To that end; it has adapted online information supplied by Dairy NZ into a handy to use fold-out pocket guide to scoring pastures from 1 to 5. On the reverse are 10 Top Tips for pasture renewal success.
The initiative is part of a wider project to raise awareness of the benefits of pasture renewal.
“The guide is indicative rather than prescriptive,” project manager Nicola Holmes told Rural News.
While the information was drawn from the dairy industry, it should work equally well for lowland beef pastures, she acknowledges.
The other plank to the project is a “Win a free paddock” draw in which entrants can land one of three prize packages of pasture renewal products and services, each worth $8000.
A recent nationwide CINTA survey* found 80% of dairy farmers intend to renew run-out pastures this season, regardless of the financial outlook, but actions do not always follow intentions: on average dairy farms renew just 6-7% of pasture annually, well behind the 10-12% recommended by the Trust.
A limited requirement for crop and/or reluctance to increase cropped area, was stated in the CINTA survey as the biggest barrier to renewing a greater area of pasture.
Holmes notes pasture to pasture renewals can work with top management, “but most people don’t want to go beyond that cropping regime.”
Just how big the difference between the best and worst paddocks will be will depend on the farm and there is no national data to quantify such differences, for dairy or any other sector, she adds.
“It would be good if we could. Some of the highest producing dairy pastures will be doing 15-20t of dry matter a year, so if you’re doing 10-12t you’re losing a lot of ground there.”
Statistics New Zealand has agreed to a Trust request to put a couple of questions about pasture management into the agriculture census which is conducted every five years.
“It will give us specific answers around pasture renewal,” says Holmes.
Entries to the “Win a Free Paddock” campaign close February 28. Entry forms are at most rural retailers and on www.pasturerenewal.org.nz
Winners may undertake their pasture renewal in autumn or spring, but agreement to have the process documented and used in subsequent promotional activity is a condition of entry.
* Survey conducted by market research firm CINTA across a nationwide database of 600 dairy farms. The Trust refused to release further details.
