SeedData Newsletter

SeedData Newsletter
SeedData Newsletter
SeedData Newsletter


Issue 21 / Spring / October 2011

Hi #subname#
 

Welcome to the October edition of Specialty Seed's SeedData Newsletter.
Click here to see our new postal address
The start of the month has been full of good news for most farming clients, record payouts for milk, a wide spread and welcome period of rain, sheep and meat pricing looking good for the next three years and the All Blacks progressing into the world cup final!

It's also time to give yourselves a pat on the back. I read an article the other day that said New Zealand agriculture has the lowest level of Government support in the OECD. At just 1% New Zealand was well behind the average of 18%. Other countries with low levels of support include Australia at 3% and Chile at 4%.

I can remember the dark day's when New Zealand's agriculture was dragged out of a system that relied on a subsidised existence to what it is today a vibrant, self sufficient and dynamic world leading industry.

We are also giving ourselves a pat on the back in a minor way. It's amazing just how much rubbish can be generated from a business like ours. However we recycle as much as we can and recently did a deal, at our cost, with a recycling company to remove our entire excess pallet wrap. We also give away our old surplus sacks to many different places so they can reused and even make our note pads out of our old and used paper. These are small things I suppose but they all add up to make a difference. If you ever have a project coming up that requires some old sacks please feel free to give us a ring.

In this edition we will preview:

Establishing Lucerne on dryland farms.

Lucerne Paddock
Over the last few years there has been a big increase in interest from our clients on dryland farms in establishing Lucerne.

Lucerne is a perennial legume species with an extended taproot that allows the plant access to water and nutrients deep in the soil profile and which gives it superior drought tolerance in comparison to grass pastures in lower rainfall areas.

Lucerne is a multi-purpose plant that can either be grazed or conserved as hay/silage for use during times of the year when pasture quality or diet protein levels are low. Lucerne has excellent stock acceptance and produces impressive yields of high quality feed.


Getting Lucerne correctly established is the most important step you can take to ensure long term success with your stand.

Please follow the download link below to find a simple plan we recommend for you to use to take your paddock from old run out pasture into a weed free, fertile, high producing Lucerne stand in a few easy steps over a 12 month period.


Download Link: Download our Establishing Dryland Lucerne brochure.
Contact Link: For any questions or enquiries please don't hesitate to contact us.

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Summer / Autumn / Winter feed options

Corka Kale
For those of you looking to fill the Summer / Autumn / Winter feed deficit gap, October and November are very important months. There is a wide, some would say confusing, array of products on the market today to help farmers through this period.

Brassica
Although there haven't been any new releases this season, over the last couple of seasons there has, and we now have a better understanding of how these products are likely to perform for you on your farm.

Maize
We have noticed more enquiries into maize growing this season and a lot of this enquiry has come from non traditional maize growing areas. There is a huge range of maize cultivars available and we can help you find the one best suited for you.

Chicory
Chicory as a Summer / Autumn feed source has becoming more and more popular every year. Chicory is deep rooting, insect tolerant and produces high quality feed so it's no wonder it has been difficult to source some cultivars this season.


Website Link: To check out your various options please go to the Specialty Seeds website.
Contact Link: For information on what the best option for your individual property is please feel free to contact us.


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Pearler Millet
Pearler Millet


This season has seen an increase in interest in maize, sorghum and millet as farmers are looking to maximise their summer production potential.

New to the market, Pearler Millet can be grazed earlier than sorghum, and provides a lot of high protein and energy feed in a short period of time. Pearler is best used if it is grazed early, kept short (approx 0.5 m high) and actively growing and is therefore is a multi use product. Pearler also has a lack of prussic acid which enables it to be used for grazing heavily for long periods.

For the last few years we have marketed Sprint Sorghum with some very good results from Gore to Northland. We have a very good brochure on how to grow sorghum, that is downloadable from the link below. The growing tips within this sorghum brochure would also apply to growing Pearler Millet.


Downloads Link: Download the Specialty Seed's Sorghum Brochure.
Downloads Link: Download the Tips for growing a successful Maize Silage Crop Growing Guide.
Contact Link: For more information on Pearler, Sorghum or Maize please contact us.

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Well Done Patrick

From time to time we get requests from schools or school children for seed they need for various projects. We are always happy to supply them with any reasonable request.

At the start of this year we received an email from Patrick Imrie, aged 12, from Aquinas College, Tauranga. Patrick wrote in his email to us that he had been assigned to complete a science project, and that he had decided to test different types of lawn seed and rate them according to growth rate, strength of blades, and price. Patrick's decision to study this had come about as he felt his parents lawn was 'dreadful' and part of this problem was that it was 'plagued by grass grubs' so he wanted to find out 'what the best grass seed to use for his lawn' would be.

Patrick and his Lawn Seed trials Specialty Seed's wanted to help and more than happily to supplied Patrick with a variety of different lawn seeds for him to test.

A few weeks back we received an email from Patrick telling us that he had been chosen to compete at the Bay of Plenty Regional Science Fair finals at Rotorua! Patrick wrote ".. My grass seed project won a Highly Commended place in the Intermediate school section, and came 3rd out of all age groups for the Fonterra Farm Science section. I was awarded $70 !"

Specialty Seeds would like to congratulate Patrick again on the effort that he has put into this fantastic project !

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As always, we hope this issue has been of some value to you. If you have a comment on this newsletter or anything on our website, please feel free to give us a call on our Freephone: 0800 727 8873, send us an email at: mail@specseed.co.nz.


Kind Regards

Stephen Finch / David Percival

Stephen Finch & David Percival
Specialty Seeds - New Zealand


The right match of Seed to Soil - www.specseed.co.nz
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