For farmers wintering on forage crops or planting a couple of paddocks - PDF document

For farmers wintering on forage crops or planting a couple of paddocks to bring cows back onto at the end of winter selecting t he right paddocks for your crop is important. Ensuring sufficient winter/early spring feed on hand is critical ying in Southland and cropping is an expensive exercise. This factsheet is designed to take into account : 1. Maximis ing resource use on the farm 2. Maximis ing the likelihood of crop success 3. Minimis ing the impact on the environment Step 1: What crop will you be feeding? The crop type you will grow will determine the potential yield grown (k gDM ) and hence the number of paddocks required . Each crop type also has particular issues that need considering when selecting the paddock such as soil type, drainage , hist ory of disease , fertility and previous spraying regime . Crop (s) being sown Step 2 : How many hectares are required to feed cows ? To work out how many paddocks are required to complete a winter feed budget. There are a number of tools av ailable online for this purpose including the DairyNZs’ Southern Wintering Systems: Winter Crop Allocation Calculator. The following information will be required for thorough planning: How many days the cows ? T he feed requirements of th e cow? T he likely crop yield ? How many kg DM of crop will be offered ? Total ha required N umber of paddocks needed for crop Step 3 : Wh ich paddocks need work? C onsider wh ere development or regrassing needs to happen on the farm . Keep in mind wh ich paddock s have had poor grass performance, weed problems, poor drainage, or new ground to break in. Identify the in the table below . Paddocks needing work Crop Paddock Selection Southern Wintering Initi ative Fact Sheet Step 4 : What paddock is best? For paddocks identified as needing work, complete the followin g questions for each and tick if the statement applies . Paddock Number /Name If you ticked this then... Had a history with general weeds Would benefit from regrassing through crop rather than grass to grass Been infested with wild turni p when cropped previously Eliminates s wede , turnips and kale as option s Had a club root problem Eliminates s wede and turnips as option s . Use kale , rape or fodderbeet . To prevent/limit clubroot or dry rot infection, keep a 5 - year interval betw een brassica crops even when using clubroot or dry rot tolerant varieties. Had dry rot problem Had high p est numbers C onsideration should be given to the previous crop’ s herbicides. Soil pH under 5.6 If t oo far from optimum for this yea r c hoose another paddock . Minimum soil pH of 5.6 and ideally between 5.8 and 6.2. May take six months to correct with lime . High sulphate levels in soil Paddocks should have low soil sulphate levels for brassicas . Recently cropped and used herbicid e or residual sprays Paddock may not be suitable for fodderbeet due to spray residuals. Check with your crop advisor. If puttin g in fodderbeet need to be avoid this paddock . Any waterways, temporary streams or natural drainage channels ( running in times of high rain) in the paddock Use different paddock if possible or develop a cultivation and grazing management plan to minimise the risk of runoff . A soil type that is particularly vulnerable to pugging and compaction Use different paddoc k if possible Significant a rtificial drainage such as mole and tile drains Use different paddock if possible Difficult to provide easy access to clean stock water Use a different paddock or develop a plan to provide water using portable troughs For Transition Feeding Does it have only one access gate or is it difficult to draft out of Are there problems for using as a calving paddock? - Wet, drains, puddles, shelter Is the paddock a long way from shed For each paddock i f you..... Ticked 4 or more boxes – Use a different paddock Ticked 3 or less boxes – Use this paddock implementing the managem ent strategies Step 5: Management strategies for cropping paddocks Read through the management strategies below to help make man agement of the paddock more effective and reduce the impact of grazing . Management strategies Paddocks with w aterway s , temporary streams or natural drainage channels (running in times of high rain) or artificial drainage network s Stock must be kept at least 3 m etres (m) away from waterways. Steeper ground should be avoided , but if used will require a wider buffer zone – a buffer of 10 to 15 metres of pasture may be needed. Identify temporary streams or natural drainage channels or swales in the paddocks that will drain water when it rains heavily; leave a 3m strip either side uncultivated and fence them off during grazing. Use nitrification inhibitors to reduce nitrate loss over the winter and early spring months. Feed planning – bale place ment, water troughs, break management, planting direction C rop is utilised more efficiently when long narrow breaks are offered rather than wide breaks. If there is a waterway in the paddock feed towards it. Back fence stock off land that has already bee n grazed. Reduce wastage due to trampling by moving the fence once or twice a day rather than offering a few days feed at a time. Fence off a narrow access strip along the length of paddock to access gateways . Adjust feed intake to weather conditions. In cold, wet conditions, feed demand is higher and utilisation is lower. Underfed stock wandering in search of feed adds to the potential soil loss through physical damage and sediment entering waterways Place supplementary feed such as balage into paddock at start of winter when soils are not so wet . Keep well back from waterways to avoid stock congregating near them. Provide transportable t roughs for stock drinking water, ensuring cows have access to water at all times while on crops . This helps to minim ise soil compaction from stock traffic walking back to a trough at the other end of the paddock from the feeding face. Planting direction: sow crops , especially ridged crops , parallel to the feeding face. This allows more accurate feed allocation especiall y in high yielding crops such as fodderbeet. Cultiva tion and soil fertility Implement contour cultivation and conservation tillage on hill slopes to slow runoff and reduce down slope soil loss i.e. ridge lines running across the slope . Consider direct d rilling when establishing crops . Crops established using no - tillage techniques must be done well, particularly in situations where soils are cold and wet or where weeds and pests are prevalent. A double spray - out may be required and always use insecticide at spray - out and slug bait at planting, in no - till situations . S oil test paddocks to identify fertility levels and help define crop fertiliser requirements. Use crop calculators (available from Ballance Agri - nutrients) to calculate the economics fertilize r responses and determine the balance between crop yield and fertilizer cost for optimum growth. For more information on feeding winter crops refer to DairyNZ Farmfacts ( 1 - 73 ) to ( 1 - 77 )