Words by Craig Rodgers, Ruralco Group Manager On Farm Sales
Autumn is on its way following a favourable summer, especially for cropping farmers who have been able to complete much of their harvest with limited weather delays. There have been some extreme temperatures with some regular rainfall, particularly in late February, seen in time to provide relief for dryland farmers.
While conditions have been good for pasture growth, dairy farmers have been unable to make up the production deficits from the spring. The only shining light is the season is well set up for milking to the end of May. With the days starting to shorten we are seeing some cooler mornings lengthening the harvest out, although the majority of cereals have been completed.
Cultivation and drilling of pasture and autumn sown crops is underway with the long-term forecast through March. If sunshine hours and soil temperature remain positive, then these crops should establish well.
Pasture
Pasture growth has been consistent through summer, especially on irrigated properties, with the soil temperatures remaining at optimal levels. There has been a surplus of grass throughout the summer and re-grassing programmes have continued throughout this period. Older pastures have struggled on the extreme hot days and as they thin out, older types 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. View 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, and yields have been better than last season. Samples to date have also been better than the previous couple of years.
Grain prices have eased 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 minimal due to feed surpluses in some areas and a reduction in stock numbers. Once again, we await results from some new varieties that entered the commercial market over the past year and while not all were available on the open market, FAR will be updating results from trials in the near future.
Grass Seed & Clover
While most harvested crops are currently being dressed, there has been some excellent yield results for grass seed across a most areas and varieties, with early test results confirming some good purity and germination results. Pricing has eased for commodity grass seed and with some ongoing shipping delays meaning minimal export opportunities to date. Demand for Nui is very minimal, although there has been requests for some dressing to commence for export orders.
The clover harvest is underway, and yields have been mixed to date. The hotter weather through the latter part of summer helped as clover crops were looking very bulky in mid-December following some early summer rain. The commodity clover price has been very strong for most of the last year and should remain this way for most of this year due to a shortage in available retail clover seed for mixes.
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 with the previous seasons. However, some were slow to get going due to the late spring but have responded well to Urea applications. Crops have stayed greener than usual, and most leaves have been protected. 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 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 some good yields.
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 to meet 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 crops performance, soil type and seasonal weather conditions.