The countdown to lambing is on at Bonavaree when I visited in late May. Doug and Fraser have had a really successful year with Jeffries Front Flat, and it is still looking like a productive paddock that is geared to produce well again this spring. Seed Harvest The lucerne seed harvest from this paddock was … Read more
The role of Bumble bees at Bonavaree is an important one. Short tongued bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) are the principle pollinator of Lucerne. There are other bee and insect species capable of pollinating the lucerne flower, but bumble bees are the most successful. The lucerne flower produces a tripping mechanism when an insect is pollinating … Read more
Derrick contacted me following the previous blog – asking that we quantify our statements regarding our changes in fertiliser applications, especially since we are now spending less! We have historically run a cut and carry operation with the lucerne (if the season allowed it), and so we applied fertiliser taking this into account. Given we … Read more
Well its been a while since the last blog – between farming commitments, a field day and children, days morph into weeks, which morph in months, and before you know it, there’s snow on the hills and the shorts have been pushed to the back of the drawers until next summer! We’ve just had a … Read more
The dry matter production from this Bonavaree mixed species paddock has inevitably slowed down due to the dry. Although, the soil moisture has potentially been “topped up” somewhat by the rains that occurred recently in mid-January (2 inches) and then a very well timed 20mm in the first week of February. This has no doubt … Read more
Things are tracking along nicely for a good seed harvest at Jeffries Front Flat. The growth in this paddock is very impressive since my last visit in December. Please compare the pasture height photos below of the December visit (top) and the February visit (bottom). The time span between these 2 visits is 56 days, … Read more
North face is still going strong, and had been grazed off with Lambs in mid January, followed by a quick 24 hour clean-up graze with cows. The rains that occurred in January meant that this paddock was able to be grazed, otherwise it was going to be shut up for another month. The following clean-up … Read more
Posted on behalf of Lisa at Bog Roy Station Since our last blog, autumn has finally arrived, along with a very welcome inch of rain last week. Prior to the rain, feed levels were getting very tight. All the lucerne and lucerne mix paddocks have had at least a six week spell, and since all … Read more
Posted on behalf of Dr Derrick Moot (Professor of Plant Science, Lincoln University) The summer of 2012/2013 is one of the driest on record for North Island farmers and many in the South Island. Recent rain in some places makes decisions on what to graze, and when, crucial. The ideal grazing response will depend on the … Read more
1. Rough Gully: This is about a 30 ha block, originally sown in 2007, which was subsequently subdivided into 3 paddocks, each approximately 9 ha at the end of 2010. The pasture mix comprises lucerne and cocksfoot. We started cage cuts on this area last season, and although Dryland, it outperformed all other measured areas … Read more