Country-Wide September – Crop & Forage Special 2021 by NZ Farmlife Media

2021

SCIENCE: FROM THE GROUND UP Expert advice on growing and utilising crops and forages.

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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MANAGEMENT

WEEDS

FRESHWATER

Filling the feed gap

Regen Ag threatens crops

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September 2021

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September 2021

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AUGUST 2021

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August 2021

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September 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE Opinion

Turbulent times

LOT HAPPENS IN A MONTH. Even just a week. As we went to print, the country was back in lockdown and Afghanistan had fallen to the Taliban. Overseer was deemed by a science panel not fit to use as a regulatory tool. Ag scientists have been telling government officials this since 2013. The Government hasn’t listened to the Howl of a Protest and is still persecuting farmers. Proposed anti-free speech legislation hasn’t gone down with the general public nor the gifting of half of ratepayer owned water services to iwi. Living costs and the country’s debt are growing fast. Unions have called for strikes. No wonder dire predictions from the IPCC seemed to be largely ignored. Especially after the Covid outbreak in Auckland. Anthropologists will be in heaven observing human behaviour during lockdown. A farmer reported on Wednesday heavy traffic on the road to Queenstown and Wanaka as people escaped to their holiday homes. Why? In the last lockdown people escaped to their holiday homes which became traps. For some their wifi was inadequate for a family and they had to go back to the city to work. It puts pressure on infrastructure and businesses not expecting the influx. The medical facilities are limited and injuries from activities such as biking will not be welcomed by staff. Boating is forbidden. Behaviour on the Wednesday night in Dunedin before lockdown was extraordinary. I had to pick up a couple of essential items for a friend at a supermarket. There was a long queue waiting to get in so I went to another. It had no queue outside, but two queues inside, from the checkouts to the back of the supermarket. About 80% of the queue were students buying booze. Like many people in cities and towns I watched the Howl of a Protest when it came through Dunedin at midday. At first I thought it lacked impact because

the vehicles were too spread out. Organisers wanted to lessen the disruption to traffic. However, it meant it lasted longer allowing more people to witness the protest. Most seemed sympathetic. One office worker said, “it is not everyday you see a tractor in town”. There was criticism before and after the protest. That it would achieve little and only piss the public off. Judging by the turnout and the public reaction around the country, it was a great PR coup. It was reminiscent of protests in the 80s. At the very least it showed the Government farmers had had a gutsful of its attacks on their farms and lives. That they will not go quietly. Political commentators say it may be the catalyst for protests in urban areas as public discontent with the Government grows. Media Council Regarding the ruling printed in the August issue, we were not allowed to reply near the statement which came in after our deadline. The Media Council is a self-regulatory body funded by the industry, it is not a court of law. Country-Wide stands by its stories, that they are true and accurate. It did not mislead readers. Also there is no editorial in this magazine. The Editor’s Note has always been opinion. We have shown Landcare’s white paper had major failings. There are still a lot of questions unanswered by Landcare which we will pursue.

Terry Brosnahan

Got any feedback? Contact the editor: terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz or call 03 471 5272 @CountryWideEd

Next issue:

• Business: Reflective farming – reviewing

• Strong wool: Will prices rise higher and

• Markets: What are overseas markets up to

On farms including:

every aspect of the farm operation. and where are the premiums?

• Animal health: Why farmers should do stock post-mortems.

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September 2021

for how long?

• A high fertility and FE tolerant flock in Northand. • An easy-care composite flock with reduced wool-growing costs.

Contents

SUCCESS ON THE SWARD Running sheep and beef alongside a mixed-sward experiment has paid off for a couple farming in Apiti.

WHAT IS A SCIENTIST? Scientists define scientists.

8 BOUNDARIES

BUSINESS

18 Opportunities in alternative proteins

HOME BLOCK

36 CROP & FORAGE SPECIAL

22 Give sheep and beef farmers a voice

11 Sound parenting creates future farming leaders, Paul Burt reckons

24 Scientists define scientists

12 Micha Johansen has caught the family golfing bug

LIVESTOCK

13 Chris Biddles gets grumpy over backflips 15 Two well-seasoned blokes from Gore made things happen, says Mark Chamberlain 16 Amy Hoogenboom reflects on her inter-island move

26 The Cranstons find success on the sward 35 Stock Check: Measuring up to compliance

OPPORTUNITIES IN ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS 6

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September 2021

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2021

General enquiries: Toll free 0800 2AG SUB (0800 224 782) www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

CROP & FORAGE 38 Industry: Glyphosate prices set to rise

40 Regen ag threatens arable 42 Analysis: Filling the feed gap 46 Handling a feed deficit

ATTENTION TO DETAIL CRUCIAL

48 Overcoming the summer challenge 52 Getting oxygen into soils

Forage and nutrition specialist Trish Lewis has some advice.

56 Pasture: Managing the spring 58 Clover should be king 59 Caucasian clover making a come back 62 Silage: Attention to detail crucial 64 Balage: Wrapped up and fit to burst

Writers Anne Hardie 03 540 3635 Lynda Gray 027 465 3726 Robert Pattison 027 889 8444 Sandra Taylor 021 151 8685 James Hoban 027 251 1986 Russell Priest 06 328 9852 Jo Cuttance 03 976 5599 Joanna Grigg 027 275 4031

68 Hill country: Family fight feed shortages 76 New thinking to predict growth 79 Legumes on trial

GIVE SHEEP & BEEF FARMERS A VOICE

Partnership Managers Janine Aish | Auckland, Waikato, BOP 027 890 0015 janine.aish@nzfarmlife.co.nz

85 Feeding NZ without guilt 86 Pests and weeds: Planting with insurance

Tony Leggett | International 027 474 6093 tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz Angus Kebbell South Island, Lower North Island, Livestock 022 052 3268 angus.kebbell@nzfarmlife.co.nz

ENVIRONMENT 90 Another submission to make 92 Cover crops an environmental tool

Subscriptions nzfarmlife.co.nz/shop | 0800 224 782 subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz

95 Farmers get help 96 SOLUTIONS

98 FARMING IN FOCUS

2021

Printed by Ovato Print NZ Ltd, Riccarton, Christchurch

ISSN 2537-8759 (Print) ISSN 2537-8767 (Online) @CountryWideNZ

FAMILY FIGHT FEED SHORTAGES

EMILY REES COVER BY:

Sub editor Andy Maciver 06 280 3166 andy.maciver@nzfarmlife.co.nz

Jo Hannam 06 280 3168

67 Winter catch crops a must for maize growers

83 Wheat: Drumming up support for durum

Publisher Tony Leggett 06 280 3162 | 0274 746 093 tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz

Design and production Lead design: Emily Rees 06 280 3167 emily.rees@nzfarmlife.co.nz

60 Production pastures tested

82 Cropping: Lighter touch needed in arable

Editor Terry Brosnahan 03 471 5272 | 027 249 0200 terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz

SCIENCE: FROM THE GROUND UP Expert advice on growing and utilising crops and forages.

Country-Wide

September 2021

Country-Wide

September 2021

A farming operation in South Canterbury is trying their options to plug a huge feed gap.

BOUNDARIES

Wayne Hermansen, contractor.

NOT JUST FARMERS UPSET

A growing revolt BY: CHRIS MCCULLOUGH

FARMERS ACROSS THE WORLD ARE JUMPING INTO their tractors and setting off in convoys to cities in order to make their voices heard. For too long now farmers have had to go along with whatever wacky decisions their governments have bestowed upon them, but that attitude has changed dramatically recently and it’s no more Mr Nice Guy. As words fell deaf on politicians’ ears the Kiwi farmers did what their European counterparts have become used to and that meant a tractor trip to the city. French farmers are the world professionals of protesting as they ensure the French government, the European Commission and the public feel their anger. The EC insists its farm support subsidies will only be distributed if farmers comply with tougher greener environmental agriculture, provoking a revolt. In the city of Clermont-Ferrand, more than 2000 protestors flattened street lights with their tractors and spread manure on the streets after the government announced it was going to tax the use of nitrogen fertiliser and increase organic production. At the end of 2020 Dutch farmers converged on The Hague protesting against policies to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Effectively, this meant a cull of farms in some regions. In India more than a million farmers took over the capital Delhi in protest over new farm acts passed by the government. Sadly over 400 farmers have died during those protests. Whether farmers like it or not new policies on the environment will continue to tighten the rules on how they carry out their work. However, governments need to understand that no farmers means no food!

• Chris McCullough is a UK journalist.

Above: Farmers protest on the streets of Germany.

Country-Wide gathered some comments from the Dannevirke Howl of a Protest. Wayne Hermansen, Dannevirke, contractor: I hope the Government will listen to the people about the extra tax that’s being forced on the utes. They are essential for running agriculture, and for farmers, throughout NZ. Ethan McNicol, Dannevirke, contractor: Everything is getting too hard, too much. I just started my own business and this (the ute tax) is just another cost. Robert McLaren, Dannevirke, agriculturalist and landscaper: I feel the need (to protest). Everything has gone up, mileage, fuel. We still keep paying our taxes and everything keeps going up for no reason. A ute is a utility vehicle we use for purpose and it is essential. As a small business owner that tax is a lot, it’s not easy to find an extra $3000. I don’t understand why they’re doing it. Duncan and Michelle Black, Pahiatua, farmers: The Government is basically destroying the kiwi way of life – what this country has been built on – it’s ridiculous. It’s not necessarily about the ute tax, it’s everything, even the free speech laws. Abbey Maher, Pongaroa, farmer: It’s a combination of everything, not just as farmers, as an ambulance officer, it’s where the money (from this government) is going, it’s frustrating. I feel like we’ll have to have a license to farm soon, and for young people starting out it’s getting very off-putting – as well as having to compete with forestry. a check-up, the doctor asks his JOKE After patient, “is there anything else you’d like to discuss?” “Well”, said the patient, “I was thinking about getting a vasectomy.” “That’s a big decision”, replies the doctor, “have you talked it over with your family?” “Yes of course,” said the patient, “we took a vote... and they are in favour of it 16 to 2.”

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September 2021

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE

Columnist Roger Barton’s grand-daughter, Lucy Barton (22 months old) gets very excited at seeing her Poppa.

Urban journalists/writers need to come up to speed with New Zealand farming – fast. Recently an article had a farmer switching to regenerative ag for “greater resilience” against drought. He was doing ‘amazing things’ like ‘rotational grazing’ and was able to graze 700 instead of 150 animals. The soil increased too: “..topsoil had increased from about 20cm to 38cm…” If the farmer had told her he could grow worms into lambs she may have believed him. And an opinion piece by senior journalist Andrea Vance was well off the mark about the Groundswell’s Howl of a Protest. Farmers aren’t just upset about one piece of legislation or the cost of a ute tax. It is about the Government’s avalanche of legislation and unworkable rules. Vance showed a complete lack of understanding of the issues which is surprising given her partner writes PR for ag companies. Obviously they don’t talk about their work.

DID YOU

KNOW ? Humans have bred dogs

Her body tensed and quivered as she felt wave after wave surge through it. I probably should have told her about the new electric fence.

to manipulate us. Over the past 14,000 years, we have bred dogs to look and act more like humans. Unlike their predecessors, the wolf, dogs have flatter faces, floppy ears and they hold eye contact and follow gestures. This goes right down to the eyebrows. Wolves can’t raise their eyebrows, but we have bred dogs to move their eyebrows to make the puppy dog eyes that make our hearts melt. We have had less time to humanise the horses which have been in our company for 6,000 years, but we have bred their manes to look like our hair. Wild horses have small spiky manes that are nothing like the soulfull flowing manes of the domesticated horse.

RA, CHILDCARE AND PSEUDO-SCIENCE A leading scientists’ research and knowledge is being dismissed in the push for regenerative agriculture. The concept of dismissing experts, who have years of experience and published peer reviewed research, is not new in NZ. The push for RA showed strong similarities to the way the “child-centred” changes were pushed through in the early 2000s onto NZ’s education system. Basically instead of learning knowledge, children were to develop “competencies.” However, this theory ignores many facts, including that knowledge is a prerequisite for all competencies – try fixing an electric fence fault without knowing how an electric fence works.

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September 2021

Like with farming, no one denied changes were needed to the education system - but changing to one based on pseudo-science and orthodoxy, with a disregard for evidence, was something the education research community should have taken note of. If only NZ was considered, no one would yet notice the decline of student’s knowledge. But the international education league tables show an obvious decline in the past 12-18 years. A report in 2000, ‘NZ’s Education Delusion: how bad ideas ruined a once world-leading school system. Briar Lipson draws on empirical research and cognitive science to explain the system’s failings

and some different approaches which could be taken. Results from the OECD’s programme for International Student Assessment showed in the plast 12 to 18 years, NZ scores had dropped 23 points for reading, 22 points for science and 29 points for maths. The OECD estimated that 30 points was equivalent to one year of learning. Just like the education system, the real impact of regenerative agriculture on NZ’s farming systems will not be apparent for another 20 years or so. NZ ag scientists are saying make decisions based on peerreviewed published science.

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September 2021

HOME BLOCK

Matata

Sound parenting bestows privilege Paul Burt explains how great parenting can create future leaders in farming.

RECENTLY SPENT SOME TIME WITH A young couple who epitomise the way career, family and farming can merge into a very inspiring and rewarding whole. They have applied their enormous capacity for work, their talent, education and savvy to build a great business. They own land, they lease land and to provide the cashflow for hill farm development they have a sharemilking contract as well. They are modest about their achievements and say they were privileged that one of them was born into a farming family. Privilege is an odd concept. These days it is often levelled as an accusation of unfair advantage but that can hardly apply to birth status, we are all a product of celestial bingo. Secondly, privilege doesn’t maintain itself. It can be built on (hopefully not to the detriment of others), or it can be squandered. Have you ever seen the before and after documentaries of big time Lotto winners. Ordinary people who don’t have the skill or discipline to manage their good fortune often slip back to their ordinary pre-Lotto existence. Are energy, ambition, tenacity and resilience genetic gifts or do we absorb them from those around us? As members of society do we have a responsibility to cultivate these attributes or is it OK to just cruise? And what makes some people recognise their value and others not? Humans are quick to feel slighted by others’ perceived privilege but jealousy has always been a destructive and restraining force. As for my friends, did circumstances give them a head-start? Perhaps so but it should never diminish their own efforts. No matter the background they’ve demonstrated that combination of effort and ability that would see them succeed no matter what. Recently a man of the same ilk has come under attack for pushing his staff a little hard. Peter Beck (Mahia’s rocket man) replied ...”you don’t get to Mars working 9 to 5”. The wonderful thing about NZ is that no matter what your background, we can all bestow privilege on our children through sound parenting. Whether the Government of the day helps or hinders your

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September 2021

“If you are out of work, you are time rich and a quality time investment can be the turning point for many kids.”

chosen path we are a first- world, free, democratic society. We also have a welfare system which may have its deficiencies but shouldn’t leave anyone destitute. If you are out of work, you are time rich and a quality time investment can be the turning point for many kids. There is no doubt a successful society leaves no-one marginalised and regardless of the spin all of us have a duty to make that happen. A mature society must also accept that all people will never be equal and government policies designed to make them so are sure to fail. Political parties over-loaded with ideology will never carry enough people with them to propel a country forward. Thank goodness most of us only spend the latter part of our lives ruminating over the perceived failures of leadership. Continued exposure can lead to depression. The frustration lies in knowing our political cycle negates useful long-term planning and egos are able to take centre stage. Successful, farsighted entrepreneurs, business people with real world experience and ordinary folk at the coal-faces of life see what could be their game-changing contribution ignored. It is a situation that will see more and more people talking to Peter Beck about those tickets to Mars. • Recommended reading “Almost Perfekt” by David Grouch.

HOME BLOCK

Eketahuna

Time to tee off Micha Johansen is rapt with her foray into golf as it has turned out to be a family affair.

H “It appears the golf bug spreads fast within the family, unlike the cemetery bug, which seems restricted to mum and myself.”

ERE WE GO AGAIN, CALVING season. Our first calf dropped five weeks early, which put a quash on any ideas we may have had getting a night off-farm together. We have 25 calves in, which is almost a fifth of our herd, and our season officially began on day four. Many dairy farmers will laugh at this number, they get more than that in a day. Let's face it, some probably get our entire herd done in a day, but we are happy with our small herd, and a relatively easy calving. Although by the season's end, having reared 130ish of the buggers, and covered in bruises, it’s not all happy dancing and unicorns. We are well set up going into the season this year. The pit has had the concrete re-done, the milking shed has had a great outside paint job, and we’ve got a fridge set up for vet medicines. It saves the house fridge from an assortment of dirty bottles, and TJ the trip back from the shed when he forgets to take what he needs. We also have an assortment of ‘this is a working farm, the entire place is a hazard’ signs on their way. I’ve made up first aid kits for our quad bikes and tractors, and I finally got around to putting things into a health and safety folder. I also created a ‘how to operate the cow shed’, a farm environment plan, and an animal welfare book. Let’s just say a possible additional seven cents from Fonterra has been a wee bit motivating, even though it only amounts to about $250 for us. That’s a pair of golf shoes, or 2.5 months of training for our racehorse Clyde, who is hopefully about to qualify in the next few weeks. Golf? Yes, I have taken up golf. Originally it was to get dad out of the house, where he tends to sit and stew over a certain political leader. Plus, he point blank refused to take up bowls, which is

what I wanted to do. Interestingly, it has inspired mum to also get back into golf, not having played for 25 years. Even TJ is playing. Having had a bit of whack over seven holes at Takapau, I found myself some second hand clubs at Masterton, bought myself a trundler from Golf 360, and have since played nine holes at Dannevirke, which was mighty fun. The plan is to now have a go at, and eventually join, Eketahuna, once we get a chance. We also had the nephews for a few days over the holidays, and took them to the driving range at Orlando Country Club in Palmerston North, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Funnily enough they were keen to re-enact the movie ‘Happy Gilmore’, which is what I remember boys doing 25 years ago! It appears the golf bug spreads fast within the family, unlike the cemetery bug, which seems restricted to mum and myself (see June column). Finally, we recently had our last remaining dog, Max, put to sleep, having rescued him from the SPCA nine years ago. The poor old boy was getting mighty slow to sit down and stand up, and could only walk as far as the shed in the morning, and just around the lawn in the afternoon. With Stella having been put down a year earlier (growths on lungs), Max got to spend the last year of his life as an inside dog, which he absolutely loved. Us, not so much, as crikey he could make you sick with a fart! The freedom that comes from not owning a dog is unbelievable. The back porch is no longer cluttered with dog beds and blankets. The lawn is not littered with dog poo. I’m not yelling expletives at dogs to ‘get out of the calf milk’, ‘get out of the calf muesli’, ‘get out of the calf pen’ and ‘don’t eat calf poo. I’m going to be sick!’ So, although our dogs are missed, for now we are happy to remain dogless.

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September 2021

HOME BLOCK

Te Kopuru

On the road to backflips Northland is stuck in a roading rut, enough to make Chris Biddles grumpy.

Hooked: Result of some therapy on Lake Rotoiti.

AM WELL KNOWN AS A GRUMPY OLD bugger; indeed, my self-chosen Grandfather name is “Grumps”. I do believe however that I am a positive person. Certainly, it has been positivity that has got me through the last two and a half years since my accident. So, beginning this article in a negative manner is not easy so I will keep it short. My grump is the backflips the Government does on election promises and yet the media hardly mentions them. In Northland there is the fourlaning of State Highway 1 between Whangarei and Ruakaka. This is a death trap road and was earmarked for four-laning by the previous National Government. The Labour coalition scrapped that soon after they were elected in 2017 with very little media criticism. In 2020 they announced this road would be fourlaned. Much publicity for this announcement. Come 2021 the Labour Government announced they would not continue with what was promised preelection. Minimal publicity for this announcement. I live on a 66km no exit road. A third of this road is unsealed and has about 100 forestry trucks daily during the winter. Pre-election the Government announced they would seal the 20km of metal road right to Pouto Point. In May the good old Labour Government announced only 10km would be sealed. How much publicity for yet another broken promise, bugger all. Yes, grumpy it does make me and my apologies for the negativity, which stops now. As I write this in the second week of August there is much to be positive about. Calving is in full swing and to date going well. We have good covers for the cows and calves although very tight for our bulls as we prepare for our sale on September 1. I have had a pretty good report from my latest orthopaedic appointment. But most of all, the Olympics. I congratulate the people that made the Olympics happen. To give these elite athletes a chance to see their dreams

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September 2021

“I congratulate the people that made the Olympics happen. To give these elite athletes a chance to see their dreams fulfilled is fantastic.”

fulfilled is fantastic. Karren and I have kept the TV going nearly all day and made a point of needing a cuppa during some of the events. (I am quite saturated with coffee and tea!) A record 20 medals. Someone has got it right. Is it the NSOs? is it Sport NZ? Is it the Government? I was never sure if Sport NZ did the right thing in separating High Performance Sport to their own entity. I am still not sure if it was the right call but certainly high performing NZ athletes have performed. It is interesting that a Governance and Organisational review is underway across Sport NZ and High-Performance Sport New Zealand. Sport NZ has been well-led for the past decade or so. Peter McSkimming retired as CEO in December last year. I enjoyed my association with Peter when I was involved with Sport Northland. He served Sport NZ extremely well. Peter’s successor, Raelene Castle is a proven CEO within several sports. She is an excellent choice. A brief update on my recovery from my accident two and half years ago. In April I had surgery number nine to remove most of the steel from my ankle. In mid-June I went away to Rotoiti for a week fishing and while there finished my five-month course of antibiotics. I had been on IV and oral antibiotics since getting an infection in January. Within a week of finishing the antibiotics I was back in hospital with the infection rising. I had surgery number 10 which removed the last of the steel and cleaned out rotten flesh. This was a 16-day hospital stay as they got the antibiotics correct. I left once again on a 24-hour IV drip that ran to my heart. I have been walking for three weeks, with crutches and special shoes and a moon boot on the farm. I am getting stronger and using the crutches less but unfortunately remain on antibiotics but next week they will reduce to low dosage. To be walking after nine months is very satisfying, if somewhat painful. It is positive progress.

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Gore

Swell guys A couple of well-seasoned guys from near Gore deserve credit for Groundswell, writes Mark Chamberlain.

When the tractors came to town.

COUPLE OF LAZY SUNDAYS AGO, I caught the movie ‘The Iron Lady’ about the former Prime Minister of Britain, through the tumultuous 1980s. Margaret Thatcher had a great line referring to the changing nature of politics: “it used to be about trying to do something, but now it is more about trying to be someone”. Fast forward 30 years and the Iron Lady’s words are still relevant. The public, in my opinion, seem to vote our leaders in on their looks, sympathetic head tilts, hugs, and as a friend of mine says - pixie dust, rather than on their deeds. Former Prime Ministers Rob Muldoon and David Lange, who both had faces only a mother could love, would be unelectable in this day and age. The same could be said of Ms Ardern if she were morbidly obese for instance. She would be a Nevillenobody still working down at the local chippie. Anyway, the movie got me thinking about a couple of ‘doers’ in my local community. Bryce McKenzie and Laurie Patterson are nearseptuagenarians (a fancy word for knocking 70). Their name recognition may be low, but their protest group Groundswell is high on the radar of the ninth floor of the Beehive. They have, not once, ever tried to BE anyone, but have relentlessly tried to DO something about the issues facing farmers. While a lot of us mere mortals initially sat on our hands, these guys along with a few others have created, what seems to be, a stirring deep inside of us, a swelling of rigid rural pride. This culminated in a day of national protest in 57 centres – with Gore as the epicentre. For once the competitive nature of the rural and urban communities was put aside to show our collective frustration and solidarity. It was a visual extravaganza of all that makes a town like Gore not only survive but thrive. On that day, I feel we finally (pardon my French)

Country-Wide

September 2021

“For once the competitive nature of the rural and urban communities was put aside to show our collective frustration and solidarity.”

grew a pair and gave them a good old-fashioned rub right in the face of Ms Ardern and her liberal elites sheltering in the Capital – speaking figuratively of course. The day of protest brought out good people with good intentions and coincided with both school holidays and good weather. We made sure that the three youngest Chambos were not only there, but that they clearly understood why. One disappointment was the absence of any of our farmer co-operatives being visual, instead running for the hills under a cloak of political correctness and wokeness. Perhaps they were forgetting who owns the co-operatives in the first instance and whom they rely upon for their incomes and company vehicles, without which they will struggle to tow their boats around at Christmas time? Continuing to sit on fences will not only give you a sore bum but will also cost you business in the future, I suspect. Also, a big welcome aboard the bandwagon to a couple of ageing rural radio announcers and their well-known contributing farmers, who have often undermined Bryce and Laurie’s efforts. Better late than never. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The Government has been given till August 16 to respond to Groundswell’s concerns. The support that this group has got would surely have you believe that the Government could not ignore it… but my guess is, they will. To Bryce and Laurie, I salute you. I think it is fair to say that Labour’s recent 10% drop in the polls, is partly due to your efforts. If this can be achieved by a couple of unassuming farmers from West Otago, who have had more than a few trips around the sun, what can be achieved if we all support their efforts? Oh and yes, calving has started well.

HOME BLOCK

Gore

From Mt Maunganui to Gore Nutrient specialist Amy Hoogenboom reflects on swapping sunny Bay of Plenty for southern climes.

W “. . . the accent did not put me off as I have been dating a true Southland lad, Cameron, for a few years now.”

HEN I BEGAN WITH BALLANCE Agri-nutrients as a sales intern in January, I knew that timing was a major factor towards when I would be offered my next role, however I would never have expected that this opportunity would come as soon as it did. I had only been in Mount Maunganui a few months with Ballance. The purpose of the intern programme is to develop our skills and prepare us to be nutrient specialists. In the middle of April, I signed my new contract and was on route to Invercargill where I would begin my next adventure as a nutrient specialist for Northern Southland East based out of Gore. I arrived in the drizzle at Tauranga airport with three overweight suitcases, packed full with all the belongings I could squeeze in which largely contributed to the overweight issue. I cannot thank the Ballance team enough for their encouragement and support since I started. Geography was one of my favourite subjects at school but growing up I don’t remember hearing much about Southland or where it was on the map of NZ. Nor did I know Southlanders had a different accent. However, the accent did not put me off as I have been dating a true Southland lad, Cameron, for a few years now. From the many trips south to visit his family and explore more of NZ that I had little idea existed, I realised how at home I felt and how welcoming and friendly the people are. I crossed my fingers that a job would become available in the region. I have recently returned home from the company’s sales conference in Wellington. The business sales team comes together to celebrate our successes from the previous season and how we can improve in the coming season. Over two days we heard from many inspiring speakers including a farmer panel and our board chairman, Duncan Coull. After listening to Duncan speak, a few of his words have stuck with me, “It is now more risk to not take risk” and “get comfortable being uncomfortable”.

Being in a new role in a new area meant I was taking on a lot of risk and life has been rather uncomfortable at times lately. I will continue to adapt to the challenges that I am faced with in my job but I have also realised that being uncomfortable is how I will improve and develop. As I write this, it is the beginning of August. I began the new season soil testing on any day that provided sunshine, following this there have been annual fertiliser planning meetings with my dairy customers before they were bustling in the busy time of calving. Another focus has been ensuring sheep and beef farmers have sufficient pasture on hand at lambing, through strategic nitrogen use, so ewes are able to produce adequate milk for their lambs during the first three weeks of their life. Spring is a busy time of year for all farmers and myself, with a large majority of the farmers whom I work with, sowing crops during this time from summer or winter forage to spring cereals and various other produce. It is also the time when paddocks are resown back into pasture following crops and my role is to help ensure that sufficient nutrients are available for healthy plant establishment. I would often respond to the question “what do you do for work?” with “I sell fertiliser”, however I have come to realise that my role is much more than that. Every day I am privileged to be welcomed onfarm by passionate farmers to engage in conversations about their businesses, understand their challenges and identify opportunities. Being challenged by challenging my customers is uncomfortable but it’s a risk I need to take and one I am enjoying very much.

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September 2021

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September 2021

E BUSINESS

THE OPPORTUNITY OF ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS Fake meat and other alternative proteins are growing in popularity as consumers take into account climate change. But Phil Edmonds finds reasons to doubt the threat of alternative proteins and sees the opportunity for New Zealand food producers.

vidence has emerged recently suggesting NZ food producers are losing interest in the threat posed by alternative proteins, and the impact their further development could have on demand for our pastoral agriculture. This diminishing concern (if it ever was elevated) comes despite no let up in the global investment in ‘new food’ designed to reduce the need for animal protein, along with relentless enthusiasm for its climate change-busting qualities. Are we right to rest easy and accept the threat is misplaced or overblown, or should we instead be thinking how alternative proteins present NZ farmers with an opportunity to diversify, and build resilience in their business? The answer might come down to how much the government can be convinced that alternative proteins align with its vision of growing the value of New Zealand’s food production. Each year in June KPMG publishes its Agribusiness Agenda which, based on responses from industry players and stakeholders, identifies the most important issues facing the sector. The Agenda ranks the issues and compares the results with previous years. Noteworthy in this year’s findings was ‘tracking the global evolution of alternative proteins’ experienced the second largest decrease in priority among all issues considered. The explanation given by KPMG was the fall in priority might simply be due to the sector coming to terms with the emergence of novel foods and the new competition for traditional commodities does not pose the same sense of fear as it has done in the past few years. It may however be that farmers and the wider food producing sector feel like they have more immediate concerns than the pressures posed by new alternative foods. Not only have there been Covid-19-related to disruptions to deal with (access to imported materials and labour), but the Government’s legislative programme to address climate change and water reform is also an increasingly pressing preoccupation. And on top of that, the current robust demand for New Zealand’s existing agricultural output is not helping to train thoughts on a world where pastoral production is under threat.

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September 2021

Cost of production for alternative beef protein = 66 x cost of beef production.

2/kg

133/kg

Any effort to make sustainable diets more attractive would need to make new foods more appealing (tasty), effortless to access and consume and be ‘the norm’ rather than the exception.

Cost of production for alternative milk protein = 6.7 x cost of milk production.

$ /litre

“Based on an understanding of what drives consumer behaviour, new foods will need to be cheap, have an appealing texture and be convenient.” Feeding our future There are also other reasons why farmers might be feeling justified in ignoring the perceived danger. A recent ‘dialogue’ hosted by Massey University’s Riddet Institute on ‘Feeding our Future’ included presentations of now familiar arguments on why alternative proteins won’t take hold anytime soon. Monash University biotechnology professor Paul Wood suggested that cost of production rather than consumer curiosity would determine the potential for plant fermentation and cell-based meat to take hold. Wood said the cost of facilities (pharmaceutical grade, in ultra clean, air filtered rooms) for fermented proteins means a litre of ‘product’ could cost $3 for the protein alone (before components to make it ‘consumable’ are added). This compares with the global average cost of producing a litre of ‘ready to consume’ cow’s milk sitting about 45c. Similarly, for cell-based meat, Wood estimates using high-spec production facilities at a large scale (10 kilo tonnes

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September 2021

of output for example) would cost $133/ kg, compared with a global price of beef production at around $2/kg. There is an obvious counter argument to this challenge – once upon a time computer chips started out with similar cost deficits, and they did eventually fall. However, Wood says computer chips are physical products, not biological. “Can costs come down closer to livestock production? Personally, I don’t think it will happen.”

Consumer behaviour A further reason to doubt the immediate threat of alternative foods was delivered by Massey University food science academic and Riddet Institute chair in consumer and sensory science Joanne Hort, who says consumer acceptance of new foods can not be assumed. “If you look at the marketing of new foods, you might assume there has been a strong uptake. But what consumers say and what they want doesn’t translate into behaviours.” Based on an understanding of what drives consumer behaviour, new foods will need

45c/l

to be cheap, have an appealing texture and be convenient. These factors rank more importantly than any values (such as animal welfare and the environment) that consumers hold. Hort said consumer decision making is not rational. “95% of decisions are driven by instinct, not values or attitudes. Any effort to make sustainable diets more attractive would need to make new foods more appealing (tasty), effortless to access and consume and be ‘the norm’ rather than the exception.” Collectively, awareness of these arguments might have contributed to more complacent attitudes, but are they enough to prohibit further thinking on how New Zealand can participate? For a start, Fonterra has accepted that plant-based milks are here to stay and are not just a Silicon Valley thing. Fonterra has recently reported it is actively working out how it could participate in the plant-based milk space. And publicly at least, it sees no point in starting a defensive ‘bovine-milk good, plant-based milk bad’ campaign. Fonterra clearly sees growth potential, and

importantly, as a key global player in milk products, does not want to be left behind. While KPMG has reported falling industry interest in alternative proteins, the consultancy firms’ manager for agrifood research and insights Jack Keeys is keen to project their importance and promote the potential for New Zealand to play a role in their future development. In the Agenda, Keeys suggests this could be possible with evolved thinking on the demand for alternatives. Rather than alternative protein, he says we may be better served by focusing on delivering ‘alternative nutrition’, a more complex deliverable than simple protein requirements. Whatever the nuanced terminology, those with an eye on the future are steadfastly convinced NZ still needs to plan ahead and take note of the likes of Impossible Foods founder and CEO Pat Brown, who in July told the Washington Post his company has pledged to “eliminate animal agriculture in the next 15 years… put it on your calendar, Impossible Foods is going to do it.”

Emerging proteins With a glass half full attitude, and to help better understand the opportunities, government and industry-funded food science and innovation hub FoodHQ published a report Emerging Proteins in Aotearoa New Zealand in April. The Government as much as food producers and manufacturers wants to understand if the ‘potential to play’ exists, and like Fonterra, does not want to be left behind should that be the case.

Among nine observations made in the report, the emerging proteins sector was seen as a potential solution for farmers and growers. This was based on farmers looking for opportunities to future-proof their businesses through enabling better financial and/or environmental performance. The report said, “For many animal farmers, interest has been stimulated as part of an evaluation of potential responses to tightening environmental limitations (either now or expected in the future).” There is certainly evidence of this, although it is still for the most part, at an experimental stage. Golden Bay dairy farmer Wayne Langford has planted a wheat crop as part of a planned introduction of farming practices to help run his farm more sustainably. Planting the crop was undertaken based on its potential financial viability, with the wheat destined for use at a local bakery. Both these motivations align with the anticipated interest identified in the report. While the wheat crop is not part of a strategic decision to produce alternative proteins, Wayne has a pragmatic rather than dismissive approach. “We are going to have a shortage of protein in the world as the population increases, and it doesn’t matter if it is plant-based or animal protein. As the world grows and changes, we will be given different opportunities, and this will be one of them.” Beyond experimenting, the FoodHQ report notes there will be a right and wrong way to enhance the potential of success of

an emerging proteins sector. This includes only proceeding when a clear market exists that will return enough to make it profitable and avoiding growing a crop ‘just because you can’. Producing ‘at scale’, which to date has been recognised as a prerequisite of success, certainly seems out of reach at the moment, and this still poses reasonable doubt over whether NZ can ‘play’. But the report also notes that NZ has a long tradition of taking on the world despite the odds. One final thought that should keep farmers’ minds open – the Government’s willingness to support an emerging proteins industry. Where the Government is concerned, all public investment starts by ticking boxes in its ‘Fit for a Better World’ vision for the future of NZ’s food and fibre production. If alternative proteins can play a role in helping to define NZ’s regenerative farming system, measurably reduce primary sector carbon emissions, be exported as high value products to a well identified consumer market, make farm businesses more resilient and increases the attractiveness of the primary sector as a career pathway, then… apply for funding now! Ultimately, the decision will come down to whether you believe, like Monash University’s Paul Wood, that based on the high costs, alternative proteins will be a ‘niche product’ likely to serve discerning middle to high income consumers, (in which case watch this space), or Impossible Foods bullish commitment to create affordable food for everyone.

“... it doesn’t matter if it is plant-based or animal protein. As the world grows and changes, we will be given different opportunities, and this will be one of them.”

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September 2021

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BUSINESS

Opinion

Give sheep and beef farmers a voice Trying to unite farmer advocacy groups is well intentioned but misguided, writes James Hoban.

ecently I ran into a well known environmental activist who I had not seen for several years. He asked me what I thought the future of farming was and I disappointed myself by answering; “Dim, for sheep and beef, unless we can sort some major issues out,” without hesitating. Grandparenting is a term we have become increasingly familiar with. Numerous examples of it have seen sheep and beef farmers disadvantaged in favour of more intensive land users. It is also the key reason why Groundswell’s call for one farming voice is flawed and why efforts by industry organisations to join forces for political lobbying are short sighted. Despite widespread acknowledgement that grandparenting is wrong, it continues to be favoured by the Government. Grandparenting is used for triggering resource consent requirements in the recent winter grazing regulations and in the greenhouse gas emissions framework. While the Government has watched grandparenting tear rural communities apart, it continues to use it as the basis for controversial policies. Consider what will happen if this trend continues through the biodiversity regulations that are looming. Most remnant

native areas that exist in private ownership are on sheep and beef properties. Irrigated land has largely been stripped bare of native vegetation in the drive for irrigation efficiency and production. Re-establishing native bush on those farms is generally far more expensive than protecting remnant areas and while a lot of farmers are investing massive time and effort planting stream margins and pivot-friendly native shelter, many irrigated farms lack biodiversity. It would be convenient for the irrigated land owners to deflect from their lack of biodiversity by pointing to remnants on the hills and insisting that protecting those is the best move for NZ Inc. In the next breath they can claim that their land is more productive, therefore any interruption to its production or cash generation is unduly limiting NZ’s bottom line. Conversely, a hill country farmer might take a view, not unreasonably, that where biodiversity has disappeared at scale is precisely where it should be returned. They might reasonably add that native hill country shrublands and bush are ecologically different to lowland native areas and wetlands and that in order to build mountain to sea wildlife corridors, every farm type needs to contribute. Biodiversity is a classic example of a challenging topic where an optimum outcome for one sector requires sacrifices from another. How can a mooted pansector organisation, or our current sector organisations who are conflicted by diverse membership or levy payers, ever hope to take a strong enough stance for one sector on such an issue? In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, we are being warned that we need to prepare to pay for emissions. Dairy cattle numbers increased by 82% between 1990 and 2019.

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September 2021

“While the Government has watched grandparenting tear rural communities apart, it continues to use it as the basis for controversial policies.” During the same period, sheep numbers plummeted from 58 million to 27 million. Beef cattle also dropped drastically in number from 4.6 million to 3.9 million. If methane emissions will be taxed, with 1990 as our line in the sand, one sector has massively dropped its emissions already while another has moved in the opposite direction. Do we really want to try and send Minister of Climate Change James Shaw and Minister for the Environment David Parker a multi-sector-hand-holding delegation on this? Or would sheep and beef farmers be better off if someone stuck to their guns and maintained that any response should be relative to our respective contributions and history? This argument has previously been lost when nutrient allocation has been grandparented. Higher nutrient emitters have successfully locked in allocations, on the basis that their investment in a farm system has been legal and capital intensive and therefore to undo or constrain it would be unfair. To allow this protection, gradual development on multi-generational dryland farms has been permanently capped. Because an investment is rapid and recent, does that make it more deserving of protection than long term, sustainable business growth? A strong case could be made that the latter is more worthy of a regulatory shield. On these big issues, resources are being allocated and outputs taxed. Can we really expect holding hands to cut it? We do not have to look too far to find examples of dairy farming leaders smugly and publicly claiming to have their houses in order,

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September 2021

through fenced waterways and audited farm environment plans, while suggesting that any laggards in the environmental space are in the sheep and beef sector and it is simply time for hill country dog wallopers to get with the programme.

Groundswell Groundswell is led by switched on people who are in tune with the issues facing farming. They have done an exceptional job at galvanising a disenchanted mass – many of whom are notoriously apathetic when it comes to taking action against poor policy. Groundswell deserves plaudits for this. The only part of their hymn sheet that I would like to see them reconsider is the call for one unified farming voice. There is a romantic appeal in one farming team for all of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Aotearoa; dairy, sheep, beef, deer and arable farmers joining forces with grape growers and horticulturists to fight on the same front – a unified voice to combat the Government’s misguided ideas. Collaborating on advocacy is a great opportunity to increase credibility at times but it can only work on issues where various sectors want the same outcome. The biggest issues facing NZ farmers will potentially continue to create winners and losers. This is why the `Kumbaya let’s get together’ approach cannot work on every issue and critically will not work on some of the most important. Groundswell is right to point out that on key sectoral challenges, Beef + Lamb NZ struggles to represent its sheep and beef farmers adequately because it cannot

afford to upset dairy farming levy payers. Federated Farmers, while often gung-ho at a sectoral level, is challenged by similar tensions because of broad membership. There are times when sectors need to ruthlessly represent their people. No organisation is solely protecting the future of sheep and beef farming. Yet in the face of biodiversity, climate change and water regulations, that is exactly what our sector needs. For sheep and beef farmers to thrive, we need the ability to sustainably develop business through fair nutrient allocation. Our greenhouse gas emissions story and remnant biodiversity need to be assets for our sector rather than rods for our backs. They cannot be treated as assets to New Zealand Farming Inc to be used to offset more intensive farming. Some of my best friends are dairy farmers. I have had a lot of involvement with B+LNZ. I am a Federated Farmers member. I have huge respect for what Groundswell has achieved so far. However, I am frustrated by what I see as fundamental issues threatening my family’s future as sheep and beef farmers. We cannot afford to fight between sectors locally because we are neighbours and friends and our communities need unity. What we can expect is for our respective sectors to fight their corners as ardently and unwaveringly as farmers deserve. At the moment that is not happening effectively enough to make me confident about my family’s future on the land. • James Hoban is a sheep and beef farmer and farm environment consultant.

BUSINESS

Science

What is a scientist? A number of people call themselves scientists, but some are associated with pseudo-science products and practices sold to farmers. Country-Wide asked scientists what their definition of a scientist is.

scientist critiques everything while accepting nothing at face value, Professor Jon Hickford says. The Lincoln University scientist says despite this scientists tend to be optimists and are often very curious people. A lot of people find scientists hard to be around because they think they are depressed and/or judgemental. The reality is that they tend to be introverts who gain their energy from focusing inwards into their own thoughts and passions. Massey University associate Prof Kerry Harrington says a scientist is someone who explores problems using good scientific techniques, i.e they conduct research to hopefully improve our knowledge. “You don’t have to have a PhD to conduct research, but it is best.” He says if there is a good understanding of the science behind the problem being researched then worthwhile results are obtained for which the outcome cannot be easily criticised. Lincoln’s Prof Leo Condron says a scientist is someone who has been or is involved in the conduct of novel hypothesis-driven research designed to advance understanding of the function and/

or properties of the natural world. This requires an individual to have completed a Masters and/or Doctor of Philosophy degree in a science discipline, which by definition includes a significant quantum of original research. Condron says the stature or calibre of a scientist is determined by a combination of the quantity, quality, and impact of their research. Ravensdown’s chief scientific officer Ants Roberts says a scientist is a person who has natural curiosity and a desire to understand how the world (and even universe) around them works – in a physical, biological and even spiritual sense. In order to gain this knowledge the scientist will develop a testable hypothesis, design and conduct observational and quantitative measures to test it. He says once the data has been gathered, it will be subject to critical analysis to support the hypothesis or disprove it. Scientists pass this knowledge on either through scientific publication and/or through development of products and services. Lincoln’s Prof Derrick Moot says the essence of science is its repeatability. This means mathematics developed with science to quantify that repeatability. Public

scientists “should” adhere to established principles defined as CUDOS. CUDOS is communal – common ownership because all science is collaborative, universal – evaluated independently free of political bias, disinterested- uncorrupted by personal gain, and organised scepticism – transparent and judged by society's norms. “As a scientist your reputation relies on your integrity- both hard to gain and easily lost.” Prof Jacequeline Rowarth says a scientist is a person who has the observational powers to notice something that is different and wonder “why?” A person with the vision to imagine a different future. And the curiosity to investigate what is already known and then build on the foundation. “…who has the rigour to interrogate information in depth and in detail while keeping an eye on the horizon for changes coming.” Rowarth says a scientist has the discipline to stick to the facts, evidence and data while being passionate about the possibilities. “…who combines creativity with knowledge for a better future.” Unlike the others, Graham Graham Shepherd doesn’t hold a PhD but calls himself a scientist and advisor. He holds a MsC and worked for the DSIR and Landcare. He says a scientist quantifies the unknown including the observable evidence. If the observable doesn’t agree, the methodology applied is reassessed. Dr Doug Edmeades definition of a scientist is split into two options. The theoretical answer is a person who applies the scientific process as a means of seeking the truth or solving a problem. He says there are several steps in this process: • The hypothesis, defining the question. • Designing experiments to test the hypothesis • Gathering the evidence • Analysing the data • Reaching a conclusion. Pragmatic answer: A person who uses evidence and reason to develop opinions and reach conclusions. Edmeades says scientists don't have to hold a PhD or write a paper or papers which have been peer reviewed. The flip side applies. Just because a person has a PhD, or is a member of a learned society, does not mean he or she is a scientist (practicing science).

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September 2021

WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT SHOVING PLASTIC INTO A HOLE IN THE GROUND WAS PROGRESS.

Turning plastic waste into fence posts is an ingenious idea. One that Jerome Wenzlick has turned into reality through dogged perseverance. Not only do his plastic posts outperform their wooden counterparts, they’re helping to solve a big environmental problem—each reusing around 400 plastic bottles and 1,500 plastic bags. When you do things differently, it’s great to know someone like FMG has got your back. To hear the full FuturePost story, go to fmg.co.nz/futurepost

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ON FA R M

SUCCESS ON THE SWARD

Running sheep and beef alongside a plantain, chicory and red and white clover mixed-sward experiment has paid off for the Cranstons of Apiti, Northern Manawatu.

Story: Russell Priest Photos: Brad Hanson

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September 2021

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September 2021

Left: Mike and Lydia Cranston. Above: Ewe hoggets on hills above Oroua River. Previous page: A U-shaped configuration used to break feed bulls.

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hen Massey University’s agronomy specialist Dr Lydia Cranston and her husband Mike bought their first farm five years ago. Lydia was determined to stake her claim to a small part of the farm to conduct her own plantain, chicory and red and white clover (PCC) mixed-sward experiment. “I told Mike I wanted six flat two-hectare paddocks and his reply was that I could have four,” Lydia said. “I replied ‘no’ I need six paddocks to run my experiment so he had to do some sub-divisional fencing to keep me happy.” After the first year Mike was so impressed with the results of the mixed sward that further sub-divisional fencing became a priority culminating in the creation of 18 two-hectare paddocks. Lydia has a BAgSc(Hons) degree and a PhD from Massey for investigating the long-term potential of the PCC mixed sward. She and Mike, an Applied Science and Accounting graduate of Massey, farm 330ha (280ha effective) just down the road from the small Northern Manawatu settlement of Apiti. Bounded on the western side by the Oroua River and the eastern side by the Kimbolton – Apiti Road, the terraced farm drops from 450m at the house to 320m at the river forming a sheltered microclimate. While Lydia commutes 65km to Massey four days a week to meet her lecturing and research commitments, Mike stays at home and manages a successful calf rearing and bull finishing enterprise together with a sheep

September 2021

breeding and lamb finishing business. And somewhere the couple find time to raise two-and-a-half-year-old son Liam. Growing green-feed crops is a critical part of the Cranstons’ business allowing large bulls to be grown through the winter, ewes to be taken off pasture for a period during the winter and all male and terminal lambs to be finished at exceptional weights.

Surplus spring growth Direct drilling 14ha of medium-stemmed kale and 5ha of swedes in the late winter/early spring effectively transfers the surplus spring growth through to the following winter. “The only downside with kale is that it occupies 14ha of ground over the summer when demand for feed can be at its greatest,” Mike said. Likewise 20ha of green-feed oats sown on March 1 transfers any autumn feed surplus through to the winter also. These areas of crops fed to bulls and ewes during the winter are sown in the spring in either PCC or a mixed sward of Shogun long-rotation tetraploid ryegrass, plantain and red and white clover (SPC) to finish lambs and bulls over the spring/summer. The PCC mixed sward includes Tonic plantain, Puna chicory, Relish red clover and Tribute white clover. Grass grub is severe on plantain roots so where large populations of grubs are present, plantain is left out of the seed mix. Chicory, plantain and clover are grown as a mixed sward because the three species produce more when

FARM FACTS • Mike and Lydia Cranston. • Lydia is a lecturer and research scientist at Massey. APITI • Farm 330ha (280ha effective) at Apiti in Northern Manawatu. • Calf rearing, sheep breeding, bull and lamb finishing. • Plantain, chicory and clover are grown for finishing lambs and growing weaned calves. • Shogun ryegrass, plantain and red and white clover used for finishing bulls. • Green feed oats, kale and swedes grown for wintering.

grown together than chicory and clover or plantain and clover sown separately. Plantain is more susceptible to pests and diseases than is chicory with the latter being more drought tolerant because of its large tap root. While chicory is largely dormant over the winter, plantain does exhibit significant winter growth. “Chicory has a tendency to want to go to head after its first year so I bring out the mower although this doesn’t happen often,” Mike said. “If you can keep it in its vegetative state it produces high octane tucker being only 0.5 MJME behind clover.” The Cranstons normally get three years out of their PCC swards. This year they tried stretching that to four, however grass grub decimated the plantain. Mike has found that direct drilling of any brassicas into sprayed-out grass paddocks has proved to be a bit hit and miss while oats are much easier to establish. Break feeding of the green-feed oats in the winter to bulls produces an ideal seedbed in the spring for brassicas to establish so now all brassicas are sown following green-feed oats in the cropping rotation.

Greatly improved pasture vigour and production are major benefits of the cropping programme. “We’ve put in heaps of new pasture since we’ve been here and each year it becomes easier as the area of new pasture increases,” Lydia said. She attributes this to improved pasture genetics. Lydia believes SPC thrives when eaten rapidly down to 5cm residual by the bulls before being moved on to the next block. “It prefers to be rotationally grazed and definitely doesn’t like being set stocked with sheep,” Lydia said. With stones being close to the surface on much of the Cranston’s alluvial river terraces the soil is not easy to cultivate so all seeding is done by direct drilling. “We only use a drill four days a year so we borrow my father-in-law’s. It was much cheaper for us to buy a trailer to transport it than it was to buy a new drill so we’re on a good wicket,” Mike said. The top terrace covering 50ha is the only area of the farm that could be regarded as ideal for cropping although it can get quite wet. Of

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Top: Mike in sward of plantain, chicory and clover. Left: A Romney ram goes out for the first two cycles, a Poll Dorset for the third. Right: R2 Friesian bulls on green-feed oats.

the 280 effective hectares 160ha is cropable with the remaining 100ha being too stony or too steep. The bull-finishing enterprise starts with the Cranstons rearing 300-350 four day old calves (costing $160 landed a head) sourced from the Waikato and Reporoa in early August. Numbers of calves reared will decrease as more older bulls are wintered. Mike’s aim is to buy top calves that are born within a two-week period. Reared on a bag of milk powder and 80kg of meal at a cost of $300-$350 a head for a period of about six weeks, they are weaned directly onto PCC stands when they reach 75kg. Initially the Cranstons carried these calves through to 18 months, killed the best 100 at

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280kg and sold the rest as stores before their second winter. Finding this system put too much pressure on the summer feed supply they now winter 190 R2 bulls which are killed in November-December at an average 340-350kg CW (average return in excess of $1600) thereby removing some of the summer feed demand. “Anyway bull growth rates drop off markedly in the new year reflecting declining feed quality,” Mike said. “Mike’s learnt from experience that to minimise weight loss in bulls the shorter the distance from the farm to the processing plant the better, hence his bulls are processed at Affco in Feilding. Of the 300 calves reared last spring 225 of the best ones are being wintered as R1s this

year and the smaller ones were sold in the late autumn at $500.

Wintering philosophy Mike’s bull wintering philosophy is to ad lib feed the R1 bulls on oats and medium-stem kale while minimising wastage. “If you don’t feed them well they’ll soon let you know by breaking through the electric fences,” Mike said. Mike has found R1 bulls do not thrive on kale alone as it doesn’t provide enough fibre hence the reason for supplementing their diet with green-feed oats. Bulls are given a break each day. “The option would be to feed them balage or hay however these are not as cost effective,” Mike said. Continues

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Going onto their winter feed of green-feed oats in early June at an average live weight of about 450kg the R2 bulls are given a feeding face of 25m/bull which lasts them a day. “They eat about a metre under the electric wire with a minimum of trampling when given a decent length of feeding face,” Mike said. The longest possible feeding face is achieved by feeding three sides of a paddock at once in a ‘U’ configuration. Bulls remain on the wintering regime for 70-100 days after which they are rotationally grazed in mobs of 20 in 0.5ha paddocks of mainly SPC. Formed by subdividing permanent paddocks using temporary electric fencing, these blocks generally provide enough feed for three days. Only young bulls are fed on the PCC paddocks.

Sheep the ‘poorer relations’ Unlike many sheep and beef enterprises the Cranstons’ sheep are definitely the poorer relations, being confined to the bony hills and native pastures for most of the year. Only during lambing do some of them get the royal treatment on PCC swards. In spite of this sheep performance levels are excellent with the ewe lambing percentage hovering around 145% and scanning this year being 168%. Three hundred ewe hoggets retained last year delivered 270

“The option would be to feed them (bulls) balage or hay however these are not as cost effective.”

Top: Mike in crop of medium-stem kale. Above: Mixed age ewes in swede crop.

live lambs and the average lamb slaughter weight was 20kg returning about $130. At take-over, the Cranstons inherited a high-performing Coopworth flock and in order to improve its performance further Mike introduced the Poll Dorset and interbred the two breeds as his father had done successfully in his sheep operation in Ohakune. The venture was not entirely successful because in spite of excellent lambing percentages and lamb weights being achieved the crossbred ewes lacked constitution under Mike’s less favourable farming conditions. And while the ewe hoggets produced a lot of lambs they had major problems lambing. “They had heaps of twins and dead lambs because the lambs were too big which is another one of the reasons we have changed breeds,” Mike said. Making the change to a more robust breed saw Mike buy some of Angus and Forbes Cameron’s multiple-born ram hoggets out of ewe hoggets.

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Feeding ewes on PCC

Mike & Lydia in a sward of plantain, chicory and clover.

“They were small because they were multiples out of hoggets, hence later born and had been through a drought so ram buyers before me had not selected them however they still carried excellent genetics,’ Mike said. The first crop of 390 Cameron ewe hoggets have been mated this year to Cameron rams and all their female progeny will be kept to expedite the transition to 100% Cameron genetics. Mike aims to grow hoggets as big as possible for mating while continuing this growth trajectory through to lambing. Only those over 42kg are mated however most are over 45kg. Any that are not up to weight are grazed on PCC. The hogget-lambing objective is to consistently achieve over 100% lambing. Ewes are shorn twice a year in spite of the increasing gap between the cost of shearing and the return from wool. “Shearing ewes twice a year after weaning in December and again at the end of May is much easier to manage than shearing eight monthly,” Mike said. Coming off the shears in December in excellent condition Mike aims to maintain this over the summer by rotating them around the hill paddocks. Ram-out date for the 820 MA ewes is March 25 meaning lambing starts on August

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20. Romney rams are left out for two cycles with Poll Dorsets being introduced for the third. “There are still some three-wire electric fences on the place which the ewes go through and the rams don’t, which is not ideal,” Mike said. “These will be replaced in the next year or two.” Rotated over the hills as one mob during mating and the early part of winter, the ewes are shorn, scanned and injected with iodine before going onto swedes from midJune until mid-August. “Swedes are ideal for holding ewes’ condition and not allowing them to get too fat and having the ewes off the lambing paddocks for two months enables good lambing covers to be generated,” Mike said. Two weeks before lambing starts the ewes come off swedes, are mouthed and vaccinated with 5-in-1. Those with low mouths that won’t do another year are set stocked on PCC at 10/ha the idea being that they and their lambs can be killed before Christmas at good weights before prices fall too much. Ewes are not age marked in the Cranston flock and are culled on a combination of teeth wear and condition. “This is one way of breeding longevity into the flock,” Mike said.

All triplet-bearing ewes also go onto PCC with the remaining PCC area being stocked with twin-bearing ewes. Those not fortunate enough to go onto PCC are set stocked on hill pastures at 10/ha (depending on the covers) with the single-bearing ewes going onto the least desirable lambing paddocks. “The PCC stands are not growing as fast as ryegrass pastures at this time of the year so it is important not to overstock them,” Lydia said. “The secret to successful management of PCC during the spring/ summer period is to graze it down to 7cm over a period of two days every 3-4 weeks and don’t graze it over the winter.” Lydia explained that depleting the root reserves of plantain and chicory particularly over the winter without allowing them to be replenished can result in plant death. The first of the lamb drafts is taken at weaning on December 10. Remaining lambs are given a triple-active drench with the bigger ones going onto PCC for finishing and the smaller ones onto pasture until space becomes available on the PCC stands. “Growth rates of weaned lambs on PCC are significantly better than when the lambs are on mum,” Mike said. “I can’t believe how fast the lambs grow on PCC. I tried Hunter one year and while the top lambs performed as well as those on PCC the bottom ones didn’t and there was a much greater range of weights.” Further drafts are taken at monthly intervals in January, February and March after which only 8% of the works lambs remain. Mike drafts the lambs himself with most being killed at Affco. Lambs remaining after each draft are given a triple drench. Ewes are not drenched and drench reduction tests on lambs indicate no drench resistance is present on the farm. Main sheep breeding objectives for the Cranstons are to improve fertility, fecundity and survival. “After last year’s record average lamb slaughter weight of 20kg I’m confident I can finish any lambs in a short time on crops so getting the number of lambs on the ground and surviving is our main priority, Mike said. The main farming objectives are to increase ewe numbers and improve sheep performance in terms of weaning weight and number of live lambs and increase average bull slaughter weight and maybe numbers. Mike has serious reservations about increasing stocking rate too much more from the present 13su/ha even though he concedes the farm is producing significantly more feed each year.

EVERY SHEEP FARMER. THAT’S ALL.

Sheep

OCTOBER 2021

TARGET: 14,000 SERIOUS SHEEP FARMERS DELIVERED: OCTOBER 1 BOOK BY: SEPTEMBER 1

Phone: 027 474 6093 • Email: bookings@nzfarmlife.co.nz

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Growers see the VIMOY iblon difference. “iblon is a fantastic fungicide that gives you so much persistence throughout the growing season.” ROSCOE TAGGART, NORTH CANTERBURY

We’re with you in the field cropscience.bayer.co.nz/VIMOYiblon

“A nice healthy plant green from start to finish.” PAUL JOHNSTON, ST ANDREWS

Exceptional disease control in wheat and barley VIMOY iblon is registered for use on wheat between GS30 and GS69 for the control of the key diseases: speckled leaf blotch, stripe rust and leaf rust.

Speckled leaf blotch (SLB)

SPECKLED LEAF BLOTCH (SLB)

This is the most challenging disease attacking wheat in New Zealand. When conditions are right for disease development, massive yield losses can result if left uncontrolled. Even when disease pressure is low, yield losses between 1-2 t/ha are regularly recorded.

Stripe rust

STRIPE RUST

This disease, which enjoys the cool, moist conditions of spring, can develop very rapidly if left uncontrolled. On susceptible cultivars, stripe rust can cause very rapid and extensive leaf loss, leading to significant yield losses.

LEAF RUST

Leaf rust can be found in crops at any time of the year but usually becomes a problem in early summer, as it is favoured by warmer, drier conditions. Again, if not controlled, leaf rust can devastate yield.

Leaf rust

WHEAT SPRAY PROGRAMME

Prosaro 1.0 L/ha + different mode of action fungicide

0-7

GS0

10-13

GS29-30

GS31-32

VIMOY iblon + Prosaro 1.5 + 1.0 L/ha

GS37-41

Prosaro 1.0 L/ha + strobilurin fungicide

GS60-69

The top two leaves and the ear are key for yield production in wheat and so it is vital to protect them from disease infection. This makes flag leaf fully emerged (GS39) the time to apply VIMOY iblon + Prosaro. For high potential crops, replace Prosaro + strobilurin fungicide with CALEY® iblon at GS65.

Barley is attacked each year by a number of aggressive diseases, which if not treated can lead to significant yield loss. VIMOY iblon is registered for use on barley between GS30 and GS61 for the control of all key diseases: scald, net blotch, leaf rust and Ramularia leaf spot. SCALD

This is one of the first diseases to attack barley, being regularly found in late winter and early spring, as it thrives in cool, moist conditions. In spring, with the right weather conditions, scald will progress rapidly, infecting new leaves as they emerge, to eventually infect all leaves and the stem. When not effectively controlled, significant yield losses occur. Scald

NET BLOTCH

Net blotch

Like scald, net blotch is a disease favoured by cool, moist conditions, and is often seen in early spring. Under the right conditions, it can develop very rapidly and lead to significant yield losses.

LEAF RUST

In recent years, this disease has become easier to find, with infections becoming more severe and starting earlier in spring. Leaf rust completes its life cycle very quickly and has multiple life cycles per season, which is why it can have such a devastating impact.

Leaf rust

RAMULARIA LEAF SPOT (RLS)

RLS has the ability to rapidly develop resistance to fungicides and is now resistant to strobilurin fungicides within New Zealand. In Europe, and now in New Zealand, it seems RLS is becoming resistant to SDHI fungicides. While VIMOY iblon + Prosaro can reduce the level of RLS, it needs to be viewed as part of a RLS management tool, not for RLS control. VIMOY iblon + Prosaro should be applied in mixture with Phoenix.

Ramularia leaf spot (RLS) FAR site Chertsey mid-December 2018. No fungicide.

Visible reduction in RLS following a Delaro/iblon fungicide programme.

BARLEY SPRAY PROGRAMME

Delaro 600 mL/ha

0-7

GS0

10-13

GS29-30

Delaro 750 mL/ha

VIMOY iblon + Prosaro 1.5 + 1.0 L/ha

Add Phoenix® 1.5 L/ha

Add Phoenix 1.5 L/ha

GS31-32

GS37-41

For barley crops, the most important period for yield production is early spring, with the lower leaves and stem delivering most yield. Delaro provides excellent control of scald and net blotch, the main early spring diseases. In early summer, RLS and leaf rust are the main diseases and VIMOY iblon + Prosaro will provide excellent disease management. (Please note: the level of RLS reduction is dependent on the resistance status of RLS in your paddock).

“The yield increase was quite substantial with VIMOY iblon.” ERIC WATSON, WAKANUI

Exceptional disease control for ryegrass seed crops Ryegrass seed crops can be attacked by stem rust which if let uncontrolled can devastate yield. You can be confident that applying VIMOY iblon + Prosaro will give very effective control of stem rust and deliver very profitable yields as all three fungicides in the mixture, Prothioconazole, Tebuconazole and isoflucypram, effectively control stem rust. When growing a cultivar containing novel endophytes seek guidance from your agronomist before application.

BENEFITS OF VIMOY iblon + PROSARO

VIMOY iblon contains isoflucypram (ISY), a recently registered SDHI fungicide active ingredient that delivers outstanding disease control, exceptional plant health, consistently higher yields and greater profit. Prosaro is a proven, broad spectrum, dual-DMI fungicide that complements the benefits of VIMOY iblon perfectly. VIMOY iblon + Prosaro provides outstanding control of all key diseases, impressive yield benefits and excellent profitability, all delivered in a responsible fungicide stewardship package.

HIGH YIELDS AND PROFIT

OUTSTANDING DISEASE CONTROL

EXCEPTIONAL PLANT HEALTH

SUITED TO NZ CONDITIONS

In trials carried out in New Zealand in both wheat and barley the exceptional disease control demonstrated by VIMOY iblon + Prosaro has delivered higher yields than comparable fungicides.

VIMOY iblon + Prosaro provides exceptional control of all key, yield-reducing diseases of wheat, barley, triticale, and ryegrass seed crops.

Trials carried out in New Zealand and Europe have shown that the outstanding disease control given by VIMOY iblon + Prosaro delays senescence which leads to higher yields.

Developed and supported in New Zealand by the Bayer field team, you can be sure you’re getting a fungicide suited to New Zealand conditions and backed by a team passionate about helping you increase your profit.

Regional Business Managers

Weʼre with you in the field

Upper North Island Phil Bertram 021 426 825

North and Mid Canterbury David Parker 021 760 794

VIMOY iblon, CALEY iblon, Delaro, Prosaro and Raxil Star are registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 Nos. P9617, P9637, P8953, P7662 and P9246 are approved pursuant to the HSNO Act 1996, Nos. HSR101374, HSR101413, HSR100886, HSR007871 and HSR101132 respectively.

Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay Marc Fox

Mid and South Canterbury David Weith 021 426 096

Customer Market Manager

BAC 2044

021 426 823 Lower North Island / Nelson / Marlborough Susie Dalgety 021 426 824

Otago and Southland Daniel Suddaby 021 426 822

Vimoy®, Iblon®, CALEY®, Delaro®, Prosaro® and Raxil® are registered trademarks of the Bayer Group. © Bayer Crop Science 2021. Disclaimers: Before using the products read and carefully observe directions, cautionary statements and other information appearing on the product label. Our technical information, whether given verbally or in writing, is based on extensive testing. It is, to the best of our current knowledge, true and accurate, but given without warning in as much as the conditions of use and storage are beyond our control. Descriptions and property data of the product do not contain any statement as to the liability for possible damage. In other respects our conditions of sale apply.

cropscience.bayer.co.nz/VIMOYiblon

LIVESTOCK

Stock Check

Measuring up to compliance BY: TREVOR COOK

n accidental viewing of an Australian television station exposed me to a very impressive promotion about Australian agriculture. It is the most efficient farming country in the world, the most progressive and the most innovative. As well, the least subsidised in the OECD, the massive lift in livestock performance, with only beef cattle and sheep shown, was a direct result of this world leading research and its application. Their agricultural growth has been due to the development and use of technology to produce quality products, sought after all over the world. At the same time respecting the environment. This all created career options for young people. This presentation was slick and very convincing. The television programme was very much mainstream and mostly aimed at urban people. It was part of a wider series of what has helped Australia grow. I was impressed by the compelling nature of the presentation. I certainly have seen nothing of the sort on our television shows. It was not a paid promotion, but part of a series prepared by journalists. The next morning I was reading one of the Sunday papers and got angry over the editorial which pilloried the Groundswell movement as being unjustified and not representing farmer views. It painted a very rosy future for farmers based on projected product prices. The writer had not engaged with farmers to understand what their concerns were. This is in a paper firmly aimed at urban readers. Farmer champions are needed to front foot the urban media. In this Australian media presentation there was mention of how well Australian farm animals were looked after. Animal welfare is getting more and more into the limelight. Anthropomorphic transfer of emotions can be totally out of place and for the public being less aware of farm animals certain actions on farms can be seen as unacceptable. We are warned that

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Farmer champions are needed as the urban media doesn’t understand farming.

markets will intrude more into this space. Of the five freedoms that we base our animal welfare standards on, the one that is going to be very difficult to adhere to is shade and shelter. Interestingly, I was on a government-owned farming operation recently and observed the planting programme that is planned purely for providing shade and shelter. Small blocks of native plantings are to be established in the centre of each paddock that did not already have any trees. Most actions that we take on the farm are based on science. Demonstrated need has been the catch cry. But there is little science about the need for shade or shelter. That is not saying that they are not important, but what are the limits at which these factors are welfare issues? What is hard to measure is hard to implement or comply with. This could well become the next challenge.

Field day outcomes At two field days that I ran in July the progress of a fully trading farm and a hill country breeding farm over the last three years was presented. The trading farm was able to demonstrate huge changes because changing direction was relatively easy. The breeding farm had a lot of momentum to overcome given that breeding programmes cannot be changed in a hurry. However, changes to grazing management can be implemented much more quickly and

have been on this farm. Winter rotations for pregnant ewes had been very effective in delivering pasture cover coming into lambing. A failure to have enough pasture at this crucial time is common throughout the country and is a major cause of poor lambing outcomes. Too many farms just end up with what the winter has delivered. On this farm, a lift in lamb survival was a direct benefit of this grazing management change. Both of these farms demonstrated the power of a team approach to farming. Most of that power is in the form of support. Ending up with what the season allowed rather than taking some actions that also determine that outcome is a feature of why some farms perform better than others. For example, why in some parts of the North Island when the summer gets very dry, ewes are supplemented, yet in other parts that get as dry, ewes are not. The cost benefit of this action has been shown many times to be very positive through underpinning a better scanning, but also through keeping ewe condition up going into the winter. Putting some nitrogen on in anticipation of not having enough for ewes at peak lactation has also been shown to be a very good investment. Too often the spring being tight is just accepted as being how it is. The negative impact of extremes of weather can never be totally mitigated, but the outcomes can very often be much more influenced than is recognised.

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2021 The challenges of growing crops and forages on pastoral and cropping farms. The management of soils, diseases, chemical and biological controls, feed gaps in dry times and utilisation.

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INDUSTRY

GLYPHOSATE PRICES SET TO RISE

BY: REBECCA GREAVES

ndustry leaders are reassuring farmers there will be plenty of critical glyphosate product this season, but forward planning is essential and price increases are almost certain. H&T Agronomics business manager, Duncan Thomas, said supply was a concern for their business. Glyphosate was just one of many products impacted by severe shipping problems, but it was the product of most importance to farmers. Like almost every product imported into NZ, which is a relatively small player on a global scale, glyphosate has been impacted by Covid-19, with shipping and port congestion proving challenging. “New Zealand is on a ‘milk run’, so ships start in Asia or America and work their way down here. Shipping itself is a problem because of port disruption in Asia. Getting refrigerated containers in and out of the country is also challenging,” Thomas explains. The fact it was harder to get product into the country, coupled with the fact glyphosate tech powder, which is used in

the manufacture of glyphosate products, is also harder to get hold of, was contributing to supply pressure. Thomas said it was not a short-term problem and was likely to remain the case for at least 18 months, maybe longer. Glyphosate was the big one, but he cited other products like phenoxies. MCPA and 2, 4 D were common products for winter weed control, particularly thistles, and an inability to access these would have flowon effects on pasture and production. “There’s an enormous amount of glyphosate used pre-cultivation. Thankfully the market is moving more and more towards direct drilling of crops, but glyphosate is critical for desiccation prior to drilling. “This is really scary. Right now, I’ve just checked how much active ingredient we have for treating maize seed because we’ve been notified that the NZ supply is now missing in action. Normally the big maize companies would be starting to treat and bag seed, so there’s an enormous amount of uncertainty around that. Those chemicals

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are critical for protecting maize seedlings at emergence from Argentine Stem Weevil and Greasy Cutworm.” As a result, H&T had spent the last eight weeks trying to foster a sense of urgency about decision making, and not simply relying on products being available on the shelf ready to go. As a company, they were focused on being prepared and had already changed their product schedule around crops in order of planting. Brassicas would wait in favour of maize seed. “It’s already a real issue. We have helicopter pilots parked up around the country waiting for this work to start with phenoxies. People need to be organised and we have gone forward on ordering to provide more cover. We saw this coming with glyphosate and took a position, so most of our clients are covered with what was available in NZ at the time.” As a smaller company, Thomas said H&T was able to be agile, and had kept its clients informed of the situation. His message to farmers is to have a sense of urgency around decision making. Be clear on planning this season, how many hectares will be planted, and communicate that back.

Crucial and WeedMaster, echoed Ross, saying it was a pricing story rather than a supply one. The reason for the price hike was a rise in the price of the tech powder used to manufacture the products. He said the jump in price was unprecedented, had been going on for some time, and continued to rise. “Supply and shipping have certainly never been more challenging, and that’s not just an agriculture story, it’s everything. That’s not going away. If anything, it will get trickier.” Kerr said lead times for shipping from Australia (the home of its main manufacturing site) had gone from 10 days to about 60 days, but it simply meant the company had to carry more stock and plan further ahead than before. “The majority of our stock comes out of Australia. A lot of shipping companies are just choosing not to come to New Zealand, especially with the port congestion. We are just bringing everything forward to allow for delays. “I don’t see large widespread supply concerns, certainly price is the biggest issue.” With so many farmers reliant on these products, Kerr’s message is that being prepared is key. “This is not the year to wake up and say ‘I would like to buy this today’. Really, really plan and make sure you’re working with supply partners who have got your back. Or, if you have storage, put it in your shed and make sure you have it ready to go. “I think we forgot the state of the world at times, and how tough it is in just about every other country across the globe. New Zealand is a long way away from it – whether it’s a vaccination or glyphosate. We’re a small, niche market. I do see it as a positive too. Agriculture at the moment is in a fantastic space on the whole, with returns above average or quite high, but this is definitely the year to plan ahead.”

“Glyphosate is mainly produced in China and the U.S, and they can basically set their prices.”

Price rises ‘should be expected’ Despite Thomas’s concerns, Agcarm chief executive, Mark Ross, was quick to reassure farmers there was plenty of glyphosate product in New Zealand. But he said price rises should be expected. “The big traders, like PGG Wrightson and Farmlands, have plenty of product available. Supply-wise they have enough product for the season and don’t see it as a big issue.” Ross said there were challenges with logistics when it came to glyphosate, but it was the price impact that would be most felt by farmers. “Glyphosate is mainly produced in China and the US, and they can basically set their prices.” Nufarm NZ country manager Gavin Kerr, whose glyphosate products include

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Herbicide resistance greater than expected HERBICIDE RESISTANCE IS emerging as a growing threat to NZ’s food production, with recent surveys by scientists finding half or more of arable farms and vineyards in some regions have weeds resistant to commonly used herbicides. AgResearch scientists say the results they are seeing are often many times the levels of resistance that had been expected. AgResearch senior scientist Dr Trevor James, who spoke about the issue during August at the NZ Plant Protection Society conference in Napier, says the survey findings are a “wake-up call” and should be focusing efforts to manage the threat of herbicide resistance. “The issue is that as this resistance grows, so too do the costs and impacts on farmers and crop production in NZ. We firstly need to understand the full scope of the problem across NZ, the mechanisms involved in the resistance, how the resistance is passed through the generations of these plants, and then we need to look at strategies to address it and slow the development of the resistance,” he says. “At present, there are limited alternatives to many of these herbicides that the weeds are evolving resistance to, and that is an area that also deserves attention and investment in the research.” In 2019, a survey took seeds from 48 randomly selected arable farms in central Canterbury and weeds resistant to Group A and B herbicides were identified from a quarter of those farms. Further surveying across arable farms in Southland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, and across vineyards in Marlborough and Canterbury, found at least 50% had weeds resistant to Group A and/or B herbicides, with glyphosate being a problem in vineyards. The highest risk weeds were pasture-related grasses. Common resistant weed species being identified by the researchers include ryegrass, wild oats and chickweed, as well as first time finds of resistant sow thistle (puha), summer grass, prairie grass and lesser canary grass. • Supplied by Agresearch.

WEEDS

Regenerative ag threatens arable BY: DR JACQUELINE ROWARTH

t’s worth over $2 billion to the NZ economy, it underpins the $20 billion animal protein industry and it is under threat. It isn’t the wine industry - though wine certainly fits the points of export income and well-being support - the unsung industry is arable. It is the industry that grows grain, seed and other crops that are exported globally, it supports the continuous improvement of domestic pastures and it provides animal feed such as maize silage and grain. It’s under threat from well-meaning farmers embracing the concept of regenerative agriculture and growing hyper-diverse (multi-species) pastures under long grazing management. Hyper-diverse pastures cannot be managed to control all species at peak quality. Some set seed, and the re-seeding is part of the management for creating pasture resilience and improving pasture longevity. The seed setting rejuvenates the pasture, filling in gaps and making the most of resources. This is the same philosophy as deferred grazing in hill country where re-seeding in summer is followed by seed germination as the soils receive rain (traditionally in autumn). In areas where closer management of pasture is possible such as dairy farms, maintaining pasture at high quality (grazing at three leaf-stage) should mean that there are no gaps in the pasture to fill. Dr Kerry Harrington, Associate Professor in weed science at Massey University, has explained that it is difficult to manage the grazing of complex mixtures to keep more than just a few species present over time. “Most of these species do not persist as long as the perennial ryegrass and white clover swards shown by good science to work best in NZ,” he says. “Components that die off are quickly replaced by weed species.”

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It’s a step ahead – It’s Fendt. 40

For the arable industry the problem is that the species in diverse mixes don’t always stay in the paddocks where they were sown. In particular, rapid seeders such as mustard, radish and oats are getting away from home farms, being transported in birds and then ejected on neighbouring land. The ejected seed isn’t always viable – but anything that gets away has potential to cause problems. On arable farms the non-crop seeds are classified as a weed with the potential to contaminate a crop leading to extra expense or rejection on quality grounds. New Zealand arable farmers have developed the seed and grain industry over the past few decades. More than 40

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amount of organic matter to soils which already have considerable quantities); using less than recommended rates of glyphosate encourages the development of weed resistance. Dr Harrington has suggested that advocating unproven brews makes little sense given the amount of research that has been done to show how to use it most effectively. “Trying to keep rates very low will simply result in poor control of perennial weeds. It can also lead to a buildup of resistance to glyphosate.” Weeds are a threat to efficiency. Dr Hossein Ghanizadeh and Dr Harrington published research in 2019 indicating that there are 245 plant species from 40 plant families which are troublesome weeds in New Zealand. In pastures, grazing management and using competitive pasture species can play a more important role than herbicides for weed, they say. “Integrated weed management using a combination of herbicides and good pasture management strategies leads to the most cost-effective and efficient control of pasture weeds”.

Low greenhouse gas production A carrot seed crop. NZ’s arable industry is threatened by weeds from regen ag’s diverse plant mixes.

“For the arable industry the problem is that the species in diverse mixes don’t always stay in the paddocks where they were sown.” different grain and seed crops are grown on 180,000 hectares (Canterbury, Southland, Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Waikato regions) and growers can have up to 20 crops on their farm each year. It’s a specialist industry with strong management and careful advance planning to avoid seed contamination and biosecurity breaches. The growers now provide approximately 60% of the global radish seed, 50% of white clover seed and 40% of the world’s carrot seed. The growers’ reputation also means that they are trusted to multiply seed in what is the northern hemisphere winter, allowing plant breeders and seed companies to produce new and improved cultivars of vegetables more quickly than would otherwise be possible constrained to an annual growing cycle. It is the reputation of the NZ grower and the ability to produce

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high yields of uncontaminated seed that has attracted interest from overseas. Arable growers manage crops in rotation to ensure that appropriate herbicides can be used between and within crops as appropriate. Brassica seed from pastures can cause a 20-year problem. Oats will generally have a shorter longevity, but the general principle remains – a neighbour’s pasture can wreck a ten-year rotation for an arable grower because removing a brassica from a brassica crop or ‘wild’ oats from an oat crop can’t be done chemically. Yet another issue from regenerative agriculture advocates is the suggestion that glyphosate (traded as Roundup) should be used at a low rate and ‘cut with fish and fulvates’. The addition of anything organic reduces the activity of glyphosate (and is simply an expensive way of adding a small

This control, and maintenance of pasture at high quality, contributes to low greenhouse gas (GHG) production per unit of meat and milk. Professor Tony Parsons, now retired from Massey University, has shown that long-pasture grazing, which is associated with bottom death, seeding and loss of pasture quality, decreases efficiencies. This is particularly the case when impact (GHG or nitrogen loss) per unit of protein is considered. Arable growers are also efficient in production. For example, NZ holds records for yields in both wheat and barley, and we are low producers of GHG, at least in part because of low use of chemical inputs. Spread of non-desired seeds will increase requirements for chemical intervention and erode the competitive advantage that our growers have held in seed quality. Two billion dollars are at risk. Although a weed is simply a misplaced plant, the birds can’t differentiate between weeds, seeds and farms. Arable growers and overseas seed buyers can. • Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a farmer-elected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@ gmail.com

IS ANALYS

Feed

G N I FILL E TH FEED GAP

l ers fil m r a f n do How ap betwee d the g th an w o r g e re pastu mand? Th e e d stock lies with th er ck answ ent of sto ites gem mana plants, wr r. ye and y Dw r r e K

ver the winter I have spent much time discussing environmental regulations and winter grazing with clients. Life in the 21st century is not the same as the 20th century when many of us developed our skills, management systems and expectations. Central to much of these discussions has been filling the gap between pasture growth and stock demand. Three questions become critical to the issue: 1. Why is there a feed deficit? 2. When does a feed deficit occur? 3. How big is the feed deficit? Being good blokes we all want to go straight from a possible problem to a solution, or just carry on doing what we learnt in the past and hope that it fits with the future. Good management practice might be to spend some time looking at these three questions, and then working through to solutions that do fit in the 21st century.

Why is there a feed deficit? The bulk of NZ pasture production occurs over the spring – early summer period, up to two thirds of it in some environments. We aim to increase stock demand over that time by lambing and calving to harvest that peak growth. However our manipulation of animal numbers and feed quality requirements does not always match the changes in pasture growth which responds to the climate and weather rather than our direction. The simple answer to why there is a feed deficit is because we as farm managers are not manipulating stock demand as pasture growth slows. Prior to that happening we have some options, shown in Table 1. Getting a good handle on why the feed deficit occurs is vital to developing a successful plan. Is there some structural problem in our ability to grow pastures with sufficient feed or manage them in a variable climate? For example, we may be

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“All the options to increase feed supply have a cost, either as a oneoff or on-going basis, so investigate this well before you commit.” able to grow different pasture species that handle climatic variation better, or we may be better off having different enterprise and stock balances that do that. My experience is that neighbouring farmers can have quite different outcomes through a feed pinch due to different management systems and timing of actions. The feed gap you see is often the consequence of past actions or inactions that may appear subtle at the time but are exponential in growth. Do you run a formal feed budget such as Farmax to look at a short term or annual management programme? Do you have a handle on your annual pasture production and feed utilisation?

management changes could correct that. For example, we know that “green grass grows green grass”. A pasture cover of 1200kg DM/ha will grow at about half the daily rate of a pasture cover of 1800kg DM/ ha, all other things being equal. Is your feed deficit now due to poor pasture growth as a consequence of grazing management over the previous period? Is your feed deficit due to poor stock growth resulting in more animals being on than possible? If your lambs are below target at weaning, do you keep them on and try to finish them? This can negatively impact your system for the next year if you get it wrong.

When does a feed deficit occur?

How big is the feed deficit?

This part of the problem deserves good consideration because the timing of a feed deficit may be a regular occurrence or sporadic. If you are facing the same problem on an annual basis then think about how

In this step we should look at feed quality as well as quantity because what we really need to supply is megajoules of metabolisable energy (MJME) in the kg DM. You need a handle on the requirements of various stock

types to get a successful outcome. What may look to be expensive feed might be the best value in terms of energy supplied and utilisation of quantity fed.

Alternatives – increasing feed supply All the options to increase feed supply have a cost, either as a one-off or on-going basis, so investigate this well before you commit. Buying feed has a one-off cost, with the benefit of some fertility value coming onto the property. Then we run the figures for options such as hay, silage, balage, grain etc to find which gives the best value, as shown in the example in Table 2. The size of the feed gap becomes very important – how much cost are we looking at to get the job done? If we are feeding these stock for the next six months is it a viable proposition? You might be best to talk with your banker before the hole swallows your business.

Alternatives – using feed previously conserved Table 1: Options Increase Feed Supply

Buy more feed Use feed previously conserved Irrigate or fertilise to increase pasture growth Grow crops that grow more than pasture

Decrease Stock Demand

Feed stock less

Priority feed stock

Reduce stock numbers

Graze stock off-farm Sell stock

Table 2: Best value Balage

Grain Pellets

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September 2021

@ $125/bale for 200kgDM/bale

= 62.5c/kgDM

@ 10MJME/kgDM

= 6.25c/MJME

@ 65% utilization

= 9.6c/MJME utilized

@ $700/t for 85% DM

= 82.3c/kgDM

@ 13MJME/kgDM

= 6.3c/MJME

@ 90% utilization

= 7.0c/MJME utilised

Having a bank of silage or hay to feed is common practice on many farms, meaning you have harvested a surplus to carry through to the next feed gap. Was there a feed surplus when you made this or did you crimp stock to shift feed over time? Beware of the cost of feeding. For example balage is very convenient but feeding out can be expensive. For example a 150hp tractor will cost about $150/hour to run, feeding four bales/hour comes to $37.50/ bale, increasing the cost to 12.3c/MJME utilised on the above figures.

Alternatives – irrigate or fertilise to increase pasture growth Irrigation gives a double benefit of increasing pasture production in drier regions, along with reducing the variability of production. To harness these requires structural changes to farm systems and management to get an economic benefit. Increasing fertiliser input can also

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give this double benefit, especially with strategic nitrogen application. It is interesting to note that in many of the discussions regarding winter grazing, additional autumn nitrogen fertiliser on pasture becomes a real option compared with growing brassicas or fodder beet. That may not be an intended outcome of environmental regulations but a nitrogen response at say 10c/kg DM beats a brassica crop at 20c/kg DM growing cost with the associated risks of environmental damage.

Alternatives – plant crops that grow more than pasture Summer or winter brassica crops will cost about 20c/kg DM to grow, without taking any lost pasture growth into account. This might be good business if part of a pasture renewal programme and it may benefit having stock concentrated on a portion of the farm at certain times to spell the remainder of the property. The economics depend on yield, the better the crop the better the benefit. Look at what the portion of total farm feed production is being generated to see whether you have the balance in the

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“...a nitrogen response at say 10c/kg DM beats a brassica crop at 20c/kg DM growing cost with the associated risks of environmental damage.”

Graze stock off-farm This option always looks good if the grazing results in good animal production. It is common practice for dairy farmers in our part of NZ to winter cows off-farm and have heifers away until they calve. If your home system is profitable enough to subsidise long term grazing then go for it.

Sell stock right place. For example a 500ha sheep and beef farm in Otago/Southland with 25ha of swedes might grow 10% of total feed in that crop, while improving pasture utilisation by 10% would give the same overall benefit.

Alternatives – prioritise stock feeding In the 21st century we do not like to talk about underfeeding stock, but we can priority feed some stock when we have a feed gap. Breeding cows are great for this, and your ewes might be elastic enough to stretch at certain times. The question on this management strategy is how little for how long? What impact will this have on your next production period?

This is the only alternative without a direct cash cost. The only cost might be the re-entry to stock ownership. The first question is whether you need to buy replacement stock? Having a class of stock you are willing to sacrifice at any stage can be a very good option to safeguard the remainder. The second question is whether you can handle the cost of buying replacement stock? If you sold ewes in a drought at $100, saved $100/head of feed and then bought at $200/head, have you really lost ground?

• Kerry Dwyer is a North Otago farmer and farm consultant.

SUPPLEMENTS

retained onfarm but not mated as lambs. Adult ewes and breeding cows can be sold down or grazed off.

Urea and other supplements In terms of creating additional feed, urea is theoretically the most economical supplement, providing there is sufficient moisture and warmth and time to increase pasture covers.

Handling a feed deficit Taking a good look at feed deficits onfarm should lead to better usage of supplements, Tom Ward writes.

t is sometimes helpful, when considering various coping strategies, to first take an overview of the general situation. So it is with feed deficits. Attitude is really important – I have farmed in Canterbury (under poor irrigation, and therefore at times really dry), and on the West Coast where it can get really wet. It would be fair to say that while feed deficits can be stressful, with experience comes clarity and a certain amount of calm. As the All Blacks say, you come to embrace the pressure. Managing a feed surplus can be as difficult as managing a deficit (which is why so many dairy farms are highly stocked), although the damage from poor surplus management is not always obvious. Part of the problem with dealing with a feed deficit is that the weather varies so much. Therefore, growth rates, stocking rates and types of forage grown on sheep/ beef/deer farms reflect that. Dryland stocking rates have eased

somewhat in the past 10 years, largely driven by farmers’ desire to build flexibility into their systems, although erosion and declining fertiliser applications may also be a factor in this regard. Some cows and ewes have been replaced with trading stock, generally cattle. These dry cattle can be sold off or bought in according to the feed supply. Ewe hoggets can be sold or grazed off, or

Table 1: Common sources of supplement. Current price in brackets Supplement

Cost/kg DM

Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE)

$0.32 ($0.44)

Balage (80% utilisation)

$0.30 to $0.50 ($0.38)

Silage

$0.25 to $0.50 ($0.31)

Barley grain

$0.40 ($0.54)

Fodder beet

$0.15 to $0.25

The economics of applying urea are: 1 tonne urea $800/t ex store, freight and application total $75/t = $875/t applied. At that price, cost/kgN, applied as urea, is $1902/t. At a 10:1 response, cost/kg DM is 19c, at 12:1, cost/kg DM is 15.85c. (The above is very simplistic due to varying localities, access, topography, and other useful nutrients in various fertiliser blends). Nitrogen fertiliser, in addition to increasing pasture cover, encourages the ryegrasses to tiller. This is still the cheapest feed, however there is some risk that the response can vary down to 4:1. Nitrogen can be applied as soon as there is at least 25mm of rain, at 30-40kg N/ha, and a second application can be done in May if the soil temperature is above 7deg C. Other common sources of supplement are shown in Table 1 (current price in brackets). The key to buying all the above supplements is to buy when they are plentiful, or the dairy payout is low. There was an opportunity to do that in Canterbury last January, when feed was extra plentiful following a very late spring, but by March we were in drought mode again. In June I spoke to a winter grazier, who had bought silage in January, concerned at that point that his fodder beet crops were poor, and he topped up with palm kernel extract (PKE) in May.

Grazing A consequence of the extreme bulk of feed grown in January was the poor quality of pasture livestock had to deal with for the rest of the dry summer, with the result that ewes were not in such good order at mating. Conversely, two summers ago Marlborough sheep farmers, at the start of their long dry spell, achieved exceptional scanning results, despite being short of feed around tupping – the feed they had was very good quality. Dairy farmers know the importance of maintaining correct post grazing feed residuals. When feed gets short, and their dairy cows start grazing into the pasture

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September 2021

feed supply at an acceptable cost, reduce stock numbers to feed supply at an acceptable cost, reduce stock numbers to look after production and pastures. BCS the cows. look after production and pastures. BCS the cows. Keep a supply of silage/hay in case of snow. When buying Keep a supply of silage/hay in casecontracts. of snow. For When buying PKE talk to importers for forward barley grain PKE talk to importers for forward contracts. For barley – train ewe hoggets, keep a silo full and buy at a cheap grain price. –Tables train2 &ewe hoggets, keep a silo full and buy at a cheap price. “The key to buying... 3 Intake for Sheep- liveweight reduced by 5 kg to 64 kg Cranleigh, Jul 19 - Jun 20

RM 8.1.0.35

Intake for Sheepliveweight reduced by 5 kg to 64 kg Head kg DM by 5kg to kg DM Daily kg DM/Graze ha Intake for Sheep – Liveweight reduced 64kg Cranleigh, Jul 19 - Jun 20 Month

RM 8.1.0.35

Month Jul 19

Count Head

Daily/head kg DM

Daily Total kg DM

Pasture

DailySupplement kg DM/Graze ha

Total

1,148 Count

1.7 Daily/head

17 Daily Total

2.3 Pasture

14.9 Supplement

17.1 Total

Aug 19 Jul 19

1,025 1,148

1.9 1.7

17 17

4.0 2.3

12.7 14.9

16.8 17.1

Sep 19 19 Aug

1,020 1,025

2.9 1.9

26 17

17.4 4.0

8.8 12.7

26.2 16.8

Oct 19 Sep 19

1,188 1,020

2.7 2.9

45 26

44.8 17.4

8.8

44.8 26.2

Nov 19 Oct 19

1,348 1,188

2.5 2.7

36 45

36.1 44.8

Dec 19 19 Nov

2,277 1,348

1.3 2.5

39 36

39.1 36.1

Jan 20 Dec 19

1,861 2,277

1.2 1.3

19 39

18.8 39.1

Feb 20 Jan 20

1,468 1,861

1.1 1.2

14 19

13.9 18.8

Mar 20 20 Feb

1,451 1,468

1.1 1.1

14 14

14.1 13.9

Apr 20 Mar 20

1,440 1,451

1.1 1.1

14 14

12.9 14.1

May 20 Apr 20

1,440 1,440

1.2 1.1

15 14

Jun 20 May 20

1,430 1,440

1.3 1.2

16 15

Average Jun 20

1,426 1,430

1.6 1.3

Total Average

1,426

Total

14.1 13.9 1.2

14.1 14.1

9.3 12.9

5.6 1.2

14.9 14.1

3.7 9.3

12.4 5.6

16.1 14.9

2,249 16

16.3 3.7

5.0 12.4

21.3 16.1

577 1.6

823,076 2,249

5,953 16.3

1,834 5.0

7,787 21.3

577

823,076

5,953

1,834

7,787

Intakemaintained for Sheep-atliveweight maintained at 69 kg Intake for Sheep – Liveweight 69kg Cranleigh, Jul 19 - Jun 20

RM 8.1.0.35

Head

Month

RM 8.1.0.35

Month Jul 19

Intake forkgSheepliveweight maintained at Daily 69 kg DM kg DM kg DM/Graze ha

Count Head

Daily/head kg DM

1,148 Count

1.7 Daily/head

Cranleigh, Jul 19 - Jun 20

Daily Total kg DM

Pasture

DailySupplement kg DM/Graze ha

Total

17 Daily Total

2.3 Pasture

14.9 Supplement

17.1 Total

Aug 19 Jul 19

1,025 1,148

1.9 1.7

17 17

4.0 2.3

12.7 14.9

16.8 17.1

Sep Aug 19 19

1,020 1,025

2.9 1.9

26 17

17.4 4.0

8.8 12.7

26.2 16.8

Oct 19 Sep 19

1,188 1,020

2.7 2.9

45 26

44.8 17.4

8.8

44.8 26.2

Nov 19 Oct 19

1,348 1,188

2.6 2.7

37 45

37.5 44.8

Dec Nov 19 19

2,277 1,348

1.4 2.6

40 37

40.2 37.5

Jan 20 Dec 19

1,861 2,277

1.2 1.4

20 40

19.6 40.2

Feb 20 Jan 20

1,468 1,861

1.1 1.2

15 20

14.7 19.6

Mar 20 20 Feb

1,451 1,468

1.2 1.1

15 15

15.0 14.7

Apr 20 Mar 20

1,440 1,451

1.2 1.2

15 15

13.7 15.0

1.2

14.9 15.0

May 20 Apr 20

1,440 1,440

1.2 1.2

16 15

10.1 13.7

5.6 1.2

15.8 14.9

15.0 14.7

Jun 20 May 20

1,430 1,440

1.4 1.2

17 16

4.6 10.1

12.4 5.6

17.0 15.8

Average Jun 20

1,426 1,430

1.6 1.4

2,314 17

16.9 4.6

5.0 12.4

21.9 17.0

Total Average

1,426

594 1.6

847,060 2,314

6,180 16.9

1,834 5.0

8,014 21.9

594

847,060

6,180

1,834

8,014

Total

base, milk production quickly falls if the material in the base, maybe as much as Utilise surplus liveweight on ewes and breeding cows, previous grazing has not been tight enough. 300kg DM/ha. This feed will be as good Utilise surplus liveweight on ewes and breeding Maintaining correct pushes qualityget as average silage/baleage and can be especially the grazing cowspressure (Ewes can also very big in cows, growthy feed out so covers higher when a dry can also utilisedget in a slow especially thearecows (Ewes veryrotation. big in growthy spell hits, and maintains quality. Many will say, “That’s why I need breeding cows – to restore quality”. Fair enough, and I respect that every farm has its own needs. However many hill country farmers will know they need cows only two in every five years. That’s why breeding cows and breeding ewe numbers are declining. Consider running a proportion of dry cattle which can be used to maintain quality and sold down when feed supply declines. Having fewer breeding animals also reduces feed pressure in the spring.

Feed levels With a deficit, have a good look around the farm to ascertain how much feed you have. If you run a lot of cattle, there is likely to be a quantity of feed with stalk and dead

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September 2021

Having an early surplus can also be used to make silage, to re-grass or to crop, to achieve supplement or forage crop for use when feed is short. Do not be too ambitious with the silage – get a moderate amount of good quality grass off and the paddock back into the grazing round with the help of urea and/or irrigation as soon as possible, i.e. when the soil is still moist. If you have sprayed out a paddock for cropping or re-grassing and a dry spell sets in, delay planting until there is sufficient moisture, i.e. a summer fallow. The exception is sub clover which will sit in the ground until a good rain comes. Farmers need to set non-negotiable targets; minimum 3.0 body condition score (BCS) for ewes year round, and no “overfats” either - there is no point overfeeding

supplements is to buy when they are plentiful, or the dairy payout is low.” animals. Plan for sufficient tupping feed and minimum average DM covers at May 1 and at lambing. This includes forage crops. If you cannot increase feed supply at an acceptable cost, reduce stock numbers to look after production and pastures. BCS the cows. Keep a supply of silage/hay in case of snow. When buying PKE talk to importers for forward contracts. For barley grain – train ewe hoggets, keep a silo full and buy at a cheap price. Utilise surplus liveweight on ewes and breeding cows, especially the cows. Ewes can also get big in growth years. Tables 2 and 3 illustrate, from just 100ha, a 24 tonne DM saving from feeding to reduce liveweight. Conversely, bear in mind how much winter feed requirements increase during a wet spell in winter – often by 100%. It is impossible to get this amount of feed into an animal on a daily basis so increased feeding will need to be applied for several days after the wet weather event.

Crops to grow Grow a ryecorn crop or oats when rain finally arrives in autumn for utilisation in early spring. If newly emerged fodder beet is drowned it can be replaced with rape sown in January or swedes. Buy lifted fodder beet or beetroot – this is available in Canterbury and needs no transition when animals are straight off fodder beet. You could also buy maize silage when it is available in autumn. Re-allocate crops – e.g. winter ewes on fodder beet – prioritising the most valuable stock classes at any one point. After the drought breaks, two things will be happening: • Any poor quality feed will be rotting and disappearing. • There will be 2-4 weeks regrowth time before there is sufficient pasture for an appropriate rotation length to be established. During this time the stock can be profitably supplemented. Finally, keep your soil fertility levels high; your pastures will respond much quicker when a drought ends. • Tom Ward is an Ashburton-based farm consultant. 0278557799

FEEDING CALVES

Overcoming the summer challenge Phil Weir and Bob Thomson take a look at the correlation between good crops and genetics.

ith better beef genetics as the catalyst for change from autumn to spring buying of dairybeef calves, summer greenfeed crops provide a good solution for farmers wanting to beat the summer and autumn calf rearing ‘blues’. This opportunity is afforded to farmers growing and finishing their own stock or contract grazing dairy heifers. The challenge of feeding calves over the summer is probably the major reason why farmers prefer to buy their weaner dairybeef calves in the autumn and early winter.

Another good reason is that often calf prices are little different across this same time period so there has been no compelling reason to change weaner calf buying practices. However, a recent analysis by a work colleague showed that autumn weaner buying is riskier than spring. It was only in drought years where autumn buying was more profitable. The challenge in growing calves from 100 to 200kg across their first summer and autumn is a primary reason for graziers avoiding dairy heifer replacements. However, when making this decision it also

means forfeiting the opportunity offered by a potentially integrated value chain between beef finishers and dairy farmers. On both levels this is a shame. If the summer challenge could be bridged then major benefits could be delivered to both dairy and beef farmers. In this article we revisit summer brassica crops as a solution for summer calf rearing and introduce a recent discovery which provides good reason to rethink stock policies. Certainly, autumn and early winter buying practices can be challenged because they disconnect the beef farmer finisher from the dairy farmer breeder. However,

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Sowing a summer greenfeed crop is a way to beat the summer-autumn calf rearing blues.

it is now contended that the discovery of beef genetics will make the difference. This opportunity is afforded through the Beef + Lamb NZ Dairy-Beef Progeny test where bulls have recently emerged that are game changers. Calves sired by these high genetic merit, progeny tested beef bulls, are only available in straws but provide the dairy farmer with easy calving, short gestation, and less days to reach weaning weight. These same calves provide the beef finisher with fast growth and high carcase merit. Unfortunately, the link between the dairy farmer and the beef farmer is lost when calves are buy in the autumn.

Good reasons Beef farmers now have good reason to arrange the breeding and buying of calves directly from dairy farms and take advantage from weaners that will grow to make a serious economic difference. This opportunity also provides a good reason to change from the indiscriminate autumn buying of dairy-beef calves of unknown genetic origin, to purpose-breeding and

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September 2021

“. . . summer greenfeed crops have the potential to be a good solution for farmers wanting to beat the summer and autumn calf rearing ‘blues’.” buying high quality spring calves. However, having these dairy-beef calves contract bred and reared still leaves the challenge of getting the calves through their first summer and autumn. This is where summer greenfeed crops have the potential to be a good solution for farmers wanting to beat the summer and autumn calf rearing ‘blues’ whether growing and finishing their own stock or contract grazing dairy heifers. In reviewing historical literature, a paper by Muir et al. 1995 Effect of allowance and the rate of adaptation of weaned calves to two brassica types, brassicas stood out as an option which needed revisiting as a way of managing calves from 100 to 200kg. This research work provided a simple method of offering calves 3% bodyweight of two brassica types (Wairoa and Winfred) in weekly allowances (small mobs). The result

in Friesian bull calves was a fast liveweight gain of 0.58 and 0.61kg/day. The practical results from the work of Muir et al, at Poukawa in Hawke’s Bay, were tested through Farmax modelling with a farm systems approach on 100-hectares. The farm summer cropped 10% of its area with a brassica with a modest seven tonnes of drymatter (DM) yield. We assumed a single grazing and a utilisation of 85% (consistent with the work of Muir et al with utilisation of Winfred 77% and Wairoa 90%). Calf growth rates of 0.5kg/day initially during transition, and 0.7kg/day for the balance of the time on the crop. Our modelled system was able to send 65% of its lightest calves onto the crop for 74 days (1ha crop/ 20 calves) achieving a beneficial gross margin advantage across the whole farm

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September 2021

Table 1: 10% of the farm was cropped with a summer brassica and then planted in an Annual Ryegrass. The stocking rate was higher with a crop and the feed conversion efficiency was improved resulting in an increase of $12,100 across the 100-hectare farm or +$121 per hectare Overall Summary No Summer Crop vs Summer Crop

Table1 10% of the farm was cropped with a summer brassica and then planted in an Annual Ryegrass. The stocking rate was higher with a crop and the feed conversion efficiency was improved resulting in an increase of $12,100 across the Table1 10% of the or farm wasper cropped with a summer brassica and then planted in an Annual Ryegrass. The stocking rate was 100-hectare farm +$121 hectare Table 2: Less animals were able to be managed on the Summer Crop farm, but they were heavier higher with a crop and the feed conversion efficiency was improved resulting in an increase of $12,100 across the resulting in a higher overall stocking rate and sale weight. Yearling sale weight was heavier by ~28kg 100-hectare farm or +$121 per hectare per head and sale price was higher by ~$90 per head. Cattle Sales Comparison; No Summer Crop vs Summer Crop

of $121/ha. Included in the modelling was 1.1% less deaths on crop versus no crop. Other benefits not modelled could include ‘insurance’ against drought, reduced internal parasite challenge (less drench and less risk) along with peace of mind which all add to making this a viable option. The growth rates maintained on crops over summer and autumn would meet the requirements for dairy heifer systems, and in beef systems provide optionality for fast-track finishing. Additionally, as we are challenged to increase feed efficiency, it could reduce lifetime feed consumption. A bonus would be that, at animal level, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced. The internal parasite management opportunity is broader than the short term reduced use of drench, it also provides the opportunity to help break the parasite cycle, with the area the calves are wintered not having been subject to summer internal parasite expulsion over the summer; a first principal management practice which is often overlooked. The challenge is to find summer greenfeed crops for calves that yield more but provide the same benefits of high feed quality and whole crop feeding. There are good alternatives and farmers are encouraged to check these out. • Phil Weir and Bob Thomson are independent farm consultants at AgFirst Waikato.

Table 2; Less animals were able to be managed on the Summer Crop farm, but they were heavier resulting in a higher Table 3: Therate 10-hectare summer crop sale wasweight followed an Annual Ryegrass andsale costprice $15,800 or by ~$90 overall stocking and sale weight. Yearling was by heavier by ~28kg per head and was higher Table 2; Less be managed onby theincreased Summer Crop farm,Abut were heavier resulting in a higher $1580 per animals hectare.were Theable croptocost was offset returns. mixthey of heifer and steers calves per head. overall and sale weight wasand heavier by ~28kg per and sale price was higher by ~$90 werestocking farmedrate with 90sale kgweight. heifersYearling purchased at $500 100kg steers athead $550. per head. Gross Margin No Summer Crop vs Summer Crop

Where to find the information on bulls that make a difference The B+LNZ Genetics Dairy-Beef Progeny Test results can be found from the following link. Follow through from this link to ‘Reports’ and see ‘Jun 2021: Dairy Beef Progeny Test Report (Cohorts 1-5).’ www.blnzgenetics.com/progenytests/beef-progeny-tests The dairy-beef progeny test report is comprehensive. As an example, look to Table 11 where carcase traits from the Top 20 bulls are shown. The top bull has a yearling liveweight advantage of +35kgs and a carcase weight advantage of +22kg. There are value propositions for all situations, and you are encouraged to explore the results and enjoy the benefits.

Table 3; The 10-hectare summer crop was followed by an Annual Ryegrass and cost $15,800 or $1,580 per hectare. The crop cost was offset by increased returns. A mix of heifer and steers calves were farmed with 90 kg heifers purchased at $500 and 100kg steers at $550. Country-Wide September 2021 on bulls that make a difference Where to find the information The B+LNZ Genetics Dairy-Beef Progeny Test results can be found from the following link. Follow

AERATION

Getting oxygen into soils Dead or yellowing plants may indicate you have a soil problem. Joanna Grigg talked to soil scientist Dr Trish Fraser to find some solutions.

ellowing plants usually suggests the soil has a problem. Sometimes it’s a chemical deficiency, but it can be a physical problem. Soils that are heavy textured (clay), compacted, wet or flooded can become anaerobic – literally without oxygen. Heavy rainfall across parts of NZ this winter have tested the drainage capabilities of soil, and pasture yields are suffering. Summer drought and feeding out on sacrifice paddocks have created compacted hard crusts on the soil surface. Direct drilled seeds, sown in autumn, have failed to strike. Dr Trish Fraser, soil scientist, Plant & Food, Lincoln University, said a paddock walk with a spade is an ideal way to identify

what the problem is with the soil and note the specific areas that need work. “Dig a hole and look to see whether a crust exists at the surface, or if there is a hardpan layer present down deeper.” “Is it caused by grazing compaction at the surface, or is there something internal, deeper in the soil that’s reducing water flow?” The type of remedial work should be based on what the problem is. If water is pooling, drainage may be the first step, she said. If there is a solid pan layer deep in the soil, this can be ripped when it dries out, using an implement that reaches this depth. “Choose an implement to penetrate just below the compact layer, otherwise you are wasting your time.”

Do the sausage test before working with the soil. Roll the soil into a sausage. If it crumbles and breaks then it is okay to cultivate. If it stays solid then it is too wet. Picture supplied by Dr Trish Fraser, Plant & Food Research.

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September 2021

Figure 1; Sub-soiling must be done when soils are dry. A cultivator leg with side wings is more effective at pushing the soil upwards.

Loosened soil

Leg

Pan

Pan broken up

Foot with wings

Table 1: Help! My soil is becoming anaerobic.

Prevention

A penetrometer can also be used to measure depths and degree of compaction. Ploughing to the same depth for several years can create a hard pan just below the turned area, she said. Water can then pool above this. Soils high in clay are the most likely candidates for creation of a hard, compact layer below the plough line, especially if it was a bit wet during cultivation. “It’s like running a finger across wet clay soil – it just seals the soil beneath like icing a cake. So the best course of action is to vary the depth of cultivation.” A crust on the surface of the soil is often seen in paddocks hit by heavy rainfall followed by rapid drought, or following grazing with heavy stock that have caused compaction. The crust layer at the soil surface will lift up when levered with a knife. “Soil particles which are not in good condition at the soil surface, will be less able to withstand compaction.” Options to remedy, include running discs or a grubber cultivator through the surface, to loosen the soil. Prevention is better however and keeping soil surface covered with plants or plant residues will help minimise the chance of crusting occurring, she said. Continues

››

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September 2021

Short term recovery of compacted soils

Top: This hard pan layer below the soil surface restricts root growth and can reduce water drainage. It is caused by repeated cultivation at the same depth. Above: Heavy rain followed by a rapid drought can cause crusting on the soil surface, especially if the soils are in poor condition. The crust can restrict emergence of seedlings making replanting necessary.

ACTION

OPTIONS

Drainage

Flexible pipe (either with holes or without) Ditch around block draining to a wetland

Reduce compaction (from pugging events, machinery weight)

Remove heavy cattle off block if wet, back-fence when break feeding, reduce stocking rate, reduce machinery passes.

Aerator

Blades slice down to 200250mm

Ripping with a sub-soiler

Cultivator with a winged leg (not plain) creates cracks. Another option is a vibrating leg which shatters the soil while ripping. Subsoil 8cm below the pan for maximum lift of the pan. Subsoil across slopes to minimise erosion.

Medium term recovery of compacted soils

Long-term

Deep ripping

Use sparingly. Select gear to meet the depth of the pan. Can require serious horsepower

Sow permanent pasture rather than a crop in rows

More root mass spread over the entire area.

Sow plants with larger root mass, or tap roots to penetrate

Ryecorn has a larger root mass than other options like feed barley. Chicory, red clover and lucerne have penetrating tap roots

Sow species that tolerate wet roots better, so pasture renew not required as often

Yannicum type sub clover e.g. ‘Napier’ or ‘Monti’ can tolerate wetter soils

Fit stock class to soil type

Graze heavier cattle earlier in the season or avoid winter grazing with cattle altogether

Keep soil covered with plants

Catch crops can hold soils and reduce losses such as N via leaching.

Promote earthworms (different species are at different levels)

Reduce stocking rate (especially cattle) where compaction from treading is an issue. Avoid fungicides/insecticides

“Don’t use tillage equipment when the soil is too wet - you might further damage the soil structure.”

“A light surface work may be all that’s required, rather than a deeper full cultivation.” Fraser said that, if subsoiling is needed, then the legs and wings of the subsoiler should ideally crack the soil up towards the surface. A cultivator leg with side wings is more effective at pushing the soil upwards. This helps create drainage channels for plant roots to follow and access the nutrients and water stored at depth. “Ideally with subsoiling you want the seed bed to be lifted a little bit but still

remain relatively intact on top. Air spaces will have been created down below.” According to Fraser, you should “hardly know” the subsoiler has been through there. “Don’t use tillage equipment when the soil is too wet - you might further damage the soil structure.” A deep ripper can go far deeper but requires greater horsepower to get the job done. It may not be necessary. In soils with an obvious pan, the most effective depth of subsoiling is about eight cm below the pan (Soil Quality on Southland Cropping Farms, 2004). This causes maximum lift and shatter of the pan. In soils with no obvious pan, but with a naturally compact subsoil, the deeper the subsoiling operation the more effective it is. Fraser said really intensive cultivation like rotary hoeing can pulverise the soil and damage its structure. Grubbing is a bit less intrusive, more like running fingers through the soil. The ultimate long-term solution to help compacted soils recover, especially those used for winter grazing, is to get them back into pasture. Surface soils recover through processes of wetting and drying, freezing and thawing, pasture growth, and earthworm and microbial activity. Keeping the soil covered with plants or plant residues also helps to protect the soil from surface crusting. “Pasture is also a good restorative crop within an arable rotation,” Fraser said.

MECHANICAL AERATION SHORT-TERM FIX ONLY Trials on North Otago downlands (AgResearch, 2012) showed that mechanical aeration can provide an immediate improvement in porosity of compacted soils. However, the benefit is short-lived. Soil macroporosity (the size of the soil pores) significantly improved in the first six months following mechanical aeration of the sloped site. In the mid-term (two to three years), the benefit of aeration on macroporosity was minimal when compared against natural soil recovery processes. Where cattle were grazed following soil aeration, re-compaction of soils back to a non aerated state occurred rapidly. Significant differences between aerated

and non-aerated plots were no longer evident eighteen months after aeration. The researchers concluded the preference should be towards strategic management of animals, particularly cattle. Keeping them off soils prone to compaction, such as the Pallic soils of North Otago Downlands, was suggested. A Southland soil quality study (Crop & Food Research, 2004) showed that crop yields were on average 32% lower on blocks that had been previously grazed over the previous winter with cows, compared to not grazed. Earthworm numbers were the highest on permanent pasture (879/m2) and lowest in cropped paddocks following winter grazing of cows (88/m2).

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September 2021

MUCH NEEDED RESEARCH ON SOILS

Dr Trish Fraser said remedying soil pans or surface crusts is all about identifying the right action to fix the problem. Don’t subsoil just for the sake of it.

Aerating soil research minimal Fraser said research on the effects of roots of different pasture, crop or forage species on aerating soil has been minimal. Research by Plant & Food Research on wheat in 2011 showed a huge difference in root mass between wheat cultivars. “At the time there wasn’t much understanding about how much difference in root mass there was between cultivars.” “Plant breeders have traditionally focused breeding on above ground characteristics, but they are now starting to appreciate the significant differences underground too.” Fraser said ryecorn is a good species to

A project on irrigation effects on lower slope hills is underway near Timaru. It is looking at surface and subsurface water and nutrient flows, with the aim to show how much and which way water and nutrients move down the slope. This knowledge can help farmers manage irrigation on slopes better, to minimise run-off. More research is also needed on compaction. A 2021 literature review (W. Hu et al) for Plant and Food Research’s Sustainable Agro-ecosystems Programme, showed there were very few detailed studies on the effectiveness of different farm management strategies to reduce compaction. Soil structure degradation was recorded in 44% of sites monitored across NZ between 2014-2017. But the costs and

grow over winter, as it has a root mass that looks like a pasture plant. It is very dense and fibrous which seems to assist with building soil structure and adding organic matter, all whilst capturing nutrients too. Species with deeper tap roots like chicory, red clover and lucerne, can be used to penetrate soils. Wetter areas of a permanent pasture could be drilled with plants that tolerate wetter

mitigation effects are largely unknown. A NZ survey showed many practices are used to reduce compaction or pugging from livestock. These include paddock aeration or artificial drainage (21% of farmers surveyed), use of constructed feed or standoff pads, or wintering barns (25%), use of informal standoff areas (37%), putting heavier stock on dryer paddocks (64%), and grazing wetter paddocks earlier in the season or rotating stock more often (79.5%) (StahlmannBrown, 2019). While farmers are doing it, the cost and benefits for production and the environment are not defined. More research is needed into soil hydraulics with different levels of compaction. Questions remain as to the expected changes in water movement, contaminant loss, gas exchanges and pasture yields for example.

soils. The Lincoln University’s Dryland Pastures Research team recommends Yannicum clover for areas that saturate or flood in winter. Yannicum is a type of sub clover and includes the varieties Napier or Monti. Sow at 5kg/hectare (ha) alongside 5kg/ha of the standard sub clover varieties such as Denmark or Woogenellup. If pastures persist then renew work, which adds to compaction, is not required.

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PASTURE

Managing the spring Getting lambs and calves ready for the coming season also means getting paddocks ready too. By Dr Ken Geenty.

hen spring arrives, a whole host of things start to happen on the farm. Pasture growth kicks away, lambing and calving is underway and work-load ramps up. The best suited paddocks will have been chosen for lambing and calving, ideally with good shelter, easy contour and initial pasture covers of at least 1200kg of DM per hectare. The best lambing paddocks will have been earmarked for ewes with multiples. Shepherding methods vary, the main thing being respect for ewes and cows to ensure bonding with their newborn. This means guarding their chosen lambing or calving site by avoiding any undue pressure. If lambing and calving are too early, say July or August before pasture growth exceeds 10kg DM per day as in Fig. 1, animal production will be off to a shaky start. Breeding ewes and cows will be penalised in early lactation with lower milk production and pastures overgrazed. There are subtle management differences

between sheep and beef systems during spring for best results. Fundamental to your planning will be adaptation of feed supply and demand illustrated in Fig. 1 according to expected seasonal pasture growth for your farm.

Ewes body condition It is very hard to maintain ewe body condition during mid-late pregnancy due to limitations in space needed for both the rumen and developing foetus(es). For example a 65kg ewe carrying twins rarely consumes the 1.6-2kg of dry-matter per day required in late pregnancy to maintain body condition score of 2.5-3. The sheer bulk of up to eight kg of fresh pasture obviously limits how much a ewe can eat during this pregnancy period. Therefore, most highly productive ewes lose body condition during mid-late pregnancy. Such loss of body condition should be minimised or avoided to support important growth of the udder and foetus shown in the Fig. 2 diagram. It is unlikely placental growth will be affected but reduction in

Pasture supply (growth) and demand (kg DM/ha/day)

Figure 1: An example of seasonal pasture supply and demand.

foetal and mammary growth can seriously impact lamb survival and early growth. Similar principles apply in breeding cows. The most effective way of minimising ewe body weight loss during this late pregnancy period is through generous supply of high quality pasture, supplemented as needed with feed having a metabolisable energy content of at least 10 megajoules of metabolisable energy (MJME) per kg of drymatter (kg DM). High quality hay or balage can do the job in association with available pasture or crop. Attention to animal health to avoid metabolic pregnancy disorders, or known mineral deficiencies, is also important during this pregnancy period. There is a lot of flexibility in managing lambs to weaning, including different ages weaned as shown in Fig. 3. Various factors such as the seasonal feed supply will determine optimum times to wean. For example, if feed is in very short supply due to dry conditions it will be very beneficial to wean lambs early on to saved feed and tighten weaned ewes up. Remembering that the moment you wean lambs and ewes stop lactating their feed requirement pretty much halves to under one kg of DM per day. Furthermore when lambs are weaned they can be given the best quality feed available and are not competing with ewes. Importantly, if rumen development is up to scratch, the growth trajectory of lambs is similar whether on milk from their mothers or good quality pasture alone. This is because the nutritional value of

Figure 2: Growth (kg) of the mammary gland, placenta and foetus during pregnancy.

Hay made

Hay fed

Feed demand Feed supply

10 0

Foetus

Mammary gland

.04

Placenta Jul

Sep

Nov

Jan

Month

Mar

May

120

0 150

Days pregnant

Source: A guide to feed planning (Sheep Council)

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September 2021

“...the growth trajectory of lambs is similar whether on milk from their mothers or good quality pasture alone.” Figure 3: Flexibility in lamb weaning age according to seasonal pasture supply.

Feed supply (Ewes milk) and lamb feed demand (MJME/day)

Lamb feed demand Pasture for lambs (Good season)

Pasture for lambs (Bad season)

Ewe milk Good season (pasture surplus)

Wean (Bad season)

Ewe milk Bad season (pasture shortage) Wean (Good season) Delay weaning if surplus feed continues

6 Weeks after lambing

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September 2021

high quality spring pasture is similar to that of ewe’s milk. But economically pasture is vastly more efficient than ewes milk, valued at less than 20c/kg of dry-matter compared with about $12/kg of milk solids based on sheep dairy prices. Furthermore for ewes the feed cost of producing milk is very expensive. Total pasture required by ewes and lambs between five and 10 weeks of age is 40% greater compared with when lambs are weaned at 5-6 weeks. So it is much more efficient to channel feed directly through lambs from as earlier an age as possible. A key requirement for very early weaning of lambs at 4-5 weeks old, under conditions of extreme feed shortage, is a minimum lamb live weight of 12kg. Use of creep grazing can assist greatly with early weaning, simply by raising a gateway high enough for the lambs to creep ahead of the ewes onto fresh pastures. Lambs need high quality pasture with good nitrogen levels for good early rumen function. Leafy lucerne does this job admirably though clover dominant pasture is equally effective. If quality pasture is plentiful lambs can stay on their mothers until 12 weeks old so long as they are growing at around 200g per day to reach at least 25kg at the later weaning age. Lamb growth and development studies by this author have shown lamb rumen development can be surprisingly advanced

PASTURE

from three weeks of age meaning very early weaning was not a major set-back to lambs. If pasture isn’t in good supply, supplements such as lucerne chaff are ideal to promote lamb rumen function in preparation for early weaning.

Cows lactation A slow start to lactation is particularly detrimental with breeding cows, especially if calving before liberal feed is available. Good growth to weaning is critical for selling of calves to finishers at an early age. Research has shown around 70% of variation in calf weaning weight is due to differences in cow milk production. A 50kg calf drinking 7-8kg of milk per day will grow at about 1kg of liveweight a day. As calves grow they progressively consume more pasture so at 120 days old a calf weighing 150kg would be consuming 10-12kg of milk daily with the other 30% of its feed being pasture. Ideally calves should grow at 1kg per day for weaning at well over 200kg liveweight around six months of age. A high level of feeding after calving is also important for a good conception rate at rebreeding in late spring-early summer. To achieve this, cows should be at or above mid-point of the body condition score scale at calving. If feed is then restricted cows will lose body condition to the detriment of both calf growth and subsequent conception rate. Ideally cows should consume around 12kg pasture DM per day from calving onwards. If summer dry conditions bite then weaning should be earlier and calves preferentially fed available pasture while cows can be worked on improving rougher pastures. Determination of expected calving dates is crucial for precision feeding during late pregnancy-early lactation. Experienced vets can provide the age of the foetus at pregnancy diagnosis around 8-12 weeks of pregnancy. This can allow determination of calving patterns and timely allocation of feed. Importantly culling of empty cows prior to the following winter can then be done confidently. The process can be complicated with un-weaned calves but if cows are split into mating cycles there will be less variation with older calves easier to handle. • Ken Geenty is a primary industries consultant.

Clover should be king BY: DR DOUG EDMEADES IN OUR TEMPERATE PASTORAL system, with animals grazing outdoors all year round, clover is king, or at least should be. Not only does it fix atmospheric nitrogen gas for free, turning it into plant protein, but it is a better stock feed. You get more milksolids or higher animal growth rates per kilo of clover dry-matter than any other feed source. Pastoral farming is the biggest industry in town and it’s productivity depends on growing this small, almost inconspicuous forage legume. Clover-ryegrass pasture is the cheapest feed for ruminants costing about 4-5 cent per kilogram dry matter, three times cheaper than crops and ten times cheaper than maize and PKE. Unfortunately clover has a very shallow rooting system and for this reason requires higher soil nutrient levels than grasses or crops. It is to use the analogy of the ‘canary in the mine’. If the clover is struggling to grow it is a fair bet that there is an underlying nutrient deficiency. Remember also that plants, and this includes forage legumes, require 16 nutrients to grow and it can only grow at the rate of the most limiting nutrient. Throwing more super, which contains the nutrient phosphorous (P) and sulphur (S), on a soil which is say potassium (K) or molybdenum (Mo) deficient is simply a waste of good fertiliser dollars. This has implications. If the intention is to optimise the return on the fertiliser dollar, seek out the most limiting nutrient first and deal to it. To do this however requires that there is a good soil fertility monitoring plan in place. Three tools are required to do this effectively. Visual pasture assessment is a good starting point, providing you know what you are looking for. Soil tests, providing they are collected using the

correct protocols are essential and of course clover-only test complement this information – remember clover is the canary in the mine. Soil fertility and pasture nutrition is a mature science. Based on research reaching back since 1950, we have a fully calibrated set of soil tests and we know what the optimal nutrient levels are for white clover. In other words we have the technology. But day after day we are finding farmers who are failing to grow good healthy clover-based pasture simply because the underlying soil fertility is not optimal. Our estimate, based on our experience on-farm, is that something like 70% of the farms we have visited in the last decade are deficient in one or a number of key nutrients. Potassium, sulphur and Mo are the major limitations. Unfortunately farmers are being fed a load of cobblers to explain the lack of clover in their pastures: the drought, the insects, the soil biology is dead, the nutrient ratios are out of kilter, the pastures should be re-sown. The list of excuses is long indeed when all that is required is a lick of logic and the application of sound science. • Doug Edmeades is an independent soil scientist and consultant with AgKnowledge.

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CAUCASIAN MAKING A COME BACK BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

aucasian clover seed has not been commercially available for over 10 years, but efforts are underway to allow farmers to once again benefit from this highly productive and very persistent legume. Areas of Caucasian for seed production have been established and it is hoped that limited amounts of seed will be available for inclusion in permanent pasture mixes in spring 2022. All going well, seed supply should be adequate to meet demand by 2023. Lincoln University’s Dick Lucas says Caucasian has distinct advantages over other perennial clover species. These include its perennial taproot, which lasts for at least 10 years, and the dense mat of rhizomes which gives it resilience during dry spells. “This rhizome mat and taproot, combined with its tolerance to glyphosate, means that this ‘twitchy’ clover can be maintained as a permanent nitrogen fixing sward, where weeds can be controlled and new grass or annual winter feed species can be direct drilled.” Once established, annual drymatter production of Caucasian is similar to second-year red clover and more than white clover. Lucas says Caucasian is very productive in spring, when it mobilises root and rhizome reserves (similar to what lucerne does). It can be set-stocked in spring and rotationally grazed over the rest of the year. It should be spelled from grazing in late summer to allow replenishment of root and rhizome reserves. New Zealand cultivars of white clover have faster growth than Caucasian in August and early September. Caucasian is more productive during the warmer months and is more competitive against grasses in permanent pastures. Over 10 years, Caucasian produces more drymatter and therefore fixes more nitrogen than white clover. This superiority is because it is more competitive in mixed pastures than white clover.

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Advantages and disadvantages A three-year grazing trial showed that liveweight gain by ewe lambs was 10% greater in a ryegrass and Caucasian clover mix over that three year period. The trial was led by Lincoln University’s Dr Alistair Black which compared perennial ryegrass and Caucasian clover against perennial ryegrass and white clover. Lucas says one of the challenges with Caucasian clover is its slow establishment. Best sown in October, herbicides should be used to control weeds, and grasses or herbs over-sown the following February or September. “This means that Caucasian clover is less productive in the first year than red and white clover, but that is the price to pay for its greater persistence through to year 10 and beyond.” The clover is very specific in its rhizobium bacterium strain requirement so that it can form the pink nodules on its roots which are necessary for the nitrogen fixation process. It is important that the seed is inoculated with the specific Caucasian clover rhizobium immediately before sowing. “We believe Caucasian clover will have an important role to play in the future of NZ’s pastoral industries where increased legume productivity will be essential in the absence of nitrogen fertilisers.”

While slower to establish, Caucasian clover has production and longevity advantages over other clovers.

PASTURES

Production pastures tested BY: JOANNA GRIGG

he performance of beef cattle production per hectare is being studied on five different pastures over five years. Soil organic matter changes will also be monitored. In what’s described as an educational study rather than a fully-replicated scientific trial, seed company Agricom is running the study. The five treatments (3ha each) are at Agricom’s beef and dairy support research unit at Marshdale, Oxford. Pastures are irrigated, although water restrictions mean plants can be moisture stressed at times. The two older pastures include a traditional five-year-old cocksfoot/ clover/lucerne pasture and a 50-year-old naturalised pasture. The most diverse, the complex pasture, has 27 species. The other two diverse mixes are more restrained in the number of species. They include a fescue-based or ryegrass/cocksfoot-based pasture combined with herbs (plantain, chicory) and clovers (red, white). Grazing management of the complex and five-year old cocksfoot treatments are lax (higher pre-grazing pasture covers, slower rotation of a 40-day return). The remaining three treatments are more intensively grazed with return lengths between 20 and 30 days. This will help maintain pasture quality and legume content. Stocking rates are based on farmlet pasture covers and are adjusted constantly to maintain pasture treatment residuals, while maintaining a core group of animals throughout the 270 days of the grazing period. Allister Moorhead, product development specialist, Agricom, said it is timely to be looking at beef production on a variety of diverse pasture mixes.

Cattle grazing the multi-species pasture December 2020, at Agricom’s Marshdale research unit, Oxford.

“We want to step back and consider pasture mixes without preconceived ideas.” He said the lax treatments and higherdiversity mixes reflected some regenerative agricultural philosophies. However, they wanted the beef production data and pastures botanical content and soil measurements to speak for themselves, over the five years. Moorhead says the company will look at economic outcomes, based on meat production per hectare, as well as using changes in soil organic matter content as another matrix for performance. “What I love about the project is having

animal growth rates reflect the value of the pasture species, and the way they may be presented to the animal.”

Results to be shared publicly Results will start to be shared with the public after the second year, although initial thoughts on establishment were included in a podcast by Moorhead and Glen Judson, available on Beef + Lamb NZ’s website. Speaking at the North Canterbury B+LNZ Farming for Profit field day, held at Marshdale in April, Moorhead gave initial observations on the complex Diverse mix. Chicory had established well and the

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Table A Agricom’s Marshdale Diverse Pastures Project treatments. Complex diverse mix

50-year-old Five-year-old naturalised pasture cocksfoot

Diverse ryegrass mix

Diverse fescue mix

Perennial ryegrass x 2, tall fescue, meadow fescue, prairie grass, grazing brome, cocksfoot, timothy, red clover, white clover x 3, crimson clover, lotus, lucerne, balansa clover, strawberry clover, chicory, plantain, rape, oats, sunflowers, buckwheat, lupins, phacelia, radish, mustard, linseed, vetch

Ryegrass, cocksfoot, brown top, poa pratensis, white clover, red clover, plantain, dandelion, yarrow

Perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, white clover x 2, red clover, plantain, chicory

Tall fescue, meadow fescue, white clover x 2, red clover, plantain, chicory

Cocksfoot, red clover, lucerne

cover crop species like oats and rape all played their part in producing feed quickly, he said. The three kilograms of lucerne per hectare in the mix produced outstanding early content. “Oats were sown as a fibre source at low rates so they don’t overwhelm legumes and other valuable perennial species.” Grasses were sown at an equivalent rate of 18 kilograms of ryegrass per hectare (made up of eight different grasses) and showed up as a good base. The lotus has not come through in the mix which made it an expensive addition, Moorhead said. The other observation was that the flowering species mustard and radish didn’t fit the grazing rotation well, he said. “Regrets sit with the mustard and radish.” First grazing was 120 days after sowing and didn’t finish until 180 days and, by this time, radish and mustard had flowered and set-seed. This contaminated the ground now for future uses. It also posed a pollen risk to neighbours who may consider growing radish seed crops within seven kilometres. “Choosing a mix requires social awareness.” Moorhead said that the real comparison will start in year two, when pastures are fully established and where grasses will go to seed. “The gloves will come off and the comparison will truly start.” The fertiliser type, amount and timing are yet to be finalised for the lax treatments. “Fertiliser choice can drive whether grass will dominate, or give clovers a boost, so we

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The Marshdale Diverse Fescue mix includes tall fescue, meadow fescue as well as red and white clover, plantain and chicory.

Chicory, lucerne, clover and grasses were all present in the complex diverse block, after grazing in June. The grazing was lax, meaning higher pre-grazing pasture covers and a 40-day return between grazings.

need to consider it closely.” Agricom nutritionist Dr Glenn Judson, also outlined his initial observations about feed quality at the field day. “We are using animals to tell us the carrying capacity and growth rates.” During the first 84 days the multi-species mix animals were growing about 0.8 kg/day over a difficult autumn which had higher fibrous material in the sward. “It is back to a greener sward now and I expect the multi mix to improve once past this fibrous stage.” The cattle on the lax rotation cocksfoot

were growing at 1.1kg/head/day, probably due to red clover and lucerne content. The fescue mix grew cattle at 1.2kg/head/ day due to high legume and herb content. According to Judson, the ryegrass mix had less clover and herb in there so it was about 1kg/day. Judson said the growth rates reflected herb and clover content at this early stage of the study. • Farmers interested in following the study can go to the Agricom Facebook page. facebook.com/AgricomNZ

SILAGE

Additives Fermentation enhancing inoculants speed up fermentation and reduce drymatter losses and can also reduce the risk of a poor fermentation when ensiling in bad weather. Preservative inoculants containing Lactobacillus buchneri and/or Lactobacillus hilgardii can reduce mould growth and heating at feed out. Be cautious of using chemical preservatives because they can corrode farm machinery. Discussions about whether or not to inoculate silage should be made before the silage contractor arrives. Ask the contractor about the options and their advice and do your own research so that you can make an informed decision. Adding inoculant adds about 1c/kg DM to the cost of production.

Compaction

Good compaction is critical for reducing both fermentation and drymatter losses.

Attention to detail crucial BY: LYNDA GRAY

ow to produce and store high quality silage to maximise feed value and minimise drymatter loss was the broad topic of a Central Otago Profit for Farming seminar. Keynote presenter Trish Lewis, a forage and nutrition specialist said there were seven key areas in the silage making process where attention to detail could reduce drymatter losses and increase the feed quality of the end product.

Cutting The time of cutting and setting of the mower will affect the nutritional quality of the finished silage. The crop should be chopped short enough to achieve good compaction. The ideal chopped length varies according to the variety of silage but generally speaking the higher the drymatter, the shorter it’s cut. For cereal silage, cutting at the boot stage (when the developing ear is expanding within the flag leaf sheath) gives the best protein and energy without overly compromising yield. Cutting at the ‘cheesy dough’ stage (when the grain has the consistency of soft cheese) produces a lower

protein content silage than that cut at the boot stage. However, it has enough moisture for ensiling. Mower settings will also influence silage quality; the height should be adjusted to avoid soil contamination. Raising the height will improve nutritional quality but reduce the tonnes of drymatter cut.

Wilting Grass and lucerne usually needs to be wilted to achieve target drymatter percentage for ensiling. Insufficient wilting increases the risk of silage run off, which is a potent pollutant. It can also cause nutrient loss. Excess wilting increases drymatter loss and makes good compaction harder to achieve.

Good compaction is critical for reducing both fermentation and drymatter losses. Average silage stack density is about 225kg DM/m3, the best compacted pits have 275kg DM/m3. If straight fingers can’t penetrate into the silage face beyond the finger nails, and it is hard work to take a sample, the silage is well compacted. Resist the temptation to drive over the top of a finished silage stack, it does little or anything in further compacting down the silage.

Sealing Seal the stack as soon as possible, holding off can increase drymatter losses by an extra 5%. Move wrapped bales from the paddock promptly. Handling bales during fermentation when the wrap is distended with silage gases can ‘pop’ the bales reducing the integrity of the wrap. For stack and pit silage lay touching tyres on top of the cover and use gravel bags, lime, sand, or earth to seal along the edges of the stack. New technology is available for covering stacks including a plastic film that creates

MIX AND MATCH • How to feed a balanced diet incorporating silage is a frequently asked question, Lewis said. • “There is no right or wrong way, but the key is to strike the right balance of fibre and protein.” • Generally speaking, high fibre stalky

pasture silage is a good complement for a high starch crop such as fodder beet or grain whereas earlier cut leafy silage which was higher in protein is a good supplement for stock on run out summer pastures. • “Often a farmer will have different

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“Seal the stack as soon as possible, holding off can increase drymatter losses by an extra 5%.”

a better oxygen barrier and reduces spoilage in the top metre of the stack. However, it’s thinner than conventional wrap and care should be taken to avoid stepping through it. Bales should have sufficient layers of correctly applied good quality wrap. Four layers is a bare minimum, six is best, and eight layers for stemmy or over mature silage. More layers are also advisable if the balage is to be stored for a long time before feeding.

Pest control Take care when selecting a storage site for silage stacks and bales. Keep it away from potential sources of pests, such as rubbish tips and roosting trees, and protect it from vermin, bird, and stock damage. Rats are the biggest problem; 100 in cereal or maize silage will eat their way through 2.5kg DM/day. Their burrowing also creates the perfect channels for air circulation which can cause further drymatter loss and damage. Rats are also a vector of both livestock and human diseases. Birds are another pest and nets can be used to keep them off the silage face.

Feed out management SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS The smell of silage is a pointer to the dominant acid present and palatability to stock. The best smells like natural yoghurt indicating the dominance of lactic acid. Vinegar smelling silage is high in acetic acid and less palatable.

Keep the stack face tight and tidy, with minimum loose spilt material at the base, to reduce aerobic spoilage and avoid heating. Size stacks and pits so that the silage face goes back at least 30cm/day to reduce the risk of feed out losses. Using a shear grab will leave a tighter face and reduce losses, and this is particularly useful when closing a stack down for a few months. If a bucket is used, chip down the face and then pick up all loose material at the foot rather than push up into the face to scoop out the silage, as this results in less air penetration into the stack/pit and therefore less spoilage. • Contractor’s tips p65

cuts taken at different times and what I try to encourage is that they make a conscious decision on what they feed taking into account the crop or brassica it will complement, the class of livestock and the time of year it’s being fed.”

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THE SQUEEZE TEST

Squeezing a small sample of silage is a simple way to estimate the dry matter content. • If juice runs easily: < 20% DM • If juice runs when squeezed hard: 20-25% DM

The silage squeeze test.

• If juice drips or the sample is hand moist: 2530% DM. • If there is no juice, form the silage into a ball. • If the ball retains its shape but there’s no juice: 30-35% DM

Silage squeezed into a ball shape.

• If the ball slowly falls apart: 3540% DM • If the ball rapidly falls apart: >40%.

This hand moist sample is 25-30% DM.

This drier silage is 35-40% DM. Photos: Trish Lewis.

BALAGE

Wrapped up and fit to burst BY: LYNDA GRAY

art balage immediately after baling or leave it to sit for four days until it has fermented. That was one of the take home tips for Chris Pemberton, a Central Otago farmer and balage contractor. Handling bales during fermentation when the wrap is distended with silage gases can pop the bales and reduce the integrity of the wrap. Another tip he took on board to reduce wrap damage was to limit stack height to two bales or less. Chris has three years of balage contracting under his belt, serving clients

in the Manuherikia and Ida Valley areas. Last year he and a full-time employee, plus a casual employee, did 8000 bales. About half was lucerne and the remainder pasture and cereal. His top tip for a relatively stressfree contract balage and hay making arrangement is good communication. “Once I get the call to do a job for a farmer, I try to work it around other clients in that area, so it helps if farmers can keep in touch about when they’re planning to mow.” Another tip, especially in dry climates such as Central Otago, is to mow only what can be baled in a day to avoid the risk of over-wilting. He also recommends using an inoculant.

“It doesn’t add a lot of cost and it’s insurance that you’ll get good fermentation.”

Grazing and finishing Balage, mostly pasture with a smaller quantity of oat and pasture mix, is a mainstay supplement on Chris and wife Jaimee’s 170ha heifer grazing and bull finishing farm at Becks, about 30kms north-east of Alexandra. They graze 200 R1 and R2 heifers for a nearby dairy farmer at Omakau. The R1 heifers arrive at 100kg in December and leave in-calf 20 months later. The Pemberton’s buy in R2 bull beef cattle at about 300-400kg LW, finishing them at 600kg LW within six to eight months. Some are sold as dairy service bulls.

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Balage is a key winter supplement in Chris and Jaimee’s heifer grazing and bull beef cattle system. About 800 bales are made every year.

“It doesn’t add a lot of cost and it’s insurance that you’ll get good fermentation.” They make about 800 bales of balage encompassing a range of protein and drymatter levels which are mixed and matched according to cattle class. The first-cut pasture balage, lower in drymatter and higher in metabolisable energy (ME), is fed strategically over early spring and late autumn to maintain condition in the heifers. The later cut pasture and oat/pasture balage is a higher drymatter supplement and a good complement to the brassicas fed over winter.

Raphno rates well with cattle Raphno, a kale and radish hybrid, is becoming a popular summer crop for lamb finishing. However, the Pembertons use it for cattle feeding, supplementing it with balage. It’s the second time of growing the crop which persists in the summer dry environment and has the added benefits of multi-grazing, insect tolerance, and club root resistance. The

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crop is grazed between two and three times over the summer, by R1 heifers, then gets a final tidy up graze in winter by bulls. It’s not surprising that Raphno has entered the crop rotation; Jaimee is a PGG Wrightson Seeds specialist with a particular interest in brassicas. Her advice is to graze it hard and often to encourage quality regrowth. “It needs to be rotationally managed in a cell-type system so it can be grazed hard and then left with enough time to regenerate.”

This first cut of oat and pasture balage is perfect for young stock.

SILAGE MAKING TIPS • Communicate: tell your silage contractor when you plan to mow. • Mindful mowing: never mow more than can be baled in a day. This avoids the risk of over wilting in a windy and dry environment. • Inoculate: Use a fermentation-enhancing inoculant to speed up the fermentation and reduce dry matter losses.

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CATCH CROPS

Maize silage harvest at the Pioneer nitrogen leaching site.

WINTER CATCH CROPS A MUST FOR MAIZE GROWERS

Jamie Millar collects water from the lysimeter.

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ONTROVERSY OVER AN appropriate rooting depth to use when calculating nitrogen (N) losses under maize, led to a significant environmental research programme for Pioneer brand seeds. Three years down the track, the recently released results show there is opportunity for maize to be used as a mitigation strategy to help decrease onfarm nitrogen losses, but only if it is paired with a winter catch crop and a good nitrogen management system. “The most commonly used onfarm leaching loss model assumed maize had a rooting depth of 60cm,” says Jamie Millar, Research Associate for Pioneer. “We knew that maize roots grew deeper but there was little information about the effective rooting depth of maize or nitrogen loss beneath it in New Zealand”. In an attempt to quantify N loss from maize and forage crop systems Millar and her research team established an array of suction cups and barrel lysimeters on a long-term maize cropping block near Te Awamutu. The plots had maize growing on them during the summer months. This was harvested as silage in the autumn and three winter catch crop options (oats, annual ryegrass or oats plus annual ryegrass)

were established alongside a fallow plot. Throughout the season nitrogen leaching was measured using an extensive array of ceramic sampling cups and barrel lysimeters placed below the plots at 70 and 120 cm depth. “The suction cups allowed us to measure the nitrogen concentration while the lysimeters measured the total volume of water draining through the soil,” says Jamie. “There was a large amount of machine and hand digging to get everything in place.” To ensure that the system had surplus nitrogen, synthetic nitrogen was applied to allow a total soil N level of 500kg N/ha during the maize growing cycle. Most of the synthetic nitrogen was applied as sidedress when the maize plants were “gumboot” high. Despite the excessive fertiliser input, there was virtually no nitrogen leached during the maize growing season. Areas established in a catch crop leached very low levels of nitrogen over the winter period, resulting in a small annual leaching loss of 6-7kg N/ha while plots fallow over the winter lost significantly more – around 64kg N/ha. There were two reasons why winter catch crops reduced nitrogen leaching. Winter plant growth required nitrogen and growing plants transpired, using soil water. The combination of less water running through the soil and less free nitrogen in the soil provided a 10-fold drop in the amount of N leached. Millar says it was quite noticeable when they took their measurements after a rain event. “There would be a lot of water under the fallow plot lysimeters and none or very little under the catch crops.” Overseas research and farmer practice has also shown that maize is an effective option for mitigating nitrogen leaching. This local research shows that even when planted in a high nitrogen environment, the losses from under maize can be very low. “It’s exciting because farmers and councils can have confidence that maize paddocks are not losing nitrogen and perhaps in the future, we can incorporate maize into farm systems to mop up surplus nitrogen in effluent or winter cropping paddocks.” However, if you want to reap the full environmental benefits of maize, you have to get a catch crop in as soon as the maize comes off. • Supplied by Genetic Technologies Limited which grows and markets Pioneer Seeds in NZ.

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ON FA R M

FAMILY FIGHT FEED SHORTAGES A cattle-dominated farming operation in South Canterbury is trying different options to plug a huge feed gap as the past few seasons have been dry. Terry Brosnahan and his brother visited. Photos: Michael Brosnahan.

harlotte and Rory Moore manage Opawa Downs and are wintering 13,000 stock units on 1250 hectares near Albury with 70% cattle, the rest sheep. When Country-Wide visited the dryland farm in June, their feed budget for the ewes was 150 tonnes of drymatter short in winter grass. They had fed grain over the mating period but switched to a cheaper, but higher ME option, carrot pulp, to help fill the gap. Charlotte (28) and Rory (30) had also sent some hoggets away for grazing and started the fodder beet in the second cycle of mating. Whether these measures will be enough remains to be seen, but the winter so far has been milder than expected and there has been pasture growth. Rory says there has been more growth than in the autumn when there was little rain. Average rainfall is supposed to be 800mm a year but for the past two years it has barely been over 400mm. The farm is 15km long and goes from flats at 350 metres above sea level (asl) to 800m asl on the hill country. In a normal season the hill can catch more moisture than the flats allowing it to hold on through the dry summers. So the rainfall varies along the farm. Opawa Downs is one of four farms owned by Charlotte’s parents, David and Jayne Timperley.

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Charlotte’s three sisters are on the other farms. Elizabeth and Greg Russell run the 660ha sheep and beef farm up the road from Opawa Downs. Ginny and Cole Groves lease a dairy farm at Hinds. Sarah Timperley and Mike Newton are 50:50 sharemilkers on a dairy farm at Geraldine. The land is all owned under David and Jayne’s company, Opawa Downs. Succession is in place which is complex and at different stages with each daughter. The land is separated from the company into separate entities. It includes buying shares in the land holdings. Opawa Downs stock numbers are 320 beef cows, 650 rising one-year-old (R1), 315 R2 cattle. Sheep include 2600 ewes, 950 hoggets and 35 rams. The 13,000 stock units equates to 10su/ha and half of the farm is tussock hill country. The farm holds three onfarm sales each year. A lamb sale in January, a bull sale in May and a calf sale in October. A week before Country-Wide visited, they received 30mm.Through May, June and early July this year they had many small amounts of rain, a more typical winter for the area. It did disrupt their six-month shearing but that is a minor irritant. Charlotte says during the last Christmas and New Year period, 200mm fell which was good timing as they had weaned all the ewes off the hill. Until then soils were parched. “If we hadn’t had that rain it doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Small amounts of rain had fallen beforehand so there was little run-off. That rain grew a lot of grass which stock were still eating in the winter, and also allowed them to harvest winter supplements. Rory says by the time ewes went back to the hill after shearing a month later, there was feed galore. “We were quite stuffed, it saved us.” Pre-mating, the sheep are condition scored and the light MA ewes are taken out and run with the two-tooths. Grain has been fed for the past two years. The sheep are on the grass behind a hot wire with feed grain every second day.

Hooked on carrot pulp Rory says the carrot pulp has an ME of 14 and is fed out with a silage wagon along the inside of the fence line so the sheep don’t trample and waste it. Both Rory and David had never used carrots as a supplement for sheep before. Rory says in the beginning it was a little nerve-wracking as the sheep weren’t interested. “However, now they are hooked.” Like the grain, the carrot pulp is fed out on the second day. The pulp is low protein but with grass makes a good feed. It is cheaper than grain, also there are fewer limitations around weather and animal health issues. As the ewes get further into their

FARM FACTS • Opawa Downs, 1250ha dryland • 13,000su: Cattle 70%, sheep 30% • Handling drought and feed shortages • Using management and supplements • Using carrot pulp high in ME, cheaper than grain • One of four farms run by four sisters and their partners • Company owned by the sisters’ parents • Succession is in place but complex.

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Left: Mixedaged ewes in a paddock. Above: Commercial cows in the tussock hill country (photo supplied) Opposite page: Carrot pulp ready to feed out (photo supplied).

gestation they need better tucker so the grass component goes up. The pulp ranges in 15-20% DM and a tractor bucket is about 100kg DM. The light MA ewes teach the two-tooths to eat the grain, pulp and fodder beet. To transition the sheep and cattle on to the beet over two weeks, it is fed out on grass with a silage wagon borrowed from one of the dairy farms. A Rata beet bucket is used to lift the fodder beet. It has been a tough season and they looked for hogget grazing but it was hard to find. About 300 hoggets were sent up the road to Elizabeth and Greg’s farm which took the pressure off. Charlotte says Greg was also short of feed. “He was looking better than us so could help.” She says they often help each other out.

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Although generally day-to-day the two sheep and beef farms are run separately, they are financially run together. “So it works well if we need to help each other.” Their annual draft ewes and cows go up to Elizabeth and Greg where they are mated to terminal sires. Rory says this year they kept 1250 ewe lambs (only needed 950 replacements) with a plan to sell the surplus as a line of twotooths at their annual lamb sale. “People like hill-bred ewes.” But with feed tight they took off the bottom 300 and sold them through the saleyards, averaging $124/head. Romney rams from Motu-nui South, Wyndham, go over the 2600-ewe flock. The rams go out on May 1 and lambing starts September 28. In January ewes and lambs are mustered off the hills and taken to the top yards where the 950 replacement ewe lambs are weaned on to the paddocks. The rest of the lambs stay on the ewes and go to the lower block where the onfarm sale takes place. All remaining lambs are weaned the morning of the onfarm sale in January. The ewes had a tough mating, with the feed that had been saved deteriorating in quality by the day. With next-to-no regrowth and “zilch feed” after the first cycle, the decision was made to graze the fodder beet during the second cycle. Rory says it wasn’t ideal changing feed halfway through mating. “I was a bit nervous.” “There was little growth due to the dry

conditions and the ewes were only 25 days away from starting on the beet anyway. It was a chance to let the grass grow if we did get some moisture.” So the ewes stayed on the beet through till the end of mating. When the mixedaged ewes had gone to the ram they weighed an average of 72kg and the twotooths 65kg.

Good performance in tough year Charlotte and Rory have only been on the farm 21 months but last year the sheep performed well. It was a tough year (2020-2021 season) but the ewes scanned 170% and weaned 140% (to the ram) unshepherded on hill country. The mixed -aged ewes scanned 178% and the twotooths 156%. This year has been even tougher and Rory was expecting that scanning results would be back a little. Charlotte says their scanner Grant Black does an outstanding job. He is good at picking out the lates (20 days+). So they mark singles, twins, triplets and lates. The lates are taken off at scanning and run with the singles until set stocking and put in a block on their own. It’s a young flock with 950 of 2600 ewe two-tooths. The couple are happy the mixed-aged (MA) ewes scan in the midto-late 170%. They don’t want them any higher because they haven’t got the room on the paddocks for triplets. Rory lambs the triplet-bearing ewes out on the hills. Last year there were 115 triplet-

bearing ewes at a low stocking rate (2.5/ha) and cows in one of the best blocks which was well-sheltered. They tailed 225% and only two ewes were missing. “I am a big believer that if you want a ewe to rear three decent lambs, she needs to be taken out and preferentially fed.” Last year the overall lambing was 141% (mated to the ram) and the weaning weight 29.5kg liveweight (LW) after 90-95 days. The ewes are shorn every six months and pre-lamb shearing takes place in early to mid-July so they go up into the hills with two-and-a-half months of wool. “If you put a good fat ewe out on the tussock country with any more wool, the cast ewe problem is horrendous,” Rory says. The later they leave set-stocking on the hill country the better. Rory says they are set-stocking still before peak growth so they can keep the ewes at home longer and feed them. This allows better cover on the hill. The triplets start moving about 10 days out from lambing and gradually make their way up towards the hills. The rest of the ewes go up to the hills five-to-seven days before lambing is due to start on September 28.

Checking for casts For the first week before lambing gets into full swing, Rory goes around the ewes checking for casts. The ewes are used to him driving his side-by-side among them. “There is nothing worse than finding a dead in-lamb ewe that’s been cast.” He says it only takes two-three hours and some days up to four or five are tipped over. “Everytime I tip one back up I think there’s $400.” Once they start lambing he leaves them to it. Many will lamb on the track and more harm than good would be done by checking them. After weaning in January and lambs are sold the ewes are shorn and go back up the hill. Depending on the season the stud cattle are weaned in February-March, and the commercial cows in late February-March. Once weaned all commercial and stud

Charlotte and Rory near the top of the hill (750m) with the Brothers range behind them.

cows go back to the hill. They stay in one mob and rotate through the blocks until July when the commercials are set stocked throughout the hill. The stud cattle are brought back down to the paddocks. In February the commercial heifers and stud replacements go out on the hills until May. They go back down to feed crops until calving, calved behind a wire on the paddocks and calves are tagged at birth. The commercial cows remain set-stocked and the ewes are spread out amongst them.

STAFF AT OPAWA There are three and half full-time staff, Charlotte, Rory, and Richard Lang who does most of the tractor work and fencing both at Opawa and at the other block up the road. David is the half labour unit and overall boss, while also overseeing the other farms to varying degrees. He leaves Rory and Charlotte to manage the day-to-day running. The sheep side is left to Rory.

So there are cows calving and ewes lambing in the same blocks. The commercial cows spend all of the year on the hill only coming down for weaning. The calving percentage is 94-95%.

Farms work together When David and Jayne bought the farm it came with some deer-fenced paddocks on the flats which make ideal paddocks for weaning calves into. Depending on the crop yields, the calves start transitioning, go on to the beet about May 20, and come off mid-September. David is in charge of the Simmental stud which has been running since 1993. It is focused on good temperament, ease of calving, and good growth in commercial operations. It is working towards polled cattle without compromising on bone and growth. About 80% of the stud is polled.

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In May they hold their annual bull sale and this year 16 of the 20 bulls on offer sold. They sold well with the average up on last year. Surplus bulls are not a problem as they have 320 beef cows, and the other sheep and beef farm has 200. Also a Simmental bull is used as a chaser across the dairy cows after artificial insemination and there is always a client wanting a bull a week before mating. The farms work together with a virtually closed system except for some calves they buy in from one of their bull clients depending on feed and weather conditions. They voluntarily tested the dairy and beef herds for Mycoplasma bovis to give bull clients peace of mind. TB is under control in the region and the farm status is C10. A Simmental bull over the dairy cows gives a good beef cross calf. They are hand-reared on the Geraldine dairy farm then sent to Opawa. The R1 beef cattle and the R2 (18 months) dairy beef cross are sold in the onfarm calf sale in October.

“If you put a good fat ewe out on the tussock country with any more wool, the cast ewe problem is horrendous.”

Above: The left is a stock camp and the right is sourer country. Below: Autumnborn dairy beef cross.

They have gone away from finishing cattle, opting to sell calves on the spring market. This gives them the opportunity to concentrate on the dairy grazers and breeding stock over the summer period when it can be dry.

Keeping the worm count low Animal health wise, the two-tooths get a campy and a toxo shot. Two-tooths and MA ewes get selenium and Flexidine (iodine) pre-mating. All ewes get a Nilvax vaccine shot prelambing. When the ewe lambs are on pasture they are drenched every 28 days with a triple until they go on the rape mid-summer. As expected the faecal egg counts taken this year, every two weeks, showed the worm burdens were non-existent. When the rape is spelled the ewe lambs are back on pasture and drenched every 28 days. Ewe lambs also get a five-in-one at weaning then four weeks later a booster. They are dipped before Christmas, the ewes late February-March or when needed with the jet air spray dip. The rest of the lambs were not drenched before the sale in

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STOCK • 320 beef cows • 650 R1 cattle • 315 R2 cattle • 2600 ewes • 950 hoggets • 35 rams • Graze 340 R1 and R2 dairy Friesians

BEEF CATTLE BREAK DOWN • 200 commercial cows Hereford Simmental cross • 120 stud Simmental cows • 65 commercial heifers • 30 stud heifers • 50 breeding Simmental and Hereford bulls • R1 beef cattle • 51 stud heifers • 45 Simmental stud bulls • 120 commercial bulls • 145 commercial heifers • 100 15-month dairy beef cross • 80 Autumn Born dairy beef calves

DAIRY GRAZIERS • 220 Friesian R1 • 120 Friesian R2

January. The FEC was so low and the timing made it not worth it. The beauty of a high cattle-to-sheep ratio and an integrated system is they lower the worm burden. The cattle hoover up the sheep worms and vice-versa. In the 2019-2020 year they had a bad lung worm outbreak in the calves due to the dry weather and dust. Rory says though they only lost a couple of calves, there was a marked effect on their performance with the coughing and loss of appetite. “In the autopsy it looked like the lungs had been hit by a shotgun.” That’s why they no longer use a pouron until they are adult cattle. Instead they use an Eclipse injectable to combat the lungworm. The calves at weaning get a copper bullet, a 10-in-one followed by a booster, selenium, a Matrix oral drench followed by an Eclipse injectable for their next drench. At over 10su/ha they are running an efficient stocking rate and animal health costs are reasonably high. They try not to drench the ewes. Last year

the light ewes were drenched so the feed wasn’t wasted trying to bring them back up.

Crop and forage The Moores grow a lot of beef so 90ha of feed crops is grown on 450ha cultivable land out of 590ha in paddocks. It includes 40ha fodder beet,40ha rape and some kale and maize for R2 dairy beef during the summer. If there’s a good growing season and they don’t need the maize it could be put in a silage pit. They are using two varieties of fodder beet, Monro and Feldherr by sowing alternative strips. About April the neighbours started to ask if there was something wrong with the crop as one variety’s leaves started to change colour. Rory said they noticed no major difference between the two varieties but they seem to complement each other well. About 12% of the 450ha cultivable ground is re-grassed each year. The rotation is from rape to fodder beet then into permanent pasture. The two years between pasture allows cleaner paddocks. The rape is Goliath and Spitfire. It is

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“In the autopsy it looked like the lungs had been hit by a shotgun.”

With 70% of the stock cattle good cattleyards are needed.

direct-drilled and also feeds the hoggets through the winter. Then the ground goes into beet and back to permanent pasture. David says raphanobrassica has been used and the first year it was, ‘bloody good’. The last two years, it has not been so good. “It is expensive if you don’t get it right,” Charlotte says. Rory says last year they had to graze it off and sow oats to try to get back some productivity from the paddock. A selling point of raphnobrassica is it’s multi-grazing but so is rape which gives four grazings. He says rape does a better job in their climate. When the crops are growing, so is the workload on the farm. So Maree FerrimanSmith from PGG Wrightson keeps an eye on the agronomy. “We do get awfully busy so we leave her to see the crops are being sprayed,” David says.

Development targeted Last year a lot of fencing and development work was carried out to restore the 24 blocks on the hill. The Hill was well-subdivided in the 1980s but with insultimber stakes and five wires. So all the battens were taken off and posts were driven 6m and two wires attached. “It was a quick and low-cost way,” Charlotte says. Now they can hold stock in a rotation, and mob up ewes and lambs quicker. David says there is no real fertiliser programme for the hill country. It had started but stopped when they bought the

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farm up the road run by Elizabeth and Greg. The money was put into developing the new farm’s better country. Also, it was better to spend money on Opawa’s fencing and subdivision first. “It has grown us more feed than fertiliser would have done,” Rory says. Most of the blocks average about 25ha, some 15ha and 50ha. Having good tracks is important and it costs about $20,000 a year to maintain them. The Albury water scheme supplies the paddocks and the hills have natural springs.

Environment rules daunting Charlotte and Rory Moore were married nearly two years ago and are working for wages. Before coming back to Opawa Downs, Rory worked for three years as stock manager for the Chapman and Oliver families at Inverary Station in Mid Canterbury. Before that he did casual mustering and various other sheep and beef jobs. Charlotte travelled from Inverary to Temuka daily and worked for Farmlands as a technical field rep. She is full-time on the farm and also handles the compliance, fertiliser, spray and animal health budgets. The four farms’ administration is done in-house. David says it’s not straightforward and bank managers get annoyed. “They call it the big black hole.” He says if the dairy farms have a good year more can be spent on development which evens out the tax.

Legislation, especially for freshwater, concerns them. Opawa Downs has many waterways running through it. Fencing them all is not viable and in many places physically impossible. David says one law does not suit all. It is easier for a dairy farm than a steep hill country property. It is a ‘wait and see’ approach on the environment rules. It doesn’t pay to rush in too early as the rules keep changing. As with many successful farming operations he says it has been a true partnership between him and Jayne. He says they wouldn’t have taken on the risk and financial stress of expanding if the children weren’t interested. “Farming has been good for us but getting frustrating now with all the rules and regulations.” David believes every generation improves on the previous but needs to be given time for that to happen.

LAMB SALES 2020 lamb sale: 1600 lambs average $91. The 2021 lamb sale: 1800 lambs averaged $85/head. In 2020, the spring calf sale averaged $980/head BULL SALES 2019 average $6750 2020 average $5800 2021 average $6100

HILL COUNTRY

Ewes on dry hill at Poukawa Research Centre.

New thinking to predict growth Two decades of pasture measurement at Poukawa Research Centre in Hawke’s Bay has been used to measure soil moisture, temperature and growth rate. Joanna Grigg reports.

orking out future pasture growth has become less like crystal ball gazing. Thanks to 20 years of dedicated pasture measurement by Paul Muir, On-Farm Research, and the team at Poukawa Research Centre, a solid set of data was available for analysis by Dr Annamaria Mills, Lincoln University. As part of the Dryland Pastures Research project, Mills used Poukawa soil moisture, temperature and growth rate records, from this Hawke’s Bay hill country dryland pasture, to come up with a formula to predict growth. She used it to show that, at Poukawa, for

every 1mm of water in the soil, the pasture will grow 16.9 kilograms of dry matter per hectare (kg DM/ha). This magic figure is for the Poukawa site – a dryland, grassdominant, low nitrogen site. But the formula can be used anywhere – it just needs more science validation. Watch this space is the message. A full explanation is in Mills 2021 paper Resident hill country pasture production in response to temperature and soil moisture over 20 years in Central Hawke’s Bay. This was presented at the 2021 NZ Grassland Association Resilient Pastures Symposium. Marlborough farmers had it explained to them by Professor Derrick Moot, Lincoln University, at the Ward Drought Day,

April 2021. Although it’s a somewhat complicated series of steps, the relevance for farmers in drought was immediately obvious. They came away wanting to know more. The bones of the formula uses a figure for water capacity in the soil, minus what evaporates away, plus any rainfall. It can predict how long pastures will keep growing in spring, for each day without rain. It can help estimate response following a ‘top-up rain event’. When soil moisture falls to zero, growth stops. In spring at Poukawa, that number crunching has shown that it is pretty certain that for every 1mm of water in

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Before farmers give up at this stage as they don’t measure their own water capacity, the good news is that these figures are measured and available free on S-Map (smap.landcareresearch.co.nz/). These soil maps and factsheets cover almost 40% of NZ and are what Mills used to determine that Poukawa had a plant available water capacity of 124mm. She said farmers can locate their farm on the map, then digitally stick a pin on the map. Check in the panel on the right of the screen for the soil sibling factsheets. Open the one accounting for the largest area. Scroll down the factsheet to the soil physical properties area. Profile available water is available at depths from 0 to 100cm. Mills used the 0-100cm value for pasture. She said to predict daily evapotranspiration rates, farmers can use data from their local NIWA VCSN site. This is subtracted off the total soil moisture. All up, the method is a quantitative assessment of pasture growth rates, based on readily available weather and soil factors. The accuracy of predictions remains to be validated but the data provide a simple approach that could be used onfarm in similar environments, to predict expected pasture growth rates. Forecasted rainfall or long-term rainfall averages could be used to run some scenarios as to what the soil moisture will be and the subsequent pasture yield. This could then be integrated into a feed budget to help short- and mid-term decision making. The Poukawa site is winter-warm and summer-dry with a 30-year (1990-2019) annual average rainfall of 730±26.5 mm. The pasture received no artificial nitrogen and had not been renewed but had been routinely fertilised with 250kg

Winter/spring Summer Autumn

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Figures freely available

Figure A: Annual dry matter yield at Poukawa, (Hawke’s Bay) showing the most reliable growth was in spring. The most predictable relationship between soil moisture and pasture growth rate was also in spring.

Total DM yield (t/ha)

the soil, the dryland ryegrass and bromedominant pasture will grow 16.9kg DM/ ha. This is give or take one third of a kilo (known as a margin of error). The measurement is known as water use efficiency, shortened to WUE. The formula can be applied on any dryland farm, as long as you know the amount of water held in the soil (known as plant available water capacity), the rainfall and the annual potential evapotranspiration.

Growth season Courtesy: On-Farm Research & Dryland Pastures Research, 2021.

Poukawa Research Centre site where 20 years of pasture growth records have been collected. These were used by Dryland Pastures Research (Lincoln University) to come up with a fresh way of predicting future yield. Credit: On-Farm Research, September 2020.

super phosphate/ha. Pastures were at least 10-years-old when measurements commenced and are dominated by ryegrass and brome. Spring growth was the most reliable. The percentage of total annual DM yield produced in the spring period ranged from 52% to 89%. Not surprisingly, when the growth rate was plotted against the soil moisture, there was a 93% correlation between water and annual pasture yield. This strong

relationship confirms that a universal relationship formula can be developed for other dryland sites. Science tells us that pasture receiving nitrogen fertiliser or with legumes, will have maximum water use efficiency, so this will need to be factored in as well. Funding for Mills’s work was provided by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, MBIE, Seed Force New Zealand and PGG Wrightson Seeds under the Hill Country Futures research programme. Continues

››

Figure B: How much less yield will I get if no rain in October? Example of calculating pasture yield using WUE – Water Use Efficiency No rain in October

Rain in October

Soil moisture capacity at 1 July

124mm

What’s been used, 1 October

-50mm

SOIL MOISTURE – Remaining

74mm

+50 mm

74mm

124 mm

x 16.9kg DM/ha/mm

1250kg DM/ha

2095kgDM/ha

October rainfall – NONE SOIL water available WUE POTENTIAL GROWTH

Courtesy Professor Derrick Moot, Lincoln University.

Measure what’s left in the bucket Dryland farmers know instinctively that no rain in October means trouble. The calculation example below shows that on Poukawa soils, Hawke’s Bay, missing out on 50mm of rain means total potential yield is just over half of what it would be if rain fell. With further validation, this formula, developed by Annamaria Mills and Professor Derrick Moot, Lincoln University, Dryland Pasture Research, has potential for widespread use by farmers. In the example in Figure B, it is assumed soil was full of water on July 1 – like a full bucket. For Poukawa soils and site this capacity is 124mm. Each day without rain will ‘empty the bucket’, getting closer to an empty bucket where growth stops/slows.

you keep getting rain to top up or fill the bucket, it just keeps going. If you get down to 50mm you only have potential growth of 845kg DM/ha left (50mm multiplied by 16.9kg DM/mm). “The growth rate doesn’t decline until the bucket empties, more or less.” Moot said the bit farmers need to monitor for decision making, is the amount of water left in the bucket. And this calculation does it. “It’s like a risk trigger or warning system – if you have 25 mm left and there is no rain forecast for the next month do you have enough feed conserved to get you through, or do you need to start working out which stock can be sold or sent elsewhere?” “It allows you to put a plan in place before you need to make hard decisions.” The type of plants growing in the soil is also important to water use efficiency. This is yet to be worked into the formula but lucerne has been shown to be double the efficiency of unimproved pastures. Mills said water use efficiency is higher for lucerne or cloverbased pastures as they generate nitrogen – the big limiting factor. Moot said it’s a great argument for growing legumes with lucerne the ultimate converter of water to leaf. Previous work from Lincoln has shown lucerne can grow about 30kg DM/ha per mm of available water in spring. Mills said a cocksfoot monoculture has a water use efficiency between about 12kg and 33kg DM/ha/mm. The poorer response was deficient in N while the top end had fertiliser applied in non-limiting amounts (above what is allowable nowadays).

“The growth rate doesn’t decline until the bucket empties, more or less.” Breakout Bucket analogy Analysis of 20 years of pasture growth at Poukawa showed that for every 1mm of moisture, 16.9 kilograms of dry matter per hectare (kg DM/ha) should grow. This water use efficiency figure is then multiplied by the water left stored in the soil, to give an idea of potential growth. In this case, the potential growth is 2095 kg DM/ ha following a boost of 50mm of rain in October. The yield potential is only 1250 without the rainfall. Moot explains it using a bucket analogy. If there is 100mm of water in the bucket this grows 1690kg DM/ha if no rain falls. If

PHOSPHATE MOBILISING NOT ENOUGH PHOSPHATE SOLUBILISING microorganisms do not mobilise enough P to change crop’s nutrition onfarm, an assessment published in the New Phytologist has concluded. The authors Raymond et al. (2020) concluded from the 81 scientific papers reviewed that while phosphate solubilising microorganisms (PSM) solubilise P to meet their own needs, it was the subsequent turnover of the microbial biomass which provided P to plants in the longer term. They also pointed out that PSM were unlikely to use energy to solubilise P in excess of their own needs when in a soil environment under intense competition from other microorganisms. Research in both New Zealand and abroad had endeavoured to inoculate soils or plants with PSM to enhance the P supply but the authors concluded “the strategy of inoculating PSM into non-native soil environments to obtain an excess of solubilised P for plant uptake has not been proven to be a reliable strategy to enhance crop P nutrition under field conditions”. The P solubilising effect of these microbes actually declined as available soil P status increased. To get any benefit from PSM, farm soils would need to be at near undeveloped levels, with the consequent negative effect on food production. Similarly, fungi like ventricular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAMs) infected plant roots, effectively extending their ability to explore a greater volume of soil, and recover nutrients, like P, which they supplied to the plant (Jakobsen et al. 2005). Research in the 1980s by MAF Research Division (Powell and others) failed to successfully utilise this relationship to reduce the reliance on P addition to optimise productivity.

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HILL COUNTRY

Legumes on trial Soil scientist Jim Moir is on the hunt for legumes that will survive in acidic and high aluminium sites. Lynda Gray reports.

egumes most likely to persevere and grow in acidic and high aluminium soils are being put to the test at three Central Otago hill country sites. It’s a significant step in long-haul research by Lincoln University soil scientist Jim Moir. For more than a decade he has been investigating the problem prevalent in an estimated one to two million hectares of high and hill country. These low pH and high aluminium soils are more prevalent in Central Otago, South Canterbury and Marlborough encompassing an area of about half-to one-million hectares. During the course of research, he’s dug and analysed countless soil samples, setup lime trials, assessed and experimented with numerous legumes. It’s helped with a broader understanding of the issue as well as the complexity of the problem. Moir defines low pH at about 5.5 and below, which is the level legumes will generally start to struggle. There’s a caveat as it depends on the soil type and with some legumes establishment can be a problem at a pH of 5.7, he says. If a farmer is getting test results in this range it’s likely he could be in the danger zone for aluminium. “..for the extra $20 to $30 it would cost, it’s well worth the effort to get a soil test for aluminium.” If considering development with deeperrooting legumes, then deeper soil tests are required. Those ‘next step’ soil samples

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Lucy Bell and Pat Garden prepare a legume trial site at Avenel Station.

Perennial legumes

Annual legumes

Caucasian clover (Trifolium ambiguum)

Balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum)

Hairy canary (Lotus hirsutus)

Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum)

Maku (Lotus pedunculatus)

Striated clover (Trifolium striatum)

Tagasaste (tree lucerne) (Chamaecytisus proliferus)

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterranean)

Russell Lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) Talish Clover (Trifolium tumens)

and aluminium tests should be at 20 centimetres and lower. “A soil test at 7.5cm might look good but remember that the tap roots of lucerne can grow down 2-3m and deeper.” If lucerne comes in contact with aluminium at shallow soil depths it fails, he says, because the roots can’t go deeper to extract water to grow. This is common in high country soils. A soil test result with exchangeable aluminium of 2-3 is likely to be limiting legume growth. However a ‘sensitive’ legume such as lucerne will start to struggle at 3.

Lots of lime is the obvious solution to the problem but it’s not cost-effective on a lot of hill country where aerial application is the only option. That’s why Moir is on the hunt for legumes that will survive in acidic and high aluminium sites.

High country tests The onfarm growth response of the shortlisted legumes is a project for Lucy Bell, a Lincoln Soil Science PhD student supervised by Moir. In Spring 2021 and Autumn 2022 she will set up growing plots at three different high country rainfall/climate sites: Avenel

Station (‘high’ rainfall, lower average temperature); Mt Grand (‘medium-low’ rainfall, mid-high range temperature) and Armidale Station (‘very low’ rainfall, high average temperature). On the higher rainfall sites mostly perennials will be trialled, with more annuals on the lower rainfall and drier sites. On all trial sites white clover (Trifolium repens) is grown as a comparison/control species. Survival and growth will be measured regularly and definitive conclusions about the suitability or otherwise of the different legumes will be apparent after 2-3 years. Bell is open-minded but hopeful about the outcome. “If we find some that will grow and thrive

in these environments where traditional legumes fail, it could be a game-changer.” As well as providing biological nitrogen fixation, legumes provide a high protein feed which will ultimately increase productivity. If some of the legumes prove to be winners, the next stage will involve evaluation to gauge palatability and the best management in a grazing system. There’s still a lot of head-scratching questions about the relationship between low pH and high aluminium soils. Some of the unanswered questions are: why do different soils vary in exchangeable aluminium, and the ability to grow legumes? How does soil aluminium levels change within key agricultural catchments

in New Zealand, and why? Is the current soil exchangeable aluminium test completely ‘fit for purpose,’ and if not, why not? “We still have a poor understanding of why we have aluminium toxicity, and how and why it varies across regions. It’s critical we get more information so we know what’s driving these growth responses so we can better advise farmers on how to manage for it.”

Crucial grazing on Armidale Hill country provides crucial summer grazing at Armidale Station, one of the trial sites, owned by the Paterson families. Simon and his father Allan graze Merino ewes and a small mob of wethers on two

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Above: Simon and Allan Paterson. Left: Armidale Station developed flats backdropped by the hill country used for summer grazing.

“A soil test at 7.5cm might look good but remember that the tap roots of lucerne can grow down 2-3m and deeper.”

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hill blocks from mid-January until April, leaving the lower lying developed country for lamb finishing. The 500ha higher lying block at about 700 metres above sea level is easterly facing, has a pH of 5.16, and Exchangeable Aluminium (Exchangeable Al) of 14.1. It’s a “big problem block,” Simon says, with lots of hieracium, and limited track access making it necessary for expensive aerial application of fertiliser and lime. A lowerlying block of 120ha has marginally better fertility, and Exchangeable Al of 0.6. Aside from the soil limitations of both blocks are the hares, feral deer and goats further depleting the limited feed supply. There’s been a couple of attempts at trying to establish legumes on the hills. The Patersons joined a Merino Discussion Benchmark Group in 2012 and were part of a trial led by Jim Moir investigating the soils and legume growth response on hill country throughout Central Otago. Soil taken from Armidale was used in successful legume growing trials in glasshouse conditions at Lincoln University. However, it was a different story back on Armidale’s hill country where a 5ha trial area of Russell lupins fizzled within a couple of years, which was probably due to the short growing season and dry conditions, Simon says. About four years ago the Patersons flew on $50,000-worth of clover, cocksfoot, sulphur, and lime. It was a wasted exercise. “We got a bit of clover but not the bulk that we were hoping for.” Given the results to date, and the Patersons’ recent focus on pivot

development on their lower-lying country it’s not surprising that hill country development has been on the back-burner. However, they’re keen to revisit the project, the first step being improved track access so that seed and fertiliser can be trucked rather than flown on. They’ll also continue the search for hardy and persistent legumes. “We’ve got to do something. We have 2000 stock units grazing 500ha of hill country for three months of the year and it’s critical they come off it in fit condition.”

THE TESTING REGIME Setting up for legume growth in low pH, high Al high and hill country. Soil Test • A standard soil test with a pH of 5.5 – 5.6 can point to an aluminium toxicity problem. Follow up with another test to capture exchangeable aluminium. Dig Deep • Take soil samples at 20cm and deeper, especially if lucerne development is being considered. Think and act strategically • When developing acidic hill country think bite-sized chunks rather than a broad-acre approach. Lime application to smaller blocks over consecutive years is a more manageable and effective way of increasing the volume of quality drymatter.

CROPPING

Lighter touch needed in arable BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

EDUCING CROP INPUTS IS A challenge for the arable industry. There are growing concerns about resistance to chemicals, chemical residues and the lack of affordable new options. Talking at the recent Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) conference, Jo Drummond, FAR’s senior researcher for cereals, outlined the cross-sector initiative, A Lighter Touch. It is investigating options for reducing chemical inputs and preserving efficacy without compromising production. She says A Lighter Touch is about registration, resistance and residues. Fewer novel active ingredients are emerging and the costs of getting them to market are increasing. At the same time, a number of longstanding agrichemicals are undergoing a review. There is also concern about resistance developing to active ingredients and increased consumer preference for food grown with minimal chemicals. She says there is a heavy reliance on very few active ingredients in seed treatments and foliar fungicides. While there are 35 insecticides on the market, there are only nine active ingredients and three modes of action. Resistance, therefore, is a real risk. There are risks associated with A Lighter Touch. Pesticides, for example, are an easy insurance against yield loss and testing the performance of bio-pesticides. It is hard to find a good fit for cereal crops,

so farmers need to protect the efficacy of existing pesticides and fungicides. Drummond says high input irrigated arable systems, where the crops are sown early and the cultivars selected are susceptible to disease, are at greatest risk. These crops can come under significant pressure from weeds, pests and diseases and therefore typically have a comprehensive chemical programme associated with them. She says developing integrated pest management (IPM) programmes will help build resilience within these arable systems. The emphasis of these programmes is on crop monitoring, the use of biopesticides and the integration of cultural and physical practices. “Save the big guns for when you really need them,” she says. “If you’re high input, just start dialling it back a notch.” Drummond says developing an IPM pyramid starts with cultivar selection, sowing dates, consideration of weather conditions and populations of natural predators. Also parasitoids to help control aphid populations. Chemistry is then used as a last resort and not the first lever to pull to protect yields. FAR is focusing on ‘lighter touch’ research in wheat. Results from the first year of this work showed that in a low disease pressure season, low input systems did not negatively impact wheat yields or profitability. This work will continue and help give growers the confidence to take a lighter touch approach to crop management.

While there are 35 insecticides on the market, there are only nine active ingredients and three modes of action

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Drumming up support for durum BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

HEN THE FOUNDATION for Arable Research (FAR) went looking for alternative crops during Wairarapa’s pea weevil crisis, a trial crop of durum wheat exceeded yield expectations. This opened a door to future possibilities for this wheat which is favoured by artisan pasta makers and some specialty bread producers as well as being used in the production of couscous and bulgur wheat. Speaking at the recent FAR conference, FAR’s general manager Ivan Lawrie said despite durum wheat being typically grown in climates with hotter and drier summers, the tetraploid, which is closely related to modern wheats, grew and yielded surprisingly well in the Wairarapa. World-wide, durum wheat represents less than 5% of the total wheat grown, with Canada and the EU being major producers. Ivan says in this country, the artisan food scene is changing with a move towards simple diets using locally grown produce. This is an ideal target market for pasta produced with locally produced durum wheat. Consumer data has shown that New Zealanders have an increasing appetite for both fresh and dried pasta, with a

composite growth in pasta consumption of 16-17% in the past four to five years. The fresh pasta industry is worth over $20 million annually while dried pasta is a $40plus million-dollar industry. Ivan says durum wheat has been grown in South Canterbury in the past, but there were issues with sprouting and inconsistent quality and a Plant + Food Research Durum wheat research programme was mothballed due to a lack of NZ demand for cultivars.

Advantages for growers As a crop, it has advantages for the grower. Ivan says it is mostly a spring sown crop and fits in a rotation in a similar way to spring barley. It has a big grain and is low-tillering so requires high seeding rates. It does well under irrigation with a late nitrogen dressing to boost protein levels. The small quantity of durum wheat grown in the trials has been toll processed into flour and used for making pasta sheets and pasta extrusion. The quality was reported to be good. There has been a lot of interest in the durum wheat from artisan bread and pasta makers and so far, eight tonne has been sent to end users who are hungry for more. “But what differentiates the product is the story,” says Ivan.

“...it (durum) is mostly a spring sown crop and fits in a rotation in a similar way to spring barley.”

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World-wide, durum wheat represents less than 5% of the total wheat grown.

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CROP PROTECTION

Without crop protection, many crops would lose half their value and the NZ economy would lose between $7.5-$11.4 billion/year.

Feeding NZ without guilt BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

O MEET THE NEEDS OF A growing global population, farmers are being asked to grow more, using less inputs and to do it sustainability. These were the scene-setting opening lines at the recent Foundation for Arable Research conference which had as its theme, responsible and profitable arable farming. Delivered by Gavin Kerr, president of AGCARM (the industry association for companies which manufacture and distribute crop protection and animal health products), he talked about the challenge of feeding NZ without feeling guilty.

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Farmers, he says, are in the spotlight. Environmental costs are rising, regulatory pressure is increasing and there is a disconnection between the consumer and the grower, with consumers making decisions based on perceptions. The consumer backlash against the use of pesticides and herbicides means growers will need to adopt technology to grow the high yields needed to meet this evergrowing demand for food. Crop protection products, which include all crop treatments, seed treatments and plant growth regulators have and will continue to play a big role in driving yields. “Without crop protection, the NZ economy would lose between $7.5-$11.4 billion/year and many crops would lose more than 50% of their value.” He says growers need to understand the value of these products, not just the costs – but they need to be used sustainably and to their full potential. “There are a range of crops we wouldn’t be able to grow without crop protection.”

‘Green’ options for crop protection include biologicals, pheromones, plant extracts and bio-stimulants, and are being developed by all key suppliers however there are risks associated with these that include ease of access to market and product efficacy which is sometimes questionable. “They are often not a silver bullet. You need to understand the data package behind them and they need to be part of a programmed approach” says Gavin. He urged growers to make crop protection decisions based on science and to ensure the products used are adding value and “have your back.” Gavin also called for an efficient regulatory system, as delays were making NZ an unattractive place to bring products to. While there were challenges, he encouraged growers to be proud of what they do and to share their stories. “It’s a good time to be in agriculture. Innovation has been and will continue to be, the key to feeding the world.”

PEST & WEEDS

The domino effect of a failed or poor pasture/crop leads to huge costs.

Planting with insurance Coated and treated seeds have helped farmers with their pasture for decades. Penny Clark-Hall spoke with seed experts to find out more.

or over 50 years farmers have been using coated and treated seeds as a way to help ensure the success of their pasture or crop establishment and to protect against disease and insect attacks. In the beginning coatings were used to supply rhizobia to clover seed to fix nitrogen in the soil as farmers were breaking in new ground that needed the bacteria. Now the bacteria are there, the tool is used to improve efficiency and productivity gains. The menu of treated and coated seed options has become a smorgasbord over time as seed merchants have used the tool to add value to the farmer and differentiate

themselves in the market. Treated and coated seeds are often described as a form of insurance policy to farmers with pasture establishment being one of the biggest investments they have onfarm. Lincoln University’s Professor of agricultural sciences Derrick Moot, says that’s why farmers need to be clear on what they are buying, and why, is important. He explains that there is a big difference between coated and treated seed, with a treatment (not to be confused with endophytes which is part of the seed breeding process) being when a fungicide or insecticide is put onto the seed, with no weight increase. “It becomes a part of the seed with the

expectation that when it germinates some of the chemical will be taken up at the root to offer some protection to the plant as it establishes,” Moot says. A coating is where layers of lime and a polymer (often including a fungicide or insecticide) are applied around the seed making it heavier and larger. The distinction between which type you would use is based on the shape and size of the seed. “We tend to treat grass seeds rather than coat, whereas legume seeds are more commonly coated which suits their round shape.” The exception to the rule is if grass seed is being applied aerially, due to ballistic reasons.

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Lime coating Barenbrug marketing manager and an agronomist Graham Kerr says they put a lime coating on these seeds, which makes it into a sphere and heavier so it spreads better. The ballistics is important because the seed needs to hit the ground hard to make contact with the soil, then hopefully a farmer is getting sheep in to trample it into the ground (preferably when wet). The lime can help the plant establish due to the pH effect being close to where the seed is germinating. Kerr says seed treatment’s popularity depends on the sector but generally well over 50% of seed is treated or coated in the pasture sector, and close to 100% of brassica seed. The benefit of seed treatment and coating is being able to tailor it to the farmer’s needs. The flexibility of the tool goes right down to the individual farm’s soil conditions, micro climate, pasture and crop rotations and pest and fungicide issues. “There is no one size fits all.”

Farmers should always keep a sample of the seed that they sow in case there are any problems with emergence and establishment.

“. . . why wouldn’t you have that extra piece of insurance to ensure your crop or pasture isn’t vulnerable?” He says at one end there are common insecticides and fungicides for pest and disease protection, then there are also minerals for legumes such as molybdenum for nitrogen fixation and boron to prevent hollow heart bulb crops. Another advantage is the greatly reduced amount of insecticide needed by applying them via the seed. This ensures the farmer is getting the right amount in the right place. Kerr says seed coating only helps with low to moderate insect infestations. Seed treatment is part of an integrated pest management programme a farmer is

running. There are other things they are doing too, such as pasture rotation, broad acre spraying and break cropping. While treated or coated seed is not always necessary, the high cost of poor pasture establishment sees a lot of farmers opting in. The domino effect of a failed or poor pasture/crop is huge because when weight gain is compromised so is nutrition and reproduction and the quality of the offspring. It costs farmers in supplements, their paycheck and vet bills too. When it comes to cost versus value the

Moot has more advice, primarily that one doesn’t need to be buying coated seed for legumes. But if they do, they should consider the following questions: • What added value are they getting for it? • What are the sowing conditions? • What are the insect problems in your region? • What are the disease problems in your region? “Don’t sow and walk away.” He says it’s the most critical time in a pasture’s life and once the plant gets bigger the insecticide is diluted. “So you’ve only bought yourself insurance for the first 10 days or so.”

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seed cost is relatively low (10% more than naked seed) compared to the rest of the pasture establishment costs or the cost of the pasture failing. However, it isn’t always necessary. “While coating and treatments are a cheap form of insurance in some cases, if you’re establishing clovers where there is already clover you don’t need it (rhizobia) because the bacteria are already in the soil,” Moot says. He says it is about understanding their (the farmer’s) own situation. “The problem is you never know when you need seed treatments until it’s too late,” Moot says.

Put best option in ground Farmers only get one crack at establishing their pastures and crops each season, which is why Thomas Chin of New Zealand’s Grain and Seed Trade Association says it makes sense to put the best option in the ground. “Of course, farmers have got the other option of using naked seed, but given how competitive farming and cropping is these days, why wouldn’t you have that extra piece of insurance to ensure your crop or pasture isn’t vulnerable?” Thomas poses the question that while it may only be required 5 out of the 10

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times a farmer uses it, would they risk their house the same way. And with a warming climate the odds of insect infestations are increasing. He says the combination that is very damaging is the pests and extended dry conditions. The seedlings are hugely vulnerable when they are emerging from the ground (particularly pasture plants). In beautiful growing conditions it might just be a week of vulnerability but in dry conditions that phase of vulnerability is extended to 5-6 weeks, which is more opportunity for the pests to attack. Kerr says the spread south of black beetle is a sign that we will see more pest predation. “The prediction of climate change is we’re turning into a more adverse climate for pastoral farming – its particularly more extended dry periods. There are a range of drought tolerant species that can be sown, but the issue is that many are slower to establish.” Like the cell phone, improvements are incremental in the seed treatment and coating space. Year on year companies are producing more efficient and effective seeds at a lower price. PGG Wrightson Seeds’ Tim Redfern says they are focused on bringing new technologies to the market to help ensure seeds can continue to reach their genetic potential in the field, under constantly evolving environmental conditions. Crop protection companies are committing large sums of money to research and development in the seed treatment space, including investment in bio-protection where there is growing demand globally. So product offerings will undergo a lot of change in years to come. H&T Agronomics have a bio stimulant they say enhances the plant’s root growth and to improve the resilience of the crop. Business manager Duncan Thomas says they imported a machine that allows them to layer fine films on the seed in the right order. “We first put our bio stimulant on then a blend of humic and fulvic liquid formulation, then Poncho (if required) and finally a polymer coating that holds all the active ingredients on the seed so they are safe to handle and everything stays on the seed till it’s in the ground. He says the use of biologicals (live fungi)

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Farmers tend to wait too long to check on a newly sown pasture or crop. It needs to be checked within 3-4 days and again and again until the seedlings are well established.

in the seed treatment can maximise their genetic potential by improving germination rates. Another development he says has also resulted in a slug repellant treatment that can be applied to seed, due to the fact that most farmers are direct drilling it takes out the need to broadcast slug bait. Thomas Chin says technology is moving on and so why wouldn’t you want to use it if you’re a professional in a competitive market? “It’s a bit like driving a car built in 2000 versus a car being built in 2020,” Thomas says. “One has all the bells and whistles and the other doesn’t, which would you rather have?” While it is a cheap form of insurance, Moot says it can lull farmers into a false sense of security at establishment because it doesn’t replace the need to go back and check a couple of days after sowing. “Farmers tend to wait too long to check on a newly sown pasture or crop. It needs to be within 3-4 days and again and again at the same intervals until the seedlings are well established.” He recommends that farmers should always keep a sample of the seed that

they sow. So, if there are any problems with emergence and establishment, they can check the quality of the seed by germinating a sample. This solves the tension between merchants and farmers as they are able to get to the bottom of the matter. One thing farmers should be aware of when buying coated seed specifically is the weight gain. Through removing coatings in trials, he has established that some of the coatings are 30-40% of the weight of the seed e.g. 10kg would be actually 6kg of seed. This means farmers may need to increase their sowing rate. France has recently banned a seed treatment that was alleged to kill bees and is suggested to be bad for the environment. The law of unintended consequences is seeing farmers lose 50% of their beet crop and requiring a policy U-turn. “Political influence will shape what the future of the industry looks like,” Thomas says. He says there are often conflicting policy steers from this government. “The industry is up for the challenge of producing more export returns and seed treatment is a big part of that.”

ENVIRONMENT

Another submission to make Joanna Grigg, farmer and journalist, whips up another submission to make to the Government. Although there are plenty of other jobs waiting, she suggests farmers find 20 minutes to lodge their opinion on proposed farm freshwater plans.

ind 15 minutes and submit to the Freshwater Farm Plan proposal before September 12. Yes, that’s right. Another submission. Don’t lose motivation and turn away though. You must be getting good at them by now. Especially Canterbury and Otago farmers (I see your enthusiasm showing in Figure 1). Just think, only 331 landowners submitted on the initial low slope stock exclusion map, and someone must have listened. A new mapping approach is proposed now so areas to be included have reduced from a 10 degree slope land to five degree average. High country streams at over 500m altitude don’t have to be fenced. That was always going to cause a stampede of highlanders given its lack of proven benefit to water quality at low stocking rates, and impracticalities of fencing braided streams. Most likely, agencies like Beef + Lamb NZ, Federated Farmers, Deer Industry NZ or councils helped get some pragmatism. But it could also have been concrete examples from farmers with good valid points. You can submit in round two on the map, to agree with the changes if you like, at

consult.environment.govt.nz/freshwater/stockexclusion-regulations/ So, let’s have another go at getting more practical regulations before the ink dries on them. It’s the big beast again: the Essential Freshwater policy package. This time it’s Element 5. The proposal on the table is for pastoral, arable or horticulture farmers (with over 20 hectares) to develop a mandatory freshwater farm plan for their waterways. This is on top of (or perhaps inside) a farm environmental plan (FEP). The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) estimates 75%, or up to 30,000 farmers and growers already have some kind of environment plan in place. The freshwater farm plan is about growing the farm environment plan and linking it to its water catchment, it states. “Existing farm plans tend to focus on management practices at an individual farm level. The new system will link an individual farm plan to what is important in the catchment where the farm sits.” Plans are to be certified every three years, by an accredited certifier, or when a significant change is made to farm operations. Farmers will engage and

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Figure 1: Who’s the slackest region? Regional breakdown of submission responses on the map of low slope land for stock exclusion regulations, Ministry for the Environment (MfE), July 2021. Number of responses

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

Au ck Ba la nd y of Pl e Ca nt y nt er bu r G isb y H o rn aw e ke ’s B ay M an aw M ar l b a tu or ou gh N or th la nd O ta So go ut hl an d Ta ra na Ta ki sm an W ai ka W to el l in gt W on es tC oa st

The next proposed regulation for farmers to chew through is the Freshwater Farm Plan.

pay auditors and, if it’s a fail, you get a revisit within a year. It’s proposed the infringements be enforced by councils. The first step is farmers will need to create a decent map. Not on the back of an envelope showing where the duck pond is. The map will “identify features such as waterways, critical source (discharge of contaminant) areas, high erosion-prone areas and other risks to the health of the freshwater ecosystem.” That’s pretty straight forward and should largely be in your FEP.

Onfarm risk assessment Where the water gets a bit murky is then creating a risk assessment for farm activities. This is for things like irrigation, application of nutrients and effluent, winter grazing, stock-holding areas, stock exclusion, offal pits and farm rubbish pits. I’ve just been hearing about the real lack of research on how water travels through hill country soils and the hydraulics. A study is underway on irrigated hills near Timaru to look at this. Farmers may feel quite worried about proving to an auditor that fertiliser applications are fine and grazing strategies

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are not affecting ecosystem health. Risk assessment could be open to some loose interpretation by auditors. No one will want an auditor after a storm. Two options are proposed for the risk/ impact assessment, so pick the one you like. Option 1 is that the regulations state the minimum general requirements for a risk/ impact assessment. This is more flexible and preferred by MfE. It is more suitable for incorporation into existing industry assurance programmes, they say, which would leverage the good work already occurring. Under Option 2 the regulations would prescribe a specific methodology to undertake a risk/impact assessment. This would create more consistency among freshwater farm plans, but it would limit the ability to tailor the risk assessment. It would require significant change by existing farm environment planning services to meet the new requirement. I’m leaning towards Option 1 at this stage. There is a softer and harder option for regulating outcomes. The softer one is proposed with less prescriptive rules (see page 22 if you want to jump to this bit). For example, to measure ecosystem health, the freshwater farm plan is developed and implemented in a way that reflects any relevant objectives for improving the health of the freshwater ecosystem identified by regional councils. The more regulated option specifies particular things, like removal of barriers to fish, using practices to maintain habitat for species in water, providing shade over water and proactively improving wetlands. To me, this is quite detailed and doesn’t let the best

options be chosen to improve specific farm landscape conditions. The third step in the proposed freshwater plan is for farmers to write a ‘to-do’ list of what needs fixing, for example, what management of grazing or fertiliser needs changing. In consultant-speak, this is a schedule of actions to manage identified features and address identified risks. This is where it could be expensive (for example, shifting sheep yards or creating sumps). How far away do stock yards need to be from waterways and can it be shown that there is a risk of sheep poo making it to the water? How many days in the yards per year is too many? Some of the suggested actions include physical works (e.g., fencing, tree planting, shifting tracks, reticulating stock water etc) as well as practice change (e.g., changing from conventional cultivation to direct drilling or minimum tillage, reducing fertiliser rates). Procedure changes and staff training are other actions. One good point to respond to is the proposal that if a farm has an approved freshwater plan, then farmers don’t need to go through the consent process with the intensive winter grazing in the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (Freshwater NES). This ‘alternative pathway to some regulations’ as the discussion document puts it, could be appealing. Tell them if you like this. A Zoom consultation in August, headed by Bryan Smith, MfE, called for farmer feedback. The idea is that freshwater farm plans will be phased in over time with rollout prioritised in areas where waterways are less healthy (e.g., high nitrogen-impacted catchments). It also sounds like MfE will put reducing greenhouse gases ahead of water improvements. “Other obligations on farmers (e.g. commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under He Waka Eke Noa) will also be taken into account when prioritising rollout of freshwater farm plans.” The 47 page document and link to make a submission is at https://environment. govt.nz/publications/freshwater-farm-planregulations-discussion-document/ If you just love this stuff you can also submit on the actual transition to Freshwater Plans and how they will be implemented, and designed through part 9A of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020. See https://environment.govt. nz/publications/freshwater-farm-planregulations-summary/

ENVIRONMENT

Cover crops

ha, although Brendan acknowledged that tillage was sometimes necessary, depending on previous forage crop- fodder beet for example.

Early sowing critical

Cover crops sown immediately after winter feed have been found to reduce N leaching by up to 50%.

Cover crops an environmental tool BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

ntensively grazed winter forage crops are a known hot spot for nitrogen leaching, but cover crops have been found to reduce this leaching by up to 50%. Sown as soon as possible after grazing has finished, cover crops have been the subject of a Sustainable Farming Fund project led by Peter Carey from Lincoln Agritech with support from Brendan Malcolm and Shane Maley from Plant and Food Research and AgResearch. They carried out trials at both plot and farm scale to determine how to make the most effective use of cover crops to reduce nutrient losses while growing drymatter. Speaking at a recent workshop, Malcolm says cover crops mop up N and reduce drainage by taking up water, but timely sowing with the appropriate winter-active species was important to make the most effective use of these crops. July-sown

oats had the greatest impact on reducing nitrogen losses. At paddock scale, oat crops were capturing up to 100kg N/ha by the end of the leaching period, N that would otherwise be lost to the environment. Yields in cover crops grown for greenchop silage were typically between 8-10t/ha with a maximum of 12t DM/ha. Malcolm says while the oats sown in July were very slow to come away, they were still capturing significant amounts of N through the root system, despite the lack of aboveground foliage. “They can be effective, even if they don’t look like much.” Growing a crop at a time of year when the paddock would normally be bare, does add to the bottom line. An on-farm trial looking at an ex-kale crop showed that it only took a crop of 2-3t/ha to break even. Returns per hectare were greater in the direct drilled crop versus the crop established with tillage- $1620 versus $1520/

Carey says early sowing is one of the most important factors with cover crops. “The key point is sowing as early as you practically can. Even if germination is slow, it doesn’t matter too much as there will also be less nitrification occurring.” Modelling carried out in Canterbury on free-draining soils showed the earlier the sowing, the greater the amount of N captured. The quantity captured is reduced with higher rainfalls, but generally speaking, winters are getting warmer and drier. A sowing date trial comparing crops sown on July 11, August 3 and August 31 highlighted the importance of early sowing. By harvest in November, there remained a big difference in the crops despite the threeweek difference in sowing dates. “Some years you just cannot get on the paddock – maybe one in every five years – and you just can’t do anything about that.”

Species selection Carey says they have focused on oats as they are robust, will germinate at lower temperatures and produce quality greenchop silage. A trial comparing Italian ryegrass, with Triticale and oats showed oats (Intimidator) to be the stand-out performers in terms of both drymatter yield and nitrogen captured. An oat-Italian ryegrass mix is proving popular amongst some farmers, as while the yield of the oat crop is slightly compromised due to the lower sowing rate, growers benefit from Italian ryegrass coming through post-harvest to provide summer feed.

High sowing rates Maley says high sowing rates of 110-120kg/ ha are needed to get good nitrogen uptake, fast canopy closure and to produce a high yielding crop. In an oat- Italian ryegrass mix, rates of 70-80kg/ha of oats and 20kg/ha of Italian ryegrass are recommended. He says in an oat crop, the aim is to get 300 plants/m2 to achieve canopy closure as quickly as possible. “If you don’t get high plant populations you will struggle to get canopy closure.” High plant populations will also outcompete weeds.

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Marley says it depends on what the crops are used for, quality or bulk feed. Taking an oat crop to green-chop silage will delay the sowing of the subsequent winter forage crop, but overall, the paddock will be growing more total feed over a 12-month period. “They are not a silver bullet and they are not going to work in all years, but they are a tool and no one size fits all.” If it is too wet to get on a paddock before the end of August/beginning of September, then planting a catch crop is a waste of time. “It’s not really viable for the crops to do what you need them to do.” Cover crops can be difficult to fit into a milking platform rotation, but an oat and Italian ryegrass mix can help by growing feed into summer. Catch crops can also be difficult to fit into a fodder beet to fodder beet rotation (which is not recommended anyway) as the harvest of the catch crop is past the optimum sowing window for fodder beet. The focus needs to be on getting the fodder beet planted at the optimal time. In seasons where water is limited, catch crops can deplete soil moisture that would be otherwise available for subsequent main crops. Catch crops also provide feed at a time of the year when feed is often not required. Conserving feed adds costs and logistical challenges. Due to the popularity of catch crops, sourcing the appropriate seed can be difficult, but it is really important to get good seed as vigour is important when sowing in winter.

Peter Carey (left) found that at paddock scale oat crops were capturing up to 100kg N/ha by the end of the leaching period.

Nitrogen fertiliser

MAKING THE BEST USE OF COVER CROPS

Some crops may require a dressing of N in October just to finish the crop off, but Shane says 60% of catch crops won’t need any. It depends on the season and the soil type. Do not apply N at sowing. He says this is important as it defeats the purpose of the crop. Even if the crops are slow to establish, they will still be capturing N.

• Sow as early as possible after grazing • Select winter-active species • Target minimum or no-tillage • Target high plant populations • Minimise weed competition • Apply nitrogen fertiliser from October if required • Harvest at green-chop silage (booting) for maximum yield and quality.

Harvest Trials have shown that for maximum yield and quality (ME) the crop should be harvested at the green-chop silage (booting) stage. Harvest as the panicles begin to emerge, if not before. Once the panicle emerges, quality declines quickly. Crude protein levels peak at 13-15 at Growth Stage 39-45 before dropping off.

Figure 2: Impact of crops.

Figure 1: Crop performance.

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Oats

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ENVIRONMENT

Hurunui Landcare Group’s three catchment farm advisors, from left Harry Millar, Rebecca Hyde and John Holmes.

Farmers supported BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

North Canterbury farmer-initiated land care group is employing advisors to work one-on-one with farmers. Three catchment farm advisors will help formalise farmers’ environmental management and front-foot environment regulations. Initially set-up in 2017 as an advocacy group for dryland farmers, the Hurunui District Landcare Group (HDLG) is a farmer-led collective which has grown and morphed since its establishment. It now has 200 farmer members (not all dryland) who manage over 140,000 hectares in the Hurunui district. The role the group plays has also expanded, and as well as acting as an advocate for farmers around environmental regulation, HDLG now, through the advisors, provides a full range of support services for its members. It is a new model and last year HDLG received funding from MPI through the productive and sustainable land use package to employ the three advisors to work oneon-one with farmers to help draw up Farm

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Plans, put together nutrient budgets and farm maps. They will also carry out site assessment for planting projects, help with funding applications and support catchment groups or groups of farmers working together toward similar goals. HDLG project manager Josh Brown says this service is unique in this country, as for the cost of an annual membership ($200), members get this one-on-one support which is proving hugely successful. The advisors – Rebecca Hyde, John Holmes and Harry Millar – are all from a farming background and are completely independent of any regulatory entities. Born and raised in North Canterbury with a background in farm environmental management, Rebecca Hyde is ideally qualified for the job. She sees her role as being there to serve farmers and see where the opportunities lie to protect, enhance and better utilise their natural resources. “We are a fresh set of eyes,” she says, “and we’re on their side.”

Building confidence She says a core objective for the three CFAs is to build confidence amongst farmers

in their ability to understand and meet current and future environmental regulatory requirements while protecting and utilizing the natural resources that underpin their land-based businesses. She acknowledges that many farmers are understandably unsure of what they need to know and what is required of them when it comes to environmental regulations, stepping them through these is part of their role. “We’ve removed that barrier of having to engage a consultant or go to a meeting and ask questions as many farmers are even unsure of what questions they need to be asking.” As well as helping farmers understand their regulatory requirements, Rebecca says an important part of their job is to point out opportunities for change and to support them through the change process if that is what they choose to do. “We are not there to take accountability of ownership away from farmers, but we are there to support them.” She says trust is critical and she says as advisors, they have to earn farmer trust. “The farmers we have engaged with already have been really positive and really grateful they have the opportunity to increase their knowledge and put an environmental management plan in place.” Chair of HDLG, Cheviot sheep and beef farmer Ben Ensor, says the three catchment farm advisors are there to help farmers with the incredible amount of change facing them. “A lot of the farmers our group represents haven’t had much to do with regulation and farm plans because their farm systems are low impact.” In Canterbury, the focus has been on intensive farming and irrigation, but this is changing, and it is weighing on a lot of people’s minds, says Ben. “Our farmers need someone to talk to that is not the regulator who will help tailor a farm plan specifically for their farm’s environmental risks.” The CFAs will support farmers as they take the first steps toward putting a farm plan together and meet – and where possible front-foot – freshwater and biodiversity regulatory requirements. “We hope that by doing this work now, when the Freshwater Farm Plan module regulations are introduced the farms in our district will be in good shape to meet them.”

SOLUTIONS

Soil sensor smart and portable

artinborough sheep, beef and arable crop farmer Mark Guscott likes the CropX sensor because it's portable and easy to use. He has several fence mounted permanent soil moisture sensors but liked the idea of a portable one. “I wanted one that I could put in the paddock, and then easily uninstall it when I was finished with it.” In early June he set up the sensor in a catch crop of greenfeed oats. “It’s not irrigated but I’m keen to see what the available moisture is, so I know when and how long to graze it.” Before that, the sensor was used in a sweet corn seed crop over summer to keep tabs on moisture levels to guide where, when and how much to irrigate. Mark has found the sensor set-up relatively simple and straightforward, and says the associated app, website and backup support from CropX is good. “There’s always a bit to sort with something new but it’s been pretty straight forward with not much more required

than screwing it into the ground, scanning a QR code, and entering some basic crop details.” That sets the basic soil moisture monitoring function in action, but the sensor has the capability for much more, Aaron Furrer, CropX sales manager says. “The soil moisture function is the key to unlocking the rest of the platform.” The tech platform includes satellite imagery, agronomic analytics and a lot more to help with the precision management of irrigated crops and dairying systems. The CropX sensor is a relatively new irrigation accessory to New Zealand. A handful were imported in 2018. The next shipment was earlier this year following the establishment of a CropX NZ base. CropX, an Israeli soil sensing and agricultural analytics company, bought ag technology business Regen in September 2020. The CropX Sensor retails at $999. There’s also an annual subscription fee of $399 for telemetry info, satellite imagery and analytics. • Find out more: cropx.com

Eitan Dan, CropX general manager with the CropX sensor.

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An Agribusiness challenge

t’s hard not to feel outnumbered when you’re an equine vet surrounded by dairy and sheep farmers. But Vicki Morgan loves a good challenge and knew that enrolling for an Agribusiness Management Diploma from Primary ITO was a smart career move. For two and a half years she diligently attended class alongside farm managers and owners to learn the ins and outs of running an agribusiness so she could improve her own management skills. The 49-year-old leads a team at EquivetsNZ in Bulls and Masterton which is part of Southern Rangitikei Veterinary Services. And while she was able to use her own workplace for the diploma’s human resource and risk management modules, she had to get her head around running a dairy farm to complete the financial reporting section and prepare a final business case study. “The skill base you’ll learn from studying the Diploma is applicable in so many industries and jobs. “It’s those little bits of knowledge that you’ll take away that you’ll find helpful in your job, whatever job you do.” Vicki says she particularly enjoyed the

risk management module which focused on how to prevent certain problems arising. “That knowledge is something that I use quite a lot at work now to get the staff working together and getting jobs done. “I’m in charge of stocktaking and I’m more aware of what processes need to be in place before we start to make sure it happens properly on the day, whereas before we used to sort of just wing it.” Vicki acknowledges having support from your employer is crucial. She needed time off to attend class either weekly or fortnightly, plus study groups, but Southern Rangitikei Veterinary Services also gained a lot from her efforts. “I was able to do a risk assessment on our business when we were opening up our new branch in Masterton. I assessed whether it was going to work down there, was this business going to be viable, how can we do marketing and things like that.” “One of the best things about doing that Diploma was actually sitting in a classroom with like-minded people. We had sheep and beef guys and some dairy people. They were amazing because they were talking in a different lingo from me but they were so good. It was fabulous how everyone helped

Vicki swaps horses for fictional cows and proves agribusiness diploma is for all.

each other out.” Vicki says study has given her the ability to sit back and look at the big picture and think outside of the box, plus given her confidence to take on new challenges. “People should just do it, it’s a fantastic Diploma. The help the Primary ITO tutors give you is amazing and that makes doing it a lot less stressful.” • More: www.primaryitodiploma. co.nz

PROJECT DENTS PEST NUMBERS A TRAPPING CAMPAIGN TO HELP farmers reduce the number of rats, and the spread of leptospirosis is starting to report success in Wairarapa. Two dairy and one drystock farmer have had the opportunity to build a trapping network using Goodnature traps since the start of the year. The farm trapping networks were set up in cooperation between Goodnature and animal health company Zoetis, manufacturer of the Leptoshield, a leptospirosis vaccine. Rats on farms are a key vector for the debilitating disease, spreading it through their urine onto grass and feed, and in turn passing it onto livestock and humans. The Goodnature A24 Chirp traps used in the networks on the farms are Bluetooth enabled, and when linked to the farmers’

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cell phone through the Goodnature app they record time, day and air temperature when each pest was killed. An alert is also issued when bait and CO2 gas canisters need replacing. Drystock farmer Mark Guscott (pictured right) established a network of 50 traps across his family’s property that covers 800ha and has some significant bush areas including 20ha of covenanted bush and areas being managed under the Ponatahi Eco Zone project. He welcomed the opportunity to include the traps in an already thorough pest control process that has helped knock back pest numbers over the years, and lift birdlife in the bush areas. He said they had about 70 kills from the traps so far. He appreciates the traps’ ability to

digitally count the number of kills recorded, given the bodies of rats are often dragged off by either other rats or vermin. He found the traps around the farm buildings were the most likely to be activated, but he also laid them in the covenanted bush area. • Find out more: www.zoetis.co.nz

FARMING IN FOCUS

Top left: Callum Ceci added some simple signage to his tractor before taking part in the Central Otago Howl of a Protest. Top right: Protest supporters Callum Ceci, Peter Ceci, Lindsay Watt and John Sanders. Rest of page: Howl of a Protest Dunedin. Photos by Chris Sullivan.

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Top left: Phoebe Greaves (2), Pongaroa, attends the Dannevirke protest. Top, centre: Contractor Ethan McNicol attends Howl of a Protest Dannevirke. Top right, centre left: More from the Dannevirke Howl of a Protest. Centre right: Chris and Jaimee Pemberton make about 800 bales of balage every year for feeding dairy heifers and bull beef on their Central Otago farm. Above left: Chris Biddles with his granddaughter Brooke Hansel in hospital. Above right: Panorama shot of the lower part of the Cranston’s farm at Apiti.

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futureproducers.co.nz PROUDLY AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL PARTICIPATING VETERINARY CLINIC. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. Level 3, 2 Osterley Way, Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand. ECLIPSE®, MATRIX®, EPRINEX®, and the cattle and deer head logos are registered trademarks of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under license. Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No’s A007191, A009270, A011151, A011065. © Copyright 2021 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. All rights reserved. NZ-BOV-0066-2021.

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