Forage peas offer feed quality and versatility as forage crops
John McCaw ( six foot in his slippers) stands in a paddock of Provider Peas at Sheffield.
Forage peas are versatile crops which can be grown on their own or partnered with a forage cereal to produce high yielding and high feed-quality cereal silage.
Sown on their own, forage peas can yield up to 18 tonnes of dry matter per hectare and when sown in a cereal combination, forage peas have the...
CRBA 148 Barley impresses in trials and on-farm
Chris Morrish: Reinforcing what FAR trials found, Chris Morrish found CRBA 148 an easy crop to grow with high yields and minimal inputs.
After four years of Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) trials, Luisetti Seed’s spring-sown feed barley CRBA 148 is proving to be a consistently top performer in yield and test weight.
The barley was trialled by FAR on two dryland sites in the Manawatu,...

Planning for successful beet crops
High yielding and palatable, fodder beet has become a valued winter crop option, but good planning and preparation is essential to realise its potential.
Not all beets are created equal, and James White from Seed Force says the targeted end use of the crop is one of the first things to consider when planning a fodder beet crop, as this will determine which type and cultivar to grow.
There are...

Nail-biting end to rugby final
A tight 90-minute battle between Glenmark-Cheviot and Southern ended in a 31-all draw.
After ten minutes of extra time, the Luisetti Seeds North Canterbury Division 1 Competition final between Glenmark-Cheviot and Southern ended in a nail-biting 31-all draw.
The match was played at Glenmark’s Omihi grounds on the Monday of Queen’s Birthday weekend. The match had been postponed on the preceding...

Intimidator Oats-an ideal catch-crop
Catch-crops look set to become an important tool to mop-up nutrients in the wake of winter forage crops.
Environmental regulations are a reality for farmers throughout the country as Regional and Central Governments strive to meet water quality targets.
Winter feed crops have come under the regulatory spotlight as a source of nutrient and soil loss, but catch-crops look set to become an...
Beeting it
High yielding and palatable, fodder beet crops give farmers the ability to winter a large number of stock within a small area and free up pasture on other parts of the farm.
This benefits the whole farm system.
There are a number of varieties of fodder beet available and farmers should be selecting the varieties that best meet the needs of their livestock. For example, some fodder beets are...
Familiar face in new agronomist role
Jack Harnett brings years of farming and seed industry experience to his new role.
After four years managing the Luisetti Seeds Ashburton store, Jack Harnett has hit the road and is servicing clients in the Mid Canterbury region.
Jack will be a familiar face to many of our farmers as he has lived and worked in the region all his life. He brings to his new role 18 years of hands-on farming...
Winter lucerne management optimizes spring production
Addressing weed and nutrient issues in lucerne stands now will ensure a clean, healthy, high-quality forage crop in spring.
Andrew Johnston from Luisetti Seeds says stands should be grazed hard in May (he suggests using high body condition score ewes or dry hoggets), removing all green plant material and as much dead organic matter at the base of the crop as possible – as this can harbour...
New Bean Cultivars under Trial
Luisetti cultivar ‘Goldilocks’
Luisetti Seeds has been trialling new bean cultivars that may have an advantage over the cultivars currently used in the New Zealand frozen vegetable industry.
The trials, which were located at Leeston in a paddock of green beans, were harvested for the Heinz Wattie factory at Hornby.
The green and yellow cultivars were assessed in the field for yield, disease...

Oat catch-crop benefits bottom-line and environment
Capturing the nitrogen accumulated in the soil in the wake of winter grazing, and using it to grow high-quality feed in spring, is good for business and the environment.
Early results from the first year of a Ministry of Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) project, which is looking at using catch crops to mitigate nitrate (N) leaching during winter forage grazing, has shown that...