Anna Mills 
Prof Moot was at Bonavaree farm in Marlborough over the weekend where lambing is in full swing. The mild weather is making ideal conditions for lambing and Fraser is confident he has sufficient cover across all paddocks to get him through his major pinch period of mid August. He is is smiling here as he … Read more
Greetings all, One more piece is now ready to add to the biocontrol picture. You may remember that over the spring of 2017 and autumn of 2018 we ran a field survey to find out what is attacking horehound in New Zealand already. The idea was to find out if the biocontrol agents may have … Read more
Greetings all, The formal public consultation on the application to introduce two species of moths as biocontrol agents for horehound has now closed and it is time to take stock of the where we are at. The submissions are all available for the general public to view. You can find them listed under “Application Documents” here. … Read more
The application to introduce moths for biological control of horehound is now open for public submissions. To make an effective submission make sure you State clearly whether your submission is in support of the application Include your contact details Include quantifiable information about the impact of horehound on your farming operation (how much money and … Read more
Greetings everyone, We have reached a major milestone today – this morning the application to introduce two biocontrol agents for horehound has now been formally lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). The EPA now has up to 10 working days to acknowledge the application had been received and to post it on their website … Read more
Greetings all, It is time to update you that the EPA application is progressing well. We are awaiting confirmation of details for two more issues and finishing touches of quality checks before lodging the application with the EPA. We will post an update here as soon as the application has been lodged, because the formal consultation … Read more
We were recently contacted by a Vet because he had visited a property where Romney ewe hoggets had been grazing lucerne since January 4th til APRIL 4th. At this time the hoggets were showing signs of udder development which is a clear indication of a highly oestrogenic crop. In our experience young stock such as … Read more
Post prepared by the Dryland Pastures Research Team – Dr S.T. Olykan, C.S. Teixeira (PhD candidate), Mr R.J. Lucas, Prof D.J. Moot and Dr A. Mills. Why choose sub clover? Sub clover suits a summer dry environment because: In a mixed pasture it may provide 2 to 4 t/ha of high quality herbage for lactating … Read more
Upcoming event Farming for Profit Field Day Specialist Forages: “Going Beyong Ryegrass and White Clover” When: 1 pm 23 March 2018 Where: Grant and Katie Catto’s Farm 555 Drummond – Heddon Bush Road, Central Southland Topics include: Lucerne in Southland; Specialist Forage Options and Farm Shelter Tea and Coffee available from 12.30 pm and the day will … Read more
Update 3: Posted on behalf of the Horehound Biocontrol Group The ball is now seriously rolling towards biological control for horehound!Here is where we are at, as of late February 2018: We have now informed the EPA of our intention to submit an application to release the two biocontrol agents. The EPA will now issue … Read more