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Following tough summer conditions, forage oats for fast grazing can be a get out of jail card for most farmers looking for quick feed in late autumn, while May and June sown oats provide valuable winter ground cover and an early spring silage opportunity. Oats also have a special power when it comes to catch cropping, being able to soak up excess nitrogen which can present a risk of leaching in fallow soil after the grazing of a winter crop such as kale or fodder beet.

For the next three months we will look at the following: fodder crops, pre-emergence sprays on autumn sown crops, grass grub control in pasture, and use of gibberellic acid to increase pasture growth.

Autumn is on its way following a summer that had everything from extreme temperatures to deluges of wet weather and higher than normal humidity levels.

With a significant growth over the last year as well as continually acting in the spirit of the Ruralco relationship, FMG was the 2021 Supreme Supplier Award winner.

Major ports around the globe are clogged with containers, while dozens of container ships await at anchor to be unloaded.

Elected as the first ever female Director, and certainly as a younger voice, Gabrielle has witnessed much change within the Board. However, change she talks about isn’t gender or age, it’s about knowledge and perspective. “The Board has rotated nicely to achieve great diversity, attracting people with different farming backgrounds”.

Despite uncertainty around Covid and regulatory compliance issues, Ruralco has shown it is more resilient than ever, recording positive financial results for its 2021 financial year and by hitting a significant shareholder base milestone.

Born out of a need to find a solution to their daughter’s dairy intolerance, Kirwee farmers Matt and Tracey Jones have embarked on a new venture milking sheep, producing skincare products, farm-made cheeses, yoghurt and bottled milk. They’re also behind a push to prove sheep milking is a profitable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional dairying.

Could applying fertiliser together with irrigation water help farmers meet the nitrogen cap rule?

Northland’s humid sub-tropical climate means avocados have always thrived in the top part of the North Island. But the gradual drift to plant them has become a flood in recent years as dairy farms are converted and irrigation projects open up more land for orchard plantings.