Best feed solution an individual choice
First and foremost a crop has to work for the farm and for the farmer’s objectives.
Farmlands Central North Island agronomist Brian Cornish says it is never a one solution fits all. Each farm is different and needs to be treated to fit the specific topography, the farm type along with what the farmer wants to achieve.
Cornish, who trained at Lincoln University has been an agronomist for some time. He works with technical field team members to assist Farmlands farmer shareholders achieve their individual farm goals.
Providing solid, well founded agronomic recommendations that improve the productive and financial performance of any farm system is fundamental, whether that is growth and production on the dairy platform or improved live weight performance off the sheep and beef platform.
He says at the present time there is a push for many dairy farms to reduce their reliance on palm kernel.
‘‘The first step in assessing the opportunity for positive change is to identify what is currently happening on farm, what the farmer would like to achieve and how best to implement improvement.
‘‘Often we look for ways to improve farm dry matter production through the establishment and maintenance of pastures as well as looking for various farm crops to fill in the seasonal pasture production deficit. These are all really good alternatives to buying in expensive palm kernel.
‘‘Our goal is to plan how to do it in each particular situation and optimise the production available from cropping and pasture. It might mean changing older habits, changing the type of pasture. We can look at a property with new eyes and extensive experience and suggest other ways.
‘‘We look to grow what grows best, what is the most economical and suitable for each farm and to advise them about all the considerations including varieties, crop and pasture management as well as best practice for grazing and utilisation. Our team has good expertise at developing a farm feed plan with sound recommendations. The key thing is it has to work for the farm and for the farmer’s objectives.
‘‘Has the farm previously grown maize? Do they have equipment and/or labour and is it the best situation or should the farmer be looking at a grazed crop like turnip, kale or a high yielding crop like fodder beet.’’
He says grazing a crop in the ground is more economical and easier because you are not handling the crop, involving harvesting – it is grazed right in the paddock.
‘‘Dairy farmers need to maintain milk solids production right through the season. During the early and most productive months of the season pasture growth easily meets farm demand, but then the dryer months come, pasture gets less effective and farmers need something to fill the gap. Utilising chicory or turnips grazed on farm during summer months fills the gap. This has become more common practice during the last five years or so after the 2008 drought.’’
With an El Nino forecast, right now farmers are making decisions about what crop, when to plant and how much they will need.
There are a couple of new products available for farmers in the last five or so years. Fodder beat fits in well with the dairy system in the late summer autumn period and that crop has been adopted for use in the North Island but is used differently in the south.
The second product is a range of brassica crops such turnips, rape, kale and swedes. They have been developed in New Zealand as a clean crop option and this means the plants are selected to be resistant to particular herbicide and it means the herbicide treatment normally used can be applied at the time of planting. The major benefit of this means there is control of weeds before they become a major problem and start to compete with the crop.
‘‘Every day I encounter dairy farmers trying to find better ways to do things. Often this is about how they can feed their cows more efficiently and better. There is a realisation in the industry that they need to find another feed source to replace PK,’’ Cornish says.
‘‘I assess the current farm pasture production to see if we can lift and improve it. If the farm is doing 12 tonne the best thing is to lift pasture to 14 tonne. Key thing is to ensure pasture is working to its optimum and this can be done through various steps to improve dry matter content.
‘‘The second thing we look at is when pasture is inadequate, for example the summer. This is where we will grow a suitable summer crop to address the deficiency. It’s not a one solution for all. There are a wide range of options available for summer cropping depending on the situation.’’
It’s never just about the crop, it’s about the whole farm system.
‘‘If a farmer plants a summer turnip crop they need to think about what happens after the crop. Do I plant more grass, do I go into an autumn crop, what are my objectives and how do I implement them. They need to think about the full cycle. What do they really want to achieve. Where is the farm heading. The long term goals are a big part of the crop decision.’’