Displaying items by tag: pasture
Make good use of the cheapest form of feed
It is no secret that the cheapest form of feed on New Zealand dairy farms is home grown pasture.
Watch the grass grow
Dairy farm owners are paying a lot more attention to what's happening on their farms – especially pasture – because of the low payout.
More farmers renewing pasture – still more to go
Renewing 10% of New Zealand farm pasture annually would ensure productivity and performance gains achieved via new species do not dwindle over a 10-year cycle.
How to best manage grazing of pastures
Pasture growth and utilisation is becoming increasingly important as farm businesses face ongoing environmental and milk price challenges.
High quality feed all year
Pasture based farming is most profitable when the pastures are managed to provide the highest quality feed at all periods during the season, maximising the amount of pasture grown and eaten.
Low grass growth hits milk yield
The Southland winter-spring, with prolonged incessant rain, cold wind and low sunshine hours, have depressed grass growth well below normal.
Grass always wins
Nothing competes with grass when it comes to cost effective feed. But when grass supply is short, ProGibb SG is the next best thing, says Farmlands Manawatu field manager Mike McLean.
Better autumn pasture mgmt could net $150k more
Keeping tight control of pasture growth in spring and autumn could help drystock profitability, according to Northland pastoral farming specialists.
Strategies to manage low pasture cover
Many farms are running with lower than target average pasture covers (APC) this time of the year. The months of June and July were cooler than normal so pasture growth rates have not been where they would normally be.
Precious grass
The dairy industry’s ongoing volatility coupled with a cold wet winter in many parts of the country has highlighted the real value of New Zealand’s pasture based system.