27 February 2012

Farmers show keen appetite for regrassing info
Ravensdown regrassing roadshows criss-cross country

Hundreds of farmers from across the country attended February’s Ravensdown regrassing seminars to share their thoughts on pasture renewal. A series of 34 seminars from the Dunsandel Hotel to the Dargaville Rugby Club Rooms focused on fine-tuning the “engine room” of New Zealand agriculture and dealing with pasture deterioration.

“The amount of choice for seed varieties and agchem products out there can be confusing. Because Ravensdown has specialists in both areas, we could show shareholders the key decisions to consider,” explains Agronomist Callum Davidson. “We also learned a few things from the farmers attending because of course that’s where the practical lessons are learned.”

Attendees heard how regrassing programmes can have a major long-term impact on farm performance and the impact of invasion from weeds and undesirable grass species, droughts, diseases, insects, pugging, soil compaction, overgrazing and pasture management. “Farmers think of fertiliser, agchem and seed choices and plans as part of a whole pasture renewal system. So that’s how we organised the seminars,” concluded Callum.

George Kerse, Technical Manager for Agrochemicals at Ravensdown, emphasises the advantage of Ravensdown being able to offer “joined-up” advice and gave a specific example, “one issue that crops up is a farmer who has used herbs like chicory or plantain in their pasture mix, but has a thistle problem in the paddock. It’s far too late to target those thistles after sowing the herbs, because there are simply no herbicides with that selectivity.”

Gerard Eder a 50/50 share-milker from near Woodville says, “there is a huge amount of information out there so to have it readily available and explained was good. I wrote down a list of things I am going to do and how to attack them. Now I know Ravensdown see the overall picture and have experts available in each area, it makes a big difference.”

The complete list of roadshows were held at: Whangarei Store, Dargaville Rugby Club Rooms, Ngatea War Memorial Hall, Hokitika Store, Takaka Rugby Clubrooms, Kaipaki Community Centre, Tirau Golf Club, Blenheim Store, Amberley Domain, Piopio Rugby Club, Tinwald Rugby Clubrooms, Dunsandel Hotel, Taratahi Store, Council Cafe – Morrinsville, Reporoa Woolshed Tavern, Poplars Reception Centre - Pleasant Point, Mangatainoka Brewery, Te Puke Golf Club, Five Forks Hall - North Otago, Dannevirke Store, Waihao Forks Hotel, Ranfurly Lion Hotel, Waipukurau Store, Balclutha Store, Awatoto Store, TET Multisports Centre – Stratford, Wairoa Store, Auroa Hall, Matawhero Store, Kakaramea Hall, St Johns Hall – Feilding, Aramoho Store, Cafe Exchange – Taihape, Okato Rugby Club.

About Ravensdown

Ravensdown supplies close to half of New Zealand’s agriculture fertiliser and has fertiliser operations in Australia. Ravensdown is 100% owned by farmers, providing them with sound technical advice and a comprehensive range of key farming inputs, all at the lowest sustainable cost.

ENDS

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>