Agronomy Update Autumn 2024
As I write this update, Canterbury’s Port Hills are smouldering following another devastating fire. With evacuations, monsoon buckets, helicopters, and tired firefighters, it all feels very familiar after similar events in 2017. For some time, fire risk has been extreme in many areas throughout New Zealand. Despite this, we have seen excellent conditions for grain and seed harvest, with many arable growers keeping up with harvest without the stresses of regular rainfall events leading to tight harvest windows.
Pasture
Pasture growth has been consistent through summer on irrigated properties, with the soil temperatures remaining high. There has been a surplus of grass throughout the summer and re-grassing programmes have continued throughout this period. Dry land and older pastures have struggled in the extreme hot days as they thin out, go to seed, and older grass species and weeds return in the gaps.
This is a good time of year to identify paddocks for your re-grassing programme and these decisions should be made around production at key times of year to suit your farm. Selection of cultivars is also important and while there can be a variation in pricing, the latest updated release of the Forage Value Index is a great guide to selecting the grass that will produce best when you need it to. You can read it here.
Most new pastures will look good in the first couple of years, but persistence is where you get the greatest value. Cropping rotations also need to be considered as some short-term grasses can produce some very good yields and give paddocks a break from crops. While most grasses are bred to produce good yields in suitable conditions, it has become obvious that not all grasses suit all farmers or the management style you may have on your farm. Establishment is also important. Ensure a good spray programme is in place to remove any competition prior to drilling and once the pasture has struck.
Cereals and Grain
We are well through the cereal harvest following a favourable February period. The notable exceptions are those growers who have been affected by hail, the worst of which was a December storm which tracked a path of destruction east of Methven, leaving several grain and vegetable seed ruined.
Grain samples arriving at the Ruralco seed office to-date have been of a high quality and yields favourable.
Grain prices have been a bit stagnant through the harvest period, but it is hard to get a gauge on the actual price with many trades happening between farmers and direct off the header. Enquiry has been high, but demand has been mixed due to feed surpluses in some areas and a reduction in stock numbers. A recent Fonterra milk price forecast will be hopeful news to feed grain growers, who have seen the margin between production cost and grain price narrowing in the last wee while.
Grass Seed & Clover
While most harvested crops are currently being dressed, there has been some excellent yield results for grass seed yields across most areas and varieties, with early test results confirming some good purity and germination results.
The clover crops are looking good, which will be a relief to the industry after a couple of difficult seed production years.
Winter Crops
Fodder Beet, Kale and other winter crops are well set for the autumn period following earlier rains and plenty of sunshine hours. At this stage they seem on track or above previous seasons. With the hot dry summer, it’s easy to spot dry corners in irrigated paddocks where winter feed crops are struggling. In the foothills, however, I have seen some excellent feed crops where summer rainfall has been adequate.
As the days get shorter and cooler, the Fodder Beet bulbs will continue to develop in size. While it is too early to estimate yields, it will be interesting to see how the earlier grazed crops perform. Some farmers are looking to transition and feed as early as April, and we may see some variation across paddocks from commencement to the end of grazing as the crop continues to grow in April, May, and June.
Performance of varieties remains a good talking point and we will hear the usual yield estimations over the coming months, however the best way to get accurate as possible yield calculations is to use an independent feed assessor, even if the crop is for your own use. This will help the transitioning process and welfare of animals in the early grazing stages.
Kale crops have some good size about them this year, with consistent growth across most paddocks. Yields have been improving over the last few years and if soil temperature, rainfall, and sunshine hours continue through the next few months, we should once again have good yields.
In the last week we have seen and heard of several recently sown brassica fields failing and requiring redrilling. The failures we know about have been due to insect damage, where a suitable broad-spectrum insecticide has not been used to control species such as springtails, which will thrive in the right conditions and can cause complete crop loss.
Catch Cropping
We continue to field inquiry for oats and other catch crop products all year round now.
Catch crops are used to cover the fallow ground and take up the urinary N deposited during winter grazing, reducing the risk of nitrate leaching. The use of catch cropping is a valuable tool to aid farmers in meeting new requirements with environmental rules that are currently being implemented throughout the country.
Recent research from Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) and Pastoral 21 (P21) have shown dry matter (DM) production can be significantly increased at a lower cost per kg/DM, while decreasing the amount of leachable N. One study has shown that, by sowing catch crops such as oats following winter crop grazing, nitrogen losses have been reduced by up to 49% compared to leaving the ground fallow. The magnitude of this effect may vary depending on crop management, the chosen catch crop’s performance, soil type, and seasonal weather conditions