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 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
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
Gundy and I (Lisa) have been asked to join the impressive line-up of properties in the Lincoln Dryland Blog series, reporting frequently on the going’s on at Bog Roy throughout the year. I am a B.Ag.Sci. Hons. graduate from Lincoln University and worked as a Field Officer in Central Otago and Upper Waitaki/Mckenzie regions for Ravensdown … Read more
Establishment of North Face with the Bonavaree mix had been slow, and the season at Bonavaree had been one of the most problematic years to establish Lucerne and Lucerne mixes. This paddock is now coming into it’s own, and is looking good following a bit of careful management. The main issues this year were: Cold … Read more
Jeffries Front Flat was being grazed by the replacement ewe lambs at my visit just prior to Xmas. The ewe lambs had removed the bulk of the leaf and green vegetation, leaving a small amount of stalk as residual (see photos at left of lamb residual). The mob of 950 ewe lambs were due to … Read more
Glen Erin was being spelled from grazing at my last visit (19th November). The mob of cull ewes and their twin lambs that were being grazed here last time are being grazed elsewhere and were to return on the 20th November. The rotation length was 34 days for this round. You can see that in … Read more