Maize and Cropping 2021

26 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, September 2, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 27

www.age.co.nz Thursday, September 2, 2021

maize & cropping 2021

Liaising with your contractor and technical adviser Liaising with your contractor and technical adviser

Maize is a vital crop for many New Zealand dairy farmers. It also represents a significant investment in time and resources.

The DairyNZ booklet “Best Management Practices for Growing Maize on Dairy Farms” aims to give farmers the tools that they need to extract maximum value from this investment, providing the most topical information on maize crop preparation, management and harvest, in one easy to access resource.”

Growing maize requires a range of operations from cultivation through to harvest. Most dairy farmers won’t have the specialist equipment required for growing maize and will therefore need to employ contractors for these tasks.

For those with limited time or experience, technical advisoes from a range of merchant companies are available to offer crop management services and/or advice.

Notice of your intentions well in advance and then regular updates will improve the service they can provide.

contractors; with large hectares to harvest, a short time frame and often adverse weather to contend with.

You will need to talk with your contractor and technical adviser regarding your specific requirements, which may include:

Maize is normally harvested from 30 to 40% dry matter. Let your contractor know your preference well in advance.

1. SPRAYING Your spray contractor will need to know your sowing date so that they can plan when to spray out pasture, and later when herbicides will be required for the crop.

Monitoring will help determine if post emergence herbicides will be needed.

2. CULTIVATION

Maize harvesting and stack building is an extremely busy and difficult time for contractors for your site, sowing date and planned harvest date.

can organise soil tests and develop fertiliser plans.

You should also discuss options regarding seed treatment for pest control.

There are several different methods of fertiliser application; bulk spreader for base fertiliser, sowing contractor for fertiliser applied through the drill, post emergence N - often referred to as sidedressing (knifing or broadcasting urea into the soil six to eight weeks after sowing).

There are specialist contractors and advisers who concentrate on only one aspect of maize production (e.g. spraying or fertilisers). Others provide a complete service from sowing to harvest.

Your cultivation contractor can advise and outline costs of cultivation methods; however, this will need to be done well in advance of the projected planting date.

4. FERTILISER

3. SOWING

The key to working with contractors and technical advisers is good communication.

Your sowing contractor will need advance warning of both your intended sowing date and your fertiliser programme.

Paddocks coming out of long term pasture can supply up to 300 kg N/ha just from soil organic matter, so soil test for mineral nitrogen (0-60 cm) to determine post sowing urea applications.

Most have several hundred clients requiring the same service at much the same time.

Seed companies and rural supply firms will give advice on a suitable maize hybrid

Ensure you have a recent soil test, collected from 0-15 cm deep from your intended maize paddock.

Technical advisers and fertiliser companies

TOGETHER WE WILL ENDURE

Your technical adviser will assist you in determining the best method for your conditions.

Determining maize silage maturity in the field requires considerable experience.

Generally harvest contractors will monitor crop maturity and determine harvest time.

Technical advisers will also give guidance if required.

Remember that stack sites and access areas must be prepared before harvest.

Aim to get this done early in case the crop matures faster than expected.

Post harvest planning e.g. sowing new pastures, is also crucial to continued success.

5. HARVESTING

Again your technical representative will be able to assist you with the best options for your site.

Maize harvesting and stack building is an extremely busy and difficult time for

To read the full booklet go to: www.dairynz.co.nz/publications/feed/

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Farming is the backbone of a proud nation carved out by our early pioneers’ strength, determination and hard work. Resilience and an inherent belief in a better way forward still drive’s our farmers desire and need for perpetual innovation.

Similar weather to last spring predicted Above average temperatures, with the possibility of extended dry spells are predicted for Wairarapa from now until October by NIWA. In its Seasonal Climate Outlook August - October 2021, NIWA says there is a 60 per cent chance that temperatures will be above average, with periods of unseasonable warmth possible due to more north-westerly winds.

Soil moisture and river flow levels are likely to be near normal or below normal.

The climate system is showing similarities to this time last year, which featured La Niña development during spring, NIWA says.

“These similarities are reflected in the rainfall and temperature outlook. This information may be useful for planning purposes over the coming season.”

Rainfall is expected to be below or near normal with extended dry spells, unusual for the time of year, possible.

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COUNTRY

Thursday, September 2, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

FEATURE

w w w . age. co. nz Thursday, September 2, 2021

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maize & cropping 2021

Good record keeping is good management practice There are numerous good reasons for keeping crop management records, these include:  Environmental reporting - All Fonterra suppliers are required to complete nutrient budgets and your maize silage crop should be done as a separate block.  Financial reporting - A ‘Cost of Production’ worksheet can assist you to calculate the cost of growing your crop.  Diagnosis - If something goes wrong with your crop.  Repeat Results - When you grow a fantastic crop, you will know what was done so you can to do it again!

You may rely on others (e.g. technical advisers or a contractor) for some or all of your crop management. However, you should still make sure you have copies of crop management records. These will be useful if your adviser changes, or you change to another company or contractor.

Importing fertiliser for personal use is risky business warns the Fertiliser Quality Council

Crop management records to keep  Laboratory tests - Copies of any soil, plant and effluent analyses including when, where and how the samples were collected and by whom.  Cultivation - When, how, who and any notable soil conditions (eg a bit dry, too wet).  Herbicides - For each application record; when, the product(s) used, chemical and water rate, who sprayed, and weather conditions during application (especially wind direction and speed).  Nutrient inputs - For all fertiliser, lime, effluent or other nutrient inputs (e.g. chook manure), make sure you record when, where and how it was applied, the rate and nutrient content of the product, and who applied it.  Crop details - The hybrid, sowing time, plant population and any seed treatment used.

Record the harvest dates  Other inputs - Keep records of application rate and timing of other inputs such as; insecticides, irrigation etc.  Crop monitoring records - Your crop should be regularly checked for; weed, pest and disease pressure, establishment and harvest maturity.

Those irrigating may monitor soil moisture and rainfall. Keep records of all crop, soil and weather monitoring.

Harvest Record the harvest date(s). If you are not weighing your crop, ask your technical adviser and/or contractor for their best estimate of crop yield and DM%. On completion stacks can be easily sampled for analysis of DM% or feed quality.

This is done regularly for traded maize.

Your harvesting contractor should be able to arrange this.

Source: Foundation For Arable Research, Best Management Practices for Growing Maize on Dairy Farms www.far.org. nz/articles/159/best-management-practices-for-growingmaize-on-dairy-farms

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The Fertiliser Quality Council of New Zealand (FQC) is urging anyone contemplating importing fertiliser themselves to think again.

The organisation, which is responsible for Fertmark, the fertiliser auditing programme that verifies products so users can be certain they know what they are spreading on their pasture, says importing fertiliser for individual on-farm use is fraught with risk.

Anders Crofoot, Chairman of the FQC, explains that the temptation to import fertiliser for private farm use is often driven by cost.

However, he warns farmers and growers not to be fooled by ‘cheap’ ticket prices displayed online.

“The cost of overseas products might well be cheaper on the surface but importing

fertiliser is a very risky business.

“There are no guarantees about product quality and no guarantee that what you are paying for is what you will receive.

“Farmers and growers who go down this route either on their own or in a small collective, must accept in good faith that what they are ordering is what they will receive and that all documentation is genuine. The reality, of course, is that they cannot be sure of this information.

“They have to ask themselves whether it is worth saving a few bucks only to take on huge risks?

“What if the shipment doesn’t arrive? What if the product is damaged, arrives wet or as a powder? What if it is completely different from the pre-purchase sample they received?”

Mr Crofoot says in some of these cases there would be no come back.

“Scrupulous suppliers will fix any issues but others won’t. It’s that simple.”

Importing fertiliser is a very risky business Add to this the fact that once someone buys a fertiliser product from overseas, that product is their responsibility from the point of purchase.

This means that should anything untoward happen to the product in transit, then the responsibility falls on the owner.

The FQC reports that around 80 per cent of fertiliser products in New Zealand are tested by internationally recognised auditors - Quality Consultants of New Zealand (QCONZ) – against the Fertmark programme standards.

This means the majority of products spread on New Zealand soil are verified.

However, that still leaves 20 per cent of fertiliser products in use in New Zealand going untested.

Farmers and growers who think it’s a good idea to import their own are adding to this percentage of untested products.

Only by purchasing their fertiliser from the domestic market, from reputable suppliers and agents, can fertiliser products be proven to be legitimate and where possible - Fertmark approved.

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30 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, September 2, 2021 Wairarapa

Times-Age

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Thursday, September 2, 2021

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maize & cropping 2021

Herbicide resistance greater than expected Herbicide resistance is emerging as a serious and growing threat to New Zealand’s food production, with recent surveys by scientists finding half or more of arable farms and vineyards in some regions have weeds resistant to commonly used herbicides.

AgResearch scientists, who are carrying out the first systematic approach to surveying for herbicide-resistant weeds in arable crops with funding from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, say the results they are seeing are often many times the levels of resistance that had been expected.

In addition, new resistant weed species are also being brought forward, or discovered by the AgResearch scientists working alongside the Foundation for

Successful hill country forage crops and pastures

Arable Research (FAR) and the Bragato Research Institute, as part of the Managing Herbicide Resistance programme which began in 2018.

Herbicide-resistant weeds were first detected in New Zealand in 1979, but until recently reporting of herbicide resistance has largely been ad hoc and left to growers and rural professionals to recognise and alert researchers.

AgResearch senior scientist Dr Trevor James says the survey findings are a wakeup call and should be focusing efforts to manage the threat of herbicide resistance.

“The issue is that as this resistance grows, so too does the costs and impacts on farmers and crop production in New Zealand. We firstly need to understand the full scope of the problem across New Zealand, the mechanisms involved in the resistance, how the resistance is passed through the generations of these plants, and then we need to look at strategies to address it and slow the development of the resistance,” Dr James says.

“At present, there are limited alternatives to many of these herbicides that the

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Herbicide resistance could have a huge impact on farming. weeds are evolving resistance to, and that is an area that also deserves attention and investment in the research.”

In 2019, a survey took seeds from 48 randomly selected arable farms in central Canterbury and weeds resistant to Group A and B herbicides were identified from a quarter of those farms.

Further surveying across arable farms in Southland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, and across vineyards in Marlborough and

Canterbury, found at least 50 per cent had weeds resistant to Group A and/ or B herbicides, with glyphosate being a problem in vineyards. The highest risk weeds were pasture-related grasses.

Common resistant weed species being identified by the researchers include ryegrass, wild oats and chickweed, as well as first time finds of resistant sow thistle (puha), summer grass, prairie grass and lesser canary grass.

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Summer fallow can be a useful tool in allowing soil moisture to accumulate before sowing.

Do forage crops and new pastures stack up?

Forages need to be sown at the correct time and have sufficient moisture to become well-established in hill country environments.

The economics of hill country forages

To be profitable, forage crops need to be high-yielding and used for highreturn stock.

Factors to consider:

Results of a hill country forage crop and pasture research project carried out in 2009/10, found summer crops need to grow at least four tonnes per hectare of high quality forage to be profitable.

In harsh hill country environments, sound back-tobasics management practices and decisions are essential.

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Why grow hill country forage crops?

Summer forage crops are used to grow out and finish young stock.

Winter forage crops allow a large number of animals to be wintered in a relatively small area.

They are often used as a break crop as part of a pasture renewal programme.

This is particularly important when changing from wild endophyte to novel endophyte pastures.

Establishing forage crops and pasture on hill country The main problems establishing forage crops are:  Poorly timed sowing  Poor seed bed preparation  Lack of soil moisture hindering establishment  Difficult paddock contours.

To successfully establish forage crops and pasture on hill country, it is important to sow crops at the correct time and have good soil moisture.

On-farm trials have shown autumn pastures, sown after a forage crop, may perform poorly if sowing is delayed by

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extended grazing of the forage crop or conditions are very dry.

 Product prices; the returns expected from a forage crop are largely dependent on product prices.  Costs of developing new pastures; factors such as location, contour, drainage and soil fertility all affect the final cost of establishing new pastures.  Summer forage crop yields; these are dependent on how the crops are established and the quantity of spring rainfall.

While farmers can control crop establishment, they cannot predict the weather.

The choice of crop species will be critical as crops that persist for two years, such as clover, plantain and chicory, may help spread the cost of establishment.

In winter, utilised yield need to be in excess of eight tonnes per hectare to be economic.

For hill country forages to be costeffective, sheep and beef farmers must follow best management practices for establishing forage crops or new pastures and achieve maximum yields from those crops and pastures.

The research project found the economics of summer forage crops in hill country was marginal and will not be economic in dry seasons.

Summer crops may be profitable if the crop is being used to renew a poor performing pasture.

Winter forage crops typically generate more reliable yields but they need to be yielding over eight tonnes/hectare of utilised feed to be economic.

Establishing new pastures will be economic if it is done successfully and the class of stock using the pasture are high return animals such as finishing lambs or growing young replacement stock.

Product prices are critical in determining the economics of growing forage crops.

Source: Beef & Lamb NZ - beeflambnz.com

 Winter forage crop yields; most winter forage crops are grown in summer moist environments and crop yields are generally consistent.

Yields can be comprised if soil fertility issues are not corrected and insect and pest problems are not addressed.

The value of new pastures The two main advantages of establishing new pastures are increased drymatter yield and increased pasture quality.  Yield: Yield increases will be achieved as long as the problems causing poor performance have been addressed.

These may include poor soil fertility, drainage issues and grazing management.  Quality: New pastures are almost always of higher quality than old pastures. They have less dead matter and increased legume content

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