Farmer Focus: The best spring ever as the election looms

The farm is looking a picture at present. We have had regular rainfall, mild temperatures and not too much drying nor’west wind yet.

I have never seen this farm grow the grass like it, and as a result lambs have done extremely well, averaging more than 26kg so far.

We have 2,200 left to go over the next 10 days as we close the last ryegrass crops for seed. Our average always drops off a bit at the end, but it’s still a very solid result.

See also: Earthquake technology helps farmers map soil compaction

About the author

David Clark

Farmer Focus writer

David Clark runs a 463ha fully irrigated mixed farm with his wife Jayne at Valetta, on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand’s south island. He grows 400ha of cereals, pulses, forage and vegetable seed crops, runs 1,000 Romney breeding ewes and finishes 8,000 lambs annually.

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Our timings with grass seed seem to be spot on, with crops kept at evenly grazed at 75-100mm in height all spring.

We have moved one nitrogen application earlier to three weeks prior to closing, with the logic of ensuring we don’t graze all of the nitrogen out of the plant and cause stress just as the yield potential is establishing in the base of the tiller.

We might need to manage bulk with higher applications of plant growth regulator (PGR), but I’m liking how the crops are looking. The bonus of this earlier nitrogen meant we also grew more feed.

Autumn wheats are looking very healthy, with a T0 fungicide on for Septoria with the PGR. We plan to hold off on T1 and get really good coverage of leaf three.

So that’s the good news, the bits we can manage.

The unknown is that we go to the polls in an election on 7 November. It is going to be extremely close.

Democracy at it’s finest, everyone gets a single vote, regardless of the competency or ability for rational thought of the voter.

On one side we have the three parties making up our coalition. They inherited a mess, socially and economically after six years of ideologically driven socialist agendas and a pandemic allowing unbridled spending. It has taken time to turn this around.

On the other side, we have four parties who would fancy a return to some socialist utopia with nine new taxes, a universal basic income and a war on anyone who is productive.

Let’s hope sanity prevails.