In 2005 the Lees Valley Farmers Group applied for a MAF Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) grant to investigate pasture and forage options for the intensification of South Island Hill and High Country (Grant No. 06/067). This project ended in 2009 and, subsequently, Grant No. 09/123 investigated the longer ter persistence of the established species until 2012 when the programme terminated.
At the beginning of the project the site was low producing browntop with matagouri and sorrel. Over the first three years the project looked at a wide range of topics. Questions were answered by Lincoln University dryland research and technical staff who set up, and measured, a range of experiments which covered >10 ha area in the driest, stoniest part of the valley bottom.These experiments looked at:
- Methods of establishment and their cost
- The effect of lime on the establishment and growth of the introduced pasture species
- Forage production
- Identification of grass and legumes suited to the environment
- Which mixtures performed best and when nitrogen response of grasses
- Quality of pasture/forage produced
Over the three years there were both public and private field days at which the results were talked about. The booklets from the 2007, 2008 and final 2009 public field days are available for download. The Appendices produced from data collected at Lees Valley used in the final SFF report for Grant No. 06/067 in 2009 are also provided for download. Each experiment is outlined and main points/results are outlined at the end of each section.
Researchers
- Derrick Moot, Head of Dryland Pastures Research
- Alistair Black, Senior Lecturer
- Dick (Richard) Lucas, Senior Lecturer
- Dr Warwick Scott, Senior Lecturer
- James Moir, Department of Soil and Physical Sciences
- Vonny Fasi, Research Technician
- Keith Pollock, Research Technician
- Malcolm Smith, Research Technician
- Dave Jack, Field Technician
- Don Heffer, Field Technician
Students
- Saman Berenji (PhD)
- Hollena Nori (PhD)
- Peter Jordan (B.Ag.Sci. Honours)
- Ed Tapp (B.Ag.Sci. Honours)
- Bradley Lewis (B.Ag.Sci. Honours)
Downloads
| 01 Nov 2011. Lees Valley Field Day Booklet. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country (SFF Grant No. 09/123 – Dryland pasture persistence). Mt Pember Farm, Wharfdale Station, Lees Valley, Canterbury. 54 p. (PDF 4.9 MB). |  |
| 08 Nov 2007. Lees Valley Field Day Booklet. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country (SFF Grant No. 06/067). Mt Pember Farm, Wharfdale Station, Lees Valley, Canterbury. 27 p. (PDF 3.7 MB). | |
| 08 Apr 2009. Lees Valley Field Day Booklet. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country (SFF Grant No. 06/067). Mt Pember Farm, Wharfdale Station, Lees Valley, Canterbury. 48 p. (PDF 7.1 MB). | |
| 28 Aug 2009. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country. Appendix 1 – Botanical Composition. SFF Final Report for Grant No. 06/067. 38 p. (PDF 0.2 MB). | |
| 28 Aug 2009. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country. Appendix 2 – Nutritive Value. SFF Final Report for Grant No. 06/067. 38 p. (PDF 0.2 MB). | |
| 28/08/2009. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country. Appendix 3 – Nutritive Yields. SFF Final Report for Grant No. 06/067. 38 p. (PDF 0.2 MB). | |
| 28 Aug 2009. Pasture and forage options for South Island hill and high country. SFF Final Report for Grant No. 06/067. 38 p. (PDF 4.3 MB). | |
| 04/09/2012. Dryland pasture persistence. SFF Final Report for Grant No. 09/123. 58 p. (PDF 2.1 MB). | |
| 16 Nov 2010. Moir J, Moot DJ. 2010. Soil pH, exchangeable aluminium and lucerne yield responses to lime in a South Island high country soil. NZGA Conference presentation. (PDF 0.8 MB). | |