Words by Ricky Brown, Arable and Pastoral Representative at Ruralco.
‘Dry’ has been and remains a commonly used term when describing weather and soil conditions for the first half of 2024. That’s meant favourable conditions for cultivation and drilling post-harvest, however low commodity prices, reduced seed contracts, and high input prices appear to be keeping optimism low among the arable industry.
Cereals
Autumn sown cereals have established well and were in very early this year due to the favourable conditions for planting. Early indication is that the area of autumn sown cereals may be down on the previous year. Grain pricing and demand through autumn has been stubbornly low.
It is too early to predict how much uncommitted grain there is unsold in the market, but following a good harvest there is unlikely to be a shortage of supply for the winter and spring markets. There has been minimal movement of free product post-harvest, and we are fielding some enquiry for late winter and spring requirements for both wheat and barley.
Over the past month, there has been limited demand from dairy farmers and other end users. There has been some enquiry to lock tonnage in for the spring period, but most movement throughout the past few months has been for contracted grain.
We have seen increased uptake of the use of cereals particularly for Catch Cropping. Supply has been good post-harvest, and we are seeing some forward orders for drilling once early transition of winter grazing paddocks are fed. Soil and weather conditions will influence when these are sown directly into bare paddocks, and we are seeing this as a viable option across most of the year now.
View the Ruralco Forage Guide online here.
Pasture
Pasture renewal continued through the autumn with a swing towards shorter term, high-production grasses. They have increased growth through the late autumn and winter and can often persist through heavy grazing. Planning for spring pasture renewal is already underway and, with any crop or pasture, this is all weather dependent. Hopefully if we get an early winter, we will also get an early spring, and once the soil temperatures start heading up is an appropriate time to plant, however this can depend on soil conditions. Some heavier soil types are too boggy to get implements across in early spring and you are better waiting until the days get longer and warmer.
Conditions have remained suitable to all grazing types. As conditions soften, if grazing newer pastures to optimum covers for the winter period, it is important to ensure you protect any newer pastures from stock damage. Pastures being grazed immediately following rain can cause damage especially around gateways. Patching these up during winter may not get the desired result, so waiting until early spring will likely be a better option. There are some good options available to help tidy up these areas but ensure you consider what is planned for that paddock in the future. If it is likely to be re-grassed or cropped then a short-term grass or renovation style mix would be suitable, but if it is a well performing or newish pasture then look to spend a little more to ensure it is back performing to its potential.
If you are having stock on pastures over the winter period, please ensure you carefully choose which paddocks can handle the conditions, reducing the risk of damage to new or good pastures.
Selection of cultivars is also important, and while there can be a variation in pricing, the Forage Value Index is a great guide to selecting the grass that will produce best when you need it to. Check it out here.
Winter Crops
The measuring and grazing of winter crops and, as usual, the general variety discussion with farmers is revolving around yield, dry matter content, and stock suitability. Early weights are showing a predictable split in yield between irrigated and dry land fields after a dry growing season. There does not seem to be too much variance across varieties however once full yield assessments are complete, we can analyse what has performed better this year. The transition period remains the most important process of the fodder beet crop and an independent yield assessment is only a guide as crops can vary in size across a paddock. The most accurate estimation is often measured by what the stock are eating or sometimes what they are leaving behind.
Once again, we have seen an increase in kale area this season and crops at this stage are looking very good. At this early stage there seems to be satisfactory amounts of winter feed available, and these will only increase as we get some frosts which will bring the dry matter percentage up. If some milder weather continues and ground conditions remain favourable the conversion of feed should be high through the early part of winter.
Maize
We have seen some excellent maize silage yields in recent years; this season has been on par except unirrigated fields which, understandably, suffered under water deficient conditions.
Constant development of genetic progress and management techniques specific to differing climates and growing conditions is providing ever-improving maize opportunities for growers throughout New Zealand.