It can be easy to overlook perennial weeds in established pastures as we head into early winter.
In a few weeks, however, you’ll need all the high-quality grass you can get with quality feed demand high post calving, and that does not include the likes of ragwort, buttercup and thistle. This month provides the perfect chance to get all your paddocks cleaned up and on top of winter weeds ahead of your feed demand for spring, so cows milk well in early lactation and reach mating in optimal body condition.
Getting started on this is as easy as reaching out to your Farm Source Technical Sales Representative for a chat about existing weed pressure on the farm, and what this is already costing you in terms of loss in grazing and utilisation. Then, together, you can work out the return on investment of removing those weeds before spring by using appropriate phenoxy herbicides during winter.
It’s all thanks to a digital tool kit from Nufarm called Grassmanship.nz, which brings a suite of powerful calculators into the paddock for quick, reliable costings and comparisons of different pasture management options.
“The Grassmanship App is designed to help farmers get the best out of their pastures year-round, and now is the perfect time to work with your TSR to plan winter weed control,” says Nufarm Business Development Manager Katie Morrison.
“Pasture yield and quality are critical to support good cow nutrition and performance in early lactation. The more you can do now to prime those paddocks for optimal spring growth, the better off you will be in the lead up to mating.”
The winter calculators are fully customisable for North and South Island farms and use industry standards for average regional pasture growth rates to quantify the cost of existing weed pressure in lost pasture production. That makes it much easier to work out the financial benefit of using herbicides such as Agritone® 750, Relay® Super S, Sprinter® 700DS and/or Archer® 750, or Conquest®, to control problem weeds before spring.
“The Grassmanship app helps us make informed, economic decisions regarding phenoxy herbicide use throughout the winter period,” says Matamata Technical Sales Representative Weston Kranenburg.
“Seeing as clover is dormant during this time, we have the option of using less selective herbicides such as Relay Super S to target hard-to-kill weeds without impacting clover, ultimately leading to a higher quality and more productive pasture.”
Katie Morrison says in most cases, the relatively small investment required to control pasture weeds pays a return within six to 12 months in a range of situations.
Well-timed winter herbicide not only enhances pasture dry matter in the short term, it also helps prolong the life of existing pastures so they grow well in future seasons too.
To use the Grassmanship App for a better, more productive spring on your farm this season, talk to your Farm Source TSR today.
Article supplied by Nufarm
Nufarm Business Development Manager Katie Morrison