Watch inputs, costs of cropping

Press, 30 May 1986, Page 10

Watch inputs, costs of cropping

Mixed cropping farmers should not go back to lowtechnology farming because times were difficult, but should be be careful not to over-use high technology, Professor Jim White of Lincoln College has warned. Some farmers could be spending money needlessly, so there was the need to justify economically the returns from a high rate of nitrogen fertiliser, weed control and fungal sprays, he said.

Professor White, Professor of Agronomy at the college, was reviewing prospects for the coming season in mixed cropping, particularly in Canterbury.

“Farmers should ask themselves if they can get as much nitrogen from a good clover seed crop rather than from a bag,” he said.

“They should think of smothering yarrow with a good cereal crop rather than spraying at much higher cost, and using resistant wheat cultivars

against stripe rust.” Professor White said farmers should think carefully before putting scarce dollars into inputs. But farmers could not afford to stop doing things which would lift net returns. “Attention to detail is essential, and regular inspections of growing crops is a must. “One farmer missed inspecting his crop of Gwylan barley for 10 days last November, then found scald had spread all through. “Spraying was too late, and he ended up with 85 per cent screenings.”

Professor White said quality was more important in cropping than ever, and this had been seen in the Cereal 85 wheat competition with the winner having both the best return and the best quality. The competitor who came last had a respectable six tonnes-a-hectare yield, but kernel weight was low because of a cereal aphid-barley yellow dwarf virus attack

and the crop was rejected for milling.

Professor White said yield alone should not be the aim of farmers; high quality was important for all crops.

"Farmers who this year had barley with high screenings, or peas that were discoloured will readily agree.”

Professor White said farmers need to become much more involved in marketing.

“Reliable overseas markets, and bright, attractive packaging go along with high quality and high yield.” Deregulation of the wheat industry would lead to bakers buying the best flour they could get. “Unfortunately, wheat breeders have not quite met the challenge of deregulation,” said Prof. White. “Flour from New Zealand wheat this year scored around M.D.D. 25, compared with. 25 to 28 for Australian flour.

“If New Zealand wheat is to compete with that

from Australia the only cultivar from last year is Oroua. “The new D.S.I.R. releases Kotare and Weka may well be as good, but seed supplies are limited to about 500 tonnes each.”

Otane, another highquality D.S.I.R. release, was basically an earlymaturing spring wheat, and should not be sown before July.

Professor White said the outlook for export barley in the coming year was not likely to be any better than in the present season.

Wet conditions at harvest in Australia and Argentina last season meant that a lot of wheat went to the feed trade, competing with barley and other coarse grains.

World markets were not being helped by continued highly-subsidised production of barley in European Community countries. New Zealand could not continue to see barley as

a crop for which “you shut the gate after sowing and open to let the header in,” he said.

Barley'needed as much regular attention as wheat, with crop hygiene the key to higher yields and low screenings. Choosing a variety for good disease resistance and autumn sowing on lighter land would help keep costs down. “Out first crop of Illia barley sown in autumn on the college arable farm this year yielded 7.8 tonnes a hectare compared with only four tonnes from spring-sown crops,” he said. Peas had a bright export future, he said, so long as the European Community did not flood the market with subsidised surpluses. A good range of cultivars was available to farmers, among these two D.S.I.R. semi-leafless varieties, Lovelock (white) and Impulse (blue), both suitable for lighter soils.