Key tips
- Make small decisions regularly - make a decision every week it doesn’t rain, seek advice, talk with others.
- The forecast is for a continued mix of rain and dry spells, but the temperatures are expected to be normal or above normal. Soil and air temperatures mean the growing season is likely to last a bit longer than usual. Take advantage of this.
- Try not to let this year’s issues reduce the potential production for next year - it’s a long game.
- Keep on top of feed budgets through to the end of May and keep reviewing your plan
- Drying off poor performing or at risk younger cows may be an efficient prioritisation of feed and should be a consideration as part of your plan
- Focus on Body Condition Score management
- Use variable milking options
- Keep track of pests as part of your winter crop management
- Focus on young stock management, work with your processor for a planned exit of culled stock
- Contact anyone in the local Southland / South Otago DairyNZ team to talk through your plan or for help with feed budgeting - Regional Teams - DairyNZ
Top planning and actions to take now:
Sheep, beef and crops
- Determine feed requirements through Body Condition Scores or weighing ewes and hoggets.
- With mating 3-6 weeks away, lifting ewes or hoggets to mating weights will likely be the most economic use of feed. Lifting the lightest ewes is the priority.
- For some farms that will mean dropping kill weights of lambs and maybe selling some stores.
- Where there is reduced pasture cover, know your feed budget. There is plenty of the season left to fix shortages that come from recovering ewe weights.
- Fly strike appears to be the worst seen in many years - so monitor mobs regularly and consider avoiding fly prone areas. Shade is important on hot days, but some shady gullies can be problematic because of flies.
- Extra dagging of sheep and lambs may help in some situations.
- Many fly problems have been green fly - which strikes more randomly.
- Crops are still being hit by aphids. Weekly checks for aphids are important even through March and April. Some farmers may need to spray crops a second time.
- Recent rains may have alleviated some stock water shortages for the time being but regularly check the situation.
Dairy
- Keep
on top of feed budgets through to the end of May and keep reviewing your plan
- Drying
off poor performing or at risk younger cows may be an efficient prioritisation
of feed and should be a consideration as part of your plan
- Focus
on Body Condition Score management
- Use
variable milking options
- Keep
track of pests as part of your winter crop management
- Focus
on young stock management, work with your processor for a planned exit of
culled stock
- Contact
anyone in the local Southland / South Otago DairyNZ team to talk through your
plan or for help with feed budgeting -
Regional Teams
- DairyNZ
There’s lots of people to talk to and some great events/shouts coming up where you can have a chat over a bite to eat and cold drink - have a look through the list below:
