News

Sheep are attractive to blowflies during the warm weather, while their skin is continually being wetted. These wet and warm conditions can lead to the development of fungal and bacterial infections in the wool. Cyrex™ Liquid has a few modes of action for the prevention and treatment of blowfly...

Weaned calves need good quality leafy pasture to grow efficiently. To ensure calves are getting the nutrients they need, it is worthwhile weighing them and monitoring performance against live weight targets (see Table 1 below). Be aware that autumn growth rates may be limited by excess protein so...

Cameron Henderson converted from drystock to dairy in 2011. The light, free draining soils and dry conditions on his Canterbury farm were the perfect conditions for grass grub, and any new pasture was quickly devastated. On the advice of Kaleb Bolton, PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative...

Stephanie Sloan, Technical Specialist at PGG Wrightson, describes pH as the “referee of the soil”. In this first video of a series of three, Stephanie explains the role of pH in your soil fertility and how lime can help in getting your pH right.

There are both diploids and tetraploids across the ryegrass continuum. Gary Bosley, PGG Wrightson Technical Specialist, explains some of the differences between the two types and helps you decide which might be more suitable for your farm system.

If the cow and calf are competing for high quality feed, then it’s time to wean. There are several factors to think about when that time comes. Vaccination Calves should have been given a clostridial vaccination at calf marking to protect against tetanus and black leg in particular. As this would...

In 2017, there was 12 months’ worth of rainfall between January and July and in many places this led to a lack of new pastures going in last autumn. The thought of which pastures to renew and the cost is quite daunting, so how do you prioritise which paddocks to renew over others? An industry...

South Island Sheep and Beef The two halves of the South Island couldn't be in more of a contrast. Otago and Southland have become very dry as hot conditions prevail. Whilst Canterbury north have had good rainfalls taking the pressure off, as farmers use the extra feed to put weight on animals. The...

Aphids can cause significant damage to your forage brassicas. Populations of both the cabbage grey aphid and green peach aphid damage your crop by sucking plant sap. The resulting yellowing and wilting reduces growth rates. Aphids also transmit plant viruses in brassicas and their feeding points...

The benefits Du-Wett® consistently deliver to horticultural spray applications are now being realised by farmers and spraying contractors responsible for insect pest management in forage brassicas and other agricultural crops. Gilchrist Brothers Ltd is an agricultural contracting business...

Getting good yield from your beet crop takes some good decisions, timing and the weather playing ball. Most of the work with beet is right at the start, but remember to focus on four key things once the crop is established to maximise yields. Canopy development Beet crop yields are mostly grown over...

Historic Olrig Station in Hawke’s Bay sold under the hammer by the PGG Wrightson Real Estate team on Friday 10 November. The property sold for $10.170 million. Interest was strong in the spectacular 848 hectare property, which came to the market for the first time since 1859. Olrig Station was...

With summer around the corner, now is a good time to start considering feed supplies going forward, especially over the drier summer months. If you have suffered from the excessively wet winter and have damaged pastures, rather than re-sowing pasture, an alternative option is to use a forage...

Recent Angus yearling bull sales are on a high with record results around the country and Kakahu Angus Stud near Geraldine was no exception to this strong outcome for breeders throughout New Zealand. Some prices were up by more than $1,000 a head, achieving gains of 30 percent plus on last year...

Forage quality should be a key consideration when deciding on the kale cultivar that will ultimately determine next winter’s animal performance. With a wide range of kale cultivars available, it is important to differentiate between short, intermediate and giant types, carefully weighing up the...

With fodder beet a slow establishing crop and highly susceptible to weed competition, it is crucial that a thorough weed control programme is used. Through its decades of experience and involvement in sugar beet production in Europe, Bayer Cropscience has developed a range of herbicide solutions for...

Attention to detail will help you get the most out of this forage crop. Paddock selection and preparation Consider access, soil structure, previous crop, spray history, and fertility when selecting your paddock. If planting after beet, radish, peas, potatoes or mustard, monitor crop health as these...

The PGG Wrightson Australian Seeds business, which was established in 1938, is a proprietary seed company operating across the country. Its activities cover all aspects of the seed market, from research and development through to product supply, distribution and technical on-farm supply. The...