PROVIDING WINTER GREEN FEED

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30668, 6 February 1965, Page 10

PROVIDING WINTER GREEN FEED

The widespread rains which have fallen in the past week or so have provided ideal conditions for oversowing or overdrilling for winter greenfeed without prior cultivation, except where surface working is required. The time is ripe to capitalise on the moisture with hay supplies still being very scarce. Maximum production of greenfeed will have the effect of minimising the quantity of hay needed this winter.

Messrs D. J. G. Davies and G. R. Clefend, of Che farm advisory division of Che Department of Agriculture in Christchurch, say that for best results from greenfeed it is important to make a succession of sowings between February and March. The earlier sowings will provide fete autumn feeding and a useful early spring recovery. The later sowings will provide mainly mid to late winter feeding although if growth conditions are satisfactory a light grazing could be taken in April-May. Essentially the greenfeed is required for the months of June to August to meet the requirements of ewes for a more nutritive nation in the advanced stages of pregnancy, and management should be directed to this end. It is the last six weeks before lambing that is the most important period. The greenfeed may be lightly grazed during the autumn and early winter to prevent loss of feed due to I adverse climatic conditions. The feed mixture recom- * mended consists of oats and grass, with turnips being added if drilling is carried out before the end of February where direct seeding or surface working is used. Turnips sown later than this will only produce small bulbs.

The cost of this nitrogen- . ous fertiliser would amount to only about 7s 6d per acre. ' In their comparisons of sowing methods the officers ' used a seed mixture of 2} ' bushels of oats, but barley or , wheat could be used, a half bushel of Italian or short ' rotation ryegrass, and a jib of soft turnips an acre. The i turnips were an optional addition to the mixture mainly i for overdrilling and surface ' cultivation and should only ! • be used where the sowing was ; done before the end of Feb- ■ ; ruary. Fertilisers included : were 2 cwt of nitrogenous ; ' fertiliser and 2 cwt of super- - : phosphate, but the amount of . super will have to be adjusted to suit district requirements. Poorer results will be obtained if lower seed and : fertiliser rates are used. Using cultivation costs > based on operating and not contract costs, and dry matter , production figures based on , Department of Agriculture , field trials, the officers found that the cost of providing the 2.21 b of dry matter in the . form of greenfeed and a jib of hay per day worked out at i 4d per ewe per day where the feed was sown on light land ' following ploughing, 3.18 d per ■ day where the land was sur- , face worked, 2.96 d where i overdrilling was done and 3.22 d per day where four ounces of barley was used, with barley at 9s per bushel, ; and Ijlb of lucerne hay with : the hay at 12s 6d per bale.

Messrs Davies and Cleland have been considering the various alternative methods of renovating pastures to provide feed for the winter on light land and also on medium to heavy land. They comment that obviously ploughing will be limited to a small area because of the time factor. It will in general have been used in the preparation of new pastures. The two officers here suggest that to ensure a good establishment of new pastures farmers might include a small amount of nitrogenous fertiliser of up tn Jcwt to the acre with the normal phosphate dressing.

Similar On medium to heavy land the result was similar with the cost per ewe per day being 1.64 d after ploughing, 1.51 d after surface working, 1.36 d after overdrilling and 2.1 d with eight ounces of barley and 111 b of poor hay at 3s 4d per bale. The cheapest method was therefore overdrilling seeds into existing pastures, followed closely by surface cultivation.

Since the rains have fallen they say that overdrilling on legume based (subterraneanwhite clover) pastures will provide a greater bulk of feed and under this system there will be a minimum of wastage as a result of the consolidated ground conditions, on particularly the lighter land. With surface cultivation there will be about a month’s time lag and with ploughing of course there will be a further loss of time and only lambing feed will be available.

The buying in of hay and barley, the fourth alternative, was costly, but less labour is involved. Grain, however, can only be fed under dry conditions as sheep will not eat wet grain either on the ground or from a trough. On the heavier land more feed would be available so

requiring more grazings and with the greater production, of course, a smaller area would be required to feed the same number of sheep. For ewes on grain feeding they add that a gradual switch to greenfeed should be made about six weeks before lambing. Prudent stock management involved restricted movement of stock whether by break feeding or trough feeding grain and could reduce the maintenance ration required by the animal. However, if pre-lamb shearing was practised the maintenance requirements would be increased by up to 40 per cent When overdrilling it is important that the seed be placed in contact with the soil at a depth of half to one inch and the seed and fertiliser are covered. Good results can be obtained with the hoe coulter drill with a rolling skeith in front but sharp points are necessary. With a disc coulter drill where soils remain hard it

would be advisable to have some surface preparation before sowing.

Where grass grub is encountered it is essential that control measures be taken immediately, and as long as pelleted DDT is broadcast it will protect the greenfeed from the ravages of the pest. To summarise the important points to be noted if good results are to be obtained:

(1) Immediate sowing for mavimiim dry matter production for late autumn and early spring feeding—March sowings will give late winter and early spring production. (2) Use machinery capable of penetrating soil to a depth of one inch and cover seed and fertiliser with harrows. (3) Use a nitrogenous fertiliser as well as phosphate. (4) Graze greenfeed lightly during autumn and early winter to prevent loss of feed through adverse climatic conditions.

(5) Ensure adequate supplies of greenfeed for the critical period before lambing.