI) was set up in 2010 to address a lack of up-to-date market information. The AIMI Maize Survey is run twice a year and the results are emailed to levy payers and posted on the FAR website. Each AIMI Maize Report outlines final figures from the most recent maize grain and silage harvest, the quantities of grain sold (and unsold), along with maize grain and silage sowings (completed or planned) for the coming season.
The next report is due out mid-year and will cover the 2019/2020 harvest to the end of May.
Arable feeds benefit the environment
Another FAR-led project has shown that altering cows’ diets to include arable products such as grains, and maize and cereal silages, can reduce urinary nitrogen concentrations and methane emissions from dairy systems.
The work was carried at Lincoln University as part of an MPI Sustainable Farming Fund project, The environmental benefits of arable feeds. It involved sophisticated computer models representing the workings of the rumen to test the environmental and economic impact of different dairy cow diets. The work followed up on findings from the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) programme which showed that adding diversity to the dairy cow diet can reduce urinary N concentrations whilst maintaining or increasing milk quality and production.
Biosecurity
Biosecurity is another important focus for FAR. While we don’t get involved with animal pests and diseases, we keep a very close eye on anything that could put productive crops at risk. In recent years this has included direct involvement with velvetleaf, pea weevil and red clover case bearer incursions. Currently, we are working with national and international experts on two very serious threats to maize, brown marmorated stink bug and fall army worm.
We have also developed an on-farm biosecurity plan - a checklist of things that growers can control to reduce the risk of unwanted plant weeds, pests and diseases establishing on their farms. Once again, this can be found on the FAR website or by contacting us directly.
Precision agriculture for profit
A FAR led, SFF funded project, Transforming Variability to Profitability, has highlighted some of the benefits of using precision agriculture to measure paddock variability and develop sitespecific crop management approaches. It has shown, for example, that increasing maize seeding rates does not automatically translate into increased grain yield or profit.
Want to know more?
FAR works with growers on a range of crops and issues all over New Zealand, and has three research farms at Chertsey, Lincoln and Tamahere in the Waikato.
We enjoy engaging with our levy payers, so feel free to have a look at our website or get in touch about anything you see here, or any other queries around maize and maize research.
