Farm Tech

PasturePlan

AgResearch research farm

Location: Waipawa.

Farm size & type: 99 ha research farm.

Topography: Easy to steep hill country. Most of the farm is too steep to cultivate.

Rainfall: 850 mm/yr.

Climate: Summer dry and can have dry spell in spring.

Soil type: Free draining soils.

Fertiliser regime: n/a.

Stock numbers: n/a.

Carrying capacity: 8 su/ha, rotationally grazed. Set stocked for lambing.

Plot descriptions: (a) Old, easy, north hill. (b) Old, easy, south hill.

Detailed description: The cutting sites are within a 12 hectare farmlet fertiliser trial investigating the role of phosphate and nitrogen on dry hill country. They are on easy hillside sections where Olsen P levels are around 16.

Across the farm generally, southerly aspects are mostly old browntop pastures, while danthonia dominates on northerly slopes.

Farmer's comments: "We are already monitoring pasture growth, so the PasturePlan monitoring will slot in with our other trials. Doing monitoring as part of the normal farming calendar will improve the knowledge of pasture growth patterns, which we can disseminate to other farmers." (Maurice Gray)

Results published: Hawkes Bay Today.

Local Meat & Wool Innovation contact: Lew Willoughby, tel 06-835 1888, cell 025-434 417, lew.willoughby@mwi.co.nz