News

Our Technical Team share their top tips to consider when sowing new pasture this season. PADDOCK SELECTION Identify the damaged and poor performing paddocks on your farm for spring cropping. Check paddocks you are targeting for spraying out and, if there are specific weed issues, consider a spike to...

Get prepared for spring and the danger of frosts by making sure your wind machines have been serviced during the off-season and are ready to protect your crop, says Les Rackley, Fruitfed Supplies Machinery Product Manager. “We don’t like hearing reports of last minute service agent call outs...

Target lemon tree borer by pruning out infested material before the end of the month, after which adult borer start to emerge and lay their eggs in new plant material. Continue to apply fungicides through August to ensure good fruit quality come harvest. Suitable products include Folpan™, Kocide...

The Ohakune region, famed for its quality vegetables, features a number of multi-generational market gardening operations. We talk with some of the producers to find out why. The Greenwood family started their Ohakune enterprise with Bob and Frances in the 1930s who ran sheep and cattle, then moved...

A key component to achieve your target ewe survival, lamb survival and lamb growth rates over lambing is feeding ewes to maintain a Body Condition Score (BCS) of three. Lamb survival decreases five percent and lamb weaning weight decreases six percent for every half of BCS below BCS of three at...

Deciding whether ewes, two tooths and hoggets require a pre-lamb drench is not a black and white exercise. There are strong opinions for all options, and in the end you need to make the decision that is best for your farm. Factors including worm resilience or resistant genetics of your flock, grass...

Clostridial bacteria can be a significant cause of death in farmed livestock, and modern multivalent vaccines are effective at preventing stock losses when given correctly. Here are several factors that can influence the effectiveness of a vaccine: Not all animals will respond to the vaccine...

Are you tired of dagging ewes? Do you feel that no sooner than you have cleaned them up, they start getting dirty again? Or have you got a constant tail end appearing in the flock, even when you think you are feeding them well? If the answer is yes, then it may be time to take corrective action...

Spring is just around the corner as lambs start to appear around the South Island and calving commences in the North Island. South Island Sheep & Beef As the days draw out it’s nice to think spring isn’t too far away with a few early lambs starting to appear. There has been reasonable yardings of...

Monitoring and using ewe Body Condition Score (BCS) should be your most valuable tool to maximise the profitability of your sheep flock. A beneficial approach is to set a minimum BCS or a range that you want all of your ewes to fall within and score all ewes within the flock. Although this is a time...

PGW’s GM of Real Estate, Peter Newbold talks to Jamie McKay whether farms are worth less now than they were this time a year ago, a question without a 'simple yes or no answer' whereby certain factors have to be considered. Peter also discusses the current sheep/beef and horticulture prices from...

Metarex Inov all-weather slug and snail bait has proven itself to be a critical part of an overall slug management programme to protect a wide range of spring sown crops. Slug populations can devastate spring sown crops. Maize and brassica seedlings in particular are extremely vulnerable in their...

Since using fodder beet in his system this year Farmer, Harold O’Connor is well on the way to significantly improving his farming operation. Fodder beet has enabled him to slow down his grass rotation and finish his bull beef earlier than he has traditionally achieved with swedes. As well as running...

When preparing to plant maize, ensuring you have selected the right hybrid is crucial. There are a number of factors to consider when selecting a hybrid best suited to your growing region and specifically for your farm. The first question you need to ask is ‘when can I plant and when can I harvest...

Gaining and maintaining Body Condition Score (BCS) pre-winter is a primary focus for dairy farmer, Mike Sales. Fodder beet on the platform has proved a valuable tool as a late lactation feed, which has enabled the farm to improve BCS whilst increasing milk production toward the end of the season...

Applying nitrogen fertiliser in a liquid form is a convenient way of applying nitrogen to crops or pastures. Liquid N Liquid N is suitable for a wide range of farm types, including pastoral, arable and horticultural systems. Liquid N is a solution, not a suspension, which means that the nitrogen...

Canterbury Dairy Farmer, Alan Davie-Martin was an early adopter of ProGibb® SG because it seemed like a cost-effective option and complementary to nitrogen application. Eight years later, Alan says ProGibb SG is not only instrumental to maintaining a pasture-based feed system on his farm, but he has...

Calf rearing done well can be both rewarding and profitable, however when sickness occurs problems can escalate quickly. Prevention is the proven way to minimise this risk. Here are some considerations for spring: The calf shed should be dry and draft free with warm, dry bedding. Fresh, clean water...