PGG Wrightson's technical team manager Milton Munro outlines the good, the bad and the ugly of the season so far, and what can be done to get back on track for Autumn...

It hasn’t been the greatest of seasons. In fact, in many parts of the country, it’s been a right proper ugly season for farming – we’ve had more than our fair share of floods, storms, heatwaves and wind.



It’s a small wonder that our crops have even managed to poke their heads out of the ground. Still, that’s farming for you – she giveth and she taketh. What is important now is trying your best to make up for lost ground and to push your yield in the late summer and autumn.



To realise this goal I’d like you all to focus on some key strategies to help maximise your yield into the autumn.



Measure and monitor

It’s hard to plan for the future if we don’t know what base we are starting from. Get out into your crops and pasture and get a feel for where things are at. If there is going to be a shortfall in crops or pasture it’s better to now early in the piece, than find out when you really need the feed.



Protect what you have

Every kg of dry matter grown so far is sacred – it’s a kg that you won’t need to source from somewhere else – so it makes sense to do what you can to protect what’s yours. This means keeping an eye out for insects in your crops and pastures and if they do invade then take steps to get rid of them. It means taking out the weeds in autumn sown crops and grasses – don’t let the weeds steal the limited resources in your paddock – save them for the things you plant.



Maximise your growth potential

It’s all about finding opportunities to push production in the later parts of the season. There are a number of strategies that will work here – here are a couple: Nitrogen can be your friend. Used strategically it can give you a nice yield boost in both crops and pasture. Just remember that the best responses will come when the plants are actively growing – if it gets too cold then your response will be reduced. Another strategy could be the use of short term crops like oats or even an annual ryegrass. These can be planted in the early autumn and will give a good boost to production as well as the potential for a bit of extra winter green feed.



Seek help and support

You are not alone in this. The NZ agricultural community is at its finest when things are at their toughest. It may have been a rough spring and you may be looking at a feed deficit going into the autumn but it’s not over yet. There will be plenty of options and lots of solutions to drive production even late into the season. So pick up the phone and give a call to your local rep and start putting together a plan – just don’t wait too long to crack into this – the earlier you get started on a plan, the more options you will have available to you.



So there you have it – follow these simple strategies and you will give yourself the best chance of recovery over the autumn.



Of course it’s always a little more complicated than handful of quick notes. So if do have any questions get in touch with myself and the rest of the PGG Wrightson Technical Team. We are happy to help and it would be great to hear from you.