Seeds & Cereals (2000) Ltd

There is a certain amount of uncertainty around cropping this spring, as the recent autumn drought is making decision making a reasonable challenge. Having a reasonably mild winter has relieved the pressure somewhat, but there is still a lot of land that has not come out of autumn well at all. Going forward, farmers’ main thoughts need to be on what cropping options are available and what class of stock, you need to fatten and finish. This will determine your path to cropping options. There are a wide range of farms and cropping options under many different conditions. It is not just spring options. That is just one piece of the puzzle that needs to be considered. What do you need for autumn/winter crops, or supplements.

A considered approach is required to balance options to the requirements needed. But Mother Nature tends to have the final say.

Currently I am discussing with clients options for spring planting. There is a lot of uncertainty with farming in general. A lot are predicting another drought. There has been more talk of kale for next winter.

The key right now is to plan plan plan, looking forward to autumn and working backwards. Talk to a rep that you trust as we see many different scenarios.

I’m continuing to chat with farmers about the upcoming spring season and the importance of planning your spring season early. It’s important that farmers are prepared and ready to get spring seed in the ground as soon as the weather starts to play ball. In addition to this, utilising surplus grass early gives farmers the opportunity to drop areas out of their round and not feel a pinch. Generally this is what we are seeing in the Manawatu and Waikato regions.

Everyone is appreciating the pasture growth that has happened, the breaking of the drought and where we are now. The combination of the rainfall to break the drought, and the ground staying warm to promote growth, was beyond expectations. Now is the time for forward planning to insure a good quality of feed for the entire summer period.

Farmers have got a bit of juggling of their options to do to maintain a high level of quality till the autumn rains.