Latest Ruralco News

The Government has classified the past few months' of challenging weather conditions in Canterbury, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/Tairāwhiti, as a medium-scale adverse event.

We will look at the following this month: Fodder crops, Crops, Autumn sown Crops, Grass grub control in Pasture and use of Gibberellic Acid.

February delivered a welcome run of settled weather, allowing harvest to push ahead across the district. With short spells but long fine days, most farmers have been able to wrap up their harvest or are well on top of their harvest schedules.

The start of the year has kept us on our toes, with plenty of rain, but a few good harvest days in between have kept the month moving. Moist soils and low insect pressure have supported good crop and pasture growth but need continuous monitoring.

This month we will look at fodder beet crops, crops, autumn sown crops, and grass grub control in pasture.

Arable growers worried that some weeds in their crops may have developed herbicide resistance can now get the suspected plants tested for free. 

If target yields or production are not being achieved, and the key macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur) are adequately supplied, a micronutrient deficiency may be limiting performance.

A new economic report shows New Zealand’s arable industry plays a critical role in supporting livestock farming, food production and seed supply, generating $1.2 billion in direct sales and contributing $1.2 billion to GDP in 2024.

The end of November, early December has finally brought some settled sunshine across the region, with the odd small pockets of rain helping to freshen crops without slowing progress. Most arable crops are now powering along with strong growth, and many are heading into the tail end of their spraying programmes for the season.

For the next 2 months we are looking at the final sprays for finishing off our cereal and grass seed crops, getting our silos cleaned up before harvest, continuing our post emergence sprays on fodder beet, pre and post emergence sprays on forage brassicas and weed control in new pasture.