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8 Northland’s season from hell Vol 21 No 5, February 13, 2023
View online at farmersweekly.co.nz
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Plantain mix a recipe for N reduction Bryan Gibson
TECHNOLOGY
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Feed
EW research shows a plantain pasture mix reduces nitrate leaching from dairy farms by as much as 60%, in part by diluting cows’ urine. There was no difference in milk production between the plantain and control pastures in the trial. The results come from the DairyNZ-led Plantain Potency and Practice (PPP) programme, using PPG Wrightson Seeds’ Ecotain plantain. Farm trials at Massey University and initial results from a trial at Lincoln University are showing similar trends.
When they’re eating Ecotain, there’s a greater allocation of nitrogen to dung versus urine than when they’re in a ryegrass pasture. Peter Kemp Massey University Massey University Professor Emeritus Peter Kemp and his team have been researching the effects of plantain over several years and the experimental plots were established at the university in 2019.
“Each one has an individual tile drain system underneath it and all the drainage water from the individual paddock is piped down to the tipping buckets where we measure the total drainage water from each paddock, and we subsample it to measure the nitrogen concentration in the water,” Kemp said. The researchers also measured nitrogen in the cows’ urine, dung and plasma. The cows take on the same amount of nitrogen from the plantain mix pasture, but it is allocated differently from ryegrass, Kemp said. “When they’re eating Ecotain, there’s a greater allocation of nitrogen to dung versus urine than when they’re in a ryegrass pasture.” That means that in total there’s less nitrogen reaching the pasture from urine and that nitrogen has a better chance of being reabsorbed by the pasture. In addition, plantain increases the volume of urine, diluting it and also spreading it out across the paddock. “There is less nitrogen available for leaching as you go into autumn and winter.” Initial results from the programme’s Lincoln University study in Canterbury, on lighter soils under irrigation, show similar trends to the Massey University Continued page 3
Ewes reach $530 in farewell sale Mary Taylor, a founder of Glenbrae Wiltshire, was pen-side with daughter Emma and her husband, Andrew Martin, to see the family’s 2700 Wiltshire ewes and 24 rams sold Photo: Suz Bremner at a dispersal sale.
MARKETS 38
Job done and then some After 49 years of breeding deer velvet genetics, pioneer Peter Swann has exceeded his own expectations.
PEOPLE 24 Tentative signs that sluggish global red meat prices may be on the rise.
A plan is underway to double horticulture farmgate production by 2035.
Local fixes are being sought for forestry challenges at Te Tairāwhiti.
NEWS 3
NEWS 5
SPECIAL REPORT 17, 18
WE BROUGHT THE FMG SPOT CHECK ROADIE TO TOWN.
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THESE RESULTS MIGHT SURPRISE YOU.
FMG and Melanoma New Zealand recently visited rural locations around the country with the FMG Spot Check Roadie, sharing life-saving information and giving FREE skin cancer spot checks. Thank you rural New Zealand for booking out every stop on the roadie, here are the surprising results. Melanoma New Zealand checked 759 spots. Of those spots, 113 suspicious lesions were identified and referred for further analysis — that’s 15% of all the spots checked.
14 potential melanomas were referred on for clinical review. Check out the stat map to see how many families now have the information they need to act.
113
SUSPICIOUS LESIONS IDENTIFIED & REFERRED
It just shows how important it is to keep up to date with your skin checks. To find out more, head to fmg.co.nz/mnz or go to melanoma.org.nz/book-a-consultation.
132
SPOTS CHECKED
31
216
SPOTS CHECKED
17
213
SPOTS CHECKED
47
198
SPOTS CHECKED
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