Getting more out of your existing pastures this season – without breaking the bank – could be as easy as implementing a strategic spring weed control programme in the coming weeks.
This may be particularly valuable and cost effective for paddocks which have been damaged by animals during wet winter weather, says Nufarm Territory Manager Celese Smit.
“Home-grown feed has never been more important to farmers’ bottom line than it is right now. Every kilo of quality pasture consumed directly by cows dilutes your costs of production per kilogram of milk solids, so the fewer weeds you have, the better.”
Right now, production-limiting weeds like dock, buttercup, fleabane and water pepper are germinating or have already started under existing pasture covers and are ready to take off as soon as these pastures are grazed.
A free online tool from Nufarm makes it fast and easy to find out what such intruders could cost you if left to grow and spread, Celese says, and it has already found favour with farmers looking to optimise their investment in weed management.
“The Grassmanship® App is designed to help farmers get the best out of their pastures year-round, and now is the perfect time to use it for planning spring weed control. Since it was launched in autumn, the Grassmanship® App has allowed dozens of farmers to compare and contrast the net return on investment per hectare from different weed spray scenarios, and so maintain their home-grown feed production.”
“When budgets are tight, feed, labour and weed management programmes are often farm expenses that come under scrutiny,” Celese says.
“We understand why this is, but we also know that it can be hard to quantify the cost to pasture production and quality that comes from cutting back on weed control. That’s why the Grassmanship® App is pre-loaded with separate dairy-specific calculators for both the North and South Island that cover common scenarios like spring weeds, new pasture and winter weeds.”
In most cases, she says, the relatively small investment required to control pasture weeds pays a return within six to 12 months in a range of situations. Well-timed spring herbicide not only enhances pasture dry matter (DM) in the short term, it also helps prolong the life of existing pastures so they grow well in future seasons too.
The secret to success is acting early. By the time most spring germinating weeds flower in summer, it’s too late to control them, certainly without damaging clover. They’ve already depressed pasture production, quality and cow intake.
Visit grassmanship.nz for more information.