Outlook with Bill Webb Bill Webb Feed Solutions

We’re well into planting now – thanks to a good run of weather. Tauranga just had its third driest September in 77 years, according to the MetService.

This has meant a better start to the season than 2017. Last year we planted our swamp blocks on November 2 – this year it was October 18.

And last year we had to plant parts of paddocks due to ground being wet and return to sort the rest – this year we’ve planted whole paddocks at once.

The only thing is soil temperatures aren’t as good as last year. But if we get some warm days this will pick up.

Some farmers are still struggling with feed. A heavy frost on September 19 didn’t help so there’s not a lot of surplus around. So for future supply they need to be vigilant with weeds and pests attacking their crops. Once the seed is in, don’t shut the gate and walk away. Check seed is coming up evenly and nothing, like rats, pukeko, pheasants and even pigs, are taking out seed.

Weeds

With maize crops you’ll have to use a post-emergent spray to combat weeds, and for turnips a post-emergent spray will keep weeds and white butterfly at bay. This should be done the same time you put on a side-dressing of nitrogen – about six weeks after planting.

The weeds might not look very big – or there might not be many – but once they take hold they soon change. Summer grass is also not good at the base of maize – as it can be host plant for army caterpillar. They lay eggs on it, hatch; then start chewing away at your crop.

The recent death of a mother and son, killed in a tractor accident in Otago, really gives us all a stark reminder of the need to keep on top of health and safety on-farm.

Now calving has past it’s a good time to ensure your operation’s health and safety policies are all up-to-date. Revise your Safe Operation Procedures and make sure staff are following them. And while operating one piece of equipment might mean having 10 SOPs they’re worth it – so if someone new comes along they can read the procedures to operate the gear safely with appropriate training.

Potential hazards

Be mindful of where potential hazards are and ensure people aware of them. Especially contractors coming on-farm – because if a slip, hole, tomo or low powerline is not pointed out it could cause injury or fatality. And it can come back at you. Nowadays Google maps are handy to write hazards on and stick up in the shed.

Fonterra’s huge $196m loss and recent forecasted payout drop is a concern. It’s certainly hard on farmers when they’re trying to budget – it’s like trying to hit a moving target. Traditionally, the Global Milk Auction price does dip in spring when there’s more milk and lift later on as supply drops. It’s not abnormal but farmers need to keep an eye on budgets.

When making supplementary feed – go for quality not quantity. Make silage out of short, leafy grass with no more than 15 per cent seed-head emergence. If you want to have back-up feed in the corner, in case it turns dry, and you want to milk cows from it – you have to go for quality.

Ensure plants have high sugar levels, they’re wilted properly, and stack it or bale it as soon as possible after cutting. Use inoculants to increase bacteria required for speeding up the ensiling process, and cover well. Seal the stack and fence to keep stock out. Set up bait stations to keep rats at bay. And put netting/shade cloth over stacks to stop pukekos and ducks from getting in.

Monitor your stacks and bales regularly for pests. Rats at one of our blocks took three weeks to slow down with bait stations .We’ve got nice leafy silage for sale and a bit of maize silage for sale. So get your orders in early before the potential dry spell arrives, so you don’t have to stress about feed shortages. We’ll have hay and straw later on in the season.