Published on 04/10/2024
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 lines than it is right now. Every kilo of quality pasture consumed directly by cows dilutes farmers’ costs of production per kilo of milk solids, meat or liveweight, so the fewer weeds they have, the better.”
Right now, production-limiting weeds like Californian thistle, dock, buttercup, fleabane and water pepper are germinating or have already started under existing pasture covers. As soon as these pastures are grazed, and sunlight can reach down to the base of the sward, weed seedlings are ready to take off.
Smit says a free online tool from Nufarm makes it fast and easy to find out what such intruders could cost your farmers if left to grow and spread.
And this tool 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, www.grassmanship.nz has allowed dozens of farmers and technical field reps to compare and contrast the net return on investment per ha 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, she 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 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,” Smit says.
She advises encouraging farmers to check the state of all their paddocks this month, so they know what’s growing amongst the grass and clover, then consulting the Grassmanship App to identify the possible return on investment when choosing to spray.
To use the app, visit grassmanship.nz and talk to your local Nufarm territory manager.