Grief over grain drain
A whole generation of farmers don’t seem to know about the advantages of feeding NZ-grown grain to livestock, claims Jeremy Talbot.
A few suffered some hail and wind damage early last month but a fine fortnight since has helped make amends.
“Yields are back on last year but still reasonably good,” Federated Farmers’ Grain & Seed chairman Ian Mackenzie told Rural News.
“The heat around Christmas has probably taken the edge off grain yields but grass seed seems to have done reasonably well.”
On his own farm, wheat he’d not irrigated did 11-12t/ha where it might have done 14t/ha if it hadn’t been so hot.
“We’ve not done any irrigated wheat yet so it will be interesting to see if that’s good, bad or indifferent.”
For some without irrigation, the harvest is all but home, such as the Clarksons, at Greendale, Canterbury, who finished wheat last week.
“This year’s been much more straightforward than last year,” noted Lloyd, heading the last paddock of Savannah feed wheat for brothers John and Andy.
Yielding at least 9t/ha it was well above average off the Templeton silt soil. “Six to eight tonnes is more the norm off this ground.”
In Southland, John Gardyne says autumn barley yields are average or just under, probably due to late frosts, but harvest weather has been fantastic.
“The humidty was down to 34% yesterday.” Consequently grain’s coming in with good colour and no drying required. Meanwhile spring barleys and wheats are ripening fast, which is a possible concern for yields.
“I almost daren’t say it, but the wheats need another drink.”
Federated Farmers herbage seed section chair Hugh Wigley says yield reports of earlier grass cultivars have generally been “up to expectation” though he hadn’t harvested any of his own crops near Waimate, South Canterbury.
