Posted on behalf of Dick Lucas The recent early autumn, record rain in North Canterbury and other east coast areas will give perfect conditions for an early flush of sub clover seedlings in dryland pastures. In milder coastal areas and north hill faces, if sub clover/grass pastures have an average of 10 sub seedlings per … Read more
Post prepared by Prof. Moot, summer scholar Rebekah Brosnahan and Anna Mills Many dryland regions of New Zealand experience heavy winter rainfall that can cause periodic waterlogging in paddocks. Lucerne is more sensitive than ryegrass under flooding and this is sometimes cited as a reason not to sow lucerne in a paddock. However, after a … Read more
It’s been a successful spring at Bonavaree! Early spring had been fairly wet and so early spring growth was relatively slow. Although soil conditions are now perfection for Lucerne, and Fraser had seen a notable shift in gear in the lucerne stands, with a flush of feed evident. See photos below of Jeffries Front Flat … Read more
Posted on behalf of Prof. Derrick Moot After mild winters, aphid numbers can build rapidly so check stands regularly. There are at least three species of aphids that can cause problems in different weather conditions so be vigilant. Check the top of plants where the leaves are compact and emerging. If none are present sweep … Read more
Posted on behalf of Prof. Derrick Moot Recent trips from South Canterbury to Marlborough highlight several emerging issues for lucerne in this early spring. The particularly high (>200 mm) rainfall in June and subsequently warm winter temperatures have combined to create unusual circumstances. Here, Derrick outlines some of the problems and solutions to consider over … 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
Warwick estimated that the carrying capacity of this paddock has been increased by 200%. By renovating the areas that were able to be drilled by tractor (approximately 12ha, 55% of the total paddock area), the quantity of pasture on offer within this block has been greatly improved. The increase in pasture quality is also a … Read more