Pasture renewal critical to maintaining healthy farms
Pasture renewal is the process of replacing older, less productive pastures with a completely new pasture.
Trotter told 60 farmers at a Beef and Lamb field day near Wellsford that more could be gained from letting fodder beet grow to maturity than feeding it in late summer or early autumn.
For the past three seasons 10 dairy and beef farmers around Northland have been testing the crop as a summer/autumn feed on behalf of industry good groups and rural professionals.
Trotter says while test results were impressive given the conditions the crops were grown in – one farm harvested 17.3tDM/ha in autumn despite the area’s worst drought in a decade – a better return could be expected if bulbs were given 160-180 days to grow.
“It’s a case of being aware that the crop area will need to be taken out of the rotation for over half a year and making plans to compensate for it.”
Given a full season yields of 20-30tDM/ha are the norm, says Trotter.
Stock need careful transitioning onto the feed over about three weeks and some form of fibrous feed to prevent acidosis should be offered throughout.
Cutting and feeding in a different field or on-off grazing with breakfencing are possible ways to transition.
Most of the plant’s 10% protein is in the leaf which needs to be accounted for if that’s been grazed off and bulbs are being fed separately.
Trotter points out the bulbs have an excellent “shelf-life” so can be used over an extended period.
With two harvesters now in the region lifting, storing, and feeding on a pad or other paddocks is now an option, he adds.
“People get better returns [from lifing] from better use of the crop.”
There are also more precision drills available now so lower seeding rates and better strike rates for crops are being seen.
Typically with a precision drill 80,000 seeds/ha will be sown compared to 100,000/ha used with airseeders.
But preparation for fodder beet should start in the autumn preceding sowing which is best done September-October.
A fertile paddock with easy contour should be chosen, soil tests taken, and the crop’s high potassium, sodium, magnesium and boron needs addressed with fertiliser ahead of seeding.
The crop is slow to produce a complete canopy so weed control needs extra attention. Trotter says start with glyphosate and a contact insecticide ahead of cultivating, which in turn should be done at least 4 - 6 weeks before planting. A non-residual herbicide immediately before planting can then take out a first flush of weeds.
Poor preparation is likely to result in at least one, if not more, extra herbicides or insecticides being needed once the crop’s sown, he points out.
Ballance Helensville/Wellsford Field Consultant Ross Neal says the crop may also benefit from an application of a DAP type fertiliser with a fertiliser box fitted along a precision drill/direct drill giving best results.
“By putting the fertiliser right next to the seed you’re giving it a bit of an extra push to help it get out of the ground.”
Once sown, several more passes to apply herbicides and nitrogen fertiliser will be needed.
